Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread

[OneShinyface]

Today marks one year post relaxer!!!! I'm just so proud of myself for not caving. I didn't even decide this was my path/journey until last summer.

I'd been relaxed since I was 18, right before I headed away to college. My longest stretch was 6 months back in 2007 when I was on Accutane for the second time and I thought it was a piece of cake even though I was waist length then.

November/December were pretty rough for me, but now, I. GOT. THIS.

My edges are growing back in thanks to my mixture of half saw palmetto (I squeeze it out of liqui-gels) and half and JBCO. Detangling is a breeze thanks to sectioning in braids and pre-pooing with Salerm Wheat Germ then cowashing with Tresemme Moisturizing Condish weekly.

Life is great!

 

[moniq]

I attempted a braidout for the first time since this summer. I prefer bantu knot outs but I can't sleep in them without having a major headache. I ended up putting it in a bun. Here are a few pictures:

 

[blue_flower]

How old were you all when you got a relaxer? Do you remember your natural hair before transitioning?

I talked to my mom and aunt about this over the past few days, because although I was 12 when I got my relaxer, I really don't remember my natural hair. I remember the poof! lol. I just remember not being allowed to touch my hair, or anything. That was left to the adults. The reason I wanted a relaxer so bad was to be able to do my own hair!

I was 6 or 7 when I got my first relaxer. When I was 11 my mom didn't maintain my relaxed hair. I had a lot of new growth and noticed that it was 3b-ish mainly up front. I was surprised because I assumed I was generally nappy. I've been natural twice- this is the third- so I now know that I have multiple textures.

 

[caliscurls]

I've been lurking here for awhile mainly because I'm stretching my relaxer, but now that I've hit 13 weeks post I'm starting to contemplate transitioning. Haven't even been relaxed a full year the more my natural curls come through the more I realize how much I miss having them as an option

QB BRBC and Curls Souffle are keeping my ng in check in the mean time

 

[Leslie_C]

First day of spring sounds like a good bc date...hmmmmm....

 

[kbnax]

Ok ladies I need your help. I'm at my wits end right now. My hair is constantly breaking and I have no idea why. I stay DC'ing w/ moisture and protein. Now, I haven't done a hard protein since January (Aphogee 2step) but it was still breaking then too. My hair feels good up until after the DC. I've been trying to find a leave in that works for me. Detangling is when I lose most of the hair. I tried doing it damp, in the shower, dry but moisturized and it still comes out. My new growth is a crunchy mess also. Every time I moisturize it's fine but later on it mats back up from the wetness of the moisture and then drys out. So I basically lost hair detangling for no reason, because as soon as I moisturize it mats back together. I have not lost this much hair before and Idk what to do.

 

[hnntrr]

Not expecting a huge leap in length from only having braids in for 3ish weeks.
But I bought Nubian heritage EVOO & Moringa Repair & Extend Conditioner (20% off yay!). Hoping to use as a protein conditioner after I take these braids out.

Has anyone used this as a protein conditioner before? If you have did you like it? I am saving the recipet and I have another week and a half before I am going to use it so if its not a good protein conditioner then I can go grab somethin else.

 

[havilland]

Ok ladies I need your help. I'm at my wits end right now. My hair is constantly breaking and I have no idea why. I stay DC'ing w/ moisture and protein. Now, I haven't done a hard protein since January (Aphogee 2step) but it was still breaking then too. My hair feels good up until after the DC. I've been trying to find a leave in that works for me. Detangling is when I lose most of the hair. I tried doing it damp, in the shower, dry but moisturized and it still comes out. My new growth is a crunchy mess also. Every time I moisturize it's fine but later on it mats back up from the wetness of the moisture and then drys out. So I basically lost hair detangling for no reason, because as soon as I moisturize it mats back together. I have not lost this much hair before and Idk what to do.

You may need a moisturizer with less water in it. Try oil rinsing. After deep conditioning. Then stretching your hair to dry. Stretch that mew growth so it dries without curling up. and Don't apply anymore moisture. The oil rinse will seal in the moisture.

Also it may be your products. For example. Shea moisture repair conditioner made my hair feel like burnt straw. I never hated a conditioner so much.

Maybe it's time to change products.

 

[havilland]

hnntrr I never tried that before. Do a review if u use it. Let us know how it is. Where'd u purchase it?


Here's today's hair. I'm bunning and wiggin til summer. I need to find a deep condish tomorrow so I can do my hair.

 

[hnntrr]

hnntrr I never tried that before. Do a review if u use it. Let us know how it is. Where'd u purchase it?


Here's today's hair. I'm bunning and wiggin til summer. I need to find a deep condish tomorrow so I can do my hair.

