SPINOFF: Okay, so who's thinking about transitioning?

[hopeful]

I have been thinking about it for several months now. I did it before, but texturized 3 or 4 months later. I have found more products/ingredients that work well on my hair since texturizing that I did not know about when I was natural. When I was natural previously, I was using products (shea butter, suave humectant, suave coconut, etc.) that others recommended, but they did not work well on my hair at all. Before anyone says anything, I know that texturized and natural hair are not the same, but I feel that the products I've been using when texturized will give my hair the care and look that I want more than products others recommended when I was natural.

Good luck CurlyCrly with whatever you choose do: go natural or stay texturized. I was like you, a lot of the recommended products did not work on my hair either. Eventually I found the right combination of products, tools and styles that worked best for my hair. I bet your second shot at going natural would be easier with your newfound products!

 

[CurlyCrly]

Good luck CurlyCrly with whatever you choose do: go natural or stay texturized. I was like you, a lot of the recommended products did not work on my hair either. Eventually I found the right combination of products, tools and styles that worked best for my hair. I bet your second shot at going natural would be easier with your newfound products!

Yeah, I think so too. Thank you. I forgot to mention that I tried Carol's Daughters products too....healthy hair butter and the hair milk. They were too heavy and stinky for my taste. Oh, and I tried LUSH..the shampoo bar and the okra conditioner. I ended up giving or throwing away most of my things.

My problem is, I don't want to wear puffs, braids, braid-outs, twist-outs, etc. I don't like them on me. My main style was twists, so that's another reason why I texturized. Decisions, decisions.

 

[mscounselor]

Yeah, I think so too. Thank you. I forgot to mention that I tried Carol's Daughters products too....healthy hair butter and the hair milk. They were too heavy and stinky for my taste. Oh, and I tried LUSH..the shampoo bar and the okra conditioner. I ended up giving or throwing away most of my things.

My problem is, I don't want to wear puffs, braids, braid-outs, twist-outs, etc. I don't like them on me. My main style was twists, so that's another reason why I texturized. Decisions, decisions.

Im still transitioning, but I agree with you on this CurlyCrly. My best friend loves her afro, but I couldn't see that or braids on me. I am reveling in my wavy new growth but frightened by the breakage to my hair. I don't know what to do. I asked about texturizers and that was where I was going, but the other side is the desire to keep the waves I desire. I commend those who had no problem with BCing. That just scares me.
At least I have comfort in knowing that no matter what I choose, I'll be accepted for that decision.

 

[hopeful]

Im still transitioning, but I agree with you on this CurlyCrly. My best friend loves her afro, but I couldn't see that or braids on me. I am reveling in my wavy new growth but frightened by the breakage to my hair. I don't know what to do. I asked about texturizers and that was where I was going, but the other side is the desire to keep the waves I desire. I commend those who had no problem with BCing. That just scares me.
At least I have comfort in knowing that no matter what I choose, I'll be accepted for that decision.

Of course you'll be accepted no matter what. You and CurlyCrly will eventually find the choice that works best for you. Good luck.

 

[NewlyNature12]

I've definitely been thinking about it lately. I don't think I could ever really have a long transition; I would definitely just have to chop it off! Maybe one day this summer I'll just do it....

 

[Ms Red]

I just started transitioning (4/7/2005) and right now I'm reading everything I can about natural hair and getting mentally prepared for going natural. I need to be able to love myself (including my hair)... and in doing that, I believe I need to be natural.

I was natural from birth to 20 and have been relaxing for 5 yrs.

Until now!

 

[Ashee]

I'm thinking of transitioning but I'm not into the whole chopping off thing....
So I'm still thinking...

 

[MeccaMedinah]

I'm thinking of transitioning but I'm not into the whole chopping off thing....
So I'm still thinking...

I keep hearing this from relaxed women. The point of the transition is to NOT do a "chop". You grow your hair out with the relaxed ends.

 

[TrustMeLove]

I am transitioning as l typed. I cannot remember when my last relaxer was but im guessing atleast january 20 because around that time I was thinking about going natural. So ive been transitioning for 4 months.

Im thinking about B.C at the end of June, when I get out of school. Im scared but im ready to see my natural hair. I don't remember what my hair looks like since ive been relaxed since probably 5.

