Transitioners support thread

[vestaluv1]

Well I made the plunge...bc'ed although I had originally planned to transition til I was bsl natural. Even though the transition was going well, there was no doubt that I would not relax again, so I figured why wait. I knew that I was/am not a twa type person, but I am SO glad I bc'ed. Hopefully by this time next year I'll be sporting a nice twist out. Pics below are "before" (April 2008) and "after" (May 13, 2008) My gray front (which is straighter than the the rest of my hair) is determined to see and be seen.

Congratulations on doing the BC .
Your new cut looks absolutely great and you're right in saying that if you intend to never relax again, why wait! I keep telling myself the same thing, but I don't think I'm ready to do the big chop just yet. I'm not so brave .
ALL THE BEST IN YOUR JOURNEY AND HAPPY HAIR GROWING!

 

[MiWay]

Well I made the plunge...bc'ed although I had originally planned to transition til I was bsl natural. Even though the transition was going well, there was no doubt that I would not relax again, so I figured why wait. I knew that I was/am not a twa type person, but I am SO glad I bc'ed. Hopefully by this time next year I'll be sporting a nice twist out. Pics below are "before" (April 2008) and "after" (May 13, 2008) My gray front (which is straighter than the the rest of my hair) is determined to see and be seen.

WOW!!! Congrats on your BC. You look great!

 

[DozenRoses99]

Well I made the plunge...bc'ed although I had originally planned to transition til I was bsl natural. Even though the transition was going well, there was no doubt that I would not relax again, so I figured why wait. I knew that I was/am not a twa type person, but I am SO glad I bc'ed. Hopefully by this time next year I'll be sporting a nice twist out. Pics below are "before" (April 2008) and "after" (May 13, 2008) My gray front (which is straighter than the the rest of my hair) is determined to see and be seen.

Congrats on your BC! The new look really suits you.

 

[justsimply]

Thanks, Ladies. It's a look that I'm not used to yet, but no regrets in bc'ing. I missed my natural hair and am SO glad to have it back. Now it's just maintenance and growing.

 

[mymane]

My breakage is getting crazy. After washing it the other day i had so much hair come out while combing. Decided to do an Aphogee treatment. Didn't help. Maybe I need more moisture? I let it airdry in a ponytail then I flatironed it once it was dry and the middle-back part of my hair felt so rough like it had been teased with a comb. I don't know what to do now. I'm sticking with it though. Any suggestions? TIA

 

[Chromia]

Congratulations justsimply!

mymane, I had a lot of breakage until I started DCing with ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner (or the ORS Pak if you can't find the bottle of conditioner) - I really saturate my hair with this - and detangling every week. I DC for 1/2 hour under my hood dryer, then I get back in the shower to detangle under running water with conditioner in my hair.

When I went more than a week without detangling or if I didn't put enough conditioner on my roots then detangling was time-consuming and difficult with a lot of breakage.

 

[mymane]

Congratulations justsimply!

mymane, I had a lot of breakage until I started DCing with ORS Olive Oil Replenishing Conditioner (or the ORS Pak if you can't find the bottle of conditioner) - I really saturate my hair with this - and detangling every week. I DC for 1/2 hour under my hood dryer, then I get back in the shower to detangle under running water with conditioner in my hair.

When I went more than a week without detangling or if I didn't put enough conditioner on my roots then detangling was time-consuming and difficult with a lot of breakage.

Yeah, I do love this stuff( one of my staples). But sometimes the breakage doesn't care. Since it's a light protien maybe I need to up my moisturizing conditioner. i may be getting to much protein. Idk. I'll have to wait until next wash. Thanks

 

[Whimsy]

Justsimply!!! CONGRATS!!! you look FAB!!!

 

[Chromia]

Yeah, I do love this stuff( one of my staples). But sometimes the breakage doesn't care. Since it's a light protien maybe I need to up my moisturizing conditioner. i may be getting to much protein. Idk. I'll have to wait until next wash. Thanks

A few natural 4a/4b ladies on this board like Tresemme Anti-Breakage conditioner for detangling.

I don't know if you've seen MissMarie's fotki - she mentioned that she used CON Nourishing conditioner to detangle when she was transitioning.

 

[mymane]

^Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely try those to see if they help any.

