Transitioners support thread

[TrulyBlessed]

35 weeks post over here and it has been a journey! Congrats to you all for hanging in there. Those rough spots will pass!

 

[curlilocs]

I am 5 months post relaxer. I hit a rough spot but I am determined transition!

I cut my bangs and uploaded some pics.

Sylla! I'm so glad you are still hangin' in there. Your hair so pretty! You got that pouty look down girl

 

[*Happily Me*]

Thanks ThursdayGirl and Hopeful - I think of perming just about every other day but I keep in mind the reason why I'm transitioning. It's hard as heck but I know I will reap the reward of long, healthy hair one day.

Mscounselor - I am soo glad to hear you found something that works for you. I KNOW its hard but you're doing it!

Kikootie -Congrats!

Curlilocs - Your comment cracked me up! Lol

Onepraying - I really like the way you style your hair. Thanks for your encouragement.

Thanks everyone for your support!

 

[hopeful]

Go MsCounselor! 18 weeks post and rocking cute twists!
Congrats OnePraying on making it to 22 weeks, your hair is looking good!
And Tasha 112 at 35 weeks all I can say is wow, you probably have a lot of beautiful natural hair by now!

Go Transitioners! Keep up the good work!

 

[Cheleigh]

Today I am officially 19 weeks post relaxer (whoo hoo). I've had twists in since June 18, and taking them down July 31 (maybe) and won't get a rebraid for at least 4-6 weeks, so that's when I'll start asking a bunch of questions of the board! I am so ready to start playing in my 3-4" of new growth!

 

[hopeful]

Today I am officially 19 weeks post relaxer (whoo hoo). I've had twists in since June 18, and taking them down July 31 (maybe) and won't get a rebraid for at least 4-6 weeks, so that's when I'll start asking a bunch of questions of the board! I am so ready to start playing in my 3-4" of new growth!

Congrats on making it 19 weeks! And have fun playing in that beautiful new growth!

 

[onepraying]

Thanks Jainy and Hopeful for the encouragement!

Congrats to everyone hitting their marks! Each week is a steep climb as we venture into the land of the unknown.

Keep growing, and have fun!

 

[Irresistible]

For all of you transitioning

I just want to say stick with it!!!! You wont regret it!!!

when the going gets tough, just keep going. and there will be tough days. Its like re-learning what to do with your hair and what to expect. what works and what doesnt. Thats not easy at times. Other times it can be so rewarding and fun. Remember your hair got on your nerves while relaxed too right? well it will at times while natural too. If you go through times where you want to get your hair off your mind, get some braids or throw it up and a bun and forget about and LIVE. Dont do anything to your hair while in a frustration time or or emotional time. wait till that time passes, sometimes we take things out on our hair, our boredom , disasatisfaction etc. Dont do it!!! Ride it out for a while and see how you feel later, this avoids you doing drastic things with your hair that you will regret later. I went natural and transitioned to the last inch, with no hair boards, no groups, no fotki (how the hell did i do it? lol) I just dont know...but i have no regrets today..and neither will any of you!!!!

its a long time coming...but at least you are all off to a good start!!! every day is a day closer to the hair you guys will reap for all that you are sowing into it today!!!

Just thought I would drop in on this post and give a little support. I still have frustrating, "my hair gets on my dang nerve" days, remember just cause you are having those days does not mean you are failing at being natural!!!

good luck to you all......being natural is the bomb!!!!!! LOLOL

 

[chocolate01]

Just co-signing with everyone else and giving encouragment to the transitioners. You will love the results, it is so worth it in the end.

Congrats to everyone for making it as far as they have.

@Dsylla: I'm loving your updates!!

