Ask a Natural/Ask a Relaxed...questions that you are too embarassed to ask...

[Nayna]

Naturals: How did you prepare for the actual BC, as far as conditioning and styling etc. What products did you have on hand? Did you cut at home or at a salon? What styles did you find helpful in the first months post BC ? I know, lots of questions, but inquiring minds want to know. Lol

Man, I wish I knew about this site when I started going natural. When it came down for the BC I was just sick of my relaxed hair. It felt weak and it snapped off entirely too much. So my mom has a background in cosmetology so I went to her to BC. She refused at first, lol. I mean seriously it was basically a scene out of Waiting to Exhale to get her to do it.

I wet it so that it was easy to see what needed to be cut off. I tried to work with it for a few months since it was summertime but I didn't really have many products. I remember I had Miss Jessies curly pudding for my curls and a Maxi glide for when I wanted it straight. I went to weaves pretty soon after that cus I wasn't used to the length and the humidity was killer.

 

[Foufie]

what the heck is "search and destroy"?

and how can you tell if you have a split end if you wear your hair curly?

 

[BrownEyez22]

Naturals: How did you prepare for the actual BC, as far as conditioning and styling etc. What products did you have on hand? Did you cut at home or at a salon? What styles did you find helpful in the first months post BC ? I know, lots of questions, but inquiring minds want to know. Lol

I just had a water bottle, shears and some conditioner maybe. I just finished working out and my alot of my natural hair reverted. I was like, its time for me to cut these relaxed pieces off. My hair was short already so it wasn't a really big deal and I did it byself with a hand mirror.

I didn't do any styles just cowashing, running a lil gel thru it and refreshing with water.

 

[jamaraa]

what the heck is "search and destroy"?

and how can you tell if you have a split end if you wear your hair curly?

Usually cuz the ends feel "rough". It's more of a 'feel' thing than an 'see' thing for many. The texture and tactile feel of very split ended natural hair is VERY different than natural hair that isn't.

 

[sharifeh]

Q2: Relaxed heads, do you ever just with there was an easier way to just instantly be natural, but you keep up the relaxed hair just because of the long exhaustive process of transitioning or BCing and waiting for your length to grow back? Do you feel bad that you just can't go through all it takes to go natural?

Yes...

I have a simple question for the relaxed women. Can your hair still hold together at the ends if you do something like twists?

Not without some kind of gel
However, Traycee had a post awhile back about some twists she did on her relaxed hair and it worked!
She said she always coveted the twists that naturals got to do for their hair and she wanted to achieve the same style
http://keepitsimplesista.blogspot.com/2009/08/two-strand-twist-on-relax-hair.html

I am transitioning by the way and I am hating every minute of it. the only thing i enjoy is playing wiith my new growth

good luck with your transition!!!!!

For me, many of these natural styles so popular are NOT appropriate because they will not lie flat under hijab. False hair of any kind is NOT an option for Muslims either. I wear plaits or ponys and that suits me fine.


(Unpopular opinion alert, but you asked. No faint of heart here) Too many natural styles look rather childish, IMHO. I think this is what may keep some who might go natural from doing it. They wouldn't know what to do stylewise and don't want "Shirley Temple" curls at 50. Shrug.
.

that's partly why I don't want to go natural
the hair is so big!!
my scarf will rise up lol

 

[tocktick]

Naturals: How did you prepare for the actual BC, as far as conditioning and styling etc. What products did you have on hand? Did you cut at home or at a salon? What styles did you find helpful in the first months post BC ? I know, lots of questions, but inquiring minds want to know. Lol

I didn't condition or style. My hair was in mircros and they had become loose. I just slipped them down a little bit so I could see the point where the natural hair met the relaxed hair and cut. It was effective enough for me. I barely knew anything about hair-care even up until the final month of my transition.

I had shampoo on hand; I think I may have had conditioner but I can't remember. I had some shea butter lotion thing that didn't work for my hair. I ended up buying castor oil a few days later because my hair felt like barbed wire.

I did a lot of twistouts and shrunken fros (or wash and goes).

Naturals: Does the shed hair just slide out as you go about your day (as it did when you were relaxed) or do you actually have to comb/brush through it to get rid of them?

(always sees hairs in my hands after combing through in a cowash and i just BCed the other day!)

Generally speaking, I have to brush. I used to finger comb and use a wide-tooth comb every 7-10 days but it seemed I could still run my fingers through my hair and wind up with a bunch of it left in my hand. I started using the Denman for detangling and it's much more thorough.

what the heck is "search and destroy"?

I think people twist their hair and then go through all the ends looking for knots or split ends to cut off. It's basically trimming without sacrificing real length.

 

[angenoir]

This is a great thread!

I have some questions for naturals!

1) For 4a/b slow growers: how long did it really really take you to go from a real TWA ie 1” of hair to full SL?

2) For the straight naturals: How difficult is it to keep your hair straight on a daily basis?

