1 Month Post Relaxer

I have just decided to become all natural. I haven't had a relaxer since March but I haven't been taking much care of my hair and been aware of what to use until now. HELP! I need to know what Shampoo and Conditioner is best and what steps and hairstyles I should do daily. Any suggestions?

Ebbz wrote:Can anyone suggest some good shampoos. I want to try Suave Humectant or a Garnier Fructis but I'm open to suggestions. (as longs as its in Wal-Mart or a BSS because I'm away at school right now)
It doesn't have to be sulfate free because I only wash my hair twice a month.

Hi Ebbz, sorry for the late reply. Personally, I haven't found any shampoos that my hair and I like. I just got the book I ordered "Thank God I'm Natural", and they have recipes you can make in your kitchen for shampoo. I just did it and my hair is nice and very soft.

For the shampoo, I bought pure castille soap with peppermint and mixed one cup of castille soap with 1/4 cup of olive oil (for dry hair). After I rinsed my hair with one cup of apple cider vinegar and one cup of water (it's a clarifier to get rid of product buildup). For a deep condition I mixed 1/2 cup of honey with a cap full of rosemary oil, two tablespoons of olive oil, and three drops of vegetable glycerin. I put a cap on my head for 30 minutes and rinsed it out with cold water. It felt funny at first but then it got nice and soft. I put a little vitamin E on my edges and scalp and bloe dried under low with no comb attachment. You can also use one egg mixed with a regular shampoo. I know a lot of people online talk about Herbal Essence, Suave and VO5, but I've never used any of those.

simplyconfident wrote:It's offical, I'm transitioning. I'm 4 weeks post and plan to transition over 12 months with mini chops. I've wanted to do this for over a year now. I'm so excited and nervous at the same time. I don't really have a Reggie yet. I just plan to do braidouts for ad long as I can and then I'll hid my hair in braids or sewins. Looking foward to sharing this journey with you ladies!

Yay!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] Congratulations!

BeautifullyMehh wrote:I have just decided to become all natural. I haven't had a relaxer since March but I haven't been taking much care of my hair and been aware of what to use until now. HELP! I need to know what Shampoo and Conditioner is best and what steps and hairstyles I should do daily. Any suggestions?

I really don't know much either, but I've just tried to keep my hair moisturized and detangled. My hair is extremely thick. My regimen is just co-wash and deep condition my hair weekly, shampoo/clarify my hair when I see product build-up, and moisturize like crazy! I use vitamin E for my ends, edges and scalp. I haven't used a purchased shampoo that I like so I made shampoo following a recipe in a book I just bought. I put the recipe a couple of comments before this one.

As far as hairstyles I've done flexirods, braid outs, and twist outs. My favorite so far is the twist out. Lately, I've just washed it and put it in a bun until I decide what I want to do with it. I'm considering kinky twists so I can just leave it alone for awhile. Just make sure you moisturize your hair and be gentle with it. Avoid heat and limit flat iron use. I use my blow dryer on low without the comb attachment. Hope this helps some.

I'm going to take your advice. I washed my hair last night and attempted the Bantu Knots. They didn't come out so good lol.

As far as moisturizing my hair, what should I use daily and weekly for that?

BeautifullyMehh wrote:I'm going to take your advice. I washed my hair last night and attempted the Bantu Knots. They didn't come out so good lol.

As far as moisturizing my hair, what should I use daily and weekly for that?

I've used water mixed with a little olive oil and vegetable glycerin. I also hear that shea butter and coconut oil is good to seal your hair and keep the moisture in. You can try this recipe (courtesy of "Thank God I'm Natural" by Chris-Tea Donaldson):

3 ounces of distilled water
1 ounce of a light conditioner (Suave, White Rain, etc.)
1/2 ounce of oil (olive, avocado, grapeseed, or sweet almond oil)

Put ingredients into spray bottle and shake well. Spray into hair and don't rinse out.

I will make sure that I try that soon. I have to wait til' I come home from school because that's the only time I have to purchase those items. Thank you so much. I hope I start to see more new growth. I have been having a hard time with the protective hairstyles lol. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hit 4 weeks yesterday...hair is not complaining because it thinks we'll be getting a dose of fire cream in 2 weeks. LOL 8 weeks post is when things should get interesting.

