Longer Transitions -vs- Chopping: Which is better?

[Peachtree]

Ok, it's late.... & instead of going to bed, I'm up thinking about my demarcation line

!



Here's a thought...

Are longer transitions (say 12+ mths) better for the natural hair as opposed to chopping (say within 6 mths)?

I'm thinking that keeping the relaxed hair on the strand as long as possible will protect the ends of the natural hair from being exposed. BUT... if the relaxed hair BREAKS off at the demarcation line, then the natural hair is left with a torn (split) end

I guess both methods have their pros & cons...

Am I making any sense

??

I know that the decision to chop or not is a personal one (that's understood). I'm just curious to know how the hair is affected. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[NAY007]

i always thought that when it comes to cutting the relaxed part off the hairtype has to be taken in consideration. i had my last relaxer in dec 02. so i've been transitioning for a year now. i haven't had any problems with the two textures, except for bad tangles sometimes. i don't think i will cut my hair until i have reached my goal. of course i trim about 2-3 times a year but that's it.
but what do you mean with "to chop or not is not a personal one.."? i didn't get that..

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

I know that personally when I went from relaxed to natural, I never saw any breakage. It was only when I came to the hair boards that I found out people actually get breakage from the two textures. So, it definitely depends on the person. Also, I don't think I could deal with hair any shorter than neck length. But others can't deal with having the two textures for years at a time.

 

[blue_flower]

I agree that it depends on your hair texture. I transitioned for a year and I never experience any severe breakage. Throughout the year I would cut off 2-4 inches of hair every some months. It was annoying dealing with the two different textures, so the sooner I got rid of the relaxed hair the better. After my year of transitioning, I finally got all of the relaxed hair cut off. By that time my natural hair was just grazing my shoulders. The funny thing is that during the entire time I was transitioning and cutting, my hair was always shoulder length.

 

[jainygirl]

i dont think it should make a difference in damage. i think most people get most damage by trying to treat their new growth hair with the exact same products as their relaxed ends. i've been treating the 2 sections of hair on my head differently from each other. shampooing my scalp and conditioning my relaxed ends. also keeping the new growth manageable with Sta Sof Fro (i'm gonna be trying hair butter soon also) while keeping the relaxed ends tangle-free with sheens and gloss is key for me. I think alot of people, even those that have no intentions of transition, tend to not realized that within a couple weeks after a touchup they are gonna be dealing with 2 different textures on their head. But i would only expect regular shedding and maybe just a broken hair here and there, not major strands or anything

 

[pookeylou]

I didnt feel like the length of transitioning exposed my hair to the greater possibility of damage...

Because both textures were healthy...and I did not rush through my hair...so I did not have a problem with tearing it or snapping it from trying to comb it dry or putting excessive heat on it to straighten it.

The length you transition depended (for me) how long I wanted my hair to be after I cut the permed ends off...because I had some scars in my scalp from surgery...I needed enough hair to cover those...once I felt comfortable with that...I let the permed ends go...

As long as you are treating your two textures carefully...you should not have damage...I have known people to transition for more than a year...so it is possible to do it...without having ripped, torn or jagged hair.

 

[Karonica]

I definitely think the chop is better. It reduces the chance of suffering breakage. But if you aren't suffering problems with the 2 different textures, there's no reason to chop so soon. Only when you are having difficult problems and you're absolutely ready to cut it or don't mind doing so, should you go for it.

 

[Crysdon]

When I went natural, I chopped the relaxed ends off. It looked kinda weird to have wavy/curly hair and then all of a sudden it turns stick straight towards the ends.

 

[ChocoKitty]

I can't tell say how long I transitioned but I definitely think it can be done without completely chopping the relaxed ends off. I stop relaxing 10 years ago. I started by letting it grow for a while and then when it started to get on my nerves I got my hair cut into a bob. As the relaxer kept growing out I just kept trimming. IMO, if you keep your hair well moisturised & conditioned the two textures won't battle as much. Then you can transition as long as you want! I think if I would have deep conditoned my hair faithfully I would have had hair pass the back of my knee caps by now! Sheesh!!!

 

[sassygirl125]

There was a big difference between my relaxed hair and natural hair. But it didn't break at the demarcation line because I knew better than to try and style it. Putting it in a bun was enough manipulation for me.

I don't know if keeping the relaxed hair protects the natural hair, though. I didn't keep mine long enough to tell... The relaxed hair tangled so bad, I didn't think twice about snipping a little off every couple of months. I still don't know why my relaxed hair started knotting and matting all of a sudden.

 

[Poohbear]

There was a big difference between my relaxed hair and natural hair. But it didn't break at the demarcation line because I knew better than to try and style it. Putting it in a bun was enough manipulation for me.

I don't know if keeping the relaxed hair protects the natural hair, though. I didn't keep mine long enough to tell... The relaxed hair tangled so bad, I didn't think twice about snipping a little off every couple of months. I still don't know why my relaxed hair started knotting and matting all of a sudden.

I'm starting to notice that my relaxed hair gets matted easily too. But the shower filter I bought a few days ago really has made a difference.

I don't think the relaxed hair protects the natural ends per se. I agree with ReaLuvsAOxymoron in that I don't like having hair any shorter than neck length. I think I can manage transitioning with the two textures without a problem as long as I take good care of my hair!

 

[naughteegirl]

I think it depends on what your own hair is like, if you find yourself frustrated dealing with both textures its probably better to cut cos if you cant be careful with the lengths u will damage ur hair...I liked that I chopped because it was just less hair to deal with, my relaxed ends were nothing to write home about...if they were long and very strong I might have transitioned.

