Transitioners support thread

[DarkAngell]

Anybody ever transition while already having short hair? This is what im doing and is really annoying. i DONT leave my hair loose because the only way for me to do that right now and look presentable is to use heat and im tryin not to. My hair is just long enough to get it back into a very short pony tail BUT....the more natural hair i get...the more shrinkage im getting!! So that little pony tail is actually SHRINKING as my hair is growing! erplexed i SOOOO wish i could get through this with longer hair because i know it would be alot easier. i have no choice now though. i know itll get easier once i start getting more length. I think the only positive to this is that i may end up BC'ing when my hair is 4-5 inches (unstretched). Since my hair is already short i dont think it would be so much of a shock.

Any words of wisdom for getting through this with short hair?!

PS. i dont do weaves and im not fond of braiding(would love to but im not willing to hurt my weak hairline over it) TIA!

 

[leleepop]

I'll be 8 months post tomorrow. The handling of my hair is bearable, but my hair itself takes alot more to style and I feel its going through a rough patch. I think about relaxing every day. I hate to not look cute and it makes me feel insecure. I dont like to wear braids or weaves, but I may have to go there. I am eight months post and I read that 7 through 9 are the roughest months so hopefully it will get easier. What do you guys think?

 

[blue_flower]

I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if I should throw in the towel or continue to go on. I've had natural hair a few times before and I remember how difficult it was to deal with once it started growing longer. That's what always made me return to relaxers. I've never transitioned without any kind of chops before, so it's not bad. But like you said, sometimes I want to look cute too but at the same time I really love my natural texture.

 

[leleepop]

The thing that is hard for me is I have been relaxed since about 8 and I wore a press or plaited. I dont really know how its gonna look. I know I will continue but its been kinda hard. I wish I knew how its gonna look all natural. I dont have any real support besides the hairboards. Is it just hard at the 8-9 month marks for everybody because its so puffy at the roots and more str8 hair on the ends?

 

[imstush]

2 year mark

 

[Cheleigh]

The thing that is hard for me is I have been relaxed since about 8 and I wore a press or plaited. I dont really know how its gonna look. I know I will continue but its been kinda hard. I wish I knew how its gonna look all natural. I dont have any real support besides the hairboards. Is it just hard at the 8-9 month marks for everybody because its so puffy at the roots and more str8 hair on the ends?

It's hard, IMO, because your are starting to have about 4" of natural hair, and at that point, your natural hair is long enough and strong enough to stand on it's own. Months six to eight were difficult for me, because my natural hair could not really be "hidden" anymore. Months nine to eleven were pretty easy because I'd worked out a routine that worked for me. Month twelve was difficult because the relaxed hair looked horrible compared to the natural hair, and I couldn't pay my hair to look cute in a bun anymore.

I got through the transition comparing my bun to the protective bun that the relaxed folks do. During the summer, I did lots of braidouts and ponytails from flexirods.

 

[glamazon386]

Do you find your hair texture to be the same as when you were very young? Ive been getting a relaxer since i was about 7 & now im finally transitioning. My hair is growing out with a defined curl pattern...but when i look at pics from back in the day i had a little fro. ( my mother didnt know wut to do with it so she always tied it up )

Did anybody ever look at old pictures to try and tell your texture?? Was it accurate?

My mother relaxed my hair when I was in 1st grade. But my texture is different now than it was as a child. I believe it changed when I hit puberty.

 

[Jenaee]

My mother relaxed my hair when I was in 1st grade. But my texture is different now than it was as a child. I believe it changed when I hit puberty.

Thats the same thing with me. I never remember my natural hair being curly when I was younger but now I have curl pattern all over. I didn't know hair type could change but I guess it can!

 

[Ambrosia]

Hi Ladies.
I've been transitioning since March 2006. For the past few months I've been sticking with buns, but my hair is starting to fight me. Now my plan is to keep my hair in protective styles (cornrows and twists). Wish me luck.

