transitioning to natural without the big chop?

[meia]

Hey everyone!

I know quite a few girls on this site have some questions about transitioning to natural without the big chop and we couldnt find enough information in past threads on the topic and ive done PLENTY of internet searches..lol with no luck

Can you really transition to natural without doing the big chop at all or is chopping easier than coping? Ive heard that relaxed ends can mat up or break off if you do it without the big chop...but I really want to know if can be done because I only have 2 inches of new growth and the rest of my hair is relaxed (as long as 17 inches- cos its all different lengths from a few botched haircuts) so im really curious can it be done? Has anyone done it before? If so what have you encountered along the way?

THANK YOU!
meia

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I'm curious about this too...short hair is not for me...

 

[Victorian]

I can't think of any names right now, but I'm positive that people have done it. You just....don't chop If you just trim little by little over the years eventually you will cut off the relaxer. I think a lot of people were wearing braids when doing this so they didn't have to worry about dealing with the 2 different textures. Otherwise, probably the usual transitioning hairstyles like braidouts and stuff will be helpful.

 

[locabouthair]

when i transitioned i never did a big chop. i pressed my roots and trimmed the relaxed ends every now and then. when i wasn't pressing it i would wear braids and get the permed ends trimmed again. it didn't take that long to get rid of the perm ends because my hair was pretty short.

 

[meia]

divine inspiration-short hair isnt for me either..and ive worked too many years and through too many problems to get my hair to a length that is decent even with shrinkage! i knew that a lot of girls had similar concerns..i was really hoping that this would turn into a really good informational thread for us, you know?

black cardinal-really? i was hoping thered be SOMEONE that had done it/known someone that has...that makes sense..chopping little by little without doing a complete chop sounds a lot better..lol even though inside im panicking because whenever anyone came near my hair with scissors id be ready to throw punches..lol thats what a few haircuts that went bad will do to you..

braids seem efficient..i might have to do my own because if i got them done otherwise.. they might pull too tight and then damage my FINALLY growing hairline..lol
THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE!!!!

locabouthair-hmmm im starting to think this is gonna be a struggle..ive stopped using heat 6 months ago with relaxer..i want my hair to turn to coils permanently..i know that after 9-12 months my hair (all over) will start to receive wave again altho i think this last relaxer i got cinched it. ive lost MOST of my natural coil texture...

im getting the feeling this is going to be one INTERESTING journey..lol..

 

[MizAvalon]

When I was natural, I transistioned without doing the big chop. I did it with the help of braids and it took a couple of years. It did get difficult after a while, but I was adamant about not having super short hair. It worked out fine.

 

[meia]

MizAvalon- Braids...hmmm gotta give some serious thought..or at least learn how to do it myself..lol..cos i wouldnt pull as much as they do..im very happy for you that it worked out!! how you doing with your waist length by 2005 challenge? how is your hair texture currently? thank you so much for posting!

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I'm with you Meia...I dunno about the braids though...I have a complex about them bcause my mom forced me to wear them for years during my childhood...that is *not* an option for me so I think I'll do braidouts, twistouts etc etc to get through it....what about you?

 

[MizAvalon]

MizAvalon- Braids...hmmm gotta give some serious thought..or at least learn how to do it myself..lol..cos i wouldnt pull as much as they do..im very happy for you that it worked out!! how you doing with your waist length by 2005 challenge? how is your hair texture currently? thank you so much for posting!

Meia, yeah I don't think I would have made it without the braids. After a year of new growth it becomes darn near impossible to deal with. So I just kept it braided up, made my life much simpler.

My hair is 4a/b and I've been back to relaxed for about 3 1/2 yrs. I think I'll be at waist length in about 6 more months hopefully!

 

[locabouthair]

just curious mzavalon what made you want to go bak to relaxing?

