Hip Tbl & Beyond Challenge 2018

[MzSwift]

Just get the braids/twists for this period in your life and by the time you get a break you still have have hair.

When you can't get a break get braids. It's in the hand book.

Thanks, sis. Lol, yeah. I PS’d 99% of the time to get to WL.

It’s just that between exhaustion and little man’s tendency to pull my hair, the writing seems to be on the wall for me. Even in bunned mini braids and cornrows, he finds a way to pull. Right now, I keep it under scarves so that he can’t get to it. And crochets worked too but I couldn’t tend to my hair properly.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

My baby needs so much from me right now that I’m having trouble keeping up even a very simple regi. When he’s napping, I’m so pooped that I don’t want want to do anything! My hair thrives on being watered daily and DC weekly. But the only way I can do that is to either rock mini braids or cornrows since neither requires frequent detangling. My mini braids take a day or two to put in with no baby. And I keep thinking what’s the point of having all of this hair just to keep it cornrowed. Rocking it short and curly is just so much simpler. That’s how I did with my last baby.

I know it’s a cop out but it’s so tempting!!

Do what you feel is best to support your lifestyle. I'll be cheering for you with whatever you decide, Sis!
Will you continue to relax?

 

[MzSwift]

Do what you feel is best to support your lifestyle. I'll be cheering for you with whatever you decide, Sis!
Will you continue to relax?

Thanks for the encouragement, sis. If I shave, I’m not going to relax. I might play with some colors though.

But I’ve gotten a little sleep and I’m going to try to keep growing. I think what it is is that there is very few long haired texlaxed hair inspiration around anymore. I found an old member whose hair I admire and her simple regi appeals to me. I’m gonna give my variation of that a shot.

Let me see if I can post some of her pix. Her name was Isis. I love her texture!

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Thanks for the encouragement, sis. If I shave, I’m not going to relax. I might play with some colors though.

But I’ve gotten a little sleep and I’m going to try to keep growing. I think what it is is that there is very few long haired texlaxed hair inspiration around anymore. I found an old member whose hair I admire and her simple regi appeals to me. I’m gonna give my variation of that a shot.

Let me see if I can post some of her pix. Her name was Isis. I love her texture!

I'm happy you came to a decision you are comfortable with! Isis has beautiful hair. Just keep in mind that you inspire people too. Don't forget that!

 

[Colocha]

Thanks for the encouragement, sis. If I shave, I’m not going to relax. I might play with some colors though.

But I’ve gotten a little sleep and I’m going to try to keep growing. I think what it is is that there is very few long haired texlaxed hair inspiration around anymore. I found an old member whose hair I admire and her simple regi appeals to me. I’m gonna give my variation of that a shot.

Let me see if I can post some of her pix. Her name was Isis. I love her texture!

This is so gorgeous! Can you link to her regi?

 

[MzSwift]

This is so gorgeous! Can you link to her regi?

Sure thing!

https://longhaircareforum.com/threads/paging-isis.24431/

HER QUOTE FROM ^^^THAT THREAD:

I wish I had a “before" picture because my hair was dried and fried and breaking from the constant blowdrying and use of hot combs on my damaged, relaxed hair. It was getting shorter as time went by, instead of longer. I'm so glad I found the hair boards last summer!

The keys I learned from LHCF was the importance of moisture, especially for the ends, and for me - no heat. I threw my blowdryer and hot comb away (they were old anyway). I got on the bun challenge and wore my hair in a bun (or French Twist) from July, 2003 until about January, 2004. During those months, I noticed my hair regaining its natural thickness and it was full of body and always had softness and moisture. I was always touching my hair, which I never did before. I started loving and appreciating my hair for the first time.

My Diet and Vitamins:

I eat a vegetarian diet, lots of veggies (raw & steamed), eggs, soy products like tofu, Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP), soy cheeses, tamari, lots of raw almonds, peanuts and sunflower seeds. I drink lots of water every day – about 10 eight ounce glasses or more.

