Transitioning/long Term Stretching Support 2018

[Evolving78]

Hey ladies we needed a new thread for 2018!
This thread is for transitioners, thinking about transitioning, or long term stretching!
Tips and tricks are welcomed!
Rants and venting are welcomed!
This thread will be for the year and will close at the end!

 

[Evolving78]

I will kick things off!
I am not thrilled about transitioning, and I usually cut all of my hair off when I encounter setbacks! I had major plans for this year! Lol
Currently in relaxed
1 week post
APL
4a medium to high density
Fine coily texture.
Color treated, so growing that out as well.

I’m transitioning because I can’t really pin point what is going on with my scalp. I have been natural many times before, but I would really like to enjoy wearing my hair straight. I already know what my hair texture is like, and have experienced all that comes with being natural, but I don’t have a clue about transitioning!

I have bone straight ends and textured roots.

I plan on wearing buns and heat styling.
I like Design Essentials and Mizani, but I will be incorporating Qhemet Biologics into the mix.

 

[Coilystep]

Good luck. What is your scalp doing.

 

[Evolving78]

Good luck. What is your scalp doing.

It’s sensitive and I have Alopecia. It seems to be a number of things that is causing me irritation.

 

[BlessedXs2]

Thanks for starting this thread! The other one is dead and I need a home! I’m 17 months post plan on chopping at 2 years. We’ll see once I get there. My Reggie is super simple wash / dc weekly or biweekly air dry in braids and do some kind of protective style. Right now I’m in box braids and LOVING the break from styling! I’ve been playing with Shea Butter and Ayurveda just because transitioning is so boring. I trim every so often but when I do I cut a lot I’ve been going from APL to Bsl and back again.

 

[Evolving78]

@BlessedXs2
Welcome! Yeah there was nowhere to hang out around here! Lol
Congrats on making it to 17 months! That is amazing progress! I hope I can press through like that! I usually give up very quickly! Lol I don’t have patience, so this will be a serious learning experience for me! I’m gonna try to keep it simple!

 

[Coilystep]

It’s sensitive and I have Alopecia. It seems to be a number of things that is causing me irritation.

I've never had alopecia but I do have a sensitive scalp I always had chemical burns and dandruff while I was relaxed. It's a wonder I had a full head of Stopping the relaxing should help with your issues. I would also avoid introducing too many new products, and avoid putting anything directly on the scalp.

Transitioning was hard but so worth it for me.

 

[BlessedXs2]

@BlessedXs2
Welcome! Yeah there was nowhere to hang out around here! Lol
Congrats on making it to 17 months! That is amazing progress! I hope I can press through like that! I usually give up very quickly! Lol I don’t have patience, so this will be a serious learning experience for me! I’m gonna try to keep it simple!

It definitely has not been easy! Lots of frustration! Being in this in between stage I’m just ready to be natural! I would have cut if I wasn’t so afraid of short hair. I need to be able to bun/ ponytail. I straightened my hair in Nov/ dec and my hair is holding up really well considering so I may just be here forever and never big chop. We’ll see how my patience is set up I guess

 

[Evolving78]

I've never had alopecia but I do have a sensitive scalp I always had chemical burns and dandruff while I was relaxed. It's a wonder I had a full head of Stopping the relaxing should help with your issues. I would also avoid introducing too many new products, and avoid putting anything directly on the scalp.

Transitioning was hard but so worth it for me.

Yeah I’m done with trying a bunch of products. 90% of that stuff doesn’t work well anyway.

 

[Evolving78]

This is my second day of using SCurl. This stuff usually does not work for me. But it seemed to work well yesterday and today. I also got QB morniga tree detangling ghee. I hope these two products help with keeping my hair moisturized between washing and dc’ing.

 

[Britt]

Hi love!
I’ll join but i don’t have a ‘real’ regimen or plan. I’m currently 7 months post and started using henna 2 weeks in a row now. Styling is an issue for me. My hair is sorta short and i have bone straight ends. I plan to chop my this summer.

 

[Evolving78]

Hi love!
I’ll join but i don’t have a ‘real’ regimen or plan. I’m currently 7 months post and started using henna 2 weeks in a row now. Styling is an issue for me. My hair is sorta short and i have bone straight ends. I plan to chop my this summer.

Hey love!
No regimen here needed! Lol we are just hanging out! You were not playin when you said you were transitioning! 7 months in is great!

 

[Evolving78]

I didn’t wake up with dry hair! I think I will try to keep my hands out of it today and just keep my scarf or slap cap on.

 

[Britt]

Hey love!
No regimen here needed! Lol we are just hanging out! You were not playin when you said you were transitioning! 7 months in is great!

Girl my hair looks like ish. I am so tempted to get some braids again right now, probably will.

