Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread

[kbnax]

Does anyone have any input on these 2 questions? Usually when I start getting breakage, I relax and it's over. I'm struggling on dealing w/ the breakage w/o relaxing. Thanks

How are fine hair 4a/4b's detangling?

Did any of you who weren't already using a seamless comb, find that you had to switch to one to avoid breakage during your transition?

 

[napbella]

MsDee14,
I wore puffs alot, prob 3wks of the month. Also I think shea butter contributed to the prob, being the heavy butter that it is. After awhile the hair in the front looked totally unlike the rest of my 4a/4b hair and looked as though it had been pressed. Really sucked, cuz I had to resort to other styles when I really wanted to flaunt my BAA, but it flopped in the front
:-(

 

[havilland]

Does anyone have any input on these 2 questions? Usually when I start getting breakage, I relax and it's over. I'm struggling on dealing w/ the breakage w/o relaxing. Thanks

I'm 3c, but i think the tips to Deep condition With heat And prepoo are still useful advice. Also, protein will help fortify the demarcation line. And be very very gentle with your hair. Finger comb as much as possible.

As for the seamless combs, I have always used them. So I didn't switch once I started transitioning.

 

[Leslie_C]

Does anyone have any input on these 2 questions? Usually when I start getting breakage, I relax and it's over. I'm struggling on dealing w/ the breakage w/o relaxing. Thanks

kbnax I'm 4b for the most part with fine strands and I think this is something most type 4s struggle with. That is why I think a lot of 4b/4c ladies tend to bc vs long term transition. I have babied my hair more than ever but I always get little hairs I'm the sink etc when I handle it. Im one year post and have quite a bit of all natural hair in the back simply from breakage at the demarcation line. That being said, my hair was damaged when I started transitioning so I'm sure that has an impact bc it was fragile anyway.

I minimize the breakage as much as possible . I CANNOT detangle on soaking wet hair in the shower like some can...ill lose twice as much hair than normal. I prepoo with coconut oil and finger detangle while soaked in oil. Then wash and dc in sections and when I'm out of the shower I apply leave in,etc in sections as well and gently detangle with my shower comb. Im thinking of washing in braids and skipping the comb all together, but I'm worried about matting/webbing.

 

[Deziyah]

Haviland, Thank you soooo much for this post, I am a lil past 6 months and I go back and forth constantly!!! This post really helps to keep me focused and motivated to complete my 2 year transition..

For all the newbies....this is service announcement


At 4 months post I wanted to relax. I coped by telling myself I was "stretching". I could relax anytime I wanted. I WAS ADAMANT THAT I WAS NOT GOING NATURAL.

At 6 months post I SWORE I WAS GONNA RELAX. I kept the relaxer jar on the bathroom sink and stared at it lovingly every day.

At 8 months post all my products revolted. My techniques didn't work anymore. I had to revise my plan, stalk YouTube, stalk fotki, stalk my hair idols, find new natural hair idols, drink lots of wine. LOL

At 10 months post I thought "I can do this! I've lasted this long". I officially announced I was transitioning for 3 years.

At 12 month post I was so proud of myself. I fought through the frustration I was feeling about my hair. (which was acting a hot mess at the time.)

At 14 months post I was ready to shave my head. I bought some half wigs and used them to hide. I hid my tresses for their own good. I didn't trust myself. And I knew I'd regret a chop.

At 16 months post I was back on a roll. It was winter. Humidity was no longer my enemy. I had enough natural hair at this point to feel happy about my progress and start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Now I am 19 months post. My relaxed ends annoy me. But I have more natural hair than relaxed so I ignore the relaxed hair and just try to love her. For she gives me the ponytail and the bun that has become my best ally during this whole long term transition.

I can't believe I prefer natural hair now. Relaxed hair "usually" looks thin and unhealthy to me now. (not always, cus some relaxed heads are gawgus) I am amazed at how much healthier my roots are than my ends. I see now why my thin strands never grew past APL.

My point----YOU can do this. Every day will be different. And every week will bring a new challenge. And some days you will want to cut all your hair off, other days you will want to relax. Investigate your options. Stick to your goal and Know you are not alone.

 

[kbnax]

Leslie_C that sounds a lot like what I'm dealing with. I was thinking of skipping the comb all together myself but had the same concerns as you. I keep getting breakage even with the DC's and protein treatments. I'm thinking of getting a new leave in and see if that helps. I'm using kimmaytube's leave in now since I use it for my daughter but I'm thinking of trying Rusk smoother or any good detangling leave in I guess. I think that will help some.

Thanks a lot...now I don't feel as bad, lol

 

[hnntrr]

So I knowwww its not good to hair type while having straight ends. I knoww. But i still wanna see maybe what you guys think cause I have no idea what curl pattern this could turn into.

What do you think? All it does is this wave; it hasnt curled in on itself (prolly cause the straight end) unless I manually curl it. Should I do a test spot somewhere in my head to see how it reacts/ how should I to about picking a test patch.

