Who here transitioned the longest?

spinspinshuga

spinspinshuga

New Member
I ask this because I've read some people talk about twenty-four month goals. While this is a long time, if your hair grows slowly, like mine, you could probably only expect to have twelve to sixteen inches of hair by the time you BC, if you retain all your length.

I don't think I can handle having hair shorter than BSL ever again, so I was wondering if anyone transitioned until getting a lot of length (MBL or BSL and longer,) and if so, what problems you have experienced? I'm accustomed to year-long relaxer stretches, so hopefully it won't be too hard...but I'm worried about damaging my natural growth.

I also wouldn't mind the input of women who didn't transition until that length, but those who just transitioned for a long period of time in general.
 
I'm at 13 months and I plan to go to 24 months.

Btw, you do realize that 1/2 inch per month is not considered slow? I would cry of joy if I got 12 to 16 inches after 24 months.
 
spinspinshuga said:
I ask this because I've read some people talk about twenty-four month goals. While this is a long time, if your hair grows slowly, like mine, you could probably only expect to have twelve to sixteen inches of hair by the time you BC, if you retain all your length.

I don't think I can handle having hair shorter than BSL ever again, so I was wondering if anyone transitioned until getting a lot of length (MBL or BSL and longer,) and if so, what problems you have experienced? I'm accustomed to year-long relaxer stretches, so hopefully it won't be too hard...but I'm worried about damaging my natural growth.

I also wouldn't mind the input of women who didn't transition until that length, but those who just transitioned for a long period of time in general.
Click to expand...

I have been transitioning for quite some time right now (25 months so far) and I still have 4 more inches of relaxed ends left. I was so happy when my brother said "only 4 more inches to go" that I made a goal of saying that I will chop the rest of the 4 inches off by July 09' no matter what, but I think I have had a change of heart:ohwell:

If I go with my original plan to chop the remainder off at the end of July, that gives me 6 months (from the beginning of February when I last got it cut) to replace the 4 inches that I will be cutting off. Can I grow the 4 inches in 6 months? Sure I can! Do I want to have the current length of hair that I have right now? No I don't:nono:. I enjoy my do when my hair is flat ironed and curled, but not so much when I am trying to make a decent bun, so I reallllly miss my length. I guess what I am trying to say is that when I FINALLY cut the last 4 inches off, I want my ending length to be at least BSL. Maybe I will get 1 inch trims from now on so I gradually get rid of the length instead of another mini chop because I'm telling you that me and this length are having a tough time making a bun:sad:...........

On the flip side though, the hair is healthy as can be and I did say that I would take health over length any day, it's just that I am limited on styles.

If you are already accustomed to long stretches, you should be fine. I think the way I escaped damaging my NG is by not constantly using heat. I averaged about 6 inches per year.

HTH!
 
blackbarbie said:
I have been transitioning for quite some time right now (25 months so far) and I still have 4 more inches of relaxed ends left. I was so happy when my brother said "only 4 more inches to go" that I made a goal of saying that I will chop the rest of the 4 inches off by July 09' no matter what, but I think I have had a change of heart:ohwell:

If I go with my original plan to chop the remainder off at the end of July, that gives me 6 months (from the beginning of February when I last got it cut) to replace the 4 inches that I will be cutting off. Can I grow the 4 inches in 6 months? Sure I can! Do I want to have the current length of hair that I have right now? No I don't:nono:. I enjoy my do when my hair is flat ironed and curled, but not so much when I am trying to make a decent bun, so I reallllly miss my length. I guess what I am trying to say is that when I FINALLY cut the last 4 inches off, I want my ending length to be at least BSL. Maybe I will get 1 inch trims from now on so I gradually get rid of the length instead of another mini chop because I'm telling you that me and this length are having a tough time making a bun:sad:...........

On the flip side though, the hair is healthy as can be and I did say that I would take health over length any day, it's just that I am limited on styles.