 

[Country gal]

For all of you transitioning

I just want to say stick with it!!!! You wont regret it!!!

when the going gets tough, just keep going. and there will be tough days. Its like re-learning what to do with your hair and what to expect. what works and what doesnt. Thats not easy at times. Other times it can be so rewarding and fun. Remember your hair got on your nerves while relaxed too right? well it will at times while natural too. If you go through times where you want to get your hair off your mind, get some braids or throw it up and a bun and forget about and LIVE. Dont do anything to your hair while in a frustration time or or emotional time. wait till that time passes, sometimes we take things out on our hair, our boredom , disasatisfaction etc. Dont do it!!! Ride it out for a while and see how you feel later, this avoids you doing drastic things with your hair that you will regret later. I went natural and transitioned to the last inch, with no hair boards, no groups, no fotki (how the hell did i do it? lol) I just dont know...but i have no regrets today..and neither will any of you!!!!

its a long time coming...but at least you are all off to a good start!!! every day is a day closer to the hair you guys will reap for all that you are sowing into it today!!!

Just thought I would drop in on this post and give a little support. I still have frustrating, "my hair gets on my dang nerve" days, remember just cause you are having those days does not mean you are failing at being natural!!!

good luck to you all......being natural is the bomb!!!!!! LOLOL

Your hair is beautiful. I love the afro puff ponytail with the hat.

 

[MissMarie]

hey all
I'm a transitioner, just checking in. Its been almost 15 months since my last relaxer and I must say that it gets easier for me to do my hair as I go along. The key for me is to keep my routine as simple as possible. My hair is the longest its ever been and I still remain low-maintenance.
So a bit of encouragement to all you ladies out there transitioning. Don't worry so much about the stage, enjoy your hair where ever you are at now.


eta: i have a few new pictures in my album

 

[nurseN98]

Congrats to all the transitioners on hanging in there!

This thread is great!

 

[Shalilac]

Hello everyone! I have been trans for 31 wks and counting. I had given up a few weeks ago and changed my mind again. I am determined to stick with it becuz I know how much I loved my natural hair (I was natural for 2 1/2 yrs and it was the bomb ). I plan to trans for a yr and a half. The other 2 times I went natural (yeah, I said 2 ) I bc'ed with a quickness. My hubby was very supportive, but this time he said "no bc!" So I'll ablige him. So I guess I'll see ya'll on da nappy side.

 

[*Happily Me*]

Hello transitioners!

I cut off 2 - 4 inches today! It was impulsive but I doubt I'll have any reqrets. I plan to flexi rod it tonight. I'll post results tomorrow.

 

[MeccaMedinah]

Hello transitioners!

I cut off 2 - 4 inches today! It was impulsive but I doubt I'll have any reqrets. I plan to flexi rod it tonight. I'll post results tomorrow.

Good for you!!!

 

[chocolate01]

Hello transitioners!

I cut off 2 - 4 inches today! It was impulsive but I doubt I'll have any reqrets. I plan to flexi rod it tonight. I'll post results tomorrow.

I think it looks good! Sometime all you need is to get rid of a couple inches and everything will become so much easier. I know when I cut my hair to my shoulders in June the last couple weeks of my transition were so smooth. Continued luck everyone!!

 

[*Happily Me*]

Thanks for the support.

It looks aight. A little too short but I'm sure I'll get used to this.

 

[Premierepearl08]

BBS, thank you so much for this thread! I am debating on whether or not to transition back to natural. The problem is that I *love* my natural hair and I *love* my relaxed hair...decisions, decisions. Well, I'll be praying for some divine enlightenment on this one. Shalilac, I am with you. The hubby said that he doesn't care whether I am natural or relaxed, but no more BC! I relaxed for a change of pace..and because I am not that great a stylist. It seemed as if my hair had stopped growing; people who BC'd after me had longer natural hair than I ever had! I wish that I could have found a *real* natural stylist in Charlotte. Any ideas? By the way, congrats to all of the newly nappy, old skool naps and happy growing to the transitioners!

