cynthiapierfax
New Member
When doing a braid out how can I get my braid to start closer to scalp?
Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread
- Thread starter Smiley79
- Start date
Britt
Well-Known Member
Last night I washed and oiled my scalp with castor oil while my hair was wet, brushed it back and went to bed with it tied down. This morning looks pretty decent. It's oily as heck - maybe I was too generous applying the castor oil but at least it looks decent.
Excuse the flash fr my sunscreen.
Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
Excuse the flash fr my sunscreen.
Sent from my iPhone using LHCF
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Amarilles
Well-Known Member
Under braid. Instead of braiding hair over the middle strand/piece, braid under it. That or flat braiding, whichever is easiest for you.
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
I braided my hair up and am wearing my wig until Sunday. And i Ordered some more today.
I tried Hairveda's new hair oil. Jardin oil...it has wheatgrass, nettle and other oils. It smells like candy but the smell dissipates pretty quickly. My hair was shiny and soft and the curls really popped.
Every time I think I don't need new products and that my hair is as good as it's gonna get I try a new conditioner or other product and am surprised at the result it brings to my hair.
I tried Hairveda's new hair oil. Jardin oil...it has wheatgrass, nettle and other oils. It smells like candy but the smell dissipates pretty quickly. My hair was shiny and soft and the curls really popped.
Every time I think I don't need new products and that my hair is as good as it's gonna get I try a new conditioner or other product and am surprised at the result it brings to my hair.
Rae81
Well-Known Member
So today I co washed my hair and pulled it back in a ponytail and put gel on the ends. My curls were popping in that ponytail. I think this will be my go to hairstyle until it gets a little cooler outside. Now that I cut my relaxed end off, I co wash.more and make sure to keep it most. It's like my mind frame changed after cutting the relaxed ends, I'm making sure I take care of it and try not to be lazy like I used to do
january noir
Sunny On a Cloudy Day
havilland
I have practically every natural line and I swear they all work great!
I love them all and it's so difficult to choose what to use when I'm doing my hair.
Britt
Well-Known Member
january noir
Sunny On a Cloudy Day
I couldn't go years transitioning even though I thought I could. When my new growth started coming in and it felt so strong and coily, I was too impatient to get rid of my thin, lifeless ends from YEARS of relaxer. I am in awe of havilland and any other ladies who took years to transition though.
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
For me the "long term transition" is something you decide to undertake because you want to keep your length at all costs. I wanted to keep my length at all costs. Nothing else mattered to me. (This is ME. I have Nothing against big chops at all.)
Now my natural hair is chin length when it shrinks naturally and I really do not like That length. Even though I like the curls and how strong it is. I am glad I suffered through everything it took to keep my length. I can't imagine how I would feel if it was shorter. I have a big head! LOL a twa would not be cute on this nugget head of mine.
So all that to say.....it was hard and painful at times and it took ALOT OF WORK. It would have been way easier to cut. But I am VERY VERY VERY happy I didn't quit when it got hard. Because it paid off. I would've gone one more year if my hair would've let me.
Eta I guess my hair when it shrinks is chin length. And blown out it's APL. It took me 5 years to grow my hair and I did not want to cut it. Period.
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Rae81
Well-Known Member
I'm also glad I waited two years before cutting off my relaxed ends. My hair is apl stretched but it shrinks up to neck length which I don't like either, and that's in the back , the front omg the shrinkage is ridiculous. I don't think I would have been happy with my hair if I bc'd earlier. I didn't want short hair although it would have been easier to manage.
Oan: I.noticed the section of hair that I have in the front that was straight and had no definition is changing. I.have been co washing more and I think that it just needed some extra moisture because now it has some texture and is waving up.
Oan: I.noticed the section of hair that I have in the front that was straight and had no definition is changing. I.have been co washing more and I think that it just needed some extra moisture because now it has some texture and is waving up.
Kim0105
Well-Known Member
I did a shampoo and condition on my Havana twists yesterday. I ended refreshing my twists. I am trying to decide if I should take them out in 2-3 weeks totally and give my hair a 1/2 inch trim. Might end up co washing for awhile before installing twists again. I am now 10 weeks post.