 

[autumnbeauty29]

In seeing the newgrowth I have now. I think that mine has changed a small bit but when I got home after graduation I am going to ask mama I'm doing a lot of soul searching and really seeing if I want to transition and everything is leaning towards yes. I have no desire at all to even get another relaxer... My problem is just what types of styles am I going to wear my hair in. I love micros but sometimes have a tendency to over-extend and wear them too long and I don't really want to mess with sew in weaves anymore. But truly I am loving my wavy newgrowth

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

The thing that is hard for me is I have been relaxed since about 8 and I wore a press or plaited. I dont really know how its gonna look. I know I will continue but its been kinda hard. I wish I knew how its gonna look all natural. I dont have any real support besides the hairboards. Is it just hard at the 8-9 month marks for everybody because its so puffy at the roots and more str8 hair on the ends?

Months 6-8 were the roughest months for me, mainly because back then my hair was shedding like a cat, plus my natural hair grew in rough/coarse, it was scab hair, because in less than a month’s time my natural hair started to grow in much softer, and the shedding minimized. Thereafter, things became easier for me. I think it can get rough (for some) the more your natural hair grows out, the harder it may become. I mainly wear protective/low maintenance styles like: buns, french rolls, braidouts, twistouts, flat twists, bantu knots etc..I'm loving braidouts right now especially, had to change things up a bit, because I wore buns and french rolls for the last 6 months or so, boredom was starting to set in, I didn’t want to do anything drastic, so braidouts saved the day! When transitioning you can still look cute, no matter what hairs styles you want to wear. I think certain techniques/methods, tools, and products make a HUGE difference when wearing hair styles, no matter if you’re transitioning or otherwise. That's not to say you won't ever have a bad hair day, I've had my fair share. Along with protective/low maintenance styles, co washing, deep conditioning, natural protein treatments, and a good dose of moisture helps a great deal in my journey to naturalness. The road isn't so bumpy, it's been pretty smooth for a good while actually. It can get bumpy at times, but I think once you pass a certain point, it can get a bit easier (for some) of course.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

Do you find your hair texture to be the same as when you were very young? Ive been getting a relaxer since i was about 7 & now im finally transitioning. My hair is growing out with a defined curl pattern...but when i look at pics from back in the day i had a little fro. ( my mother didnt know wut to do with it so she always tied it up )

Did anybody ever look at old pictures to try and tell your texture?? Was it accurate?

My mom always kept my hair in braids and twists 90% of the time, so I really didn't have an inclination of what my natural texture really looked like when I was little. But until recently, I looked at a few of my baby pics and a few other pics of when I was younger, and my texture is the same now as it was back then. I actually stared at them for a good while just to make sure.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

Hi Ladies.
I've been transitioning since March 2006. For the past few months I've been sticking with buns, but my hair is starting to fight me. Now my plan is to keep my hair in protective styles (cornrows and twists). Wish me luck.

Good Luck!

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

2 year mark

Woooo, congrats!

 

[leleepop]

Thanks for the encourangment everyone, I feel alot better . I think I will do a mini chop soon to help. I cant wait to be all natural.

 

[DarkAngell]

So I see that there are some transitioners that are not planning to chop. That was my ?
I am transition curious--I'm 4 months post relaxer.
I am really pleasantly surprised to see that my new growth is not too hard to handle at this point. It is wavy in most places and when brushed out, doesn't really look much diff than the texlaxed hair. Except for my temples, my hair is very curly/wavy. The temples are the nappiest.

I really like my texture and would love to have it the length of my hair. But I've made so mch progress and my hair grows slowly--and I don't want to part with my bra strap hair. I just want it to gradually grow out.

But I thought you had to chop those ends off eventually--say 18 months into it. Do you or don't you?erplexed

Are nappier temples a normal thing? im 3months post relaxer. most is growing in 3c. my temples and some of my hair line are 4a. Is there a reaon for this? or is it just the way my hair grows?

Will this change as my transition goes on?

