Poll: Naturals, how did you get through the awkward stage?

Naturals, how did you get through the awkward stage?

  • twists/braids with own hair

    Votes: 82 36.8%

  • twists/braids with extensions/added hair

    Votes: 72 32.3%

  • roller sets

    Votes: 13 5.8%

  • bantu knots

    Votes: 11 4.9%

  • wash-and-go

    Votes: 66 29.6%

  • wigs

    Votes: 35 15.7%

  • hats/head wraps

    Votes: 28 12.6%

  • Something else?

    Votes: 40 17.9%
  • Total voters
    223
I don't really believe in an awarkward length anymore. I just appreciate the beautiful coils of my hair at whatever length. I twist my own hair and leave them on for about 1-2 weeks. I wash with my twists, I even DC with my twists (I am under the dryer right now). I tried the micros and weaves, the chemicals they use in processed hair just dried my hair out more. Shoo, they way my hair grows when properly moisterized, I would probably be waist length now if I had said no to the weaves and extensions.
 
I am in that awkward stage now. I'm borrowing from PinkSkates. Originally, I was doing no heat (low heat on occasion to dry) and cornrows only. Now, I'm doing an 85% blow dry and bun. I do not press my hair since it obeys the flatiron but I will only do the flat iron for special occasions, not regular styling. I also shampoo often so when I can't blow dry I use my Denman, lots of conditioner (I don't rinse it out) and bun it wet to air dry. I am trying to endure two textures until September and if I have the length I want, I will BC then. I have also added Elasta QP Mango Butter to my arsenal. This is how I'm getting through my awkward stage (for now).
 
Great thread!

I wore bantu knots and loved it. People had no idea that I was growing out my relaxer. :grin: Because it was so close to my natural texture anyway.
 
I'm in that awkward in-between stage now. I will just have to wash 'n go and wear twists until I'm able to do more with it.

My ultimate goal is to be able to twist my hair into a bun that I'm satisfied with, but Lord knows when that'll be. I look forward to wearing buns 60% of the time.
 
Oh you mean there's an end to this awkward stage?! Its been 13 months since the BC and I never thought that at 13 inches of hair I'd still be at the dreaded "awkward" stage. I still have a mullet! LOL

Last year when my hair was short I did wash and go's and rollersets. Then it was ponytails all the way.
 
I thought I would be able to do it with earrings and a smile... :look:

I will be getting a full sew in on saturday...

My hair is like this odd type that makes really soft curls, that aint really loose or tight, but they shrink up to nothing. i dont wanna do any chemicals or heat. I have been wearing WNG's but it is getting cold and i won't want my hair to freeze ( talk about breakage). I got some hair and it is getting put in on Saturday at 7 am sharp
 
I just waited until my natural hair was past the akward stage to cut the relaxed parts off. But I wore/wear braids most of the time anyway (relaxed, transitioning & natural), so it didn't really matter for me.
 
Microbraids, i got them bigger than the usual tiny sizes, but braids were great. I could style the hair and it was long which I liked. I had the edges braided bigger so my hairline would stay intact.
 
I wore puffs, wash-n-gos, and lots, and lots of headbands. In the early days, I straightened a lot too...I was still very self-conscious about my hair.
 
~CurlyNikki~ said:
I wore puffs, wash-n-gos, and lots, and lots of headbands. In the early days, I straightened a lot too...I was still very self-conscious about my hair.
Click to expand...

CurlyNikki, I was going to ask how you achieved your look but then {:look:duhhh} checked out your web page and now have the details...so beautiful. Thanks.
 
I basically wore two strand twist or cornrows until I could put my hair in a ponytail and let me tell you that is the best feeling ever cause I was like, FINALLY!!! :lachen:
 
JustKiya said:
(12-21-07)I'm flat-twisting/two strand twisting my way through. And the occasional pulled back puff - not a full ponytail, but more a puff crown....
Click to expand...

Hah, almost a year later, and I'm still in the 'awkward' stage. I think that if I didn't have layers, and all of my hair was shoulder, it would be soooo much less awkward. *sigh* And that danngone puff crown did not help with retention, either. :nono:

So, I'm still pushing on, mainly two strand twisting now though, so I can use my MT without a lot of loose manipulation, so I can get out of this awkward length ASAP.
 
