TRANSITIONERS: WHY AREN'T YOU NATURAL YET?

poookie

Well-Known Member
this also goes for those who are on the fence about transitioning.

what's keeping you from being natural, RIGHT this second?


for me... i'm SO in love with the texture of my new growth. and i would LOVE to rock a BAA with my 4a spiral coils!!!

BUT... i can't wait! literally! as much as i enjoy my natural texture, i know that my primary goal is length, so BCing would me detrimental towards my mental health. also, i know transitioning without the BC is an option, but braids thinned out my edges, weave killed my ends, and i'd prefer to wear my hair out through the entire process without looking crazy.

transitioners (and those that are on the fence like me :) )what's YOUR story??

and i'd love to hear from naturals that were on the fence, but took the plunge!!



(someone inspire me to transition, please!!!)

:grin:
 
for one, my ng is way too short.

also i want to enjoy some length right now.

im gonna transition for as long as i can
 
Well, I'm 11 mos post texlax and I am slowly cutting away the texlaxed ends, which there wasn't much of in the first place due to the fact that I was always a major stretcher in between ranging anywhere from 4-7 mos. I think if I was transitioning from bone straight, I'd have more of an issue and would probably BC now but coming from a texlax, for me, there's isn't a MAJOR texture difference. Just now my virgin hair curls up so pretty and those few ends are looser. Simply stated, I don't wanna cut it all off right now. I'm either wearing buns, straight looks or rollersets now that it's cooler so it doesn't make me any difference. I plan on re-evaluating on my anniversary 11/13, but if I stick w/the transition I plan being completely natural by my b-day in the spring. Maybe.
 
I'm just not really ready to commit right now. My hair is much lower maintenance being relaxed. Also like you I just can't wait right now. I have two small children and I just don't have anymore energy to put into my hair then I already do. One day I do plan to go natural all the way.
 
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This thread is right on time. I am contemplating transitioning and would like to hear stories of others. I think the main reason for me not taking the plunge and committing to it is lack of knowledge on how to do it, and not want to pull out my hair! My sis went about 4 months and then did the BC. She just had no interest in doing all the stuff required to take care of both textures. I honestly don't know if I could do it with out the transition and have a little bit of length. I think my head would look funny :) Her hair was short but it looked good on her! So hearing from people that have transitioned for extended amount of times is helpful as i research what i need to do to have a successful long transition period.
 
I think it has to do with how much hair you have right now. I have always been shoulder length, so cutting all my relaxed hair last December was no biggie :rolleyes: (I transitioned for only 3 months - I couldn't take the 2 different textures.). My hair never grew past this length, so I thought, "What could it hurt?"

Fast forward 10 months later and it's between NL and SL. I know one thing: my hair has grown faster!

I can understand if you have longer than SL hair, it might be hard to part with the length, but for me it was like hanging on to a frayed rope!
 
I like length and i am impatient basically. I would be hanging on to my relaxed ends three years from now and that would be just too much on my hair but I wouldn't cut for nothing.

Also, breakage is an issue. I'm on my 11th week and i thought of transitioning to texlaxed but i just can't do it. This natural and straight hair aren't trying to work together and its driving me crazy. I have tried everything but my natural hair is far too coily and detangling 4a hair with relaxed hair is a pain.
 
I have no interest in a BC or a twa. I'm just cutting out the relaxed ends as I go, inch at a time to retain my current length. I've been natural before, so I'm enjoying these relaxed ends for as long as I can. My goal is an apl twistout, so one day when I get there totally natural great. Until then, chillin'.
 
I have no interest in a BC or a twa. I'm just cutting out the relaxed ends as I go, inch at a time to retain my current length. I've been natural before, so I'm enjoying these relaxed ends for as long as I can. My goal is an apl twistout, so one day when I get there totally natural great. Until then, chillin'.

can't do that look - it's not for me. I already feel I lost my sexy with my busy lifestyle, can't walk arould feeling like I look like a nappy man.-- like another poster said: would be detrimental to my mental health.
 
I'm waiting on more growth.

I had my hair cut again this past Thursday (cutting away relaxed hair slowly but surely).

I've been transitioning for almost a year. Time sure does fly.


 
I am 11 months into my transistion and I've been contemplating going for it here lately.

I will probably cut off all relax ends this time next year, my 2 year natural anniversary.
I want to be able to still bun after I cut so length is important for me.

I am in love with my texture and the softness. I know I made the right decision.
 
This is a good thread. I haven't done the BC because I don't want to rock the twa. My head is WAY too big for it. Also, I like length to my hair so like others have said, i will continue this "gradual" transition.
 
I don't have the patience to "do" my hair everyday. Being APL means I can sweep it up into a bun for days at a time - no worries. I'm 9 1/2 months post, so I don't have enough NG for a bun or pony yet. Plus, now that it's getting cooler I can't WnG and have a wet head in the morning, all that extra hair keeps my head warm!

