Transitioners support thread

[BklynHeart]

I'm really upset girls. I need help! I'm 8 months post (and was trying for a 16 month transition)
my hair looks retarded out curly, and I can't braid it up (due to work), for some reason it's not holding the pattern when i braidout/twistout, and flatironing all summer long will do major damage....
Any suggestions on how I can cope w/o having to BC?!

You can get some small rollers and put those on the ends of your braidout/twistout. This way they'll be hidden and will blend in better with the natural hair.

It's been 15 months for me, but I plan to cut the rest of the length off in May.

 

[ResultsMayVary]

Checking in .. 11 weeks post .. feeling good .. looking great .... thanks to a partial sew in though

 

[sunnydaze]

I am at week 51. My one year nappiversary will be on the 15th.

I cut about three inches off a couple weeks ago, so I cannot do my bun as seen in my avatar anymore..right now I am sporting a frizzy/curly phony pony most days...

Looking at my hair wet..all I can say is the bottom half of my hair that is relaxed looks really sad and tired compared to my natural hair shooting out.

I do need to come up with some other options in terms of styling..its too humid down here to bother with blowing it out..

 

[Caramela]

I am almost 4 months post (It might be 4.5 since I can't remember the exact date I relaxed last) It's not that difficult managing the NG but I'm still on the fence regarding relaxing it. It would be SO much easier for me to just BC and grow that way, but since that isn't an option, I might be relaxing at the end of the month.

 

[Luxurious12]

I hope it is not to late to join but I am into my second month of transitioning and I am seriously thinking about relaxing. The problem is I had tight cornrows a while back that removed some of my hair on the side. My hair was already fine, and now that I am transitioning I have new growth all over except in that spot. If that hair grows back then that will be fine but it is just fine baby hairs.

My hairdresser advised that if i go natural then the hair in that spot might grow back. Has anyone that has transitioned or is transitioned had this kind of dilemma. Please help, I want my hair to be healthy and if i go natural then I know it will be healthy. What can I do or what should I do?

I would definitely go natural if I were you. It is not easy to transition, but it is worth it. When I was getting myy hair relaxed, my hair line broke off quiite a bit, bt now my hairline has filled out a lot. I have been transitioning for 25 weeks now and it can be a pain, but at the same time it is a great experieence. Good luck!

 

[Chanel's Tresses]

6 months post checking in. The next few months will be hard for me. Making it to 6 months was not a problem because I only texlaxed twice a year anyway. Its just at 6 months is usually when I became frustrated with my new growth. I have been getting dominican blowouts about once every 3 or 4 weeks and then wearing my hair curly in a ponytail or bannana clip the rest of the time. Coconut Oil and Cowashes have helped me a lot but some days my hair still feels really dry. I only wash once every two weeks with shampoo and the first few days after that my hair always feels dry. I did a mini chop of about 2 inches as you can see in my avatar. I think I will do that every 6 months at least.

 

[Seeking8Rights]

I think I will be transitioning....

This is really a hard decision to make because of my fears of how I will be percieved (especially in the workplace).

I don't want to cut my hair, so I guess I don't really know where to start.

All I do know is that my new growth can be difficult to handle and shedding scares me.

But, I do want to have my natural hair back.

**faints now**

 

[Tiffchelle22]

Hi Ladies! Just checking in again. I *almost* ended this transition yesterday, at 16 weeks post. I even bought the relaxer - much to hubby's chagrin. But I decided to stick with it. I did flat iron and give myself a small trim. It was getting kinda tough, but I'm gonna sell that relaxer and keep on going. I really do like how thick my hair is getting without relaxing, so I know it will be worth it in the end. Hope all is going well with all of you.

 

[justsimply]

Just wanted to say I'm still hanging in there. Although the transition got easier after about 12 weeks, I decided to do kinky twist about 5 weeks ago and I'm loving it . It's my first time doing this with added hair. Five weeks is long for me so I'm thinking of the next hair style, as I plan to take these down this weekend. It has been sooooo convenient though. But I have to do a "hair health" check. I'm trying to take good care of my hair while in the twists (moisturizing, washing, etc), but I don't want to be 10 weeks in to find that I wasn't doing enough. I figure I'll take these out, see what's up with my hair for a couple of weeks and then if all is well do this again (or braids) for a longer period...kind of like extending your stretches longer each time.

 

[NinasLongAmbition]

Transitioners what heat protectants do you use, and frequent flat ironers has it put a toll on your hair success. Frequent meaning twice a month.