I take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily, usually in my salads. My daily vitamins include: one tablespoon of brewer’s yeast, 1000 mg of vitamin C, zinc lozenges, iron, grapeseed extract, spirulina, 1000 mcg of B-12 and calcium/magnesium. I have MSM and biotin but I haven’t taken them in about 5 months or so. When I did take them it was once in a while - I kept forgetting about them for some reason. I may start that back up soon. As of March 22, 2004 I added drinking carrot juice to my regimen each day.

My Hair Regime:

My regimen is very simple, but a little time consuming in my opinion. I’m always looking for ways to cut the time down.

• I wash and deep condition every 3 days. Washing more often than every 7 days has made a remarkable difference in my hair. I prefer washing my hair before going to bed so it can airdry during the night.

• After washing (I use Mexxus Botanoil), I generously apply Humectress on my hair and comb through with a wide tooth comb. Then I put on a plastic cap and my heat cap to deep condition for 30 minutes.
• I rinse out my conditioner under the shower and detangle my hair at the same time using a wide tooth comb along with the force of the water.

• Next I apply Nexxus Headress leave-in (or Biolage)and comb through. It really detangles well but by that time, my hair is already detangled from the Humectress.


• I apply Constant Care for Ends on my hair ends to seal in the moisture when wearing my hair down in a braid out. If wearing buns or a French Twist, I use Vaseline.

• Then I apply Aveda Anti-Humectant Pomade to all of my hair to seal in the moisture and keep my hair from reverting in the humidity. It also adds some shine to my hair (which Headress does not do).

• I section my hair into 4 ponytails with Ouchless bands (pre-soaked in olive oil to prevent any breakage).

• I roll each ponytail up on large and extra large magnetic rollers.

• Then I tie up my rolled up hair in a satin scarf and let it airdry overnight.

• The next day my hair is a little bit damp and if I want to wear it in a bun, I’ll put it in a bun with a silk scrunchie and let it finish drying that way. Or I’ll smooth it up into a French Twist. If I want to wear it down in a braid out, I’ll braid it in 4 braids for about 1 to 1 ½ hours. After that time, my hair is usually dry. I just unravel the braids, moisturize my ends and I’m ready to go. If I have a lot of new growth, I’ll tie my loose hair down for about 20 minutes in a silk or satin scarf. It really reduces the poufiness so my hair lies flatter against my head. I’m still experimenting with my braid outs so it looks good consistently.
I've received a lot of great braid out tips from you ladies and I saved all of them!

• One thing I don’t do is comb my airdried hair until my next wash. I’ve learned that’s one way to lose a lot of hair through breakage. I use my fingers to comb and my hands to smooth.

Because of all the great reviews I’ve heard from LHCF, I just bought some Protectiv Break-Free and I’m using it on my hair daily for extra moisture and strength – before unbraiding my hair and after braiding before going to bed. If I put it on my braid out while my hair is loose, I seem to lose my waves. I’m still experimenting with this product.

This regimen so far has allowed my hair to retain length as it grows and to recover my natural thickness. My hair always has lots of swing and body and shine. And I’m always learning about new techniques and products from all of you.

 

[MzSwift]

I'm happy you came to a decision you are comfortable with! Isis has beautiful hair. Just keep in mind that you inspire people too. Don't forget that!

Thank you so much, sis.

 

[Sosoothing]

@MzSwift

Whatever you decide will be the best decision for you obviously.

But if you choose to keep relaxing, we can encourage each other. I'm texlaxed and MBL. I agree there aren't many texlaxed heads for inspiration but so far, I just inspire myself .
Plus I have a toddler and another on the way. We can do it!

 

[Colocha]

Thank you so much @MzSwift!

ETA: I just reread her regimen and it looks so manageable. I'm itching to texlax. Humidity doesn't let me show off my hair at all and I'm thinking "What's the point of having it long if I can't even enjoy it"

The only thing keeping me back is my complete absence of knowledge on relaxed hair.

 

[MzSwift]

@MzSwift

Whatever you decide will be the best decision for you obviously.

But if you choose to keep relaxing, we can encourage each other. I'm texlaxed and MBL. I agree there aren't many texlaxed heads for inspiration but so far, I just inspire myself .
Plus I have a toddler and another on the way. We can do it!

Yay, a hairbuddy! Definitely. Let’s do it, sis!

