Cattt

Hello all, my name is Cat. I'm 19 & I've been transitioning for about 5 months now and I am not 100% sure how to take care of my hair. I haven't put heat on it since August and i've been cutting off about 2 inches at a time to get rid of the perm. I never got perms often, and my last time getting a perm before i started transitioning was in february. I use a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, Morrocan oil and some regular olive oil moisturizer on it. When I wash it I use Aphogee shampoo and silk elements conditioner. I don't know what else I should use because I don't know my hair type and what it needs. I also braid it and keep it under a wig for a month, and then wear it free for a couple of weeks. I don't know if that is bad for my hair, but so far i have not seen any negative results. However I am looking for new styles.. help please!

My mother has really fine textured hair, and my father is nigerian. I can't help but think i have a funky mix of the two..what do you think? (these pics were taken after i washed and air dried my hair. I brushed through it a bit but i stopped to take the pics.)

This is the first thing i wanted to show. I like these curls. If you can't see, the whole strand twists sort of like a barrell curl.


here is another one(I stretched it)








Now, this is how the top of my hair looks. It has this wave pattern that I am never able to keep up with. It always gets lost when I brush it out. Are there products I can use to nourish it?



&, the back of my head:


the very back of my head was shaved earlier in the year and is shorter than the rest & It hasn't ever been touched by chemicals. But it barely curls, it curls maybe once or twice..i think because the hair is too short and the curls are much bigger than the front of my hair.


compared to:


here i tried to zoom in on the texture.


Here's my hair when i put a few twists in it the night before..


aaand under my wig lol


well that's it for now. I've started this process on my own, without any knowledge of transitioning or hair care. I just want to have my hair be healthy like my mothers, she doesn't do anything to it besides put moisturizer in it and it's beautiful! Please help if you can! Thanks.

Cattt

no one? :/

DeeinKC

I've heard that you won't really know your hair type until you get rid of all the relaxer. My best guess from your pics though would be a 3c or 4a?? I'm not for sure though, so don't put too much weight on that.

It sounds like you have a good regime. I would add deep conditioning too. You could try braid outs, twist outs, bantu knot outs, etc for new styling options. I'm about 3 months in to my own transition and I'm going to try a braid out soon.

It's great that you're not putting heat on your hair, too. I've also cut out direct heat from my flat iron and so far, so good.

__________________
Dee
Last relaxer: September 2011
Follow my progress on my transition blog: http://naturallycurlyjourney.blogspot.com/

Cattt

oh! well i am almost through with cutting off the relaxed ends, i think if i cut two inches off this time i will cut more than the relaxed parts.

what exactly is deep conditioning? like the stuff i leave in for a longer amount of time? and i've heard of the bantu knot outs, i started doing them before i knew what it was lol. but braid out is along the same lines? have you heard of bangalese twists? are those okay for my hair?

Nataliej

Deep conditioning adds moisture back into the hair that is removed by daily activites and some styling products. This happens during the winter from hats and scarves and during summer from sun and wind. I have found the best way to replenish lost moisture is to do a weekly deep conditioning treatment.

Depending on the deep conditioner, you might have to leave it on for 10 - 15 minutes. some require a heat cap.

Hope this helped

Coilywonder

I know you really want to know your hair type but the best way to tell is after you bc. Some people can tell while they transition, I will be honest I could not.

longmanehair

Hi Cat! First of all, you are not the first, nor will be the last who is a transitioner confused about their hair type (meaning 3a/4a-c/etc.).

From what I can see in your pictures, you are a mixture of 3c, 4a, and 4b. Your textures are mixed throughout your hair. I see that you mentioned that you were in the middle of brushing your hair. Sometimes that can make the hair frizzy and loose it's definition (meaning, you can probably see your texture at its best when it is still quite wet).

When I cut my hair off a few years ago, I wore a wig for about 5- 8 months straight. The good part about it is that I retained alot of growth, as it is not being manipulated frequently. On the other hand, it thinned out my edges a little bit. You have to be careful with that part.

For deep conditioning, you should try Queen Helen Deep Conditioning Treatment. You can find it at a hair store or at walmart. It is a creamy pearl colorr substance with red lettering I believe on the outside label. It is one of my staple products that I absolutley love. At this point, you are doing great with not putting alot of heat on your hair. With that, you are going to want to make sure it doesn't dry out. That is where deep conditioning comes in. If you have a dryer of some sort, you want to add that for better penetration.

On top of that, you want to make sure you have a good leave-in conditioner or moisturizer, and a good sealer.

My advise is surf, surf, and surf the forums. They have a wealth of information just for you

If there is something you don't understand let me know, and I'll do my best to make it clear.

Have a great day!