Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread

For those that use heat -- how often do you all use heat to tame the new growth? I'm at a point where I need heat in my life on the weeks when I'm not in wigs.
 
Congrats to all the recent choppers!!!! :bouncy:


@divachyk I straighten every 3-4 months.


I have a confession & I'm tired of holding it in...but we are all here to support and encourage each other so I figure this is the best place to put it.

*Breathes in*

I'm scared to get rid of my relaxed ends. My natural hair is closing in on waist length and the relaxed ends stop right at the tip top of my hips. I feel like the relaxed ends are protecting my natural hair and allowing me to retain it's length and if I chop, I won't retain as well. It's so funny how we all have different views...some can't wait to chop, meanwhile I'm over here shaking in my boots like a scary cat wishing I could never chop.

I know we are not "supposed" :blah: to compare our hair, it's growth and all that to others but let's be real here...we all have our moments. I look at some Ladies hair and think like dang you been at it forever and that's all the length you got to show for it? Yes, that's bad of me...I know...and I'm working on that because I know all of our journey's are different...mistakes have been made along the way, big chops have been done, etc etc..so comparing is fruitless but it's still something I struggle with.

*Breathes out* wooooosah

*Disclaimer...if you read through this book of a post...thank you. Please know my intentions are not to offend nor upset anyone. :grouphug3:
 
@lulu97 Like dude or should I dudette, you've been holding out on that info? Girl, chop. You have plenty of hair to work with. I'm certain your relaxed ends aren't protecting your natural hair. All that retention is good technique. How many months / years post are you?
 
Everyone is chopping!

Who is still in this for the long haul? I'm hoping to do this for another 2 years.

@Nightingale - I'm with you. I'm not chopping not matter how badly I want to see my curls.

@lulu97 I'm like you- I want to hang on to every inch of growth. I chopped a very small area at the back of my head and my shrinkage is more than 50%. If my shrinkage doesn't get less as my hair gets longer I may never chop. I would need at least 4 years of growth, maybe more, to even be APL.
 
divachyk said:
@lulu97 Like dude or should I dudette, you've been holding out on that info? Girl, chop. You have plenty of hair to work with. I'm certain your relaxed ends aren't protecting your natural hair. All that retention is good technique. How many months / years post are you?
Click to expand...

@divachyk In all honesty; when I got my last relaxer, I was not on a hair journey so I'm not 100% sure. According to my stylist it was around Dec 2011. However, I swear I had one around Valentine's Day the following year...or maybe I just got it pressed at the salon :look:....all I know is that it was "Bone Thugs in Harmony" straight in vacation pictures. :gorgeous: lol So I'm just gonna shoot for middle ground and say between Dec 2011 & Feb 2012.

Having the relaxed ends don't give me problems. I detangle just fine & since I have so much natural hair versus so little relaxed hair, I can do any style a 100% natural can do...including wash and go's...so I'm not pressed to chop. Just afraid of the unknown after they are finally all trimmed away. :hide:
 
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GettingKinky said:
Everyone is chopping!

Who is still in this for the long haul? I'm hoping to do this for another 2 years.

@Nightingale - I'm with you. I'm not chopping not matter how badly I want to see my curls.

@lulu97 I'm like you- I want to hang on to every inch of growth. I chopped a very small area at the back of my head and my shrinkage is more than 50%. If my shrinkage doesn't get less as my hair gets longer I may never chop. I would need at least 4 years of growth, maybe more, to even be APL.
Click to expand...

Yes I have no plans on chopping either. I plan to grow to TBL (with the relaxed ends) and go into maintenance mode until they are all trimmed away. Now if they start giving me issues...than I might be singing another tune. But for now, we aiight. lol
 
bklynbornNbred said:
:worship2: @lulu97 Where were you last week when I needed you??

I didn't start this with intention to transition it was a stretch that went too long for me to turn back. When you're ready you'll do it and you'll wonder why you hesitated at all.


You ready yet?? :poke"
Click to expand...

@bklynbornNbred
Girllllllll I stay from around these parts...too much temptation with folks flossing them lovely big chop curls. lol My usual hang out spots are the hip-tbl thread or the setting to success thread. I peep in here every now and again.
 
At my nape I have 4 inches of natural hair that shrinks down to 2 inches. It makes cute little coils, but they have zero movement/swing even when I shake my head. How long does my hair have to get in order to have swing????
 
