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How the heck do yall transition?!

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Janet' said:
...it ain't for everybody, lol!!!
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Amen to that!!!! :lachen:

Which is why I transitioned twice, each time for 3 months, and will never transition again unless my texture changes lol

But seriously, good luck girly. Trial and error and I am sure will have a reggie down pact.
 
patience and more patience. I'm 7 months post and still learning what works. I'm currently battling dryness and thinking of styles to do. Imma have to invest in that ecostyler gel.

Transitioning for me is mostly mental right now and I hope it gets better cos there's reall no urge to relax...yet lol
 
shtow said:
Amen to that!!!! :lachen:

Which is why I transitioned twice, each time for 3 months, and will never transition again unless my texture changes lol

But seriously, good luck girly. Trial and error and I am sure will have a reggie down pact.
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That's stretching, not transitioning, :lachen:
 
It takes patience and improvisation.In order to wear my hair how I like I have to figure out what would work now instead of just saying I can't do it. I've used many techniques such as pony tail rollersetting for when I want to wear my hair straight. Whoever came up with that is a genius lol. And I agree with others it is mental. You have to train your mind to expect differently of your hair than you use to.

My products however still work for me. I think the only time relaxing crosses my mind is when it's during the hotter months(summer, spring) and humidity where I live is a beast. But instead of thinking about getting a relaxer, I have to remind myself that it's very humid right now and I need to try to find something else that will let me wear my hair down. I even have to compromise with my hair such as braiding the front edges and pulling them back since it's mostly my edges that puff up. So I'm smooth sailing right now. When I wear my hair back in a bun , my edges don't bother me. I have curls that's grown back from postpartum shedding and if I want them to look smoothed back I just use some water conditioner and oil and it lays.

I'm kinda enjoying this transition. A nice challenge.
 
The first few months of transitioning were REALLY hard...it's like my hair was freaking out that I hadn't texlaxed and was in total rebellion:wallbash:
I had to lay off heat and continue to PS...then it started to get a little easier...just take care of the decarmation (sp?) line:yep:
 
When I transtioned I was annoyed month 5/6 I was already a stretcher but it got to a point I felt like giving up. At that point I just put some box braids in my hair. MOISTURE MOISTURE MOISTURE. And I agree it is a mental transition as well, soon I just accepted the fact my natural hair was not the same as my relaxed hair after that it was "smooth" sailing lolz!!
 
Still can't believe I transitioned for 7 months myself :look:

No but seriously... it was pretty easy for me because I MADE it easy. I MADE SURE my hair was in 8 braids when I washed. I MADE SURE I detangled BEFORE I let my hair hit the water. I MADE SURE I wore my hair in a bun until it fully dried. Around 5 months I wanted to test my skills at braiding so I did my own yarn braids. They came out amazing. I couldn't believe it. So I wore those for 2 months (left my edges... well nonexistent). In my case, I ended my transition for two reasons. 1.) My ends were soooo thin (not from transitioning but from before my HHJ) that I couldnt stand it. and 2.) I made a booboo when shampooing my hair (shampooed twice) and my hair tangled up. I didn't give it much thought when I saw that my ends were tangled. I didn't even try to get the tangles out. I just cut. And that brings me to today. Fully natural. :grin:
 
My hair was like that when i transitioned with braids. It was impossible to work with after 3months post.. Sooo i just cut it! and the problem was fixed..I think putting in braids/twist extensions is not good for the beginning stages of transitioning because the hair gets so tangled of its not detangled properly..

You can do it, if you really want it chica:yep: Obviously your not ready for the BC.. so i suggest you keep conditioning as much as possible until your hair is feeling "right".. and try braidouts/ twistouts/bantuknot outs.
 
take it ONE day at a time...before i went into my last sew-in...i was about 17 weeks post, and on the fence about whether i still wanted to relax. Even while I was in my sew-in...i struggled with blending the straight weave with my ng. So i took out the weave...co-washed, and fell in love with my hair all over again...i'm currently 24 weeks post (almost 6 months) and I realized that while I was in my sew-in...my natural hair kinda overtook my relaxed...lol. Now I'm treating it like it's all natural...and i know i'm going through with my transition. I hope to hold out until i can get most of my natural hair into a pony...so 10-12 months...which will be sometime between dec-feb.

