*4 months into my transition/journey pics*

[Nerd.]

I have only been on my journey for 4 months.

I cannot begin to stress to you all how new this process is for me. Never have I protective styled. Never have I moisturized. Never have I even WASHED my own hair. So for me, the term "journey" is so literal!

I do not have a routine that I am 100% consistent with yet, nor products that I would call my "staple", but i'm still researching and sampling.

My hair is very fine, I would like to improve in thickness but I know there is only so much I can do. I guess some folks are just meant to have thinner hair than others (shrug) One thing I DO know is that I lose alot of hair when I wash. So I think I am just going to chill out a bit on the frequency of my cowashes (which is currently 1-1.5 weeks).
Also, I did not start my journey on a clean trimmed slate like I know alot of you have. Most of my progress is attached to wispy thin ends and a weird "tail" at my crown (shown at the bottom row of pictures). I have a goal in mind, and that is to transition as much as I possibly can. So I am still unsure as to why I should get rid of the ends right away, other than for the benefit of my hair to "look neater" when I straighten... maybe someone can voice their opinion on this?

I haven't progressed much at all at month 4, but I'm trying not to beat up myself about it.

Thanks for letting me share

 

[DDTexlaxed]

Your hair looks great to me. What ever you are doing, is working. Congrats on transitioning!

 

[CurlTalk]

Congrats on making it to month 4!

You said you lose alot of hair while washing; do you wash your hair in plaits? I'm transitioning as well, and have found that if I dont wash in plaits, I lose alot of hair as well.
HTH!

 

[BostonMaria]

You look like you're gaining 1/2 inch to 1 inch a month so please don't think you're not doing anything right. I say look at people's Fotki's and ask them for their regimens. Sometimes its hit or miss with regimens, but just look at people with similar hair and goals and that should help.

Good luck on your transition!!!

 

[Galadriel]

Hi Nerd!

It looks like you've made some nice growth progress. Do you plan to trim your tail (LOL, tails drive me crazy, I'm a total blunt girl)? If you're concerned about your ends maybe a small trim for now and then keep your ends moisturized and well-cared for. I'm not sure what to recommend for thickness, although I think maybe with the healthier your hair becomes the naturally thicker it may get to a certain extent.
What products are you currently using?

 

[Nerd.]

For the past 3 or 4 washes I began to wash in braids, but I think my immediate problem is the fragility of my hair when it's wet. Even though it's loaded with conditioner and I use a Jilbere, my hair is just too weak to be combed in that state. It literally snaps all around. I'll keep doing my protein treatments, but I also think it's time for me just to come to terms and find a new approach lol

 

[CurlTalk]

Try braiding hair before you wash while its dry. Keep the hair in braids though washing, \and protein treatment (if you're doing one), and conditioning. Depending on the style you're going for, you can airdry hair in this state, then style, or partially airdry hair in plaits, then style.
This way, you never have to comb your hair while wet, which should circumvent your problem of breakage.
HTH!

 

[Lola28]

Congrats,you've made good progress. I have fine hair also that loved to snap wet and dry. So for me the key was to get my hair in shape first. Meaning I didn't care about the length,just the strength(haha,that rhymed). So I upped my protein and made sure the moist/prot level was balanced. Developed a regi that was suitable for me. A lot of trial and error. Now I only comb wash days, with hair slathered in con and under the stream of water. Oops, I'm sorry I'm 21 weeks post, my last relaxer was Aug 15, 2009.

 

[Marhia]

great progress hun. keep it up

 

[Nerd.]

Thank you

Lola I just stalked you :luv2:
Im currently 2 weeks behind you and I feel that the state of your hair is a very realistic goal that I could reach as far as health . What is your new growth like?


A regular wash day for me would be:
-finger comb dry hair as much as possible
-do 6 braids (3 on each side)
-if my hair is extremely rebellious i will use KeraCare detangling shampoo, other wise I will use my cheap Vo5 conditioner or Organix Coconut
-If not doing a Aphogee 2 minute prior, I will deep condition with something like NTM mask, ORS Pak, or KeraCare Humecto.....I'm not "head over heels in love" with any of them yet
-Sometimes I will detangle from there and then rebraid and rinse vs. letting it sit for 45mins
-**AFTER I rinse and I start to section off my hair to style is where I lose so much. I am so devoted to Chi silk infusion and I will apply that to wet hair after I put in a leave in or moisturizer of some so (NTM silk touch or KeraCare leave in)


Any of you natural ladies still use KeraCare? I know it's fab for a relaxed head but I don't have enough natural hair to tell if it loves it or not

 

[lolascurls]

Hi Nerd, I've done some stretches for longer than that and I agree with the other Lola above (lol). You need to wash your hair in braids, definitely continue this. My hair was also like that (mushy when wet and breakable+++). So now I do a protein DC every week or use coconut oil to DC. This prevents protein loss as well as fortifying the hair. I then t-shirt dry for 10 mins and apply leave-in and coconut oil to a section that I unbraid. Divide this section in half with your fingers and detanlge gently from the tips up using a wide tooth comb. This is what I do, section by section. I twist up each detangled section and allow to airdry.
Shower detangling just didn't work for me (not enough new growth to benefit)!
HTHs!