Cannot Stretch

[Kayluv]

Is there anyone out there who cannot stretch. My hair was breaking and my hairdresser said I'm waiting too long to relax. I was at 9 weeks. I am not sure if this is for me as my hair does grow kinda fast.

Feedback please.

 

[kuwait]

You are not by yourself. I also stretched about 9 weeks and lost about a palm full of hair in the middle of the back!!!! I't seriously broke off to the NG!! I don't know if my hair was weak in that spot or what. I will never do that again.

 

[Traycee]

Stretching isn't for me either....Don't worry ...It's not the end of the world...I usually relax around 6-8 weeks

 

[-Angie-]

Same here. I stretched for about 8 months and starting seeing breakage where the two textures met.

 

[**SaSSy**]

I'm on 9 weeks and what keeps my hair from breaking is my best hair friend which is that Aphogee treatment twice a month, and then every other week I use sebastian 2+1 and then moisturized very well.

I'm trying to stretch 3 mo or longer, but listen to your hair if you need to relaxer

 

[locabouthair]

I can stretch to about 11 weeks. My hair grows onl 1/4 inch per month but it grows in very thick so it looks like I have way more new growth than I do. So for that reason I am relaxing at 10 weeks this time because it's looking a mess right now. People think I'm natural

 

[poookie]

I'm on 9 weeks and what keeps my hair from breaking is my best hair friend which is that Aphogee treatment twice a month, and then every other week I use sebastian 2+1 and then moisturized very well.

I'm trying to stretch 3 mo or longer, but listen to your hair if you need to relaxer

which aphogee treatment are you using, the 2 minute reconstructor? or the hard protein treatment? :scratchch

 

[poookie]

oh but to answer the original question... stretching isn't really a problem for me. if you're moisturizing your hair right, giving your hair the protein it needs, and not combing your hair excessively, then you shouldn't be having any sort of breakage due to stretches.

last time i stretched, i went for 3 months. i deep conditioned before every wash, and i didn't comb (and definitely didn't brush) my hair. i definitely could have went longer, but i missed having straight hair

when you have new growth, you should not be combing your hair from the roots to the tip. (in my opinion) that's just asking for your hair to rip off at the demarcation line. combing the already relaxed hair should be fine, but don't comb your new growth. try detangling under the shower with a head full of conditioner if you feel the need to comb it all at 1x.

i read somewhere that relaxing really isn't the answer to fixing your hair problems... so when i'm stretching, and i'm getting oddly large amounts of breakage, it's almost always because of other reasons unrelated to creamy crack.

just my 2 cents

 

[Arcadian]

You killing me with NeYo's pic


I stretch and don't even think about it anymore. I think it varies as nobody's head is exactly alike.

-A

oh but to answer the original question... stretching isn't really a problem for me. if you're moisturizing your hair right, giving your hair the protein it needs, and not combing your hair excessively, then you shouldn't be having any sort of breakage due to stretches.

last time i stretched, i went for 3 months. i deep conditioned before every wash, and i didn't comb (and definitely didn't brush) my hair. i definitely could have went longer, but i missed having straight hair

when you have new growth, you should not be combing your hair from the roots to the tip. (in my opinion) that's just asking for your hair to rip off at the demarcation line. combing the already relaxed hair should be fine, but don't comb your new growth. try detangling under the shower with a head full of conditioner if you feel the need to comb it all at 1x.

i read somewhere that relaxing really isn't the answer to fixing your hair problems... so when i'm stretching, and i'm getting oddly large amounts of breakage, it's almost always because of other reasons unrelated to creamy crack.

just my 2 cents

 

[Christa438]

I will be the first to admit that I no longer trust or go near hairdressers. I know this is not a good decision or the right decision for everyone though. Most of my hair stylists just took my money and never helped me achieve my goals. They helped me get further away from my hair goals actually. It is definitely okay if you can not stretch long. I've seen plenty beautiful heads around that are 8 weekers. I thought that I couldn't stretch at first either but personally it was something I Really wanted to do. I guess it was like a challenge that I just had to win and I just wouldn't give up until I got it right. I find that I can stretch just fine (the longest stretch will be 16 weeks and that's my limit too) as long as I moisturize and seal morning and night. I have to be on my job keeping that demarcation line strong or I may start to get breakage. I don't mind though because I also discovered a while back that washing my face twice daily keeps it clearer too. On weekends I wash, deep condition with protein then moisture and then detangle my hair. I have learned that I have to detangle my hair wet and with a great moisturizing/slippery conditioner (I keep a spray bottle of water near for when my hair starts trying to dry). I keep my real hair braided or twisted 24-7 for most or all of the stretch.