Reasons why Ive started to transitioning and have decided to go natural:

1. Tired of spending so much money to grow my hair, stop it from breaking when in actuality, by relaxing it I was breaking it.
2.My hair goals were never met. OF.course my hair grew better than what it did pre-lhcf ,but to me it was a sad site still.
3. When I was in the decision making process about going to mexico for a quarter i thought oh i cant go whose going to do my relaxer, my hair wont be able to take the trip. THATS WHEN I WAS DONE WITH RELAXERS! Anything that could be such a decision making factor as my hair, because i needed my relaxer i couldn't deal with anymore.

I plan to cut in june, and wear wigs if I still haven't transitioned in my mind completely. But no more creaming crack. Just say NO.
-TRUST

 

[MeccaMedinah]

I am transitioning as l typed. I cannot remember when my last relaxer was but im guessing atleast january 20 because around that time I was thinking about going natural. So ive been transitioning for 4 months.

Im thinking about B.C at the end of June, when I get out of school. Im scared but im ready to see my natural hair. I don't remember what my hair looks like since ive been relaxed since probably 5.

Reasons why Ive started to transitioning and have decided to go natural:

1. Tired of spending so much money to grow my hair, stop it from breaking when in actuality, by relaxing it I was breaking it.
2.My hair goals were never met. OF.course my hair grew better than what it did pre-lhcf ,but to me it was a sad site still.
3. When I was in the decision making process about going to mexico for a quarter i thought oh i cant go whose going to do my relaxer, my hair wont be able to take the trip. THATS WHEN I WAS DONE WITH RELAXERS! Anything that could be such a decision making factor as my hair, because i needed my relaxer i couldn't deal with anymore.

I plan to cut in june, and wear wigs if I still haven't transitioned in my mind completely. But no more creaming crack. Just say NO.
-TRUST

Congrats!! I transitioned for 14 long months. (Glad that's over) I wish you well. Also, I was relaxed from about the age of 5 to 23.

 

[Covagirlm]

I have also decided to transition. I got my first perm in 2000 for my hs prom because I wanted to be like all of the other girls and have long straight hair .
For some reason most of the girls in my high school had loooong permed hair. Now I realize that its because in NYC you have the ability to get your hair done(dominican blowout) every week for $10. When my mother pressed my hair it looked just as good as a perm but of course in my young 17 year old mind the press was not enough. I have come to realize that my natural hair was much more versatile. I like the look of curly wavy kinky hair as well as straight hair and I just feel like I can achieve all of these looks with natural hair. My only problem is that I dont know how or where to start. I was thinking that I would maybe get a short hair cut (halle berryish) and start from there. My hair isnt long at all so Its not like I have anything to hold onto. Good luck to everyone

 

[alibi]

Hey ladies, I'm so glad this thread is still going! Deciding to transition is both exciting and scary, but it can be done well if you prepare yourself. For all of you who are on the fence about transitioning, I say go for it! It's not nearly as drastic as the BC, so for someone like me, who has never had short hair, it made perfect sense. The best thing to do is figureout what you will do with your hair as you transition, b/c you will have to wear a style that helps you deal with both textures, so you can avoid breakage. For me, buns and phony ponies were the way to go! (see my album for pics ) Now there were PLENTY of days where I thought I'd scream b/c I was so tired of my bun, but it was a great protective style that allowed me to go through most of my transition virtually breakage free. I transitioned for a total of 18 months before I chopped my relaxed ends, and I have to say, it was the best thing I ever did for my hair! As you transition, read as much as you can about natural hair, and try to talk to naturals that have a similar hair type to get styling and product advice. I don't recommend becoming a natural PJ, that is, a PJ of all the natural product lines out there, b/c it gets very expensive and not all of those products will work for your hair. I'm now into looking at the ingredients in products to see what my natural hair likes. Lastly, be realistic about why you want to transition. don't just jump on the bandwagon, or have unrealistic goals about what you can do with your hair. For instance, I have a friend with long, BEAUTIFUL relaxed hair, and she says she wants to transition, but overall she LOVES straight hair, and doesn't want to have to press or flat iron it to get it straight. I'm like ???? If you want to wear your hair in its completely natural state (i.e. not straightened), but don't like 'fros, twists, shake and go's, etc, then maybe natural hair is not for you. I hope that makes sense. Your hair will be exactly unique to you, and you must find styles that suit your taste. Anyways, didn't mean to get on a rant, but good luck to those of you who are on the fence, and find comfort in knowing that it has been done successfully before, you just have to treat your hair w/ patience and lots of TLC.

 

[hopeful]

Piggybacking on Ayanapooh's wonderful post...

1) Naturals must be patient or learn to be patient. I have spent as long as 3 hours braiding my hair and that's after shampooing and conditioning! But then for the next week I feel free as a bird.