 

[Rei]

I got my hair straightened last week and I was swangin~! even my stylist couldn't believe how much growth I got. I seem to be retaining a lot more length during this transition. Too bad its all going to get chopped eventually!

atm my hair is around 30% natural. I'd BC now, but I already look like a boy so i'll wait a bit. the ng feels so nice and i'm getting very little breakage, just shedding. For all the ladies who are just starting in to your transition, just sit it out through the breakage/shedding phase! It happens to everyone, I think, and I think it was pretty bad with me. Right now I am 8 months post, and that phase has pretty much passed.

 

[GoingNatural]

I'm feeling kind of nostalgic. I remember posting in this thread, and I remember the people I transitioned with and the people that transitioned before me--all in this thread.

I just want to congratulate you all on your decision whether you make it through the transition or relax again. I think it's important that everyone get to know their real texture and then make a conscious and informed decision on whether to go relaxed or nature NOT a choice that is made for us to conform or control our hair.

So yeahhhh congrats! and stay strong!

 

[Elkaye]

Currently I'm sporting around 2.5 inches of new growth and the majority of it is in small coils. For the most part, I think it's neat and I enjoy playing with them even if some family members don't share my feelings. The other day my sister said that she wanted to tie me down and give me a perm. My brother saw my hair in plaits and thought that my roots were micro braids. It did bother me a little when my mother saw and said that she didn't want to go natural with me because she was afraid that her hair would coil up like mine. erplexed

I need some reassurance: Is it okay that my hair coils in that manner? I only comb/brush my new growth when it's wet, and that's usually either once or twice a week when I'm restyling or washing it. For the most part the new hair isn't so bad to comb and detangle (at least until I hit the demarcation line and the permed ends).


I've attached pictures to get an idea of what I'm working with.

 

[Whimsy]

I need some reassurance: Is it okay that my hair coils in that manner? .

First off, don't listent o what your family says, they can all go kick rocks, your hair choices are yours and yours alone.

now as to that question IS IT OKAY?.... IS IT OKAY?! girl i'm going to e-slap you! What your hair does naturally is automatically 'okay' because it's doing what it's supposed to do! Your coils, curls, zigzags etc.. are all unique to your head and are naturally BEAUTIFUL!!!

congrats on your 2.5 inches by the way. Keep your head up.

 

[ChasingBliss]

I'm feeling kind of nostalgic. I remember posting in this thread, and I remember the people I transitioned with and the people that transitioned before me--all in this thread.

I just want to congratulate you all on your decision whether you make it through the transition or relax again. I think it's important that everyone get to know their real texture and then make a conscious and informed decision on whether to go relaxed or nature NOT a choice that is made for us to conform or control our hair.

So yeahhhh congrats! and stay strong!

Thanks I really appreciate this message.

 

[NaturalBeauty87]

Hi I'm a newbie and also transitioning. I'm 3 mos. post. I'm currently texlaxed. My hair gets tangled very easily and I thought by co washing daily and finger combing it would reduce some of the tangles, but when I combed/detangled my hair last night for the first time in 2 weeks I had a lot of hair come out. Will it be better if I comb everyday instead of every 2 weeks??

 

[cinnamin316]

Hi I'm a newbie and also transitioning. I'm 3 mos. post. I'm currently texlaxed. My hair gets tangled very easily and I thought by co washing daily and finger combing it would reduce some of the tangles, but when I combed/detangled my hair last night for the first time in 2 weeks I had a lot of hair come out. Will it be better if I comb everyday instead of every 2 weeks??

Hi, I think 2 weeks is a fairly long time to go without combing especially if you are airdrying, coils like to cling on to each other and can eventually cause matting. I'm not sure about everyone else but i need to comb my hair when i co-wash. Its a must, finger combing doesnt cut it for me.

 

[Whimsy]

Hi I'm a newbie and also transitioning. I'm 3 mos. post. I'm currently texlaxed. My hair gets tangled very easily and I thought by co washing daily and finger combing it would reduce some of the tangles, but when I combed/detangled my hair last night for the first time in 2 weeks I had a lot of hair come out. Will it be better if I comb everyday instead of every 2 weeks??

HOLY MOLY! don't wait that long, 2 days is too much for me! I suggest you cowash daily and while in the shower separate your hair in four sections and gently comb with a wide tooth comb from the ends up to the root for each section.

congrats on beginning your transition and welcome to LHCF!

