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HOW TO REDUCE BREAKAGE WHEN TRANSITIONING TO NATURAL HAIR

Just like I mentioned in my post- 12 tips on transitioning, breakage is one of the things to expect during transitioning to natural hair

Due to the fact that your hair has become a combination of two completely different textures, at some point, it would obviously not agree and hence lead to breakage

Never the less, here are few things you could do to help keep this breakage to a minimum

9 WAYS TO MINIMIZE BREAKAGE DURING TRANSITIONING

1. Regular Trims

You obviously can’t escape trimming if you really want to transition to natural. It can be hard but you have to let go of those permed ends sooner or later.

This is very necessary because gradually trimming your relaxed ends off is actually one of the crucial keys to transitioning.

It is especially important if you are a long-term transitioner and/or your hair is already damaged when starting the transition.

If you don’t trim at all you are still going to experience breakage and your natural hair would obviously not be healthy. So try trimming from time to time.

2. Practice Deep conditioning

Deep conditioning is the best way to wash your hair during transitioning. The earlier you begin to practice it, the better.

Not only does it help cut down on breakage of your processed hair, but it gets your natural hair in tip-top shape.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be done daily as it could be quite tasking and time consuming, so weekly deep conditioning won’t hurt.

3. Reduce daily combing/ wear protective styles

Combing your hair way too often can also encourage more breakage, hence the need to wear protective styles as much as you can.

Wearing protective styles prevents you from having to comb your hair daily. More so, the less you have to manipulate your hair, the better.

Wear your hair in two-strand twists and twist outs, rod sets, loose buns, and extensions (not too tight).  This would help a great deal.

4. Keep Your Hair Moisturized

Endeavour to keep your hair moisturized often, especially from root to tip. During the transition, water becomes your best friend.

There are still other hair moisturizing treatments that can be used to keep your hair properly moisturized besides water.

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.

5. Detangle on Wash Day Only

The longer you transition, the more fragile your relaxed hair will become.  Also, natural hair can be very dry and difficult to comb dry (especially if your hair is long).

I find it easier to detangle my hair when it’s conditioned and wet.  This also helps prevent breakage.

Try not to rush when detangling because this could cause your hair to twist and lead to frustration and breakage.

6. Limit Ponytails

It is always easy to throw your hair through rubber and call it a day because at this stage your hair is difficult to manage.

So the constant ponytail temptation would always be there but you have to learn to resist and find another way to have your hair because it can lead to breakage.

Wearing a ponytail too often is not even good for people who aren’t transitioning.  But they’re even worse on your hair if you are.

Remember, your hair is already weak because of the demarcation line. So anything that pulls and causes stress to your scalp is definitely bad.

If you must pack your hair back, you could use a scarf, clip or simply weave backwards but avoid using rubber bands or anything tight as this damages your hair.

7. Reduce heat

Blow drying your hair at the slightest instant can be very tempting as some feel it could help cope with transitioning.

Well, it doesn’t, instead, it causes more damage when this is done often. Excess heat can also be a cause of breakage.

The hair is fragile at this stage and doesn’t need any more harsh effects on it if you want it to grow out properly.

8. Protein Treatment Application

Whether you have permed hair, natural hair or transitioning. Protein treatments can help strengthen any texture of hair.

Most of the protein treatment that can be used can be gotten from our kitchen as they are all familiar ingredients.

You could make use of eggs, mayonnaise, honey and olive oil.  But If your hair is protein sensitive, you may need to do this less often.

In as much as the hair needs protein, always bear in mind that too much protein in your hair is not good either especially if your hair is sensitive.

9. Transitioning kit

Transitioning kits to help reduce breakage and make your transition a lot easier have been made available now.

You could also try getting the ones that could help reduce breakage and strengthen your hair.

Try them out and know what works best for you.

 

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

 

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