Riddle Me This Naturals...Natural/BC Dates Are Confusing ME

[Faith]

I'm a bit confused by this and have been for a while now I see a lot of naturals do this.
I see posts where the member states when they got a BC (i.e. Jan 2009) and say I have been natural 2 months. BUT sometimes they started growing/stopped relaxers many months earlier (i.e. Feb 2008). So wouldn't it be less confusing to say "I have 12 months of natural growth"?

I thought you could claim being natural when you stop relaxing? I stopped relaxing June 10, 2006 but I did mini chops and did my final chop about June 2007. I wouldn't say "I've been natural for almost 2 years". The growth on my head is almost 3 years worth not almost 2. No?

Do you claim your length from your BC date or the day you stopped relaxing?

 

[KizzieNapps]

I dont think that it matters which way you say it. The accurate way to describe how long you've been growing your natural hair would be from your last relaxer. However, you're not fully natural until you chop the relaxed ends off. Whenever I look at fotki's to find out how long they've been growing their hair I always pay attention to how long they've transitioned before I look at the BC

 

[Junebug D]

I think most people don't consider themselves natural until there is no more relaxer on their ends-- when they do the BC. Until then, they are transitioning.

I see where the confusion comes from. someone goes "I've been natural for 2 weeks" yet they have 6 inches of natural hair. That's why it's helpful to also state how long you've transitioned.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

OP, I agree with you and it was one of my frustrations when looking at natural albums that don't make the distinction. Because you'd be looking at somebody's pics 6 months after a BC like 'dang they hair grow fast', but really you're looking at 2 years worth of natural hair.


When I was natural I'd say when my last relaxer was AND my BC date.

 

[Whimsy]

This does get a lil confusing sometimes. I plan on keeping my transition start date and the date of my BC clearly indicated on my blog to avoid any mixups.

 

[glamazon386]

I would think that most people go by the BC date because you are not fully natural until you chop the relaxed ends off. In my case, the date from the last relaxer and the BC is only a matter of maybe 5 months so it doesn't really make that much of a difference. But if somebody transitiong for a year or more, I could understand.

 

[Cichelle]

Although I will say the date I did the big chop, I often let people know that I transitioned for 14 months, especially if they comment on the length of my hair.

 

[BostonMaria]

I guess it can be confusing. I like to know how long someone transitioned and how much their hair grew after the BC.

If you stop relaxing and then stop you can't really say you're 100% natural if you still have chemicals in your hair. Plus some people stretch for months and then relax their hair. Others transition but then change their minds and go back to relaxing.

Technically I have 26 months of growth. Haven't relaxed in 2 years, been natural for over a year. I personally like to compare the difference in length from long term transitioners to short term transitioners.

 

[LynnieB]

I didn't consider myself natural until I bc'd, until then it was simply a transitioning phase.

I don't sweat it too much since every one I know has a transitioning album listed amongst their online albums (mine is set up this way too) so I'll just take note of the year they began to transition and continue drooling over their fully natural hair.

If someone were to post here that they bc'd today and has 5-6 inches of hair then I know they've been transitioning for a least a year or maybe more.

The only time I'd have an issue is if someone were to straight-up lie about how much amazing hair growth they had in such a short period of time.

The Big Chop date is really the day you completely committed yourself to naturalness. No turning back at that point

 

[BostonMaria]

The Big Chop date is really the day you completely committed yourself to naturalness. No turning back at that point

That's a good way of putting it

 

[naturalgurl]

When I was transitioning I didn't claim that I was natural. Not that I felt it was a "rule", I just didn't consider myself to be natural because of the permed ends. I would just say it's been "x" amount of months since I relaxed. When I finally cut all of the ends off, then I said I was natural. When I give the length of time I've been natural I start the count from my last relaxer, not when I cut off the ends.

 

[chosen07]

The Big Chop date is really the day you completely committed yourself to naturalness. No turning back at that point

this is really the bottom line..but I know for me, I equate BC with bald..so I have had to retrain myself to look at length of transitioning and not only categorize a "big cut" with being bald!

 

[Faith]

Thanks for helping me clear it up ladies. I guess what would help is if a natural member listed the last relaxer date as well so you know when their natural growth began.

When I give the length of time I've been natural I start the count from my last relaxer, not when I cut off the ends.

Me too. I honestly don't remember the EXACT day that all my relaxed ends were cut. I know it was within a year or so..lol. It never occured to me to keep track.

