Poll: For Long-Term hair Health/Length: How long do you stretch? Why?

[Proudpiscean]

I've always stretched 3-4 months just didn't know I was 'stretching' until I found LHCF

 

[bablou00]

Trying to get to the point where I am only relaxing 3 times a year. So I am on my own little challenge stretching 6mos (to August). The longest was four and I dealt w/ a lot of matting and tangling but now I discovered Aveda and think that might be the answer to all my problems.

 

[Swanky]

Previously 8-wk, (stylist for post relaxers & trims),
then --> 10-wk (read on LHCF, where
S Curl is suggested for new growth...LOVE IT),
from this, longer stretches were born
--> now heading for my third 12-wk stretch,
love it and I'm sticking with it or go longer, yeah!

 

[Energist]

The longest that I've stretched was 3 months and then regretted it as soon as I went to the stylist for the relaxer. I didn't have my normal stylist, because she was out and the one I had tortured and raked through my hair to where I wanted to pull her over the chair and body slam her

Now that I do my own relaxing, I'm going to try and stretch for atleast 3 months, 4 the max this time to see how I do. I like to see new growth after it's relaxed, makes me feel like I accomplished something

 

[TLC1020]

No longer than 12 weeks b/c my hair begin to dred, when it's time to touch-up my roots my hair become underprocessed if I wait any longer. 3 months without a relaxer is long enough for me.

 

[PureSilver]

I stretch because i somehow believe it's better for my hair. I normally stretch from 16-21 wks. Stretching helps me to retain length and gain some thickness. My first stretch for this year begins today and i hoping to go until the end of june.

 

[*KP*]

Before I found LHCF, I used to relax every 8-9 weeks. I am now 22 weeks post!! I never thought I'd make it this far but weaves, braids and phony ponies have helped.

I think 5 months was a bit much though and I will only go as far as 4 next time. My aim is to relax about 2-3 times a year instead of 5-6 that I used to.

 

[growinstrong]

I relax every 8 weeks. Anytime I try to stretch longer than that, its breakage city

 

[septemberbaby]

I used to relax 6-8 weeks. When I started my hair care journey last year I was stretching 10 weeks. I just ended my first 16-week stretch on Friday (1/25). Go me! (My goal was 12 weeks )

I believe I was only able to stretch this long because my hair has gotten so thin due to health issues. BUT, it was the best thing I've ever done for my hair! I hope that I can continue stretching between 14-16 weeks for thicker, healthier hair. I started taking supplements recently so we will see if I'm able to make it 16 weeks again. I hope so!

 

[favorc]

I do it to keep my hair thick and the length comes 2nd.

 

[ekomba]

i usually stretch for 2 months but now that i take the vits i did try to stretch 4 months! last time ever!!! all my new growth was knotted for real with faster growth i cant allow to stretch more than 2 months my limit. i used to be able to stretch up to 6months with no problem but i wont do that ever.

 

[treybaby2005]

It will be twelve weeks this week and my so this morning says to me "and why are you not getting a perm?"
Clearly it is time to relax my hair.I went to the hairdresser last week and I refused to get a perm.She was like you know you have over an inch of new growth!
I was like ok.
My hair looks bad.

 

[fivetimestwo]

when I use to relax (before going natural in '04), I would relax every 4-5 weeks (6 at the most) which was crazy. I tried to justify it in my mind because my hair grew pretty fast at the time, but it definitely caused me some major breakage, especially in the back

Well now that I am no longer natural again, I am debating whether to relax twice a year or try for every 16 weeks or so...I just relaxed in June, but thanks to ayurveda, I have a lot of new growth already. I'm thinkin' I may have to relax in Late September/early October. I definitely want a fresh relaxer for my b-day in December, so I'll have to work around that.

 

[SouthernDimps]

When I got my first relaxer at the age of 11, my mother would schedule my touch ups for every 3 months. Until finding LCHf, I thought that waiting 3 months between touch ups was normal. I looove playing with my new growth and I don't experience a lot of damage. Since being in college, I have tried to stretch 14-16 weeks. It's easier to do this during the summer because I can use braidouts to hide my new growth but during the winter, I usually stretch by using roller sets with smaller rollers (like the fuschia instead of the grey rollers that I usually use)

 

[DDTexlaxed]

I am attempting 12 weeks, but since I have this short cut, I don't know when I'll relax next.

 

[Aggie]

8-10 weeks is ideal for me. I tried to stretch longer but my hair doesn't seem to take too well to long stretches unless I'm protective styling using braids, cornrows or weaves. It just breaks terribly if I am not in a protective style with a stretch longer than 10 weeks.

 

[Prose Princess]

I've never stretched before, I guess I'm about to find out! I'm going for 11 weeks this time around, I don't want to be nappy for Christmas.