We will see, the ingredients look nice no cones no sulphates and lots of fluffy smelling things and it had a few different proteins. Going to be really careful though and leave in only for about a minute and then see how it goes. Will write a review on it when I use it.

And I got it from CVS. The CVS near me is really the only place that has natural hair products...the closest BSS is in the hood and i'm not tryin to do all that aha.

 

[kbnax]

havilland Thanks! I'm gonna try the oil rinse this wknd. I tried before when Sareca first talked about it but I believe I used too much and was slipping all over the tub, lol. I haven't tried since then...lol. Do you oil rinse? If so, about how much do you use for each section? And do you rinse it out with hot water before the DC? TIA

 

[JaszG]

My hair is getting on my NERVES. I am almost 6 months post, and it seems like it went crazy in the past two weeks. lol. The two textures don't agree with each other at all.

 

[LdyKamz]

I mostyl lurk in this thread since I have been considering going natural. I think I am going to do it. But I just feel like my hair is so many different lengths. What are my options with my hair like this. I feel like perm rods and bunning is going to get old.

 

[Meemee6223]

I just recently took out my kinky twists. After transitioning for 19 months I decided to BC. I gotta say, getting rid of those relaxed ends made a WORLD of difference. All of a sudden I knew exactly what my hair needed. Yay!

I know I'm breaking all kinds of lhcf rules by not posting pics but hang tight, they're coming. I only took 2 before pics and not really good pics . I just wanted to hurry and get rid of the relaxed ends before I lost my nerve, lol. I also intend to be a straight hair natural so I flat ironed my hair. I will show pics of that tomorrow.

Soooo ladies (and whatever creepy gents are lurking), it's been great! I'm off to the APL thread! Thanks for all your help and encouragement!

 

[havilland]

havilland Thanks! I'm gonna try the oil rinse this wknd. I tried before when Sareca first talked about it but I believe I used too much and was slipping all over the tub, lol. I haven't tried since then...lol. Do you oil rinse? If so, about how much do you use for each section? And do you rinse it out with hot water before the DC? TIA

I deep condition. Rinse. Then apply about a quarter sized circle (in the palm of my hand) worth of oil to my whole head. I'm BSL. It's probably about a tablespoon of oil...... i let it sit a minute and then rinse it for a few mins with warm water. The problem most people have with oil rinsing is they use way too much oil.

 

[havilland]

JaszG I would suggest you go back through this thread like its a book and read. I swear reading old posts helped me. I cnt believe I'm up in here giving advice like a dern guru. When a few months ago i had a jar of relaxer on my counter with a candle on it looking at it every day forcing myself not to relax by praying and chanting and dancing in circles. LOL But seriously months 6-10 are the hardest. Then it gradually gets easier. There is a point when you have enough new growth to "see" your texture but still too much relaxed hair. I don't know how to explain it. But once you get past that point and have more natural hair it gets easier. The textures are gonna fight. That's all there is to it. You need to be gentle and patient. Go to my profile page and read an old blog post I copied. It's old. It is full of tips from a lady who used to do long stretches. I found it useful and saved it. Something in her tips may help you.


KammyGirl buns and rods will get old. All your styles will. I promise you will get frustrated with the way your hair looks. No way around it. You hve to focus on the goal of transitioning. Transitioning guarantees you will be sick of your hair. Styling options are somewhat limited when you basically have two heads of hair on your head. I personally do wigs when I'm bored. Cus the two textures won't allow for much in the way of versatile styling. I'm pretty much settled on my wigs and buns for the next year. That's The price I have to pay for not wanting to cut my hair. Hang in there.

 

[Mjon912]

Today was my wash day and I'm so happy I did not get a relaxer... I'm almost 31 weeks post and washing the 2 very different textures is difficult but I'm learning tricks to help... When I am fully natural I am going to have a beast of hair because its soooo thick but I love it! As long as I can keep roller setting I don't think I'll have a problem!
Prepooed with oils and honey, washed, conditioned and deep conditioned with a light protein, honey and a clear rinse, set and say under the dryer, flat ironed and wrapped for bed


















Sorry about the repeat photos, idk how to get rid of them

 

[moniq]

I deep condition. Rinse. Then apply about a quarter sized circle (in the palm of my hand) worth of oil to my whole head. I'm BSL. It's probably about a tablespoon of oil...... i let it sit a minute and then rinse it for a few mins with warm water. The problem most people have with oil rinsing is they use way too much oil.

I did this today and my hair felt great. Thanks for the reminder about oil rinsing, I almost forgot about it.

 

[hnntrr]

I guess I will post here now hahaha.

Cowashed my twists just now with As I am Coconute Cowash and One N Only Hydrating Masque.

