Transitioners I NEED SOME HELP

[Nanyanika]

Tell me what i'm letting myself it for!!!
I have to transition to get rid of multiple textures on head which has lead to upper shaft demarcation damage. What can i expect during transitioning?What is it like dealing with different textures? what products did you find helpful? can i expect serious breakage?how did you style your hair? did you use heat? any advice would be helpful, because i'm new to this and very scared.

 

[vangrey]

hi den1 ,
for me it is not hard dealing with the two textures, my natural hair is pretty wavy and it usually just lays down. i think what helps me is greasing my scalp i know i said it "GREASE"!!! it keeps my hair from breaking at the demarcation line by keeping my hair moist and easy to comb. no, you dont have to have serious breakage, as a matter of fact im not breaking as much as when i first had my relaxer put in. i think this has alot to do with the oil factor... if you dont like grease, try something like profectiv its a medium moisturizer. i use there healthy ends to comb my hair so breakage wont occur. i use heat every 2 weeks cuz thats when i wash my hair. i wet wrap it with john frieda's frizz ease xtra strength serum and rusk's sensories smoother leave-in conditioner. then i sit under the dryer for thirty minutes to forty-five to stop the drippies and partially dry it. the rest of the time i let it airdry under my satin scarf. i wear my hair down 2 times out of the week and the rest of the time its wrapped.
- to tame your new growth try sylver's scarf method. also most people dont comb their new growth until the next time they wash their hair
- the most important fact in transitioning is MOISTURE!!!!
- try to keep your products simple.

 

[PittGirl06]

for me its not that big of a deal because I keep my hair braided up. I am approaching my one year transition anniversary and I will have been in braids most of the time. I find braids are great to ive your hair a break and just let it grow.

Your relaxed ends will probably suffer some breakage but your new growth should be fine if you use a whole lot of moisture.

happy growing!

 

[Tru_Mind]

I transitioned. The one thing that helped me was WGO.

The first time I transitioned for about 7 months and I ended up relaxing. It just became too much for me to deal with. I had damaged, dyed, and overprocessed hair and nothing was getting better...and transitioning wasn't helping any.

The second time around the transitioning was a breeze. WGO made dealing with my severely damaged hair much easier.

 

[sweetpineapple]

What has helped me was low maintanence/protestive styles, lots of moisture from natural products, washing hair in sections to prevent tangling and breakage. It seems hard at first but you get use to it soon. good luck.

 

[Tai]

My advice, Den, is protective styles. Doing that makes life so much easier. Since your hair thrives in braids, you might want to consider that option when the two textures start to become too much. For me, there isn't that much difference between my texturized hair and my natural hair so I haven't had any problems with breakage. You know most of the basic rules. Be gentle with your hair, keep doing the CG method and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I'd also keep regular heat usage at bay. Not everyone does that but I recommend it.
Good luck with the transition, Den.

 

[Peachtree]

Tell me what i'm letting myself it for!!!
I have to transition to get rid of multiple textures on head which has lead to upper shaft demarcation damage. What can i expect during transitioning?What is it like dealing with different textures? what products did you find helpful? can i expect serious breakage?how did you style your hair? did you use heat? any advice would be helpful, because i'm new to this and very scared.

Hey Den

I've graduated from "transitioning" to "natural", but I remember that hair phase "clearly"

Question 4 ya: are u transitioning to return back to natural? or are u transitioning for a while & planning to texturize again later down the road? ... just curious...

1) What to expect...
The major things I dealt with were tangling & some breakage (until I found the right conditioner, more about that later)

2) Dealing with dif textures...
Not an issue for me (again once I found the right conditioner & styling method)

3) Helpful products...If it wasn't for this conditioner, I would have completely lost my mind... "Lustrasilk Aloe enriched Cholesterol". I would "WARM" it then apply it to my "DRY" hair at least 2x wkly, section by section, making sure to soak the demarcation line. Because I really didn't give a hoot about my ends (I wore my length in a bun anyways), I didn't worry about conditioning my ends. This conditioner & warming method allowed me to keep about 80% of my hair (breakage was no longer an issue).

Another biggie for me was Home Health Castor oil. This oil is VERY THICK, which worked wonders at "smoothing down" my new growth. I was used to having smooth relaxed hair... this oil helped to mentally ease me onto the natural side

African Royal Hot Six Oil was my fav staple oil too.

~~ CONDITIONER RINSES/WASHES ~~
I simply can not stress this enough! I used cheapie conditioner mostly (Suave, VO5), & rinsed 2-3 times per wk. This kept my new growth moisturized & demarcation line supple

I used other products also. I can't remember them all. But check out my FOTM. I was 5 mths into my transition then... I thoroughly listed my products, techniques, yadda yadda there

4) Serious breakage...
I didn't experience "serious breakage", mainly cuz I KEPT my demarcation line moist (Cond rinses) & strong (mild protein treatments...Motions CPR, Silk Protein). I retained about 80% of my relaxed hair!!!

