Spinoff: What was the hardest part of the transition for you?

When did transitioning become difficult for you?

  • 0-3 months

    Votes: 6 12.5%
  • 3-6 months

    Votes: 14 29.2%
  • 6-9 months

    Votes: 14 29.2%
  • 9-12 months

    Votes: 6 12.5%
  • 12-18 months

    Votes: 7 14.6%
  • 18+ months

    Votes: 1 2.1%

  • Total voters
    48
  • Poll closed .
Months 6-9 were the hardest. I had a tough time figuring out how to style my hair.

I transitioned for a little over a year, and while I did figure out styles that were decent (I didnt use heat often during my transition) I was bored of my styles.
 
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Well i'm not fully sure yet if i'm transitioning....but usually i cannot get past 10 weeks. Tomorrow i will be a full 13 weeks post and i am actually loving it:yep:

I find that if i wash my hair in sections....that's what i've been doing....then its all good....i still get matting but i'm finding that....taking some tips from CelinaStarr...if i put a cone-free moisturizing conditioner in my hair as a leave-in.....my hair has WAY less of a problem with detangling:yep:....my hair is at the point now that even with detangling in the shower with my hair full of conditioner....when i get out and towel dry....it will tangle back up and sometimes matte back up.....but its not a horrible horrible thing:)

This is really helping me with my patience issues bc i take my time and with my fingers and adding conditioner as i go....i can successfully get the mattes out and still not lose a ton of hair.

I'm loving the fluffiness that is growing out of my scalp!!...if i can make it past 6 months....ya girl is SOLD!!:yep:
 
oh yea girl i'm lurking hard :sekret: I got to know when to get myself ready for the horror that is detangling 2 different textures

I haven't had too much of a problem yet, but I'm only approaching the 4 month mark. The best time for me to detangle is during my DC on Saturdays. Lots of cholesterol, EVOO and a VERY wide tooth comb and I'm in business :yep:
 
I transitioned 3 times and ended them at 7, 9, and 6 months. The first 2 times I went back to relaxing and the third I just bc'd. I think months 6-9 were hard because I had a lot of new growth and I didn't want to keep flat-ironing or wearing buns. I was used to stretching my relaxers for 3-6 months so those months weren't hard for me!
 
Definitely months 3-9. The NG wasn't enough, it was a very awkward amount (.5-2.5 inches) I wanted to use water to handle my NG for easier styling, but of course my relaxed portion hated water! I kept hearing all these ravings about detangling in the shower...this could potentially work for my natural hair but definitely not for my weak relaxed ends. I lost a LOT of hair these months. I had the worse tangles, breakage, and dryness during these months.

However now, when I put my hair in a ponytail or bun, the hair from the ouchless band and up is all natural. So styling my hair is a breeze because the 2 textures are separated, lol I can now detangle in the shower not to mention that the love for my newly abundant NG makes me more patient and caring when handling it. The more it grows, the easier it has gotten for me.

I'm sure that I will hit another "awkward" stage when the NG combats the relaxed hair, but I'll be more prepared when that happens.
 
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i transitioned for 4 months and after that i just couldnt do it...i was noticing breakage b/c my relaxed hair was already overprocessed, plus i had a short cut, so i couldnt put my hair in a bun or a ponytail... for basically the last month of my transition i just wore beanies, and i had kinky twists for a couple of weeks.
 
If you can do your own braids and can stand to have them in for a looooong time, transitioning can be a breeze. I transitioned in braids and would just redo one braid at a time as time allowed snipping off about 1/4 of an inch each time I undid a braid to redo. Before I knew it, one year had gone by and I was fully natural. Then another year had gone by and I had almost twice the length of hair I had by the end of the first year, and the longest hair I ever had in my life.
 
^^^is it easier to transition with cornrows or individual braids, or are they about the same in effectiveness?
 
NikkiQ

For me individual braids are easier. I can redo them one at a time as time allows without really getting stuck with a whole head of hair to redo. Cornrows tire my arms out coz you have to keep your arms up, while with individuals, I usually have my arms down. Also with individuals, I was able to snip each braid section a little at a time as I redid them. I'd know which ones needed snipping as the bases would not be neat/firm, so that way I gave myself an trim regularly till I had no more relaxed hair in.

If I had cornrows, I'd have to undo a whole bunch of hair to redo and it can be overwhelming, especially when you're not used to dealing with shrinkage or a lot of natural hair. With individuals, you're only ever working with a small section and when you get tired, you can just rebraid that ONE and wait till the mood hits you again. I think individuals are the best thing since sliced bread. They have made my hair growing journey such a joy and fun ride.
 
i had a harder time in the beginning only because i was still learning how to make my transitioning hair look decent. it gets easier for me as time goes on because i am getting into a groove. the only thing is that the itch to chop gets stronger just because i am so excited to be fully natural. rights now i am planing to chop in another 2 months
 
:bump: I'm approaching the official 5 month mark on Thursday so how was it for everyone around this time?
 
NikkiQ Month 5 is when my relaxed ends wanted to start to make dreds. I remember I spent a whole hour just detangling a section of my hair. And it only ever happened after I washed my hair and then didn't brush afterwards. I was trying to only finger comb since its suppose to be better for you hair, but not brushing was doing my harm than good for my hair.
 
So far...month 2 and 3 were just frustrating. I had a really little afro under my texlaxed hair. Now that I have better managed my techniques (washing, dcing,etc, in sections/braids) and have more natural hair (braids and twists are starting to hold better) things are getting a lot easier.
 
Miryoku I haven't had the loc situation happen yet, but I think that's b/c I keep my hair braided up for a while and rocking the wigs. When I take them down, I use olive oil to detangle with a wide tooth comb and then a slightly smaller tooth comb. Then hit it up with the wide tooth again when I have conditioner on it. I'm pretty anxious to get this set of braids out soon and get a new set put in.
 
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