I think I have a little of an advantage b/c i've been natural before...so i just did a bss haul and bought the products that i remember my natural hair loving a few years back.

What helps me is: Less Shampoo washing...more co-washing. Staple moisturizers...(you have to find what works for YOUR hair) And I just figured that I'm going to phony pony/ half wig it up for the next two months... and take it a couple weeks at a time. Get a curly half wig...that may help. Here is mine that I bought today. It's Modu True Match 153 and I Loooooove it! It helped me realize that I can actually be cute during my transition without a sew-in/ straightening:) hth!
 

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**SaSSy** said:
Transitioning is a very long process not only physically, but mentally. And unfortunately it's not for everyone. The styles you once did while relaxed will not work anymore, or the products you used won't work anymore either. You might want to check out fotki and youtube pages to get some idea. One thing I would suggest using little to no heat while transition because in the long run that would cause more harm than good. You really should do more air-drying styles such as braid-outs, braids, twist, buns, etc.
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KCcurly said:
I can't put my hands through my hair either unless it's flat ironed. The thing is: I don't expect to anymore. I think a lot of the problems that people who are transitioning have is that they expect their hair to act like it did when they were relaxing.

I would wager that most folks with kinky hair can't get their hands through it. I agree with what other said in this post already: Time to start mentally transitioning (and that takes awhile), stick with easier transitioning styles. When I say easier, I mean things that work with what your hair wants to do instead of against it (heat is against). Twist n curls are awesome IMO.

That's my advice from my own experience :)
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This and this. Expecting your natural hair to behave like your relaxed hair is NOT the way to get through a transition. My suggestion is to abandon the notion of straight hair, at least until the weather gets less humid. Resistance is futile :lachen:
 
I am 19 weeks post relaxer (4 months) and I am experiencing h-e-double hockey sticks!!! I look and feel like a fool. I cannot do anything to hide or hold down the new growth in my nape area. It is so nappy (and I hate that word! but that's how it looks). I don't know what to do with my edges, I cannot keep them down for the life of me and the use of a whole bunch of gel/jam makes me look disgusting. Like a 90s chick. Yes, I REALLY want to transition but can a girl do it without looking busted? And how long does this have to last before it gets easier? Dang!

*rant over*
 
I transitioned by wearing a sock bun 24/7. Every now and then I'd do a rollerset and wear spiral curls or I'd flat-iron it, but it was mostly buns for 8 months.
 
I don't like looking busted everyday. I think I'm going back to the creamy crack until

A. I get the confidence to BC early on in the game cuz that whole dealing with two textures is krazy

B. I have the time and patience to detangle

and

C. I am mentally prepared cuz yesterday and today...I been looking at my hair like...."You have officially confused and defeated me" I can't get down with the whole, I can't put my comb in my head cuz my hair eats it.

These are GREAT tips though. I'ma need them in a few years.... :cry: I wanna see my natural hair now!! ...but I think I'll wait a little longer til I'm more Hair Mature and not changing in every other direction (my whole LIFE if changing I dun think I can add hair too!) and at least get my hair to my ultimate goal length. Then I'll be bored so might as well start over?
 
I always tell people that transitioning isn't for the faint of heart LOL

You have to keep your eye on the prize and think of your goal. My new growth punched, kicked and karate chopped my relaxed hair and it took forever to detangle, but I kept going until I BC'd. If something doesn't work then you'll have to find another regimen, method, hairstyle. Wet Ponytails with headbands were fine the first 4 months and after that only rollersets saved me. I had to just keep trying to figure it out. You'll be ok just hang in there girlie!

