9 weeks post and I am about to cave

[shortness]

Hello all,
I am 9 weeks post my last touch up and I am not sure if I can make it any longer. I am not trying to go natural, I just wanted to achieve more length by letting my hair grow without any harsh chemicals. I have about2 inches of new growth and I have found some great products that keep my hair really soft and nice, but I am about to cave. I want to be able to put a wide tooth comb through my hair again (root to tip). I don't want these waves (while beautiful) in my hair. Plus I am afraid my NG is breaking from my relaxed hair. Anything to help the breaking (not sure if breaking might just be dailly shedding)?
Should I just go an relax?
I will post pics tonite

 

[HoneyDew]

I think 9 weeks is a good time. But, I am not a stretcher because of the breakage I get. I wish i could go longer. But 9 weeks is not bad at all. With 2 inches of new growth, I would be getting breakage all over the place.

 

[goldensensation]

Challenge yourself to go to at least ten! It's only a week away.

But seriously, if you are having breakage, fix that issue before you relax. How often do you wash your hair? Maybe you should increase the frequency and amount of time that you condition.

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

I say go ahead and get the touch-up.

 

[shortness]

Challenge yourself to go to at least ten! It's only a week away.

But seriously, if you are having breakage, fix that issue before you relax. How often do you wash your hair? Maybe you should increase the frequency and amount of time that you condition.

I wash once a week. I noticed when I washed it more (co-wash too) that my hair was breaking (although I am not sure if it natural shedding or breaking, how will I know the difference).
I think the breaking was just my NG beraking from my relzexed hair. I thought this always happens when you have a lot of NG. Is this not true? Can I avoid this?

 

[LaNecia]

I agree with HoneyDew, I think 9 weeks is good for a 4a hair type. I think it's harder to stretch when our hair is shorter than it is when it gets to lengths where we can do twist and braid outs that hang nicely inspite of the new growth. Or even nice updos with out having to brush excessively.

Relaxer stretching isn't so much about the amount of time that passes but rather how much new growth you have (to avoid overlapping the relaxer) and the health of your hair. If your hair is healthy and you have sufficient growth, go for it!

At 14 weeks, I have about 1 3/4 inch of new growth...I've reached my maximum patience with the breakage. It does no good to stretch if all the length breaks off to the new growth!

 

[shortness]

I agree with HoneyDew, I think 9 weeks is good for a 4a hair type. I think it's harder to stretch when our hair is shorter than it is when it gets to lengths where we can do twist and braid outs that hang nicely inspite of the new growth. Or even nice updos with out having to brush excessively.

Relaxer stretching isn't so much about the amount of time that passes but rather how much new growth you have (to avoid overlapping the relaxer) and the health of your hair. If your hair is healthy and you have sufficient growth, go for it!

At 14 weeks, I have about 1 3/4 inch of new growth...I've reached my maximum patience with the breakage. It does no good to stretch if all the length breaks off to the new growth!

Agreed that I like my braid out but it does not "hang" or "fall" the way I really want. (*see pic)

 

[goldensensation]

I wash once a week. I noticed when I washed it more (co-wash too) that my hair was breaking (although I am not sure if it natural shedding or breaking, how will I know the difference).
I think the breaking was just my NG beraking from my relzexed hair. I thought this always happens when you have a lot of NG. Is this not true? Can I avoid this?

I never have breakage when I stretch.

But like vwvixxen said, if the pros of relaxing outweigh the pros of stretching, you should relax. But I do think that you should fix the breakage issue before relaxing by doing a deep conditioner (w/ a combo of moisture AND protein).

 

[shortness]

I never have breakage when I stretch.

But like vwvixxen said, if the pros of relaxing outweigh the pros of stretching, you should relax. But I do think that you should fix the breakage issue before relaxing by doing a deep conditioner (w/ a combo of moisture AND protein).

I tried that this past weekend and my hair felt GREAT but it still feels good (not brittle or anything, nice and moist) but I guess I am just afraid
I aslo wanted to stretch my relaxer so then I could get more body back into my hair. It was looking flat at times and I shout stretching will give me more growth of shorter strands and thus give me more body.

 

[LaNecia]

But I do think that you should fix the breakage issue before relaxing by doing a deep conditioner (w/ a combo of moisture AND protein).

Goooooooood advice!!

 

[MiWay]

I say go ahead and relax and try to stretch longer the next time. The first time I went longer than 6 weeks, it was hard, and I don't know if my hair liked it, but now that I've done it a few more times, it's getting used to it. The Dominican blowouts and co-washes have helped a lot. But if you are getting breakage, I say go for it. I'm doing a 6-month stretch now, but if I realize my hair can't make/take it, I will relax, and go for a longer stretch next time.

 

[shortness]

hmmm... maybe I'll try that

 

[Enchantmt]

I wash once a week. I noticed when I washed it more (co-wash too) that my hair was breaking (although I am not sure if it natural shedding or breaking, how will I know the difference).
I think the breaking was just my NG beraking from my relzexed hair. I thought this always happens when you have a lot of NG. Is this not true? Can I avoid this?

If its shedding you will have white bulbs at the end, if its breaking you wont. Also if its breaking at the newgrowth, you wont see any of the wavy new growth part. You should probably make sure your hair and scalp is in good shape and then go ahead and do the retouch.

 

[shortness]

If its shedding you will have white bulbs at the end, if its breaking you wont. Also if its breaking at the newgrowth, you wont see any of the wavy new growth part. You should probably make sure your hair and scalp is in good shape and then go ahead and do the retouch.

Thanks for that info. I never knew the difference