Was your texture REALLY different when you BC'ed?

[davisbr88]

I have heard from multiple people that the texture of your hair while transitioning is not the same as how it will look when you are fully natural. While this makes perfectly logical sense considering the fact that the relaxed hair could weigh down/strecth the curls, I have seen multiple people who had texture shots from when transitioning that look the same as the hair they now have on their heads as naturals, and even have seen in person people whose hair didn't change. I'm wondering why this is and what factors contribute to it. Does it depend on how long/heavy your relaxed hair is? For instance, if you transitioned and had long and thick relaxed hair, were your curls elongated during the transition and then shrunk and moved down a hair-type after you BC'ed, whereas shorter, thinner relaxed hair would be the opposite? I'm just confused because of all that people have told me about texture changes, however, when I chopped the relaxed ends off of some small pieces on my own head, the texture looked the same as when it had the relaxed end on it. I began my transition with a short nape-length angled bob cut and have thinner hair, so I was wondering if that had anything to do with it.
I hope this question makes sense. TIA!

 

[song_of_serenity]

Mine was the opposite. It was really bushy and had no kind of curl at all. Just very short and just...there. I think that was an example of scab hair.

Now that it's grown, it's curly. I wouldn't go by hair with relaxed ends because it honestly DOES change the way your natural hair behaves with the weight/ends being straight so the hair can't curl on itself as much as it would if all the length was curly.

 

[L.Brown1114]

that whole relaxed hair weighing down may depend on hair type. my relaxed hair didnt weigh down nothing, all it did was get in the way of my hair curling so my hair seemed like 4a all of over but once i cut my relaxed hair off my curls were bigger and i had more 3c in my hair

 

[knt1229]

I am transitioning and I have wondered this same thing. I am 17 months post relaxer and I think my hair is what it is. I think when people say the texture will be different they are talking about people who transition for only a few months like less than 7 months. I could see how someone who BC's at less than 7 months post could be surprised by their texture. Any longer and I don't see how the texture could change so much especially if the hair is healthy and moisturized.

 

[song_of_serenity]

I am transitioning and I have wondered this same thing. I am 17 months post relaxer and I think my hair is what it is. I think when people say the texture will be different they are talking about people who transition for only a few months like less than 7 months. I could see how someone who BC's at less than 7 months post could be surprised by their texture. Any longer and I don't see how the texture could change so much especially if the hair is healthy and moisturized.

That is true. I big chopped at about the 7 month mark.

But honestly, even if you do transition for say a year and you have about 4 inches of relaxed hair, those straight ends really are keeping your hair from fully curling on itself. Once you snip them off, the hair coils up.

Some people have been disappointed due to what they "thought" their hair would be due the the relaxed ends, too. it really does make a difference with how much relaxed hair you have as well.

 

[davisbr88]

that whole relaxed hair weighing down may depend on hair type. my relaxed hair didnt weigh down nothing, all it did was get in the way of my hair curling so my hair seemed like 4a all of over but once i cut my relaxed hair off my curls were bigger and i had more 3c in my hair

That is REALLY interesting! Everyone kept saying, if your hair is 3b when you're transitioning, it's actually 3c when you're natural. It's so interesting that yours did the opposite! I had always been sort of skeptical of the logic that your hair would absolutely go down a hair-type automatically and was wondering if there were exceptions.

I am transitioning and I have wondered this same thing. I am 17 months post relaxer and I think my hair is what it is. I think when people say the texture will be different they are talking about people who transition for only a few months like less than 7 months. I could see how someone who BC's at less than 7 months post could be surprised by their texture. Any longer and I don't see how the texture could change so much especially if the hair is healthy and moisturized.

Very interesting! I can see what you're saying though. I am going to 17 months ultimately before I chop.

 

[davisbr88]

Thanks for the responses ladies!
I definitely would love to hear from more!

 

[Foxglove]

Another long term transitioner here. My texture didn't change

 

[ChristmasCarol]

I've been transitioning for over a year and I don't believe my hairtype (whatever it is) will change. I even cut a plug months ago and it looks the same as it always did, just shorter. DD#1 BC'd about 6 weeks ago, and her hair looks just like the new growth, too.

