Finished with Relaxers! - Bad Breakage

[aprilbiz]

I'm so upset I could scream. I have been transitioning to natural hair for about 3 months now... I decided to do a soft press on my hair because I wanted to braid it, but it was so kinky I couldn't get control of it... After the soft press I noticed that I have gained an inch or two in length, but have extreme breakage in one section in the back of my head which gives my hair the "roller coaster" effect. In the past when this has happened I've just cut the other hair to meet the short part because there may have just been an inch or so difference, but now the short part is a difference of about 3-4 inches! No way am I cutting off that much hair! It looks like someone came along and took a bite out of the back of my head. My only option is to stick a piece back there or do a hair fushion if I want to wear it down. Otherwise, it will be braided, weaved, or wigged until it grows long enough that I am comfortable cutting it. (Gosh...when will that be?) I'm not using relaxers again until I find a less damaging alternative... I'm now confident that RELAXERS ARE THE DEVIL!

I just hope I don't backslide

 

[Supergirl]

Are you certain that a relaxer caused that particular breakage? What kind of relaxer was it ? Lye or no Lye?

 

[inthepink]

Did your hair break at the demarcation line? I have relaxer breakage and that is how mine occurs so I know for sure it's the relaxer.

Still, I'm sure that going natural will allow you have to have beautiful hair, also. The braids may help to give the hair some time to catch up.

Good luck!

 

[miss_brown]

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aprilbiz said:
I'm now confident that RELAXERS ARE THE DEVIL!

I just hope I don't backslide

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Sorry, but that's funny.

Okay, re your hair issue, my advice would be not to do the big chop just yet if you're not ready for it. I agree with what hairlove said, it's probably just breakage from where your permed hair meets your natural hair. Treat that area with as much tlc as possible (i.e. extra conditioner, gentle handling). For now, my suggestion would be to deep condition and braid it away for a month or two. Things will start looking up when you have more overall length to camoflauge the short area. Good luck

 

[inthepink]

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miss_brown said:
I agree with what hairlove said, it's probably just breakage from where your permed hair meets your natural hair.

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Just note that I am not saying that it's NOT relaxer breakage. I tend to think that it could be relaxer breakage if it occurs at that line but I only have my own hair as an example.

Is the hair that broke off all even and the same length as if someone took scissors and snipped that section? That's what my breakage is like.

 

[miss_brown]

Points well taken, hairlove. I hope I didn't misconstrue what you said. I was just saying that it probably is demarcation damage. The same thing happened to me when I grew my relaxer out, but the damage didn't occur in just one area. It occurred at various, seemingly random places on my head. Just beware, Aprilbiz, this type of thing is common among transitioners. It too shall pass

 

[Jubilee]

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aprilbiz said:
I'm so upset I could scream. I have been transitioning to natural hair for about 3 months now... I decided to do a soft press on my hair because I wanted to braid it, but it was so kinky I couldn't get control of it... After the soft press I noticed that I have gained an inch or two in length, but have extreme breakage in one section in the back of my head which gives my hair the "roller coaster" effect. In the past when this has happened I've just cut the other hair to meet the short part because there may have just been an inch or so difference, but now the short part is a difference of about 3-4 inches! No way am I cutting off that much hair! It looks like someone came along and took a bite out of the back of my head. My only option is to stick a piece back there or do a hair fushion if I want to wear it down. Otherwise, it will be braided, weaved, or wigged until it grows long enough that I am comfortable cutting it. (Gosh...when will that be?) I'm not using relaxers again until I find a less damaging alternative... I'm now confident that RELAXERS ARE THE DEVIL!

I just hope I don't backslide

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Try moisturizing that area more than the rest.

 

[inthepink]

Yep, Miss Brown. It may be hard to distinguish at this point b/c with transitioning, you could get random breakage at that demarcation line.

 

[aprilbiz]

I believe the breakage is mainly due to the harshness of relaxers and years of over-processing. I do my own which has been a mistake I've made, but I need something that I can apply myself that will not cause the kind of considerable damage that I think relaxers can cause when applied by a non-professional. There are definitely other elements that contributed to the damage. I just hope that someone or some research lab out there will decide to put the time, the science and money into finding something less caustic for us to use to acheive straight hair.

 

[aprilbiz]

Okay...I posted that before I read your post Hairlove and Miss Brown... Transitioning could be a factor as well. The breakage is at the bottom instead of at a line of demarcation where the natural meets the processed hair. My hair has been extremely hard to manage since I haven't re-touched it. It's been extremely hard to de-tangle which has been odd to me since the processed part of my hair I would think would still be manageble.

Thanks for you all's support and suggestions. I just needed to vent my frustration. I am going to be the moisture and protective hair Queen...

 

[inthepink]

Yes, keep your hair moisturized and with trims, your hair will eventually catch up. The relaxing could contribute to your hair being a little more dry...

 

[pebbles]

Good luck to you, aprilbiz. Sorry you're having to go through all of this.

 

[Allandra]

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pebbles said:
Good luck to you, aprilbiz. Sorry you're having to go through all of this.

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D I T T O

 

[Cami]

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miss_brown said:
Points well taken, hairlove. I hope I didn't misconstrue what you said. I was just saying that it probably is demarcation damage. The same thing happened to me when I grew my relaxer out, but the damage didn't occur in just one area. It occurred at various, seemingly random places on my head. Just beware, Aprilbiz, this type of thing is common among transitioners. It too shall pass

[/ QUOTE ]
I remember one time at the crown of my head I had breakage from the different textures of newgrowth and relaxed hair (demarcation line). I didn't notice it, but my friend said, "Did you cut the top part of your hair?" I said, NO! Sure enough, it was because I was handling my hair really rough and my newgrowth in that area is very thick compared to the rest of my hair. I agree with Hairlove and miss brown, check to see how exactly the breakage looks and go from there. If it's the ends that looks damage, then I would opt for a trim.