Hair journey post – I made it… 8 weeks post relaxer for the first time (05/26/09)

I did it!!!! I wasn’t sure I would but I did. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought. It is true, it is important to plan ahead and have an idea on how to solve unpredictables.

Planning my stretch is what helped me. I knew I wanted to stretch for 8 weeks so I prepared my hair to be able to do it. I got a little nervous around 5-6 weeks post. It felt like I was loosing hair the way I usually did when I didn’t relax my new growth right away. I added one co-washed a week and stopped combing/brushing/manipulating my hair.

I’m supposed to relax tomorrow or Saturday. It’ll probably be Saturday, if I can hold on… I am really happy. But I won’t risk extending my stretch this time. Next time I might add one weeks and stretch 9 weeks. I’ll add one week until I can stretch 12-14 weeks or until my hair says no more stretching. We’ll see how my hair feels, I am still learning to understand my hair.

I am loving the feel of my new growth on my fingers. For me it is a symbol of a great accomplishment.

Happy hair growing everyone.
xoxo

Present day commentary

I am now able to stretch my relaxer for 12-13 weeks without any problems.  I am even able to go longer at times.  I don’t even think about it.  I just do my regular routine, my hair stays moisturized and I texlax (I don’t relax bone straight anymore) when I feel like it.

How I stretch my relaxer

The most important thing is to change your way of thinking about your hair.  Having curly roots is not bad, it’s good.

By doing my daily routines and my weekly hair care regimen, my hair stays soft and moisturized for at least 8 weeks without much effort.  After that, to stretch to 12 weeks, I manipulate my hair less, chose hairstyles that are gentle to my roots like buns.  Mostly, the trick is to moisturize well on wash day.  If your deep conditioning is good, your hair will stay moisturized and stretching will be easier.