New *2009* Transitioners Support Thread!

[blacklove0607]

For all those people who're like " I don't know how you can go without combing your hair everyday." I don't know how you guys manage to comb it everyday.

I protective style and only comb once a week b/c if I had to do it more than that I would go craaaaaazy! It's not even that the tangles are that bad - it's just that there is SO MUCH DAYUM HAIR! I'm 15 months post and I'm just going to do whatever my hair tells me to do. Right now it's telling me to leave it the &*^% alone!

Before I began transitioning I didn't comb my hair much either - probably only during washings. My hair cuts provided great shape so I simply took my rollers out in the morning and finger combed - it was fine.

 

[Br*nzeb*mbsh~ll]

I had more shedding than usual, but then i went 2 weeks without cowashing...i haven't done that in months., i also had some breakage, prob due to not moisturiizing like i needed to and my hair was pretty oily and dirty, my scalp didn't look so bad, though....

i'm cassia-ing my hair right now and gonna flatiron 2morrow, don't want to, but my dh wants my hair flowing for Easter, so, i'm gonna do it and won't firon again until September, hopefully. *fingers crossed* i may give myself a dust just to take off some ends, keep em healthy and such...transitioning still going well, PG!

 

[BotanyGrl]

Has anyone noticed how tangly it is at the demarcation line, It takes forever to detangle and It makes me so frustrated...I cant wait too chop it all off so I dont have this problem

Yeah, I had my frustration moment about six weeks ago. Now I just make sure I add an additional 20 minutes for extra detangling time. I'm in this transition for the long haul... so patience means everything for me

As for my hair... I took my box braids down Thursday and did some flat twists. I'll probably take them down tomorrow. I'm sooo in love with my hair right now.

 

[metalkitty]

Hi, ladies! Doesn't seem like it's been almost 11 months for me .... Anyone else notice that their hair laughs at light proteins but a heavier one biweekly or so (I use Aphogee 2 Step mixed w/ Emergencee) works wonders? Maybe my hair's bipolar-ish since it seems that it takes moderate to heavy protein to absorb the most moisture. Correct porosity is totally overlooked but just as key as the protein/moisture balance, imo!
Anyhow, I don't think I'll BC next month as planned since I'm not comfortable with shorter hair, maybe after a summer of cowashing though. Still iching to hit that Hairveda sale !

 

[shetara20]

Hello ladies!!! Im Out! Ended my transition and I relaxed on tuesday! I wish all the transitioners good luck on their journey. Thanks for all the support from everyone! You never know I might be back!

 

[Brownchiq]

I originally though that I was going to BC much sooner. I think the early days of my transition were much harder than it is for me now.
Im about 8.5 months in and I would say that the first 2-3 months were the hardest.

At this stage I dont have tangles, I still dont have to section my hair to wash, condition or detangle because like I said before I just dont get tangles.
I have decided to straighten my hair weekly due to the type of industry that I am in and the two textures au-natural would NOT be cute. Plus my weekly straightening makes my hair much easier to manage during the week.
If I can maintain this process I dont think Ill be having to CHOP my hair as much as trim little by little!

 

[blksndrlla]

My Vent!

9 months of transitioning has made me feel like I have multiple personalities...

I did not receive a relaxer until I left for college...that lasted for about 5 years and now I am growing it out. My hair was past APL without the relaxer...so, I figured I would cut the chemicals out of my life since my hair straightens pretty easy and the relaxer left me with thinner, shorter, crazy shedding hair. Then I decided I wanted to eventually rock my curls..so that stopped the use of heat...not to mention every website makes me feel like I should repent for applying heat to my hair. Well, last week I almost cut my hair completely off (mind you, i don't do short hair)...this week I tried to find my old stylist to put a relaxer back in my hair. All I want I want is my long healthy hair back, but this process seems so backwards. I am growing my hair to eventually cut it and in the process it is breaking off like crazy... I miss the days of my hawaiian silky, lol...let the struggle continue. time to co-wash and bun (I think buns might be the devil to my hair. too soon to tell. this is all b/c LHCF won't let me blow dry and flat iron...sigh...not to mention it doesn't work well with working out 7 days a week)

Maybe I should just relax and keep that hair healthy...

I feel like I have a devil on one shoulder and angel on the other...too bad one doesn't easily identify with relaxed or natural.

