Going natural is a big deal.
You may have been thinking about it for weeks, months, or even years, and you are not alone.
Every day more and more women are deciding to go natural. This means throwing out the perms and relaxers to embracing your beautiful natural tresses.
Throughout the years, making the difficult transition has been made more straightforward than ever before. So many others like you have ventured into natural hair care and are sharing their stories with the world!
Exciting, isn’t it?
Well, yes, of course, it is! The African American community is more in love with who they are than ever before! & who would not be excited about that.
And yes, the thought of embracing your natural hair is inspiring, but what if you have no idea how to transition to all-natural, or what if you are scared that your natural texture would be too hard to manage?
Well, I am here to tell you not to fear the journey but to take it one step at a time, and before you know it, you’ll be taking care of your natural hair in no time. There are plenty of people here to help, and you do not even have to ask. All you must do is make the conscious decision to stop relaxing or using harsh chemicals and stay committed to discounting the process of chemically relaxing your hair without ever reverting to using those chemicals.
Okay. So, you’ve read that, and you are thinking yea! That’s right, I have thousands of people willing to help me transition, and I don’t even have to make a phone call or spend a dime!
Still exciting, isn’t it?!
With the power of the internet, you have an endless virtual sea of information to help you through your journey. All those articles, books, YouTube videos, and personal testimonies should do just the trick, shouldn’t it?
Now, I see that you are incredibly excited! And maybe you are even wishing that all those chemicals could somehow fall from your hair follies so that you could go on to learning how to grow healthy waist-length hair or style your hair so that you look super fly every day.
Although I wish it could be that easy, it is not. I have witnessed many women decide to go natural and then revert to relaxing their hair over the years—the struggle with the transitional textures phase, around the time when their new growth comes in.
Do not be afraid of this.
During this stage of your journey, your hair fibers have two distinct hair textures, the new growth at the root and the old, relaxed hair; this is called the demarcation line. At this phase, the new hair grows strong, and the older hair is weaker and breaks off easier.
To get past this point with minimal breakage, nourish your hair with the right products. Preferably all-natural products because they are more beneficial for your hair.
Also, try your best to refrain from combing and styling your hair too often because this will cause stress to your hair, causing hair breakage and loss.
What about my length?
Another problem women face is losing their hair length, particularly around the nape. In this case, it is essential to remember that these hair are usually short, fine “baby” hair, aka vellus hair, and tend to be more fragile than the longer, coarser hair we find throughout the body, aka terminal hair.
It is best not to manipulate the hair too often during this time and avoid transitional styles that place too much tension on the nape of your neck and your temples.
If you do find hairs at the nape of your neck or around your temples are falling, try this help:
- Message the scalp in those areas with oil like tea tree oil, which helps to stimulate growth.
- Moisturize your hair regularly. Come up with a moisturizing routine that works for you and stick with it. I like the LOC method because it helps to seal in moisture.
- Consider adding a deep conditioner to your routine. An excellent homemade deep conditioner can do the trick. Making a conditioner with ¼ cup mayo, ½ avocado, gel, and 2 tbsp avocado oil can add much-needed moisture to your hair. You can add an essential oil like rosemary to help with hair loss and add a pleasant mint scent to your conditioner.
- Avoid using heat directly on your hair. If you must use heat, always use a heat protectant to help avoid breakage. Also, try to set the heat at a low temperature around the nape when using a blow dryer. Sticking with the all-natural route, try one meted teaspoon of coconut oil, ¾ cup diluted water. This oil has a low smoke point of 350 degrees and can help to straighten the protein in your hair. Place the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the mix onto wet hair. When drying, the hair does not exceed 325 degrees.
Okay, you know a little about the transitional textures phase and how to keep your edges; what about styles?
Yea, so now what do I do with my hair?
First, I suggest finding your go-to hairstyle. My go-to hairstyle after my big chop was two big French braids. But, of course, this was when my hair got long enough to braid.
But you may not cut your hair right away, so you should be able to pull that style off.
You can do other styles like braid outs, twist outs, braid extensions, twist extensions, etc. This way, you can gradually cut down broken hair ends and transition without having to manipulate your hair often.
Now, if you do decide to do the big chop, you can rock your TWA (teeny weeny afro) for a little while before your hair starts to grow in all the way. Then, when you have enough hair to braid, you can try crochet braids, box braids, Marley twist, etc., helping you get past that awkward stage of hair length.
Finally, another option is to loc your hair—the perfect opportunity to get those beautiful locs you have always wanted. Once your hair is about 1 ½ inches long, you can begin to loc it.
Some additional tips are to:
- Be gentle with your hair. Always do this to help limit breakage, but especially during your time of transition.
- Detangle your hair when it is wet. Add a conditioner if it is tangled—Detangle from the ends of your hair to the roots. Use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers when doing this. I like the finger comb method.
- Wash your hair every two days to every two-week depending on your hair texture. You will have to experiment to see what works best for you. Going to all-natural routes, once again, try an excellent apple cider shampoo with 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and ½ cup of water in a spray bottle.
- Keep your hair moisturized. Again, I love the LOC method because it helps to seal in moisture. Try 1 oz coconut oil, 2 oz aloe vera gel, one tea avocado oil, and 1/3 cups of water for a Leave-in conditioner. You can go with whatever oil works best for you. For your cream, try three tablespoons of your DIY conditioner, along with one tablespoon of organic blue agave nectar (liquid sweetener), 1 table jojoba oil, and 8-10 drops of lavender oil.
- Protect your hair at night. Use a silk scarf or pillowcase to sleep with.
- Do not hang on to those ends. Get a good trim each month to help promote hair growth. Once you have cut off all the chemically treated hair, move those cuts to once every season (spring, summer, winter, fall).
Above all else, stay positive and ask or look for help when you need it.
& Congrats on making the transition!