Can you really still say your transitioning if...?

[KurlyNinja]

I know some people (in r/l and on the board) who have been transitioning so long they barely have ANY relaxed ends left. I mean 90% of their head is natural yet they still claim to be transitioning. I've seen more naturals with heat damaged straight ends than some "transitioners" have left with relaxed ends. So is there a point where enough is enough and you should just go on ahead and claim to be natural? or must ALL relaxed ends be gone, like every single spec of relaxed ends?

I was just asking because there are people who have been transitioning for a looooong time and have barely any relaxed ends left and treat their hair as if they were 100% natural. And even after some people BC they have small traces of relaxed ends left... so are they all natural or are they still "transitioning" too? I'm just so confused by this phenomena. Can somebody clarify? Thanks.

 

[GreenEyedJen]

I mean, IMO words are just that, words. I don't think there is a "real" definition of most of the terms used on the boards, because they were "made up" (for lack of a better term) on the boards. I believe that if you still have chemical in part of your hair that alters your hair texture, you're not natural. You might not be treating your hair like transitioning hair, but you still have chemical in it. I think that's different from people who have damage due to heat. Heat is not a chemical.

But, by the same token, I still call myself natural and I dyed my hair in February. Some people don't agree with that. Hence my first sentence. Words are words. That is all.

 

[ChristmasCarol]

Good question, OP.

I've been transitioning for almost two years, but at the crown I still have 7" of relaxed ends. The total length is 18", so the relaxed ends still make up a good portion of the overall length. I'll cut them off in another year or so - after I make WL.

If, however, someone only had 1" of relaxed hair and 17" of natural hair, I would question their sanity for hanging onto an inch of hair and claiming transitioning status, lol.

eta: Everyone's hair doesn't break off during transitioning, so the length of time has little to do with the amount of relaxed ends. If I don't cut my hair, the relaxed ends will remain until the strand has reached it's terminal length - 4 or 5 years or more. There are board members who have transitioned for more than 3 years. They, like me, don't want short hair.

 

[SherylsTresses]

Hmmm, I claim "Team Natural." When I BC'd I left tiny traces of relaxed ends to avoid cutting my natural hair. My natural hair has taken over those relaxed ends.

 

[mg1979]

I agree with GreenEyedJen...words are just words...I'm wondering why you're asking?? Does it matter really?

 

[KurlyNinja]

I agree with GreenEyedJen...words are just words...I'm wondering why you're asking?? Does it matter really?

It was just something I was curious about so I asked others what they thought their input was. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

[Austro-Afrikana]

I now call myself practically natural however, I won't be officially natural until the last little bit is gone.

 

[LovelyNaps26]

it is confusing if you see a progress picture of them. They're waist length and you ask "how long have you been natural?" and they say "oh, i BC'd 18 months ago!". While it's true that they may have cut off some inches, they fail to tell you that when they BC'd they were already APL (natural hair). I've seen that on forums and youtube videos and usually what seems like rapid hair growth from BC to MBL-WL. is really the result of a really long transition. sometimes people confuse BC with twa, which it isn't but I think it should still be clarified.

I don't think you have to claim natural if you still have relaxed hair but at least add that you transitioned for 26 months when someone asks "how long did take you grow your hair to that length after went natural". Having a 2 year 'head start' (or 10-12 inches of natural hair) without saying so doesn't make sense and is misleading

 

[changingSeasons]

I agree with the poster above who said words are just word. Just like BC, for some means to cut down to a few inches while to others it means cutting off an inch of relaxed hair with 8 inches of natural. <lol i hope thats me, im going for length.

One thing this board has taught me, is that every word can be interpreted in different ways.

I also wish more people would also usually include how many months post relaxer they are, instead of only their BC date.

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

Well I personally never claimed 100% natural until I trimmed off the very bits of relaxed ends which was 1-3 inches left over after 24 months of transitioning. If a person is transitioning long-term their hair isn’t 100% natural until they snip off the remainder of relaxed ends, it’s not rocket science.

 

[Gleek]

I think I am one of those people you mentioned. Throughout most of my head I have more natural than not. But I am too chicken to chop because my hair in the front is growing slower than anywhere else. My hair on the crown broke off from growing out my relaxer (before I started reading the boards) and my hair at my nape is long. I am too chicken to have short hair or chop, so for now I am just growing out with trims to even out over time.