Mission: Transition w/o BC

MissLeo

MissLeo

Active Member
After nearly 20 years of relaxing I have decided to stop. I am only 2 months post relaxer but I feel really good about this decision. My hair so far looks like it has a combination of 4a(mostly) and 3c. I have done a bunch of research on this forum and a few others in order to figure out how to transition. My main route is going to be the sour cream/lemon treatment used with roller setting/ blow drying or maxiglide. I have already tried the sour cream lemon treatment as directed by littlegoldenlamb. http://littlegoldenlamb.wordpress.com/2009/02/03/sour-cream/

This really did make my new growth softer and my relaxed hear feel very strong and look extra shiny! :grin: It also makes blow drying my new growth straight much easier. Now I am experimenting and trying some variations to this treatment. I am thinking of using the same procedure that is used for curlaway only substituting the curlaway gel with sourcream and lemon. The main ingredient in curlaway is vinegar (acetic acid) and it has the same pH as lemon juice and so it is likely to give similar results if used in the same way. Also, curlaway is known to loosen the curl pattern over time and the same has been said of lemon/lime/lactic acid treatments over time. I will give an update when I try this.
 
Thanks! I definitely am doing that. That is what kinda concerns me about going to anyone while I am transitioning. I don't think they will be as gentle and as patient as I am with my hair. Unfortunately, I need my ends cut and I am afraid to do it myself. Hmmmm, what to dooo.:confused:
 
I have two months of NG as well and I'm very excited as well. My family doesn't think I'm serious about this but I am! :)
 
I'm a year and a half into my transition, I found cowashing and treating my hair carefully has helped greatly. I don't plan on chopping the relaxed ends off until my hair is waist length, it's midback right now. Transitioning with out the big chop is possible, we just have to be patient and careful :) Good luck!
 
MissLeo, congrats on your decision to transition.

Aria-Selene said:
I'm a year and a half into my transition, I found cowashing and treating my hair carefully has helped greatly. I don't plan on chopping the relaxed ends off until my hair is waist length, it's midback right now. Transitioning with out the big chop is possible, we just have to be patient and careful :) Good luck!
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Aria-Selene, you mentioned you're not chopping off the relaxed ends until you reach waist. So will you be maintaining your hair at waist and keep snipping until all the relaxed ends are gone, or do you mean that once you'll reach waist you'll cut all the relaxed ends off, even if that takes you back to say..APL for example. Hope my question makes sense :)
 
soon2bsl said:
MissLeo, congrats on your decision to transition.



Aria-Selene, you mentioned you're not chopping off the relaxed ends until you reach waist. So will you be maintaining your hair at waist and keep snipping until all the relaxed ends are gone, or do you mean that once you'll reach waist you'll cut all the relaxed ends off, even if that takes you back to say..APL for example. Hope my question makes sense :)
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I understand, I'm still debating on that actually lol. Some days I say I'm chopping all of those bad boys off and other days I figure I will just trim little by little until I am rid of them. I guess we will see how my mood is the day my mind takes me!:lachen:
 
Aria-Selene said:
I understand, I'm still debating on that actually lol. Some days I say I'm chopping all of those bad boys off and other days I figure I will just trim little by little until I am rid of them. I guess we will see how my mood is the day my mind takes me!:lachen:
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LOL I know what you mean. I'm BSB right now ( about an inch from BSL) doing a long term transition as well. I'm should be grazing MBL by the end of the year, and hoping to reach waist by next summer. I don't plan on chopping until I reach waist either, but I'm thinking of maintaining there until I get rid of all the relaxed ends, but once I reach waist I may get a big urge to just chop the relaxed ends off...shoot I keep getting urges now, but I'm resisting :)
 
Well heck, watch the threads you read on this board if you're planning to transition without bc.

I read the "I BIG CHOPPED!" threads and I get jealous.
I read the "CHECK OUT MY WNG!" threads and I get jealous.
I read the "WHAT IS MY HAIR TYPE?" threads and I want to know mine too but the straight ends interfere in any pictures I take.

