playing catchup

Im almost 7 months into my transition and I'm frustrated. Why? The hair at the middle/back of my hair is pushing 4 inches of new growth but my hair in the front barely touches 2. At this rate I can't go natural in a year like I want because the front of my hair is such a slow grower....

What I'm really curious about is if anyone else has noticed this growth pattern and what they've done to combat it (or if it can even be done). I really reeaaally want to do a BC before spring break and I'm not about to let pesky growth problems stand in my way.

oh yes, i am there dear. my hair in the back is about 1/4-1/2 in longer than the front (my hair is only about 1-1 1/2 inches long). i have never had thinning edges its just obviously shorter than the rest. the best explanation for this, for me at least, is the stress that is put on the hairline, especially the front. i had to cut a lot lower in the front when in bc'ed because of the constant flat ironing i was doing when relaxed. i concentrated more heat to the hairline to keep my edges straight. also when relaxing we (or whoever is applying) tend to hit the hairline first with the relaxer because this is the most visible portion of the hair, therefore it "needs" to sit a bit longer than the rest to get straighter.

another explanation is daily stress from pulling, tugging and slicking back/down the edges when ponying or pulling the hair back from the face. i see in you avi that you have a baby hump on what looks like a twist/braidout. even this, which seems low stress, creates tension on the hairline simply because it is not the normal growth direction of the hair. when we pull our hair back or up repeatedly it takes it toll on our edges.

remember growth is always happening, it retention of that growth that is usually the pitfall. even though you may have differing growth rates from the front to the back of the hair, if you are noticing a big difference (inches) in length, more than likely you arent retaining the length in the front of the hair that you are seeing in the back. protective styling is key.

pay close attention to what is happening to your hairline/front of head daily. do you tend to twirl your hair at the front mindlessly? when you apply product do you start at the hairline and distribute backwards? do you pull on your forehead with your hand when stressed? if you don a satin cap at night is it sitting on your hairline when you wakeup? are hats or scarves pulling on the hairline? there are thousands of daily instances when your hairline is touched or pulled, but being aware of what is coming into contact with your hairline can help you combat unecessarry stress.

i hope this makes sense and i hope it helps!!

DerbyDiva wrote:oh yes, i am there dear. my hair in the back is about 1/4-1/2 in longer than the front (my hair is only about 1-1 1/2 inches long). i have never had thinning edges its just obviously shorter than the rest. the best explanation for this, for me at least, is the stress that is put on the hairline, especially the front. i had to cut a lot lower in the front when in bc'ed because of the constant flat ironing i was doing when relaxed. i concentrated more heat to the hairline to keep my edges straight. also when relaxing we (or whoever is applying) tend to hit the hairline first with the relaxer because this is the most visible portion of the hair, therefore it "needs" to sit a bit longer than the rest to get straighter.

another explanation is daily stress from pulling, tugging and slicking back/down the edges when ponying or pulling the hair back from the face. i see in you avi that you have a baby hump on what looks like a twist/braidout. even this, which seems low stress, creates tension on the hairline simply because it is not the normal growth direction of the hair. when we pull our hair back or up repeatedly it takes it toll on our edges.

remember growth is always happening, it retention of that growth that is usually the pitfall. even though you may have differing growth rates from the front to the back of the hair, if you are noticing a big difference (inches) in length, more than likely you arent retaining the length in the front of the hair that you are seeing in the back. protective styling is key.

pay close attention to what is happening to your hairline/front of head daily. do you tend to twirl your hair at the front mindlessly? when you apply product do you start at the hairline and distribute backwards? do you pull on your forehead with your hand when stressed? if you don a satin cap at night is it sitting on your hairline when you wakeup? are hats or scarves pulling on the hairline? there are thousands of daily instances when your hairline is touched or pulled, but being aware of what is coming into contact with your hairline can help you combat unecessarry stress.

i hope this makes sense and i hope it helps!!

Thanks so much for your response! Love your avi pic btw!

My edges never used to be thin (or my hair for that matter) but I got really small braids in one summer and I lost about half my hair in thickness and a couple inches in split ends still recovering from that to this day.

I''m not sure about length retention/ actual length. I trim my hair every couple months or so but I always cut it all to one length so I never really cut the front before. I only have 2 inches of new growth at my hairline, the actual length of the strand seems like it's doing ok because I don't have any split ends.

The silk scarf could be adding pressure to my hairline, especially since I use a really big scarf and I tie it around the back and front... I think I'll start using my scarf as a pillow lol.

I understand what you're saying about going against your hair's natural flow but the reason i wear the hump back is because I have bangs.. When the weather gets warm again I might cut all of my hair to that length (to my nose) and see if I could finally make an afro

LOL I'm usually the worst at playing in my hair.. it's just so soft and awesome . I haven't been doing much of that lately though because my stressful college life doesn't give me time to do my hair so I usually wear ponys/ high buns during the week. I'm pretty sure this isn't the best for my hairline but I don't use brushes or crazy force or anything like that. Just apply an oil/honey mix and slick back with my hands.

thanks girl!

yeah i hear what youre sayin about the braids, you never really know how theyre gonna treat your hair til you take em out *sigh* especially small ones. i think the idea of using the scarf as a pillow cover instead of wrapping your hair is a great idea! that way no pressure to the hairline.

ah, yes, bangs. i think thats probably the hardest thing to deal with when transitioning. you dont wanna straighten your hair, but you cant have half curly half straight bangs lookin crazy on your head! i dont really have any advice to offer about that lol. the only thing i can suggest is to take out what ever is pinning them back out as soon as you get home so you dont have to walk around looking crazy .

HIH disease is real. hi, my name is shaina and im addicted to playing in my hair. lol i understand completely, especially when my hair is feeling super soft like it is now *twirls curl thoughlessly*

for your pony/buns you could try a wide headband made out of soft hair friendly material placed at or just beyond the hairline. that way you can give your edges a break every now & then.

good luck!