What is New Growth????Really

[nyc_beauty]

Hello Ladies,

Yes I know that new growth is the growth in hair since last touch up..Today I would like to relax my own hair (for the first time).but with my 4b hair...its hard to tell what is new growth versus previously relaxed hair...it all feels the same to me????


Can I get some help ladies???

Thanks

 

[MeechUK]

New growth is unprocessed hair. All relaxers penetrate the below the scalp and new growth tends to be slightly coarser and much thicker. It is near impossible to avoid overlapping if the regrowth is less than 1/2 inch, because over-processing causes breakage. Ideally hair should be at least 1 inch before relaxing, if you check the length of your hair since your last relaxer, you can tell estimate roughly how long the regrowth actually is.

If you regularly blow-dry your hair or use ceramic straighters it can be difficult to find the demarcation between the different textures.

 

[Champagne_Wishes]

Cosign on what MeechUK said. When you relax your hair, don't wash your hair for a week. That way less possibility of burns and you can tell which is your new growth.

 

[Poohbear]

its hard to tell what is new growth versus previously relaxed hair...it all feels the same to me????

I felt the same way before I joined this forum. Plus I would get my hair relaxed every 4-6 weeks and never allowed my texture to grow out to tell a difference. When ladies would say, "relax only your new growth"... I'm thinking, "how can you tell?" I just knew if my hair started looking puffy or nappy, I needed a relaxer!

But new growth is the roots of your hair that hasn't been relaxed yet. I don't know how often you relax, but if you extend your relaxers for 2-4 months, you'll be able to tell a difference in the texture of your new growth and relaxed hair.

HTH!

 

[Isis]

Hello Ladies,

Yes I know that new growth is the growth in hair since last touch up..Today I would like to relax my own hair (for the first time).but with my 4b hair...its hard to tell what is new growth versus previously relaxed hair...it all feels the same to me????


Can I get some help ladies???

Thanks

You must be able to tell the difference between your new growth and relaxed hair by touch and by sight before relaxing your hair. How long has it been since your last touchup? If it hasn't been long enough, you may not be able to tell when looking in the mirror or styling your hair. It should be obvious.

My suggestion is to first find out how long it's been since the last time - you may need to wait a few more weeks. It should be obvious that you need a touchup with poufy, kinky hair coming out of your scalp, followed by straight hair.

Perhaps if you have a good friend who relaxes hair successfully all of the time or a professional show you how it is done and what your new growth looks like and feels like, it would be easier to do it yourself. Self-relaxing is serious business.

 

[songbyrd517]

Well said Poohbear! I second that nyc_beauty.

 

[MeechUK]

Isis,
when I used to self-relax I made the mistake of trying to relax my hair every 6 weeks for 3 years. I did not realise until joining this board that I was damaging my hair. I now have permanent bald patches, small but nevertheless, they are permanent. The longer that you can go in between touch-ups the better for your hair and self-estimate! Steam treatments, deep conditioning, natural oils & sporting proctective styles should help to stretch out touch-up times, as well as protect your processed ends.

MeechUK

 

[nyc_beauty]

Thanks ladies: Its been 10 weeks since my last relaxer. I'll have one of my friends coach me through this first relaxer (because it all feels nappy to me).

 

[Isis]

Isis,
when I used to self-relax I made the mistake of trying to relax my hair every 6 weeks for 3 years. I did not realise until joining this board that I was damaging my hair. I now have permanent bald patches, small but nevertheless, they are permanent. The longer that you can go in between touch-ups the better for your hair and self-estimate! Steam treatments, deep conditioning, natural oils & sporting proctective styles should help to stretch out touch-up times, as well as protect your processed ends.

MeechUK

That's true MeechUK. I used to relax every 8 weeks before LHCF. I didn't have bald spots but my hair was so dry. Now I relax every 13 weeks and I love the stronger, healthier, more moisturized hair I have.

 

[Isis]

Thanks ladies: Its been 10 weeks since my last relaxer. I'll have one of my friends coach me through this first relaxer (because it all feels nappy to me).

That's great! Please share your results with us!