FOUR YEAR POST RELAXER (QUESTIONS ANSWERED): TRANSITIONING HAIR

FOUR YEAR POST RELAXER VIDEO (QUESTIONS ANSWERED)

1. Hi, I am coming to you for MAJOR HELP! I am 16 yrs old and a junior in high school, i got my first perm when I was in the 6th grade. Before i started getting perms my hair was literally 18 inches down my back, When perming came into the picture i was left to take care of my hair on my own.(BAD IDEA) now from all the perming and heat applied to my hair i have dramatically split ends, and my hair is like 3'' in the middle of my head and 8'' to 10'' around, my mom suggested cutting it off! WHAT DO I DO?

ANSWER: You're mom may be right (especially since she can see what's going on LOL). I believe split ends need to go. I think they make the hair shaft weak, and prone to breakage. Your measurements sound like a bob styling of sorts (3'' in the middle, and 8'' on the sides). Maybe it can be trimmed to a bob? Are you planning to relax your hair or grow out your unprocessed hair? No matter what's going on, try to get those ends taken care of and have someone help you with your protein/moisture. Here's a great post on transitioning hair care (moisture tips and avoiding breakage)!

2. What kind of products did you use on your hair during the transition? 
ANSWER: Every head of transitioning hair is different. There will be different needs due to porosity, hair health, and more. The products we used while transitioning can be considered moisture based. From our shampoos used to our stylers, we focused on continuously putting moisture back into our hair. Here's a link to the page where each product that we used (with success) are detailed.

3. What are some good tips to retain length while long term transitioning?

ANSWER: Here's a post that I wrote some months back, but it took me over a year to formulate this healthy hair care for length retention. The post shares "step by step" on how to retain length on fine/thin, delicate hair--but after a close look this hair regimen will work well for long term transitioning hair!

4. Question: how did she prevent breakage? How did she make it curly with the ends still relaxed? I'm also attempting to transition this way. I just don't know what to do besides gelling my hair into a ponytail.

ANSWER: T's natural texture is somewhat wavy (as opposed to my tightly coiled hair), so it wasn't too difficult to match up the relaxed texture with the curly texture once it grew out long. But in the beginning of her transition (around 3-6 months), it was difficult to manage the 2 textures. Here's a link to a comprehensive transitioning guide that may help avoid breakage, tangles,  ensure length retention, and give some direction for creating a texture that can be styled on.

5.  I think it's beautiful, but do you think her curls are looser due to heat styling? I want to know the effect heat will have on my hair..

Yes, she flat ironed (probably too much) during her transition. You can do it, but be safe. I wouldn't recommend the flat iron so much (maybe some roller sets). The thing is, you don't want to alter your curls even before you get to see them in the healthy, plush state. You may end up with limp, dry non-relaxed hair due to heat damage. Here's some info that we received from the National Center for Biotechnology Information in regards to the effects that heat can have on hair.

Whatever you decide, be sure to keep up with weekly deep conditions, trim ends as needed, lay down hairline with satin scarf if you're trying to get that "sleek look" without heat.

6. "Are there any tips to reduce shrinkage my hair shrinks horribly and i just wanna keep my hair looking the actual length then it looking really short" 
Braids and twists are well known to  stretch out coily hair. Bantu Knots (or little buns) also serve as a great stretching tool. Some people use the banding technique, where the hair is stretched into a ponytail (or a few), and scrunchies or hair bands are tied all the way down the length of the hair. These techniques work perfect on both transitioning and all natural hair. The basic idea of stretching is to elongate the coil--so this means that you can get creative with it, and use rollers, satin strips, and many other tools in order to stretch it out.