Transitioners Help! I'm gonna fall off the wagon!!

[alibi]

Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Need I say more?

I'm five months in, and I'm about to lose it.

I'm transitioning trying to flat iron the new growth and gradually cut off the perms ends. It had been working up til now, but even though I flat ironed and wrapped as usual 2 days ago, my hair looks all poofy, and it COULDN'T be drier!!!

I'm trying to hang in here, but it's a real struggle not to just throw in the towel and perm my hair!

My old "perm" products just aren't working anymore!

Please help w/ moisturizing shampoos/conditioners/serums/leave-ins that you use, and maybe some inspirational pix/links to help me get over the hump!!! Any encouragement is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[UmSumayyah]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

bump.

 

[sweettrini]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

DON"T DO IT AYANA!!!!! I had cut my hair down to a TWA four years ago in an attempt to grow my hair out naturally and ended up perming because i just didn't know how to style or what to do with my hair. I regret that now.....my hair would have been so long and healthy by now. So I've started again. I am also about 5 months in. Same issue....what to do with my hair. I condition wash twice a week and every other week do a full wash( with shampoo). I deep condition with a heat cap once a week and use essential oils and Carol's daughter Healthy Hair Butter to keep my new growth moisturized. I haven't experienced too much breakage but styling was an issue. I couldn't do anything but a bun. So I had microbraids put in and I love them. I'll keep them in for about 6 weeks. Have you thought about braiding?? I agree, relaxed hair care products are not doing it for me anymore.

 

[Peachtree]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Have u ever thought about airdrying instead of using heat? Yes this will be quite an adjustment, however, if "dry" hair is ur problem, applying heat, yep that flat iron IS NOT gonna help u any

... it's just gonna make matters worse.... ur hair is screaming out for moisture.... I would either cut back on heat styling or begin (step up) CO rinses.

What current products do u use? (poos, conditioners, etc) What's ur current regime?

Answering these questions will give myself (& others) a better idea of ur situation

Oh, another thing, is this ur first time transitioning? (( just wondering ))

 

[Ipanema]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

How much newgrowth do you have? I know there is an awkward period, but once you get through it everything becomes much easier. You can try setting your hair with rollers & wearing the hair curly. Maybe you can try bantu knots to get a puffy/curly look with a headband holding it back.

I think Creme of Nature shampoo works good on natural & relaxed hair. Sta Sof Fro works good on natural hair to keep it soft. It might take a lot of experiementing before finding the right products. Depending on how much new growth you have, maybe you can sacrifice one texture's health for the other. If you're planning to go all natural soon, you can just focus on that hair more.

 

[Dreamn]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

i feel you ayana...i've had my hair in cornrows/individuals since august. when i take my braids out i get soooooo excited by all my new natural growth (when i took my braids out 2 weeks ago, i had about 1.5 inches of growth in just 6 weeks!!

)

what discouraged me was all the tangling that occured when i washed my hair. it was perfectly combable when i took it out of braids, but when i washed it and tried to dry it, it was a wholllllllllle diff story.

im trying to persevere and overcome these setbacks, but i dont know, its getting frustrating and upsetting...will i ever be able to wear my hair straight once im all natural?? if not i dont think i can do this

 

[alibi]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Thanks for the advice so far! I have about 1 1/2 - 2 inches of new growth right now. I usually wash my hair once a week, air dry, flat iron, then wrap. The only heat I use is when I flat iron that 1st time after washing. I put a little Kemi Oil on the edges and touch it throughout before I wrap my hair, but I try not to use too much to avoid making my hair feel heavy. I had been using Alfaparf products when my hair was permed, but they're no longer moisturing enough. I've been using motions moisture plus shampoo and conditioner for a few months, and last night I washed with Motions moisture plus shampoo, and tried out Loreal Kerastase Oleo Relax conditioner, which left my hair light and shiny, but it didn't give much slip. My dilema is to find a moisturing conditioner that gives slip and shine, without a lot of weight. I don't really do braids (never had them), but I may start experimenting w/ roller sets. Hope this helps. I'd also like to know how to do conditioner washes, and what conditioners to use, b/c I've never done them before. Thanks!