JCoily said:
I transitioned my way through the awkward length. It was extreme, but I wore a bun for 14 months until I BC'ed.
Click to expand...

That's what worked for me. I'm transitioning through the awkward stage. I bunned, baggied, and phony pony-ed through the first 8 or 9 months and then I had kinky twists, a weave, bunned with my own hair, and a set of cornrows. I'm now 16 months post relaxer and can have a puff If I wanted to.
 
I'm in the awkward stage now but it doesn't feel awkward:grin:. I'm experimenting with different styles and looking at people's fotkis for ideas. Right now I'm perfecting my twists and twist outs. In the future I'm going to try coils, box braids, and this style called a bantu knot set (it's different from a bantu knot out). Tomorrow I'll probably do a braid-out. I've also bought a few hair accessories like hats and clips. This might sound like a lot of manipulation but when I do a style (especially now that it's getting colder) I try to keep it in for at least a week.:yep:
 
I am still going through my awkward stage. Some days I feel like I look like Michael Jackson on the Thriller album cover. I've been wearing buns and puffs a lot lately. I'm trying to get away from that. I try to wear twists, but I have some kind of Hair ADHD, and I take them down before getting any real wear out of them. My hair is growing kind of quickly (mostly due to pregnancy), so I've been wearing it down more lately... or trying to anyway. I've been contemplating wigs lately, too. I want a big, wild curly afro. LOL.
 
I am 18 months post, still have some relaxed ends. I just got a weave last week. I do not plan on cutting off the rest of the relaxer until the 2 year mark, which will be in April. So my plan is to wear this weave for the next 6 months.

Before now, I mostly bunned or wore half wigs.
 
I wore sew-in weaves for a year. It was a great protective and low maintenance style but I had to "get to know" my natural hair when it was all said and done.
 
I guess I'm still in that between stage. I really don't think it is awkward for me any more. I was doing wash and gos. With the weather getting colder I have switched to twist outs. I love them, the bigger the better. I still use head bands and scarves. I am trying to ween myself off of them.
 
This thread is so on time for me. I have been fighting an urge to cut my hair off. My styling options feel limited for me right now. I am regrowing my hairline & the front & crown of my hair is much shorter & thinner than the back. So I not only cannot do twists, bantu knots, & such (skill-wise) but I can't wear them because you can see how sparse the front of my hair is. Cannot do scarves or headbands nor weaves or wigs - they contributed to my hairline loss along with medical issues. Cannot tolerate braids (specifically cornrows), so I just have to walk around looking crazy.:lachen:

I have been experimenting with perm wave rod sets, flexirods, gels, conditioners, kinky curly creme, & other styling products. I do notice that my hair looks different in appearance (curl-coilwise-texture) & responds differently as it grows out.

Daily I am learning to love my natural hair. I realize it has been over 35 years since I have worn it, worked with it, or really, really seen it. I do believe that with practice I will get better at dealing with it.

I am frustrated that I don't have that "fierce" style/look yet, but I believe it has more to do with the thinness of my hairline. I noticed this morning that it is really filling in so my patience is being rewarded but it is still hard to wait.

I am also trying to manipulate it less. I think that with trying to find a "style" I have had my hands in hair way too much. I cowash daily, dc 2-3 times a week. What I don't get is how to not touch it at this length without braids or twists or coverup styles. I have to at least finger comb daily to even get out the house, whether I cowash or not.

Thank you, ladies, for all your responses to this thread. It is helping me tremendously. JustKiya, Honecomb, EMJazzy, & Naturalgurl you all, as well as many others on this board, have really helped me to love my natural hair and to be patient with it.
 
i hate this stage! i didn't make it =( i relaxed 11/21/08. i really like my hair in a twa, but my goal was to have a big puff. i didn't like my hair inbetween these two lengths, so i gave in and relaxed it. next time i decide to go natural, i'm doing a long term transition so i can skip right past that.
 
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