4 Months Post Relaxer

I am BC-ing Friday. Change in plans, LOL. Me and the hubby are going to P.R. for 4th of July, and I figured it is a good time (4 day weekend) to play with my hair, in another U.S. territory, LOL.

Since I am terrified and obsessed with my hair looking perfectly when I BC, I broke down and bought some Kinky Curly Custard and Knot Today. I had to go to 3 whole foods stores to buy it b/c it was sold out!!! And it cost $45 total. OMG.

So, anyway, I haven't washed my hair (I've only cowashed in a couple of weeks). I used the KCC and KT on my leave out ( I have a sew in weave), and nothing happened. I then realized that I should have used a clarifying shampoo to clean my hair before I applied the KCC and KT. But, I am terrified to use a sulfate shampoo on my hair since I am BC-ing this Friday. So, I think I am going to buy some Giovanni Clarifying shampoo to clean my hair, and then I will try again.

Good luck, make sure you post picture, and enjoy your trip.

DEE DUBB wrote:I am BC-ing Friday. Change in plans, LOL. Me and the hubby are going to P.R. for 4th of July, and I figured it is a good time (4 day weekend) to play with my hair, in another U.S. territory, LOL.

Since I am terrified and obsessed with my hair looking perfectly when I BC, I broke down and bought some Kinky Curly Custard and Knot Today. I had to go to 3 whole foods stores to buy it b/c it was sold out!!! And it cost $45 total. OMG.

So, anyway, I haven't washed my hair (I've only cowashed in a couple of weeks). I used the KCC and KT on my leave out ( I have a sew in weave), and nothing happened. I then realized that I should have used a clarifying shampoo to clean my hair before I applied the KCC and KT. But, I am terrified to use a sulfate shampoo on my hair since I am BC-ing this Friday. So, I think I am going to buy some Giovanni Clarifying shampoo to clean my hair, and then I will try again.

Hey DEE DUBB, RELAX!!! This is a long process and this is where you get to learn about your beautiful hair and what it likes. Kinky Curly is amazing. So far it's is a must in my arsenal of products!!!

Does anyone know what steaming is & how you do it?

Thanks SWoodward! LOL, I am freaking out a little bit. I actually did an ACV rinse on my hair last night and deep conditioned, then I applied KCCC again, and it worked, sorta. I think my relaxed ends are weighing it down. I will try again once I BC

Transitioning is a great time to discover what products you like. I paid almost exclusive attention to how my natural hair liked products. I confess, I treated my relaxed ends like an ugly stepchild in a Grimm fairytale. But when I BC'd, I didn't go into shock.

On your vacay? bring shea butter (natural sunblock) and a good moisturizing condish along with your KC products. Sun and surf are rough and new BC'ers often experience dryness for a few weeks (not forever, just a few weeks.)

Lucky lady!

Swoodward, thanks for the tips! Of course I want to bring my arsenal of products for every conceivable hair emergency, but I don't want to exceed my liquids and gels allowance for my carryon, LOL. I laughed when you talked about treating relaxed hair like a red-headed stepchild, because that is EXACTLY how I am treating mine!!! The other day, I clipped the relaxer off a section of hair just to see what it would look like, LOL.

Thanks for the tips though!!!

Hello ladies!
Today marks 4 months since my last relaxer! yay me! I currently did a mini chop and cut all the color out of my hair. And now I am rocking micros! I pray that I can keep them up for at least 3 months especially since I am not a big braids person.But I really needed to do something or I would have chopped all of it off before I am ready! Everyone's hair is looking great I must say! Keep up the good work ladies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hey ladies!!! I BC'd on Friday, so I am 3 days natural so far!!! I posted pix at my Curl Street Journal. It's under "the third time is the charm." I am still learning how to post links...