 

[MzTami]

I have been transitioning for 2 months. About 2 weeks ago, my new growth was so soft and blabbb blabbb. Now,it is totally changing, and my new growth isn't as soft as before. I am wearing my phony ponytail and doing the 3 months baggie challenge. Why am I doing the baggie challenge? I won't be able to tell length due to shrinkage. Anyway, I am currently able to handle hair, eventhough, I am not happy with the phony ponytail. It is too much for my temple. I have tried the braidouts, which look like a S curl that lost its curl. I didn't care for that style. I am really indecisive about my next hairstyle. I guess I will continue wearing the phony ponytail until I see my temples becoming too thin.

I agree with divine inspiration and mei braids are not for me. They pull my scalp and temples too much. My scalp is too sensitive.

 

[MizAvalon]

just curious mzavalon what made you want to go bak to relaxing?

Once my natural hair started getting longer I honestly didn't know what to do with it. I knew nothing about Dominican blowouts or any kind of natural styles, believe me I wish I had. So most of the time I was either rocking a puff or a bun. Which got to be pretty redundant and IMO were a little too juvenile for a grown woman to be wearing all the time.

So, I started out wearing weaves with just my exposed hairline relaxed. Did that for about a year and then finally took the plunge and relaxed my whole head. A little while later I discovered hair boards and found out about all the various things I could have been doing with my natural hair. I really wish I had found the boards sooner.

I'd like to go back to natural someday, but I like my relaxed hair a lot and it's very healthy. Also, I'm getting close to waist length. To get to where I am now with natural hair would mean starting all over again and would take years. I'm just not up to that task at this point. Also, I'm not really a fan of braids anymore so I have no idea how I would manage transistioning this time around. No BC for me!

So, for now it's relaxed all the way! When I've decided that I've had enough of these chemicals, I'm definitely going back to natural.

Sorry, that was probably way more info than you bargained for.

 

[caligirl]

I'm transitioning without the big chop (17 months so far). When I was around 6 months, my hair turned into straight dread locks. But I found that switching conditioners and combing my hair out once a week in small sections prevents that (with a K Cutter comb). I also do a braidout once a week to blend the textures and get a pretty wavy/natural look.

 

[Cichelle]

Yes, it's possible. But I will tell you that it is also possible that your relaxed hair will begin to break off at the line of demarcation. And then you will have to decide if you can stomach that or not and/or whether you want to risk the health of your natural hair.

When I was transitioning, I knew I would chop, but I wanted to have enough hair to put in a small ponytail. I made it to the small ponytail point, but I still chopped a few months earlier than I planned because things were getting dicey.

Why not plan for a long transition, really keep your hair mositurized (particularly the line of demarcation) and just "play it by ear"? There is something in between an immediate big chop and never chopping. You can go as long as you and your hair are comfortable with process.

 

[Peachtree]

Hey everyone!

I know quite a few girls on this site have some questions about transitioning to natural without the big chop and we couldnt find enough information in past threads on the topic and ive done PLENTY of internet searches..lol with no luck

Can you really transition to natural without doing the big chop at all or is chopping easier than coping? Ive heard that relaxed ends can mat up or break off if you do it without the big chop...but I really want to know if can be done because I only have 2 inches of new growth and the rest of my hair is relaxed (as long as 17 inches- cos its all different lengths from a few botched haircuts) so im really curious can it be done? Has anyone done it before? If so what have you encountered along the way?

THANK YOU!
meia

Yes, u can transition to natural without doing the big chop. Myself & Bubln are just of couple of members who have successful gone through long transitions. I went 18 mths (Bubln transitioned over 18 mths I think). I was beyond BS when I decided to transitioned.

