Relaxing half of hair while leaving rest natural? (long)

[Kalani]

I know this sounds strange but I'm letting the bottom half of my hair (nape area and surrounding area) grow natural while continuing to relax the top.

I've been relaxing my hair for about 15 yrs. I don't wear my hair straight very often infact most of time I air dry it and wear it out. I lose patience if my hair takes more than 10 minutes to style (15 including wash and condition time) hence my relaxing it. I've tried to grow it out natural a few times just to see if I could pull it off but it never seems to go over well with myself for very long (see earlier sentence about patience problems )

Anyway, the last few years I've noticed my hairs in the back of my head are doing poorly. They're very thin, dry and damaged. The rest of my hair is fine so I wonder if it has to do the fact that I have 2 completely different textures going on within those two halfs. The top part of my head is tightly curled corkscrews (still confused by the hairtyping thing but I'm thinking 3/c and 4/a?).
The bottom half is more of a looser curl (guessing 2/cish). I thought perhaps that this texture is has been more vulnerable to damage so I spared it from the last few retouches I've done ( I retouch every 2-3 monthes so its been a little over half a year since I've let the natural hairs grow in this area). The point is to restore the health of my lower half of the hair. So far the inches of new growth seems to blend in fine with the rest of the hair so I thought I'll continue this little experiment, but then I thought I better consult with the experts first before I run into any future problems that may arise. erplexed

So ladies. Has anyone tried this or heard of this being successfully done? I welcome all info and advice.

 

[senimoni]

I know a few people have done this with success, one being JenMD.

 

[Kalani]

I know a few people have done this with success, one being JenMD.

Really?! Wow, I need to pay closer attention to the ladies hair stats on the board.

Good to know, thanks!

 

[Isis]

My nape is natural and has been for well over a year, possibly 1.5 years now. I stopped relaxing it so it can start retaining length, since it was always breaking off. It's growing very well too and I still baby it.

 

[Candiss]

If decide to relax, I am not going to relax the crown area. And the hair in the front is different than the hair in the back so I will treat those two areas differently. I think it will work for you to do this. I'm sure with the 2 type texture in the back you may be able to straighten it with a roller set anyway.

 

[Arcadian]

When I relax I do the nape maybe every other relaxer and dead last (like maybe 5 minutes)

This has allowed my nape to do its thing.


-A

 

[chica_canella]

Well, I kinda do what you say but mine situation was an accident. One half of my head is natural, while 1/4 is straight and the other is telaxed. I have braids in but my hair is still in good condition.

 

[lana]

Well I'm a 4a natural and I've been thinking about relaxing just the front of my hair. I mean no matter how I press my bangs and sides, they just revert after a day. I have really been considering relaxing the first inch going backwards of the front of my hair. The rest straightens out fine and usually stays that way. (smiles)

I haven't decided to do this yet....because my other alternative is to get my hair halfway relaxed all over and to do this twice a year. My friend does this and it's really working out for her very well and she's retaining length because she uses way less heat. I just want my hair to be banging! Is that so much to ask?

I hope your experiment goes well and I don't think it's odd at all. I think it's a great "healthy" idea.

 

[Kalani]

Well I'm a 4a natural and I've been thinking about relaxing just the front of my hair. I mean no matter how I press my bangs and sides, they just revert after a day. I have really been considering relaxing the first inch going backwards of the front of my hair. The rest straightens out fine and usually stays that way. (smiles)

I haven't decided to do this yet....because my other alternative is to get my hair halfway relaxed all over and to do this twice a year. My friend does this and it's really working out for her very well and she's retaining length because she uses way less heat. I just want my hair to be banging! Is that so much to ask?

I hope your experiment goes well and I don't think it's odd at all. I think it's a great "healthy" idea.

Thanks! Looks like from the responses so far that it is safe for me to proceed. I'm excited to see how it works as time progresses and the natural part completely grows out.

Thanks for the responses, ladies!

 

[texasgrl]

I haven't permed my nape in about 6 months because of dryness and breakage. It has recovered nicely,only now I want to start perming it again and I'm ascared..

 

[CoCoGirl821]

I was thinking about doing this when I get my sew-in. I was just going to relax the portion of hair left out, the keep the braided portion as is instead of touching-up my entire head. Seems like a good idea to me. My crown are is really fragile and i need to nurse it back to health.

 

[PinkPeony]

I've stopped relaxing my nape for about 6 months now and my nape is doing great.
I think I will also stop relaxing a little patch on my crown to see my texture there since I have 4b at my nape and 4a at my crown.

 

[Enchantmt]

A lot of people have napes that are much finer and more fragile than the rest of their hair. Some people dont relax it, apply the relaxer to that area last, or only relax that area every 2-3 relaxers.

 

[Serenity_Peace]

I was just talking to some ladies at work about this. I'm not sure if it's genetic, but my edges or sides have always been thin, and I have vowed to stop relaxing them. I figured that I don't need them straight because the hair tends to be soft and really fine anyways. I use Botanigel for the sides if I need them to lie down. I also decided to stop relaxing the nape of my neck. That area, too, has become sensitive and fine.

The other strategy is to part my hair into six sections, concentrating mostly on the crown. That's where I have the most NG, so I will start relaxing there rather than than the back.

Overall concentrate mostly on the crown rather than what I've done all my life and that is starting at the back and ending in the front. Most of the front will be left alone.

Maybe we can get JenniferMD to share what she did.

These are really good points! I think you have a great strategy here.

GOD luck!