Before finding LHCF how long was your stretch?

[Precious_1]

I was just wondering what did you ladies do pre-lhcf. and if since you have or have not started stretching has your hair improved or stayed the same.

 

[Tee]

In the beginning, I held a firm 6 week relaxer appt. Then, on of beauticians said I could make it 8 weeks and be okay. So I started doing that.

Now, I go at least 12 weeks. My goal is 16. I haven't made it past 14 weeks though.

My hair has improved.

 

[B_Phlyy]

I used to stretch to about 7-8 weeks, because that's what just about everyone else I knew did. After LHCF, I started stretching to 13 weeks.

Now I'm considering juust going to 10 weeks because at about week 11, my hair starts breaking and I have to do a whole lot extra (protein treatments, moisturizing sometimes 4x a day) just to keep the stretch going.

 

[BrooklynSouth]

I was just wondering what did you ladies do pre-lhcf. and if since you have or have not started stretching has your hair improved or stayed the same.

Pre-LHCF it was 6 wks, now almost 8. I suffer too much beyond 8. Conditioner shampoos, scarves helps only a few days. The weekend I had to jump out of the chair as the new growth was so hard to comb. She tried to use a fine toothed comb!! { My regular beautician, who understood my hair and needs has started her college courses and is gone! I'm not going back to that salon...fine toothed comb indeed !!} The length I really do not see a difference but the texture, heaviness of fibers, no split ends has improved.

 

[prettypuff1]

Well i usually didnt relax before 10-12 weeks. My mom and beautician were always good about that. I was also tooo lazy

 

[LaNecia]

S-t-r-e-t-c-h??? What was that?

I used to go 6 weeks between retouches, now it's anywhere between 8-12, depends on the condition of my hair (moisture/protein balance).

 

[ladylibra]

i always waited 8 weeks at least. i no longer relax/textlax, but if i ever go back to it i will probably stretch it out to around 16 weeks, because that's how long i transitioned and i know it's do-able.

 

[Cien]

I didn't really call it a stretch.....I just went between 5 and 6 weeks. Now I stretch to about 12 or 13 weeks, and I love it!!

 

[CAPlush]

I used to go 6 weeks between relaxers. I thought that is what everyone did. I never knew I could go more than 6 weeks between relaxers until I went natural and knew I did not have to relax ever if I didn't want to. I also thought it was impossible to relax the hair before 6 weeks without doing serious damage. Now I stretch 10 weeks, going for 11 weeks this stretch.

 

[InJesusName]

6 weeks tops. If I got a "slight" ripple at the scalp, it was time to slap on the chemicals . No wonder my hair was fried, dyed and laid to the side.
It ALWAYS "looked" good, but I could never retain any length and it was oh so thin. Now my minimum stretch is 10 weeks. WOW! What a difference a little edu-ma-cation makes!

 

[alexstin]

I didn't stretch. I was relaxed every 5 weeks. I would panic if for some reason I had to move my appointment to the 6th week. After LHCF I immediately started stretching to 12 weeks. I did that the entire 1st year of my hair journey. Then I started going to 14 weeks. The longest I've gone is about 18 weeks then I was got a relaxer but I was VERY underprocessed. I waited an additional 15 weeks to relax again so technically it was about 33 weeks of new growth. Since I handled that well I think I could probably do 20 weeks comfortably. We'll see as I just relaxed yesterday(turned out much better this time)

 

[secretrose]

before lhcf, i used to go 6-8 weeks. Now I am 10 weeks post with no breakage. YAAAy. Since taking msm, my ng is a lot more manageable and scarfing is helping too. I'm thinking 16 - 20 weeks could be attainable.

 

[TemiLnd]

I’ve always stretched even before I found any forums. I have however decided to kick my 4 month stretch to 5 and then to 6. Hopefully ill be able to maintain my hair with only having a relaxer twice a year. At most I don’t plan on exceeded 3 times a year. [fingers crossed]

I only started my 5 month stretch in December so I am yet to know if my hair quality has improved or stayed the same.

 

[imstush]

In HS I would only relax twice a year (with PCJ) and my hair wasn't as bad as it was when I started relaxing every 6-8 weeks. Not sure what made me change to stronger relaxers and more frequent touch ups.

 

[glamazon386]

3 months....

 

[Victorian]

Typically 3-4 months. Then I went to college and stretched as long as 6 months because I refused to let anyone but my mom do my hair.
After LHCF I started transitioning, so I guess you could say my longest stretch was a year and a half

 

[NoNapNique]

I would go 2 months before LHCF... But even before I officially found LHCF (with waiting 2 months), I started to use healthy hair logic, and would "wait" longer each time by a week or more...

Never even occured to me then that I was slowly becoming a "stretcher".

 

[tatje]

Never, as soon as the month was up it was time for a touch up.

 

[JazzyDez]

there was stretching before LHCF?

 

[taraglam2]

Before LHCF 5 weeks was the most I would stretch. Most of the time my "hairdresser" was telling me every 4 weeks like clock work that I needed a relaxer (I had a weekly standing appt. with her)

Found LHCF and my hair improved greatly--- I stretch anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks with no problems. My hair loves it !

 

[RubyWoo]

I've been stretching long before LHCF. I started really taking care of my hair in my late teens and used braids to get through stretches where sometimes I was only relaxing 2-3 times a year. Eventually I cut my hair to a cute chin length bob(one of my fav hairstyles ever) to eventually get rid of all the damage(heat damage) I did to my hair. It improved my hair significantly because my hair was eating out at the back of my head (read:balding/thinning/patch the size of 3 quarters) and I wanted to get my hair growing in the back. Since then, my hair(the patch) has filled in nicely and the same length as the rest of my hair. It took about a year for the patch to grow in and "catch up". The haircut helped as well. Since then, I continue to stretch and usually relax 2-3 times a year.

ETA: even when I was younger and started getting a relaxer, my mother wouldn't put a relaxer in my head until there was a good amount of growth. She usually relaxed my hair every 3 months are so.

 

[-Volare]

Every 6 weeks, smh. Never again. I strech for 3-4 months now!

 

[toniy]

I didnt know what the word stretch was prior to LHCF. As thin as my hair is, as soon as I saw new growth, I purchased a box perm and kept it on as long as I could stand it. My first stretch was 10 wks. This last one was 11 and some days. I am going for 13 this time. Its so hard because my hair is finally growing and that ng is very hard to figure out.

 

[Precious_1]

Thanks everybody for your responses so far, i knew i couldnt have been the only one only going 4 to 5 weeks between relaxers. I am so glad i found lhcf because i didnt know what stretching was! I have course newgrowth but the msm has helped alot in my stretch, also i will usually have to get a sew in weave to keep stretching other wise i cant do iterplexed

 

[LocksOfLuV]

6 weeks lol!

and once I hit my goal, I am gonna stretch only until 8 weeks.

 

[tetbelle]

16 weeks to 20 months. I was co-washing and bunning too.

 

[tarheelgurl]

I just joined this month and my last relaxer was Nov 30, 2006.

 

[SUPER SWEET]

I stretch less now (9-12 weeks) Balisi we tried longer but it was a wolf pack in the milddle

Before LHCF I wasnt getting growth only breakage I was stretching 14-18 weeks with my former stylist .....

 

[tiffers]

I used to wait 4 MAYBE 5 weeks. Now, I'll try to push for 8 to 12 weeks, depending on how despicable I'm looking

 

[~*~ShopAholic~*~]

10 to 12 wks. I didn't really have enough NG to relax until around the 2 1/2 to 3 month mark.