I have pics of my transitioned hair in my transitioning album


Bubln has a transitioning thread around here somewhere... I'll bump it up for ya'.

edited to add... here's the thread http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=56005

 

[meia]

Divine Inspiration-oh yeaa im with you too.. braids..i cant have my hairline receed anymore lol and im trying to do all i can to bring it back forward. I had braids when I was little too...the ones that just come straight down..she didnt braid it too tight..it wasnt until i had a relaxer that
it went back more because the chemicals killed the follicles..

yeaaa i was thinking of two strand twists, regular braids that are loose, and ohhh!! my favorite style lol...i like messy hair that looks like i just got out of bed so I usually take braids and leave them overnight when I wake up I undo the braids..add some more oil, side part it and toss it a bit with my hands..updo puffs work too and look so cute with the little curly cues..lol..you and me sis we gotta stick together! lol...

MizAvalon- Im so happy the braids worked for you! I can SO understand what you mean about the hair being so unmanageable that you gotta put it in braids..it makes sense..and plus the maintenence mustve been really easy and saved you a lot of time in the mornings etc., YAYYY!!! im excited for you that youll be at the ever elusive WAIST LENGTH!!! GOOD LUCK!!

ITS SO HARD NOT TO RELAX MAN..LOL YOU WANNA SEE THOSE CURLY CUES ALL STRAIGHT AND SEE THAT PROGRESS YOU MADE...i feel you..i think i have to stick with natural for life...im too through with the damn stylists butchering my hair anddd it costs too much and im poor..lol j/k

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Divine Inspiration-oh yeaa im with you too.. braids..i cant have my hairline receed anymore lol and im trying to do all i can to bring it back forward. I had braids when I was little too...the ones that just come straight down..she didnt braid it too tight..it wasnt until i had a relaxer that
it went back more because the chemicals killed the follicles..

yeaaa i was thinking of two strand twists, regular braids that are loose, and ohhh!! my favorite style lol...i like messy hair that looks like i just got out of bed so I usually take braids and leave them overnight when I wake up I undo the braids..add some more oil, side part it and toss it a bit with my hands..updo puffs work too and look so cute with the little curly cues..lol..you and me sis we gotta stick together! lol...

MizAvalon- Im so happy the braids worked for you! I can SO understand what you mean about the hair being so unmanageable that you gotta put it in braids..it makes sense..and plus the maintenence mustve been really easy and saved you a lot of time in the mornings etc., YAYYY!!! im excited for you that youll be at the ever elusive WAIST LENGTH!!! GOOD LUCK!!

ITS SO HARD NOT TO RELAX MAN..LOL YOU WANNA SEE THOSE CURLY CUES ALL STRAIGHT AND SEE THAT PROGRESS YOU MADE...i feel you..i think i have to stick with natural for life...im too through with the damn stylists butchering my hair anddd it costs too much and im poor..lol j/k

Girrrrl, I feel you! I *just* got my hairline back to where it needs to be. It was slowly slipping away, but it's full and healthy now! You can't even tell I was missing a beat at one point.
I LOOOOOVE the messy hair girl!!! That is all I've been rockin this summer and I might take it on into winter! I like the way it looks in general, but it definitely compliments me...
We have to be hair buddies girl because we've got the same ideas...we need to make a "I have a dream" speech about long, no BCed, natural hair!

 

[Xcellence2]

I am currently transitioning without the BC. I have been transitioning for almost 15 months. Currently I alternate between flatironing my hair and wearing braid/twist outs. I cannot do the wash n go anymore because of the two hair textures. It looks cute while it is wet but it is a tangled mess once it dries. I also try to minimize manipulation of my hair when it is not wet or straight. I found that the more I tried to style it the more problems I had with tangles, etc.

There are quite a few people on the board who transitioned without the BC. I guess we just need to drum them up! LOL

 

[meia]

MzTAMI-Ohh yeaa MzTami..my new growth was kinky as ever when it started to grow out..then I thought about it and I realized that if I up my conditioning and my deep conditioning treatments then it might help..girllll you have no idea how much it really softened my new growth! Im doing the baggie challenge too..its basically to preserve and retain length by means of conditioning you know? itll help even if there is shrinkage..

