Stretching : Is it for you?

[janaq2003]

Guys , I've learned from my last stretch ( 15 wks) my hair is not having long stretches. Have any of you found that trying to make it till 12 wks or greater post is detrimental to the health for your hair( breakage)? And if so, what changes have you made? I am currently 7 wks post and my ng is out of control!

 

[Simply_Kelz]

After week 7 or 8, I keep it super low-mani, continue cowashing daily, and apply my DC like a relaxer. I'd like to relax at 8-10 weeks instead 12+ but I haven't perfected self-relaxing yet.

 

[Neroli]

Guys , I've learned from my last stretch ( 15 wks) my hair is not having long stretches. Have any of you found that trying to make it till 12 wks or greater post is detrimental to the health for your hair( breakage)? And if so, what changes have you made? I am currently 7 wks post and my ng is out of control!

Oh yeah, it's for me!! But I think everyone has a different "stretching limit" - my 12 weeks (3 months) without any problems whatsoever. I did go 16 weeks once, and haven't tried that again and stick with 12 weeks. My comments:

1. Is this your first strecth? If so, you may want to start slow like I did -- I use touchup every 6 weeks and my first stretch was to 7 weeks, then I relaxed. The next time I went up to 8 weeks, then relaxed, the next time another week and so on until I got to 12 weeks -- it really helped me gradually get use to managing the ng without going nuts. My suggestion is if it's too much for you to handle right now,then go ahead and relax and try to strech and extra week next time.

2. Are you manipulating/washing/styling your hair every day? If so, you may want to try just leaving it alone between washes and doing low-manipulation or protective style that don't require a lot of handling-- I wash once a week and usually leave it alone (no combing, no brushing, minimum handling) until the next wash.

 

[freshlikemoi]

OP: What styles were you doing while stretching. I stretch usually for about 4 to 5 months. This is the best thing since sliced bread for my tresses. I do mine with a weave after the first 4 weeks.

-If I didn't use a weave I'd be relaxing every 10 weeks, cuz I'd be all up in my hair.

 

[Spongie Bloom]

my first ever stretch without braids or anything was 13 weeks and it was alright my hair coped really well although i probably looked deranged all that time

 

[imanc84]

My hair is so darn thick that I can't even imagine going past the 6 week mark. I really want to try it but I thought that your hair breaks if you do not relax for more than 6 weeks. Can anyone give tips on stretching like co washing with what and pre-pooing when. Also, how to keep the roots somewhat managable?

 

[prospurr4]

No...not at all. I stretched for 14 weeks once, but for me, the costs (tangles/matting, looking crazy) outweighed the benefits (really couldn't see any). I touchup every 8-9 weeks so me and my hair can be happy.

 

[Traycee]

Don't feel bad...I never mastered the whole stretching thing... too....And my hair and I is doing just fine

 

[pearcey]

I am on my 13th week right now. I conditioner wash everyday, comb thru in shower, shake/go and don't touch my hair until I go thru the next day's same cycle. I really don't know what I am going to do with my hair. I will just see what happens in the coming months.

 

[Eisani]

While I loved it and when I did it (now transitioning and 8 months post), I'd stretch anywhere from 16-28 wks w/o any problems, I will say it's definitely not for everyone. If you notice more harm than good w/long stretches, then by all means do what's best for the health of your hair.

 

[MrzLadyBuggz]

No it is not. More harm than good for me.

 

[luvn_life]

While I loved it and when I did it (now transitioning and 8 months post), I'd stretch anywhere from 16-28 wks w/o any problems, I will say it's definitely not for everyone. If you notice more harm than good w/long stretches, then by all means do what's best for the health of your hair.

When I go past 8 wks. my hair get super dry. Then again it is usually in a weave when that happens so that definitely contributes. Have you tried upping how many times you cowash a week??

I'm sorry this has nothing to do with the question. But, Eisani, what do you color your hair with?? The color is soooo pretty.

 

[Sepia_Rose]

Stretching is definitely working for me. I just came off of a major stretch a few weeks ago for almost 20 weeks and was amazed at how much thicker my hair seemed when I relaxed. I didn't have as much shedding and breakage when I relaxed this time either. Plus all that deep conditioning and co washing to keep the newgrowth under control did wonders for the health of my hair and I kept almost all of the length I aquired.

 

[Arcadian]

I'm able to stretch because I don't stretch more than what my hair can handle (meaning, if my hair is stressed out by 12 weeks thats when I relax) and my regie switches to low manipulation/ high moisture past week 10.


Everbody shouldn't stretch if their hair can't handle it. When I first started I took it literally a week at a time. Once I hit 10 weeks it was week by week.

Sure I'd like to stretch for 26 weeks but realistically, my hair may not be able to handle that and I never feel like I let myself down if I can't.


-A

 

[Filmatic]

I learned I can't either. I will stick to 8-10 weeks.

 

[lunabelle]

Stretching isn't for me at all. Right now I'm 9weeks post and it's a jungle in here. When I attempt to stretch for long periods of time my hair starts breaking and tangling like crazy. Not to mention looking a mess. It's just not worth it for me....

 

[GeorgiaCutie]

I learned I can't either. I will stick to 8-10 weeks.

Me too!! I tried to I really did but I can't do it unless I have braids or some type of weave. My hair gets matted and dry around week 8 and I just don't know what to do with it. So I usually relax at 9 or 10 weeks. I've seen ladies on here doing 6 month stretches and I don't think I can.

 

[bermudabeauty]

The only way I could ever stretch is if my hair is in a weave. And if I was wearing any of my hair out. The hair that was out would still get relaxed. I find that when I stretch my hair without a weave, I have wayyyy more shedding and I already shed anywhere from 50-100 hairs a day not to mention I would start to break my hair off because of the difference in textures. Sorry stretching dosen't work for me. Relaxer every 5wks.