Kim0105
Well-Known Member
I really like this. Please let us know how it holds up. I am getting some curlformers tomorrow. Gonna be trying those out later next month.
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
Good luck! No pics??? Come on now! Share your new hair wth us. I bet it's beautiful after a long stretch like that
cynthiapierfax
New Member
Are they any downs to long term transitioning like as in forever? As long as n the hair is easy to manage is there any reason to bc?
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shunta
New Member
@Brittster Hey!!!
I went back and read more posts and I see that you're transitioning, too!!! Congrats! Where the heck have I been?? 
Mainly, I wear braidouts and twistouts. That's the only hairstyle I can really maintain as of now. It's been tough, but I've found that I just have to be patient with it. It's been so enjoyable seeing my natural curl pattern come to life. 
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
NOPE!
If your hair lets you, I say why cut???
I kept trimming my hair because the ends were wearin away. The longest part of my hair literally looked like it was melting and would just make my detangling a mess. The weak ends couldnt compete with my natural roots. Those ends caused more harm than good. BUT with weekly deep conditioning and small trims every month I was still able to go two years.
If my ends were stronger I would still be "transitioning" to this day.
Britt
Well-Known Member
shunta are you re doing your twist outs and braids outs nightly? I'm currently almost 5 months post, if I make it to 6 months I'll be proud of myself. LOL @ seeing my natural curl pattern come to life. I hear you. Your new growth is so much stronger than your relaxed hair. Do you have any blogs/youtube vids that you watch for styling tips? Like how to style old twist outs, etc?
redwilliams
New Member
I'm transitioning after texturizing for the second time around out of impatience and frustration.But this time I refuse to bc. It's only been 14wks and 1.5 in of new growth. I'm currently a bit past bsl and plan on going for length first. (sigh)
Hey, Glad you are back! I am transitioning for the first time and just a couple months along... I am curious (if you dont mind to share) what made you texturize? I had a mini panic attack about two weeks ago when i finally got more hair growth than i ever allowed before relaxing again.... luckily my sister calmed me down. I am just wondering what makes folks go back.... I'm trying to learn from all of y'all about whats coming up in transitioning. I'm trying not to let myself think of relaxing as an option (or if i do i just think of the lovely scalp burns for a few minutes to get perspective).
Thanks!
redwilliams
New Member
I love what you said! Its true about thinking differently about the new hair... actually ive started calling it new hair instead of new "growth" i dunno... it has always had a negative connotation to me... new growth meant i need a relaxer... that my hair is puffy and hard to manage... now i am getting excited about my curls (well... with one short "omg what is this stuff" panic attack).
hoorah for loving the hair thats growing out of my head!
lol
redwilliams
New Member
Well Ladies. I'm done. I am not cutting anymore hair. The back of my hair is fully natural now and the front is what it is. The texture is looser in the front so I can't tell the difference between my texlaxed ends and my natural hair.
Since i wont be trimming away my ends anymore, from now on I'm considering myself fully natural and my transition is over.
P. S. a note for the purists- I am about 90% natural. I am not leaving this thread and making a post about a big chop nor will I be touting advice to anyone who doesn't have two textures on their head. I realize that many naturals will not consider me natural because I have some relaxed ends left here and there and I am totally ok with that.
i am two years or 748 days post relaxer.
As near as I can tell my hair is APL in the back and CBL in the front. I will get a blow out at some point and do a length check but not until the weather gets cooler.
Here are some pics:
First pics are my hair air dried with no product so I can see the shrinkage. The last picture is my hair after I wet it again and put it in a ponytail with kinky curly products and Eco styler gel.
Your hair is sooo gorgeous!!!
havilland
Magical Mythical Princess
I love what you said! Its true about thinking differently about the new hair... actually ive started calling it new hair instead of new "growth" i dunno... it has always had a negative connotation to me... new growth meant i need a relaxer... that my hair is puffy and hard to manage... now i am getting excited about my curls (well... with one short "omg what is this stuff" panic attack).
hoorah for loving the hair thats growing out of my head!
lol
This was me too. First attempt I made it ten months. Then I relaxed.
This time around I had learned enough to deal with all the new growth after the long stretches so I just decided to change my goal and my mindset.
