Wash Day | Flexi Rods on Transitioning Hair? #Fail

Now ya’ll know I have been hiding my hair throughout the majority of my transition thus far. Before this wash day, I actually had an appointment to have my hair braided down for my wigs…then decided to cancel so I could play in my hair a bit more. What REALLY happened is I saw my hair friends Jeni of Just Grow Already and KLP of Saving Our Strands do amazing flexi rod sets on their hair at 60 weeks post relaxer (I’m bowing down girls, by the way) and they also workout! Therefore I figured, I had no excuse…after all I think of myself as some what of a flexirod expert (see below) and their styles looked so great, I figured mine would be fiyah too…right?! #Wrong!!!

Some of my flexi rod hairstyles from the past

Well let’s start from the beginning…My wash day began with 1) a prepoo using EVCO (see Benefits of Coconut Oil for Hair) 2) wash with KeraCare Hydrating Detangling shampoo (the sulfate-free version) and 3) deep condition with Joico Intense Hydrator using my Hot Head Deep Conditioning Cap. I had a relatively easy time detangling my hair so I do believe this combination is a winner, I’ll talk more on the shampoo in a separate review. Next, I separated my hair into sections using my fingers as I did in my roller set on transitioning hair tutorial and began to rod my hair on alternating yellow and red flexirods.

I fought through the first section and although my initial finger detangling went smoothly….I kept encountering tangles and knots back to back. They were impossible to work loose, so I ended up basically causing breakage….look at how long some of those strands are in the picture below! The more rods I got in, the more knots I pulled out. By the time I got to the second section, I realized I was probably doing more harm than good, even if the style WOULD have been great. I made the executive decision to remove the rods and go with another plan….braids and my latest trusty wig.

Just SOME of the tangles, knots and breakage I had from attempting this style…

I’m not sure what went wrong at this point, perhaps I allowed my hair to dry too much (without stretching the new growth) but it only went downhill from here. At one point I had tears in my eyes because I wanted to just quit and cut! But…of course I can’t walk around with my hair in a shriveled, knotted up mess so I had to continue. I stopped, took a few deep breaths then called Monet for some encouragement and support!!! I really wanted to be done with the transition, but knew I would be miserable if I big chopped before I was really ready. Mo gave the appropriate woo-woo-woo’s but it was the conversation with my guy that really pulled me back from the edge. He understood my frustration and would have supported my decision to cut prematurely even though he prefers longer hair ON ME. However, it was this simple statement that changed everything: “Tomorrow is another day….maybe it won’t be so bad then.” I realized he was right, no need to make myself miserable until my natural hair grows to a length I’m comfortable with.

Thank GOD for this wig!!!

So I suffered through blowing it out lightly using tension and then plaited it into 8 jumbo cornrows and plopped my wig on. *Exhale* Yeah…so much for my bright idea to keep my hair out for a while. That cancelled hair appointment has been rescheduled and I’m going to have my hair trimmed, braided and hidden again. Jeni & KLP, I bow to your greatness and ability to style your stretching and transitioning hair.

I wanted to share my FAIL with those of you who think long-term transitioning is easy for everyone. It is completely possible and with little breakage also. However, for some of us *raises hand* it is difficult washing and styling my hair every week. Hence the reason wigs and weave are essential parts of my life right now. When I finally stepped out, I looked flyy and nobody had a clue about my near meltdown.

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