Naturally Flexible Support Thread

[ElevatedEnergy]

How are you Naturally Flexible Ladies doing? I'm just strolling along roller setting/ steaming and such. I was craving straight hair but since my stylist is still on maternity leave, I did it myself. I roller set first of course. It's not as straight as it could be...I haven't flat ironed my own hair in years and probably wont again anytime soon. I def prefer my roller sets to straight/pressed hair. I'll leave the heat up to my stylist.

 

[havilland]

lulu97

Looks so pretty!!

 

[ajargon02]

Bump bump bump

 

[havilland]

I had my best flat iron to date this weekend. It came out really shiny and light. Just like it does at the salon and it still looks really good but now I don't want to workout because I don't want to sweat out all my work.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

havilland Ummmm and where yo pitchas at ma'am?! lol

I've been feeling similar about this self flat iron. As the days go by I love it more and more. I've been pin curling it in 5 pin curls at night...just adding a teeny tiny I mean small drop of Carol's Daughter Hair Balm just on the ends and edges since I've been wearing it down. Tonight I just have it in one big bantu knot at the top of my head cause I'll just be wearing it in a ponytail for the next few days. Oh how I missed the ease and feeling of straight hair.

 

[havilland]

havilland Ummmm and where yo pitchas at ma'am?! lol

I've been feeling similar about this self flat iron. As the days go by I love it more and more. I've been pin curling it in 5 pin curls at night...just adding a teeny tiny I mean small drop of Carol's Daughter Hair Balm just on the ends and edges since I've been wearing it down. Tonight I just have it in one big bantu knot at the top of my head cause I'll just be wearing it in a ponytail for the next few days. Oh how I missed the ease and feeling of straight hair.

The only reason I didn't take pics is that I swear it looks the same as pics y'all have already seen. It looks like this photo I'm posting now.

I'm sorry. Next time I will take pics in real time.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

The only reason I didn't take pics is that I swear it looks the same as pics y'all have already seen. It looks like this photo I'm posting now.

I'm sorry. Next time I will take pics in real time.

Oooooh so shiny! BLING!

I know what you mean...I feel like all my roller sets look the same. lol

 

[tiajonay]

Hello everyone,

I've been a long time lurker in this forum and I thought I would share of little bit of my natural hair journey. I initially came to this forum to learn more about taking care of relaxed hair back in 2009. I learned about natural hair through this forum as well as others and decided to transition based on tips and information I learned. My last relaxer was January 2010 and I transitioned for about 18 months. I've learned a lot through this forum and would like to thank everyone for their information.

My Current Regimen:

I wash my hair in six sections every two weeks with Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo or Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream. Then, I deep condition with Jessicurl deep conditioning treatment and mix it with a cheapie condition like Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa for two hours or overnight. About once a month I deep condition my hair with a protein conditioner like greek yogurt mix or Aubrey Organics GBP, which I mix with a cheapie conditioner. After deep conditioning, I then apply my leave-in conditioner which is Darcy Botanicals Curl Smoothing Cream or Giovanni Direct Leave-in. I then seal with shea butter. I normally style my hair in some sort of stretched style like a braid out and do a stretched style about a week later by spraying water, adding a moisturizing and sealing with shea butter.

I have a mini blog that details what I did during my transition here
http://tiajonay.blogspot.com/search/label/transition

C. how long you relaxed and what products you used
I was relaxed since I was about 6 six year old until I cut off all of my relaxed hair at 21.
E. Your goals as a natural, especially length goals
I would like my braid outs to be about BSL eventually
F. Any hair inspiration pictures or stories about who/what inspired you (in a POSITIVE way) to go natural or consider it
The ladies here were definitely my inspiration as well as some youtubers like naptural85, nikkimae and simplyounique
F. Anything else POSITIVE you want to share.
I definitely struggled throughout my transition and I still do as a natural. I think patience is key and learning what works for your hair.

Check out my youtube channel for more pictures and hair progress videos since I have been natural

 

[Godyssey]

Hello everyone,

I've been a long time lurker in this forum and I thought I would share of little bit of my natural hair journey. I initially came to this forum to learn more about taking care of relaxed hair back in 2009. I learned about natural hair through this forum as well as others and decided to transition based on tips and information I learned. My last relaxer was January 2010 and I transitioned for about 18 months. I've learned a lot through this forum and would like to thank everyone for their information.

My Current Regimen:

I wash my hair in six sections every two weeks with Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo or Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream. Then, I deep condition with Jessicurl deep conditioning treatment and mix it with a cheapie condition like Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa for two hours or overnight. About once a month I deep condition my hair with a protein conditioner like greek yogurt mix or Aubrey Organics GBP, which I mix with a cheapie conditioner. After deep conditioning, I then apply my leave-in conditioner which is Darcy Botanicals Curl Smoothing Cream or Giovanni Direct Leave-in. I then seal with shea butter. I normally style my hair in some sort of stretched style like a braid out and do a stretched style about a week later by spraying water, adding a moisturizing and sealing with shea butter.