If you are already accustomed to long stretches, you should be fine. I think the way I escaped damaging my NG is by not constantly using heat. I averaged about 6 inches per year.

HTH!
Click to expand...

Goodness! You are transitioning? Your hair looks GOOOD. I will definitely be hitting you up for tips when I do decide to transition.
 
CheLala13 said:
I'm at 13 months and I plan to go to 24 months.

Btw, you do realize that 1/2 inch per month is not considered slow? I would cry of joy if I got 12 to 16 inches after 24 months.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, I didn't make the distinction clear; I'm usually a slow grower, but I thought 1/2 inch per month was about average? (I used to get .25 per month and, in some situations, .25 every two months (:() but after a slow start I got two inches in these past three months, which is VERY unusual for me.)
I should have perhaps said not a fast grower :)
 
blackbarbie said:
I have been transitioning for quite some time right now (25 months so far) and I still have 4 more inches of relaxed ends left. I was so happy when my brother said "only 4 more inches to go" that I made a goal of saying that I will chop the rest of the 4 inches off by July 09' no matter what, but I think I have had a change of heart:ohwell:

If I go with my original plan to chop the remainder off at the end of July, that gives me 6 months (from the beginning of February when I last got it cut) to replace the 4 inches that I will be cutting off. Can I grow the 4 inches in 6 months? Sure I can! Do I want to have the current length of hair that I have right now? No I don't:nono:. I enjoy my do when my hair is flat ironed and curled, but not so much when I am trying to make a decent bun, so I reallllly miss my length. I guess what I am trying to say is that when I FINALLY cut the last 4 inches off, I want my ending length to be at least BSL. Maybe I will get 1 inch trims from now on so I gradually get rid of the length instead of another mini chop because I'm telling you that me and this length are having a tough time making a bun:sad:...........

On the flip side though, the hair is healthy as can be and I did say that I would take health over length any day, it's just that I am limited on styles.

If you are already accustomed to long stretches, you should be fine. I think the way I escaped damaging my NG is by not constantly using heat. I averaged about 6 inches per year.

HTH!
Click to expand...

I always drool whenever I see your hair!
Anyway, thank for your response. You said you would take health over length. Do you think hanging onto those last four inches affect your hair's health, or will the relaxed ends make your more tempted to use heat, thus damaging your hair's health?
 
I was going to pop in here and say BlackBarbie has the transition thing on lock in terms of time. I see she chimed in!


:ot: Thanks for the MT tip BB, it's working like a charm!!
 
spinspinshuga said:
I always drool whenever I see your hair!
Anyway, thank for your response. You said you would take health over length. Do you think hanging onto those last four inches affect your hair's health, or will the relaxed ends make your more tempted to use heat, thus damaging your hair's health?
Click to expand...

The good thing about me and using heat is that I am very challenged when it comes to using flat irons, blow dryers, etc., so that's the REAL reason I'm not tempted:grin:. When I tell you that I just learned how to really use a flat iron and hand held blow dryer a few months ago, I really mean it. Before now, whenever I made an attempt, it would turn out horribly until a really sweet member (you know who you are!) told me "small sections girl; small sections!". If I was trying to flat iron my hair and wasn't having good success, it was easier to jump back in the shower, co-wash and pull back in a bun. I was always a rollerset girl when I was fully relaxed; I didn't even own a hand held dryer, flat iron or curling iron.

Once you get to the point where you have as much or more NG than relaxed ends, your relaxed ends just have to fall in line and conform:grin:, meaning that it gets much easier to deal with your hair as a whole. Like when I was trying to do rollersets (with so many relaxed ends), the relaxed ends really frustrated me b/c they weren't as moisturized and healthy as the NG and even though they were relaxed and "straight", I could still tell the difference once the hair was wet (and dry too). When I got this last chunk cut off, I could tell that my next rollerset will be effortless b/c there are not that many wiry relaxed ends to contend with.

My saving grace was my buns, which was why I held on to the length for so long. Although some people do, I reallly don't have a problem with buns as I think they are really classy.