If I were you maybe you should quit the braidouts and the phony pony..you dont want the damage from the phony pony to get really really bad because then, depending on your hair type and growth rate, it might not grow back entirely to where it was before.. my hair shrinks up plenty..but instead i take advantage of it..

there are ways to not have as much shrinkage...picking the roots with oil and a good pick and then wrapping for a little while till it sets..thats what i do! a teased pony is nice..i think if we transitioning girls gonna see any length, we gotta protect the hair, scalp, and hairline as much as possible..this is the best way to go about it i think..I have PLENTY of hairstyling ideas..btw you have BEAUTIFUL hair!! very soft looking!!

MizAvalon-yeaaa ive learned that too..i wanted to transition then i thought about it and i realized I didnt know ANYTHING about it! lol..i did plenty of internet research! they have so many sites out there for natural hair (ask me and ill post it up on here...lol there are TOO MANY to just list! lol) and that helped me realize what id be experiencing in the next few months, that id need to up my moisture, but most importantly LEAVE IT ALONE...cos i cant keep my hands out of my head! lol thats gonna be the hardest thing to do!

Ive noticed myself wearing more buns..which i need to stop because there are more styles than that lol and cos ive really been slackin on the cute tip..lol ooohh dont even get me started!

yeaaa i found these boards just in time..but its funny MizAvalon..its neva too late to start again..i admit ive made so many hair mistakes in my lifetime..but im willing to start again..and no matter where this leg of my "hair journey" takes me mannnn im in it for the long haul! lol

im happy for you that you are satisfied with your relaxed hair..thats whats most important...as well as the healthiness..youre the only one that matters when it comes to your hair regardless of what anyone else says or does..and if youre close to waistlength and thats where you want to be BE HAPPY!!! i know i am for you!!

noooooooooo girl!! i know i said too much in all these posts lol..what you said was HARDLY that bad in comparison!! lol

caligirl- wow thats a long time to transition! im very happy for you!!!! yeaaa that happened to my sis too..thats when she got the "halle berry" cos she just didnt feel like combing it lol.. ohhh yeaaa gotta attack that hair with cholesterol (or a thick conditioner) and a GOOD comb!

Mannn I need to learn how to blend the textures..that must look really BEAUTIFUL!! im jealous cos i dont even know how to deal with all this hair on my head..lol..or even where to begin..but all yall on this thread are very inspiring..

cichelle- YEAAA thats what im afraid of!! ill probably end up cutting it off when I cant take it anymore..until then ima really step up the conditioning effort, in hopes, of preventing that type of damage..i wish i had your courage..i would cut it now if i did...but its gonna take me FINDING a lot of confidence to be able to do that!

thank you for the suggestions.. i think ima take your advice and play it by ear..if everything works out then maybe i wont have to cut much off..i still have plenty to cut to even it out..but with time i'll see...THANK YOU GIRL!

peachtree-Ive seen bubln's pictures..you both have very nice texture and otherwise very BEAUTIFUL HAIR!!! lol im jealous! thank you for bumpin that thread girl! its always inspiration to see other ladies who have made the steps that you want to make..its like walking in their footprints lol..

 

[meia]

Divine Inspiration- I JUST got my hairline back to where it needs to be..I used mtg on the hairline and ive really been watching pulling on it..and its growing back thicker like when I was young again!! OH YESSSS!! gotta love that messy hair!!!!! its so easy, requires a lot less styling because youre not looking for perfection...it compliments me too so perfectly because im a no fuss no muss kinda girl..i dont like anything TOO perfect and prim..lol..OH YEAH! you wanna be my hair buddy? hahaha we definitely need to make a proclamation...SOMETHING! lol but i got yo back! lol NOW IM ALL EXCITED!!