 

[patient1]

All the best to all of the transitioners! I didn't transition to natural i just chopped. I wish I had known about it...

patient1***

 

[*Happily Me*]

My mom said that my hair was too poofy. I'm like "ma, what do you think hair texture such as mine is going to look like without a relaxer?" Geesh! Then having to get his last word, she says that I should put a scarf on to lay the front/top down.

This dude at work was like "what's up with the fro?"

Gah! I can't get no support out there!

So thankful I can get some love here. Thank you all.

 

[hopeful]

@DSylla :Rose:

You are already beautiful and will be and feel even more so once you are completely natural. Hang in there and keep coming here for support.

 

[lovelymissyoli]

Transitioner checking in here… I need to vent --- bear with me!
​

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t plan on relaxing my hair , but lately I’ve been dealing with some serious dryness (which I think may be due to the products I used this week to deep condition), out of the blue extreme thickness , and hair combativeness all rolled into one!! It’s really been frustrating dealing with this 20% natural, 80% relaxed hair of mine!

To begin, I wore braids for about 2 weeks before I had to take them out. I don’t know what caused this sudden change in my hair, but it has been getting THICKER!! Is this common for naturals? For a minute I thought this was because I was expanding my coils with my fingers, but that wasn’t the case before and after I took down my braids, or when I put flexi rods in my hair last night. My hair was just sooo thick, in fact, I’ve been having a harder time with flexi rods because my hair just keeps expanding! Don’t get me wrong, I want thick hair, but thick hair and relaxed ends are causing me a lot of trouble.

As for the condition of my hair, for some reason it has been getting dryer . I spent 45 minutes detangling my hair and loading it up with conditioner just to detangle, and I still wasn’t able to do it with ease! The dryness involved my natural hair, but the tangles involved my relaxed ends! Anyways, I believe some of this dryness is due to the fact that: 1.) I don’t know of any good moisturizers for my new growth alone while I wear a flexi rod up do; 2.) I believe this particular gel I started using for my sets has been extremely drying, and 3.) some of these products (i.e. conditioners) that I’m using don’t contain very good ingredients. I think I need to research some good moisturizing products for my hair because what I’m using just isn’t cutting it.

Also, in another thread I mentioned something about all of my natural hair not coiling up. Is this common? Yesterday while my hair was damp I was playing in my new growth and decided to do a practice shingling technique. After I applied some gel and moisturizer to this particular section of my hair, twirled it around my fingers, and let it set for a few minutes, I noticed that the top portion of the coil didn’t coil at all. The rest of my hair had coils and loose spirals, but the top portion was just there --- no coil…nothing. Am I experiencing heat damage?

I need to give my hair a break. Right when I get back from vacation I plan to cornrow my hair using my real hair. Wearing cornrows has always helped me retain length and moisturize all my hair completely! Hopefully this will help with some of the problems I’m experiencing. If you ladies have any advice on how to whip my hair back into shape, please share!

Thanks for letting me vent!

-lovelymissyoli​

 

[*Happily Me*]

Hi Lovely, I don't have much advice to offer. In fact, I am experiencing extreme dry hair too. I can definetly relate to your frustration though. Hang in there.
Hopeful - thanks for your kind words and encouragement.

 

[ScandalousBeauty]

I already know about nappturality, but are there any other motivating site out there?? (No forums, I love this one!)

 

[hopeful]

I already know about nappturality, but are there any other motivating site out there?? (No forums, I love this one!)

Try nappyhair.com. Check out the articles section, lots of inspiring stories.

 

[Ms Red]

hey transitioners

i am 18 weeks post and i'm having an issue. i know that my hair is growing and that i still want to be natural. but i feel very discouraged sometimes when i can't see the progressing length of my hair!! because of the shrinkage of the newgrowth, it seems like my hair is not much longer, and also i don't press very often at all so it's hard to see progress.

anybody else going thru (or went thru) this? i don't have any urge to relax or anything, i just get really discouraged when i think that 4 months has only gotten me a little past chin length.

tia, cc

 

[Cheleigh]

i am 18 weeks post and i'm having an issue. i know that my hair is growing and that i still want to be natural. but i feel very discouraged sometimes when i can't see the progressing length of my hair!! because of the shrinkage of the newgrowth, it seems like my hair is not much longer, and also i don't press very often at all so it's hard to see progress.