Length and weight may make waves curl into spirals, but I don't see how anyone could be completely suprised - like thinking they are 3b and then find out they are 4b. If there was a magical changing of the hair, it would be well-documented by now, because so many of us take tons of pics of our hair thorought all it's stages.

Some people may "think" their hair is a certain type or "hope" their hair will be a certain type when they BC, and it's probably one of the reasons why so many people relax within a short time after the BC, IMHO.

 

[Solitude]

BUMPING....I would like to hear more, too.

 

[caribeandiva]

Great thread as I wondered this as well.

 

[SEMO]

I'm a former long-term transitioner and my texture did somewhat surprise me after I cut the relaxed ends off. Even though I could feel some differences in how my new growth was growing in on my scalp I expected all of my hair to curl up the same.

Instead, I have like 3 difference textures on my head. Including a small section in my crown that occasionally wants to be more wavy than curly and hangs down longer than the rest of my hair (even if all my hair is the same length straight).

During parts of my transition (esp. at the beginning) I thought my hair was growing unevenly. Because I could feel the new growth (which felt kinda wavy) in some sections, but couldn't discern my new growth at all in other sections (which later ended up being the truly wavy part of my hair). So for me, I think my relaxed hair was weighing certain parts of my hair down more than others and I couldn't get the "full effect" of my hair until all of the relaxed ends were gone and my hair was free to curl up/wave up unhindered.

Unfortunately I wasn't in to taking hair pics during my transition. But below is a pic from my fotki that shows my hair in the earlier days of being natural. It sorta shows the different textures some (how the front and sides curl up more, but I have a semi-wavy section in the crown). I didn't know it would look like this before my bc.

Also, as my hair gets heavier as it grows my texture even seems different than when I was first natural. The curls seem a bit bigger somehow than they were at first. I think the weight of my hair elongates them (I especially noticed this recently after I got a hair cut and had not only less length, but less weight to my hair).

Please excuse the red scarf in the pic (I had it tied on my head like a bandanna).

ETA:
After reading some other posts, maybe it wasn't the texture that surprised me so much as the curl pattern did (I have to remind myself that the two terms are not interchangeable).

 

[Platinum]

I transitioned for a year. I knew I was a 4a/b (mainly 4b) while transitioning so I wasn't surprised when I chopped and saw the 4b.

 

[Ese88]

ive been transitioning for almost 8 months and i dont think my texture will change either

 

[lilsparkle825]

That is REALLY interesting! Everyone kept saying, if your hair is 3b when you're transitioning, it's actually 3c when you're natural. It's so interesting that yours did the opposite! I had always been sort of skeptical of the logic that your hair would absolutely go down a hair-type automatically and was wondering if there were exceptions.

Mine seemed 3b when I was transitioning, but turned out to be 3c/4a. I transitioned for 12 months. There were actually parts that were stick-straight when I BC'd that became curly/wavy after a few months.

 

[preciouslove0x]

thought I was 4a/b while i was transitioning. chopped and realized just 4b. like someone already said, it depends on your texture... the looser, the more likely your texture will look different while transitioning

 

[lwilliams1922]

Semo,
I love your curls!
What did you do/use to get the look in the last photo?

I'm a former long-term transitioner and my texture did somewhat surprise me after I cut the relaxed ends off. Even though I could feel some differences in how my new growth was growing in on my scalp I expected all of my hair to curl up the same.

Instead, I have like 3 difference textures on my head. Including a small section in my crown that occasionally wants to be more wavy than curly and hangs down longer than the rest of my hair (even if all my hair is the same length straight).

During parts of my transition (esp. at the beginning) I thought my hair was growing unevenly. Because I could feel the new growth (which felt kinda wavy) in some sections, but couldn't discern my new growth at all in other sections (which later ended up being the truly wavy part of my hair). So for me, I think my relaxed hair was weighing certain parts of my hair down more than others and I couldn't get the "full effect" of my hair until all of the relaxed ends were gone and my hair was free to curl up/wave up unhindered.

