Today I took down my braids and OH-MY-GOD. See I'm in the middle of transtioning and I never thought It would be this hard. Right now I have about 4 1/2 inches of 4a/b wirey natural hair and It is so hard to comb. I'm determined to stick with it but I guess what I'm asking is that the ladies who have transtioned Does it get any better? I am so tenderheaded and my hair is soo thick and kinkey I am just hoping the longer it gets the easier it will be to comb. Please any encourgment will be appriciated.
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Need reassurance
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Honey Vibe
The Good Physician
I have 4a natural hair. Although it's not the kinkiest type, it is absolutely uncomb-able, and it dries out and turns into a brillo pad easily. But I too was determined to not give up, and I got the hang of caring for it. Some things to remember:
- Your natural hair's strength is in numbers; if you leave them alone, they'll turn into silky coils. Combs are made to separate hair follicles; this is not beneficial.
- Your natural hair dries out easily. You'd be surprised how the health of your hair shall improve if you spray it amply with water everyday.
- Your natural hair grabs everything, including the relaxed hair above it. 4.5 inches is enough; cut off the relaxed hair before your hair turns into a spider web!
Hope this actually helps /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
- Your natural hair's strength is in numbers; if you leave them alone, they'll turn into silky coils. Combs are made to separate hair follicles; this is not beneficial.
- Your natural hair dries out easily. You'd be surprised how the health of your hair shall improve if you spray it amply with water everyday.
- Your natural hair grabs everything, including the relaxed hair above it. 4.5 inches is enough; cut off the relaxed hair before your hair turns into a spider web!
Hope this actually helps /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
kasey
Active Member
Lady T
When I took my braids out in Jan. my hair was very dry and I couldn't get a comb through it. A week after I took the braids out I went to the salon and had it pressed. It looked good, but that was a small mistake because it only made it drier.
If I knew then what I know now I would have immediately began moisturizing it daily. I used to think my hair was unmanageble without heat, but it actually was just very dry. Since you just took the braids out I suggest that you do a deep conditioning treatment with pure unrefined shea butter today. It will soften your hair. If you want you can add olive, jojoba or coconut oils to the shea butter. At least once a week condition with Aubrey's GPB. I also suggest moisturizing it with heavy moisturizing conditioner every few days. Look for a moisturizing conditioner that contains aloe vera. When the hair is in braids the strands get dry and they need a combination of protein and moisture to heal. I hope that this helps and let me know how things go.
--kc
When I took my braids out in Jan. my hair was very dry and I couldn't get a comb through it. A week after I took the braids out I went to the salon and had it pressed. It looked good, but that was a small mistake because it only made it drier.
If I knew then what I know now I would have immediately began moisturizing it daily. I used to think my hair was unmanageble without heat, but it actually was just very dry. Since you just took the braids out I suggest that you do a deep conditioning treatment with pure unrefined shea butter today. It will soften your hair. If you want you can add olive, jojoba or coconut oils to the shea butter. At least once a week condition with Aubrey's GPB. I also suggest moisturizing it with heavy moisturizing conditioner every few days. Look for a moisturizing conditioner that contains aloe vera. When the hair is in braids the strands get dry and they need a combination of protein and moisture to heal. I hope that this helps and let me know how things go.
--kc
kasey
Active Member
Faith,
Styling my hair has been a learning process that is far from over. First of all, i have been basically natural forever. I did get a relaxer once, during my first year of college, but it made my hair dry and break and I never went back forthe touch up.
I grew up doing the hot press and curl (kids in high school used to make fun of me when my hair wasn't bone straight) and continued until I discovered braids. I braided back to back from Jan 98 to Dec 99. I wanted to start wearing my hair then, but I had a mishap. I resumed wearing braids from May 00 to Dec 01. But in Jan 02 I decided to take the braids out and work with my hair for a month. Well one month has stretched into 11 and I am happy that I took up the challenge.
I used to think that I could only style my hair with the heat of pressing comb or a blowdryer, but I challenged myself to use blowdryers and curling irons only when I straightened my hair for a trim. I have only straighted/trimmed twice this year, Jan and March.
When I first took out the braids my hair was VERY hard to manage. (I didn't do much for it while it was in the braids.) I hated shampooing because it meant an hour or so of detanging and clipping out knots. When my hair was like this I wore it pulled back and twisted into a french bun. The french twist was kinky and the ends were tangled under that bun! I wore my hair like this every day from Jan to March. I braided or twisted as best as I could to airdry and straighten it before smoothing into the french bun.
Then in April I found the hair boards and began using the ACV tanglebuster routine. This is when things started to change. When I pulled my hair up and let it dry in a ponytail I started to notice that parts of it would get shiney straight.
Then it May I started to use less shampoo and more conditioner more frequently and the hair at the temples started to go from frazzled and wirey to curly, right out of the shower.
From May through August I did wash and wear styles--usually a high or low ponytail and temple curls. Then in Aug. the back started to get curly. (I used to sit with my back to the window at work. So I think that eight hours of sun was drying out my hair.) When the back started to curl I began wearing the top pinned down with curls at the sides and back.
