And I'm just like you--I cannot even think of combing my hair when it's dry. No, ma'am. Can't happen.
I'd rather not even deal with it until wash day which is every weekend. I have 2 youtubers that I really like with similar hair texture as mine: iknowlee and simplyounique. Girl, we have got to keep motivating each other because this is not easy. Hang in there!! 
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.
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.
I'm too a first time transitioner and I think it's vital to know why you're transitioning and to ingrain that a relaxer isn't an option. It's good to read about the negative effects of a relaxer to have a different perspective on eliminating it, because sometimes our other more superficial reasons aren't enough.
I'm actually so happy to have this forum of woman who are in the same boat and who have forged the way... I couldn't do this without it. I've never cared about relaxed or natural (except that the past two years no matter what I do I end up with awful burns and scabs) but I did find it amazing that I am a grown woman who doesn't know what her own hair look like and can't yet take care of it properly!
I'm only at the beginning, but it's already a huge commitment... I'm just worried ill go 8,9,10 months and then relax, regret and start it all over again
8 or 9 years ago a stylist told me and my sister we might consider going natural... Honestly I was like... Yeah, just shut up and give me my fix!
Sigh... Imagine 8 years of growth... Lol oh well
I just think I'm at the stage where I'm tired of relaxing and trying to make that relaxed hair look healthy when I know it's not.
One inch of hair growth so far... Lol
nono:
i could have 3 years of natural hair growth and probably be close to waist length, but i sacrificed that for a relaxer touch up......
soooooo dumb!
. They really do go hard in the paint about relaxers. Lawd!
This is me too! Reniece told me to go natural like 3 years ago AND offered to do my hair at a severely discounted rate so that she could use me as a guinea pig to learn natural hair techniques and i said "NO..."
i still regret that dumbness!
) she told me to go natural. At our second appointment, which was a touch up, I could tell she kind of didn't want to do it. That was in November of 2010. I could kick myself. 
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.
Have any of you ever visited Nappturality? I was reading old threads last week and kept seeing the acronym 'CFC' written with such disgust and venom, when I realized it meant "chemical fire cream" the Jamaican in me came out, my knee jerk reaction was rhatid clot! Yoooo! I died
I just moisturize them and basically just keep it pulled back most of the time with some gel on my edges. I work in a dental office so I can't really wear any cute styles that look worth a darn because my hair needs to be back for the most part. Sigh.
I signed up for them awhile back, but I haven't been back there since. They really do go hard over there from relaxers to even straighten the hair with heat. I think that's why I stopped going over there, I plan on being a natural that wears here hair straight most of the time so I don't think they will be too helpful to me.
Yeah, I def wouldn't go over there for support on being a heat trained natural. That was an idea I looked into a year ago b/c I know someone with beautiful heat trained hair. She wears her hair mostly straight and when it's not straight it looks like texlaxed hair.I signed up for them awhile back, but I haven't been back there since. They really do go hard over there from relaxers to even straighten the hair with heat. I think that's why I stopped going over there, I plan on being a natural that wears here hair straight most of the time so I don't think they will be too helpful to me.
Oh ok. I hear you. That's good. I'm here trying to think of different things I can do to get through this transition. I'm gonna get some senegalese twists soon.@Brittster Girl, I'm such a minimalist that I hardly don't even style them really.
But I'll wear them out on the weekends. Nothing too fancy. Trust me.
Yepppp, I'm hoping to get some maybe next weekend. But you've made it 10 months with no assistance. That alone deserves a big applause and pat on the back.@Brittster See, great minds think alike.