Unfortunately I wasn't in to taking hair pics during my transition. But below is a pic from my fotki that shows my hair in the earlier days of being natural. It sorta shows the different textures some (how the front and sides curl up more, but I have a semi-wavy section in the crown). I didn't know it would look like this before my bc.



Also, as my hair gets heavier as it grows my texture even seems different than when I was first natural. The curls seem a bit bigger somehow than they were at first. I think the weight of my hair elongates them (I especially noticed this recently after I got a hair cut and had not only less length, but less weight to my hair).

[IMG]

Please excuse the red scarf in the pic (I had it tied on my head like a bandanna).

[B]ETA:[/B]
After reading some other posts, maybe it wasn't the texture that surprised me so much as the curl pattern did (I have to remind myself that the two terms are not interchangeable).[/QUOTE]

 

[SEMO]

Semo,
I love your curls!
What did you do/use to get the look in the last photo?

Thank you for the compliment! My hair is freshly washed (and soaking wet) in that pic, and I don't think I'd put any products on my hair yet. So my hair didn't look like that dry. But in case you're still interested, I think I used my Jilbere shower comb to detangle my hair (which for me gives my hair a wavier look than when I detangle with my Denman brush, which gives me tighter curls). And I used my regular shampoos (Porosity Control and ORS Creamy Aloe) and conditioner (Dove Intense Moisture conditioner).

Most of my hair pics are with wet hair because I often don't think to grab my camera and take pics once my hair is dry.

ETA:
If I did have any product on my hair in this pic it was likely Africa's Best Liquid Hair mayo or maybe Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine leave-in. Those two products are pretty much all I use most times to moisturize my hair after washing and conditioning.

 

[divatude]

can someone post pics of wat 3c, 4a, 4b look like and explain im definitely confused

 

[Solitude]

can someone post pics of wat 3c, 4a, 4b look like and explain im definitely confused

http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

 

[davisbr88]

***bump***

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Well my new growth is growing in 4a/4b but I've only been relaxed for 3 years and I was 3c/4a. So idk what the deal is, don't know if it will change or if something in me has changed or what. I thought I may have been heat damaged but I had that hair type all my life so idk. Interesting thread.

 

[MonPetite]

I had the infamous "Scab Hair". My hair was mostly 4a with a smidge of 3c at the hairline when I first went natural. The subsequent times it was mostly 3c with a bit of 4a around the edges. Very odd, no?

 

[Sianna]

I don't know if my input will be of any value, because I didn't really transition. When I BC'd, I was about two months post.

Here's what my hair looked like.

I would have said, without a doubt that this was 4b hair.

Three weeks later, it looked like this.

It went from a definite 4b, to a 4a.

When I got to my third month, it looked like this.

I still say that this is 4a, but the curls seem to have changed a bit. If they continue to change like this, I think they could potentially broach the boarder of 3c.

 

[teysmith]

no not really... Its just really frizzy now.

 

[Ese88]

Sianna don't take this the wrong way but your pic after the big chop doesnt look anything like 4b. I think it looks the same except it just didnt have any curls/coils & now your hair curls on itself

 

[Sianna]

Sianna don't take this the wrong way but your pic after the big chop doesnt look anything like 4b. I think it looks the same except it just didnt have any curls/coils & now your hair curls on itself

REALLY??!! I was pretty sure that's what it was when I first cut my hair! Perhaps I'm not entirely sure what 4b looks like. erplexed I thought it was hair that did not have a distinct curl pattern.

 

[sithembile]

Ladies, what is scab hair?

 

[Bun Mistress]

I haven't BC'd obvisouly but I thik my hair is what is it. 4b and cottony. Whenver I BC I'll be suprised if I'm anything but.

 

[Boujoichic]

I dont think my pattern will change after my ends are gone I am transitioning and am at a year now I have about an inch if relaxed ends in some places in others none at all all the spots with the relaxed ends still attached look the same. Also I had a question about hair type I have read that 3c hair will have a distinct curl when just wet with water whereas 4a hair has a curl pattern but needs product or manipulation to bring it out and 4 b has coils so small that it really doesnt look like a curl even when adding product is this true?