Maybe someone will have good advice on how to deal with this cupcake. It's funny you are discouraged by it, because I'm invigorated by the same issue--the shorter my hair gets, the more I love it, because it means the more new growth I have, and the closer I am to the BC!

I am also styling my hair with really tight curls, because I want to get used to having shorter hair (I've never had hair shorter than just above my shoulders). My wet set puffs are really a change for me. When I wear it loose, it's been like a lion's mane, which is different too because my hair is so much thicker hair than I've been used to. It's my relaxed hair that's slowly starting to give me the blues (it looks so...blah...compared to my natural hair). I will continue forward.

 

[Shalilac]

I told my hubby that I was really itching to BC and he still said no, but he ageed with my chopping after transitioning for one year! I'm so excited! So I will BCing in Dec. Woo-hoo!!!

 

[onepraying]

hey transitioners

i am 18 weeks post and i'm having an issue. i know that my hair is growing and that i still want to be natural. but i feel very discouraged sometimes when i can't see the progressing length of my hair!! because of the shrinkage of the newgrowth, it seems like my hair is not much longer, and also i don't press very often at all so it's hard to see progress.

anybody else going thru (or went thru) this? i don't have any urge to relax or anything, i just get really discouraged when i think that 4 months has only gotten me a little past chin length.

tia, cc

Hey CC:

I've been going through this exact same thing! I keep telling myself, I'm not really looking for length anymore, but in the back of my mind I KNOW that I am. I've been wanting to do a pressing update and put it side-by-side with the pic in my siggie but I had been just too afraid that I haven't made any progress(the progress I say I'm not looking for, right?...lol) However, I have made up in my mind to go ahead a do a comparison. If I see length: If I don't: There isn't anything I can do about..

As we grow out our relaxer, the ends are getting weaker and weaker. Plus, there is the breakage issue. It's really all about how much length is being retained and your manipulation level. Since I don't cut, I'm waiting on God and He's trimming. I know the ends are breaking off in very small pieces.

I'm basically, concentrating on the day I have more newgrowth than relaxed ends.

I want to be natural and I want long hair. My hair is much healthier now(especially the roots) then ever. So I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that my hair can't do nothing but grow, grow, grow.

Funny thing is, everyone else says my hair is growing except me. Hair anorexia, you gotta love it!

 

[Ms Red]

OnePraying:

You just summed up my thoughts exactly! I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks for the encouragement and lifeline. I am transitioning without the BC and although it gets rough, I cannot WAIT until the day I have a head full of natural hair.

It will truly be a beautiful thing!!!

Hey CC:

I've been going through this exact same thing! I keep telling myself, I'm not really looking for length anymore, but in the back of my mind I KNOW that I am. I've been wanting to do a pressing update and put it side-by-side with the pic in my siggie but I had been just too afraid that I haven't made any progress(the progress I say I'm not looking for, right?...lol) However, I have made up in my mind to go ahead a do a comparison. If I see length: If I don't: There isn't anything I can do about..

As we grow out our relaxer, the ends are getting weaker and weaker. Plus, there is the breakage issue. It's really all about how much length is being retained and your manipulation level. Since I don't cut, I'm waiting on God and He's trimming. I know the ends are breaking off in very small pieces.

I'm basically, concentrating on the day I have more newgrowth than relaxed ends.

I want to be natural and I want long hair. My hair is much healthier now(especially the roots) then ever. So I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that my hair can't do nothing but grow, grow, grow.

Funny thing is, everyone else says my hair is growing except me. Hair anorexia, you gotta love it!