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12 TIPS ON TRANSITIONING TO NATURAL HAIR | Beauty tips

Should I go natural?

How can I go natural without the big chop?

Can I maintain it?

How would I look?

What exactly is transitioning and how do I transition?

These and many more are the questions that kept popping in my head and kept holding me back every time I tried to make a move on my hair

From the questions, it’s pretty obvious going natural is definitely on my mind but what then is the problem?

I am scared to cut my hair, I don’t know if I would be able to maintain the new look, I don’t know anything much about transitioning.

Well if you also have most of these thoughts, then welcome on board as we journey together into the world of hair transition.

Yes, I did have second thoughts about the big chop so I said to myself why don’t I try out transitioning to natural.

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRANSITION TO NATURAL HAIR?

Transitioning to natural hair is a simple process of growing out your natural texture before cutting off the processed or damaged ends.

It simply means that you want to let go of the creamy crack (perm) and embrace the hair that naturally grows directly out of your head.

The big chop is not always an option for some people so transitioning can make that a little easier.

You might be sitting on the fence right now like me when you think about transitioning from relaxed to natural hair.

I don’t blame you because I’ve been there and it’s not an easy decision to make for most people.

Some people might feel life suddenly gets easy when you decide to go natural. Well, that’s not true. Infact its the direct opposite

But is it worth it? For some, it’s a sure yes while for some others it could be a No. What works for one might not work for another.

All I can just say is- Before you make up your mind, get to know what to expect in order to know if you can go through with it.

And when you finally do make up your mind just get the necessary tips, continue the learning process and know exactly what to do.

Here are some of the tips you need

 

12 TIPS ON TRANSITIONING TO NATURAL HAIR

1. Be Prepared to look different

Always bear in mind that the look you had with your hair while permed might not necessarily be exactly the same the moment you start to transition, trim and go natural.

You might even look kind of rough at first but just learn to be patient and trust the process. So be prepared

 

2. Be patient

As you know transitioning involves allowing your natural hair to come out while gradually getting rid of your permed ends.

This could take some reasonable amount of time depending on your type of hair but still, patience is always required when one decides to go natural.

You do not have to pay so much attention to time. If you want to rock that natural hair you so admire, you would have to give it time cause it won’t happen right away

 

3. Study your new hair growth

Natural hair and relaxed hair are quite different, especially in texture.

When you finally decide to go natural, you would realize how dry and strong your hair would be.

Infact it would literally be more difficult and you might even start second-guessing your choice.

So the earlier you start to learn and understand your new hair growth and how to manage it, The better it would be for you.

 

4. Hairstyle Adjustments

As your natural hair begins to come out, you might realize that some of the hairstyles that you were working with before no longer work.

So you should get ready for such adjustments because not all hairstyles are good for your hair at this stage.

It will feel difficult at first but it would definitely get easier as time goes on.

So, for now, you just have to find a hairstyle that works fine for both textures of your hair (i.e the natural and relaxed mix) as that’s how it would seem during the transition.

The goal is to blend two VERY different textures of hair into one.

 

5. Keep it in a protective

Now is not really the time to be trying to work out lots of different hairstyles because your hair is in a very delicate state. So, therefore, leave it alone as much as you can.

Find a protective hairstyle that works well with you, become a master of it and learn to keep your hair in such styles often.

Protective hairstyles are one of the best ways of transitioning without feeling it much. So when you find a hairstyle that works, stick with it.

You can protect your hair by using wigs, weaves, braids and other protective hairstyles like the common twist out.

You could check YouTube for more protective styles you can learn and make use of.

 

6. Natural hair is dry

You would have to also get prepared to deal with the dryness that accompanies natural hair.

The more your hair continues to grow out the less hard your hair would seem though, as the natural begins to take over the perm.

 

7. Keep it moisturized

Unlike your relaxed hair that doesn’t necessarily need water often. During transition water as well as any other moisturizing products literally becomes your best friend.

Though water is still the best when it comes to moisturizing.

If you fail to moisturise your hair properly it will become more dry, hard and brittle and will be more prone to breakage.

So try to keep your hair moisturised as much as you can

 

8. Practice Deep Conditioning

With relaxed hair, you are probably used to washing thoroughly with shampoo than conditioner.

Well, when you decide to go natural you would have to be doing more co-washing than shampoo.

As explained already natural hair is naturally dry but it needs moisture so you need to try to retain as much moisture as you can.

Choosing to co-wash (condition wash) will be much better for you. So switch to co-washing and learn to deep condition your hair.

 

9. Detangle Hair When Wet

With the use of a comb or your fingers, try detangling your hair when wet. You could use your hand first before using a comb.

Detangling when your hair is wet not only makes it easier but reduces breakage as well if done properly.

This process takes patience, so only attempt this when you have the time to be gentle with your hair – rushing can lead to frustration and breakage.

 

10. Get Prepared For Breakage

You may start to experience some breakage at the point where your natural hair and permed hair meets.

Well, Don’t be scared when you begin to experience such because it is completely normal and expected.

To reduce this breakage you might have to be trimming those permed ends from time to time which takes me to my next point.

 

11. You Can’t Escape Trimming

You probably resulted in transitioning because you did not want to cut your hair off. But well, you would still have to by trimming from time to time.

This is very important because gradually trimming your relaxed ends off is actually the main key to transitioning.

When do you trim? You trim when you are ready to because if you don’t trim at all you are still going to experience breakage and your natural hair would obviously not be healthy.

 

12. Handle It With Care

Transitioning to natural hair is a delicate point because it is the point where your natural texture meets your straight hair (it’s called the line of demarcation).

This is the weakest part of your hair. So the hair happens to be quite fragile. Hence why you need to tread with care.

Even though natural hair can seem quite strong it is actually not. So go easy on it and be gentle. That means no pulling and keeping hairstyles quite low-level maintenance.

 

Thanks for reading guys. If you find this article helpul, kindly leave your comments below and don’t forget to share.

 

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