Franno’s Tips for Transitioning From Relaxed To Natural

Transitioning from relaxed to natural hair can be quite tedious and may prove to be very overwhelming for most women. This was indeed the case for me and so I big chopped after transitioning for only 12 months, a whole year before my intended big chop date. I didn’t want to have  to deal with the two textures anymore, and decided that it was time to get rid of those relaxed ends. In spite of my growing impatience while transitioning, I did follow a strict regimen to ensure reduced breakage and keep the new growth as healthy as possible.

Here are a few of my tips to help you through your transition, whether you’re a short or long term transitioner. I say start treating your hair as if its completely natural. Adopt a regimen that you will continue to use when you’ve big chopped and are a hundred percent natural. That way you’ll already be in in some sort of groove with your hair and your natural hair won’t seem like a whole new battle to be won.

To Big Chop or Not To Big Chop?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a decision I suggest you make consciously. Let’s not go with any trends or majority rules. Decide what’s the best approach to ultimately being natural for you. For some women chopping off all their hair and rocking a TWA (teeny weeny afro) is no biggie. For others the thought of chopping all their hair off is right up there with the rapture! But ladies fret not! There are no rules on how long you have to transition before getting rid of all your relaxed ends. You can choose to be a long or short term transitioner or not transition at all. Keep in mind that going natural is not going to be an easy or short journey. You have to think long term and keep your eye on the prize with this one. So make the journey as comfortable as possible for you. If you know you absolutely will curl up in a corner, drooling in the dark after chopping your hair, don’t do it! Set a transition goal based on the fact that hair grown 1/4-1/2″ per month. You can estimate how much growth you should have and when you might be comfortable chopping. This may change as you continue on your journey, but its good to set goals when you’ve decided you’re in something for the long haul. This is a form of self motivation and will keep you focused on the big picture. There is absolutely NO IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION when you make the decision to go natural.

MY TRANSITION: I decided to transition for 2 years but only made it to one. I put on my big girl underwear and got dem relaxed ends chopped. The result: I absolutely was not feeling myself with short hair :(. Be prepared to possibly go to through an awkward phase; you’ll need to get use to your ‘new look’. It was only after my 2 year mark that I started diggin my hair. And now that gratification stuff is kicking in. I am so happy I didn’t fall off the wagon, because quite frankly, my hair is da bomb!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moisturize

Its very important to keep your hair moisturized while transitioning, especially keeping in mind the line of demarcation. The line of demarcation refers to the point of your hair where the the relaxed meets the natural. This particular point of the hair tends to be extremely weak and prone to breakage. This can be exacerbated by lack of moisture, as dry hair equals brittle hair and brittle hair equals breakage. Keep in mind, however, that relaxed hair can’t take as much moisture as your natural hair, and will get water logged and break off.  You’ll want to avoid spritzing your relaxed ends with water on a daily basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. I recommend deep conditioning  every week and always using  leave in conditioner (all natural products of course or at the very least silicone and paraben free products) to keep your hair moisturized.

2. Now would be the perfect time to throw out your shampoos that are full of sulfates, which may get your hair squeaky clean but in the same breath, strip your hair of important natural oils which help maintain moisture and are essential for healthy hair. Instead switch to a sulfate free shampoo, which still gets the hair clean but without the harsh sulfates and drying detergents. Another option is to completely remove shampoos from your regimen and try co-washing (conditioner washing) using an all natural conditioner or cleansing conditioner cream.

3. Most importantly  DRINK LOTS OF WATER! This tends to be overlooked for health in general, but its a fair assumption that water is essential for healthy bodily functions, since a significant fraction of the human body is  water (about 80-90%). What you put on the inside will be reflected on the outside. Not enough water will definitely contribute to dry hair (and skin!).

4. Sleep on a satin pillow case or use a satin bonnet, as regular cotton pillow cases absorb the natural oils and moisture from our hair.

MY TRANSITION: I chose to initially use a sulfate free shampoo instead to co-washing. At that stage of my journey, having been accustomed to sulfate shampoos my whole life, no suds meant my hair must not be getting clean. So the concept of only using a conditioner on wash day was far fetched and not readily accepted. Eventually after reading about the benefits, I came around and started co-washing (once a week) and washing with a sulfate free shampoo only once a month. I noticed a big difference in how moisturized my hair felt and how long it was able to retain moisture. I also deep conditioned once a week, applied argan oil and my favorite leave-in conditioner every time I washed and used a satin pillow case.

Trims

Whether you plan a long or short term transition, I do recommend you trim your ends as your natural hair grows out. How often or how much is up to you. You can base this on how much growth you’ve achieved and the length at which you’re comfortable maintaining your hair. The point is to eventually be a 100% natural, so why not gradually remove the relaxed ends as your hair progresses.

MY TRANSITION: I was trimming my hair myself very often throughout my transition, maybe every month. However, my hair was about mid-back length, so I had a lot of hair to get rid of. This gradual trimming was a way for me to get used to losing my length and not experiencing the shock of a big chop.

