Transitioning: From Relaxed to Natural

I have previously told you my hair journey, and for those that have followed they can tell you that I have never relaxed my hair. However even though I cannot speak from an experience point of view, there have been tips that I have gathered from my research and forums that I have been part of in terms of transitioning.

Well, growing up, from my primary school all the way to college, most of my friends had relaxed their hair and so, from them I also learned a thing or two about relaxed hair, things that can help me give you tips if you want to transition from Relaxed hair to Natural.

Transitioning mainly means moving from one state to another, and in the hair circles it means the process of moving from the relaxed state to a natural state.

So you are asking how do I transition?

Well its really not that hard, and there are two ways you can go about it:

1. Transitioning with Big Chop

The first way is you choosing to cut of your hair to start afresh aka the Big Chop. To do this you can either cut it all off, or you can grow your growth (hair that is not chemically altered) to a certain length you would be comfortable with, an inch or three and then cutting the rest off.

2. Transitioning without the Big Chop

The second way is if you grow out your growth, while avoiding the retouch and trimming your ends every 4-6weeks untill all your relaxed hair has been cut off.
Both this methods however come with some underlying rules/tips to help you transition healthily and grow a beautiful natural mane.

Here are 5 tips for transitioning:
1. Stop Using Chemicals - If you decide to go natural, stop using chemicals in your head completely  there is just no two ways about this.

2. Stop Using Heat - Second to chemical damage, heat can really ruin your hair by altering its texture and deriving your hair off of its moisture. And worst of all is that it is irreversible! As Nappturology 101 put it, Heat is Natural hair worst enemy.

3. Wear Protective Styles - In order to protect your hair from harsh weather conditions, breakage and tampering, invest in protective styling, do stylish cornrows, twists and buns. You can also do braids but I find relaxed hair to be really fragile so it may damage your hair line.

3. Deep Condition weekly - Deep conditioning helps replenish your hair with moisture and makes your natural hair softer and reduces breakages.

4. Limit Combing - Combing the hair increases breakage so it would be ideal if you could learn how to detangle with your fingers instead of a comb. If you have to use a comb ensure its wide tooth comb.

5. Trim your ends every 4-6 weeks - Ensure you trim your ends regularly especially if you are planning to transition without the big chop. This helps you cut off the relaxed edges and leave you with a natural mane.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. As I have never relaxed my hair, there are some things I might have missed. Please Share your tips with me on how you transitioned from relaxed to natural in the comments below.

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