 

[Hairsofab]

I agree. It does get confusing. I measure from the time I got my last relaxer not from when I cut all my relaxed hair off.

 

[SimpleBrooklyn]

I always list my last relaxer and BC date.

I haven't yet ( i don't think) used the sentence "I've been natural for/since".

It can be confusing when you are checking other people's progress.

I just stick with the two important facts. I BC'd 1/1/09 and had my last relaxer 3/07

 

[BrownEyez22]

Like some other ladies said...I list my last relaxer date and BC (really mini chop) date.

I have been confused as well and tried to track down others members last relaxer/start of transition date. So I can get a idea of how long it might take to grow out and things like that.

 

[Auburn]

I didnt claim to be natural until I BC'd.

I transitioned for 6 months. I have 2 anniversaries a year. They are 6 months a part. November - last relaxer, May - BC

 

[loulou82]

IA with JCoily. I state both when documenting my progress. It's only been 6 months since my BC but I stopped relaxing in May 2007. I don't want to confuse others and I get annoyed when I see someone writes they've been natural 3 months but fail to state they transitioned 2 years before then.

 

[Mook's hair]

I agree that it is best to state the last relaxer date or the amount of time that was dedicated to transitioning. In addition to the BC date.

 

[Lyoness]

I state my last relaxer since that's all I can do for now.. once I BC I will state both dates.. IA that its important to state both so others can see the whole picture without misleading anyone...

 

[naturalgurl]

Well with that said, I only celebrate the last relaxer I got which was February 2003. I can't remember when I finally took those scissors and cut the ends off. I do remember I was frustrated that day and whack, whack, whack. I didn't think to write it down or remember it. I would say it was in 2005 somewhere...

 

[Faith]

I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one

 

[Southernbella.]

Hmmm. I didn't realize it was confusing like that. It's in my fotki that I transitioned for a year, and I mentioned it in my progress thread, but it's not in my siggy. I guess I always just assumed that everyone has some sort of transition period, so I account for that in my head when I look at siggies and fotkis.

I guess you could always just ask the person.

 

[Nonie]

Well, I don't have a BC date when I transitioned from relaxers as I trimmed gradually while in braids till all my hair was gone. I know I was completely free of relaxers in August 2002 after being in braids from August 2001 when I started with only an inch of new growth. I know this because it was in August that I undid my entire head to redo it afresh and saw that my hair was 100% relaxer free. But I was on a regular trimming regi so not sure when exactly I became 100% natural.

I do have a later BC date though--a BC not to cut off relaxed hair but to cut off perfectly healthy natural hair. I happened to find myself at the mercy of a SHS and so in Feb 2007, I got a BC from around shoulder length to this.

ETA: Of course I was pissed.

 

[hopeful]

OP, good point and I agree with you. Like you stated, saying something like: "I have 12 months of natural growth" would be helpful.

 

[TaraDyan]

I always list my last relaxer and BC date.

I haven't yet ( i don't think) used the sentence "I've been natural for/since".

It can be confusing when you are checking other people's progress.

I just stick with the two important facts. I BC'd 1/1/09 and had my last relaxer 3/07

I agree completely. I list them both to cut down on the confusion. My last relaxer was on March 1, 2007 but my BC date was September 1, 2008 (after an 18-month transition). So come this Sunday (March 1, 2009), I will have 2 years of natural hair on my head, but it will be only six months since my big chop.

Hope that makes sense.

ETA: I plan to create a 2-year progress thread on Sunday, and I will make sure that I specifically state that I have 24 months of natural hair. I don't want anyone thinking I achieved this growth in 6 months.

 

[Faith]

ETA: I plan to create a 2-year progress thread on Sunday, and I will make sure that I specifically state that I have 24 months of natural hair. I don't want anyone thinking I achieved this growth in 6 months.

Thanks girl. I appreciate it. I could always ask the poster but it's just more work..lol. Sometimes you just want to spend that time drooling not PMing/asking questions

 

[msa]

ETA: I plan to create a 2-year progress thread on Sunday, and I will make sure that I specifically state that I have 24 months of natural hair. I don't want anyone thinking I achieved this growth in 6 months.

I can't wait to see it!


OP, I personally don't consider someone natural until all the relaxed hair is gone, until then they're transitioning. Usually people make it clear when their last relaxer was and when their BC was.

I'm a lifetime natural so I don't have this issue.