I am sitting here at 7 weeks post. My new growth is there, not overbearing, but certainly noticeable. I started thinking to myself "How the heck did I used to relax my hair at 4 - 6 weeks post??" There isn't nearly enough of the coils there to handle that process without causing damage through overlapping. Additionally, damage aside, there really is no need to relax because my hair is still very manageable during wash and styling and can still look very presentable. What has changed?
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| 7 weeks post relaxer |
First of all, I have grown and my mindset is definitely different. I no longer feel that a relaxer is to be done on a schedule, and definitely not every 6 weeks. New growth no longer equates to 'messy' hair. I have learnt to accept, no appreciate, my new growth as a part of the relaxed hair journey. It's the very thing that helps me to achieve my length goals.
My hair has grown
But another thing that has changed is that my hair has grown. Real talk, I realized that the longer my hair gets, the less the new growth shrinks up. This is so because the weight of the strand stretches the new growth, making it less clumpy and noticeable. And we all know that when we are stretching (our relaxers), stretching our new growth is key for maintaining manageability.
I say this to say that it gets easier as the journey progresses, so hang in there.
Am I the only one who feels this way about my new growth?
Abbi, this is so true, as my hair gets longer it is much easier to deal with my new growth, the hardest part for me now is taming my hairline,lol. I'm now at shoulder length and I'm 9 weeks post, my goal is to reach armpit length by year-end, so I'm stretching as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteCan you give tips on how to tame the hairline, scarf method does not work for me.
Hey Ana, for taming the hairline I do a similar method as what Jen does (#6 in this post (Jen's wash day) ) in conjunction with the scarf method.
DeleteAdditionally, as you get further in a stretch, I suggest working with your natural texture as opposed to against it by doing curly styles like twist-outs and braid-outs or inherently taut styles which make your hair look neat like braids and cornrows.
Lol at "real talk" :-D, Ye it's soooo true though,before i started this hair journey my new growth would b a headache! But I realize now it's because I really had no idea how to manage it. I had no clue about moisturizing and sealing or even "line of demarcation". Thank goodness for hair blogs and YouTube videos, I'd still be so lost. Hhj! :-)
ReplyDeletelol same here Rachel! Thank heavens for the internet! Knowledge is definitely power. HHJ to you as well!
DeleteGreat post! I must say that I have also grown. I'm five weeks post and I'm loving the coils. Before my HHJ, I used to relax after 12 weeks but I used to do a protective style at 2 months post. The challenge is that I never used to take good care of the relaxed ends and so I never retained length. Now I know better :) .
ReplyDeletehttp://scarletgoal.wordpress.com/
Cheers to growth (in more than just our hair)!
DeleteEverytime I get to 6 weeks post I laugh at myself because I can't imagine that I couldn't handle my new growth then but KNOWLEDGE is POWER. I can't see myself relaxing less than 12weeks because there isn't enough noticeable new growth. Another awesome post Abbi!
ReplyDeleteTrue words! Thanks Tomes.
DeleteIt is so unreal how far we have come, I find its mire my friends who are like isnt it relaxer time and am like tgat was 6 weeks ago, have 6 more weeks to go at least! We created our own issues!
ReplyDeleteWe did. Hopefully each one can reach one and then the whole black community will be more knowledgeable and responsible about hair care.
DeleteI used to relax every 6 weeks on the dot now when I reach 6 weeks post I wonder how the hell I never ended up with a bald head?! lol
ReplyDeletehaha I feel the same way. We put our hair through a lot. Thank goodness for its resiliency.
Deleteso true! I used to always relax my hair when i was younger, although my hair was bra length at the time it was thin so i cut it to try and start over in a sense. I researched on youtube to find out how to make my relaxed hair long and thick. I noticed every one was stretching their relaxers. To my surprise I love stretching,my first stretch was for 16 weeks, now I am pushing for 20 or 24. My hair grew so much, and it feels thicker. Funny part about the process is i love my natural texture also Its really coily/curly.
ReplyDelete