 

[Evolving78]

Girl my hair looks like ish. I am so tempted to get some braids again right now, probably will.

I’m sure it looks better than mine! Lol
I wish I could handle somebody braiding my hair...
I put in Senegalese twists once. I kept them in for 6 weeks. I washed my hair though. I used a nozzle filled with shampoo and water and I used ORS latherless shampoo/scalp cleanser as well.
It took me a week to install those things... plus I don’t have hours to sit anywhere getting my hair done. I would have to do it myself. I may try it for the spring for my birthday.
I’m just working on building up moisture in my hair. I do plan on heat training my hair as well. I’m not really concerned with growing my relaxer out. I’m more concerned with just not getting one anymore. But I know I will have to cut an inch every few months. Probably every 3-4 months cut an inch off. I trim a lot anyway.

I wanna get a nice 1/2 inch flat iron too.

 

[Britt]

I’m sure it looks better than mine! Lol
I wish I could handle somebody braiding my hair...
I put in Senegalese twists once. I kept them in for 6 weeks. I washed my hair though. I used a nozzle filled with shampoo and water and I used ORS latherless shampoo/scalp cleanser as well.
It took me a week to install those things... plus I don’t have hours to sit anywhere getting my hair done. I would have to do it myself. I may try it for the spring for my birthday.
I’m just working on building up moisture in my hair. I do plan on heat training my hair as well. I’m not really concerned with growing my relaxer out. I’m more concerned with just not getting one anymore. But I know I will have to cut an inch every few months. Probably every 3-4 months cut an inch off. I trim a lot anyway.

I wanna get a nice 1/2 inch flat iron too.

I just took out senegelese twists 2 weeks ago... the matting! LORDY! It was bad. It took me a good 4 hours to get them out. Idk if it's b/c i had them in for 8 wks. I also washed them wkly with the spray bottle or in the shower. I somehow think it's the way the braider twisted it at the route. Time! Yesssssss.... It takes time to put them in, might as well devote 1/2 or all your day to the braid shop.

Re the bolded, I don't blame you. If my hair were more conducive to heat that was always the route I wanted to go with initially. I like fluffy blow out looking hair styles or big texturized looking hair. I sweat in my head and my roots usually poof up from flat ironing quickly, that's a mystery even a stylist has yet to figure out. They just chalk it up to that's just how my hair is. Do you plan on washing, blow drying, and flat ironing weekly?

 

[Evolving78]

I did natural heat styling for a minute in 2016. It seemed my natural hair could get away with weekly heat styling, but my hair was bleached as well. I got tired of the work. I sweat and my hair will revert when it is dry, so that was my issue. Having porous hair and trying to keep it straight isn’t gonna fly. And I had too many protein based products! Just no moisture! I have only had my natural hair heat straightened by a stylist once. You have to be a natural hair stylist guru to deal and handle my hair texture! Lol I swear 4c hair isn’t bad. It just needs a lot of moisture. I don’t have 4c hair. My hair is coily, dry, fine, and dense. I haven’t found somebody with hair like mine yet. No stylist allowed me to stretch pass 10 weeks! Lol they knew it would be breakage city trying to work with my hair. Plus, it gets weighed down easily.

 

[BlessedXs2]

I just took out senegelese twists 2 weeks ago... the matting! LORDY! It was bad. It took me a good 4 hours to get them out. Idk if it's b/c i had them in for 8 wks. I also washed them wkly with the spray bottle or in the shower. I somehow think it's the way the braider twisted it at the route. Time! Yesssssss.... It takes time to put them in, might as well devote 1/2 or all your day to the braid shop.

Re the bolded, I don't blame you. If my hair were more conducive to heat that was always the route I wanted to go with initially. I like fluffy blow out looking hair styles or big texturized looking hair. I sweat in my head and my roots usually poof up from flat ironing quickly, that's a mystery even a stylist has yet to figure out. They just chalk it up to that's just how my hair is. Do you plan on washing, blow drying, and flat ironing weekly?

I got box braids for the first time in at least 10 years and when I tel you I’m loving it! I get these odd moments when I wanna play in my hair but it’s passes fairly quickly I’m definitely going to be doing these more often!

 

[BlessedXs2]

I didn’t wake up with dry hair! I think I will try to keep my hands out of it today and just keep my scarf or slap cap on.

S curl has always been my bff I’ll use it try something else but I always return to it.

 

[Britt]

I got box braids for the first time in at least 10 years and when I tel you I’m loving it! I get these odd moments when I wanna play in my hair but it’s passes fairly quickly I’m definitely going to be doing these more often!

Thanks! Are they heavy? Braids are so easy going !!!!

 

[BlessedXs2]

Thanks! Are they heavy? Braids are so easy going !!!!

