Transitioners support thread

[B_Phlyy]

Have y'all heard about/seen this? http://www.going-natural.com/hair-disasters/hair-disasters/court-case-against-carson/lloreal.html

There are no words. My heart is breaking and weeping for the woman. I hope she gets justice.

 

[The Girl]

ok so I hope this isnt a repeat question but is it contradictory to have a texturizer and be transistioning? I do a texturizer every 4-6 months but am unsure which category that would fall into care/style wise

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

Ladies I am proud to announce.................

I have completed a whole year of my transitioning journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not ready for the BC yet but I have been getting a hair cut every 2-3 months since I started last year. I am hoping that I gain the courage to BC by summer. I'll just take it one day at a time.

I can't believe that a whole year has past already.

 

[GoingNatural]

Ladies I am proud to announce.................

I have completed a whole year of my transitioning journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not ready for the BC yet but I have been getting a hair cut every 2-3 months since I started last year. I am hoping that I gain the courage to BC by summer. I'll just take it one day at a time.

I can't believe that a whole year has past already.

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

[GoingNatural]

ok so I hope this isnt a repeat question but is it contradictory to have a texturizer and be transistioning? I do a texturizer every 4-6 months but am unsure which category that would fall into care/style wise

transitioning is when you stop the use of anything that will chemically alter your hair, so you cannot transition and texturize

 

[The Girl]

transitioning is when you stop the use of anything that will chemically alter your hair, so you cannot transition and texturize

ok Ma Thank you I feel silly asking some of these questions but I know you guys know the answer, all I have to do is ask and be patient

 

[melodee]

Ladies, may I ask for some advice/help!


I am going into my 11th month of transitioning. And I am hating the way my hair looks on a daily basis--it's a pulled back style in a bun or with a curly pony. This style is tired on me now. I think it makes me look like an old maid--and I'm not the old maid type.

What styles are some of the other late transitioners doing other than buns?

Are you pressing or getting a blowout?

Are you braiding?

Unless I chop, I cannot wear it in a wash n wear sue to stringy ends. But I don't quite have enough for a ponytail without the ends.

I have been contemplating relaxing it again as well, cause i don't want to look like old mother hubbard!!!!

 

[Proudpiscean]

Ladies, may I ask for some advice/help!


I am going into my 11th month of transitioning. And I am hating the way my hair looks on a daily basis--it's a pulled back style in a bun or with a curly pony. This style is tired on me now. I think it makes me look like an old maid--and I'm not the old maid type.

What styles are some of the other late transitioners doing other than buns?

Are you pressing or getting a blowout?

Are you braiding?

Unless I chop, I cannot wear it in a wash n wear sue to stringy ends. But I don't quite have enough for a ponytail without the ends.

I have been contemplating relaxing it again as well, cause i don't want to look like old mother hubbard!!!!

Don't give up if you really want to be natural! Sounds like it's time for you to stalk some naturals' fotkis for inspiration!
Maybe you could try braidouts or strawsets for a change of pace; I'm thinking about getting a strawset or braids. Believe me I feel you on getting bored with the bun I'm sick of it too and I'm only about 19 weeks into my transition.

 

[LynnieB]

Don't give up if you really want to be natural! Sounds like it's time for you to stalk some naturals' fotkis for inspiration!
Maybe you could try braidouts or strawsets for a change of pace; I'm thinking about getting a strawset or braids. Believe me I feel you on getting bored with the bun I'm sick of it too and I'm only about 19 weeks into my transition.

hey melodee, listen to amr500!! stalk them albums.....

try the braid/twist outs (nice easy going style and not much manipulation involved).

try your hand at some flattwists! i'm thinking about doing some this weekend.......flattwist in the front and twist/braidout in the back. i use use those little claw clamps to hold the end of the flattwist to your scalp and, they come in different colors and sizes to fit whatever size flattwists you want to make. these look really good, trust me!!

if you can, take a swing past nappturality......there's a ton of naturals over there that have pix and tutorials.

hang in there missy. you've come to far to turn back now.

ETA for Melodee:

something like this but do flattwists in front instead of the 2 cornrows..

 

[Miss*Tress]

Melodee, I can confirm that twist outs, rod sets, etc. are great alternatives to the bun. I've also done a normal roller set (pulling the roots quite taut) and got good results. The weather has to cooperate though for the roots to stay straight. Good luck.

 

[The Girl]

LynnieB that is a really cute style!

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you. I would not have been able to do it without all the help here.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Okay, I love the idea of this sticky, but it has gotten WAAAAY too long for me to even read through it and get tips!!!

Anyway, for all of you that transition for YEARS, how in the world do you do it??? I'm only 5 months post, and I'm ready to see my hair. I do want a certain length before I BC (a nice afro puff). But I'm becoming very impatient. NewYork, a year and STILL not ready to cut...my goodness!!! I hope I can get the strength and patience that you ladies have to do that. I will definitely have a nice length then. So how are you long transitioners wearing your hair during this time???

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

Well I had my hair blowdried for the thanksgiving holiday. So I plan on wearing like that for 2 weeks ( I have one more week left). I don't blow dry very often maybe once every 2months.
And if I sweat it out like I did at a party last Saturday I make sure to wrap it AS SOON as I get in the house. And maybe put a curling iron to the ends of my hair the next day.