 

[Robin41]

I've been transitioning for over a year now and it's been a breeze up until now. I've gone through scab hair, which wasn't too bad, and then my hair was pretty much under control.

I just took my hair out of two-strand twists that I wore for 8 weeks and now it's like my hair is a complete stranger to me. It's really coarse and won't curl, won't coil, won't do anything but frizz. It's driving me nuts. And I'm in a climate with zero humidity so it's not the weather, it's just my crazy hair. And it's funny, the only time I'm able to get really nice curls is if I wear it back in a puff. When I try to wear it out, like in a shake n go, I wind up looking like a straight up frizzy fool.

So I'm thinking it's time to get rid of my relaxed ends once and for all and really see what's going on with my natural hair. I'm thinking that's a big part of my problem, having the relaxed ends. My hair is not going to curl or coil or do what comes naturally as long as the ends are straight. I really hate losing the length, but I've got to start somewhere. I mean, the ends have to go eventually right?

I don't know if any of the long-time transitioners ever hit a point where your relaxed ends absolutely have to go, but I think I've gone as far as I can go with transitioning. It's time to take the plunge!

 

[imstush]

Woooo, congrats!

Y thank you! You aren't too far behind yourself

 

[divya]

I think i'm back with the transitioning...

hahah, i don't know what i'm doing!!

stretching or relaxing, I don't know!!!... I'm 11 weeks post... (siggie says 2months 2 weeks and some days, because of the measurement in months... )

LOL! You're like me! I'm 12 weeks post...back and forth. But I am excited about my new growth. I just wish it would be long already because i like my hair length right now.

 

[leleepop]

Update: I flatironed my hair this weekkend and its pretty much armpit. I wont be mini chopping.lol I'm only gonna trim 1/2 inch tonight. I'm letting it get to brastrap and then see how I feel.

 

[glamazon386]

So I'm thinking it's time to get rid of my relaxed ends once and for all and really see what's going on with my natural hair. I'm thinking that's a big part of my problem, having the relaxed ends. My hair is not going to curl or coil or do what comes naturally as long as the ends are straight. I really hate losing the length, but I've got to start somewhere. I mean, the ends have to go eventually right?

I don't know if any of the long-time transitioners ever hit a point where your relaxed ends absolutely have to go, but I think I've gone as far as I can go with transitioning. It's time to take the plunge!

You're still transitioning? For some reason I thought you were natural already... But anyway, you're right. My hair behaved so much better once I chopped those ends. I was going to chop the relaxed part and try and leave my texlaxed hair on as well until it grew out some more so I could pull it back if I needed to but it got to the point where I couldn't even tell the difference anymore. It all looked straight and limp next to my natural hair. It all just had to go.

 

[Robin41]

Yep, I've still got about 1 and a half inches of relaxed ends left on the top of my head. The rest has been gradually chopped off. So I'm just gonna suck it up and get rid of the last bit and live with shorter hair for a while.

And you're right, the relaxed stuff just looks all limp next to the natural hair. It will wave up (like a Jheri curl) but it won't coil and it just looks crazy. I'm with you - it's got to go!

 

[DarkAngell]

Are micro braids bad for transitioning hair? Is the hair not strong enough for this yet?

 

[DarkAngell]

bumping...

 

[cheetarah1980]

I transition with microbraids, however how your hair deals with having microbraids depends a lot on your hair. I have thick coarse strands that seem to be able to withstand the stress of microbraids. Wearing microbraids is a great way to cut out manipulation and styling for a few months while you gain more new growth. The key is to make sure you don't have your hair (especially the edges braided too tightly). Also make sure that they aren't attaching large amounts of extension hair to a tiny piece of your own hair. That will make the braid too heavy and it can pop your hair off. Once your hair is done, be sure to keep your scalp clean and your hair moisturized. Light oils work well and don't cause a great deal of buildup. If you get your edges (the first three rows) redone after 6 weeks, you can keep a set of microbraids for about 3 months and they'll look really good. When you take the braids down, be sure to use your fingers to comb out any shed hair and then give yourself a good long DC treatment.