I have a mini blog that details what I did during my transition here
http://tiajonay.blogspot.com/search/label/transition

C. how long you relaxed and what products you used
I was relaxed since I was about 6 six year old until I cut off all of my relaxed hair at 21.
E. Your goals as a natural, especially length goals
I would like my braid outs to be about BSL eventually
F. Any hair inspiration pictures or stories about who/what inspired you (in a POSITIVE way) to go natural or consider it
The ladies here were definitely my inspiration as well as some youtubers like naptural85, nikkimae and simplyounique
F. Anything else POSITIVE you want to share.
I definitely struggled throughout my transition and I still do as a natural. I think patience is key and learning what works for your hair.

Check out my youtube channel for more pictures and hair progress videos since I have been natural

Wow, you have some really good growth and it's healthy too!

 

[Gryphyn]

Hello everyone,

I've been a long time lurker in this forum and I thought I would share of little bit of my natural hair journey. I initially came to this forum to learn more about taking care of relaxed hair back in 2009. I learned about natural hair through this forum as well as others and decided to transition based on tips and information I learned. My last relaxer was January 2010 and I transitioned for about 18 months. I've learned a lot through this forum and would like to thank everyone for their information.

My Current Regimen:

I wash my hair in six sections every two weeks with Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo or Curlicious Curls Cleansing Cream. Then, I deep condition with Jessicurl deep conditioning treatment and mix it with a cheapie condition like Trader Joe’s Nourish Spa for two hours or overnight. About once a month I deep condition my hair with a protein conditioner like greek yogurt mix or Aubrey Organics GBP, which I mix with a cheapie conditioner. After deep conditioning, I then apply my leave-in conditioner which is Darcy Botanicals Curl Smoothing Cream or Giovanni Direct Leave-in. I then seal with shea butter. I normally style my hair in some sort of stretched style like a braid out and do a stretched style about a week later by spraying water, adding a moisturizing and sealing with shea butter.

I have a mini blog that details what I did during my transition here
http://tiajonay.blogspot.com/search/label/transition

C. how long you relaxed and what products you used
I was relaxed since I was about 6 six year old until I cut off all of my relaxed hair at 21.
E. Your goals as a natural, especially length goals
I would like my braid outs to be about BSL eventually
F. Any hair inspiration pictures or stories about who/what inspired you (in a POSITIVE way) to go natural or consider it
The ladies here were definitely my inspiration as well as some youtubers like naptural85, nikkimae and simplyounique
F. Anything else POSITIVE you want to share.
I definitely struggled throughout my transition and I still do as a natural. I think patience is key and learning what works for your hair.

Check out my youtube channel for more pictures and hair progress videos since I have been natural

Gorgeous hair!

 

[tiajonay]

Thanks ladies!

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

My flat ironed hair is still holding up pretty good mid way through the week. Still putting it into one big bantu knot at night and wearing it in a banana clip ponytail during the day so nothing special.

I have noticed that my relaxed ends are turning into a dusty reddish color....or maybe they have always been that way? At 2 years post I have a lot of natural hair so I guess the color difference is just more noticeable to me. My natural color is a very dark off black color. It doesn't bother me as much cause I have highlights already and it all kinda blends in together...but I still see a difference. Going to clarify and do a Aphoghee 2 step protein treatment some time this month cause I gotta keep these relaxed ends strong if I plan on keeping them around! lol

Including a pic to show the color difference. It's more noticeable in the sun light. Eventually I want to go jet black so I'm also letting the highlights grow out.

 

[Godyssey]

lulu97. I didn't know that you are transitioning. How much relaxed ends do you have left? I wanted to transition until 2.5 years post but it became too difficult for me as I approached year 2. My ends would get ridiculously tangled on wash days and I just ended up cutting it off.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Godyssey I would say maybe 6-7 inches (most of that is in the crown area)

I don't have issues with tangles. I tell you, roller setting has saved my hair. It keeps my hair stretched, smooth and all one texture so I could and probably will go years with my relaxed ends. I don't really stress the fact that I'm transitioning since I'm not the typical transitioner with a chop goal or anything. I'm simply just allowing the relaxer to grow out and trim maybe an inch off a year. In the 2 years that I've been transitioning, I've only trimmed maybe 2-3 inches. My ends have always been pretty healthy and I solely contribute that to roller setting. So relaxed or not, I don't see the point of cutting off hair that is not damaged to call myself natural. I can't wrap my brain around that....so I'm in it for the long haul! lol

Another reason I believe that I've been able to keep the relaxed ends so long is because my relaxed hair is not bone straight. I was one of those chicks that people hated at the salon because I was always screaming for my stylist to rush and rinse out the relaxer cause it ALWAYS burned. I mean from the time it touched my scalp I was on fire! We tried every relaxer out there and they all burned me...so the relaxer would never get any process time. My relaxed hair is very curly....so it looks a lot like my natural hair.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

^^^^ I was also rocking a bob at the time I decided to let it grow out so my hair was not super long.