ETA: CONGRATULATIONS on the baby! So exciting!

 

[MzSwift]

Thank you so much @MzSwift!

ETA: I just reread her regimen and it looks so manageable. I'm itching to texlax. Humidity doesn't let me show off my hair at all and I'm thinking "What's the point of having it long if I can't even enjoy it"

The only thing keeping me back is my complete absence of knowledge on relaxed hair.

Yes, this right here is why I texlaxed after reaching WL natural. I put in too much work to reach lengths I never had before and shrinkage (and SSKs) would not let me be great! Lol

The same regular cleansing, DCing, low manipulation, moisture-protein balance and protecting the ends techniques apply to relaxed hair. The hardest part about being relaxed is finding the right amount of time to stretch the relaxer. But I prefer a lot of texture so twice a year works for me. After being natural it’s easy to stretch that long. Isis actually texlaxed every 12-13 weeks. She said she would only leave the relaxer on for 10 minutes. That makes a lot of sense to me too.

I lost a lot of length when I texlaxed because I totally neglected to stick to a regi. But my hair would’ve seen the same damage if it were natural as much as I was wearing it out and about.

 

[Sosoothing]

Yay, a hairbuddy! Definitely. Let’s do it, sis!

ETA: CONGRATULATIONS on the baby! So exciting!

Thank you!

We got this hair buddy!

 

[Colocha]

Yes, this right here is why I texlaxed after reaching WL natural. I put in too much work to reach lengths I never had before and shrinkage (and SSKs) would not let me be great! Lol

The same regular cleansing, DCing, low manipulation, moisture-protein balance and protecting the ends techniques apply to relaxed hair. The hardest part about being relaxed is finding the right amount of time to stretch the relaxer. But I prefer a lot of texture so twice a year works for me. After being natural it’s easy to stretch that long. Isis actually texlaxed every 12-13 weeks. She said she would only leave the relaxer on for 10 minutes. That makes a lot of sense to me too.

I lost a lot of length when I texlaxed because I totally neglected to stick to a regi. But my hair would’ve seen the same damage if it were natural as much as I was wearing it out and about.

I am honestly probably gonna do it when I hit my length goal. I only ever wear my hair completely stretched out anyway. I would just be concerned about the demarcation line, and lye vs no lye and chemical damage and blah blah blah.

But I think overall it would decrease the time I spend on my hair and increase satisfaction.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Yes, this right here is why I texlaxed after reaching WL natural. I put in too much work to reach lengths I never had before and shrinkage (and SSKs) would not let me be great! Lol

The same regular cleansing, DCing, low manipulation, moisture-protein balance and protecting the ends techniques apply to relaxed hair. The hardest part about being relaxed is finding the right amount of time to stretch the relaxer. But I prefer a lot of texture so twice a year works for me. After being natural it’s easy to stretch that long. Isis actually texlaxed every 12-13 weeks. She said she would only leave the relaxer on for 10 minutes. That makes a lot of sense to me too.

I lost a lot of length when I texlaxed because I totally neglected to stick to a regi. But my hair would’ve seen the same damage if it were natural as much as I was wearing it out and about.

Thank you!

We got this hair buddy!

I am honestly probably gonna do it when I hit my length goal. I only ever wear my hair completely stretched out anyway. I would just be concerned about the demarcation line, and lye vs no lye and chemical damage and blah blah blah.

But I think overall it would decrease the time I spend on my hair and increase satisfaction.

I thought texlaxing or relaxing once I reached my goal length was going to be my plan -- and I still mull it over from time to time -- but I'm scared of having a setback because of it. Specifically, breakage at the line of demarcation from not relaxing in time, or for some reason.

Do you have any advice?

TIA!

 

[MzSwift]

I thought texlaxing or relaxing once I reached my goal length was going to be my plan -- and I still mull it over from time to time -- but I'm scared of having a setback because of it. Specifically, breakage at the line of demarcation from not relaxing in time, or for some reason.

Do you have any advice?

TIA!

My goal length was APL, so making it to WL really made me want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. The first thing I noticed when I texlaxed was that I could feel the air on my scalp again! And it felt amazing!