 

[ResultsMayVary]

12wks post ... & i flat iron every night when i return from the gym .. i need MAJOR help

 

[InNeedofHairapy]

I'm struggling with wanting to be all natural and continuing in this seemingly endless transition. It's been 17 months (and a week) since my last relaxer, and I'm ready to just do my BC already . It's not that my transition has been hard or anything, I'm just impatient, I think and ready to see what my 'real' hair looks lik

Maybe I'll do a mini chop. I haven't done one in a couple of months. That might help my itchy trimming finger

 

[adf23]

I'm struggling with wanting to be all natural and continuing in this seemingly endless transition. It's been 17 months (and a week) since my last relaxer, and I'm ready to just do my BC already . It's not that my transition has been hard or anything, I'm just impatient, I think and ready to see what my 'real' hair looks lik

Maybe I'll do a mini chop. I haven't done one in a couple of months. That might help my itchy trimming finger

How long are you trying to transition for?

 

[Ebony Majesty]

12wks post ... & i flat iron every night when i return from the gym .. i need MAJOR help

Have you tried flat twisting or cornrowing the front of your hair?

 

[InNeedofHairapy]

How long are you trying to transition for?

2 years...I didn't really have a plan when I 1st started to transition. My 1st 3 months post relaxer were a stretch that turned into another 9 months of not relaxing my hair b/c I was pregnant. The last 4 months have been me going back and forth on wanting to be relaxed and natural....but I really don't know what I want at this point. I just want healthy hair

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

I just discovered something, some of ya'll might already know this, but I didn't and I'mma share anyway

I'm currently 27 weeks post and detageling has never really been a problem but sometimes it seems like my conditioner isn't doing anything to my hair, until I bought Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo. Man, that ish is the truth. I washed my hair with it and slapped on some conditioner and my hair has never been this easy to detangle..boy oh boy.
So, I guess the reason is that I had too much product build-up and this shampoo solved the problem! So if you have issues with your contidioner not doing the job, you might wanna try this shampoo...

Well that is it for my little epiphany

 

[lareese*monay]

LOTS and LOTS of breakage

So I've been lurking around for awhile trying to pick up tips and tricks for me, my mom and my sister(we have all decided to go natural) and I went out and got some new shampoo and as well as some essential oils. I had been co washing my hair every two days and wearing a wash and go but when I recently washed my hair and detangled it, I lost a good amount of hair. If I didn't have such thick hair I would have been freaking out, well I admit I was a little freaked out by all the hair coming out but I calmed my self by thinking it's just hair it'll grown back but I don't know what I'm doing wrong

Besides that I have been having a lot of breakage and I have no idea what to do because my hair seems every soft and moisterized so i'm confused

 

[ChrissyB]

lareese*monay,
Maybe your hair is TOO moisturized. The protein/moisture balance of your hair might be off. You could try an aphogee treatment (hardcore protein) or maybe a conditioner that specifically says that it is a protein conditioner.

It's cute that you are transitioning along with your mom and sis!!

 

[Elkaye]

I need a bit of advice on braids.

For the first time, I am wearing my hair in braids and loving it! Every other night I oil my scalp with pure coconut oil mixed with a few drops rosemary oil, and I moisturize the braids when needed. I've also washed my hair in the braids a couple of times without any problems.

The only thing is I have no clue when the braids should be removed. They were put in about three weeks ago, and they still look pretty good. There is a bit of new growth showing at the roots, but it doesn't look too bad to me. In your opinion, how long should braids be left in hair? A month or more? Or am I suppose to wait until they look bad?

 

[SEMO]

12wks post ... & i flat iron every night when i return from the gym .. i need MAJOR help

First of all, (((HUGS))). I can sense your frustration, but everyone hits roadblocks like this at one time in their transition . Just remember, this is only a temporary situation. One day your transition will be over.

Also, unless you're really partial to keeping your hair straight, I would recommend you try wearing a braid out. After you work out you could rinse your hair (to get rid of any salt from sweating), cowash (for moisture), then twist or braid your hair in like 8 sections. When your hair is dry you can unbraid it and wear your hair wavy/curly or sleek it back into a cute ponytail .

Let me know how this goes if you decide to try it.

P.S.
V05 is a great, cheap conditioner to use for a cowash, and Garnier Fructis curl and shine leave in is a great, light, daily moisturizer. I can PM you later some tips I learned for cowashing, if you need them let me know.