 

[Cloud06]

Yes I love stretching! Since I've started my hair has gotten thicker. B4 I would relax every 6-8 weeks and always had thin see-thru ends. Once I learned how to stretch it has never let me down. The key is to keep it moisturized either with water and conditioner washes and to use low manipulation styles. I stretch for four to six months at a time using braidouts and daily co-washes and deep conditioning, after I relax its as if my hair is healthier, thicker, and longer each time.

 

[MizAvalon]

Stretching is wonderful for me.

 

[kbfluff]

Stretching is how I got to APL. I'm stretching right now for a year...july 08 to july 09. It works for me...my hair is fine and cornrows is the way that I do it...stretching would not work if I was wearing my hair out trying to style it all of the time.

 

[classi123]

Stretching only works when my hair is weaved. I cant stretch if my hair is left out. The reason why I retained my length and relaxed less was because of the weave which made me go from NL to past SL and almost APL. I think once u up the moisture you can do well with stretching.

 

[chebaby]

i started off stretching just because i didnt see to need to get a relaxer so close together. to me 6 weeks or 8 weeks or even 10 weeks is to close together for ME. my new growth is never out of control so i dont see the need. i would never relax less than 3 months post. right now i am almost 11 months post and not sure iff i want to transition anymore. transitioning was not a problem for me, especially now than i do aphogee 2 minute treatments, but i just feel like stopping. but if i go back to relaxers i will only get touch ups every three or four months. anything before then is too soon for me.

 

[victorious]

I'm not sure. I've never stretched up to 12 weeks styling my own hair before. The longest I've stretched was 13 weeks when I wore a weave the 7th-12 week post. Weaves put too much stress on my fine strands, so I don't think I'll wear it again or even try half wigs unless my hair has the strength of steel wool.

I'm going to try one last time at 6.5 wks post. I'll do a DIY steam treatment this weekend, moisturize and seal consistently, and co-wash frequently. Hopefully that'll help soften and detangle my hair so I can stretch until 12 wks instead of 8-10.

I plan to wear roller sets and flatten/hide new growth with broad headwraps during the stretch. I'll see how it goes.

 

[AngieK]

I tried seriously stretching a few times, but my experience has shown me that 12 - 14 weeks is a max. HOWEVER, my hair grows at different rates - sometimes faster, sometimes slower. If my hair is growing quickly, then I may have to realx a lot sooner than I would during a time when the growth is slower. Given that fact, I never set specific time goals for stretching (like telling myself that I'll stretch for X number of weeks) - I just go by what my hair will tolerate.

Additionally, since I self relax, I don't want SO much new growth that it would cause me to have a hard time relaxing w/out tangles, getting sloppy/overlapping, or running out of time before I can smooth my hair properly.

I definitely can say that once I stopped relaxing every 6 - 8 weeks, my hair did start to grow in thicker. I'm 6 weeks post-relaxer now and I can't IMAGINE realxing at this point. Yes, the new growth is present, but I keep my hair clean and VERY moisturized so the growth is very manageable.

So, to sum it all up, I am always impressed by the all of the reported hair successes from all of our forum members, but the bottom line is that I do what's good for MY HAIR.

 

[mistee11]

Guys , I've learned from my last stretch ( 15 wks) my hair is not having long stretches. Have any of you found that trying to make it till 12 wks or greater post is detrimental to the health for your hair( breakage)? And if so, what changes have you made? I am currently 7 wks post and my ng is out of control!

I have definitely found that stretching past 8 weeks is detrimental to my hair health. The last time I ended up stretching 13 wks not through any will of my own mind you. My hair dresser got sick on me (God Bless her) and I didn't really trust any of the other hair stylists to do my touch up. I really lost a lot of hair but I think it also happened because I really didn't know how to properly moisturize and care for my hair. I'm currently 6 wks post and this ng is rough to deal with but I'm managing better than the last time only because I've learned about cowashing and deep conditioning and rollersetting since becoming a member of this hair board. Thank God for LHCF! In my sig pic I just d/c last nite with Aphogee Two Step Protein which is to be used approximately 2 weeks before you touch up relaxer. If you notice my hair is rather poofy from all the ng!

 

[mistee11]

I'm not sure. I've never stretched up to 12 weeks styling my own hair before. The longest I've stretched was 13 weeks when I wore a weave the 7th-12 week post. Weaves put too much stress on my fine strands, so I don't think I'll wear it again or even try half wigs unless my hair has the strength of steel wool.

I'm going to try one last time at 6.5 wks post. I'll do a DIY steam treatment this weekend, moisturize and seal consistently, and co-wash frequently. Hopefully that'll help soften and detangle my hair so I can stretch until 12 wks instead of 8-10.

I plan to wear roller sets and flatten/hide new growth with broad headwraps during the stretch. I'll see how it goes.

This sounds like a good plan. I can't do weaves either without suffering some sort of breakage. But I would maybe try half wigs -- I don't want to do a full one cause I don't think I could handle that in all this heat. Braids aren't an option for me because they break my hair off something fierce.

 

[sylver2]

My hair did fine without stretching.but did miracles with stretching.

gets easier. Im on my 5th month and didn't even notice

 

[cdixon]

I think stretching works for me, right now I'm about 8 - 9 weeks post and I plan on stretching for at least 4 more weeks. I co-wash daily or every other day, and that helps with the stretching. This is only my 1st time really stretching, but I think it works for my hair. If you want you can check out my fotki from when I first started to now and see how far I got with stretching.

 

[NYAmicas]

I usually stretch for 10-12 weeks but it's always a battle. I can never get to my NG properly and it grows in so knotty. I may stop the madness soon.