I just finished two strand twisting my hair and it looks fabulous! I put perm rods on the ends so it looks like I just fingercoiled the last couple inches. I don't know why I thought I had to be all natural to rock this style, but now that I know I can I'll be rocking this look until I big chop.
 
Hello ladies, as you can see I'm more of a lurker than poster. When I started my journey, back in 2010, my goal was to grow long relaxed hair. However, the past couple of years I've been longing to see the hair that grows out of my scalp.

I'm currently 23 weeks post relaxer. I don't think I've gone this long without some type of chemical service since I was a teenager, whether it was a curly perm or relaxer! I'm so excited about this journey. I'm starting to see coils and curls. My goal is to big chop at the two year mark. In the mean time I will make an effort to post more. Sorry about the long winded post. :)
 
lulu97 said:
@divachyk In all honesty; when I got my last relaxer, I was not on a hair journey so I'm not 100% sure. According to my stylist it was around Dec 2011. However, I swear I had one around Valentine's Day the following year...or maybe I just got it pressed at the salon :look:....all I know is that it was "Bone Thugs in Harmony" straight in vacation pictures. :gorgeous: lol So I'm just gonna shoot for middle ground and say between Dec 2011 & Feb 2012.

Having the relaxed ends don't give me problems. I detangle just fine & since I have so much natural hair versus so little relaxed hair, I can do any style a 100% natural can do...including wash and go's...so I'm not pressed to chop. Just afraid of the unknown after they are finally all trimmed away. :hide:
Click to expand...


It took me about 5 years to go natural. I started my hair journey in Dec 06 along with my little sister. She BC in 2008 w/ her TWA and I couldn't. I loved that she was natural and her curls were gorgeous. I was too afraid to BC. I did countless 6 month stretches... But I never had that guts to cut off my relaxed ends.. That was my comfort zone in regards to looks and managing my hair. Now I stretched for 18.5 months because I was pregnant.. After my 9 months was up, I felt like I could manage my new growth. I cut a small piece in the back (it was already broken off) and I had enough inches to rock a stretched big twist out and kept cutting from there and love my natural hair since then.
 
lulu97 said:
Congrats to all the recent choppers!!!! :bouncy:


@divachyk I straighten every 3-4 months.


I have a confession & I'm tired of holding it in...but we are all here to support and encourage each other so I figure this is the best place to put it.

*Breathes in*

I'm scared to get rid of my relaxed ends. My natural hair is closing in on waist length and the relaxed ends stop right at the tip top of my hips. I feel like the relaxed ends are protecting my natural hair and allowing me to retain it's length and if I chop, I won't retain as well. It's so funny how we all have different views...some can't wait to chop, meanwhile I'm over here shaking in my boots like a scary cat wishing I could never chop.

I know we are not "supposed" :blah: to compare our hair, it's growth and all that to others but let's be real here...we all have our moments. I look at some Ladies hair and think like dang you been at it forever and that's all the length you got to show for it? Yes, that's bad of me...I know...and I'm working on that because I know all of our journey's are different...mistakes have been made along the way, big chops have been done, etc etc..so comparing is fruitless but it's still something I struggle with.

*Breathes out* wooooosah

*Disclaimer...if you read through this book of a post...thank you. Please know my intentions are not to offend nor upset anyone. :grouphug3:
Click to expand...


I'm transitioning for the 4th time and this is what I said I would do. I feel like I will be able to get to my goal easier if I keep the last couple of inches of my relaxed hair.
 
Count me in with the choppers. I BC'd on May 9th after 14 months.

For some reason I got really determined to do a twist out but the straight ends really p'd me off. It took me about 2 weeks to order shears from Amazon & another 2 weeks to work up the guts to use them. My BC was without thought or fanfare. I washed my hair and unconsciously decided to cut the straight ends off. I was so proud of my TWA that I wore a wash n go the same day, without a single clue how that process worked.

Now I'm MHM'ing and perfecting my wash n go's and twist outs. I wouldn't say that its easier, but its nice to know that as long as I have 30 minutes to rake/shingle, I can have a cute hairstyle. If I have less than 30 minutes, I put in a quick crown twist and hit the street.

140531-1e8056e3701babd4305c76b7893c0132.jpg
 
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AlkalineSteam said:
Count me in with the choppers. I BC'd on May 9th after 14 months.

