just joined with lots of questions :)

hello,

i have made the choice to stop relaxing, coloring, and applying heat to my hair from now on. essentially i am going natural. the main question i have is, do i have to do a big chop. everyone seems really excited and loves their twa's but i have a big head and i cannot rock it as others have. since my last relaxer was 5 weeks ago, my hair is mainly straight. not straightening it has definitely brought back the life and fullness of my hair but i worry as time increases as my new growth become unmanageable.

i have done a lot of research this week on natural remedies to my damaged hair and i'm considering henna twice a month for thickening and strengthening. the style ideas offered on this website are very helpful and i look forward to trying them. i guess i would like to know if anyone has been able to transition to natural without having the chop all their hair off. i plan on getting trims as my hair grows. is my mission doable or should i just leave my hair in braids until i am ready to chop off my relaxed hair? should i not be washing my hair (with shampoo) every week? I'm intimidated and excited at the same time to go on this hair journey to the ultimate hair freedom. i just need a push in the right direction. absolutely any tips, stories, advice, products, or recommendations will help a lot!

thanks in advance,

yas

It is definitely possible to transition w/o doing the BC. I transitioned for almost 2 years. I just trimmed my hair frequently until all of the relaxed ends were gone. Doing it this way allowed me to maintain some length, while at the same time, getting rid of the damaged hair. You definitely shouldn't bc until you're ready. You'll always have the option to do so if you choose to later. HTH!

loveself247 wrote:@ty......LOOOOOOOOOVE your hair! Let me have it pllllllllllllllease! lol

aww thanks loveself247!!
Girl you wanna trade....if I could get my bantu knot out to turn out as nice as yours I'd trade in a heartbeat. Too cute!!

@yemen120 As the other ladies have stated above, it is definitely possible to transition without doing a "big chop"! I know exactly how you feel about taking another route, rather than bc'ing. I myself have a big head (LOL) and I knew I would'nt be able to pull the short look off! Hahahaha!

My last relaxer was May of 2005. Like Ty, I myself was a long term transitioner. When I originally decided to stop getting relaxers, I mainly did it because I only needed one maybe like every 6 months, so I figured "why the heck am I getting them anyway???...I'll just grow it out, and if I want to straighten it, I will!" So during the process, I just stop getting relaxers period, and got my ends trimmed on a regular basis until all the relaxer had grown out! I guess I can say it took maybe a year and a half for it all to grow out. Now in the beginning, I really had no intentions of wearing it naturally curly until I began to see how curly it actually was! So I started experimenting with the wash-n-go's, along with a few other lil styles and began to love it! To this day, I'm still learning, experimenting, and loving the fact that my hair is natural!

Kudos to you for finding this website early on! I wish I would've known more in the beginning! I have learned so much from this site; styles, products, proper natural hair care, etc. Its amaaaaazing girl! So you are off to a good start! I say just let that hair grow out, but get those ends trimmed on a regular! And maybe if you want to speed it up, go for a short bob or something that you can rock and feel comfortable with at the same time, just to speed up the process, and nip off those permed ends!

Good Luck! And yayyyy...you're in Houston [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]! Yippeeee--->So am I!

Like the other ladies have said, you dont have to do the Big Chop. I was a short term transitioner (4 months) but one recommendation I have is NOT to transition with braids the entire time. You need to get to know your hair, learn how to style it before you are 100% natural. I have heard so many stories of people transitioning the entire time with braids, kinky twist, cornrows..etc and when they are 100% natural they have no idea what to do with their hair.

You are definitely in the right place. Also check out YouTube for ideas and tutorials on natural hairstyles. Good luck on your journey!!

ITA with Lynnieluve...You definitely need to learn how to work with your natural hair before you go natural...It may also help to check people's fotki's to see what they did to transition. There have been tons of women who transitioned for a long time with no problem. Also take a look at the blog www.maneandchic.com She transitioned for a year and a half and she also has a ton of advice for long term transitioners...Good Luck! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]