I don't like looking busted everyday.
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I looked busted for 10 months and looking back it was all worth it. You couldn't pay me to relax my hair.
 
SimpleKomplexity said:
I don't like looking busted everyday. I think I'm going back to the creamy crack until

A. I get the confidence to BC early on in the game cuz that whole dealing with two textures is krazy

B. I have the time and patience to detangle

and

C. I am mentally prepared cuz yesterday and today...I been looking at my hair like...."You have officially confused and defeated me" I can't get down with the whole, I can't put my comb in my head cuz my hair eats it.

These are GREAT tips though. I'ma need them in a few years.... :cry: I wanna see my natural hair now!! ...but I think I'll wait a little longer til I'm more Hair Mature and not changing in every other direction (my whole LIFE if changing I dun think I can add hair too!) and at least get my hair to my ultimate goal length. Then I'll be bored so might as well start over?
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But that's the thing, you don't HAVE to look busted everyday while transitioning. Transitioning does not automatically mean busted looking hair. I kept my buns sleek and neat, and no one had any problems. There are ways to get around looking busted if you really wanted to try.

The best advice I've heard was "work with your hair, not against it." Don't try to make it do something it doesn't want to do, or else you're just going to get frustrated. Trying to keep it straight all the time when it doesn't want to, is only gonna lead to frustration, especially in this humid southern summer.

2 products that got me through my detangling was Rusk Sensories Smoother Leave-in and the Jilbere shower comb. I couldn't have asked for better, and once I learned to work with my hair, I had a pretty easy transition.
 
I can stretch my relaxers out from 6 mths to a year(I may transition this year). The number one thing that has always help is to apply deep condition to your hair like a relaxer. Then sit under the hood dryer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour and rinse it out and your hair will be amazingly easy to comb.
 
BostonMaria said:
I always tell people that transitioning isn't for the faint of heart LOL

You have to keep your eye on the prize and think of your goal. My new growth punched, kicked and karate chopped my relaxed hair and it took forever to detangle, but I kept going until I BC'd. If something doesn't work then you'll have to find another regimen, method, hairstyle. Wet Ponytails with headbands were fine the first 4 months and after that only rollersets saved me. I had to just keep trying to figure it out. You'll be ok just hang in there girlie!
I looked busted for 10 months and looking back it was all worth it. You couldn't pay me to relax my hair.
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I totally agree.

I am few days away from being 1 year post and i'm looking busted every day. I hate it.
Tonight i am going to do my first rollerset for over 8 months. I think that's the only thing that's going to save me right now.....it had better come out looking decent.
 
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" - Shakespeare

ITA w/everyone who says that transitioning is mental. We were meant to have whatever grows out of our scalp - natural hair is "your hair". Whether you will accept it or not is usually where the problems begin and end - when it comes to transitioning.
 
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If you're saying things like "I look busted", you ain't ready for this lifestyle. You obviously understand what your relaxed hair likes, so stick with what you know. Try again in a few months/years. *shrug*

At least you accomplished a long stretch.
 
ljbee said:
I am 19 weeks post relaxer (4 months) and I am experiencing h-e-double hockey sticks!!! I look and feel like a fool. I cannot do anything to hide or hold down the new growth in my nape area. It is so nappy (and I hate that word! but that's how it looks). I don't know what to do with my edges, I cannot keep them down for the life of me and the use of a whole bunch of gel/jam makes me look disgusting. Like a 90s chick. Yes, I REALLY want to transition but can a girl do it without looking busted? And how long does this have to last before it gets easier? Dang!

*rant over*
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Ditto. This is 100% how I feel. :wallbash: I'm 4 months post, too.
 
lilsparkle825 said:
If you're saying things like "I look busted", you ain't ready for this lifestyle. You obviously understand what your relaxed hair likes, so stick with what you know. Try again in a few months/years. *shrug*

At least you accomplished a long stretch.
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That's flawed thinking on your part.