 

[Key]

I'm lost. I want to try out a Denman but which one would you ladies recommend while transitioning??

 

[Sweet1977]

Good Morning Everyone,
I am moving right along in my transition, but some washes are better than others. I gonna keep on pushing..

 

[HoneyA]

Wow. I don't know how you all talk about bcing so easily, and so soon after beginning your transitions. I'm NEVER gonna bc lol.
Once I'm bsl or mbl I'm gonna SLOWLY trim off the relaxed ends every month until they're all gone!

I hear you. This is how I transitioned before. I never BCed and I am not going to BC now either. Because I have a curly perm, I know I need to keep my two textures well moisturised. For every 2" gained, I'll trim an inch of permed ends off. Slowly but surely is the way I plan on doing it.

 

[Murjani]

Checking in. I decided to transition I'm only 6 weeks in. Wish me luck.

 

[Allandra]

Checking in. I decided to transition I'm only 6 weeks in. Wish me luck.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Allandra]

I'm going on 77 weeks post, and all is going well.

I hope everyone is hanging in there.

 

[Ltown]

I'm going on 77 weeks post, and all is going well.

I hope everyone is hanging in there.

Allandra, how many inches was your hair when you started transtioning?

 

[Allandra]

Allandra, how many inches was your hair when you started transtioning?

Waist Length

 

[BlondeByDesire]

Waist Length

Wow, Allandra your hair was waist lenght when you started?

How long with you go before you chop off the your relaxed ends?

How do you wear your hair daily? What's your current length?

 

[LivingDoll]

Ok, so...last night I realized that all of my new growth is "scab hair". It's so dull and resistant. It tangles easily and it's just difficult. I am also a little discouraged because I'm finding that so much of my hair is breaking. I mean, snap, crackle and pop. I don't know how long I can make it.

I also realized that I cannot wash my hair at the sink anymore because its causing my hair to become seriously tangled. I do that because I don't like running back and forth in and out of the shower.

I usually heat style it and after its styled you can't even tell that I'm transitioning. It's just when it's wet that things are crazy. I don't know how to get through this. I'm only 13 weeks post and have about 2 inches of NG.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

Ok, so...last night I realized that all of my new growth is "scab hair". It's so dull and resistant. It tangles easily and it's just difficult. I am also a little discouraged because I'm finding that so much of my hair is breaking. I mean, snap, crackle and pop. I don't know how long I can make it.

I also realized that I cannot wash my hair at the sink anymore because its causing my hair to become seriously tangled. I do that because I don't like running back and forth in and out of the shower.

I usually heat style it and after its styled you can't even tell that I'm transitioning. It's just when it's wet that things are crazy. I don't know how to get through this. I'm only 13 weeks post and have about 2 inches of NG.

That would be me too. I can't do the shower thing - back and forth. I'm a sink washer for now. I get tangles too, but I slowly detangle each section with conditioner on it and I don't loose a lot of hair - mostly shed hair. My new growth is slow too. I really don't know how much I have because of my color. I can only tell when I need to touch up my roots with color - which is now. This will be a long transition for me.

 

[LivingDoll]

That would be me too. I can't do the shower thing - back and forth. I'm a sink washer for now. I get tangles too, but I slowly detangle each section with conditioner on it and I don't loose a lot of hair - mostly shed hair. My new growth is slow too. I really don't know how much I have because of my color. I can only tell when I need to touch up my roots with color - which is now. This will be a long transition for me.

Me too. I am on the fence about whether I should continue this transition.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

Me too. I am on the fence about whether I should continue this transition.

Well I've come this far, I think I can do it. You just got to have patience and find a method that works. I'm so inspired by all the beautiful heads of natural hair on this forum ... that's my motivation and when I'm feeling discourage I just look at their stories and their hair now. I do rollersets and that have helped me out a lot along with the Rusk Smoother.

 

[LivingDoll]

Well I've come this far, I think I can do it. You just got to have patience and find a method that works. I'm so inspired by all the beautiful heads of natural hair on this forum ... that's my motivation and when I'm feeling discourage I just look at their stories and their hair now. I do rollersets and that have helped me out a lot along with the Rusk Smoother.

I'm gonna try to hold on. I'm just not feeling this darn scab hair or the fact that my texlaxed hair is breaking off. I'm thinking that I may not be ready to transition.