Sorry I have so many of these questions, I feel bad asking cause i feel annoying.

 

[havilland]

Me and my fav half wig Today. I am sooooo hiding my hair til summer!

 

[Dayjoy]

So I knowwww its not good to hair type while having straight ends. I knoww. But i still wanna see maybe what you guys think cause I have no idea what curl pattern this could turn into.

What do you think? All it does is this wave; it hasnt curled in on itself (prolly cause the straight end) unless I manually curl it. Should I do a test spot somewhere in my head to see how it reacts/ how should I to about picking a test patch.

Sorry I have so many of these questions, I feel bad asking cause i feel annoying.

I think you'll need a little more new growth to see. I think your siggy said you are eight weeks post. I'm going back a little here, but from what I remember, my eight week post hair didn't tell me nothin'. Give yourself another couple of months and I think you'll have enough new hair to get a better idea.

 

[Mjon912]

kbnax hey I'm 4a, I think, it feels/looks like I am anyway... I prepoo with oils and honey making sure to get the honey on my roots...THIS IS A GOD-SEND FOR ME I'm not 100% sure if its the oil or honey, doing so for hours (overnight or under the dryer), but my hair is much more manageable. Also after I've doused my hair in my oil/honey mix I smooth it in like a relaxer...
Also when I deep condition I leave that on for hours as well and add a clear rinse, I've only been doing the rinse for the last few washes but I noticed it makes detangling a breeze, I apply the mix like a relaxer as well and wash it out in the shower so the water is pushing my hair down...
I'm only 6months post but my hair will snap and break right where the relaxed and natural hair meet... I seriously go through the whole process (and I rollerset &flat iron) with next to no breakage

And for your other question, I have a wide tooth seamless comb I use and one that's not seamless, so far Ive been switching between the 2 indiscriminately and don't notice a difference in breakage

Deziyah we need to be transitioning buddies girl! I'm 6months post as well

 

[kbnax]

Mjon912 Thanks! You know I use honey and oil in my daughter's (natural) DC but never thought to add the honey for mine. I will try that too. I will make sure to start back doing the overnight DC's too because I didn't have as much breakage when I did. I will start incorporating these on my next wash and see how it goes.

 

[havilland]

Mjon912 Thanks! You know I use honey and oil in my daughter's (natural) DC but never thought to add the honey for mine. I will try that too. I will make sure to start back doing the overnight DC's too because I didn't have as much breakage when I did. I will start incorporating these on my next wash and see how it goes.

COSIGN!!! I swear deep conditioning on a weekly or twice weekly basis is the only way to get through long term transition.

I tried every other week with daily moisturizing. It was a fail. I hve no breakage at all since I committed to deep conditioning at least once a week.

 

[Rae81]

I need to read this thread and get some deep condition recommendations

sent from my galaxy

 

[uofmpanther]

Does anyone have any input on these 2 questions? Usually when I start getting breakage, I relax and it's over. I'm struggling on dealing w/ the breakage w/o relaxing. Thanks

I usually detangle on damp hair. After I wash, I put a T-shirt on my hair for about 5-10 mins. That is usually enough to get it just damp. I can't detangle on wet or dry hair. The other option for me to get it damp enough to detangle is to spritz with my oil and water mix.

For me, I need to detangle before putting in leave-in. Most leave-ins make it harder for me to detangle, and most leave-ins are not that effective for me anyway. Now, most times, I use conditioner as my leave in. The few exceptions include Kinky Kurly knot today or the shealoe leave-in.

 

[niaelyse]

So I washed yesterday and lost 3 times the amount of hair I normally do. I'm just starting out so this really scares me. I also noticed a small patch of breakage in my crown area. I know I need to moisturize more , hair is super dry.

Sigh......

 

[amwcah]

I have a job interview coming up soon. Is it okay to wear cornrows or should I just wear a wig(Mommie wig).

The cornrow style is like the photo.

 

[Leslie_C]

I have a job interview coming up soon. Is it okay to wear cornrows or should I just wear a wig(Mommie wig).

The cornrow style is like the photo.

amwcah if it were me I would wig it to be on the safe side... you only get one chance to make a first impression and some people consider cornrows to be unprofessional. I would rock the style you posted no problem after I got the job though.

 

[hnntrr]

I left my hair up in a bun last night in stretched out bantu knots. It actually turned out pretty nice, I just had to fluff up my bun. Going to try low manipulation styles and keep bunning. The NG texture and my relaxed texture is still pretty much the same regardless of it being 'curly' or straight. Hopefully this test transition will go well.

 

[Deziyah]

Mjon912 Sounds good to me!!!! Girl I have been pre pooing too and love how my hair feels after I'm done dc'ing but its the moisturizing process that I still need to get better on, idk if I am not putting in enough leave-in or what but when my hair dry its like hay!!!