I am really into wearing 2 strand twist. They don't look as nice as I would likeit due to the relaxed ends. But I wear this style for 2 weeks (redoing the ones that get loose after about a week). This saves me alot of time because I have too many exams and stuff to worry about nevery mind trying to figure out my hair.

Then another week I might wear my hair in a pony tail. The ends of my pony tail are starting to really bother me because of the relaxed ends so I might just pin it under. Or wear a bun cover (the knitted one) sometimes using a old black dress sock to wrap around the little bun to make it look fuller before I put the bun cover on.
Or I might wear a phony pony or a half wig that I just recently purchased. If all else fails and I am not going to be going to the hopistal for class and only going to school I will put on a head wrap. Mine is black but someone posted a thread about head wraps that someone makes....very nice too.
.....Oh I also make sure to Co-wash every other day during this time

Anyway...by the time I go through that cycle about a month has passed. And I do the twists for another 2 weeks and then the pony tail thing again. Before I know it, it is time to go to the hair salon for a wash and blow dry. I always make sure to trim my hair.
The thing about my stylist is that she does not trim to take off length, only to make the ends look good so sometimes it does not seem like a difference in hair length. That would have been good when I was relaxed. But when transitioning I want to see the realxed parts gone! But too scared to chop off a drastic amount at one time.

There are still alot of times when I am not totally happy with my hair. I try to compensate by making sure to keep my face looking nice and healthy (because I don't wear make up either-MAYBE mascara to bring out my eyes) and make sure to get a nice lip gloss. Also wear nice earings.

HTH!!!!

 

[Ms Red]

I've transitioned for almost 20 months. That is forever to me. What I usually do is conditioner wash twice (sometimes 3 times) a week. I would wear a bun, a phony pony or a fall for the longest. My staple was the curly phony pony. The one time I got my hair pressed, it lasted 3 weeks and was cute but I was so used to washing it that I didn't go back to the straight style.

My problem is that I will not look cute with short hair. I know this for a fact. If I could rock that TWA with confidence, I would have BC'd a looong time ago. But I need to have a ponytail and enough length to do a nice braidout. (I am thinking 6-10 inches of natural hair would be great). Right now I have been rocking a sew in for 1 month. It's given me a much-needed hair break and I look nice with it. I've gone to the stylist to have it tightened, washed, deep conditioned and styled. It's a great way to hide my hair for a minute. I have a small amount of hair left out in the front and it stays straight.

But, I can't wait for April when I plan to cut the rest of the relaxed ends off. I've been self-trimming for these 20 months and the last time I went to the hairdresser she told me that I have less than 1 inch (all around) of relaxed hair to trim. So I'm hoping that by the Spring I can start wearing my natural styles. Top of my list: Braidout, twistout, flat twists in front, braidout in back, wash-n-go and pony puff.

 

[lisajames96]

Glad to see this thread still thriving...it's long tho...lol
Congrats NewYorkgyrl! I will be 1 year transitioned come Dec 10th. It will be hard to avoid the scissors that day...lol, but I commited to 2 years, so...it was nice to see that some others did it too like cupcake.

I am using the same products, coconut oil, shea butter, s curl and silicon mix(i know , i know ). But these have helped tremendously. Oh and my new find the Denman...it's great for my little girls' hair too.
I hope to try a braidout soon, but I have only worn my hair in a bun and had it pressed twice all year. I hope to take some pics this week, but I really haven't seen alot of growth, maybe 4.5" all year. But that's cool.

Happy transitioning ladies!

 

[melodee]

Miss tress, amr, and Lynnie--thanks for telling me to press on. I flat ironed my hair to give myself a break from the boring bun. Lynnie, I love your style, and your hair--thanks!

 

[glamazon386]

I know bmoreflyygirl did. She got tired of transitioning and chopped. Give her a buzz (PM).

Sorry I'm just seeing this. I don't pop in here very often since I'm not transitioning anymore. I chopped after 5.5 months. Couldn't take it anymore. That was the 2nd time I'd stretched to almost 6 months though. I had only been going to 3 or 4 the past 2 or 3 yrs.

 

[glamazon386]

ok so I hope this isnt a repeat question but is it contradictory to have a texturizer and be transistioning? I do a texturizer every 4-6 months but am unsure which category that would fall into care/style wise

Not necessarily. You could be transitioning from relaxed hair to texturized or texlaxed hair.

 

[divya]

Ok ladies...I am going to excuse myself from this thread. My hair is breaking too much and I cannot take it. I will most likely go back to texturizing. Maybe one day I'll do the natural thing. Maybe when I get pregnant and my hair grows superfast...

Much luv and all the best to everybody!

 

[leleepop]

9 weeks post and still going strong. My hair is getting THICK!! I see that I will have to stay on top of this, if this long transition is gonna be successful. I got some advice from a super stretcher about Giovanni Direct leave in and its a hit for detangling. hth and good luck everyone.

 

[MissMarie]

Ladies, may I ask for some advice/help!