 

[BlondeByDesire]

I'm gonna try to hold on. I'm just not feeling this darn scab hair or the fact that my texlaxed hair is breaking off. I'm thinking that I may not be ready to transition.

I wish you luck, you do what's best for you and your hair ... after all we all want the same thing ... strong healthy hair ... I'll take health over length anyday.

The reason for my transition is because over the years my hair has become thinner. I had thick beautiful hair as a child. I want that back. Also keeping my color healthy - I think it would be better off with a natural head of hair. Not that I've had any problems with it. I've been blessed to be able to maintain my color along with relaxed hair for so many years. I'm just tired of relaxing period. I can have the best of both worlds being natural.

 

[Ltown]

Waist Length

Wow that is wonderful, you are my motivator and inspiration to keep transitioning.

 

[Allandra]

Wow, Allandra your hair was waist lenght when you started?
Yes.

How long with you go before you chop off the your relaxed ends?
I had about 6" to 8" cut in April 2008, and lots of trims since then. I currently have 2.5" of relaxed ends left.

How do you wear your hair daily? What's your current length?
I mainly wear my hair straight. It's currently apl.

 

[LivingDoll]

I wish you luck, you do what's best for you and your hair ... after all we all want the same thing ... strong healthy hair ... I'll take health over length anyday.

The reason for my transition is because over the years my hair has become thinner. I had thick beautiful hair as a child. I want that back. Also keeping my color healthy - I think it would be better off with a natural head of hair. Not that I've had any problems with it. I've been blessed to be able to maintain my color along with relaxed hair for so many years. I'm just tired of relaxing period. I can have the best of both worlds being natural.

I think I've learned that for me to transition, I need to cut my hair into a twa and keep it moving (which I'm not doing at this moment). My fine strands are taking a beating right now! I'm gonna hold on though.

Thanks for the support.

ETA: Allandra is an inspiration to me. After reading her blog, I feel like I can do this. She is a heat styled transitioner and things are going well for her. I just felt bad when I would tell people that I was transitioning with heat...like I was doing something wrong.

 

[Allandra]

Wow that is wonderful, you are my motivator and inspiration to keep transitioning.

Hun, my relaxed hair was waist length. I'm going to see how long my relaxer free hair can be. I wouldn't mind it being waist length again (when straight). Good luck on your transition. .

 

[MummysGirl]

I'm still not certain what scab hair is about... I was always sure that the hair growing out of the scalp was untouched by relaxers so I don't get how that can be scab hair? I'll have to do more reading on what it's about...

I don't wash my hair in the sink and I don't wash it in the shower, I squat and then lean my head back into the bathtub to wash, rinse, etc... this reduces the risk of tangling and it's a mini-workout in itself, lol... maybe you should try it?

I'll send you a PM...

Good luck and hang in there

Ok, so...last night I realized that all of my new growth is "scab hair". It's so dull and resistant. It tangles easily and it's just difficult. I am also a little discouraged because I'm finding that so much of my hair is breaking. I mean, snap, crackle and pop. I don't know how long I can make it.

I also realized that I cannot wash my hair at the sink anymore because its causing my hair to become seriously tangled. I do that because I don't like running back and forth in and out of the shower.

I usually heat style it and after its styled you can't even tell that I'm transitioning. It's just when it's wet that things are crazy. I don't know how to get through this. I'm only 13 weeks post and have about 2 inches of NG.

 

[Determined22]

I'm gonna try to hold on. I'm just not feeling this darn scab hair or the fact that my texlaxed hair is breaking off. I'm thinking that I may not be ready to transition.

I hated the jumping in and out of the shower too, so I started doing my DC's on dry hair, as my first step. My hair likes DC'ing on dry hair better than wet/damp hair, and I only have to get in the shower once. Maybe you could try that and see how your hair responds.

 

[LivingDoll]

I hated the jumping in and out of the shower too, so I started doing my DC's on dry hair, as my first step. My hair likes DC'ing on dry hair better than wet/damp hair, and I only have to get in the shower once. Maybe you could try that and see how your hair responds.

Okay. I'll try it at the next wash. Thanks! Three questions:

How long do you DC?
With or without heat?
You shampoo afterwards?

 

[BlondeByDesire]

That's sounds good, but I would still have the problem with the shampoo/conditioner irritating my sensitive back ... I'm just getting over backne ...