Great answer Negra! To the person who wrote the question, you might want to look at your current regimen and see if there is anything you’re doing (or not doing) that is not allowing you to retain length. Your hair grows approximately 1/2 inch a month, but sometimes we don’t retain length because we’re not protecting our ends (the weakest and oldest part of our hair) from the elements. On top of that, relaxed hair is very delicate and its fighting against a thicker new growth. If you are a long term transitioner you should make sure that at night you are protecting your ends. You can do a protective styles at night like putting your hair in a bun, high ponytail, and/or putting on a silk cap are good ways to protect your hair when you’re sleeping. You could be using too much heat and not adding enough moisture. You should wash your hair and deep condition at least once a week. I transitioned with rollersets and I think its a great way to blend in the two textures and keep it manageable. Transitioning is a pain and I went through it myself. Worse comes to worse, you can always do the big chop and give your new growth TLC. You can rock your afro or use a half wig as Negra suggested. By the way, I relaxed my hair for 25 years and I was able to successfully transition so you can definitely do it, too! HHG!

LaNegra, ha ha I love answering questions! Hope you don’t mind prima.

you can also get braids. until u feel comfortable with the length of your hair. then go on youtube and look at other ladies who are natural. like rusticbeauty. or blogs that are helpful. like bglhonline.com

Hola Anita
Congrats on making it so long without relaxing. It’s such a tedious transition!

You mentioned that your hair is “frizzy n puffy” after falling asleep. Do you tie your hair in a scarf at night? If not, that’s one place to start. You can try spritzing your hair with a little water, put a little leave-in conditioner on and try finger curls or even braids, then tie your hair up. In the morning, pull your curls out, or unbraid your hair, finger comb and then spray with some sheen.

How much relaxer do you have left in your hair? That may be why you hate the way it looks wet. It may be limp or lifeless due to the relaxer.

As for shampoos…my favorite is no longer available. I loved Creme of Nature, but they changed the formula…hate it now. I still have some of my original formula left, so haven’t really invested in any other shampoos. However, I’m going to try Avalon to see what they have. I love some of their products, and someone else recommended one of their shampoos.

As for conditioners…look for hydrating, moisturizing deep conditioners: Humecto, Baba de Caracol, Esperma de Ballina. There are a number of really good conditioners, but it often requires trying them out. Some products that work for me, may not work for you…but never make a judgment call if a product doesn’t work the first time. Try it two or three times before making a call. I like conditioners that contain silk proteins and even wheat proteins. They seem to work wonders for my hair.

Also, get a really good leave in and remember to treat your hair with kid gloves. You want to pamper the relaxed hair, as your natural hair grows in. Lastly, keep a little journal of the products you use.

Oh Anita, I totally understand the heatwave! I blew my hair out the other day, was a complete waste. I sweated so badly, ended up puffy

As for a particular product, I cannot say for sure which one will work for you. I have tried various products and find that I get a little relief from frizz, but this summer has been tremendous. I have used Paul Mitchell Skinny on my freshly washed hair and the results were nice. My ends stayed straight, but my roots still puff up.

I hate to say this, but you may have to try a few products to see what works on your hair. You may also want to consider just wearing your hair curly until it cools off. I’ve given up fighting the humidity. I put too much time into straightening my hair, to have it ruined in a matter of minutes