Hi ladies,
Its been a little while since my last hair update. Somehow, I’ve found myself at 6 months post relaxer again despite saying over and over that stretching this long probably isn’t the best for my hair. Unfortunately, my schedule meant I kept pushing it further and further back. However going forward, I am determined to reduce the length of my stretch to 4 months…..okay maybe 5 months
I wanted to share pictures of my hair at this stage, to show that, its not easy and its not pretty. It’s the usual things I complain about, the tangles and matting, the fact that wash day becomes a major chore, constantly fighting dryness and because I have so much volume at my roots, my ends look rather thin and damaged in comparison.
I took the pictures in this post about a week after washing. I was supposed to put it in box braids (with no extensions) day or two after washing but couldn’t because life happened. I had moisturised and detangled my hair about an hour before taking the pictures and I could already feel it beginning to clump and matt a little which you can see in one of the pictures below.
When I have a lot of new growth, my hair tends to matt quite badly if I wear it loose for a few days. And when I say loose, I mean in a bun or faux bob style, I wouldn’t dare wear it down or completely loose because I know I’d probably end up with locked hair and a trip to the barbers. I have to be very thorough and gentle when detangling, which with so much new growth, can be ridiculously time consuming, frustrating and frankly, it is not practical for my lifestyle and work load.
You can see that my hair is beginning to clump and matt/tangle in this picture
Hair with a lot of new growth is very fragile and must be treated with extreme care to avoid breakage. Also, day to day manipulation should be avoided when deep into a stretch. And this is WHY I need wigs to help me get through my stretches. I simply refuse to spend so much time on my hair daily. When my hair is in box braids under my wigs, I can focus on moisturising and sealing and because my hair is confined within the box braids, it no longer tangles. However, I still spend good time and care detangling when I eventually undo the box braids to wash my hair. I don’t enjoy wash days at all when I am deep into my stretch, but I suppose I only wash once in two weeks so it’s not too bad.
So yes, this post is a major rant or vent of how much I don’t like stretching excessively. Sorry 😊 How long was your longest stretch? Were you able to manage it well and avoid breakage? Share your tops for getting through your relaxer stretches.
My next post will be an educative one about drying your hair. Micro fibre versus towels versus t shirts and how to use them correctly. Its going to be a good post.
See you soon
x
Lade
Learn | Change | Grow
I can totally relate to the dryness. By October 30 I’ll be 5months post and I’ll be texlaxing for the first time, and I’m totally guilty of manipulation since October started. Also I’m almost sure I have read all your blog posts just to make sure I transit to texlaxing well. Although I’d like to ask if Dark and Lovely can be used for texlaxing because I am considering switching to ORS. In conclusion this is a very relatable post, thank you.
Great Post very relatable.
I recently stretched for 6 months,after stumbling on your blog. I couldn’t believe it,I hardly stretched for 3 months prior. It was tough,after month 3,I couldn’t wash myself because it would tangle,matte and break. Then came Hairitage to the rescue😀. I had a wash there at least once in 3 weeks and cornrows for my wigs. My hair grew and became healthier. 4 weeks Post relaxer now and I miss my wash and cornrows only days because of excessive manipulation,haha.
Ekpele dear. The longest I’ve stretched my relaxer is 4 months and wasn’t a big deal because my hair is barely shoulder length. I wear wigs most of the time while my hair is in corn rows, which I carry for two to three weeks at a time. I want to push it to 6 months this time around, this one you’re complaining like this, LOL I’m rethinking it.
I normally stretch my hair for 6 months. Though the last 1 month i get tempted to cut my hair (my hair is mid back length) out of frustration.
My tips are: Very little manipulation, wash hair every 2 weeks, don’t do your hair when you’re in a hurry, stop when you’re tired, it’s ok to take a break for a few minutes and lastly be patient. Trust me does demarcation line tangles would test your patience.
I have found it so much easier to detangle only after washing and apply my moisturising leave in conditioner (I do conditioning first, then washing),
So I do the braids first, without dengling, and do detangle afterwards
I’d describe by hair as 4c, fine hair, it is texlaxed.
Hi lade, my texlaxed hair always gets tangled at the tip. I have lost some about of hair because of this. Please help me with an I don’t really know what to do.