Xcellence2 - yeaaa ive heard that the two textures clash and that can cause a problem..yeaaa its funny when you see my hair (ill have pics sooonnn lol) my roots are like this twa and the rest of the hair is
wavy..hahaha its hysterical..ever since i found the method for picking the roots its helped a lot and i can do it when i first get out the shower..lol yeaaaa and the styling..it has to be minimized to keep the hair texture a bit smoother..i learned that the hard way especially with wavy hair..you touch it too much and POOF! you got a frizz ball 10x bigger than your head..lol

yeaa we do..we need to track those ladies down! hehehe!

 

[OnceUponAtime]

I didn't BC.
My basic routine (although I experimented here and there) was:
*Protein treatment every 2 months to prevent breakage
*Baking soda rinse for cleansing
*ACV rinse
*Frequent conditioner washes
*Shampoo or clarify once or twice a month
*Phonypony or puff hairdos (my hair is very coily/curly)
*Trimmed as needed

That's mostly all and I did this for about a year and a half, before I was all natural. I mostly followed Adrienne0914's method of Phonypony with baggie. I would switch it with the non-baggie method occasionally as I felt needed. In the warmer months, I swithched between a puff and the phonypony.

My hair grew from about 4 inches to about collar bone (stretched) in that time. No cutting except for trims.

HTH

 

[sunflower]

I transitioned without doing the big chop. I've been natural for 3 years now. What I did was wear my hair in two french braids most of the time. Now I know that style is school girlish but I liked it. I trimmed a little off once a month. I made sure to condition my hair all the time. I did a condition wash every other day and made sure my hair was moisturized. Do not ignore the ends when (even though you are going to cut it off). Make sure when your combing and untangle your hair you try to do it when it is soaking wet with a load of conditioner. Also, if your going to slowly cut off your relaxed ends make sure you to keep your hair tangle free as much as you can I cannot stress this enough. I have heard so many women say they gave up going natural because they thought their hair was unmanageable. They always say they cannot keep the tangles out. You have to attack the tangles before they start. It can be done you just need patients HTH.

 

[MzTami]

Thank you Meia for the compliment. What styles should I wear? I am styled challenged and could use a lot of pointers. What do you mean about the wash and go? What products are you using for the curls and moisture?

Thanks in advance.

 

[meia]

MzTami-awww no problem! its true!! anddd your hair looks like its growing
very fast! Each pic it looked like you gained more hair! lol another girl to be
jealous of!! hehehe..at your hair length there are LOTS of styles you can do without sacrificing moisture or anything. Usually with most of these styles i semi-saturate the ends with oil as well as the actual hair itself. it does wonders and the oil really stays in especially with the braided twisted styles!!!

-you could do regular old braids/ plaits that dont require weave or anything that you can do yourself at home if you like..I do it ALL the time because it helps me get the product to the roots and really moistuize. They also look cute if you do smaller ones and very beautiful. If you need help on this style just ask and id be glad to type up the directions!! itll be easier to keep the scalp moisturized and your hair is the perfect length for it! You can keep it like that or unbraid it (a braid out) to have beautiful twists left..

-two strand twists are beautiful!!! and when you take them out they leave those beautiful twists after! take two smaller or larger sections of hair and twist together.. i usually put something at the bottom to anchor the twist until it sets a bit..try using a ouchless rubber band. once it sets you can wear it out yourself or wrap it up until you want to wear it out!

Here are specific instructions for two strand twists if the above directions werent clear for you cos i know i be mixin things up and everything! lol heres the website for this: http://www.naani.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d81.html

Two-strands are a very popular option amongst those with natural hair. This look can be achieved with at least 3 inches of hair. Two-strands are similar to braids except that two strands of hair are used instead of three, hence the name. This style can be done without the aid of a stylist and can last from 2-4 weeks; any longer and you will be encouraging the hair to loc.
For this look you will need a fine-tooth comb and non-alcoholic styling gel (optional) to keep the hair from unraveling. Two-strands can be done wet or dry. If you're beginning directly after conditioning your hair, be sure to towel dry to remove excess water.