I was one of the ones who said, "I look busted" but do I think that I am ready for this lifestyle change when it comes to my hair? Honestly, I do. I could go into all the reasons explaining it to you but I don't really care to.

The thing is, we all want our hair to look nice. That's part of the reason we are on this hair board. But the new growth coupled with the two textures makes hairstyling difficult a lot of times. You'd be lying if you'd say it didn't. So yes, I'm a little frustrated at this point, but am I giving up? Definitely not.

So get off your high horse and stop thinking that transitioning goes smoothly only if you are "mentally" ready. There wouldn't be so many transitioners support threads if that were true.
 
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I am a lil past a year a now and every other week I threaten myself to just go get a perm and be done with it. BUT...instead I constantly co-wash and try not to use cones. I wear two french braids and wet buns and braidouts with lil rollers on the ends. Those are my options right now. You get used to it as soon as you cross the 6month hump. It gets easier as more natural hair grows in. Trust me. What started off as a "stretch" turned into a "transition".
 
The hardest part of my transition so far were months 5-9. Initially, when I had more relaxed hair it was easier to manipulate my hair into the straight styles I was used to. I liked it...my hair looked thicker and fuller. Then...month 5 hit. Detangling was a nightmare. Trying to figure out the moisture protein thing was really difficult and each time I thought I had it, my hair needs changed.
I have definitely struggled with wanting to perm again....
Yet by month 10, regular protein treatments, co-washing and wet-bunning became my best friends. I'm keeping it simple. I stopped fighting my hair (aka trying to beat it into submission) and am just letting it be. If my edges pop up, so what? I just try to rock it like that was supposed to happen. That curl is supposed to be sticking up like that. Occasionally, I'll break out the flat-iron (after I check the weather forecast!) I just try to keep in mind what my goal is...at least 2 years worth of natural hair.
 
ljbee said:
That's flawed thinking on your part.

I was one of the ones who said, "I look busted" but do I think that I am ready for this lifestyle change when it comes to my hair? Honestly, I do. I could go into all the reasons explaining it to you but I don't really care to.

The thing is, we all want our hair to look nice. That's part of the reason we are on this hair board. But the new growth coupled with the two textures makes hairstyling difficult a lot of times. You'd be lying if you'd say it didn't. So yes, I'm a little frustrated at this point, but am I giving up? Definitely not.

So get off your high horse and stop thinking that transitioning goes smoothly only if you are "mentally" ready. There wouldn't be so many transitioners support threads if that were true.
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Whoa; I don't think that's how she (lilsparkle) meant it with her comment. No one is on their high horse around here. As people who have transitioned before, we are just giving advice....the question was asked "How the heck do y'all transition?!" So those who've gone through it are answering.

All we are saying is that the "I look busted" phase doesn't have to exist. There are ways to work around that. Your hair can still look nice. It's about finding things that work with your hair and not against it. If you're still trying to treat your newgrowth like you are your relaxed portions then it's not going to work.....and would result in "busted."

There are plenty of styling options for transitioning hair. And unless her hair is like earlength short where the styling is extremely limited (in which her hair length is not), then she has options, and busted is not one of them.

Excuse us for trying to help.
 
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I don't really think it is that hard. To be honest, and I not trying to offend, I spent most of my childhood with my hair braided or in some type of updo because my mom didn't care about hair and kept her hair short. Long story short, I don't feel like I need to have my hair out and straight or "styled" all the time. I am comfortable with a bun or a twisted updo and I find that transitioning works better for me when I keep my hands out of my hair. I don't use heat and I co-wash and condition like crazy. I hope it gets easier for you. And it will with time and patience.

I have went natural before, only because I moved to a different state and didn't want to go through the torture of finding a new stylist and the first time I kept trying to make my hair straight all the time and wear it out and get frustrated when it got puffy. I now know that my hair will do what it naturally wants to do and I need to work with it and I enjoy it this time so much better.

Oh, I forgot to add, I am almost eight months post. I dont know how many weeks. I don't count and I am a long-term transitioner.
 
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