December 2010

June 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s my curl pattern?

Don’t even venture into these waters while transitioning. You won’t be able to figure out what your curl pattern is until all your natural hair is removed. The relaxed hair is in essence weighing down our natural hair and gives a ‘false curl pattern’ . The natural hair isn’t able to curl how its supposed to with the relaxed hair still attached. This also should not be a priority as whatever grows out of your scalp, is what you’ve got to work with. Best to put your energy into taking care of the hair and figuring out it’s likes and dislikes, rather than obsessing about your curl pattern.

My hair texture: 100% Natural vs Transitioning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detangling & Styling

It’s very important to treat your hair gently when detangling and styling your hair. As mentioned, your transitioning hair is now very fragile especially at the line of demarcation. Pulling and tugging can stress the hair, eventually leading to breakage. It’s best therefore to stick to low manipulation styles and adopt finger detangling  as methods of gently handling your hair. This is especially important if you plan a long term transition, as you want as little breakage as possible to maintain fullness (important if you intend to attempt styles such as braid outs and twist outs). Finger detangling allows you to 1. Feel for and remove shed hair that cause tangles and 2.Feel knots (you would normally pull out with a comb), stop and untangle if possible, saving multiple strands of your precious locks in the process.

MY TRANSITION: Once again my aversion to change stopped me dead in my tracks. I used a wide tooth comb (which is not a bad alternative to fingers – stay away from all other combs) in the initial stages but graduated to finger detangling after reading the benefits and a successful first attempt.

Wide tooth comb

Magic fingers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat begone!

Ok maybe not completely, but when it comes to heat think moderation. To get curly hair straight, any heat styling tool works by breaking the hair’s hydrogen bonds, making the hair more pliable and thus easier to straighten. Hydrogen bonds are responsible for the hair’s texture and when these bonds are broken, they deteriorate a little more each time. Over time this leads to damage resulting in reduced elasticity and moisture, which inevitably causes breakage. Not to be a broken record, but transitioning hair is what??? Say it with me now people… FRAGILE! Using heat tools will do more good than bad in the long run.

MY TRANSITION: I used a diffuser, which is a blow dryer attachment which diffuses the air, allowing you to dry your curly hair without it blowing all over the place (this would cause frizz). I only used this option if I was in a hurry and needed my hair dry like yesterday (only twice throughout my entire year of transitioning), and only with the blow dryer on the cool setting. If you do choose to straighten your hair at some point in your transition, be sure to follow up with a protein deep conditioning treatment, just to fill in some of the damage to your the hair’s cuticles and a moisture rich deep conditioning treatment soon after.

Protective Styles

While transitioning it becomes increasingly difficult to style your hair as it grows out. Styling options for transitioners are a bit limited, as well as the fact that it becomes tricky to manage and blend the two textures of the hair. There are a few style options though that can address the need to switch it up every now and then, as well as protecting the hair while in this fragile state.

As we’ve discussed heat is a no no from this point on in your journey, so as tempting as it is to straighten your hair to blend the two textures, I would advise against it. Instead explore convenient no heat style options. Bantu knot outs, twist outs and braid outs that also disguise the hair but through the illusion of a curly style.

Another good option is putting your hair in braids. This requires some upkeep, as you must remember to keep the natural moisturized while in the braids. Maybe avoid extremely small braids at this stage and stick to medium size or large to avoid any stress and breakage. Braids are a good option as you can make them long or short and can play around with them and achieve a few up-do’s. With braids your hair experiences low manipulation as it decreases the need to comb and style your natural hair daily. This in turn decreases stress on the hair and breakage. Corn rows are a safer option to braids as you have easier access to your natural hair and can keep it moisturized. However, they are not a long term term protective style as with the braids.

Buns and up-do’s are also great options as they provide variation, and tucking the hair away is a means of protecting it, thus reducing breakage.

MY TRANSITION: I stuck with buns, cornrows and curly styles to make it through my year.

Bun

Cornrows

Twist out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research

I’ve already spoken about this in my Top Ten Youtubers post, so please check it out if you haven’t. Basically this was integral in keeping me motivated on not giving up while on my journey, especially while transitioning. The more articles I read and videos I watched, helped keep me on track and arm me with the information I needed to get through my transition. Keep in mind when researching that no one has the same exact hair type as you. Use the information as a guideline to ultimately figuring out what works best for your hair.

MY TRANSITION: I learned early on that women with a looser curl pattern tend to use lighter hair products such as hair milks while women with a tighter curl pattern tend to fancy heavier products such as butters. This guided me away from the heavier products and towards trying products on the lighter side or somewhere in between.

Das all I got for ya people! Whether you’re dreaming of that Diana Ross mane or Esperanza Spaulding’s banging fro, stay motivated and remember this whole process is a means to an end! Unless you plan to make a deal with the devil, it ain’t gonna happen over night!

Franno

Category : Transitioning