I was right there this evening. I was like, just go do it. Go do it, go BC. But then I read your thread and it pulled me back from the edge.
 
soon2bsl said:
LOL I know what you mean. I'm BSB right now ( about an inch from BSL) doing a long term transition as well. I'm should be grazing MBL by the end of the year, and hoping to reach waist by next summer. I don't plan on chopping until I reach waist either, but I'm thinking of maintaining there until I get rid of all the relaxed ends, but once I reach waist I may get a big urge to just chop the relaxed ends off...shoot I keep getting urges now, but I'm resisting :)
Click to expand...

Trust me I know the feeling, I snipped off a tiny chunk out of curiosity. If I cut now I'm only collarbone/shoulder length stretched. I was threatened with nothing short of death from family and friends if I cut it to that length though lol I'm almost full midback right now, I started off at shoulder length oct 08. I should be waist length by my two year anniversary hopefully!
 
I love the support ladies. I'm glad I could help pull you back from the edge LadyRaider. :wink2:

To soon2bsl and Aria-Selene, you have inspired me! I have been wanting to grow my hair to waist length but I thought I might have to forgo this for a while due to the transition. Now I'm thinking that if my ends still look good as my hair grows out, I may hold on to those bad boys for a while. If I do though I guess my ultimate goal is beyond waist-length since those relaxed ends will have to go eventually. Hmmmm the possibilities...
 
Miss Leo, this is a great thread. I have not decided whether or not I wanted to transition or not, but as months go on, I find that I do not want to relax. I am only almost 7 months post. Initially, I thought I would be relaxing in December 09. I did not want to relax. So here I am 4 months later. I will not relax in May either. So, I am taking little baby steps. I feel I will transition in the long run, but if I relax in the near future, I won't feel bad. I feel I can transition without the "Big Cut" because I am very patient and gentle with my hair.
 
I just dodged a major bullet.:shocked: After realizing that keeping your new growth moisturized is key to preventing breakage, I got a liiiiittle moisture happy. I used moisturizing shampoo and a triple moisturizing conditioner in addition to the sour cream and lemon treatment, oh and I steamed my hair. Weelll, my hair appeared to be extra stringy and more fine than usual when I was preparing to set it. To make matters worse it was kind of mushy, very prone to tangling and I even heard a few "snaps!". :ohsnap: I thought this was some odd side effect of transitioning, however, after reading "protein is my friend" http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=327763

I now realize the error of my ways. I had heard so much about how protein had broken off different girls hair that I thought I could/should skip it. WRONG. Its all about balance especially since my hair is more on the fine side. Now to add some protein to my moisture rich regimen *looks under cabinet for products*
 
I just looked at my hair under the microscope today and compared it to how it looked when I last washed and conditioned it and sealed the cuticle with cold water. Huuuge difference. Today I could see ridges in my hair and it wasn't smooth like it was the last time I looked at it. I'm running out to get a protein treatment and I won't forget to do a cold rinse at the end this time.:rolleyes:
 
I am almost 2 years into my transition, I experienced breakage throughout the first year but then I discovered henna and aphogee 2 min.

When I started using them weekly my breakage stopped and I had a good few inches of bone straight ends left. After a few months of using aphogee weekly (which was after several months of using henna weekly) with heat and for much longer than 2 mins lol my relaxed ends have curled again..talk about weird..guess they weren't as damaged as I first thought lol now I feel completely natural although i'm not.

Just thought i'd share this here as i've never mentioned it anywhere else before, protein is essential!
 
To Sapphire_chic, soooo you are saying that your relaxed hair now curls and acts like natural hair? If so that is pretty awesome. I'm also curious to know how many inches of relaxed hair you have left? Oh and thanks for the product recommendations :-)
 
Just got my maxiglide kit from HSN and so far I have only tried the miniglide on my roots and I am in looooove.:love: My natural hair now blends seamlessly with my relaxed hair and best of all I used little to no pressure to get great results.
 
9 mos into my transition without the BC. Congratulations on your choice, MissLeo. I's tired of the chemicals after 20 some odd years as well. This is my second transition. The first one ended with a BC after 9 mos. Short hair is too shocking on me and not becoming of my features (unless its temporary as in a wig or weave). I don't ever plan to drastically cut my hair again, for spiritual, lifestyle, and aesthetic reasons.

