It's official, I've given up on stretching!

[blackberry815]

trust me streching isnt for every one, Ive realised its important to listen to my hair, if im loosing lots of strands and sheding...its time for a relaxer, if im at 2 weeks or 12...the aim of streching is to avoid overlapping relaxers..if you have enough regrowth then go ahead and do it, dont end up loosing lots of hair for the sake of pushing your hair a few more weeks

ITA... It's 6-8 weeks for me...

Sent from my ADR6400L

 

[sj73]

ITA... It's 6-8 weeks for me...

Sent from my ADR6400L

Seeing your beautiful head of hair gives me hope that I too can get my hair back healthy without stretching.

 

[Napp]

Thanks ladies. The encouragement really helps. I just wish I listened to my hair earlier. I kept thinking...shedding is normal, shedding is normal. It is normal, but what I was experiencing was far worse. I used the Alter Ego, but it kept coming back. I really do believe that I could have prevented this. Learn from me ladies!!

Im sorry that this happened to you but just to clarify it looks like you have BREAKAGE not shedding. Your hair looks heallthy and thick in the first pic.if it was excessive shedding then the problem would be internal and only the volume would have been decreased not the length.

I know it may seem tedious but for a while i think you should examine the strands when you see "excesive shedding" and see if they have bulbs or not and make a mental note of strands that have bulbs vs ones that dont. i think you are really getting breakage and excessive shedding or breakage is not normal.the amount you were getting was not good for your hair so you will have to learn what your shedding annd breakage threshold is.

I will be rooting for you to get past this setback :hug:

 

[sj73]

Im sorry that this happened to you but just to clarify it looks like you have BREAKAGE not shedding. Your hair looks heallthy and thick in the first pic.if it was excessive shedding then the problem would be internal and only the volume would have been decreased not the length.

I know it may seem tedious but for a while i think you should examine the strands when you see "excesive shedding" and see if they have bulbs or not and make a mental note of strands that have bulbs vs ones that dont. i think you are really getting breakage and excessive shedding or breakage is not normal.the amount you were getting was not good for your hair so you will have to learn what your shedding annd breakage threshold is.

I will be rooting for you to get past this setback :hug:

I did check the strands....every night . It was both. I would say it was 50/50 excessive shedding and breakage. I think the shedding was from the stretch and the breakage was from both the stretch, but mainly the braidouts! Even though I was fingercombing during the entire 6 weeks of braidouts, the shedded hairs would tangle around my fingers. I saw lots of bulbs, but noticed the breakage on my shoulders and around my sink before I got in the shower.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[nickpoopie]

I feel your pain. I relaxed my hair after a 5 month stretch and did not relax all of the new growth. I had three inches of growth and only relaxed about two inches of it so now I've been experiencing breakage at the middle of my strand. It's now been another 12 weeks since that last relaxer and I'm about ready to relax again. I want to get that other inch that I left off from the 5 month stretch but I can't tell where it is because my hair has been flat-ironed and it's all straight for now. When I wash it that's when I can see the waves at the root and in the middle. What should I do?

 

[sj73]

I feel your pain. I relaxed my hair after a 5 month stretch and did not relax all of the new growth. I had three inches of growth and only relaxed about two inches of it so now I've been experiencing breakage at the middle of my strand. It's now been another 12 weeks since that last relaxer and I'm about ready to relax again. I want to get that other inch that I left off from the 5 month stretch but I can't tell where it is because my hair has been flat-ironed and it's all straight for now. When I wash it that's when I can see the waves at the root and in the middle. What should I do?

I may not be the best person to ask, since I'm experiencing my second setback in a row. However, I would do another shampoo 5-7 days before the next relaxer and not flatiron it until after you relax again, so you can see the new growth when you are relaxing. Make sure you do a protein treatment at least a week before you relax.

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

Take a look at my siggie below to see why I feel this way. Each photo represents the condition of my hair (in order) after stretching 12 weeks (the one in the middle is after 16 weeks). The one farthest to the right is my most recent relaxer at 12 weeks. At first, the stretching was going well (hair was thicker than ever and I got compliments on the health of my hair). Then after that first (and last) 4 month stretch, it started going downhill FAST. The shedding was about as bad as shedding can get. I should have relaxed after I saw it happening again the most recent 12 weeks .
Ya'll I'm just so upset now. My hair was going in the right direction. I was hoping to be BSL by December 2011. Doesn't seem like I'm going to make it. This is a BIG setback!!!

First off: ::big hug:: Secondly, not every tecnique on this board works for everybody. In loking at your regimen, I can already see a couple of red flags for my hair, that work great for other people.