 

[Mom23]

I'm feeling kind of nostalgic. I remember posting in this thread, and I remember the people I transitioned with and the people that transitioned before me--all in this thread.

I just want to congratulate you all on your decision whether you make it through the transition or relax again. I think it's important that everyone get to know their real texture and then make a conscious and informed decision on whether to go relaxed or nature NOT a choice that is made for us to conform or control our hair.

So yeahhhh congrats! and stay strong!

Thanks for the encouragement!! I've made it 4 months and besides the shedding and some breakage, it's going good.

 

[lilsparkle825]

this is a great thread. anyone in here been transitioning for a year or so? next month will be one year since my last relaxer and i am itching to BC but part of me wants to wait till i hit APL to start with the trimming. i had a mini-chop at the end of april but i think i got played - $15 and all i lost was about an inch.

if you know of any posts in this thread (forgive me but i don't really have the patience to search all ~160 pages) or if you yourself are/have been in this situation, what did you do at this point? BC? braid/twist it up? the texture mix is killing me but i want length.

ETA: i too am experiencing lots of breakage at the ends...i have little relaxed pieces everywhere, especially when i flat iron or use my denman.

 

[SignatureBeauty]

Hey Ladies! I am back, I want to go natural so bad I done it and lasted 9 months and when I look back at the pics my natural hair was so beautiful and soft, Anyway I am gonna try to transition, I don't feel it will take me long at all, because I only have linke one inch to 2 inches of relaxed hair so my Transition should go very smoothly. All other times I Big Chopped and I just don't want to do that again. You ladies are very encouraging and so inspirational, I guess that is why I go back and forth LOL!!!!

 

[Pheonixx]

Ok...it's been a month.
Since my last post, I've had:
-ONE intervention with my sometimes stylist(lol) and a homegirl.
-TWO near relapses. Thank god I keep a steady supply of henna available...

Me and my hair have been fighting for the last week and a half. I'm around 10/11 weeks post and my hair is unmanageagable in this humdity.

But...I have jerked myself back on 'the wagon' and am proud to say that I am OFFICIALLY 'hanging in there'!
LOL

Although---I'm seeing different textures at different points in my head. Did/does anyone have this problem? This is the first time I'm really 'seeing' my natural hair so I'm still learning how to deal with it. I thought my hair was one way and it appears to be another:

Hairline is nappy and dry;
Crown and bottom has very loose waves. No scurl. No nap. I mean---almost a complete lack of a curl pattern!
The left side and rihgt sides have a deep s-curl type pattern.

But...I'm sort of worried about how my natural hair is going to look like.
At this point in life, I realize that I'm only relaxing for convenience.
I'm ready to embrace whatever kind of texture or hair type I have. My thing is...I want to be universally nappy. Universally curly. Universally

But my head--it's just full of weirdness!
...would this be 'scab hair'? Hopefully it's something I'll grow out of. coily...y'know?

 

[foxieroxienyc]

I'm in!

After much contemplation and the careful study of my favorite LHCF ladies and the awesome naturals that I see in everyday life, I've decided it's time for me to "come home" as well. I'm currently transitioning. And I'm so excited about it. My last relaxer was April 18th, 08, I was natural from 2003-2007, so now that I've had fun relaxing again, I'm ready to go back and relearn how to truly care for my natural hair and embrace it for what it is... Now that I have the knowledge, all things are possible and I'm looking forward to seeing it thrive for the first time (Lord KNOWS I had no idea of what to do with it when I was natural all those years - so I weaved it up, lol).

I'm currently in week 7 of my stretch, and it's smooth sailing. I normally stretch for about 10 weeks and that where things start going downhill because I'm trying to fight the curl and keep my hair straight. This time around I"m really actually more interested in natural type styles or textured styles so I'm doing mostly braidouts and updo's (I'm really into French twists now and funky buns). I may straighten like once or twice a month just to go for something different but my main idea is to just stay textured and get used to my newly amazing spiral curls that are popping out. I'm sticking to my regimen which works for me - 2x a week wash/DC - light protein DC 2x a month or as needed - a cowash in the middle of the week. I've got all my products down that work for my hair and most are organic products now and my regimen is really simple so it's easy to stick to.