Hi ladies...so after debating with myself back and forth for the last several weeks...Its official that I am going natural!!!! And this morning when I looked at the date I realized that I have not relaxed my hair since April...woo hoo! But Im sure the fun will begin when I take it out of this sew in but I'm sooooo excited. Did this in college and didnt have the patience then...but im ready now [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]This is my 1 1/2 month of transitioning and it going oh so well...I am getting Senegalese braids tomorrow as a protective style and cant wait to see the results when I take them out already..oh yea and to achieve the real curly look i simply braided my hair after a co-wash and when i woke up this was the results and i LOOOVE it
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I am so thankful for this website. I would not have made the decision to transition without some support. I have considered going natural for a year but I have finally got the courage. I just came out a very long relationship and did some self reflection. I decided to get take better care of myself and get more healthy, which included my hair. Becoming natural is a major decision for me.

I have not had a relaxer since June 6th. I am following some advice from some youtubers who have transitioned and have started to treat my hair as though it is already all natural. I have tried a dry bantu knot out and I love the curls.

I plan to travel soon and I am looking for looks that I can take to the beach and then transform into a sexy look for night. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

One month and a week. My hair is very thick no newgrowth yet though. I shampooed and conditioned it for the first time without dreading it. Not worrying about making it straight and flat on the sides. I rolled it wet and this is what I got. I'm loving it already. Stay strong sisters.

Hey Ladies!
Its good to know i'm in good company. My final relaxer was June 8th and i'm proud of my decision never to go back to the creamy crack! I've watched vids on youtube as well and started using some "natural" products. I'm impressed so far and i'm so loving what ng i have. I use to run for a relaxer the moment i could see ng! Now i'm in awe of it!
msnellabella, you've found the support you needed! Rock on, girl!!!
queensistahgroove, i love your style!! It came out great! Continue to wear it proudly!!!
I'm quirky_curls and i'm proud to be on this forum and transitioning to natural!! We can do this Ladies!

Good Luck, ladies! queensistah...love that style [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hi Ladies!
I am also transitioning and soooo very happy! I had my last relaxer on June 5th, 2010!! I actually thought about transitioning for months and then thought there was no way I could do it, but I've finally come to the conclusion that I want to be natural and see what my natural hair actually looks like. I think I've had a relaxer since I was about 6 years old and I really can't remember what my texture was. I know I had very very thick hair as a child and somehow my hair is no where near thick anymore..LOL I workout about 4 to 5 days a week and my hair has suffered tremedously from this. It has broken off so much that I have had to cut it many times. I sweat a lot in my hair when I exercise and with this relaxer it has caused more damage then good. I am soo happy to finally decide to do this. My mom has actually went natural about a year ago and she had her ups and downs but overall she doesn't regret it. I appreciate this website soo much because it has really helped me stay focused and learn about products and hair care. So far my hair care regimen is:

- Go to the salon still every two weeks for a wash and roller set.
- Wash my hair the other week that I don't go to the salon. I use Organic Root Simulator Aloe Shampoo and the Organic Root Simulator deep conditioner. I love this stuff!! Has my new growth so soft and manageable. I put in Infusion leave in conditioner after I wash and some Olive Oil Moisturizer by Organic Root Simulator and Shea Butter Leave in conditioner by Cantu. Then I braid or do bantu knots and wear it like that for a week. When I take my braids or knots out I use some coconut oil so my ends are moisturized. I just ordered some shea butter from butters n bars after hearing all the great reviews on it so I can't wait to use it.
- I do a co-wash every 3 days due to the exercise and getting the salt out of hair. I use Coconut Curladd by Curls and so far it's great. Has a great smell and makes my hair so soft. I plan on transitioning for a long time (about 12 months) and get my hair cut every 6 weeks (like I would with a relaxer). So we will see how this goes :-)

@ cincin - Congrats on making your decision!! I can't wait to hear your progress in the future!!

