Do BC'ers get faster growth than Transitioners?

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like when ladies BC (TWA-style), their natural hair grows out faster. It's like when the natural hair is freed from the relaxed ends, it flourishes.

What are your observations about this?

 

[successful216]

It seems that way, but wouldn't the relaxed portion protect the ends of the natural hair when transitioning?

 

[Vintageglam]

Repeat after me one more time - No!

Hair grows at the same rate it always has (unless something is wrong). Its just probably easier to retain with only one hair texture to maintain.

This question has so many guises I begin to wonder....

 

[Tylove101]

I think they may get less breakage because they are not dealing with the 2 textures or maybe it's easier to see the growth after the BC. I just know when I BC it made life much easier for me.

 

[RockCreak]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like when ladies BC (TWA-style), their natural hair grows out faster. It's like when the natural hair is freed from the relaxed ends, it flourishes.

What are your observations about this?

I beleive that it seems that way because when a person is au natural.. you seem to retain the growth... on the contrast when relaxed.. alot people have breakage, split ends, lack of care and whatever other issues that keeps them from retaining the length...

Therefore it seems that the hair grows faster.. when in fact its growing just about the same! IMO

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

Repeat after me one more time - No!

Hair grows at the same rate it always has (unless something is wrong). Its just probably easier to retain with only one hair texture to maintain.

This question has so many guises I begin to wonder....

I'm just trying to decide if I wanna BC or transition. I really don't care about the whole relaxed versus natural debate...

 

[aegis]

maybe not quickly but they might retain more. the thing is if you BC and 2 months later you have an inch your hair is probably an inch longer so it looks sooooooooooooooooo much longer

 

[Vintageglam]

I'm just trying to decide if I wanna BC or transition. I really don't care about the whole relaxed versus natural debate...

got you angeleyes. I am planning to transition without the Big chop purely and simply because I am not sure if I want to part with my hair yet. Anyway I wouldn't rush into it. Its probably easier to maintain 1 texture as opposed to two but I suppose with gentle care and little manipulation it would be possible.

 

[Taina]

I don't think so, actually i may think that the relaxed end protect the naturak ends and you will be retaining the lenght you are achiving, so trasition can help you more (if you can handle the 2 textures i could'nt do it ) But at the end, it all gonna depend on your own growth rithym

 

[Lyoness]

I don't think there is a difference in method, more the individuals growth rate. I reckon the change is just more noticeable in someone who has bc'd.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

it seems that way for me; when i had bc'd and was at 10 months natural, i had waaaay more natural hair than i do now at 10 months post relaxer.

 

[BostonMaria]

When I was transitioning I had someone tell me that if I kept holding on to the relaxed ends I was going to stun my natural hair's growth. Well that was enough to scare the poop out of me LOL I grabbed the scissors and cut my relaxed ends off. Looking back, this doesn't really make sense because hair is going to grow at the same length regardless. I think that it was just easier to continue growing out my hair when its all one texture because the temptation to give up and relax is gone (well that was my case) and its free to do what it wants to do.

 

[Foxglove]

Hair grows at the same length relaxed or natural. Retention depends on what you do after it's out to protect your ends and stop breakage

 

[BlondeByDesire]

I believe this to be true - I'm transitioning and it seems to me I'm going no where as far as growth - yes, I can see my new growth - but my length seems to have shortened. I noticed when I was co-washing last night - it's seems like a chuck of my hair is missing and when I started this natural journey I had BSL hair. I'm growing at a slower pace - when I was fully relaxed my growth was normal.

Also I do protective styles 99% of the time - bun. I moisturize/dc as well. So that's not it.

 

[melissa-bee]

I said it's the same. It just seems that way. What i'm experiencing now is me trying to untangle my relaxed ends but it effects my new growth so it might effect retention slightly because i'm not treating my new growth appropitaly.

 

[RockCreak]

When I was transitioning I had someone tell me that if I kept holding on to the relaxed ends I was going to stun my natural hair's growth. Well that was enough to scare the poop out of me LOL I grabbed the scissors and cut my relaxed ends off. Looking back, this doesn't really make sense because hair is going to grow at the same length regardless. I think that it was just easier to continue growing out my hair when its all one texture because the temptation to give up and relax is gone (well that was my case) and its free to do what it wants to do.

I hear ya BostonMaria... I'm stalking you to... I just think your hair is soooo . I'm currently transitioning because I didn't want to really part with my hair, but it's so difficult in dealing with the two textures.... hmm.. really considering bc...

 

[countrychickd]

From my experience, my hair's growth rate is the same. My hair is growing at the same rate now that I've BCed than it was during my transition. It just looks drastically longer. I do sometimes feel like my hair just sprouted out of my scalp like weeds after my BC, but I also know that I'm retaining my length a lot better now than when I was relaxed or transitioning. I get almost no breakage now, whereas breakage was a major part of my transitioning life. HTH!