 

[Whimsy]

HI girls,

Just checking in w/ a lil update.
So in March I did a good cut, got rid of about 4 inches of texlaxed hair in the back and cut 4-8 inches of hair off to make layers all throughout (pic in avatar)

I had a lil breakdown thinking about what the summer months would be like seeing as though all I do is wash n go's in the summer, and now I cannot. BUT I'm just going to keep on doing my weekly wash/maxiglide session until the end of the year. For the weeks that I go on vacation, I'll just get my hair braided. Simple Solution.

I'm 8 months post, this is the longest I've transitioned!! last time, I BCed after 6 months. I'm going until the end of the year!

Good luck ladies!!!

 

[aloof one]

I did texturize a while back but I have over an inch of NG so I'm back into transitioning again...

My hair is the same length as it was back when I started, but its thicker and I don't have hilights. I think I'll do better now since I know how to take care of my hair Plus the demarcation is a lot easier now that its between texturized and natural hair instead of relaxed and natural. A lot less breakage and a lot easier to style now.

I will BC the fully relaxed hair this year and all the texturized hair hopefully next year.. I hope!

 

[cupcakes]

hello everyone... its official i am transitioning and so excited. i plan on gradually cutting off the relaxed ends . i am bsl now and hopefully by the end of my transition i will be a little past apl unstretched. my hair grows an inch per month so that is my plan. im starting off with almost 2 inches of NG, wish me luck!

 

[jaded_faerie]

May 1st will make 6 months.
everything is going well. I've been protective styling, but i think once exams and classes are done i will start wearing my hair out.
im loving my hair so far!

however im torn between bleaching my hair this summer or sticking with the jet back? ahhh

 

[ResultsMayVary]

One day I am in hair heaven then the next hair heck,

13 weeks post
So I gave up the partial sew ins cuz my hair new growth wasn't allowing my hair to fall properly.
Then I tried a bun and it looked like a hot mess,
then I tried a twist out and it looked like a royal mess,
then I tried bantu knots and it looked like a frizzy mess.

So now I am stuck with no style, no hope, and nothing to do. My hair is wet, wrapped up, and chillin ..

Just needed to vent ... Thanks

 

[SignatureBeauty]

I am transitioning out of this Texlax I have, I have about 2 more inches to go and my hair will be all natural and back to where it started, I am not cutting the two inches because my hair is short and I will like to gain those 2 inches before cutting, The texlax is making it easier to transition and you can't even tell where it starts or end, I just do wash n go's and rollersets, I will say by july I should be all natural

 

[lollyoo]

just checking in
8 month post on the 14th of April. only 1in trim since december. doing ok.
currently in braids.
how's everone doing?

 

[Christa438]

That's It! I can't take it no more. I am sick sick sick sick sick of self-relaxing/texlaxing and I dont trust stylists at all (always ignored my warning that my scalp is extrmely sensitive). The only solution for me is to go natural. I know it's the right thing to do now instead of later. Seeing as how Im already FED UP and hating the way the texlaxing is going. I will be sticking to co-washing and growing out my hair without BC (will cut gradually at later time, I worked too hard for this lil length ). I had been thinking about this for a while and my unhappiness with my last texlax this morning is a BIG BIG Sign that I need to go ahead and get my tail on board the natural boat. Im feeling happier and excited already! Glad to get all that out

 

[divya]

That's It! I can't take it no more. I am sick sick sick sick sick of self-relaxing/texlaxing and I dont trust stylists at all (always ignored my warning that my scalp is extrmely sensitive). The only solution for me is to go natural. I know it's the right thing to do now instead of later. Seeing as how Im already FED UP and hating the way the texlaxing is going. I will be sticking to co-washing and growing out my hair without BC (will cut gradually at later time, I worked too hard for this lil length ). I had been thinking about this for a while and my unhappiness with my last texlax this morning is a BIG BIG Sign that I need to go ahead and get my tail on board the natural boat. Im feeling happier and excited already! Glad to get all that out

Congrats! Welcome to our world!

 

[Christa438]

Congrats! Welcome to our world!

So sweet...Thank you.

I called my sister and told her to come pick up the collection relaxer, neutralizing poo, moisturizing conditioner...I told her if she doesn't get it, i'll throw it in the trash because a few months from now if things get difficult, i don't want any temptation around. She mositurizes her hair all the time. She just needs to learn to stretch a couple of more weeks to avoid all that damage. I also plan to tell her about using protein because I don't think she does it. i wish she'd go natural with me but I know not to open my mouth to ask her caus she'll look at me like I have lost my mind .