Hi Ladies,

Just wanna share the amazing news that its been one month since both me and my mom have made the decision to go natural!!!! Neither of us has BC'd but we're on a mission to be long-term transitioners!! I don't think I've ever been so happy with my hair and now I fall more in love with it each day. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I am 4 weeks post relaxer and I am beginning to feel the new growth at the back, yay!!! I love the way it feels and bantu knots and a twisted rod set are definitely my favorite hairstyles right now. I am determined to make it 12 months of transitioning before I cut it, but I'm loving shorter hair these days and wouldn't mind doing my bc after 6 months, but we'll see. (My profile pic is my twisted rod set).

Congrats to you Chany! Your hair is looking lovely. Bantu knots and pin curls are my absolute fav

Hi everyone. It's been 6 weeks since my last relaxer. My touch up appointment was to have been in 2 days, but I called my stylist this morning to cancel and tell her I'm going natural. I'm so excited about it and have been spending way too much time on the blogs, etc., inhaling all the info out there. I have about 1/2" new growth and I'm hoping that by the 12-week mark I'll have enough to BC. I can hardly wait!

I did this about 15 years ago, but it wasn't nearly as accepted as it is now. I kept a TWA for maybe 2 years and then got bored and started to grow it out, but I didn't know what to do with it, so I straightened it and eventually went back to the relaxer. I wish I had stuck it out. I'm so happy that the Internet has given us this great community of support & sisterhood.

Congrats to us all! I'm looking forward to the journey!!

Yeah!! This is my first post. I honestly don't remember when my last relaxer was, I just know it's been over a month. For the last couple weeks I've been considering transitioning, and have been doing my research through youtube (which is how I found this site).

I am just so excited about this process! I am going to try not to do the BC since I like my length (it's past bra strap length), and I don't want to traumatize my husband either. I just told him we'll see what happens by next Spring, since I am prone to acts of impetuousness.

So, I am laying here with my first chinie bumps (LOL, being Jamaican, I just refuse to call them bantu knots - ok, I am only kidding.) I just know my mother would laugh if she saw me since the last time I had these I was a fairly young child in JA, and she was putting these in after washing my hair.

I am so excited about this journey, and I hope to make some friends on here so we can share in this experience together! My hair really is pretty straight, but I figure I might as well get practice on these styles before I really need them!

natchralme wrote:Hi everyone. It's been 6 weeks since my last relaxer. My touch up appointment was to have been in 2 days, but I called my stylist this morning to cancel and tell her I'm going natural. I'm so excited about it and have been spending way too much time on the blogs, etc., inhaling all the info out there. I have about 1/2" new growth and I'm hoping that by the 12-week mark I'll have enough to BC. I can hardly wait!

I did this about 15 years ago, but it wasn't nearly as accepted as it is now. I kept a TWA for maybe 2 years and then got bored and started to grow it out, but I didn't know what to do with it, so I straightened it and eventually went back to the relaxer. I wish I had stuck it out. I'm so happy that the Internet has given us this great community of support & sisterhood.

Congrats to us all! I'm looking forward to the journey!!

Hello fellow chicagoian, congrats on your decision

Hello Ladies. im new i just decide to go natural and i refuse to do the big chop offdespite all the crazy looks and replies i received from my family members. I am doing research on the products that i need so far the number one key that i realize is MOSTURIZE

This is exciting!!! Okay, So this is my second day after my decision to go au' natural with my hair. I washed my hair yesterday and did a DC with Coconut milk and olive oil. I then did my hair in a two strand with bantu knots. My profile pic is the results. I am loving it!!! This is going to be so great! I am going to be a long term transitioner (I think). I will see how the winter goes. Right now my issue is struggling with my length. I am so use to it. It is beyond shoulder length but I will keep trimming little by little to prepare my mind. Thank you ladies for sharing. I feel at home here.

Hey Ladies! This is my second time going natural, i did it before for 10 months but due to lack of knowledge i got a relaxer because i just couldn't handle it anymore. But now my friend just BC and told me about this site so now i am trying it again thanks to this forum. I will do the long term transition, dont see myself with a TWA. I am very excited to see my natural hair and try all the products i didnt use before. Good Luck everyone and dont give up.