2) You have to love YOUR hair, not just the idea of being natural or how pretty somebody else's hair looks natural. A lot of it is about self-love and acceptance. I've never wanted anything anyone else had--not their figure, face, hair or anything. That helped me a lot. When I see someone who supposedly has "curly" hair I'm like that's cute but oooh I love my thick, kinky coils better.

3) Embrace shrinkage, accept shrinkage, love shrinkage. Because for most of us it is a reality. Braid-outs do the trick for me because I have several textures on my head--some shrink, some don't. With braid-outs it all evens out.

4) Expect the unexpected. When I first bc'd I had beedibees in the back of my head and at first I was like wth because I just never thought my hair did that. Anywho, once I was like thinking they were cute and it was all good, they were gone with all of the moisture and the increased length. My crown was initially very wavy and would not hold a style but as soon as I was like "it is what it is", the waves started coiling up. So I'm just saying expect to be surprised.

5) Be your own woman. Everybody may not like your hair. You have to be a strong person who loves themselves and trusts their own decisions. Sometimes you have to have an attitude, sometimes you have to blow people off. But mostly you don't have to explain anything to anybody about how you choose to wear your hair, period. This is a time to focus on what makes you happy, not explaining or defending. Be happy with your choice.

6) Do you think you are pretty regardless of how your hair looks? Is your self-esteem tied to your hair being long and/or straight? If it is, going natural could be very hard for you. I hadn't had long hair since I was a little girl but I still always felt pretty regardless. It's best to be honest with yourself upfront.

HTH
Good luck everybody!
:Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose:

 

[NYCQT16]

I have thought of it...the lil waviness I get in the front of my head when I am post relaxer makes me think that would be cool. But then when I feel the extreme puffiness in the middle of my head, I know at this point I don't have the patience to deal with that. I need more patience and maybe then I will do so

 

[curlygirl493]

i've also thought about transitioning a few times, but i never had a problem with relaxers- its what i did afterwards that was the problem, and like people say-it it ain't broke, don't fix it. i will eventally give it a try though.

 

[mscounselor]

Piggybacking on Ayanapooh's wonderful post...

1) Naturals must be patient or learn to be patient. I have spent as long as 3 hours braiding my hair and that's after shampooing and conditioning! But then for the next week I feel free as a bird.

2) You have to love YOUR hair, not just the idea of being natural

This quote is very important. I don't know how many people transition without asking themselves that very question. I even asked my natural friend today and she couldn't answer definitively either way. It definitely gave me food for thought.

Thanks Hopeful!

 

[hopeful]

This quote is very important. I don't know how many people transition without asking themselves that very question. I even asked my natural friend today and she couldn't answer definitively either way. It definitely gave me food for thought.

Thanks Hopeful!

You're welcome!

 

[Jewell]

I first thought about transitioning last year in November, but I ended up throwing that out the window. Now I am officially transitioning, and I feel like the day I decided to definitely do it, a burden was lifted off my shoulders.

 

[MissJ]

Me, me, me, meee! I'm currently 17 weeks post-relaxer and thinking of transitioning to natural. If that becomes too much for me, then I'll settle for a texturizer. So far, so good, though.

 

[Sha76]

I decided a few days ago that I would transition back to my natural state. I have done the Big chop thing once already and I don't think my husband and father could handle that again. So I am going to gradually trim my hair down 4 weeks 1/2 in to 1 in. So that Thye won't even notice until it is too late...ha ha ha. But i am done with my relaxer. Not that I have been having a whole lot of problems other than getting it done. I really miss all of my kinks and curls.

 

[Kikootie]

I was natural for 27 years and I texturized late 2004 because I just got tired of combing my hair. I read Cathy Howse's book but I was not seeing alot of progress. If I had known about this site before texturizing, I probably would not have done it. Now I've been debating for the last few months about returning to natural. I am currently 10wks post. My hair used to be so much stronger and I miss that but I love the manageability I get with the texturizer. Decisions, Decisions. I think I'll get one last retouch this week and then go from there as a natural. If not this, I'll wait until I reach my goal, then go natural.

 

[hopeful]

I first thought about transitioning last year in November, but I ended up throwing that out the window. Now I am officially transitioning, and I feel like the day I decided to definitely do it, a burden was lifted off my shoulders.

Congratulations Jewell and good luck. Glad you finally lifted that burden off your shoulders! I bet you'll love being natural.