Do you normally flat iron your hair regularly or use heat now? How do you manage to transition for so long?

HTH!
 
blackbarbie said:
The good thing about me and using heat is that I am very challenged when it comes to using flat irons, blow dryers, etc., so that's the REAL reason I'm not tempted:grin:. When I tell you that I just learned how to really use a flat iron and hand held blow dryer a few months ago, I really mean it. Before now, whenever I made an attempt, it would turn out horribly until a really sweet member (you know who you are!) told me "small sections girl; small sections!". If I was trying to flat iron my hair and wasn't having good success, it was easier to jump back in the shower, co-wash and pull back in a bun. I was always a rollerset girl when I was fully relaxed; I didn't even own a hand held dryer, flat iron or curling iron.

Once you get to the point where you have as much or more NG than relaxed ends, your relaxed ends just have to fall in line and conform:grin:, meaning that it gets much easier to deal with your hair as a whole. Like when I was trying to do rollersets (with so many relaxed ends), the relaxed ends really frustrated me b/c they weren't as moisturized and healthy as the NG and even though they were relaxed and "straight", I could still tell the difference once the hair was wet (and dry too). When I got this last chunk cut off, I could tell that my next rollerset will be effortless b/c there are not that many wiry relaxed ends to contend with.

My saving grace was my buns, which was why I held on to the length for so long. Although some people do, I reallly don't have a problem with buns as I think they are really classy.

Do you normally flat iron your hair regularly or use heat now? How do you manage to transition for so long?

HTH!
Click to expand...
I'm usually able to stretch because my relaxer is very mild, and the curl is still very similar to my natural texture. I used to use no heat at all, but up until a few months ago I was flat ironing almost once a week, which is awful. I have been trying to just do braid outs and occasional rollersets, lately.

Thank you so much for your responses! Your hair is gorgeous; I hope my transition will be as successful as yours.
 
blackbarbie said:
I have been transitioning for quite some time right now (25 months so far) and I still have 4 more inches of relaxed ends left. I was so happy when my brother said "only 4 more inches to go" that I made a goal of saying that I will chop the rest of the 4 inches off by July 09' no matter what, but I think I have had a change of heart:ohwell:

If I go with my original plan to chop the remainder off at the end of July, that gives me 6 months (from the beginning of February when I last got it cut) to replace the 4 inches that I will be cutting off. Can I grow the 4 inches in 6 months? Sure I can! Do I want to have the current length of hair that I have right now? No I don't:nono:. I enjoy my do when my hair is flat ironed and curled, but not so much when I am trying to make a decent bun, so I reallllly miss my length. I guess what I am trying to say is that when I FINALLY cut the last 4 inches off, I want my ending length to be at least BSL. Maybe I will get 1 inch trims from now on so I gradually get rid of the length instead of another mini chop because I'm telling you that me and this length are having a tough time making a bun:sad:...........

On the flip side though, the hair is healthy as can be and I did say that I would take health over length any day, it's just that I am limited on styles.

If you are already accustomed to long stretches, you should be fine. I think the way I escaped damaging my NG is by not constantly using heat. I averaged about 6 inches per year.

HTH!
Click to expand...

Girl, that 4 inches will grow back in no time. I had an inch trimmed this past Saturday. Now I only have 3 more inches to go to be relaxer free. :woohoo2:
 
I transitioned for forever and a day. I can't remember exactly how long but it was probably over 3 years. I never BC'd and I did tiny dustings to get rid of the relaxed ends....very tiny dustings, lol.....probably not the best thing. I also used heat to transition but this was all before hair boards. My hair did fine and I didn't have any issues that I recall. It some point I lost track of my relaxed ends though because my relaxed hair was curly like my natural hair so it started to blend in and I couldn't tell where it started. I could get away with wash n' go's because the two textures didn't look bad together.
 