5) Styles...I ALWAYS wore a bun or flipped pony... they were convenient & kept my demarcation line protected (which again helped me to retain my relaxed hair until I was ready to chop it).

6) Heat...
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! I airdried & followed an absolutely no heat regimen the entire 18 mths that I transitioned. I didn't even sit under the hooded dryer for deep conditioning treatments... instead, I'd warm my conditioners in the microwave before applying them.... I received the same results as if I had sat under a hooded dryer!

7) Further advice...Again, check out my FOTM... I gave ALL OF MY ADVICE THERE

 

[honeycomb719]

I transitioned. The one thing that helped me was WGO.

The first time I transitioned for about 7 months and I ended up relaxing. It just became too much for me to deal with. I had damaged, dyed, and overprocessed hair and nothing was getting better...and transitioning wasn't helping any.

The second time around the transitioning was a breeze. WGO made dealing with my severely damaged hair much easier.

I agree, I wouldnt be able to manage my different texture w/o it. Again moisture is key, and low manipulation in working for me.

 

[Nanyanika]

vangrey:When you use the grease do you apply to damp hair? have you had any breakage issues as a result of using heat every two weeks? Thanks for suggesting sylver's scarf method, i going to take a look at her album

PittGirl06:I really agree with what you said about keeping the hair braided up, i'm type 4a mainly with some 3c and my textures are distincly diffrent from that of my relaxed hair, personally i feel less manipulation is the key to lessening breakage. How do you care for the braids? What products do you use to ease removal? Do you use any particular detangling/sectioning tecniques? Do you wash the hair in sections to avoid serious matting issues? how long b4 you reapply braids? what style do you wer your hair in b4 you put braids in? sorry for all the questions i hope you don't mind answering them when you get the chance LOL!!.

tru_mind: Thanks for reminding me about WGO , It worked brilliantly on my new growth!!!! CHEERS FOR THAT.

Peachtree: your Question: are u transitioning to return back to natural? or are u transitioning for a while & planning to texturize again later down the road? ... just curious...

Mentally i'm not prepared to go completely natural... i love my natural hair but i also enjoy the versaility of going from curly styles to straight vice versa and the lack of shrinkage. I'm transitioing primarily because of the incompatability of textures done by different stylist. In the last few months i have gained knoweledge on how to sucessfully texturize hair, and i carried it out a good touch-up at home with my older sister's help, it worked out well. However the i couldn't erase the fact that i section of my hair was straightened due to this, it strated breaking from the demarcation line..i did so well overcoming the unprocessing and getting my hair on track for another stylist to ruin it. If i trexturize again i will never allow a stylist to touch my hair, because i know how to do it? (WHICH WOULD NENVER HAPPEN ANYWAY)and i'd rather i mess my hair up without paying someone to do it for me.

Thanks for the intensive information on your transitioning regime. you had mentioned "Lustrasilk Aloe enriched Cholesterol" is this very moisturising type of conditioner, i'm concerned about the protein content. About the castor oil, i also found it helpful in flattening my new growth. I personallly always do my CWs keeps my hair pretty hydrated obviusly i'll focus centrally on the demarcation line. I aready have Motions CPR, Silk Protein and their both great). I give you praise for staying away from heat throughout your transition, i doubt that will be the case for me, my new growth comes out very coily.....I hope i can retain my length too. Thanks for the link the your feature f the month page, i'm going to save it and read it over a cup of English tea lol.

Thanks Ar010 and Tai: Concluding from what everyone has said: protective styling,datanglers, intensive moisture mainly concerntrated at the demarcation line, less manipulation, less heat, a good balance of mild/strong protein, can help ease the process of transitioning, keep hair growing healthy and strong and reduce breakage.

 

[PittGirl06]

vangrey

PittGirl06:I really agree with what you said about keeping the hair braided up, i'm type 4a mainly with some 3c and my textures are distincly diffrent from that of my relaxed hair, personally i feel less manipulation is the key to lessening breakage. How do you care for the braids? What products do you use to ease removal? Do you use any particular detangling/sectioning tecniques? Do you wash the hair in sections to avoid serious matting issues? how long b4 you reapply braids? what style do you wer your hair in b4 you put braids in? sorry for all the questions i hope you don't mind answering them when you get the chance LOL!!.

Ok...wow...here goes....

1. Well, I just spray them every night...first with Sulfur 8 dandruff braid spray. Actually, I just spray the scalp areas with that. Then, I go over the same areas with S-Curl. Then, I spray the actual hair with African Pride braid sheen. I am using snthetic hair. At night, I put the hair back into a ponytail and tie it down with a silk scarf.