I decided my goal was long healthy hair. And for ME relaxing was hindering my retention. I tried for four years to hit BSL and couldn't get there. I stretched, deep conditioned, stayed away from heat, wore protective styles ALL THE TIME....still no BSL. I decided I was going to transition and try grow my hair longer as a result OR I was going to relax and be APL forever.
I kept telling myself that I wanted longer hair more than I wanted a relaxer and also that if I wanted to relax, I could at any time.
Somehow taking the pressure off myself and having a goal bigger than just "being natural" helped me.
I am one of the ladies that doesnt care about relaxed or natural. I care about long healthy hair. By any means necessary.
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Britt
Well-Known Member
I wrote such a long response and it disappeared.
Anyway, I will honestly speak for myself. Last summer I was gung ho about transitioning and made it to 7 months w/o a relaxer. I had gotten an install for the first time to help me transition to natural. I got 2 installs and it was very easy to deal with and I didn't have to deal with my hair for about 4 months. When I took out my install I was faced with just about 7 months of new growth. I remember washing my hair and being amazed at how thick and healthy my roots felt. I did a wet twist out, which took some time. It came out beautifully the following day. However, I realized that I'd have to redo it often for it to maintain it's 'freshness'. That alone made me disillusioned. I was also faced with a head of very different textures and I was frustrated b/c I didn't know how to handle it or accept it. Certain areas were hard, wiry, just difficult. It was VERY different than the texture I knew to have growing up and into my adult years.
Fast forward, here I am a year later and trying to take a stab at this again. This time around, I'm constantly informing myself about natural hair and I'm watching tons of youtube videos and trying to stay motivated. Last Monday night I was trying to comb my hair and I was sooo frustrated b/c even w/ my spray bottle I couldn't comb my hair and it also hurt.. I could feel the poppin. I realize my hair looks and feels best the day after I wash it. I'm able to smooth it down and keep the roots flat and taut mostly. I simply canNOT comb dry hair.. prob only if it's parted into small sections and it's damp/moisturized. This time around there are a couple things I didn't do last time, I didn't do a lot of research. I need visuals and ideas. I need to be able to see transitioning hair and how people are combing it and styling it. I used to read this thread diligently last summer and it's a great place for support, but I'm encouraged and motivated by watching the different stages of transition and see how people are doing their hair. Even looking at pics of someone that is 6+ months post is encouraging. It helps you to see that other people's hair looks like your too. This go around I'm trying also to take it day by day, week by week. I'm not particuarly creative so I'm really intrested in seeing how old twist outs/braid outs can be styled. I'll also prob start to blow dry my hair once in a while to help reduce some of the bulk as it grows out. When the weather gets cooler I plan to get an install and give my hair a rest and just baby the leave out area.
Transitioning is not for the faint of heart and honestly speaking, if I were more confident and didn't care I'd bc and call it day. If I keep this up, (I'm hoping to, it's my own personal challenge) I don't see myself transitioning much past 1 year. I think i'd rather big chop and get senegalese twists, curly weave or something while my hair grows out.
caliscurls
Well-Known Member
redwilliams I love the idea of "new hair" instead of new growth. It's all about perspective. The first time I deliberately transitioned years ago it was easy, I think mainly because I wasn't thinking in "new growth" terms. The first time i attempted to transition earlier this year it was terrible! Now that I'm back to the right mindset AND naija24 I'm using QOD Max Organic to strengthen the demarcation line it's back to being a non-event....but note I will be trying Design Essentials Transitioning Mousse in the New Year once I've used all the QOD up. I'm only 18 weeks post but its going extremely well, in Q1 I had already broken down and relaxed again at this point.
There are downsides for me. I guess I'd be considers a long term transitioner at 80 something weeks. I plan to transition for another 10 months or so. I haven't had a ton of breakage or anything like that and after a certain point the more natural hair I had the easier my hair is to handle. I also switched almost exclusively to products meant for natural hair. However my styling options are extremely limited. I quickly learned that straightening my hair didn't last (and I didn't want to damage my natural hair) and curly styles just look plain foolish with the thin relaxed hair hanging on. I ask myself why I keep holding on! Ultimately there are some very cute short natural styles out there that aren't feasible for transitioning hair. Buns and ponytails it is for me!
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