I was also able to detangle my hair in the shower under running water. And it only took minutes! As opposed to the hours it took while I was natural. My natural texture didn’t allow for shower detangling. My texlaxed hair is less picky and I can use more cones. Styling also became easier and more varied.

I said all of that to say, with these improvements, I got LAZY. No weekly DCing, no M&Sing daily and even not regularly tying up my hair. I also used heat more often, like once every 1-2 months. I think those things contributed to me having to chop my length.

The ladies on here who had long, healthy relaxed hair, adhered to a regimen. I think as long as you do that, you won’t have the setbacks. I can tell by your beautiful hair that you already have the that down.

Also, @Colocha , the rule is: lye is easier on the hair but harder on the scalp. Whereas, no-lye is easier on the scalp but harder on the hair. Lye will require better scalp basing and no-lye will require chelating to remove the deposits from the relaxer.

How long you stretch will take some trial and error. Isis only stretched 12-13 weeks and she only left the undiluted relaxer on for 10 minutes and that’s how she got more consistent results. But there was another member, I think her name was Sylver, who only relaxed once per year. Prettywhitty77 on YT texlaxes every 6-7 months and she dilutes her relaxer. All have beautiful hair!

 

[Colocha]

Thank you so much @MzSwift.

I'll keep everything in mind.

 

[Sosoothing]

@YvetteWithJoy

I have been texlaxed for years. Even before I knew what it was. I would say I started texlaxing when I was 18. I was natural prior to that and then in my 20s tried being natural again for about 2 years. Texlaxing is a happy medium for me. I get to enjoy my thickness and length without much effort to stretch my hair due to shrinkage.
If I'm not wearing braids, I can't stretch past 12 weeks no matter what I do. My hair lets me know very quickly I need to relax because it breaks at the demarcation line. But it doesn't all break off at once leaving me bald (which seems to be one of your fears). During washing and detangling I can tell by the hairs I lose.

I know texlaxing is for me because I have had my hair in both states and was able to experience both. Have you ever been texlaxed?
Also texlaxing the right way followed by proper care should not lead to a set back.

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

@YvetteWithJoy

I have been texlaxed for years. Even before I knew what it was. I would say I started texlaxing when I was 18. I was natural prior to that and then in my 20s tried being natural again for about 2 years. Texlaxing is a happy medium for me. I get to enjoy my thickness and length without much effort to stretch my hair due to shrinkage.
If I'm not wearing braids, I can't stretch past 12 weeks no matter what I do. My hair lets me know very quickly I need to relax because it breaks at the demarcation line. But it doesn't all break off at once leaving me bald (which seems to be one of your fears). During washing and detangling I can tell by the hairs I lose.

I know texlaxing is for me because I have had my hair in both states and was able to experience both. Have you ever been texlaxed?
Also texlaxing the right way followed by proper care should not lead to a set back.

Thanks so much for this post.

Nope--I've never been texlaxed. I was relaxed for decades, but it destroyed my edges and my hair became see-through thin, so I went natural.

When texlaxing, how did people figure out how long to leave the relaxer in to get the amount of curliness they desire?

TIA!

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

My goal length was APL, so making it to WL really made me want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. The first thing I noticed when I texlaxed was that I could feel the air on my scalp again! And it felt amazing!

I was also able to detangle my hair in the shower under running water. And it only took minutes! As opposed to the hours it took while I was natural. My natural texture didn’t allow for shower detangling. My texlaxed hair is less picky and I can use more cones. Styling also became easier and more varied.

I said all of that to say, with these improvements, I got LAZY. No weekly DCing, no M&Sing daily and even not regularly tying up my hair. I also used heat more often, like once every 1-2 months. I think those things contributed to me having to chop my length.

The ladies on here who had long, healthy relaxed hair, adhered to a regimen. I think as long as you do that, you won’t have the setbacks. I can tell by your beautiful hair that you already have the that down.

Also, @Colocha , the rule is: lye is easier on the hair but harder on the scalp. Whereas, no-lye is easier on the scalp but harder on the hair. Lye will require better scalp basing and no-lye will require chelating to remove the deposits from the relaxer.