#1: stretching - I'm not a fan, and this is from someone who stretched for many years until I started geting tired of seeing my hair break off around week 10 or 11. If you are going to stay relaxed, stretching isn't really the end all be all. What you need is a good application that does not overprocess/double process your previously relaxed hair when you do your new growth. That's all. I personally believe that one reason stretching works, is that with more hair to work with, people are less likely to double-process because there's more space between NG and the relaxed hair. With that said, I got my longest hair, relaxing faithfully every eight weeks at the hand a of a trained professional (or two).

#2 braidouts can be hades on my ends!!! I don't have a scientific answer for this one, but I typically need a major trim after my summer braidouts. Luckily, I usually get major growth during these months so it balances out.

#3 In looking at your photos, you don't appear to have a lot of breakage around the top. It looks like your issue is end/length retention. My answer to this is bunning, but I suppose any protective style will help with this.

I'm sorry your progress has been set back, but in the words of the crackhead Mayor of DC (re-elected after being exposed as a crackhead) "every setback is a set-up for a comeback!" I don't know if he was quoting someone else, but, if he ain't the poster child.... Good luck!

 

[sj73]

First off: ::big hug:: Secondly, not every tecnique on this board works for everybody. In loking at your regimen, I can already see a couple of red flags for my hair, that work great for other people.

#1: stretching - I'm not a fan, and this is from someone who stretched for many years until I started geting tired of seeing my hair break off around week 10 or 11. If you are going to stay relaxed, stretching isn't really the end all be all. What you need is a good application that does not overprocess/double process your previously relaxed hair when you do your new growth. That's all. I personally believe that one reason stretching works, is that with more hair to work with, people are less likely to double-process because there's more space between NG and the relaxed hair. With that said, I got my longest hair, relaxing faithfully every eight weeks at the hand a of a trained professional (or two).

#2 braidouts can be hades on my ends!!! I don't have a scientific answer for this one, but I typically need a major trim after my summer braidouts. Luckily, I usually get major growth during these months so it balances out.

#3 In looking at your photos, you don't appear to have a lot of breakage around the top. It looks like your issue is end/length retention. My answer to this is bunning, but I suppose any protective style will help with this.

I'm sorry your progress has been set back, but in the words of the crackhead Mayor of DC (re-elected after being exposed as a crackhead) "every setback is a set-up for a comeback!" I don't know if he was quoting someone else, but, if he ain't the poster child.... Good luck!

Thanks for the tips (and the laughs).

 

[blackberry815]

Seeing your beautiful head of hair gives me hope that I too can get my hair back healthy without stretching.

Aww thanks hun! Yea stretching kicks my hairs behind because I already have fine strands and being relaxed bone straight doesn't help because there's a stark difference between the two textures once that newgrowth comes in.. so If I don't relax its long strands everywhere... But! I'm five weeks post and I went and got a Dominican blowout and it pretty much looks and feels like a fresh relaxer.. maybe that's something that can help you stretch if u choose to go that route.

Sent from my ADR6400L

 

[blackberry815]

I know its weird but relaxing stops breakage for me... Too much newgrowth is like my hairs worst enemy... Fresh relaxer or in this case Dominican blowout and I won't find a single strand of hair in the comb... Broken or shed..

I actually started a thread about this... Stretching is not for everyone. And moisturizing isn't gonna be the answer for everyone's newgrowth. I notice a lot of people who stretch long have thin ends and thick roots. That's because when ur stretching u shed more. And although people say stretching thickens up the hair I think its hogwash...lol of course ur hair is gonna look thicker if u have a lot of newgrowth and ur shedding long strands so essentially ur hair is thickening in the roots and thinning in the length...

And also I think people can think the hair is thicker because when you have a lot of newgrowth its more likely that u will be underprocessed which will make the hair from stretching appear thicker.

Eta. One of my hair heroes was macherie and she relaxed every 8 weeks and her hair looked to be the same thickness throughout... Coincidence? I think not!

Just make sure u have enough newgrowth to relax and let someone who can see the back of ur head do your relaxer.
Again..Just my theories

Sent from my ADR6400L

 

[sj73]

I know its weird but relaxing stops breakage for me... Too much newgrowth is like my hairs worst enemy... Fresh relaxer or in this case Dominican blowout and I won't find a single strand of hair in the comb... Broken or shed..