My hair is dry as hell right now, and I've never had that problem before. Most of my hair was hidden under a sew-in for 4 months with no moisture, products, etc., so that is probably why it is going to take a minute for me to get it moisturized properly. I've been babying my Gidget for the past few days to make sure she is well moisturized...

Good luck, Ladies!!!

BeautifullyMehh wrote:Does anyone know what steaming is & how you do it?

I would like to know this too. Thanks!

Hello everyone!!
i've been transitioning for about 4 months or so. last relaxer was Feb.27th. I have a lot of new growth but i wanted to ask you all your opinion. The last time i got my relaxer it broke some of my hair off in the back so its really uneven and even on the sides. well now that i have lots of new growth what should i do? should i cut off the relaxed choppy ends? should i completely cut my hair into a bob? idk! i'm so confused. but i know that i def. want to wait until i have 8 inches of new growth before i chop it off!! i'm so confused!!

I would suggest giving your hair a good trim, about 1-2 inches. B/C I'm pretty sure if your hair broke off, it now consists of split ends that need shaping.

jadore04 wrote:Hello everyone!!
i've been transitioning for about 4 months or so. last relaxer was Feb.27th. I have a lot of new growth but i wanted to ask you all your opinion. The last time i got my relaxer it broke some of my hair off in the back so its really uneven and even on the sides. well now that i have lots of new growth what should i do? should i cut off the relaxed choppy ends? should i completely cut my hair into a bob? idk! i'm so confused. but i know that i def. want to wait until i have 8 inches of new growth before i chop it off!! i'm so confused!!

hey Jadore, sorry you're experiencing breakage. How long is your hair now, also, will you cut or have a stylist do it?

curl_Gurl gave great advice - a couple of inches could be all you need and the relaxed broken ends are only holding back any transitioning style you have (except for a phony pony or phony bun, I think). You are shooting for about 12 more months of transitioning with average growth so I think it's a good time to start working with your texture.

When my hair was relaxed I routinely went four months between touchups so I bunned a lot before I decided to do this BUT I think you may be better off with twist & curl , bantu knot sets or straw sets on experimental days and a reliable protective style for most days after you have removed the bad ends. There are a lot of options. My last cut before I bc'd was a chin length bob - long enough to pull back but short enough to fake a twist and curl.

Warning - the more relaxer I had cut off, the better I liked my natural hair!!! Have fun!!!

A lot of ladies like LynnieLuv were long term transitioners so you'll see a lot of great info here!

Okay thank you so much ladies and my hair is a little past my shoulders when its straight. But yes i may just end up cutting off the broken pieces and just working with my natural texture in the back. its so broken off you wouldn't be able to see it that much. but thanks for the ideas. I am going to go to my stylist or even maybe to this natural salon that i found and get it cut by them since they know more than my hair dresser.

Okay thank you so much ladies and my hair is a little past my shoulders when its straight. But yes i may just end up cutting off the broken pieces and just working with my natural texture in the back. its so broken off you wouldn't be able to see it that much. but thanks for the ideas. I am going to go to my stylist or even maybe to this natural salon that i found and get it cut by them since they know more than my hair dresser.

Hi ladies. I'm officially four months post today (March 9-last relaxer). Does anyone use Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave in for a leave in conditioner?

sophisticatedbeauty wrote:Hello ladies!
Today marks 4 months since my last relaxer! yay me! I currently did a mini chop and cut all the color out of my hair. And now I am rocking micros! I pray that I can keep them up for at least 3 months especially since I am not a big braids person.But I really needed to do something or I would have chopped all of it off before I am ready! Everyone's hair is looking great I must say! Keep up the good work ladies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