3) For people who have been natural for 4+ years and have never had a major cut or trim? Have you achieved BSL and beyond? If not, what has prevented you?

Thanks!

 

[HeChangedMyName]

what the heck is "search and destroy"?

and how can you tell if you have a split end if you wear your hair curly?

Search and destroy is when you look specifically at your ends, usually in sections and by holding them up to a light so that you can see splits. Then you cut only the splits. You do this rather than doing a general trim, hoping to get any splits.

Good question. Yes I do sometimes wish it were easier to transition ( I will NEVER BC). But i don't have enough faith that I will know how to handle natural hair. I wish it could be this same length natural. But at the same time, i love the straight look and would probably wear it straight 90% of the time via heat usage or BKT. So it makes me wonder, would it really be that much healthier for me to go natural? :scratchch

The bolded brings me to my next question for Naturals. did any of you go natural simply to avoid the damaging and permanent effects of relaxer treatments. But. . .you still keep your hair straight most of the time, via heat or BKT?

 

[Foufie]

Usually cuz the ends feel "rough". It's more of a 'feel' thing than an 'see' thing for many. The texture and tactile feel of very split ended natural hair is VERY different than natural hair that isn't.

ahaaaaa!

 

[ChrsLvsBks]

Naturals: Do you see a difference in conditioner designed for curly hair vs regular conditioner? I have been eyeing a few curly conditioners that I want to try but dont want to waste my money if they dont do anything special!

No, I have used HydraCurls by Garnier as a co-wash. It was thick and creamy which is a plus. I did not notice any difference between it when co-washing and VO5 Moisture Milks or Suave conditioners. As long as the ingredients are moisturizing and do not contain silicones (first few ingredients) or mineral oil (at all), you may be okay.

 

[ChrsLvsBks]

Okay ladies. Here's a question that I got from a family member of mine who is too cheap to pay for a subscription. Okay, I'm kidding but she feels content in lurking so I'm fine with that too.

This question may not be for the faint at heart.

Question: "What if I don't like "natural styes?" Puffs, cornrows, afros, twists (kept in), single braids and so on. I only like braidouts and twistouts styles where I can wear my hair down. However, I want to transition so I can free my scalp from relaxers. I'm not even sure I do not want to be relaxed anymore, I just know I want to live a chemical-free lifestyle. Pressing wouldn't work for me because I live in a very humid location in the south. Should I go natural? Or do I HAVE to like natural styles in order to be natural?"

I understand. I think it depends on a person's natural texture. If a BC is done, braidouts and twistouts may not be attainable for a couple of months do to length challenges. I don't think a person has to like natural styles to be natural. There are so many styles to chose with or without twist outs and braid outs - buns, half up half down, curls pinned up/back, bantu knot outs, ponytails, etc. I personally do not like certain styles on me. I prefer styles where my hair is out and down. Yes, go natural. You may learn to love those styles you do not like.

 

[ChrsLvsBks]

I usually make several braids/plaits throughout my hair to stretch my hair.


Naturals I have a few questions:

1) For those that baggy, have you had any problems with your hair becoming over moisturized?

2) For those that never use heat, do you still get split ends?

3) Do you trim your hair? If so, how often do you trim?

1) Yes, my hair was so limp and overconditioned I couldn't do anything for a two or three days. If you want an instant recovery, you can try a protein conditioner for a few minutes. I know Smooth as Silk by Giovanni and AO GPB both have proteins.

2) Yes, I have not used heat since May or so.

3) I cut my hair in September and plan to trim every two months.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Hello ladies,

I have been thinking.
There have been a lot of people who have questions that they are too embarassed to ask.
This thread is for those taking the plunge.
Either the plunge to BC/go natural or the plunge to relax.
I know I have some questions for naturals that I am too embarassed to ask, so I think this is a good idea.
Can we have it so that if you are responding, you "quote" the post you are responding to?
Thanks for your participation.

Great thread, ZeeOl'Lady!

Q1. Naturals, with all the moisturizing that you do (or wash n go's), do you ever leave "grease" stains on your furniture or your car seats? This is one of the many reasons why I am not anticipating my chop. The "coming to America" look is not happening in these streets...

This has actually happened to me a few times when I've used an oil that my hair doesn't absorb like sweet almond oil, or too much of a good thing like olive or coconut oil. I'm much more careful now.

Q2: If you use a heat protecting mist AND a heat protecting serum, is it possible to STILL get heat damage? is that a stupid question?

If the temperature is too high, no product will protect your hair.

Q1: Naturals, do you ever regret going natural, but keep it up because of the long process of having gone natural and finally seeing totally natural hair? Do you feel like you'd be a failure for turning back?

Absolutely no regrets. I used to relax once a year so it was kind of easy to just stop altogether.

I have a simple question for the relaxed women. Can your hair still hold together at the ends if you do something like twists?

Mine never stayed together when I was relaxed; they still don't hold if I twist after a roller set.