Now most of my hair is curly with the exception of the top section. That part is still undefined and a bit wirey and kind of dry. It doesn't seem to absorb moisture as much as the other hair. Last week I discovered that if I slick my hair back and bun it after conditioning/leave-in and cover it with a scarf overnight, I get a smooth wavey, professional look in the morning.
So this fall/winter I think I'll be doing the smooth wavey ponytail look. I am on the look out for some hair jewelery to liven up the bun. Also my back and side curls dry smooth, shiney and bouncy, so I'll do the high ponytail look with the side curls too. As my hair gets longer, and hopefully all of it falls into defined curls, I hope to experiment with flexi rods, twist outs and roller sets.
So basically my hair styling without heat has been through trial and error and working with its existing limitations. I think it is harder for transistioners to deal with the changeableness of natural hair because they are used to seeing their hair straight all the time. Since I don't have that reference point, and people were used to seeing me with unstraight hair, I think it was easier for me to be patient with how things developed as I began learning how to take care of it.
I think that it will be easier for you to develop great styles because your hair is much longer than mine and it probably will be in much better condition that mine after you take the braids out. Let me know how things work out.
You should check out MotownGrl's web site. She just became a member of LHCF and has documented her styles on her web site.
P.S. Last year between braiding I had my hair straightened and styled in an updo at a salon. It looked great and lasted for about two weeks before I took it down to wash. The messier it got, the better it looked. I may start treating myself to this look once every couple of months.
Styling my hair has been a learning process that is far from over. First of all, i have been basically natural forever. I did get a relaxer once, during my first year of college, but it made my hair dry and break and I never went back forthe touch up.
I grew up doing the hot press and curl (kids in high school used to make fun of me when my hair wasn't bone straight) and continued until I discovered braids. I braided back to back from Jan 98 to Dec 99. I wanted to start wearing my hair then, but I had a mishap. I resumed wearing braids from May 00 to Dec 01. But in Jan 02 I decided to take the braids out and work with my hair for a month. Well one month has stretched into 11 and I am happy that I took up the challenge.
I used to think that I could only style my hair with the heat of pressing comb or a blowdryer, but I challenged myself to use blowdryers and curling irons only when I straightened my hair for a trim. I have only straighted/trimmed twice this year, Jan and March.
When I first took out the braids my hair was VERY hard to manage. (I didn't do much for it while it was in the braids.) I hated shampooing because it meant an hour or so of detanging and clipping out knots. When my hair was like this I wore it pulled back and twisted into a french bun. The french twist was kinky and the ends were tangled under that bun! I wore my hair like this every day from Jan to March. I braided or twisted as best as I could to airdry and straighten it before smoothing into the french bun.
Then in April I found the hair boards and began using the ACV tanglebuster routine. This is when things started to change. When I pulled my hair up and let it dry in a ponytail I started to notice that parts of it would get shiney straight.
Then it May I started to use less shampoo and more conditioner more frequently and the hair at the temples started to go from frazzled and wirey to curly, right out of the shower.
From May through August I did wash and wear styles--usually a high or low ponytail and temple curls. Then in Aug. the back started to get curly. (I used to sit with my back to the window at work. So I think that eight hours of sun was drying out my hair.) When the back started to curl I began wearing the top pinned down with curls at the sides and back.
Now most of my hair is curly with the exception of the top section. That part is still undefined and a bit wirey and kind of dry. It doesn't seem to absorb moisture as much as the other hair. Last week I discovered that if I slick my hair back and bun it after conditioning/leave-in and cover it with a scarf overnight, I get a smooth wavey, professional look in the morning.
So this fall/winter I think I'll be doing the smooth wavey ponytail look. I am on the look out for some hair jewelery to liven up the bun. Also my back and side curls dry smooth, shiney and bouncy, so I'll do the high ponytail look with the side curls too. As my hair gets longer, and hopefully all of it falls into defined curls, I hope to experiment with flexi rods, twist outs and roller sets.
So basically my hair styling without heat has been through trial and error and working with its existing limitations. I think it is harder for transistioners to deal with the changeableness of natural hair because they are used to seeing their hair straight all the time. Since I don't have that reference point, and people were used to seeing me with unstraight hair, I think it was easier for me to be patient with how things developed as I began learning how to take care of it.
I think that it will be easier for you to develop great styles because your hair is much longer than mine and it probably will be in much better condition that mine after you take the braids out. Let me know how things work out.
You should check out MotownGrl's web site. She just became a member of LHCF and has documented her styles on her web site.
P.S. Last year between braiding I had my hair straightened and styled in an updo at a salon. It looked great and lasted for about two weeks before I took it down to wash. The messier it got, the better it looked. I may start treating myself to this look once every couple of months.
After reading the post I cut off most of the permed hair which was about 4 inches. And today I came from the beauty shop from getting a sew-in for another 2 months and after the deep conditioning and blow dry my hair was so soft and shiney. I've always been extremely tenderheaded so I think it's no hope there but for my wirey 4ab hair, I had a glare of hope. Maybe it won't be that bad. I wanna thank you ladies for the reassuance and endless amount of support. I think my transioning is going to be just fine. My hair looked alot longer than 4 1/2 inches so I was happy about that. You know how our hair shrinks. Thank you again and lets all beat this sterotype about how Black people can't have long and more importantly healthy hair.