For some reason I got really determined to do a twist out but the straight ends really p'd me off. It took me about 2 weeks to order shears from Amazon & another 2 weeks to work up the guts to use them. My BC was without thought or fanfare. I washed my hair and unconsciously decided to cut the straight ends off. I was so proud of my TWA that I wore a wash n go the same day, without a single clue how that process worked.

Now I'm MHM'ing and perfecting my wash n go's and twist outs. I wouldn't say that its easier, but its nice to know that as long as I have 30 minutes to rake/shingle, I can have a cute hairstyle. If I have less than 30 minutes, I put in a quick crown twist and hit the street.

140531-1e8056e3701babd4305c76b7893c0132.jpg
Click to expand...
Congratulations come on over to wash n go challenge thread. Located here https://www.longhaircareforum.com/threads/fall-winter-wash-n-go-challenge.740985/
 
As of yesterday I'm six months post relaxer. I'm really starting to wonder if I can make it to a year, let alone two years, before I cut the relaxed ends. I'm trying to do this transition with out weave, wigs or braids. I may give in and get some twists. I don't know how my hair will react since I've never had weave or braids.:blush2:
 
:happydance:
shonte said:
As of yesterday I'm six months post relaxer. I'm really starting to wonder if I can make it to a year, let alone two years, before I cut the relaxed ends. I'm trying to do this transition with out weave, wigs or braids. I may give in and get some twists. I don't know how my hair will react since I've never had weave or braids.:blush2:
Click to expand...
Hang in there. It gets much easier the longer you go. I lived in flat twist and cornrow styles throughout my transition. Towards the end of my transition I was sick of them and was so ready to to cut lol. I was also impatient and wanted to see my natural hair so bad. I started cutting random pieces around my ninth month. I made it 17 months. Once the perm was gone I was so happy, and my hair has flourished ever since. :happydance:
 
stephanie75miller said:
:happydance:
Hang in there. It gets much easier the longer you go. I lived in flat twist and cornrow styles throughout my transition. Towards the end of my transition I was sick of them and was so ready to to cut lol. I was also impatient and wanted to see my natural hair so bad. I started cutting random pieces around my ninth month. I made it 17 months. Once the perm was gone I was so happy, and my hair has flourished ever since. :happydance:
Click to expand...
I'm thinking it'll be buns and twists for the next year and a half!:)
 
Ladies, I'm having a huge issue that I can't quite resolve that's gonna make or break this stretching possibly turned transition -- my hair clumps together and forms little dreads that I have to pick and pull apart. Most often, this is the source of my breakage no matter if I pick them apart when the hair is damp or dry. What causes this?
 
@divachyk I think I know what you mean. I ended up flat ironing last week and this week which I never do, well at least not flat iron back to back. My hair likes to clump together and it will dread/ knot up. I cut some knots out yesterday.

The knots are my biggest issue, that's why I used heat just to see if I can aliviate some of it. My hair has already started reverting even though I ironed yesterday :rolleyes::drunk:
 
divachyk said:
Ladies, I'm having a huge issue that I can't quite resolve that's gonna make or break this stretching possibly turned transition -- my hair clumps together and forms little dreads that I have to pick and pull apart. Most often, this is the source of my breakage no matter if I pick them apart when the hair is damp or dry. What causes this?
Click to expand...

That used to happen to me when I was transitioning. Mines was caused by lack of moisture or too much protein. I would have to DC overnight to prevent that from happening.
 
@pelohello @flyygirlll2 thanks ladies. I will try to overnight tonight and see what happens because that foolishness I dealt with last night was exhausting. Did you shampoo & condition some more or just rinse out the conditioner like a cowash.
 
@divachyk is it your new growth or your relaxed ends that are knotting? Towards the end Kinky Curly Knot Today helped with my relaxed ends tangling. With two textures they're going to have different needs. I would have lasted longer if I had just gone ahead and braided or weaved up my head. I have to admit now that the ends are gone tangling is no longer an issue.
 
@bklynbornNbred it's from the root down to about the line of demarcation so it's the new growth clumping together. I have about 5 inches of new growth. My entire head doesn't do this, thank goodness but the areas that do is exhausting.
 
Also don't know if you're low porosity but for me pre pooing or deep conditioner under dryer for 30 minutes was better than overnight treatments.

I used to follow up with moisturizing shampoo then leave in/ style.

* my clumping was my relaxed ends so not sure if my tips will help
 
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