I'm on a 4 month plan, then on to a Silkener...

[vkb247]

I am texlaxed and my just about APL shrinks up to NL when dry. Like another lady said, my curl size is about the same but my hair hangs a bit more now. I have crazy shrinkage but not as bad as I would natural.

I haven't touched up since March and I really would love to be natural but I am a length whore! I have seen ladies with BSL and longer natural that shows no length when dry and I don't want that so I understand exactly where you are coming from.

I henna but don't notice a difference in curl pattern. Twist outs and braid outs show more length but I want my hair out with a curl pattern more similar to mine own. I wish I could help you out because than I could help myself too. I actually wanted to texlax further for less shrinkage but decided to wait for more length to see if it would give me more hang but it doesn't seem to be happening yet.

Does anyone have pics of natural hair that got more hang as it grew? I'm starting to think this doesn't really happen unless you are a type 3 or lower.

 

[ladylibra]

Brockstar - you know I would fully support you if you said you wanted to relax. But "silkening" a.k.a. textlaxing?

I give it a big thumbs-down.

I say this because we have similar hair, and when I was relaxed it was basically textlaxed. Still had all the issues of my natural hair, just slightly lessened. Even worse, I had dryness and damage (part of which was from using daily heat). To me, that wasn't worth it. I would highly suggest BKT over silkening... I haven't personally done it, but seeing results from ladies on the board convince me that it would be a better way to go. At least it isn't permanent, so if you decide to silken later down the line, the option will still be there.

I have a question for curly girls (hair type like OP). If you do twist outs, does it give you any more length? I don't have the option of wash and gos, but I know that my fully shrunken hair is noticeably shorter than my twist outs. If you want more length to show, how about just doing a twist out with like 20 or so big twists?

Twist-outs do give me more length. But, the curl pattern is totally different than my natural pattern. And it's hell to detangle for some reason. erplexed I'm a big fan of braid-outs though, they to work better for me. I plan on alternating between braid-outs and rollersets this fall/winter.

 

[sharifeh]

your hair is lovely
i would give it some more time

 

[glamazon386]

Some people's hair will only hang but so much. It'll continue to go out and not down. It just comes with the territory. I understand shrinkage woes though. Mine seems to shrink more as it grows. Shrinkage sucks. I'd be leary of the chemicals though. What if it messes up your curl pattern?

 

[Ediese]

Some people's hair will only hang but so much. It'll continue to go out and not down. It just comes with the territory. I understand shrinkage woes though. Mine seems to shrink more as it grows. Shrinkage sucks. I'd be leary of the chemicals though. What if it messes up your curl pattern?

You are so right. I have a feeling that I'm one of those with hair that refuses to grow down. I'm a little past APL straightened, but my natural hair falls to my neck. lol I think that will probably be the only reason I'd ever consider relaxing, or maybe the BKT. I can't imagine growing to WL, and having my natural hair reach my shoulders. That would be a tad bit upsetting.

 

[silvergirl]

nooooooooooooo........ :O


okok........i know its ur hair an all, but its sooo pretty. plus ur hair is similar to mine, and since i chopped it, i love watching urs grow. ( kind of like my hair wants to be like urs when it grows up ,... again lol)

id def try BKT first...

but as a lhcf sister i'll support ya either way

 

[BrockStar]

Oooooh some of my inspirations have chimed in..Uh Oh! lol Hey Lady Libra and Silvergirl (stalked ya'll FOREVER!) I'll be looking into the BKT for now and trying some different things out. I'll def. keep ya'll posted

 

[1QTPie]

I'm on the no silkener side. I think braid outs are the answer to curly haired woes. You get a lil hang time and soft waves and it only gets prettier as it shrinks and tightens up.

 

[wevwil]

One of my former co-workers had beautiful natural hair but decided to go to Miss Jessies and get a silkner/texurizer. The day before she went her hair barely touched her shoulders, when she came in the next day, her hair was like 5 inches longer. I couldn't believe it. It was gorgeous...but she was one of the lucky ones. However, not her new growth kills her...just like getting a perm. Once she has about 2 inches of new growth (which can't be visibly seen as a different texture from her texturized hair), she is dying to make an appt at Miss Jessies and about to plop down $400 plus for a silkner and a cut. Texturizers can go so wrong so fast...however, I am texturized and now my hair hangs, but its much thinner and if I left it one a second longer my bangs would have been straight...the curl pattern is a little too loose. However I definitely like it better than my natural texture, but will only do it once a year. I personally don't think you need a texturizer but I understand

 

[Vinillablue]

yes. had a silner!!!...from Miss Jessie's ...they are a rip off!!!....Don't do it!!!!!...not worth it!!!

 

[Miss AJ]

Silkeners are not the business. They are just over priced texturizers IMO. Your hair is beautiful and you should embrace the shrinkage. How cool is it that you can be shoulder length one day and then a totally longer length the next depending on how you style it? I don't know your reasons for growing long hair but if you know how long your hair really is when it is only touching SL in it's shrunken state, who cares? I had a guy friend try to clown me and say my hair must not grow very fast and as soon as I stretched out one of my curls he shut up lol. I was lurking your Fotki the day I BCed and I would KILL to have your hair and so would a lot of women...like someone else said it's your hair, your decision but i heart your unchemicalized napps

 

[theprototype]

I'm a long-time admirer of your hair. It's absolutely GORGEOUS as it is! I'd hate for you to go through some sort of chemical treatment and be unhappy with it.

Do you ever "shingle" it? Maybe that would elongate your curls a bit?

 

[lilsparkle825]

update this thread, girl!!! what are you gonna do??!

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

why not just be a straightened natural? the upkeep of the silkener is just not the business, and may lead to less retention.​