Transitioning without BC'ing Support Thread

bellebebe said:

So... I did a half chop the other day. Lol... I really wanted to bc, but I had no patience. I, however, do it in February. I decided to half chop because I couldn't really get to my roots. I just wanna focus on them because thats what I care about. My relax hair is just.in the way.

Sent from. my sexy phone

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Where did you half chopped? I half chopped the back of my head.

52 weeks today. I have no idea when I'm going to BC but I know that my next relaxer will be never.

daviine CONGRATS! on making it to and through year one!

I was finally able to take a pic of my texture. It alot looser than the beginning of my transitioning. I'm about to wash my hair now.

18 months post today!

Next week will make 36 weeks, roughly 9 months. I've got about 4 inches on NG, pretty sure I'm looking at 4a/4b hair type. I have noticed a little bit of breakage in the back
(4b) and I'm pretty sure my thin spot is starting to fill in.

Just put in yarn braids last night with the help of my mother. They are a little rough looking but I'm liking them so far. Took about eight hours-6.30pm to 2:20 am. I'm hoping to keep them in for at least 3 weeks.

4/12/12

daviine said:

I just tried to take a pic of my new growth but it just looks to me like I'm balding/thinning in the crown area. My husband said the same a few weeks ago after I asked him to examine a part of my head that was itching in a weird kind of way.

The part seems wider than I think it should be but I'm too embarrassed to post it. If it is balding/thinning, I'm wondering if it from the gajillion ponytails I've put my hair in over the years or relaxing or both. Bunning is supposed to be my go-to style until I figure out what my hair needs/wants in terms of moisture. I'm really trying so hard to remember but I think I vaguely remember a stylist telling me to vary the position of my ponytails--and if she said that was it because she saw something or was she just giving preventative advice? Can't remember. I don't know.

My hair has always been the thing I've felt the most confident about and now....I'm on this experiment to I don't know where. I'm just so disheartened and I'm already tired of typing this so, I'm just going to lurk until I'm feeling back on the "up" part of my emotional roller coaster. (That could be in an hour or a week--who knows lol) I guess this is a sign that I need to find other things about myself to love.

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4/20/12

daviine said:

Went to the dermatologist today who confirmed that my hair was thinning and prescribed some medication and came up with a new regimen for me. No oils-- only cones. The diagnosis.... "seborrheic dermatitis with associated hair breakage". :scratchch

I'm too tired to write a full post about my experience today but to me, hair loss and hair breakage are two different animals.

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1 Year Update

On 11/11/11 I walked out of the salon because my hairdresser started someone’s hair before starting my hair. I had been waiting two hours for my relaxer, and the other person came in an hour after me. The next day, November 12, my cousin’s girlfriend did my hair for me because I had a series of important events coming up. I didn’t know her that well and didn’t want to ask her again so I decided to finally transition after saying I would for years.

This thread has been my home at LHCF and I appreciate all the support you ladies have given me. Transitioning is an emotional roller coaster as many of you know and I don’t know where I would be without you. I haven’t been posting lately because I’ve been down and didn’t want to post negative after negative post.

I mentioned several months ago that my hair was thinning. One dermatologist told me that my hair loss was due to seborrheic dermatitis. I didn’t feel this diagnosis was right so I went to get a second opinion last month. This dermatologist told me that my hair is indeed thinning. I have done bloodwork and I will most likely be getting a scalp biopsy to see what kind of alopecia I have (CCCA or female pattern). I’m hoping it’s neither but I won’t be able to make more appointments until the gas situation clears up here.

I have no idea how long this has been going on. It makes me wonder if the hair I lost in the beginning of my transition was breakage or shed hair but there was a lot of it. Thank goodness my hair doesn't seem to be shedding or breaking at an abnormal rate now.

In my last post, I wrote that I will never get a relaxer again. They say never say never but I am. I was open to texturizing but after this diagnosis that is no longer an option for me. I will never know for sure whether years of relaxing contributed to my condition but I know that relaxing will not make the situation better.