Part the hair with a comb or your fingers (the comb will produce neater parts whereas sectioning the hair with your fingers will produce a more fuller look). The size of the parted sections can be as big or as small as you desire.

Take the parted section and add a small bit of gel to the hair (if desired). Separate the hairs into two strands. Begin to plait the hair downward while pulling gently to ensure a tight formation. When done properly, the two-strands should resemble a rope.

To preserve the style, sleep with a satin scarf. If you find that your twists look flat after having slept on them, simply mist the hair with water and style as usual. If they occasionally look dry, using oil sheen/spray will help.

-straw set- you can do a strawset..it helps to give you curls and give your natural coils a bit more spring- its just as good as using a curling iron without the damage! link: http://www.blackhairmedia.com/naturalhairstyles.htm

Here are instructions i got off black hair media's site (i wasnt quite sure how to go about explaining it myself! lol)
-Wearing a straw set is a great way to eliminate the need for a lot of combing and a great style to try while in the transition of going natural. To get this look, you will need drinking straws or even small perm rods for slightly bigger and looser curls, setting lotion, and hair end tissue papers.
Step 1: Shampoo and condition hair and saturate it with setting lotion.
Step 2: Part you hair into 1/4 to 1/2 inch sections and place end papers on the end of your hair.
Step 3: Roll your hair onto the straws and secure it with a hair pin.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-3 until you have finished your entire head.
Step 5: Dry your hair under a hard hat or bonnet hair dryer
Step 6: Remove the straws and separate curls with your fingers
For this style, you will only need to finger comb your hair, but be sure to spray it with oil sheen so it won't get too dry.

-Regular updo..just take a ponytailer or something to hold the hair up and then fasten it up. Tease the ends so the ponytail looks fuller and kinda fluffly and wild.

-2 two strand twists and an updo/bun- do 2 two strand twists and pin to one side. Complete the look with either a side bun, a regular bun, or an updo...its easy and very decorative and doesnt require much to the actual style.

-2 strand twists updo- sounds like the same as the above...you do regular two strand twists and the put it into an updo so the twists peak out the high pony tail!

-Pin curls- take semi wet hair and then twist sections up and pin it up. Some people leave it like this in little twist form for easy hair but you can take it down and have soft beautiful moisturized waves yourself!

-bun with hair out: this is a respectable and sophisticated style at any length! do a high bun and leave a little bit of hair out at the bottom... it can be an occasional thing so you dont have to leave the bottom section of hair our too often

-bantu knots: Ive done these before too when I had shorter hair..it was a nice style and when I took them out, it looked very wavy and messy! heres the link! http://www.naani.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d81.html

To make the knots, begin by parting the hair at the nape of the neck into a 1x1 inch sections. The size of the sections will depend on your hair length and personal preference. Note that longer hair typically needs larger sections. The size and shape of the parts can vary from squares, to ovals, to polygons, the decision is up to you so be creative.

Take the hair from the section you've parted and twist it until it forms a firm coil. Begin wrapping the hair around itself in a circular manner. Secure it by tucking the end under the base of the knot. If you have shorter hair, you may need to secure it with a rubber band. Try to make sure the rubber band is not easily seen and do not wind it too tightly because it will be difficult to remove. Repeat on the next section.

Misting your hair with water or using non-alcoholic styling gel during the formation of your knots will give them a very polished appearance.

If you're working with twists, braids or dreadlocks, the procedure is similar. Begin by gathering several twists; the number you link together will depend on how big you want your bantu knot. Braid/plait them together. Next twirl the plaited section into a coil, wrap it in a circular manner and tuck the end under the base of the knot. Secure with a rubber band if necessary.

With braids, try misting them with water before you form the knot. Doing so will give your hair a wavy appearance once you take the knots down. For variation, do bantu/zulu knots on 1/4-1/3 of the front of your hair. Allow the remainder to flow free into an afro, braids, cornrows or wet-n-wavy style.