2. I use Better Braids take down spray to aid in removal. VERY helpful. I usulaly would cut the knot off and then spray along the braid and right at the root, then use a rat tail comb to comb them loose

3. No particular detangling techniques. Right after I get a braid loose, I would comb it out...so by the time all of the braids are out, my hair is in good shape to be washed without much tangling. I give it a good wash with shampoo and I deep condition it and comb it out when I am done using a combination of wide tooth combs and a regular comb. I then apply all my products (Surge Lotion Motion 9 and Wojee Cream, and WGO). My products tend to change once in a while, but thats what I am using now.

4. I don't wash my hair in sections, but I lways make sure to comb it well before washing it so its already detangled. I have not had issues with hair coming out from combing it while its dry, so I do that before I wash. I have not washed while in braids.....I have not mastered that yet!

5. I give my hair about a week or two rest. I hate going longer than that, but that's just a personal choice so I don't have to deal with my hair. When money is tight, I wil go for about a month or so.

6. Before getting braids, I would usually just where a ponytail or a wig. Either way, my hair is super moistured! I would wash my hair every 1 to 3 days with just conditioner. I should shampoo and deep condition 1 to 2 times per week. I like Suave conditioners for co washes and I like Fantasia Tee Tree conditioner. Any tee tree conditioner would be good though..ooooh the tingle! For shampoo, I would usually use Surge Power Wash, but while I have been in France I have used various different brands.

Phew....hope this helps!

 

[vangrey]

vangrey:When you use the grease do you apply to damp hair? have you had any breakage issues as a result of using heat every two weeks? Thanks for suggesting sylver's scarf method, i going to take a look at her album

i apply grease after my hair is totally dry. i have not had breakage since using heat only twice a month. some ppl experience breakage from wrapping... but i have been wrapping since 10th grade so i know how to get it nice and smooth without breakage... it comes with practice. but if you dont feel comfortable with wrapping try sylver's method.. i think she sits under the hair dryer for 15 minutes and its dry or you can airdry. i dont recommend using a blowdryer or flat iron for straighter styles... just wrapping.

HTH

 

[Nanyanika]

I can see this took a lot of energy to write, LOL!!! Thank-you very much for putting so much effort into answering my questions. THis info is very helpful, i will cherish forever LOL. Seriously, transitioing should be a breeze now, thanks again.

Ok...wow...here goes....

1. Well, I just spray them every night...first with Sulfur 8 dandruff braid spray. Actually, I just spray the scalp areas with that. Then, I go over the same areas with S-Curl. Then, I spray the actual hair with African Pride braid sheen. I am using snthetic hair. At night, I put the hair back into a ponytail and tie it down with a silk scarf.

2. I use Better Braids take down spray to aid in removal. VERY helpful. I usulaly would cut the knot off and then spray along the braid and right at the root, then use a rat tail comb to comb them loose

3. No particular detangling techniques. Right after I get a braid loose, I would comb it out...so by the time all of the braids are out, my hair is in good shape to be washed without much tangling. I give it a good wash with shampoo and I deep condition it and comb it out when I am done using a combination of wide tooth combs and a regular comb. I then apply all my products (Surge Lotion Motion 9 and Wojee Cream, and WGO). My products tend to change once in a while, but thats what I am using now.

4. I don't wash my hair in sections, but I lways make sure to comb it well before washing it so its already detangled. I have not had issues with hair coming out from combing it while its dry, so I do that before I wash. I have not washed while in braids.....I have not mastered that yet!

5. I give my hair about a week or two rest. I hate going longer than that, but that's just a personal choice so I don't have to deal with my hair. When money is tight, I wil go for about a month or so.

6. Before getting braids, I would usually just where a ponytail or a wig. Either way, my hair is super moistured! I would wash my hair every 1 to 3 days with just conditioner. I should shampoo and deep condition 1 to 2 times per week. I like Suave conditioners for co washes and I like Fantasia Tee Tree conditioner. Any tee tree conditioner would be good though..ooooh the tingle! For shampoo, I would usually use Surge Power Wash, but while I have been in France I have used various different brands.

Phew....hope this helps!

 

[PittGirl06]

no prob! I tend to write a lot....i have trouble writing a 20 page term paper but I can write up a 20 page essay on transitioning....lol.

 

[blkmaryland]

I use Daily Defense Tender Apple Conditioner for my conditioner washes. I use the airdry ponytail method. And NTM leave-in and serum is a life saver!!!!! Also, S-curl helps when I wear it in a bun. Over the past two months I have been trying to not use heat but when I use the flat iron, NTM is a lifesaver. No matter what, everynight I wrap my hair and put Castor Oil mixed w/ lanolin on my ends and ties up with a silk scarf. I started in october 04 and It has gotten easier. Just remember patience.....