They were retry heavy at first but not too bad. They are hip length so I guess that’s expected. I love it though DH gives me the side eyebecause I stay SLANGING them at him I’m sure he’s done with already

 

[LivingDoll]

Hi Ladies,

I am back after a long hiatus from the board. My hair has gone through many changes since I first joined the board back in 2005 (I know my avi says 2008, but before 2008 I had a different screen name/account). I've gone from relaxed to natural and back several times.

The first time I transitioned for 18 months, and was mainly heat trained. That time I made the mistake of doing a Design Essentials Keratin treatment that was popular at the time, and my hair basically fell out. The second time in 2016, I big chopped and rocked a twa. I was finally mastering products and my hair thrived. Then, after years of being on hormonal contraceptives, I stopped taking them and my hair fell out by the handful. I'm talking large clumps of hair coming out whenever I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. I went from having really dense fine hair to my hair looking "scalpy". After losing so much hair, I decided to go back to a short relaxed pixie cut. I didn't want to relax, but its very difficult to find a stylist that knows how to/is willing to work with short natural hair. I liked the pixie, but I never loved it because the fullness that I'd always had before was gone.

So, now I'm back at it. Transitioning again. I am older now (I can't believe it's been 10 years since I created this account!), so I don't see being a PJ like I once was. I will not be washing my hair every 2-3 days or jumping on every bandwagon....I am sticking to a simple product routine, and I'll be washing/DCing once a week, taking Solaray Hair Nutrients, and drinking a protein shake daily. My last relaxer was 7/17/17, so I am 6 months post. I plan to transition until I feel that I'm ready to chop my relaxed ends. I don't know yet if I will be heat trained, or if I will protective style. My hair is still pretty short so I'll have to see what works best/is easiest.

It's nice to see many of the ladies that I used to interact with are still here posting. I would like to join you all here if you will have me. (Sorry this post is so long)

 

[Britt]

They were retry heavy at first but not too bad. They are hip length so I guess that’s expected. I love it though DH gives me the side eyebecause I stay SLANGING them at him I’m sure he’s done with already

LOL! I believe you! Hip length braids... those are heavy lol but I know they look good !

 

[guyaneseyankee]

following. My daughter is four months post and is going to attempt to transition. She's has apl relaxed hair and doesn't want to big chop. Tips and tricks are what I'm looking for to assist her as best as I can. I say, cut it off, but she's not trying to hear that.

 

[Evolving78]

@LivingDoll
Welcome back!

 

[Evolving78]

I may consider protective styling until I gain more length in my crown. Some spots are only an inch, or just fine hairs starting to sprout. I may give it a shot in the spring.

 

[LivingDoll]

Thanks @shortdub78!

 

[Evolving78]

@Britt
I remember you sharing how your hair felt and your reasons for wanting to transition. Based on that, how was your hair able to handle getting braids? Was the braider gentle and did you have any breakage from the manipulation? Last time I got my hair braided, I had a lot of new growth with bone straight ends and my crown was fragile. My crown ended up getting ripped out.

 

[Britt]

@Britt
I remember you sharing how your hair felt and your reasons for wanting to transition. Based on that, how was your hair able to handle getting braids? Was the braider gentle and did you have any breakage from the manipulation? Last time I got my hair braided, I had a lot of new growth with bone straight ends and my crown was fragile. My crown ended up getting ripped out.

I had a lot of shedding with the take down. My hair also started to mat a little at the roots which made detangling a nightmare, I suspect it matted at the roots possibly b/c my twists were skinnier than usual and maybe b/c she twisted the root instead of slightly braided the root and then continue with the twisting. I'm going to ask her. In the past when I got senegelese twists they were larger and the take down was so quick and I had no matting.

In terms of breakage from the installation, idk... b/c I have coarser roots and fragile ends the take down was more brutal. My take down with this set of twists was miserable. IMO, braiding and twists, etc is better left for natural hair. Relaxed hair strands are a bit fragile to take the pulling with the fingers and stuff. Because I have so much new growth when the braider was putting in my twists it was more painful b/c of coarser roots and thin ends. Butttttt, they were NOT tight at all. She did a great job with that, my edges were totally fine. I'm going to get some cornrows probably tmrw, now with that I *have* to emphasize to please not make this too tight.

 

[reallynow]

I'm transitioning... I'm in month 15. My plan was to cut the rest of my relaxer off in September 2017. My stylist asked me to wait until Jan 2018 and when I went to see him last week I wasn't comfortable with the length if we cut it. I need at least a small ponytail to keep me sane and for working out. I have no real regimen, I just try to "listen" to my hair and give it what it needs. I'm going to start wearing twist outs again, I've been manipulating my hair too much.