 

[Prelude to a Kiss]

I relax every 12-16 weeks, but only because I'm used to it. My mom has always done my hair, and she would relax between that time.

 

[blasianbeauty]

Five to six months works great for me.

 

[BermudaKISS]

I'm in the process of doing my first "real" stretch!! Used to get my touch ups every 4 weeks or sometimes 8weeks depending on time/money. However, I wasn't really concentrating on the health of my hair in between back then.

Now I'm at 11 weeks tomorrow and going to relax at 12 weeks. I'm thinking I may go longer next time to like 13 then 14 the next.

 

[FluffyRed]

As I said in my earlier post I stretch to avoid overlapping because no matter how careful you are the two textures meet at some point and you are going to get some of the relaxer on the previously relaxed hair. So I had to decide how many times a year I wanted this to happen. I have gone from overlapping 13 times a year to 3 times a year. ]

I LIKE the way you said that! makes a lot of sense!

I have been able to stretch to around 8-10 weeks at the most, because my napps start coiling around each other at that point. I may take someone's suggestion and try braiding to extend the stretch, while my hair is short.

 

[melodies815]

I LIKE the way you said that! makes a lot of sense!

I have been able to stretch to around 8-10 weeks at the most, because my napps start coiling around each other at that point. I may take someone's suggestion and try braiding to extend the stretch, while my hair is short.

I like this statement as well. I stretched for the first time by accident because I got twists when it was time to relax again...and though I just took out my twists tonight, the detangling was so much easier than I thought it would be, thanks to Sylver2's tutorial.

I'm not scared of stretching longer for the time being (last relaxer August something, so I'm somewhere around 24-25 weeks post) since I am not seeing breakage and my hair is healthier and thicker than I can recall in a really long time...

cj

 

[beans4reezy]

When I was pregnant, I refused to use any chemicals on my hair so I stretched the entire 9 months. When I finally got a relaxer, my hair was soooo THICK, I couldn't believe it. I am 25 weeks post now, trying to get to 7 months so that I can apply a texturizer to the NG in an effort to transition. But for now on, minimum will be 12-16 weeks stretching. I am not sure why, but it seems to promote thickness!

 

[BeautifulESQ]

My longest stretch was 15 weeks. My hair was matted when it was time to relax but it was my fault because towards the end I did not comb/detangle my hair as I should have. It was just getting hard for me. It started to tangle really badly and break. So I just left it alone (which was bad). I used to mainly comb once a week or on wash days only.

Now I finger comb everyday and detangle with a shower comb and/or denman brush on wash days. I hope to get to the point of relaxing only 3 times a year. My hair is thanking me for stretching, its so much thicker now.

 

[brucebettye]

I stretch between 6 & 8 months becasue it is hard for me to tell the difference between my texlaxed hair and my new growth. My hair is alot healther because I stretch for so long. Since I do not wear my hair straight this works great for me.

 

[Nice Lady]

I stretch up to 8-10 weeks and I think that I will go up to 12 weeks this go round. But I try not to stretch longer than that without a weave or braids because I am not at that stage yet. I add one week unto each new relaxer cycle and hopefully, one day I will be able to do 4 months every cycle.

 

[Nice Lady]

When I was pregnant, I refused to use any chemicals on my hair so I stretched the entire 9 months. When I finally got a relaxer, my hair was soooo THICK, I couldn't believe it. I am 25 weeks post now, trying to get to 7 months so that I can apply a texturizer to the NG in an effort to transition. But for now on, minimum will be 12-16 weeks stretching. I am not sure why, but it seems to promote thickness!

You are absolutely right. Prior to my HJ, I would stretch relaxers for 8 months at a time with braids and my hair never looked thin and frail like other women.

 

[Calia001]

I stretch 12-14 weeks. This actually started by accident. When I was in high school my mom hated for me to get a relaxers, plus I didn't have a job (or an allowance, simply cuz I hated chores) so funding it was an issue. So I had early on training with what to do with my hair in between those weeks. I did A LOT of braidouts. Now that I have a little bit more funding I still stretch because I hate the whole process ( base, perm, burn, fingernail scrape wash, wet back, dc, Repeat ). And as NYRICAN1 said I LOVE to see all of the growth achieved. Always looking for a more perfect way to stretch though

 

[beans4reezy]

I try to go for as long as I can. My last stretch was seven months. My goal this go around is eight months. It just seems as if the longer I stretch, the more length I retain, plus my hair appears to have increased thickness.

Also, if I stretch for seven months at a time, then every time I get a retouch I can be knocking down new goals: APL, BSL, MBL

 

[LisaLisa1908]

I've worked my way to 14 week stretches. Got my third touch up this year, and I'm not getting another one until around Christmas. Next year I'm going to try for three times a year, which would be 17 week stretches.