For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime changes?

[gymfreak336]

For the ladies who don't stretch, how did you find out that you couldn't stretch? What ill effects of streching did you notice? extreme dryness, breakage, shedding etc... How long do you wait between relaxers now? Do you do anything differently in your regime as a preventative measure since you don't stretch such as more protien treatments to help build-up strands? I am currently about 6-weeks post and I am trying to go 6 more. I have tried to stretch before and I always felt like I did more harm than good. I was thinking maybe its because I didn't have the best techniques but I am starting to rethink that logic.

 

[AKA-Tude]

I have tried to stretch, but when I do, I have so much shedding and breakage, it's just not worth it for me.

Plus now that I use MN for growth and itching, it makes my hair grow kinda fast, so I am retouching every 6-8 weeks instead of my normal 8-10 weeks.

I am thinking about texlaxing instead, or just not leaving in the Phyto as long as usual since there is more chemical frequency than before.

 

[gymfreak336]

I have tried to stretch, but when I do, I have so much shedding and breakage, it's just not worth it for me.

Plus now that I use MN for growth and itching, it makes my hair grow kinda fast, so I am retouching every 6-8 weeks instead of my normal 8-10 weeks.

I am thinking about texlaxing instead, or just not leaving in the Phyto as long as usual since there is more chemical frequency than before.

Thanks for you reply. I really want to see if I can get to atleast 10 weeks. If I could go that long it would be fine for me. I usually go 7-8 right now. How do you apply for MN?

 

[HoneyDew]

I relax every 6-8 weeks. I think as my hair gets longer I can stretch it because I can wear my hair up more often.

I have been wearing my hair down and straight and I can tell it's time when my hair gets harder to care for and I start getting breakage and shedding.

Also, for some reason, my hair has been growing faster. I have been taking MSM for a while, but I started taking Vitamin C and and an amino acid tablet (Lysine). I am not sure if that is why or not, but I do see faster new growth than I used to.

I just can't go past 8 weeks w/o losing lots of hair, mostly from me trying to style it.

 

[neonbright]

Re: For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime chang

I can only go 6-8 weeks and that is it...

 

[CAPlush]

I stretched for 10 weeks last time, and I sort of used the flat iron to press the roots. Not that the roots got straight, but the heat smoothed the roots enough to handle. Also, during those last couple of weeks I actually sprayed some water, then greased my scalp with some coconut oil grease for softness. I don't think extra protein is a good idea when stretching. You should use something like ORS replenishing packs or Mendex that have protein pretty low down on the list of ingredients.

 

[HoneyDew]

I stretched for 10 weeks last time, and I sort of used the flat iron to press the roots. Not that the roots got straight, but the heat smoothed the roots enough to handle. Also, during those last couple of weeks I actually sprayed some water, then greased my scalp with some coconut oil grease for softness. I don't think extra protein is a good idea when stretching. You should use something like ORS replenishing packs or Mendex that have protein pretty low down on the list of ingredients.

Grease softens my new growth as well. I use to used to own a jar of that Softee Coconut grease but when I ran out, I never found it again.

 

[sexyaqr]

I am new here but from reading the threads, it seems that a lot of people do stretch. I do not because I have an enormous amount of shedding(on top of my usual) and breakage. 6-8 weeks for me

 

[Kalayani]

I have tried to stretch, but when I do, I have so much shedding and breakage, it's just not worth it for me.

Plus now that I use MN for growth and itching, it makes my hair grow kinda fast, so I am retouching every 6-8 weeks instead of my normal 8-10 weeks.

I am thinking about texlaxing instead, or just not leaving in the Phyto as long as usual since there is more chemical frequency than before.

What is MN??

 

[blazingthru]

I stretch for 6 months and I got tired of the tangles and not knowing what to do with my hair. So I went and chopped it all off. Now I regret not chopping it off in October when I first joined here. I would have some long hair by now.

 

[shunta]

I dont think I can really "stretch". The longest I can go is about 9-10 wks. If I go any longer, the shedding would be out of hand.

 

[LaShanne]

Re: For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime chang

When I first joined I got really gungho and stretched for 12 wks. BIG MISTAKE! I had major shedding/breakage. I panicked and begged my stylist to touch me up on her day off. I think the longest I can go is 10 wks. After that, theres too much damage.

 

[KiniKakes]

When Im not wearing braids or some long-term style like that, i typically stretch for about 9-10 weeks, which i know is not that long for this boards standards. It works for me, and my hair has thrived. So there it is.

 

[betty-boo]

I stretch now about 13 weeks and this is my second time around. My hair is texturised, so I think that the difference between my new growth and my texturised hair is not as dramatic as if I had bone straight hair. What I have found really helpful this time round is pre-shampooing with a conditioner, a little water and some olive oil and detangling and combing, then braiding into sections before washing. Someone had mentioned this before on the board and it really works for me! Maybe its because you can take your time to comb through, I don't know.
I don't comb my hair between washes.
I get VERY little breakage and shedding now. I am now in my 10th week and I feel I can go longer than 13 weeks.