 

[asubeauty]

If you can't stretch, then by all means, don't! Just listen to your hair. Everyone on this board isn't stretching.

But as far as what your hairdresser said, a lot of hairdressers will say the same thing. They seem to like relaxers. The last time I went to get my hair flat ironed (I was 7 weeks post), the stylist told me that I really needed a touch up. I told her that I didn't want one, so please detangle gently...

 

[chebaby]

please excuse me for being slow but i honestly dont see why 3 months is considered stretching. can someone explain.
my stylist went crazy and tried to relax me every month and i dont play that.
beforre she did that i was relaxing like every six months or so, maybe longer. not on purpose. i just thought that that was normal. is 3 months too long to go without a relaxer?

 

[knottyaaverage]

If you can't stretch, then by all means, don't! Just listen to your hair. Everyone on this board isn't stretching.

But as far as what your hairdresser said, a lot of hairdressers will say the same thing. They seem to like relaxers. The last time I went to get my hair flat ironed (I was 7 weeks post), the stylist told me that I really needed a touch up. I told her that I didn't want one, so please detangle gently...

SAME HERE, AT WEEK 7 OR 8 THEY TELL ME I NEED TO RELAX. I THOUGHT I WAS DOING A GOOD THING THESE PAST 2 MONTHS. CUZ FEB WASN'T TOO LONG AND MY LAST TOUCH UP WAS B4 NEW YEARS SO I WAITED UNTIL LAST WEEKEND WHICH MADE 10 WEEKS. LEMME TELL U. AFTER THE WASH I DID THE WEEK B4 THE TOUCH UP I KNEW IT WAS TIME. MY HAIR NEVER BREAKS DURING WASHES. I HAD A SMALL BALL. THE DAY B4 THE TOUCH UP I BASED THE SCALP. ANOTHER BALL. A LIL BIGGER. AND THE DAY OF SHE COMBED OUT ONE SECTION AND THERE WAS ANOTHER BALL!!! SOME OF IT WAS SHED BUT I THINK MOST WAS BREAKAGE. I WAS SOOOO MAD. OMG. NEVER AGAIN. I ALSO WAS NOT COMBING MY HAIR THE WEEKS LEADING TO THE TOUCH UP, SO U THINK THATS THE REASON WHY HAIR WAS COMING OUT?

 

[gymfreak336]

I used to say the same thing. I would hit 8 weeks and feel like I HAD to relax. Now....I am 12 weeks post today and I am not relaxing. Its a gradual process. The most important thing is to be on point with your conditioning from day one. Don't even try to comb your hair in the same way. You have to work with your newgrowth, not against it. Also, in time as your hair gets healthier, it will get easier. Just try to add a week or even half a week everytime you relax.

Increase the time and frequency of your conditioning treatments
Co wash instead of washing with shampoo once a week
gently massage moisturizer into your newgrowth everyday to every other day to keep it soft and moist.
Forget combing root to tip...ain't gonna happen
Take full advantage of your shower...use the force of the water to help you detangle, don't wash your hair in the sink
Try pre-pooing with a conditioner concentrated on your roots to help increase manageablity.

Also, don't tell yourself you can't. You have to tell yourself you will be in control.
Granted, I am not saying everyone can go 4,5,6 months but you should be able to increase your stretching time by atleast 2 weeks.

 

[skyborn09]

Thank god, i thought I was the only one. I stretched for 14 weeks and my hair broke off alot as I combed through it and tryed to manage it. I wanted to cry because I lost about 2 inches of progress because all the breakage made me cut my thin ends. I think the main reason why I can't go that long is because my hair grows at the 1/2 inch per month rate. And girls at school thought I was natural because my hair was a hot mess. But the good thing I got outta this is now I have Full even APL hair and I love it! Now I'm going to go 10 weeks and see how good that does.