-wash and go: after washing apply product. I usually like an oil or a styling creme and thats all i use. it greatly improves the texture to me over chemical gel with alcohol..but if all else fails, and you want a natural "gel" use aloe vera gel. It has moisturizing properties as well! Apply to hair and then shake with hands and SLIGHTLY scrunch the hair a bit at the roots for more volume. Then let it naturally air dry

-headwraps: ive gotten into hair wraps lately because they look so sophisticated and beautiful. I have many site links I can give out if you or anyone else is interested just let me know and ill post it in this thread..

I hope this helps girl and I hope youre seeing some styles you havent tried before or anything. I can think of more styles if you like or if none of these appeal to you!! feel free to let me know!! hehehee good look girl and have fun trying out your NEW looks! hehehe let me know if anything works/doesnt/or if youd like more styles!!!

 

[meia]

ohh and i forgot to say that what helps for my hair is oil..usually with our type hair, the 4's, we have a big problem with moisture. I usually add oils and recently have been using olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and a few indian oils that promote hair growth such as amla oil, etc., (if anyone wants to know let me know-- there are sooo many!! lol) thats how i style and retain moisture because any other product is generally too much for my hair!

otherwise i use aloe vera gel or coconut milk to retain moisture...my favorites out of all of them- the hollywood beauty oil i use (you can get it for less than 5 dollars a bottle..its small but smells good and after a few days it doesnt make you smell like corn oil..lol) and jojoba since its close to your hair's natural oil secretions (sebum) it melts right into the scalp and moisturizes the hair quite nicely!!

HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

 

[aminata]

I have been transitioning for the last nine months. I've just been wearing wash n go and shingling (or attempted shingling). I've been to the salon two times since--for flat ironing and that was months ago.

Most everything I've tried has been influenced by hairboards--trial and error. I'm horrible at braidouts and twitsouts--so I just wear my hair loose.

I don't plan on bcing --but I do trim from time to time. I think after all of these months I'm just now getting the hang of things. Before I was co-washing (too much) and I realized my hair likes water--but just not everyday. I try to alternate conditioners and do some sort of deep treatment once a week. --I find the less I touch my hair (i suffered from hand in hair disease) and the less product I use--my hair will last longer in between washes (2-4 days)

I sleep on a satin pillow case--and I don't cover my hair. (if I wear a scarf or satin bonnet it's a mess in the morning)


I've never had luck with braid extensions--my hair just ends up matted--especially where the hair was knotted/braided with the synthetic hair. And it seems to take weeks for my hair to recover.

 

[Cheleigh]

I've never had luck with braid extensions--my hair just ends up matted--especially where the hair was knotted/braided with the synthetic hair. And it seems to take weeks for my hair to recover.

Me neither. After my braids came out, my hair was super, supger tangled--and it has never really been "normal" since.

 

[onepraying]

Hey ladies!

I'm currently transitioning without the BC.(29 weeks so far!) I don't believe in cutting hair so, I really have no choice.

I'm having fun with my hair! Dealing with is takes patience and knowledge of you hair and it's needs.

I basically rock a puff(bantu knot, twistout or braid-out) Braid-outs or two french braids or regular braids with a Satin ruffle clip in at the base for elegance. That way it won't look too "little girlish" I press occassionally for length checks and a change. I don't wear weave, braided extensions, or phony ponies.

I keep the line of demarcation moist, therefore I have retained most of my length with little breakage.

Feel free to click the link, My Transitioning Way of Life, in my siggie for pics.

 

[foxybrownsugar]

I have been transitioning also w/o big chop since jan. I have been coing and keeping my hair moist since then w/o any problems. I have been cutting it gradually and hope to be done around jan.2006.

 

[leontyneb]

Yes, it is possible to transition with the big chop. I did it before. I would get my hair pressed and my ends clipped when needed it. Also, I put braids in my hair. This really helped with the transition phase. So, if you want to transition without the big chop, do it this way.

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