Are you transitioning to natural hair? I like to tell my friends that I learned about transitioning on the fly without any sort of formal education on the process. As a matter of fact the more mistakes I made the more I learned about the process.
If you are on the fence about transitioning or you have time to do some research on what you need to do while transitioning, allow me to help you.
Here are our top 10 quick tips for transitioning to natural hair:
1. Change your mindset
Even though you still have areas of your hair that are relaxed, you need to care for your hair as if it is natural. That means finding a natural hair regimen that works for you the day you decide you want to transition. The more healthy natural habits you adopt early, the easier it will be for you to care for your hair after your big chop.
2. Trim often
Forget about the length of your hair during your transition. Trim gradually, and consistently until all of the relaxed ends are gone. The alternative to this process would be to just big chop and start from scratch.
3. Deep condition to keep your natural hair soft
natural hair tangles and if you have two textures (natural and relaxed) things can get tricky. Deep condition weekly to help keep your hair soft, manageable, and detangled.
4. Protective styles help
If you are tired of dealing with two textures, opt for twists and tuck your ends away for awhile. These days there are so many options for protective styles, wigs, weaves, box braids, goddess faux locs, this list is extensive. We have 35 ideas here.
5. Big chop when you are comfortable and when it makes sense
Definitely set a time for your big chop when you feel comfortable, but if your hair is getting damaged in the process of transitioning, do yourself and favor and make the decision. If you are getting that gut feeling that it is time to let those ends go, sink into it sis! Trust your gut and head to a stylist.
6. Use heat but sparingly
Heat can cause damage to your new growth so be very careful with how much heat you use during your transition. You do not want to have to transition from heat damage after you big chop.
7. Research natural hair practices
Read blogs like this one to help with everything from hairstyles to hair care regimens, the more you know the easier things get.
8. Find a support group
Natural hair groups really help you to get comfortable with your hair. You get excited about your hair and sometimes you get inspired to big chop even earlier than you have planned. Find a group on Facebook or on Meetup.
9. Rid yourself of negative influencers
It’s all about energy, tip 8 encourages you to surround yourself with the type of energy that encourages you to love your natural hair. This tip means you need to get rid of all the toxic people that are not supportive of your goals. You do not have to get rid of them out of your life, but you might avoid hair topics especially if they are not supportive.
10. Have fun while you are transitioning to natural hair
Transitioning is not easy but you will have a ton of fun experimenting with styles and ways to care for your hair.
You might start documenting your journey, or you might have a dope Instagram feed full of your hairspirations and pictures of your hair that people will show your love for. The most important thing is that you enjoy the process! Need some inspo? Follow us on Instagram here.
Are you transitioning to natural hair? Comment below and let us know how its going for you!
