I never did a BC--Is That Wrong?
AuNaturale
Registered Users Posts: 61
Hello All (and I apologize, in advance, for the long post),
I am fairly new to the natural hair boards and, prior to me joining them, I was not familiar with the concept of doing a BC when transitioning to natural. Here is part of my hair history, which will hopefully explain my ignorance.
I have very curly hair that is a 3b/3c mix (well, that's my best guess from the charts I've seen online...I have at least two textures on my head). However, growing up, I didn't realize how curly my hair actually was because my mother typically combed out my hair out and pulled into a bun or ponytail. When I took over doing my own hair, I just copied what she did. I didn't know I had actual defined curls until much later down the road.
Anyway, growing up, I was dying to have straight hair that would last longer than when pressed with a hot comb (which would only be for a day, lol). My mother told me the only way to achieve that look is to get a relaxer which she would not permit until I started high school. (In retrospect, I wish she never would have given in to me. )
Once I started getting relaxers, my hair would be bone straight, but the relaxers never lasted very long. I did not wash and straighten my hair regularly, so I never kept a straight look for very long. It would only take about a month or so before my entire head (roots included) would revert back to its normal state. At that point, I would go back to slathering grease on it and pulling it back into a bun. Over time, I noticed that relaxers only slightly altered my curl pattern by making them a little looser...but, other than that, my hair was pretty much the same. By the time new growth started to emerge, my hair was no longer straight anyway. I never saw a difference, or line of demarcation, between my new growth and my relaxed hair. In fact, my hair dresser was always baffled because whenever she gave me a relaxer, she wouldn't just apply chemicals to my new growth, she'd apply it to my whole head. When she washed the chemicals out, my hair would still be curly...it drove her crazy. If my hair was in humid weather, exosed to water, or if I sweat, it would not revert as quickly and dramatically as it would if I didn't have a relaxer, but there wasn't much of a difference. Consequently, I only saw relaxers as a temporary fix and I only got them sparingly (once, maybe twice, a year).
To make a VERY long hair story short, I got my last relaxer in January 2006 and decided to just wear my natural hair. I didn't do any research, and it never occurred to me cut off my "relaxed ends" because, quite frankly, I didn't see any. I didn't have curly new growth and then straight ends...once I wet my hair it was all curly. My "transition" was to just stop getting relaxers and wear wash n' go's. That's all I thought I needed to do. My concern now is making my hair grow because it has been the same length for years. I never had a hair regimen before and I didn't discover the importance of having one to maintain healthy hair until I joined a hair board in September. That's when I first read about doing BC's. I had no idea!
Over the past few months, I've done more research and I've learned all the mistakes I made over the years that damaged my hair and likely stunted growth. In the past month, I've made major changes and I'm experimenting with a hair regimen...my hair feels better already! But the more I think about it, I wonder if I did something wrong by not doing a BC? Will the fact that I didn't do a BC hinder my hair growth? Did anyone else have this experience?
Thanks for reading!
I am fairly new to the natural hair boards and, prior to me joining them, I was not familiar with the concept of doing a BC when transitioning to natural. Here is part of my hair history, which will hopefully explain my ignorance.
I have very curly hair that is a 3b/3c mix (well, that's my best guess from the charts I've seen online...I have at least two textures on my head). However, growing up, I didn't realize how curly my hair actually was because my mother typically combed out my hair out and pulled into a bun or ponytail. When I took over doing my own hair, I just copied what she did. I didn't know I had actual defined curls until much later down the road.
Anyway, growing up, I was dying to have straight hair that would last longer than when pressed with a hot comb (which would only be for a day, lol). My mother told me the only way to achieve that look is to get a relaxer which she would not permit until I started high school. (In retrospect, I wish she never would have given in to me. )
Once I started getting relaxers, my hair would be bone straight, but the relaxers never lasted very long. I did not wash and straighten my hair regularly, so I never kept a straight look for very long. It would only take about a month or so before my entire head (roots included) would revert back to its normal state. At that point, I would go back to slathering grease on it and pulling it back into a bun. Over time, I noticed that relaxers only slightly altered my curl pattern by making them a little looser...but, other than that, my hair was pretty much the same. By the time new growth started to emerge, my hair was no longer straight anyway. I never saw a difference, or line of demarcation, between my new growth and my relaxed hair. In fact, my hair dresser was always baffled because whenever she gave me a relaxer, she wouldn't just apply chemicals to my new growth, she'd apply it to my whole head. When she washed the chemicals out, my hair would still be curly...it drove her crazy. If my hair was in humid weather, exosed to water, or if I sweat, it would not revert as quickly and dramatically as it would if I didn't have a relaxer, but there wasn't much of a difference. Consequently, I only saw relaxers as a temporary fix and I only got them sparingly (once, maybe twice, a year).
To make a VERY long hair story short, I got my last relaxer in January 2006 and decided to just wear my natural hair. I didn't do any research, and it never occurred to me cut off my "relaxed ends" because, quite frankly, I didn't see any. I didn't have curly new growth and then straight ends...once I wet my hair it was all curly. My "transition" was to just stop getting relaxers and wear wash n' go's. That's all I thought I needed to do. My concern now is making my hair grow because it has been the same length for years. I never had a hair regimen before and I didn't discover the importance of having one to maintain healthy hair until I joined a hair board in September. That's when I first read about doing BC's. I had no idea!
Over the past few months, I've done more research and I've learned all the mistakes I made over the years that damaged my hair and likely stunted growth. In the past month, I've made major changes and I'm experimenting with a hair regimen...my hair feels better already! But the more I think about it, I wonder if I did something wrong by not doing a BC? Will the fact that I didn't do a BC hinder my hair growth? Did anyone else have this experience?
Thanks for reading!
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!
0
Comments
First, thank you so much for taking the time to read my post (I know it was long) and to reply. You've made me take a sigh of relief. In all the boards I've read, I haven't come across anyone with a similar experience, so I just wasn't sure. I'm glad to know that perhaps it's more common than I thought.
Thanks, again!
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!
Last relaxer: Feb. 2008
Big Chop: Jan. 2009
But the two textures kept annoying me to no end so I finally said the hell with it and cut my hair lol.
You know, this is a really good point. What made me panic about not doing a BC is that I was reading posts from so many women with hair types similar to mine who would did a BC. That really confused me because I thought that if two people have the same hair type, then their hair will also have the same characterisitics and will respond to products and chemical treatment in the same fashion. I presumed that women BC to get rid of the relaxed ends since it's not good to have the two textures. In my ignorance, I thought that if I didn't have that issue then women with a similar hair type wouldn't either. I never thought about the chemical composition of hair...which would explain the saying "no two heads" are alike. I guess that's applicable even with people who have similar hair types. Mixeded, you just made me have an "A HA" moment :sign7:!
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!
Hi Zetalady! Thanks for your reply and I'm so glad you found the post helpful! Most of all, I'm glad to find others out here who have had a similar experience with their hair. Mixeded made an excellent point about the difference in the chemical composition of hair, so it looks like you'll be fine not doing a BC.
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!
Hi empressi! Thanks for your response! I've seen quite a few of your youtube videos. Isn't that SheaMoisture Leave-in the best?!!
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!
Haha! Well I'm no scientist, so I can't be too sure, but it makes sense to me. I see the same variation with skin types, like not all oily skin types develop pimples. It has to do with a unique blend of environment, nutrition, genetics, you name it!
Last relaxer: Feb. 2008
Big Chop: Jan. 2009
What do I love about my hair? It does such cool things!!