Oh I also use a medium-tooth comb, as I found that wide-tooth combs made my almost shoulder length hair more tangled as I stretched. HTH

 

[mango387]

Grease softens my new growth as well. I use to used to own a jar of that Softee Coconut grease but when I ran out, I never found it again.

If you have a Walgreen's in your area, then it normally has Softee Coconut grease on sale for a $1.00. HTH!

 

[KhandiB]

I go 6-8 weeks…
Last time I went longer than 8 weeks my hair was breaking and shedding to the point of me crying..
So I relax at 8 weeks

and HoneyDew, there is a Walgreens on 40 now

 

[HoneyDew]

I go 6-8 weeks…
Last time I went longer than 8 weeks my hair was breaking and shedding to the point of me crying..
So I relax at 8 weeks

and HoneyDew, there is a Walgreens on 40 now

From Walmart to Walgreens to Sally's in one stretch

 

[HoneyDew]

If you have a Walgreen's in your area, then it normally has Softee Coconut grease on sale for a $1.00. HTH!

I have to revisit it. I really liked it and it lasted a LONG time. I have been using Qhemet's Herbs and Sulfur pomade. Did I really pay $14 for that?!? I must have been blinded when I ordered. I just went to look at it on the Qhemet site and realized how much I paid. Yeah, I need to supplement that with something cheaper.

 

[KhandiB]

Re: For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime chang

Yup

This walgreens is quite large as well..

From Walmart to Walgreens to Sally's in one stretch

 

[Princess Pie]

10 weeks is my limit, and I can only do that if my last relaxer turned out good. I don't relax bone straight, so around 8 weeks I start dealing with major tangles. If I went past 10 weeks, I'd have to use heat, so it's a no-win situation. I try to do other things for my hair to make up for relaxing so often.

 

[gradygirl]

10 weeks is my limit, and I can only do that if my last relaxer turned out good. I don't relax bone straight, so around 8 weeks I start dealing with major tangles. If I went past 10 weeks, I'd have to use heat, so it's a no-win situation. I try to do other things for my hair to make up for relaxing so often.

Me too. I tried to go for 12 weeks this time but I dont think its whats best for my hair. I'm 9 weeks post and will relax next week. 10 is considered a long stretch for me considering I used to relax every 4 weeks.

 

[secretdiamond]

After this stretch of 14 weeks. I think I'm done with stretching. I can't take this anymore. Too many knots, tangles, dreads, headaches, crying, TIME detangling. Unh-unh! No more. I never stretched before coming to this board and my hair grew fine to APL before chopping it due to heat damage. Now that I've limited my heat, I think I can handle not stretching.

I think I'm going to go every 8-10 weeks now and that's it. Sigh! I feel good just thinking about it.

 

[candita]

Re: For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime chang

ahhh....finally, a club for non-stretchers. I can't fathom going on 12-16 stretches like some people. After week 5, it gets more difficult. My main strategy is CO washes & DCs to keep my hair moisturized & healthy, using Emergencee about week 4, then again in two week intervals until I relax. I discovered that S-curl keeps my new growth moisturized, so that helps a lot with breakage.

Relaxing every 6-8 weeks may slow down my overall hair length goal but the one time I stretched 8 weeks, my new growth was such a mess, it took an hour, a lot of tears, and my mother to get it straightened out (plus a lot of hair lost) so it was pointless in the end.

 

[gymfreak336]

thanks for all the replies ladies. I am currently 6 weeks post and its getting harder to manage. I wash yesterday morning and it took about an hour to detangle and rollerset. My hair came out great though, maybe my best roller set yet. I think I am just going to try and stick it out to 8 weeks from now on until I master some styling methods for 8 weeks and up. My shedding isn't too bad yet so we will see. I am glad to see that I am not the only one who can't get a hold of the stretching thing. Thanks

 

[secretdiamond]

Re: For those who don't stretch, how did you know, how long do you wait, regime chang

ahhh....finally, a club for non-stretchers. I can't fathom going on 12-16 stretches like some people. After week 5, it gets more difficult. My main strategy is CO washes & DCs to keep my hair moisturized & healthy, using Emergencee about week 4, then again in two week intervals until I relax. I discovered that S-curl keeps my new growth moisturized, so that helps a lot with breakage.

Relaxing every 6-8 weeks may slow down my overall hair length goal but the one time I stretched 8 weeks, my new growth was such a mess, it took an hour, a lot of tears, and my mother to get it straightened out (plus a lot of hair lost) so it was pointless in the end.

This is what I've come to realize (for me). It's taken me a while, but now I know what I have to do that's best for my hair. It's breaking like crazy trying to get these knots out (esp. due to the underprocessing). What's the point then?

My mother is going to be yelling "I told you so!" all over the place. She was always the one laughing and looking at me weird with all my hair care methods. Oh well. My hair will STILL be healthier than hers.

 

[sugarose]

I just relaxed (today) after my second stretch, and I've decided stretching is not for me. My shedding is just over the top after about week 4 or 5.
I'm going to try relaxing every 6-8 weeks from now on and see how that goes.

 

[dlewis]

8-10 weeks for me, longer than that is not worth the breakage.