QUICK UPDATE - 12 week stretches just aren't for me!

Ok, so one of my goals was to stretch for twelve weeks without the aid of braids/a weave and although I'm doing so (for the first time ... yay me), I'm suffering from so much breakage that I'm am starting to think that it is detrimental to my hair. Having to de-tangle and style my hair daily is leading to a lot of breakage & thus I've decided that 8 - 10 week stretches will be sufficient in the future.

This does not mean that I will relax every 8 - 10 weeks because I am quite happy to do a 6 month long stretch if (& only if) the stretch is aided by the use of braids.


UPDATE [27/08/2012] - ok so this post is a bit OTT and after sleeping on the post i've decided not to give up just yet but to try and master my stretches. I think the main reason i'm finding it hard is because I still haven't managed to get the protein/moisture balance right but this will only come with time and I need to thus be patenient and focus more on the health (& strength) of my hair rather than just the length.

Shrinkage!

Dealing with my hair in its un-blow-dried state is becoming more and more difficult and the main reason is ... the single strand knots that result from SHRINKAGE!

I'm planning on looking at a few natural blogs/YT videos on how to stretch my hair without out  heat so hopefully I can combat shrinkage.

7 Weeks Post Relaxer Update

So I treated myself to a hot oil treatment/steaming at a nearby Salon and got my hair blow dried. Below are my 7 weeks post relaxer comparison pics:

7 weeks post relaxer

(June)

I've had so much re-growth that I'm struggling to cope with it all. I know I promised to go at least 12 weeks without a relaxer but as soon as I hit 6 weeks post it started to get more and more difficult. I'm finding it hard to detangle my hair and i'm starting to see more single strand knots especially when I wash my hair. As a result I've stopped co-washing mid-week as it does more harm that in should. I will continue to stretch (without putting my hair in braids/a weave) as I believe if I can get through it once I'll be able to do it again. I just hope my hair doesn't suffer.