Pokahontas said:
I transitioned for forever and a day. I can't remember exactly how long but it was probably over 3 years. I never BC'd and I did tiny dustings to get rid of the relaxed ends....very tiny dustings, lol.....probably not the best thing. I also used heat to transition but this was all before hair boards. My hair did fine and I didn't have any issues that I recall. It some point I lost track of my relaxed ends though because my relaxed hair was curly like my natural hair so it started to blend in and I couldn't tell where it started. I could get away with wash n' go's because the two textures didn't look bad together.
Click to expand...
:lick: At your hair.
:AHEM!: Anyway, I'm hoping I can do this, since my relaxed hair is also very curly. I like the idea of never quite BCing, and your hair looks healthy and gorgeous, so it looks like it didn't hurt you at all!
 
spinspinshuga said:
:lick: At your hair.
:AHEM!: Anyway, I'm hoping I can do this, since my relaxed hair is also very curly. I like the idea of never quite BCing, and your hair looks healthy and gorgeous, so it looks like it didn't hurt you at all!
Click to expand...
Thank you. I'm sure you can do it....especially because you have an important tool that I didn't have which is lhcf. If I had more info I would have been smarter about it. The only thing that made my hair suffer was excessive heat.....I didn't know any other way to transition at the time so I did what I could. Low manipulation was extremely important to me at that time (and still is)! I found myself loosing the most hair when I shampoo'd so I did that as little as possible (every 2 weeks).....that was very helpful.

Good luck on your transition!
 
I did the same thing as Pokahantas. I didn't see it as a transition (didn't know that term as this was over 10 years ago). I just thought of it as as an end to relaxing. I had no line of demarcation and usually wore my hair curly or pulled back into a ponytail/bun. I never had bone straight hair and I had a hard time telling the difference from the relaxed ends. After about 3 years and frequent trims, I figured I was natural.
 
Do a search for MissMarie. She transitioned for a long time and had a lot of length. It can definitely be done.
 
wavezncurlz said:
I did the same thing as Pokahantas. I didn't see it as a transition (didn't know that term as this was over 10 years ago). I just thought of it as as an end to relaxing. I had no line of demarcation and usually wore my hair curly or pulled back into a ponytail/bun. I never had bone straight hair and I had a hard time telling the difference from the relaxed ends. After about 3 years and frequent trims, I figured I was natural.
Click to expand...
Same as me. After so long (about 3 going on 4 years) I just figured I was natural. I wasn't 100% sure for a long time.
 
Spin, you should definitely transition if that's what you want to do. I never thought about BC'ing early. I hope to keep going until next summer (my graduation). I really care about length but my ends look raggedy even though I take good care of them and they look pretty good when they are straightened. *shrug
 
I have been transitioning for 22 months. Doing only small trims & dustings. My hair grows at a moderate rate but I think I have long resting phases. I often feel like I should have more growth than I currently do.

The back of my hair is already totally natural just from trimming but it is only shoulder length when stretched. I have crazy shrinkage.

on the top I still have about 3 inches of relaxer left.

Miss MArie is my ultimate transitioning idol. I still go to her album all the time.
 
Pokahontas said:
Same as me. After so long (about 3 going on 4 years) I just figured I was natural. I wasn't 100% sure for a long time.
Click to expand...


Ditto for me. I transitioned 3.5+ years before I was sure the top layers were fully natural.

Then I had no idea what to do with my hair. :wallbash:
 
Mook's hair said:
I have been transitioning for 22 months. Doing only small trims & dustings. My hair grows at a moderate rate but I think I have long resting phases. I often feel like I should have more growth than I currently do.

The back of my hair is already totally natural just from trimming but it is only shoulder length when stretched. I have crazy shrinkage.

on the top I still have about 3 inches of relaxer left.

Miss MArie is my ultimate transitioning idol. I still go to her album all the time.
Click to expand...

WOW, I see why you and others have recommended her...her transition was so successful, and her hair is just stunning!
Well, your stories and hair have all been major inspirations for me. Thanks so much!
 
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