Transitioning vs. Big Chop

[CutiePie0Five]

Hi Everyone,
I was just wondering (this might sound dumb, but I'm not really positive about it), is transitioning a way to go to natural hair without having to chop off your relaxed hair? If so, do you have to press the new growth so that the relaxed hair doesn't break? I've thought about going natural, but my family and my boyfriend were against it because they thought I was going to have to cut off my hair. SO, I decided to try to grow my hair relaxed. But, I'm still curious about going natural because although my hair is thick, it was very pretty and wavy when it was natural.

~CutiePie0Five

 

[BrEE]

yup, transitioning is when you grow out your relaxer. some people slowly trim away their relaxed ends. most of the members here dont press their new growth cause they're afraid the heat will damage their natural hair pattern. instead they just use braidouts,buns,rollersets or wear their hair in braids.good luck, i tried transitioning for a minute until it became a nightmare.

 

[SilkyandSmooth]

You can absolutely transition w/o chopping off your hair. It's what I'm doing. The only way your hair will break is if you're not taking care of it properly. Make sure you keep both your new growth and relaxed hair well moisturized. Conditioner washes help tremendously.If you need any inspiration, take a look at the photo albums of members Hairlove & Ayannapooh. They are transitioning without chopping. Good luck!

 

[lsubabiedee]

Transitioning is a way to gain length before you get rid of ur relaxed ends....

If you keep ur hair moisturized and dont manipulate it much, then you can minimize breakage. IMO, breakage is inevitable, but you can control it, and not have an excessive amount.
I dont suggest pressing ur new growth, just because I believe that you should work with ur natural texture and not against it to keep it healthy. If you're worried about blending textures, you can try braidouts and twistouts and strawsets and the like.

There are a lot of transitioners here...and even more that have transitioned before.

do a search for transitioning, and im sure u will find a lot of info!

hth

 

[kaleidoscope]

Hi cp

I started transitioning early spring 2003 (late feb, early march) and I have yet to do the big chop. To tell the truth, my hair is pretty much at the point where you can't tell where the relaxer begins-especially when it's airdried without styling (due to hair length, I am guessing the last 3 inches of my hair is still processed) I've been twisting my hair into little knots (bantu) after I shampoo and deep condition I then cover my head with a scarf and sleep overnight like that.I take the knots out in the morning and finger comb it so it looks like a curly afro. I then gather all my hair in one hand and wrap an accordian hairband around it with the other. Lately, my hair remains slightly damp even after airdrying overnight. But the finished style is still more defined than just airdrying alone. Alot of naturals on this board have great suggestions on doing two strand twists as well. The above style I mentioned is what I did primarily to transition. I am now trying to master the two strand twist method for something different. Transitioning is usually a way for women to get away from relaxers without parting with length all at once (i.e.-trimming relaxed hair away gradually, maybe every month take away an inch or so) I personally treated my hair like it was all relaxed until about 4 months after the relaxer (I used a blowdryer w/ a brush attachment to get it smooth and then wrap every night). The breakage I experienced was moderate at first, but tapered off as I used less and less heat and of course no more relaxer.I then started going through hair magazines for ideas on how to do natural styles. Lucky you that you have this forum to get some good ideas!
HTH and sorry for the long response

 

[CutiePie0Five]

thanks everyone...lol now once again i'm considering going natural! lol Im so confused as to what to do....

 

[CutiePie0Five]

so bree, did you stop transitioning? your hair length is my 2nd goal (after bra strap) i think I'll be there by early next year because I'm almost at bra strap now, but I have to see where I am when i get my next touch-up...

 

[teenie]

I would not go with the big chop. Transitioning is just too easy and you may have a change of heart. I have transitioned so many times I have lost track I even did the chop once, I wont call it the big chop but it was like 5 or 6 inches though. Get braids or wear a bun until you are 100% sure of what you want to do.

 

[CutiePie0Five]

i think im gonna wait until i get my next perm to see where my hair is. When i go back to school and come back home in november, I'll see how my hair looks and decide then. thanks so much everyone for the help and advice!

 

[BrEE]

yea, the new growth at the back of my head caused my hair to tangle wayyy too much.i dont know what went wrong but something sure did.