 

[Zoe]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

I transitioned for about a year and I would get braids or weaves..the worse part of it all was having 2 textures in my hair...it would tangle up and get into knots..

Once I cut my permed hair off it was sooooooo much easier.. Since I wasn't washing my hair that often I would make sure that once I do take out the braids that I would give myself a deep condition and keep my hair moisturized

Try doing braidouts... you wont be able to tell the difference between textures...

Good Luck!

 

[Blacktresses]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Try this site...
www.motowngirl.com
Very informational!!! On the left hand side of the page look for and click on "Regimen" or something simular. Hope this helps....

 

[DelightfulFlame]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Find a conditioner that gives your permed hair "slip" to keep it from tangling. Pantene conditioners did that for me while I was permed.

As for styles, try braidouts and twistouts. I lived by them while transitioning. I even wore them up in a pony puff. Check out my album for pics.

 

[Super_Hero_Girl]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

NO!

Don't Do it, Please!

I know how difficult it can be when transitioning.

I transitioned for about 6 mo. and then I cut off the relaxed hair because 2 textures were to much for me to handle. Maybe you should try some products that will handle your new growhth better like, CD hair butter or try different styles like a braid out so that you don't have to worry about the straight look all of the time. I went to a cloth store too and bought a few different types of fabric for real cheap and made some cute scarves for wraps. It's a great alternative for when your having an unmanagable day. NO day is a bad day.

Don't give up now the reward will be to great when you are fully natural and I would love to see your hair then.

Also, check out these sites if you haven't already and good luck I would love to see your progress!

www.nappturality.com
www.hairfoodforthought.com

 

[Maestradiva77]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Please don't get discouraged. ))))HUG((((

It is all a matter of trial and error when it comes to finding what works for you, so please have patience. Check other transitioner's albums for style and products ideas. ITA with Peachtree that you should try doing your hair without the flat iron if you are experiencing dryness.

Also, continue looking at online albums with natural hair so that you will be inspired to keep going. Believe me, having a healthy head of natural hair is a beautiful thing!!
Stay strong!

 

[DDHair]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

I know what you mean, transitioning hair is very difficult to maintain. Right now I am in my 10 month and I am wearing braids, but I have had about 3-4 presses (with flat iron) this whole year, because I know from my friends who have transitioned, that heat makes natural hair dry and hard and if you continue to heat the natural hair, it will lose it's texture.
Abba Recoup conditioner is good, I like Fantasia IC Lemon Shampoo, and I use Renu Herbs products (which is geared toward hair growth) as well as other shampoos and conditioners. In my pics I wear crochet braids which don't look like braids at all. I wear wigs too, I try to find styles to cover my own hair because usually I will just wash and put into ponytails to keep from tangling. I don't think that the air drying styles such as buns or just wearing my hair out are suitable for my face so I stick with the wigs.

 

[inthestars]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

How much are crochet braids? I saw your pic and your hair looks great!

 

[NGC]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Don't be discouraged. Hang in there. For inspiration, check out Peachtree's album or hairlove's album.

A good conditioner to try is Paul Mitchell The Detangler. I would suggest you stop using shampoos (no poo method) and for styling , if your main concern is poofiness, try this:

Immediately after doing your conditioner wash (detangler your hair while conditioner is still in it), rinse, add a good leave-in conditioner and a bit of natural oil. Then pull your hair back into a ponytail and wrap your hair with one of those wrap scarves (a really good stretchy one is the conditioning scarf that you can find in almost any beauty supply store) and wrap your hair really well. Let it dry, and style from there (curl it or flat iron it).

 

[alibi]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Thanks for all the encouragement ladies!!!

I'm still going strong! I have a question though: How do you no poo????

 

[inthepink]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

[ QUOTE ]
ayanapooh said:
How do you no poo????

[/ QUOTE ]

Just use conditioner to clean your hair instead of shampoo. Take any conditioner (most of us use cheapies for no poos like Pantene, Suave, or V05) and massage your scalp just as you would with shampoo. This will get your hair clean without drying it out. Save shampooing for no more than once a week.

 

[alibi]

Re: Transitioners Help! I\'m gonna fall off the wagon!!

Does it still get your hair clean???