 

[dynamic1]

My long term transition (3+ yrs) allowed me to retain more natural new growth. The relaxed ends helped stretch my hair and prevented single strand knots. I was fully natural for about 1 year before I decided to cut my hair (for style, high maintenance, etc). Now that I am growing my hair out again, retention is more difficult due to shrinkage, tangling, and fairy knots. I retained more new growth in 1.5 years of transition than the past 1.5 years of growth. I am sure tweaking my regimen would help.

Overall, I have seen long term transitioners and big choppers achieve parallel success rates.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

i think it may just seem like your length has shortened because as you get more new growth when it gets wet the new growth shrinks up pulling all your relaxed hair up as well, which just creates the appearance of shorter hair.

I believe this to be true - I'm transitioning and it seems to me I'm going no where as far as growth - yes, I can see my new growth - but my length seems to have shortened. I noticed when I was co-washing last night - it's seems like a chuck of my hair is missing and when I started this natural journey I had BSL hair. I'm growing at a slower pace - when I was fully relaxed my growth was normal.

Also I do protective styles 99% of the time - bun. I moisturize/dc as well. So that's not it.

 

[yaya24]

I bcd because I could not deal with the two textures.. now I am waiting on the mega growth

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

got you angeleyes. I am planning to transition without the Big chop purely and simply because I am not sure if I want to part with my hair yet. Anyway I wouldn't rush into it. Its probably easier to maintain 1 texture as opposed to two but I suppose with gentle care and little manipulation it would be possible.

I hear ya. I think I will continue as planned and transition. If my forehead wasn't an actual five-head, I think I would BC now, though, . I will try to transition long enough to get decent forehead coverage post-chop.

 

[B_Phlyy]

For me, BCing seem to make my natural hair grow faster. I transitioned for 8 months and manage to grow and retain exactly 1 inch of natural hair. After I BC'd, it took only 3 months to grow and retain an inch.

That being said, I think anyone one the fence should definitely transition. Because you can always change your mind and go back to relaxing without losing much length. But once you do the BC, that hair is gone until it grows back.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I think thats possible, maybe drastic cuts to hair stimulate the follicle and cause it to have a brief growth spurt? Who knows. I think ladies with twa's tend to retain length fairly easily initially due to having a head full of healthy ends resulting fro the BC. When your hair is shorter, growth is much more noticeable. Its easier to take great care of like 4 inches of natural hair then it is to take great care of MBL natural hair.

I had a very successful long-term "trim only" transition....However, I think theres something to be said for a fresh start. Working with two textures can be really challenging and you still have to deal with caring for relaxed hair whereas a woman that BC's learns her hair's likes and dislikes, gets her technique together and by the time she has some serious length, she knows how to handle it and exactly what to do to her hair to make it excel. When you long term transition you had a reggie that was for hair in limbo so when you're fully natural it may be tricky to adjust.

I think the people that said you're protecting your natural ends if you long-term transition made a great point as well. At the end of the day miss AngelEyez its what you're more comfortable with

 

[dicapr]

I didn't have trouble retaining lenght until I BC'd. My relaxed ends took a beating, but my natural hair didn't have any issue with single strand knots. After the BC my hair continued to grow but the knotting caused me to have to keep trimming away my progress. I had to trim from APL to CBL 2xs and needed a trim again when I gave in and got texlaxed. Now I am doing a long term transition. Hopefully I can retain my texlaxed ends until I reach a lenght I would be comfortable maintaining.

 

[glamazon386]

Nope.........

 

[my-my]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like when ladies BC (TWA-style), their natural hair grows out faster. It's like when the natural hair is freed from the relaxed ends, it flourishes.

What are your observations about this?

It grows the same.
The hair appears to grow faster from a BC because its almost starting from nothing. In a few months you look at them and you notice a huge difference. For example going from 1 to 3 inches seems like a bigger difference compared to someone going from 4 to 6 inches.

Its not exact, but think of a plant. If you start off a plant from seed, you're shocked when it sprouts and starts to grow because there was nothing but soil to start with. If you buy an established plant, it will seem to take forever before you notice it getting any bigger.

 

[ycj1]

It grows the same.
The hair appears to grow faster from a BC because its almost starting from nothing. In a few months you look at them and you notice a huge difference. For example going from 1 to 3 inches seems like a bigger difference compared to someone going from 4 to 6 inches.

Its not exact, but think of a plant. If you start off a plant from seed, you're shocked when it sprouts and starts to grow because there was nothing but soil to start with. If you buy an established plant, it will seem to take forever before you notice it getting any bigger.

Wonderful analogy!