I am going into my 11th month of transitioning. And I am hating the way my hair looks on a daily basis--it's a pulled back style in a bun or with a curly pony. This style is tired on me now. I think it makes me look like an old maid--and I'm not the old maid type.

What styles are some of the other late transitioners doing other than buns?

Are you pressing or getting a blowout?

Are you braiding?

Unless I chop, I cannot wear it in a wash n wear sue to stringy ends. But I don't quite have enough for a ponytail without the ends.

I have been contemplating relaxing it again as well, cause i don't want to look like old mother hubbard!!!!

I agree with the other posters.
Try out other styling techniques; braidouts, roller and flexirod sets, bun outs, twists and twistouts, heat straightening to get you through this slump. I go through periods where my hair depresses me, trying out different things in my routine helps.

I'm almost 31 months post-relaxer, my new things for right now are flexirod sets (they work better now than a year ago) and bun outs, though I still wear ponytails and buns especially right b4 I need to wash again.
I can't braid worth crap, so I only try it for braidouts. I rarely use heat, I plan to maxiglide for Xmas, it'll be the 4th time this year.

Good luck finding a cute new style!

 

[GoingNatural]

I'm almost 31 months post-relaxer

31 months transitioning?!?!?!

That is amazing! I barely held out 11 and I hated the thought of having short hair, but i have NO patience!

how much longer do you plan on transitioning?

 

[Ms_Twana]

OMG, MissMarie

Your hair is GORGEOUS!!!! :notworthy :notworthy :notworthy

So, do you basically wear protective styles???

 

[Ms_Twana]

Okay, has anyone else found that twistout/braidouts is too much manipulation on their hair??? I did two strand twists last night for a twistout, and OMG, there was hair EVERYWHERE. Then I had a lot of slip with my handy dandy Giovonni Direct. But once that started to saturate into the strands, boy was there (in my best Bernie Mac voice)...TROUBLE TROUBLE!!! Oh my goodness, I had to literally rip my relaxed ends apart from eachother. I couldn't get my Denman brush through my hair. It was horrible. I am even more determined to BC soon now. This is ridiculous.

This was my first time doing a braidout or twistout in a long time. I have been wearing a bun, phony pony, or a fall with my hair pulled back in a ponytail. And I put the ponytail in very loosely while wet, tie my edges down, and I was good to go in the morning. I would tie my hair down again at night, and be good the next day. So actually, that was my first time combing my hair outside of the washing process. And I DO NOT like what happened.

Okay, I just needed to vent. Thanks for letting do it here!!!

 

[dicapr]

Okay, has anyone else found that twistout/braidouts is too much manipulation on their hair??? I did two strand twists last night for a twistout, and OMG, there was hair EVERYWHERE. Then I had a lot of slip with my handy dandy Giovonni Direct. But once that started to saturate into the strands, boy was there (in my best Bernie Mac voice)...TROUBLE TROUBLE!!! Oh my goodness, I had to literally rip my relaxed ends apart from eachother. I couldn't get my Denman brush through my hair. It was horrible. I am even more determined to BC soon now. This is ridiculous.

This was my first time doing a braidout or twistout in a long time. I have been wearing a bun, phony pony, or a fall with my hair pulled back in a ponytail. And I put the ponytail in very loosely while wet, tie my edges down, and I was good to go in the morning. I would tie my hair down again at night, and be good the next day. So actually, that was my first time combing my hair outside of the washing process. And I DO NOT like what happened.

Okay, I just needed to vent. Thanks for letting do it here!!!

I thought it was me! I quit doing braid outs because they didn't last and I lost way too much hair. I've invested in some wide head bands that cover the front and nape of my hair. I roll the middle and headband the rest. The hair is big but cute. No more braid outs for me for a long while. I am resisting the BC. Its going to be too cold to be bald--I've only got 2-3 inches of new growth right now.

 

[Ms_Twana]

Man, I'm jealous. That's about how much new growth I have and I've got a whole month on you without a relaxer.

Yeah, I think I'm going to buy a couple curly half wigs/wigs. Then I'll cornrow my hair and wear those for a while. It'll save me $125-$225 for a sew-in!!

I thought it was me! I quit doing braid outs because they didn't last and I lost way too much hair. I've invested in some wide head bands that cover the front and nape of my hair. I roll the middle and headband the rest. The hair is big but cute. No more braid outs for me for a long while. I am resisting the BC. Its going to be too cold to be bald--I've only got 2-3 inches of new growth right now.

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

LOL yeah after a while I had to stop doing that (like months 6 & 7) . I just kept doing a bun. Now it is not to bad I just don't like the look of my relaxed ends.

 

[Proudpiscean]

LOL yeah after a while I had to stop doing that (like months 6 & 7) . I just kept doing a bun. Now it is not to bad I just don't like the look of my relaxed ends.

I am starting to dislike my relaxed ends too-- I bun my hair up all the time now.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Okay, has anyone else found that twistout/braidouts is too much manipulation on their hair??? I did two strand twists last night for a twistout, and OMG, there was hair EVERYWHERE.

I was pleasantly surprised to lose less hair with twist outs. I'm sorry those styles aren't working for you anymore.