We are transitioning twins! July 4th marked 4 months since my last relaxer as well. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hey ladies! July 31st will be my 4 month mark for transitioning (yay!!), and it has definitely been well worth it. I decided to "cross over" after having a relaxer for years (since junior high school) and noticed, within the last few years, that my relaxers were not lasting as long as they should and I started to see some breakage (not a lot, but enough to be concerned about). My sister has been natural forever and she has been extremely helpful throughout my journey. I currently co-wash twice a week with either V05, Suave or HEHH, and I DC once a week with Giovanni SAS Deeper Moisture w/either evoo or jojoba oil (Marshall's has the big pump bottle for $12!!!). As a leave-in I either use Hawaiian Silky 14n1 or my mixture of a conditioner, jojoba oil and water. Naturally, I seal with shea butter mixed with some evoo. My profile pic is a bantu knot out I did last month...it wasn't perfect but I was proud of myself for doing it! I recently had 1 1/2 inches cut off, so now that my hair is shorter, I mainly do rod sets. But I have to admit, the more I look (no, more like stalk....lol) these boards and see these fabulous styles, I kinda wanna BC, but am still hesitant. I have about 2 inches of new growth, but not sure how I would look with my hair shorter. And dealing with the two textures has become a bit of a struggle at times.

These pics were taken about a week ago...and, yes, that is a patch of grey hair...its so annoying!!! lol
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Question: what should I use for a good twist-out? I'm thinking that I have too much relaxed hair, which is why they don't come out good.

It's almost time for me to move on to month 5!

I took my sew-in out a couple of days ago and was surprised to see all that new growth! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I was going to take pictures of it after I washed my hair but I couldn't find my camera. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi ladies! I'm new to the forum. July 12th marked my 4 month transition date. I took my braids out back in June and have been wearing falls (half wigs) for a few weeks and then got a trim and rod set (avatar pic). I've been wearing this style for the past 3 weeks and I love it, but it's a lot of upkeep. I tried a twist out (with ponytails and twists) but that didn't turn out so well. I want to try bantu knots as well. I also bought some curlformers today so we'll see how those work! Glad to be here and have the support! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hello CurlyNikki! This is my first post, but I've been creepily lurking around on these forums for about a week now, and I have learned SO MUCH! A few days ago I did the first twistout I've ever done on my own, and I am ridiculously proud of myself right now! I've just gotten to the point of being able to distinguish my curl pattern - I was conditioning my hair and FELT the curl, then ran to the mirror and stared in disbelief, then ran all the way upstairs to show my sister, my mom and my dad like a little kid! LoL. It IS an exciting journey, so I guess I'm excused. LoL.

Anyway, I'm just so proud of everyone here, and happy to be making this journey with you! Peace!

Hi ladies! I'm a first time poster on the forum. Today is exactly 4 months of transitioning for me. My last relaxer was April 10 2010. I'm getting sooooo anxious to cut off my relaxed ends! I haven't been usining any heat on my hair since the start of my transition and I'm starting to get a little frustrated. Thought I'd join the forum for some encouragement, and to know that I am not alone! LOL

Hello Ladies,

August 25th will mark my fourth month of freedom from the creamy crack. BUT I am struggling big time. I have about 1 inch of new growth and just got about 2 inches cut from my hair. While I still have quite a bit of time left in this journey, the haircut seems to have impacted my ability to maintain any hairstyle.

My hair is extremely dry. I need product suggestions and EVERYTHING! The creamy crack is calling! LOL!

@tranquility: What is the length of your hair now? Is is long enough to do roller sets? That's basically my staple style, along with bantu knot outs or twist outs every now and then. What products are you using in your hair now for moisture?

Stay away from the creamy crack!!! LOL!!

@ReRe71 - my hair is cut in layers. The longest part is midway down my back. I can do the roller sets, but I also work out 4 times a week. I did a roller set last week and went to the gym Monday...poof, its gone! LOL!

I was thinking of getting braids, but the few times that I have had them in the past, was irritating to my scalp. I am so desperate, I am willing to take a chance.

In terms of products, I really do not have a good arsenal. But after reading this blog today, I am planning to buy Kinky Curly Custard and Giovanni SAS deep moisture with evoo or jojoba TODAY.