I actually started a thread about this... Stretching is not for everyone. And moisturizing isn't gonna be the answer for everyone's newgrowth. I notice a lot of people who stretch long have thin ends and thick roots. That's because when ur stretching u shed more. And although people say stretching thickens up the hair I think its hogwash...lol of course ur hair is gonna look thicker if u have a lot of newgrowth and ur shedding long strands so essentially ur hair is thickening in the roots and thinning in the length...

And also I think people can think the hair is thicker because when you have a lot of newgrowth its more likely that u will be underprocessed which will make the hair from stretching appear thicker.

Eta. One of my hair heroes was macherie and she relaxed every 8 weeks and her hair looked to be the same thickness throughout... Coincidence? I think not!

Just make sure u have enough newgrowth to relax and let someone who can see the back of ur head do your relaxer.
Again..Just my theories

Sent from my ADR6400L

Thanks for the tips. I did see your thread (right before I recently relaxed). It was a wakeup call for me. Thanks!!!

 

[Shirilyn4652]

Your hair is beautiful, goodluck with your hhj!!Such an inspiration!!

 

[browniemiss]

I just posted this in another thread...

I recently just learned something about my hair. In the last few months, I got really lazy when it came to deep conditioning. For a long time, my hair would often shed most around 10 to 12 weeks, which is when I usually get a relaxer. I just thought it was "normal". I was ready to make an appt for my relaxer, but this shedding/breaking was freaking me out. This time around, I wanted to hold off on relaxing until I got this shedding under control. I did a deep condition w/ ORS (30 minutes under the dryer, plus overnight - overnight was due to laziness), washed/conditioned with One n' Only Argan Oil Moisture Shampoo and Moisture Conditioner. The breaking/shedding stopped IMMEDIATELY! I dont know which product (the deep conditioning or the shampoo/conditioner) is responsible for it but I am EXCITED. I can stretch a tad bit longer and I can have better control over this shedding that I thought was normal all of this time.

I think my hair was shedding as bad as shedding could get. It was quite scary. However, I realized that this is what I experienced every time it was time to get a relaxer. It happened so much that I assumed it was normal. Usually, I would just get a relaxer and it would stop. However, this time around, I wanted to try another solution. It stopped immediately after using these products. I realized that I dont need to skimp on the DC, especially when it gets to this time frame. In addition, I am adding these products to my regimen.

 

[NIN4eva]

I had the EXACT same experience with 12 week stretching! The first time was awesome, but after that it was a nightmare, itching, shedding breakage... so now I'm back to 6-8 weeks as well. I miss the big pay off you get after a long stretch, but it's just too much drama.

 

[Janet']

sj73 I am so very sorry to hear about your setback. I can relate on so many levels even though I do not have a relaxer. I am glad that you realize what the culprit is and in no time you will have a lavish head of hair to match that fab body!

 

[s_terry]

Take a look at my siggie below to see why I feel this way. Each photo represents the condition of my hair (in order) after stretching 12 weeks (the one in the middle is after 16 weeks). The one farthest to the right is my most recent relaxer at 12 weeks. At first, the stretching was going well (hair was thicker than ever and I got compliments on the health of my hair). Then after that first (and last) 4 month stretch, it started going downhill FAST. The shedding was about as bad as shedding can get. I should have relaxed after I saw it happening again the most recent 12 weeks . The Alter Ego helped with the shedding, but not enough.

Starting now, I'm going to start watching my hair after I reach 6-8 weeks post relaxer. As soon as the bad shedding and breakage starts, I'm relaxing immediately. I'm also planning to go back to deep conditioning twice a week, instead of once a week to try to get my hair back in shape. My current reggie is shampoo and deep condition once a week. Hard protein every six weeks and moisturize and seal twice a day. I use Joico's moisturizing shampoo, Silk elements Mega Silk, Costco Kirkland and Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose for moisturizing deep conditioners; and Phillip B Cream Rinse for protein deep conditioners. I also use Giovanni for a moisturizing leave-in and Philip B Lovin Leave-in for a protein leave in.

In the past, I flat ironed once a week for the first six weeks of my stretch and then did braidouts the remaining 6 weeks (fingercombing only!). If I make it past the first six weeks, I think I'm going to lay off of the braidouts too and just do pinups instead. I also plan to rollerset from now on instead of flatironing once a week. I have a Pibbs Kwik Dri to help with that.

Ya'll I'm just so upset now. My hair was going in the right direction. I was hoping to be BSL by December 2011. Doesn't seem like I'm going to make it. This is a BIG setback!!!

I usually stretch for about 3 1/2 to 4 months. I notice the straighter my hair gets the shorter I can do my stretches. The shedding is my first clue of when it's time to relax. When you start to notice excessive shedding over one or two weeks, it's time to take care of business. Don't ignore it!