I had been cowashing with As I Am but decided to use a moisture conditioner this time to make sure my hair wasnt getting protein overloaded from just using As I am.

Its funny cause I really like One N Only for its slip, its quite amazing, seems it has a LOT of slip cause come of my twists straight slipped off my hair! With No breakage. And my hair feels amazingly soft. First PS for the win, I cant wait to take al these braids out and see the results
.

 

[uofmpanther]

I tried to post earlier and it generated an error, so I'm trying again.

This morning, I woke up and felt like cutting my hair, so I did. I wet it with water and ran conditioner over it to make the relaxed ends clump together. I guess I was ready because I'm really happy about the result, though I will probably go see a barber or stylist to give it a cleaner look.

Thanks ladies for helping me on my journey! I'll still pop in from time to time, but I can't call myself a transitioner anymore.

 

[havilland]

uofmpanther

I love your hair cut! I totally would've cut my hair too, if I was that length. Those relaxed ends did not need to be there. Your hair looks fabulous without them! Congrats! And u did a good job with the cut too.

 

[havilland]

One thing I am glad I did was transition from bonelaxed to texlaxed a few years before I transitioned. So the difference between my new growth and natural hair is not that visible. The textures feel and act different though!

I don't know how you ladies do it when you have curly roots and bone straight ends. I def understand cutting sooner in those cases and not transitioning more than a year or so. The two textures are just too different in that case, or at least I think they are ......

Ya know what I mean?

 

[veesweets]

One thing I am glad I did was transition from bonelaxed to texlaxed a few years before I transitioned. So the difference between my new growth and natural hair is not that visible. The textures feel and act different though!

I don't know how you ladies do it when you have curly roots and bone straight ends. I def understand cutting sooner in those cases and not transitioning more than a year or so. The two textures are just too different in that case, or at least I think they are ......

Ya know what I mean?

Yes! I'm dealing with this now. My style options are more limited as far as styles that blend the textures and I have to be extra patient on wash days or else I'd go crazy. I'm not having a super hard time so I'm still motivated and think I can reach my goal of 20 months. But if I end early I wouldn't be upset, this is not an easy process

 

[moniq]

One thing I am glad I did was transition from bonelaxed to texlaxed a few years before I transitioned. So the difference between my new growth and natural hair is not that visible. The textures feel and act different though!

I don't know how you ladies do it when you have curly roots and bone straight ends. I def understand cutting sooner in those cases and not transitioning more than a year or so. The two textures are just too different in that case, or at least I think they are ......

Ya know what I mean?

I know exactly what you mean. My hair was relaxed when I went to an AA stylist and that was every 6 to 8 weeks but when I went to a Dominican stylist she textlaxed my hair and that was every 12 weeks. I guess that is why I am not having too many problems so far in my transition.

 

[havilland]

moniq veesweets


Yeah. I don't think I could have done this bonelaxed unless I was weaved the whole time. That's how I transitioned to texlaxed (even though I didn't know that what I was doing). I wore my hair weaved up for a year and my stylist texlaxed me at the end of the year and cut the bonelaxed hair off.

 

[Queensheba88]

Yaaay I'm super excited I am at the 50% mark of my transitions 18months here I come!!!!! Well yesterday I had a moment of temparary insanity I cut my Apl hair to neck length my husband saw n almost passed out lol I wear wigs and weaves 95% of the time anyway soplus its soooo much easier to wash and detangle plus my relaxed ends were thin shedding and had this coated feeling no matter how much I clarified I'm happy I did it

 

[havilland]

A day in the life of a transitioner......

 

[workinprogress1]

A day in the life of a transitioner......

Is that a stick of butter ?

 

[jamaicasmodona]

I deep condition. Rinse. Then apply about a quarter sized circle (in the palm of my hand) worth of oil to my whole head. I'm BSL. It's probably about a tablespoon of oil...... i let it sit a minute and then rinse it for a few mins with warm water. The problem most people have with oil rinsing is they use way too much oil.

What kind of oils do you ladies use for your oil rinses?

 

[hnntrr]

Full dress rehersal on Wednesday....which sadly means braids come out for about a week. I unless maybe its a good thing, cause my head has been itchin fierce, they are starting to slip out more frequently, and I can do a good cowash/dc, etc and keep my moisture up until I get them reinstalled after the 4th of April. Then i plan on keeping them in until a week before graduation.

I heard random places you need 3 days to a week to give ur hair a rest from the braids so I am reluctantly getting rid of them.

So my plan for tomorrow is to do a protein cowash, followed by a moisture dc and tea rinse,and then wear in two strand twists/hats and knot outs and cowash daily or every other day for the week up until install. i think at some point I will do a acv wash again.