I'm past MBL, but not quite waist. I can see myself keeping this up for years even. I want to do a super long transition. I want super long hair (like at least classic length), and I don't care if I have texlaxed ends with natural hair, cuz that can be styled and the textures blended. The important aspects are the health, thickness, and length of my hair, which chemicals have sought to forfeit over time (the longer my relaxed hair got, the thinner it got, but its the reverse since I stopped applying chemicals), which is why I had to give 'em up. The hardest months were months 5 & 6. Since then, its been smooth sailing. HHG and good luck on the journey!
 
MissLeo said:
Just got my maxiglide kit from HSN and so far I have only tried the miniglide on my roots and I am in looooove.:love: My natural hair now blends seamlessly with my relaxed hair and best of all I used little to no pressure to get great results.
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I don't have a Maxiglide either, but I will get one eventually. I've had my Miniglide by Maxius from QVC for about 3-4 yrs, and it is da bomb! I RARELY straighten my hair, but when I do, it always does the trick. :grin:
 
I appreciate the support Jewell as well as your journey. It's awesome that you are MBL and approaching waist length while transitioning. Just makes me all the more inspired. Oh and as for the maxiglide kit from HSN it actually includes the Maxiglide XP, as well as maxesse shampoo and conditioner, beyond straight and a shine enhancer/protector in addition to the miniglide. And it was under $100. Once I use the maxiglide XP I will post on how it goes but for the amount of new growth I have now the miniglide is perfect.
 
Just trimmed my own ends and added some aphogee 2 min conditioner the other day and my hair is looking healthy and feeling strong! Still super excited about my new growth and my maxiglide. I just found my old fotki account and will start posting pics on it soon. :-)
 
I gotta take my hat off to those who transition with no BC. Its really tough and I was not that patient. I made it to 17 months, and did multi-chops. The last one wasn't even that big.
Just sending some encouragement. Take it a day at a time!
 
MissLeo said:
To Sapphire_chic, soooo you are saying that your relaxed hair now curls and acts like natural hair? If so that is pretty awesome. I'm also curious to know how many inches of relaxed hair you have left? Oh and thanks for the product recommendations :-)
Click to expand...

Well in essence yes. The part that has 'reverted' definately curls looser than if it were natural hair but I did go over the course of a few months from having bone straight ends to ends that curl.

After I got a handle on breakage I had abot 3.5-4 inches of relaxed ends left and between weekly henna and then weekly aphogee they have curled!

My only sensible answer is that the most damaged ends broke off and the ends that remained and ended up curling back were just not that damaged (maybe they were more texlaxed/underprocessed)

I still have an area of my head which has straight ends but I can now do wash and gos :) I'll post a pic of what i'm trying to explain in a few hours.
 
Very inspiring thread, OP! I want to transition without the BC. I think I can do it...I'm going to spend the summer in textured styles with no direct heat and take it one day at a time. Thanks for sharing your stories, ladies...
 
I'm trying to do this as well. I have about 5-6 inches of texlaxed hair that isn't going anytime soon.
 
MissLeo said:
I love the support ladies. I'm glad I could help pull you back from the edge LadyRaider. :wink2:

To soon2bsl and Aria-Selene, you have inspired me! I have been wanting to grow my hair to waist length but I thought I might have to forgo this for a while due to the transition. Now I'm thinking that if my ends still look good as my hair grows out, I may hold on to those bad boys for a while. If I do though I guess my ultimate goal is beyond waist-length since those relaxed ends will have to go eventually. Hmmmm the possibilities...
Click to expand...

MissLeo, glad to be of help. I know when I first joined the board and thought of going natural I thought I had to do the BC or that my hair would break off if I didn't. Now I know that I can still keep my length while I transition..just continue to take good care of my hair, especially at the line of demarcation.
 
So now I'm 4 months into transitioning and I think I need a break from the regular use of the maxiglide. I exercise regularly which can lead to puffy roots. I now want to try the formaldehyde free Brazilian keratin treatment. Now I just have to find someone in NY who does it on transitioning hair. Hmmmmm.
 
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