I am falling in love with my hair but it is bittersweet. I’ll be there admiring my hair but sometimes when I part my hair to moisturize, I’ll see my thinning parts and get so sad. I’m trying to be positive, hope for the best, and enjoy my hair but it’s hard.

Because of all of this, I am scared to BC. My hair doesn’t seem to be shedding a lot but I just don’t know at what rate “this” (whatever this is) is happening to me. I’d love to BC in 3-6 months because I need time to learn my hair before returning to work. I’m still trying to figure out how to moisturize my hair (I have about three different curl patterns) and so I’m reluctant to BC until I’m closer to figuring out what my hair needs. So…. I don’t know when I’m going to BC because I might need all my scraggly relaxed hair to cover the thinning areas and also because I just want to figure my hair out a little more. Of course, I might figure that out and BC and still have to start over. With my luck, that’s exactly what would happen.

So ladies, that’s my 1 year update. Sorry for another long post. Thanks for supporting me. I will keep you updated. Happy hair growing!

daviine please cheer up.. I hear the sadness in your post. Don't ever fret letting us know what is going on. My nephew had some thinning in the summer, he is 16... I noticed it and quickly gave him some black soap and had him use it daily.. he pretty much cleared up with in a month you could see the hair growing in. He felt really bad to be 16 and balding... I was ready to take him to the dermatologist if it didn't clear up myself.

Hi, ladies. I'm officially joining in. I've been teetering on the edge now for about a month, trying to decide what I want to do and reading through about 50 pages of postings . I'm finally all in!

I don't quite know when my last relaxer was, but I'm pretty sure it was around August 11th, which would put me about 13 weeks in. I have a long way to go because I want to make it at least a year.

During the week, I've reverted back to the two cornrows I used to wear in elementary school, but I wear them under a satin scarf with a wig on top. On the weekends, I frequently rock a curlformers set. I have a hood dryer; but, I almost always air dry. I only use my hood dryer when I'm short on time. On the occasions that I do go to the salon, my stylist presses my roots; but I don't go very often because I hate the pressing comb.

Right now, my two struggles are (1) keeping my hair moisturized and (2) getting my curlformer set to last longer than a day. I just bought a bunch of deep conditioning packets from Sally's to see if I can find a new deep conditioner.

Can't wait to learn from you ladies!

uofmpanther said:

Hi, ladies. I'm officially joining in. I've been teetering on the edge now for about a month, trying to decide what I want to do and reading through about 50 pages of postings . I'm finally all in!

I don't quite know when my last relaxer was, but I'm pretty sure it was around August 11th, which would put me about 13 weeks in. I have a long way to go because I want to make it at least a year.

During the week, I've reverted back to the two cornrows I used to wear in elementary school, but I wear them under a satin scarf with a wig on top. On the weekends, I frequently rock a curlformers set. I have a hood dryer; but, I almost always air dry. I only use my hood dryer when I'm short on time. On the occasions that I do go to the salon, my stylist presses my roots; but I don't go very often because I hate the pressing comb.

Right now, my two struggles are (1) keeping my hair moisturized and (2) getting my curlformer set to last longer than a day. I just bought a bunch of deep conditioning packets from Sally's to see if I can find a new deep conditioner.

Can't wait to learn from you ladies!

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Welcome- I hope you stay longer than a year.

I love reading this thread although I am relaxed. I guess I'm preparing for the day that I decide to become natural. Daviine I wish you well on your hair journey. Thinning can be quite depressing, but I am sure you will figure it out.

21 months and counting. Still weaved up - and loving it. I will probably take down this coming weekend, do a good protein and then a heavy moisture treatment, leave out for a week (a la bun) and if hair looks good (no splitting or breakage), will weave up the next weekend till first of the year.

1 year post !! Trying to stop using so much heat so now I'm wet bunning !

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

My hair was feeling gummy from product buildup. So I rinsed it iwth apple cider vinegar. And put it in a bun. Next day I deep conditioned with some protein and moisture conditioners I had laying around, added coconut oil, olive oil, peppermint and rosemary essentials and silk amino acids. Wrapped in a towel and plastic cap. Sat under dryer for twenty mins. Left on for an hour.

Then bunned it back up.

My hair is butter today!