 

[Daughter]

My hair was well conditioned and I had little problem with the two textures, I transitioned for almost a year. I was more than glad when the ends went though...

Truth be told, if my forehead wasn't so spacious I'd have chopped a lot sooner

 

[nurseN98]

I think that which method is better is individual choice. I'm transitioning because I just didn't want to have 1/2 of hair on my scalp (I think I have a funny shaped head) and I wasn't ready to part with almost BSL hair. But I'm finding doing little chops (2-3 inches) as my hair gets longer is helping a lot. I've had a lot of breakage before I figured out that low manipulation was the way to go. But I can definitely understand why ppl chop....

 

[Erica78]

I was planning to transition for 2 years...but I started having an increase in breakage. I was seeing a lot of split ends on my natural hair (from the breakage)...and that's when I was like...I'm done. I have never had hair this short before...but I'll take 6 healthy inches of hair...over 10-11 inches or relaxed...breaking ends with splits any day. Personally...I think it's better to grow your hair out...and chop when you are mentally prepared for it. Had my confidence level been as high as it is now...I would have cut months ago...but I wasn't ready. For those that are comfortable with short hair...I say take the plunge! If you aren't ready to let go of your relaxed ends just yet...go ahead and extend your transition...but not at the expense of your natural tresses.

 

[Peachtree]

Wow, Poohbear dug this old thread up! At first I didn't even remember posting it!
Anywho, it's nice to be free! No more "demarcation lines" to worry about!!!!

 

[jainygirl]

i dont think it should make a difference in damage. i think most people get most damage by trying to treat their new growth hair with the exact same products as their relaxed ends. i've been treating the 2 sections of hair on my head differently from each other. shampooing my scalp and conditioning my relaxed ends. also keeping the new growth manageable with Sta Sof Fro (i'm gonna be trying hair butter soon also) while keeping the relaxed ends tangle-free with sheens and gloss is key for me. I think alot of people, even those that have no intentions of transition, tend to not realized that within a couple weeks after a touchup they are gonna be dealing with 2 different textures on their head. But i would only expect regular shedding and maybe just a broken hair here and there, not major strands or anything

I posted this last year when i was attempting to transition for one year the FIRST time -- and didnt make it . Well, after having a second go at transitioning, i think that the B.C. after a short transition was definitely the way to go for me. I had just started playing around and having fun with my rollersets and bantu twistouts when i chopped this time. I think the difference is that even though my transition lasted 14 weeks before i caved and touched up last year-- i dont think i was mentally ready to transition. I still had a relaxed mindset.

This time at 11 weeks, i was just aching for my relaxed hair to get cut off . I knew what i wanted this time and the relaxed hair wasnt a sacrifice at all; it was just something that needed to be done to achieve my goal of being natural. I think that if you still treasure the relaxed hair and want it to look it's best at the risk of damaging your newgrowth that you may need more time before making the decision -- because you may not be mentally ready for what your chop will bring. It doesnt matter if you transition for 2 months or 2 years, if you are not mentally prepared i believe that you will relax/texturize again at the first signs of frustation with your natural hair.

So i think that whether it's a long transition or a really short one that being mentally prepared is DEFINITELY key to natural success . -- jainygirl

 

[TransitioningK]

I transitioned for a 1 1/2 years before i did the "big chop". I am so used to having long hair and wearing it in a ponytail that I could not have imagined it any other way.

 

[Connie]

I'm going back to relaxing after attempting a long transition, and if I've learned anything from the experience, I've learned that--and I've always known this within myself--if and when I ever go natural, I'm going to chop off my permed hair. Getting re-accustomed with natural hair is enough of an adjustment without having to fight with two textures..IMHO.

 

[mkstar826]

I think it depends on your texture and how you care for your hair. I transitioned for 2 weeks short of 1 full year and it did not affect my natural hair negatively...when I chopped my hair was very healthy.

 

[BLESSED1]

I guess if you are having a lot of breakage & tangles from trying to handle 2 textures you may want to consider chopping. I want to transition for a year because I want have enough hair to be able to put my hair back into a puff, that's my personal reason for not chopping right away. So far I'm doing very well now that I've finally discovered what products & methods work best for my 2 textures and I happily have very little breakage. Once I finally realized that I couldn't use the products that I relied on when I was relaxing and started using new products, my hair became healthier and stopped breaking at the demarcation line.

 

[deborah11]

I transitioned for just almost 2 years without the BC. I did not have significant damage nor did I have significant growth. Over that period of time, I gained about 4-5 inches in additional length/growth but the new natural hair growth was about 8-10 inches. i hope this makes sense. in other words, between the minor breakage, trims, I really did not accumulate alot of visible growth. My hair however, was never below shoulder length during my whole transition. Decided to texturize for more versatility and to reduce the need for excessive heat for straight hair styles. now that I am no longer transitioning my hair growth is more visble because I am not cutting my hair as it grows to get rid of relaxed ends.

 

[SilkyandSmooth]

I transitioned for a 1 1/2 years before i did the "big chop". I am so used to having long hair and wearing it in a ponytail that I could not have imagined it any other way.

This is exactly how I feel. I will try to transition for 1 1/2 years or until I can get all of my natural hair into a ponytail, whichever comes first. My hair is growing pretty fast, so I might not even make it to 1 1/2 years.