 

[PennyK]

Sorry about your setback OP, but a lot of us (myself included) learn from our hair mistakes and setbacks. You'll get your hair back on track in no time

 

[keepithealthy]

I'm sorry to hear abut your setback. I'm not relaxed but I have heard that long stretches are not for everyone. You have a good plan and I am sure your hair will be back on track in no time. HHG!!

 

[abcd09]

Long stretches are not for me either. The detangling causes breakage at the ends.

Looking back at old pics, I realize what worked was similar to what worked for you :low heat and roller sets, DCing twice a week., protein/mositure balance. Braidouts can also be bad on my ends as well. I cannot braid the whole strand, or else the ends become tangled together and have to be snipped.

 

[Lanea87]

Im in the same boat after relaxing today. Even though its longer from the last relaxer it feels thin....Imma just get back on my hair grind to turn this situation around.

 

[LushLox]

I know its weird but relaxing stops breakage for me... Too much newgrowth is like my hairs worst enemy... Fresh relaxer or in this case Dominican blowout and I won't find a single strand of hair in the comb... Broken or shed..

I actually started a thread about this... Stretching is not for everyone. And moisturizing isn't gonna be the answer for everyone's newgrowth. I notice a lot of people who stretch long have thin ends and thick roots. That's because when ur stretching u shed more. And although people say stretching thickens up the hair I think its hogwash...lol of course ur hair is gonna look thicker if u have a lot of newgrowth and ur shedding long strands so essentially ur hair is thickening in the roots and thinning in the length...

And also I think people can think the hair is thicker because when you have a lot of newgrowth its more likely that u will be underprocessed which will make the hair from stretching appear thicker.

Eta. One of my hair heroes was macherie and she relaxed every 8 weeks and her hair looked to be the same thickness throughout... Coincidence? I think not!

Just make sure u have enough newgrowth to relax and let someone who can see the back of ur head do your relaxer.
Again..Just my theories

Sent from my ADR6400L

Just to point out that Macherie (according to her website) relaxes every 12-16 weeks.

I have a 4a/b relaxed hair. I relax every 12-16 weeks with Vitale or Affirm and trim my ends every 8-10 weeks.

Sorry to hear about your setback OP, I'm sure your hair will bounce back.

 

[Minty]

I stretched 6 months this last time and I will be going back to a "as needed" schedule from now on. Its sometimes good to step away from the hair forum and remember what actually did work for you - and stick with it.

Just last week there was a thread about a YT who relaxes every 3-4 weeks. Well okay, doesn't mean its good or bad but her hair bares out that its working for her.

You'll get there.

 

[havilland]

I stretched 6 months this last time and I will be going back to a "as needed" schedule from now on. Its sometimes good to step away from the hair forum and remember what actually did work for you - and stick with it.

Just last week there was a thread about a YT who relaxes every 3-4 weeks. Well okay, doesn't mean its good or bad but her hair bares out that its working for her.

You'll get there.

i def think you have to listen to your own head of hair...

that being said, that young lady on you tube is in her early 20's....she has strong hair and young hair. she listens to HER HAIR. (which is beautiful by the way)

when i was 20 i had bone straight relaxed hair that had bleached blonde streaks in it. i relaxed every 4-6 weeks and my hair was FABULOUS!

if i tried that now, i'd be BALD AS AN EAGLE.

she also used her nails to "scratch in the relaxer" direct quote from one of her vids.... i could never do that.....most people i know couldn't get away with that without some major burns and scalp damage.

 

[Keen]

sj73 I gave up stretching years ago. My hair breaks like crazy when I have too much new growth. If I don't comb my new growth, my roots get matted. I can attribute most of my thin hair to stretching.

 

[Embyra]

nothing is for everyone but i feel like some people do way to much when stretching all that cowashing tons of combing
I had a loooong stretch which turned into me transitioning for well over 2 years dealing with 2 textures

 

[blackberry815]

Just to point out that Macherie (according to her website) relaxes every 12-16 weeks.



Sorry to hear about your setback OP, I'm sure your hair will bounce back.

Oh ok. When she was on here she didnt stretch. I read alot of the old threads and she repeated numerous times on here that she didnt stretch.. she also used a super relaxer. Im not sure if she still does that either.

Sent from my ADR6400L

 

[**SaSSy**]

Sorry for your setback, but if this give you any solace, you are losing weight which is a accomplishment in it's self. Take care of your health, then everything else will follow.