 

[jamiette]

Right now I am 16 weeks with no relaxer. The curl patterns are beatiful but the stuff is sooooo much work to deal with. I have to fight to stay away from the relaxer isle in the BSS. I gaze at them when online, and I am very curious about Affirm. I think I am going to cave.

 

[alibi]

Right now I am 16 weeks with no relaxer. The curl patterns are beatiful but the stuff is sooooo much work to deal with. I have to fight to stay away from the relaxer isle in the BSS. I gaze at them when online, and I am very curious about Affirm. I think I am going to cave.

No Jamiette, don't cave!!! You have no idea how many times I almost caved during my transition, and now I LOVE my natural hair! You'll never know what your natural hair will do unless you give those little kinks, curls, and waves a chance! I'm so happy that I hung in there. My philosophy during my transition was to take it bit by bit, usually in 4 week intervals. I didn't relax very often anyways, so getting to 16 weeks wasn't too hard, but after that it was really a challenge to stay on track. So my first goal was to get from 16 weeks to 20, then 20 to 24, and so on. Before you know it, you'll have a head full of beautiful natural hair! The longer I went, the easier it was to keep going, b/c I knew that I could always go to the BSS and get a relaxer, but I couldn't just up and have 6, 8, or 12 months of natural hair. Stick it out for a little while longer sweety! You just may fall in love w/ your hair!

 

[chocolate01]

Piggybacking on Ayanapooh's wonderful post...

1) Naturals must be patient or learn to be patient. I have spent as long as 3 hours braiding my hair and that's after shampooing and conditioning! But then for the next week I feel free as a bird.

2) You have to love YOUR hair, not just the idea of being natural or how pretty somebody else's hair looks natural. A lot of it is about self-love and acceptance. I've never wanted anything anyone else had--not their figure, face, hair or anything. That helped me a lot. When I see someone who supposedly has "curly" hair I'm like that's cute but oooh I love my thick, kinky coils better.

3) Embrace shrinkage, accept shrinkage, love shrinkage. Because for most of us it is a reality. Braid-outs do the trick for me because I have several textures on my head--some shrink, some don't. With braid-outs it all evens out.

4) Expect the unexpected. When I first bc'd I had beedibees in the back of my head and at first I was like wth because I just never thought my hair did that. Anywho, once I was like thinking they were cute and it was all good, they were gone with all of the moisture and the increased length. My crown was initially very wavy and would not hold a style but as soon as I was like "it is what it is", the waves started coiling up. So I'm just saying expect to be surprised.

5) Be your own woman. Everybody may not like your hair. You have to be a strong person who loves themselves and trusts their own decisions. Sometimes you have to have an attitude, sometimes you have to blow people off. But mostly you don't have to explain anything to anybody about how you choose to wear your hair, period. This is a time to focus on what makes you happy, not explaining or defending. Be happy with your choice.

6) Do you think you are pretty regardless of how your hair looks? Is your self-esteem tied to your hair being long and/or straight? If it is, going natural could be very hard for you. I hadn't had long hair since I was a little girl but I still always felt pretty regardless. It's best to be honest with yourself upfront.

HTH
Good luck everybody!
:Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose: :Rose:

Beautiful post! Thanks Hopeful

 

[hairlover]

i've transitioned for two years and did the b/c (this was up until a year ago), then when i got pregnant, i couldn't deal with my natural hair so i caved and relaxed. now that my baby is 6 months old, i'm transitioning again ( without the b/c) i was much happier with my natural hair, it's so much easier to care for and i miss it. i've been post relaxer for 2 months (9 weeks)now, wish me luck on my long journey to beautiful, thick, healthy, natural hair again.)

 

[hopeful]

Beautiful post! Thanks Hopeful

Thanks Chocolate01! And you're welcome. Glad it was helpful.:Rose:

 

[hopeful]

i've transitioned for two years and did the b/c (this was a year ago), then when i got pregnant, i couldn't deal with my natural hair so i caved and relaxed. now that my baby is 6 months old, i'm transitioning again ( without the b/c) i was much happier with my natural hair, it's so much easier to care for and i miss it. i've been post relaxer for 2 months now, wish me luck on my long journey to beautiful, thick, healthy, natural hair again.)

Good luck hairlover! YOU CAN DO IT THIS TIME!

 

[hairlover]

Good luck hairlover! YOU CAN DO IT THIS TIME!

thanks for the encouraging words, i need them.

 

[Jewell]

Congratulations Jewell and good luck. Glad you finally lifted that burden off your shoulders! I bet you'll love being natural.

Thanks girl! I really admire natural hair!