I cut three inches in the top 2 in the back!

[Prettyeyes]

I had to cut 3 inches in the top & 2 in the back! Transitioners HELP.

I have been saying I was going to go natural for three years now and the longest I stretched was only 9 months each time I would relax. So now that I was full MBL (now just grazing MBL) and I have an excellent regimen for over three years I do not feel that I should be still dealing with large amounts of splits. I am super-protective,in my styling everyone on the boards and fotki that know me knows this well. BUT AS SOON AS I WEAR MY HAIR DOWN AND STRAIGHT SPLIT SPLIT SPLIT. So I went to a salon in Chicago a great stylist told me the relaxers are making my hair SUPER fragile and no amount of aphogee or anything else will make it as strong as it would have been if I had never relaxed....So I am done, just tired of relaxing (weakening), the trying to fortify it and the cycle goes on and on, it's too fragile like this. Plus what's the point of having all this long hair and I can never wear it down? I just need to vent and get an intervention because my father in law is a barber and I already called him and told him to shave it all off. HELP.... I need a plan of action to transition and keep some length. Then once I am natural I will resume to grow to WSL.

 

[*CherryPie*]

Are you saying you're gonna really shave your head bald, from MBL, all because of some splits?

That may be hard to get use to.

 

[Prettyeyes]

LOL, I was just upset when I asked him that, I would not have done it because of the splits but becasue of all my failed attempts at long term transitioning.

I just want to be natural.

 

[CaliDiamond]

I would just do mini chops every few months until the relaxed hair is gone.

 

[CenteredGirl]

Hey Pretty,
It's all about lessons learned hu. Your hairpics looks BEAUTIFUL. Natural will suit you to a T!!! Go head gurl.

 

[longhairlover]

some heads just suffer from split ends more than others, it doesn't mean that when your natural the splits will stop, naturals have splits ends as well.

there's really no way to eliminate split ends 100% we will all get them regardless of how we protective style, not comb etc.

to keep them at bay is to set a light trimming schedule to your liking, deep conditioning etc. maybe in between trims do 'light' search and destroy but I mean light, doing s&d I ended up thinning out my right side lmao!

 

[Prettyeyes]

CenteredGirl thanks big sis. I can not believe I am having a real melt down.
I hope this trim is a good first step to getting serious about my transition.

 

[Prettyeyes]

longhairlover your advice was great but I am not a newbie and I have done it all and do it all. But my hair is still fragile. IT IS NOT NATURALLY FRAGILE. I was natural until I was a teen and I had the longest thickest strongest hair of any girl in my neighborhood. With relaxers it is thin and weak, it still grows like crazy but the splits are not normal it is excessive.

 

[Prettyeyes]

Thanks for the ideas ladies.

 

[chocolat79]

Just ran across your thread too! Hang in there! It was my intent to transition too, BUT as you soon the thread I posted, that didn't happen. So, I think you're in the right direction with the cut. You can do it!

 

[ceebee3]

It's really hard not to big chop when you just want to deal with your natural hair.

You have to just take your time and weigh the benefits.

How will you style your short hair, do you like short hair?

My hair would look a hot mess if I couldn't pull it into a ponytail. I would love to just cut it all off and be done but I can't work with short hair so I'm transitioning for the long haul.

 

[longhairlover]

I know your not a newbie.

good luck whichever route you go.

longhairlover your advice was great but I am not a newbie and I have done it all and do it all. But my hair is still fragile. IT IS NOT NATURALLY FRAGILE. I was natural until I was a teen and I had the longest thickest strongest hair of any girl in my neighborhood. With relaxers it is thin and weak, it still grows like crazy but the splits are not normal it is excessive.

 

[blue_flower]

That's what I'm doing: transitioning while retaining lenghth. My ends were so thin and uneven that I had to cute 4 inches off a couple weeks ago. I actually like my cut and I plan on trimming in May. I want to be natural, I want to retain length, but my ends have to look good too.

 

[PPGbubbles]

I agree with the mini chops! You seem to have hair care down pat although your reggie will be tweaked a little along the way as you go au naturale

but MBL to nothing is a big change I would hate for you to do something you will regret.

I say transition with length and dont go any shorther that FULL APL if you can help it!

 

[Prettyeyes]

I know your not a newbie.

good luck whichever route you go.

I know you know, didn't mean my comment to be snippy, I was having a moment . Thanks for the help!

 

[Prettyeyes]

I agree with the mini chops! You seem to have hair care down pat although your reggie will be tweaked a little along the way as you go au naturale

but MBL to nothing is a big change I would hate for you to do something you will regret.

I say transition with length and dont go any shorther that FULL APL if you can help it!

I hope I can do it. Thanks.

 

[Prettyeyes]

That's what I'm doing: transitioning while retaining lenghth. My ends were so thin and uneven that I had to cute 4 inches off a couple weeks ago. I actually like my cut and I plan on trimming in May. I want to be natural, I want to retain length, but my ends have to look good too.

What length were u before the trim? and now? hope you can do it!

 

[Prettyeyes]

It's really hard not to big chop when you just want to deal with your natural hair.

You have to just take your time and weigh the benefits.

How will you style your short hair, do you like short hair?

My hair would look a hot mess if I couldn't pull it into a ponytail. I would love to just cut it all off and be done but I can't work with short hair so I'm transitioning for the long haul.

No I do not like short hair at all. But I just want to get natural. But I am sure now that if I stick to it I can just do mini chops!

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

I cosign with the mini chops. If you already know that you don't like short hair you shouldn't even torture yourself like that. You are still gaining natural hair by mini-trimming. No harm done in doing it that way And I love your hair, sorry to hear about all the problems.