 

[Jas123]

thanks was not enough

@Godyssey I would say maybe 6-7 inches (most of that is in the crown area)

I don't have issues with tangles. I tell you, roller setting has saved my hair. It keeps my hair stretched, smooth and all one texture so I could and probably will go years with my relaxed ends. I don't really stress the fact that I'm transitioning since I'm not the typical transitioner with a chop goal or anything. I'm simply just allowing the relaxer to grow out and trim maybe an inch off a year. In the 2 years that I've been transitioning, I've only trimmed maybe 2-3 inches. My ends have always been pretty healthy and I solely contribute that to roller setting. So relaxed or not, I don't see the point of cutting off hair that is not damaged to call myself natural. I can't wrap my brain around that....so I'm in it for the long haul! lol

Another reason I believe that I've been able to keep the relaxed ends so long is because my relaxed hair is not bone straight. I was one of those chicks that people hated at the salon because I was always screaming for my stylist to rush and rinse out the relaxer cause it ALWAYS burned. I mean from the time it touched my scalp I was on fire! We tried every relaxer out there and they all burned me...so the relaxer would never get any process time. My relaxed hair is very curly....so it looks a lot like my natural hair.

I completely agree with the bolded

 

[Godyssey]

Godyssey I would say maybe 6-7 inches (most of that is in the crown area)

I don't have issues with tangles. I tell you, roller setting has saved my hair. It keeps my hair stretched, smooth and all one texture so I could and probably will go years with my relaxed ends.

I wish I'd known to do that with my hair.

I don't see the point of cutting off hair that is not damaged to call myself natural. I can't wrap my brain around that....so I'm in it for the long haul! lol

I agree. I wouldn't cut my hair either. Makes no sense.


Another reason I believe that I've been able to keep the relaxed ends so long is because my relaxed hair is not bone straight.

This was my thinking about my own hair. I was texlaxed and thought that my natural hair would be similar in texture. I was so wrong, lol.

You're doing great though. I'm taking notes, lol.

 

[Rae81]

I straightened my hair so I can finally get it trimmed this weekend. I can not get my ends to look sleek and smooth for nothing.

 

[Prettymetty]

I set my hair with sponge rollers last night. The curls came out nice, but I decided to wear an updo today. Im going to wear my hair up until Sunday when I get my next blowout

 

[MileHighDiva]

Prettymetty

What kind of sponge rollers are you using? Normal, or sating covered ones? If you're using normal sponge rollers, are you using end wraps (name?)?

 

[Prettymetty]

I used the Diane brand 1 3/4 inch sponge rollers. I ordered them from amazon and they said they were satin covered, but they r just regular I didnt use end papers but I went heavy on the moisturizer

 

[EnExitStageLeft]

I'll be 9 months post tomorrow. Its a bit surreal....In 3 more months I'll actually be 1 year post and I couldn't be happier.

 

[MileHighDiva]

I used the Diane brand 1 3/4 inch sponge rollers. I ordered them from amazon and they said they were satin covered, but they r just regular I didnt use end papers but I went heavy on the moisturizer

Okay, we need to find you some satin covered ones or some of those jumbo flexi rods. We don't want your hair getting sucked up into those sponges.

 

[MileHighDiva]

My hair has been straight for the last two weeks due to a curlformer set. I will be happy to be back in in my signature braid out when my five braids finish air drying. Just LCOPed with Oyin Hair Dew, Whipped Pudding, GSO, & BSP on the ends

 

[havilland]

I had a melt down today. I wanted my relaxed hair back so bad.

I stepped away from the relaxer though. I threw all my back up jars in the trash. They are over two years old so not like I was really gonna use them anyways but still....dey is da debil! LOL

 

[Godyssey]

^^^
Oh my gosh, what happened? You're one of my inspirations and make this natural thing seem so easy. You can't have a melt down! Okay, perhaps just this once, lol. I hope all is okay.

 

[MileHighDiva]

Ms.havilland

You betta buy some curlformers to stretch your hair and KIM!

 

[havilland]

^^^
Oh my gosh, what happened? You're one of my inspirations and make this natural thing seem so easy. You can't have a melt down! Okay, perhaps just this once, lol. I hope all is okay.

Y'all are my girls! LOL

I can't believe I make it seem easy? MMMNPH. Thank you for those words of kindness.

Nothing happened perse. My hair is flat ironed. I just don't feel like washing away the ease of this straight hair right now. I love my curls just don't feel like seeing them. And the minute I workout for real, they are back in full effect. Which is good. Means I don't have heat damage.....however. I can't just blow dry and straighten again this weekend. That's too much heat. Know what I mean? Sooooo I'm stuck with my curls I am not in the mood for right now. Tis all.

I could have worse problems. So I'm not gonna stay mad...I just had a moment.

 

[havilland]

Ms.@havilland

You betta buy some curlformers to stretch your hair and KIM!

I know.... They are too much work though. MMMNPH. Lol

 

[Rae81]

Yesterday I moisturized and sealed my hair focusing on my ends and put it in one bantu knot. When I was about to go to bed I took it down and put a little Vaseline on my hands and rubbed it through my ends and wrapped it up. This morning my ends look so much better and my hair is so soft. I got my hair so straight that somebody thought I got a relaxer.