I'm looking foward to once again having a head full of amazing natural spirals. It's SUCH A LIBERATING FEELING TO JUST BE ME!

Sitting here with a cool braidout and an Orchid in my hair, and loving it!

 

[vestaluv1]

Congratulations on your choice to go natural Foxie!
Welcome to the thread.

 

[Whimsy]

Welcome to the thread Foxy!

I'm still in this transition and have decided I won't be BCing at the end of the year after all. I'll just let my hair grow as long as it wants to while getting normal trims every 3-4 months. End of the month I'm going to color and trim my hair. I haven't cut since early March when I chopped to above apl.

Right now my hair is straight, a week old. Tonight I'm going to wash and braid it up for a braidout tomorrow. and wear braidouts for the rest of the week, then Friday I'll get it cornrowed up for my vacation.

That's my hairstory for the week.

What are you guys doing with your hair this week?!/month?!

 

[Soliel185]

I'm trying cornrows for the first time @ the end of the week. I'm afraid of what I'll look like with them erplexed (I got a shiny forehead )

I decided to go with rows vs box braids b/c I figure it's way less expensive, and I CANNOT sit still for NINE hours ever again in life for some braids.

If they work out I'll be doing that most of the summer. I might try a sew in for alittle variety, but I've only done that once and I'm not soo keen on them. I'll post pics of the braids when they're done!

 

[MiWay]

I'm 25 weeks post and having the urge to relax again. I had planned to start going to the Dominican salon bi-weekly for blowouts, but my scalp is getting sensitive and cannot take the heat, I started noticing short pieces in the middle of my head, and the shampoo girls were not exactly gentle with my NG and kept telling me I need a relaxer. So I'm back to being a DIY'er, but I'm tired of co-washing every day, and the wet ponytail/bun doesn't always look as professional as it should. AND I'm sick of my nape sticking out like a mini afro.

I did a rollerset last week and I lost too much hair, so I'm scared to do it again. My braidouts and twistouts look good, but halfway thru the day, it looks more like a bad fro with loose waves in it.The curl definition just vanishes. I flatironed my hair last weekend and this weekend, and I really don't want to get back into the heat groove again. I'm really frustrated with this stuff right about now.

Whew! I just needed to vent. I feel a little better now...

 

[DaRealist]

I joined this on the DL because I have a fear of committment. I don't want to say I am transi...you know the word. I don't want to say I am doing THAT because I get all anxious and paranoid about what lies ahead. I did put the ticker in my siggy just so I can keep track, but I think I might want to remove it because it makes me nervous. I truly admire you ladies that are many weeks post because I usually can't make it past 12 weeks.

So I just wanted to say that I am definitely transi...on this journey and will see what lies ahead.

 

[Rei]

Phoneix, my hair is a bit like that atm as well. Its hard to tell what texture you'll turn out to be with the relaxed ends still hanging on to the strand weighing the hair down though. It probably will surprise you!

Also, welcome Foxy to the dark side.


I tried Curlformers this weekend and while I did lose more hair than I really wanted to trying to figure out that damn hook mechanism, it left my hair pretty stretched out (my hair reverts like a ****). I just have to deal with this newfound dryness problem. Ever since I got a rodset put in, my hair has been unmanagable! Mushy mushy mushy on wash days, dry as the desert on every other day...and i've started seeing breakage again. I'm going to clarify and do a hxc protein treatment sometime this week just to get it back into line.

I think things would be a bit easier if I actually owned a dryer

 

[foxieroxienyc]

Thanks ladies for the welcome. It's going to be an INTERESTING journey ahead to say the least!

I'm doing braidouts to help me through and get used to seeing textured hair on my head again... Also it gives me a break from heat. What I find helps my braidouts to hold up is setting it with a mix of diluted Lotta Body, coconut oil, and SAA (optional). I put it in a little spray bottle and spray my hair with with before braiding. Then set them on flexirods and let them dry. My waves hold up all day and the next day as well if I want them to. Even when I sleep on them. In the morning I just wet a little and fluff out. Moisturized if needed and go.

I'm a little nervous about this of course, but I think I can handle this if I just keep doing what I'm doing and keep it simple. I plan to allow myself to flat-iron 1x a month if I wish.

I'm excited about having natural hair again, I hope my hair is too, lol.