 

[**SaSSy**]

The best Aphogee treatment is the hard protein treatment. The one you use under the overheaded dryer

 

[SoSweet08]

oh but to answer the original question... stretching isn't really a problem for me. if you're moisturizing your hair right, giving your hair the protein it needs, and not combing your hair excessively, then you shouldn't be having any sort of breakage due to stretches.

last time i stretched, i went for 3 months. i deep conditioned before every wash, and i didn't comb (and definitely didn't brush) my hair. i definitely could have went longer, but i missed having straight hair

when you have new growth, you should not be combing your hair from the roots to the tip. (in my opinion) that's just asking for your hair to rip off at the demarcation line. combing the already relaxed hair should be fine, but don't comb your new growth. try detangling under the shower with a head full of conditioner if you feel the need to comb it all at 1x.

i read somewhere that relaxing really isn't the answer to fixing your hair problems... so when i'm stretching, and i'm getting oddly large amounts of breakage, it's almost always because of other reasons unrelated to creamy crack.

just my 2 cents

So when stretching, it's okay to not comb the root of your hair where the new growth comes in during the entire stretch?

 

[poookie]

So when stretching, it's okay to not comb the root of your hair where the new growth comes in during the entire stretch?

i wouldn't comb new growth on dry hair at all. now that's not to say don't detangle your hair at all, though!

fingercombing is a lifesaver. after about 1 month post i don't use a comb at all to style my hair, and only detangle using my fingers under running water. (i'll use a wide toothed comb to detangle sections of hair before i rollerset)

but some people swear by combs... i think that if you comb your hair, and you hear little snappy noises, and see hair in the comb that isn't shed hair, that's not a good sign. but i'm not one of those people that has to have a perfectly straight hairline when i wear my hair pulled back. different things work for different people, and this is what works best for me

 

[girlyprincess23]

yeah i had to learn the hard way too, everybody's hair is different...i personally can not go past 14!! after that it's breakage city!!! so i will be relaxing at 12 weeks UNLESS..i'm in braids up until 1 week before relaxer...that's the only way my hair will not break past 14 weeks

 

[HoneyDew]

Stretching isn't for me either....Don't worry ...It's not the end of the world...I usually relax around 6-8 weeks

same here.

I don't stretch AT ALL. The longest time I have ever gone was 10 weeks and I had braids the last 4 weeks of that.

I just don't. When I start getting breakage and tangles and my hair will not style the way I like, I relax. After I do, the breakage stops.

I am hoping that I will be able to go longer as my hair grows, but for me now it is just not worth the hair loss.

but that is just me, you have to listen to your hair as other's have said.

 

[Christa438]

please excuse me for being slow but i honestly dont see why 3 months is considered stretching. can someone explain.
my stylist went crazy and tried to relax me every month and i dont play that.
beforre she did that i was relaxing like every six months or so, maybe longer. not on purpose. i just thought that that was normal. is 3 months too long to go without a relaxer?

You should relax no earlier than every 6 to 8 weeks according to the instructions. So after 8 weeks, I do consider it stretching. A 6 mo. stretch is definitely not the norm from my experiences...a lot of people I know can't and wont try to stretch 3 or 4 months much less for that long. May I ask your regimen?

 

[TLC1020]

My touch-ups are anywhere between 10-12 weeks and that's the furthest I am stretching. I aim for 3mths each time and I often make it, sometimes I make it to 11 weeks post and I feel bad for not waiting the extra week. My hair do not break but it get underprocessed .

 

[angelica]

I too cannot stretch. I tried stretching for 13 weeks last year so I'd do my hair just 4 times and am not happy with the result- lots of broken pieces,thin ends. And i tried everything! i made up my mind this year to go no longer than 9 weeks. that's my limit. i may try it again l8r but right now i'm in recovery mode.

 

[TrendySocialite]

Man, you all are making me consider getting a relaxer next week. That will be 9 weeks. I've never gone that long without being in braids.

But I've been wearing a quick weave so I can get that done again and go another 2 weeks and that will be 11. I really don't feel comfortable going past that at all. Besides I'm going to a wedding and want to wear my own hair.

ARR