In my bi-weekly cornrolls, just decided to stop in and say HEEYYYYYY!!!

Still hanging in there.

49 weeks today. I'm thinking maybe June for a BC. I want to wait two years for the length, but those curls and kinks are just CALLIN' me! So 18 months and W&G summer might be where it's at.

im still trying to decide what to do with my hair. lately its just been in a ball in the back of my head. i have no patience for taking care of my hair anymore

I'm just at 12 weeks post and trying to learn from you ladies. The frustration factor can be intense.

my ends need to be trimmed....i am going to blow out my hair this weekend or next week and cut about 2 inches off. that chemically relaxed hair is past my bra strap now and it is weak and just needs to go.

i am still not going to chop though. i am committed to trimming as needed to keep some length.

I can't remember if I'm in this challenge but I'm 23wks post today and Lord hamercy!! I have about 2.5-3 inches of ng and it feels like my ng is bullying my relaxed hair, but this relaxed hair is gonna have to man up because I'm not dropping $200+ on senegalese right here at Christmas and I ain't cutting. I have this dream of transitioning for...wait for it....3yrs. I know. Anyway,right now I'm "living" in my scarf with my hair parted in the middle and ponytailed in the back. I'm just dampening it for moisture and sealing with castor oil. It just feels so dry and blah...

34 weeks post. Still hanging.

Going to BC the back section of my hair tonight, will post pics tomorrow. Not really looking for it to be perfect, I want the brittle, split relaxed ends to be gone.

On another note, I have started doing tea rinses. I use green tea and will see if I have any benefits. So far, it has made my usually brittle relaxed ends feel moisturized and my natural hair was happy as well.

i just went swimming. i swam for 2.5-3 hours. when i went to wash my hair it came out in clumps this cant be life! when i get home later i will assess the damage. i am about to say phuck this hair mess.

Napp said:

i just went swimming. i swam for 2.5-3 hours. when i went to wash my hair it came out in clumps this cant be life! when i get home later i will assess the damage. i am about to say phuck this hair mess.

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Oh no....sorry to hear that. I assume it was the effects of the chlorine. I wish I had something encouraging to say.

Napp said:

i just went swimming. i swam for 2.5-3 hours. when i went to wash my hair it came out in clumps this cant be life! when i get home later i will assess the damage. i am about to say phuck this hair mess.

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omg! I'm so sorry to hear that!

Hopefully a good deep condition and gentle comb out will reverse and halt damage.

Napp said:

i just went swimming. i swam for 2.5-3 hours. when i went to wash my hair it came out in clumps this cant be life! when i get home later i will assess the damage. i am about to say phuck this hair mess.

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What happened? How far along are you in your transition. I had a bad stretch in June and my started coming out in clumps....seriously.

I don't know when I'll have the chance to make it back here, so I'm saying it now...officially one year post tomorrow! I never thought I'd see the day considering my ultimate fail 2 years ago when I only transitioned for about 6 months. If I wasn't officially in it for the long haul before, I am now!

My braidouts are no fun anymore! The natural hair holds the style, but the relaxed ends fall flat! If my natural hair were longer, I would take the scissors to those straight ends right now!

newbeginnings2010 said:

I don't know when I'll have the chance to make it back here, so I'm saying it now...officially one year post tomorrow! I never thought I'd see the day considering my ultimate fail 2 years ago when I only transitioned for about 6 months. If I wasn't officially in it for the long haul before, I am now!

My braidouts are no fun anymore! The natural hair holds the style, but the relaxed ends fall flat! If my natural hair were longer, I would take the scissors to those straight ends right now!

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Congrats for one year. What's your Reggie.

i went to Ulta and bought a new blow dryer today. i am doing an aphoghee 2 step treatment, blowing my hair out and flat ironing it for thanksgiving. i will also be cutting about 2 inches off.

my relaxed ends feel like they are melting. they are so thin. now i really see why i couldn't retain past apl when i was relaxed. my hair is so thin to begin with, that applying the chemical just eats it away. i really wish i had known this is what i was doing to my hair all these years.

i still miss that fresh relaxer look though...i ain't gonn a lye...pun intended.