I will probably do it this summer though. I think once it is hot I will be itching to cut. :yep:
 
Well, after coming out of braids yesterday I was on the verge of a BC but I really want more length. I'm 7 months post and APL. Right now I guess you could say I'm holding on to the relaxed ends as a security blanket. :look:I can rock phony ponies, buns, braidouts. If I chop I'm going to have a TWA and then what?:blush: So even though I really wanna be natural I know waiting it out is better for me. I did chop an inch off and that really helped with the tangles though. :rolleyes:
 
My issue was length like a lot of the other ladies here as well. I had sworn I would never go back to short hair. But after taking down a weave and looking at a head full of knots and tangles and NG that was not willing to get straight:wallbash:...off to the salon I went. Chop Chop!! And here I am natural!!:wiggle: My only regret is that I waited so long to do it:spinning:
 
I had the same concerns as many ladies and wanted to keep my length. I also promised myself I would not BC until I was completely ready. Last winter, at 11 months post I experienced really bad breakage, and still did not BC until May. I think being able to do things at your own speed is the best thing about a transition because for me it was a mental as well as a physical change.

My hair was steamed and straightened every 2 weeks for the first 6-7 months then I wore twist extensions for about 4-5 months. Then buns and cornrows until I BC'd.
 
Thought I was all alone with this thought….”Why am I still NOT natural?”
  • Lack of patience
  • B/C’d to early, and wasn’t ready for the “look”
  • Mentally trained to relax, no not chill out but PERM OUT my new growth.
  • Wasn’t mentally ready! But now that I am I’m feeling the determination the transition-round 4!
  • Wasn’t feeling sexy/cute! Realized now that the conservative look that I had with all str8 hair stop working for the big hair. I changed up the accessories, make-up, outfits, shoes etc…reflective of my future “natural” big hair
  • Held on to str8 hair for the sake of what the people would say, got past this and now I’m here transitioning with no turning back
  • The “unknown” of how long it would take to transition, how long my hair would be, etc….
  • Wasn’t loving “me” but I’m good now and I feel free to let my hair “BE”
C’mon ladies share your story!

**Thanks for the thread, we 3, 4, 5 time transitioners need support!!
:grin:
 
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For me it's the fact that i don't know what i would look like with short hair. I have a big head and strong facial features and i don't know how that would mix with short hair, lol. And everyone would think I'm crazy for chopping "all that pretty long hair off." Heard that my entire life. But it's about me not them, however it's hard not to hear that in the back of my head. It's been about 10 months and i'm going to try to go 18-24 months.
 
for one, my ng is way too short.

also i want to enjoy some length right now.

im gonna transition for as long as i can
exactly what she said. I also wanna get my health up to par so my hair can grow as fast and thick as possible with as little breakage as possible.
 
can't do that look - it's not for me. I already feel I lost my sexy with my busy lifestyle, can't walk arould feeling like I look like a nappy man.-- like another poster said: would be detrimental to my mental health.

I just bust out laughing at work!!! :lachen: Too funny!

I held on to my relaxed ends for almost a year. I was scared to have super short hair. I did the BC and ended up with short hair anyway. I hated it and now that its longer I feel more normal again. As normal as I can be anyway :spinning:
 
I'm not fully natural because I dont' want to cut my hair any time soon. I'm trying to see if I can make it to WL in this lifetime.
 
After BCing 8 times in haste and relaxing due to not knowing what to do with my hair, I've decided to really take the time to physically and mentally transition. It is doing me a world of good because I am learning what I did wrong my past natural tries. I did everything a natural woman should not do to their hair and now I actually feel like I will be able to care for and style my natural hair when I BC. I need to be focused though I want to BC ASAP. I want to do something different this natural journey. I don't want to start with a TWA. I'd like to have more style option because I can't wash n go in the winter. I live in NY!:nono:
 
Didn't do the BC because of damaged hairlines. I did however cut off most of my perm before going into braids. Before I rebraid (in the next 3 wks) I think I'm going to chop off all the perm (I think). I already undid 4 braids and cut the relaxed ends, just for a sneak preview, it was so exciting lol!
 
I hope to. If I can't handle it, I will texlax. My relaxed hair was over processed and didn't hold a curl well. I should have done my hair, myself. Lesson learned.:ohwell:


You can do it!!! I want to also, I only have like 1-2 inches to go and I will be Natural again, My texlax hair is just like my natural hair so It is kind of like what was the use, But I know as the natural hair gets longer it gets alot better, If you keep on Transitioning, I will do it with you, It will only take me a few months.

I also was tired of the Twa, I think that is what makes me Relax, doing a BC is tough on some, It is like you have to wear that same style for at least 6 months, unless you get brauds or sew ins. But at first I was all excited but that Twa excitement wore off and I wanted something different.

Never had an issue with my texture, knots etc. It was always length.
 
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