How long you stretch will take some trial and error. Isis only stretched 12-13 weeks and she only left the undiluted relaxer on for 10 minutes and that’s how she got more consistent results. But there was another member, I think her name was Sylver, who only relaxed once per year. Prettywhitty77 on YT texlaxes every 6-7 months and she dilutes her relaxer. All have beautiful hair!

Thanks so much for this post. Super helpful.

 

[Sosoothing]

Thanks so much for this post.

Nope--I've never been texlaxed. I was relaxed for decades, but it destroyed my edges and my hair became see-through thin, so I went natural.

When texlaxing, how did people figure out how long to leave the relaxer in to get the amount of curliness they desire?

TIA!

I do stand tests and rarely switch relaxers. I also add the same amount of oil each time to help with uniformity.

 

[Colocha]

In keeping with what we were discussing, this is how my hair looks when I take down a weekly bun. I redo it mid-week so it has been in on average 3 days when it comes out. I only comb once a week, so a good bit of length is shrunken up toward the roots. I would love for my hair to just stay this way all the time (with a little more stretch), but humidity and coils don't allow that.

I was hoping texlaxing could help me achieve it.

 

[MzSwift]

@Colocha
Your hair is pretty! I see you have fine strands like me. I totally wish I lived somewhere warm and humid like you, my hair and skin love it! When I did my virgin texlax, I mixed conditioner and oil into my relaxer and it came out looking just like my natural hair except that I could actually rock WNGs and do my hair in the shower. With that texture, my hair would look like yours after I took down my bun, but my roots were stretched more.

Here’s my WNG texture after my virgin texlax:
View media item 126921
View media item 126919
I was scared and did a mixture that was more like conditoner and oil with a little relaxer mixed in. Lol.

Here’s my airdried texture now after finding the right proportions to achieve an blow out look (don’t mind the bone straight ends, it was a phase, they have since been chopped):

View media item 129291
I now have a 60/40, relaxer/condish and oil mix. I like the blow out look. Use less relaxer for more texture.

Even with more texture, it was easier to stretch my hair after being texlaxed. And because I’m a fine-haired with medium density natural, there wasn’t a huge difference in how my hair looked, but there was a positive difference in how it behaved. HTH!

 

[Colocha]

Thank you @MzSwift!

Your hair is gorgeous in all these pics. Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. Your post helped tremendously.

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

Glad I visited this thread the other day when I did because y'all pics gave me a much needed motivation to relax my hair. Now I'm deep conditioning. Can't wait to see the damage already done. Chop! Chop! Thankfully I'm not afraid of a little scissors.

OAN Why aren't there any hair emoticons to use like scissors, etc? Just a bunch of silly ones, especially the cow chasing the emoji. Like wth is that even used for? lol

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

I did not even need a trim oh shoot!!!! I gave myself one anyway but barely an inch. I prefer to leave nothing to chances. But wth I'm back at grazing my butt crack! Unbelievable after all my neglect I just knew I was screwed. Not as full but healthy and strong nonetheless. I miss my wigs already.

 

[beauti]

I did not even need a trim oh shoot!!!! I gave myself one anyway but barely an inch. I prefer to leave nothing to chances. But wth I'm back at grazing my butt crack! Unbelievable after all my neglect I just knew I was screwed. Not as full but healthy and strong nonetheless. I miss my wigs already.

Um madam, where are the BCL (butt crack length) pics?? @pre_medicalrulz

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

Um madam, where are the BCL (butt crack length) pics?? @pre_medicalrulz

Yes!!!!! I'm going to do them as soon as I can. I'm in a bunch of Bantu knots right now to get a few waves for work tmr.

 

[beauti]

Yaayy! Can't wait!

 

[MzSwift]

Yes!!!!! I'm going to do them as soon as I can. I'm in a bunch of Bantu knots right now to get a few waves for work tmr.

 

[NaturalShe94]

Hi everyone !! Dropping in after a century lol . So many beautiful pics!
I've been so busy with work and getting back in school and working on moving! I've been lurking here and there but not posting .
Anywho, haven't stopped taking care of my strands though, always a bonnet at night, been busy so it's been in protective styles more than anything. DC only once a month now . It has grown a lot, I'll post a pic later when I leave work.