I just got the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus line, tomorrow I am going to co-wash and flat twist and pray for the best because I am sooo tired of trying things and they're not working

I joined the APL '13 Challenge just to give my self an interim goal because this 2 year transition is tough!!!

 

[havilland]

Mjon912 Sounds good to me!!!! Girl I have been pre pooing too and love how my hair feels after I'm done dc'ing but its the moisturizing process that I still need to get better on, idk if I am not putting in enough leave-in or what but when my hair dry its like hay!!!

I just got the Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus line, tomorrow I am going to co-wash and flat twist and pray for the best because I am sooo tired of trying things and they're not working

I joined the APL '13 Challenge just to give my self an interim goal because this 2 year transition is tough!!!

What are you using to moisturize? Are you sealing with oil? If so, what oil?

 

[havilland]

Today I did my 6 week aphogee two step treatment. My hair felt like strong silk after I rinsed it out. I am going to blow it out and flat iron tomorrow. I may want to trim the ends.

 

[Napp]

I actually did a protien treatment today too! Haviland

I did a intense reconstructive treatment with my new ultrasonic conditioning tool. my hair feels like i can pull a car with it

I want to rebuild my hairs lost protien and minimize the breakage in my weaker areas. i think i may be doing this weekly for a while. the only thing is that it takes so long and i don't have the time to keep my hair straight and rebuild my hair. I think i may have to wear my hair unstraightened for a while.

 

[MzRhonda]

Me and my fav half wig Today. I am sooooo hiding my hair til summer!

I lurv that half wig........which one is it. It looks so natural.

 

[havilland]

I lurv that half wig........which one is it. It looks so natural.

Tammy by outré

 

[havilland]

Trimmed about an inch off my ends after I flat ironed. I attached a before and after shot. 'Scuse my face. It was 6am..... Yuck

My hair looks and feels great but it has no movement. It is really stiff at the roots. I guess I hve so much natural hair now that I need to change up my flat iron products a bit.

I won't flat iron again for about 3 months. I will skip the joico smoothing balm and see how that works. I may even try roller setting it to stretch instead of air drying in twists. Who knows? Another natural hair mystery I am going to have to unlock.

Meanwhile I am still just grazing BSL. So my strategy to maintain this length is working. I am slowly trimming away the relaxed/texlaxed hair.

 

[Leslie_C]

I actually did a protien treatment today too! Haviland

I did a intense reconstructive treatment with my new ultrasonic conditioning tool. my hair feels like i can pull a car with it

I want to rebuild my hairs lost protien and minimize the breakage in my weaker areas. i think i may be doing this weekly for a while. the only thing is that it takes so long and i don't have the time to keep my hair straight and rebuild my hair. I think i may have to wear my hair unstraightened for a while.

Napp...what is the ultrasonic tool? And what kind of reconstructing product did you use? I noticed a little breakage at my crown and want to nip it in the bud...so frustrating when I protective style and dont use heat and still end up with breakage...

 

[Napp]

Napp...what is the ultrasonic tool? And what kind of reconstructing product did you use? I noticed a little breakage at my crown and want to nip it in the bud...so frustrating when I protective style and dont use heat and still end up with breakage...

it is a heatless tool that uses ultrasonic and infrared technology to infuse the hair with protien and moisture. it is really cool! sometimes i put some water on the iron just to see it vaporize! they usually cost $200 so i got the much cheaper off brand Chinese version

Im not too sure about the moisture part, but when i use it with a protien treatment i feel like it works better than if i just sat with it on with heat.
I don't see many actual reviews on it so right now I am testing it out to see if it is really effective or just another gimmick.

I used QOD keratin ( not the keratin treatment) I really like it but it is so expensive. i bought the liter at $50. it makes my curls snap back every time i use heat so i don't think i want to go without it!

 

[MsDee14]

I did a Henna and Indigo treatment last night since I am trying to get my hair jet-black by the time I BC.
To style my hair, I did a twist-n-curl(pic attached). I will probably put jumbo twists in my hair tomorrow and rock them all week. Trying to reduce manipulation.

 

[havilland]

I can really see the difference in my texlaxed vs my natural hair's density, sheen, shine, thickness and durability.

You can really see how the strand changes from root to tip. There is a big difference to me that I can clearly see where my natural hair ends and my texlaxed hair begins. Even though the entire strand is straightened and had the same products on it.

This journey has really taught me alot about why my hair never retained length as a bonelaxed head and why my thin/ fine strands eventually disintegrate even when I cut back on chems and started texlaxing! I wish I had photos like this from when I was bonelaxed. I bet i would be stunned.

Y'all 'scuse me. I'm in picture takin mode.

 

[Dayjoy]

I have the same thing going on. My straightened natural hair is thicker and has more body than my texlaxed ends too. I went to the salon Wednesday and one of my hair stylist's assistants that hasn't seen me in months said, "Wow, your hair has so much more body than I remember." I had to remind him that I now have 14 months of new growth on my head as opposed to the 3 he had his hands in the last time he washed my hair.