 

[DarkAngell]

I transition with microbraids, however how your hair deals with having microbraids depends a lot on your hair. I have thick coarse strands that seem to be able to withstand the stress of microbraids. Wearing microbraids is a great way to cut out manipulation and styling for a few months while you gain more new growth. The key is to make sure you don't have your hair (especially the edges braided too tightly). Also make sure that they aren't attaching large amounts of extension hair to a tiny piece of your own hair. That will make the braid too heavy and it can pop your hair off. Once your hair is done, be sure to keep your scalp clean and your hair moisturized. Light oils work well and don't cause a great deal of buildup. If you get your edges (the first three rows) redone after 6 weeks, you can keep a set of microbraids for about 3 months and they'll look really good. When you take the braids down, be sure to use your fingers to comb out any shed hair and then give yourself a good long DC treatment.

Thanks a bunch for the advice! im definately looking for no manipulation for a few months and also not having to tie it back all the time as i a firm believer that this is whats destroying any length i retain as i transition. im just worried about my hairline. its definately stronger then it used to be however i have a little part thats only about 2 inches long. The extentions that i was gonna put in is more like a short hair style. I figured this would be much less weight on my hair. Am i right?

I just dont wanna take out the braids and have half of my hair come out with it. I got box braids YEARS ago and everything was fine...BUT...my hair was healthier then. that was10 yrs ago.

Heres a pic:
http://www.braidsinc.com/gallery/microbob.JPG

how much might something like this cost?

 

[Ebony Majesty]

urgh, my hair is so hard to detangle. Sometimes, after washing, I let it airdry, and tie it up in a ponytail and I don't brush it until the next wash (I know, I shouldnt)

Anyone got any suggestions for a good detangler?

 

[seraphinelle]

LOL! You're like me! I'm 12 weeks post...back and forth. But I am excited about my new growth. I just wish it would be long already because i like my hair length right now.

LOL, yeah,
I think I'm sticking around for awhile. I think my laziness is forcing a transition!!! LOL

 

[LynnieB]

Yep, I've still got about 1 and a half inches of relaxed ends left on the top of my head. The rest has been gradually chopped off. So I'm just gonna suck it up and get rid of the last bit and live with shorter hair for a while.

And you're right, the relaxed stuff just looks all limp next to the natural hair. It will wave up (like a Jheri curl) but it won't coil and it just looks crazy. I'm with you - it's got to go!

i can so relate to this! i wasn't even bone straight relaxed and the way the ends look and behave are killing me plus they're reddish when the rest of my hair is dark brown erplexed

cut it off when you're ready Robin.....if you can still deal with them and aren't comfy yet - stick it out until you are.

i love where the ends are natural - no more rubberbands to hold them together - they just curl up onto themselves and stay braided for the most part. Natural hair is so kewl like that.

my crown needs to catch up with the rest. i'd say i'm about 75% natural now with the trims and all but i think my husband would really spaz if i went ahead and cut off the rest (but i'm so feelin it).

in fact, i know he's noticed the missing 7-9 inches of hair but he hasn't said anything bad about it.............thank God for an understanding husband. the summer "growing" season has begun so i'm hoping to get a good 3-4 inches by the time it's over.

Starting to get "the look" from other naturals as well as "that other look" from my straight haired sisters "around the way" .

Hang in there everyone!!!

 

[blue_flower]

urgh, my hair is so hard to detangle. Sometimes, after washing, I let it airdry, and tie it up in a ponytail and I don't brush it until the next wash (I know, I shouldnt)

Anyone got any suggestions for a good detangler?

After I wash my hair I put conditoiner in it and comb it out with a pick or wide toothed comb. When my hair is slightly wet I add product and 2-4 plaits and put a scarf on my head. Doing that makes my hair easier to manage the next day once it dries