What is Transitioning?

Basically, transitioning from relaxed to natural is the process of getting rid of all of your relaxed hair for your natural hair. Many have different opinions toward the transitioning process, but one thing is for sure...it comes in many different forms.

THE BIG CHOP

The very bold and beautiful statement that the Big Chop conveys is very enriching and self assuring. Many decide to BC for many different reasons, some of these reasons are:

1.) Just being fed up with constant root touch-ups, potentially leading to hair thinning (and even worse, hair loss)

2.) The curiosity of what your natural texture really is

3.) Just desiring a different hair style

And the list goes on...

LONG TERM TRANSITIONING

Now, long term transitioning is pretty much as it states, transitioning for a longer term. This process can take anywhere from 6 months, 8 months, a year or just whatever length of time an individual prefers to transition.  Some who are used to having long hair prefer to take this route because it can be a huge transformation, yet many find it somewhat difficult blending the two textures as the hair grows; esp. around the 6th and 7th month. During this transitioning process there are many different options individuals take in order to become fully natural. Some of these options are:

1.) Transitioning until your hair has reached your desired length, and then cutting the excess relaxed hair

2.) Cutting your hair in increments until all of the relaxed hair is out

TRANSITIONING WITHOUT HEAT

Bantu Knots: Such a versatile hairstyle that allows the blending of the two hair textures, which puts a little extra bounce in your step

Perm Rod Sets: Another alternative for versatility & "blendability." Turn a bland hairstyle into...

...a voluminous hairstyle. No one will know that you have two different textures. 

Flexi Rod Sets: Another great way to blend the two textures; especially great during the first few months of transitioning, it gets a bit more difficult to blend as the natural hair gets longer (speaking from my own personal experience), but...

...it still gets the job done!

Twists: A great night time routine in preparation for the next day, works great for various hairstyles. I used bobby pins to secure my roots so that it does not look too puffy and...

...you can fix your hair into your desired hairstyle.

Added Bonus To Your Detangling Process

Tired of the knots, kinks and hair that gets caught in your comb during your detangling process? One way to reduce this is by finger detangling.

We shed an average of 50-100 hairs per day. Under normal conditions new hairs grow to replace each hair that has been shedding, keeping the average number of growing hairs about the same at all times. It is important to know that as our hair sheds it can become entangled with the rest of our hair, and for that reason finger detangling is so important. By taking a few extra minutes to finger detangle your hair can mean saving a few extra hair strands.


So keep in mind knots create more knots, and finger detangling can reduce unnecessary tangling of the hair.

Maintenance & Moisture

Something that I really find interesting while on my natural hair journey is that during the beginning of the week, when my hair is freshly washed, the style tends to look very fresh when compared to the latter part of the week, then it starts looking a bit limp. I personally believe that two key factors pertaining to this problem are maintenance and moisture.

MAINTENANCE

The reason why maintenance plays such a big role is because based on the type of hairstyle that you are trying to achieve the lack of maintenance can result in limp hair. Since my hair currently has two different textures (relaxed and natural) the way that I maintain my hair has different effects on both textures. At night I either put on a satin scarf or a satin bonnet to preserve the hairstyle (whether it be a twist out, or bantu knot out just to name a few). In order for me to further preserve my hairstyle it would be best to re-twist, re-braid or re-do whatever hair style it is that I plan on doing for that upcoming week but at times I really do not feel like doing that so I just slap on that bonnet/scarf. That is most likely the cause of my limp hair but that is why maintenance is so important. What I also find most interesting is that towards the end of the week my natural hair would still have its body and shape while my relaxed hair looks like it needs some major TLC.

MOISTURE

The reason why I say that moisture is important is because without that moisture your hair can become very dry, and once it is dry it starts to itch, and once that happens scalp irritation can occur due to excessive scratching of the scalp. (If this does happen, something that I find very helpful is using the base of your finger to massage the scalp rather than using excessive force with fingernails.) Something that works for me is giving myself a hot oil treatment either once a week or once every two weeks. Also, I make sure to moisturize my hair during the middle of the week in order to lock in that moisture, putting emphasis on my scalp. I do this by spritzing my hair with water and a mixture of oils that I put in a spray bottle.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE

What I am learning is that what works for one person may not work for everybody so it is very important to figure out what really works for your hair in order to retain that moisture. If you cannot find it, create it! Create what works for you, you never know who you could help. ^.^

ADD'L INFO


One of my favorite youtubers that goes into greater detail regarding Hair Growth and Maintenance is Kimmaytube. She does a fantastic job providing a visual demonstration on this subject. Her link will be posted below. Enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_LKGqydL8s&list=PL0468AAA6AE9B1C3A&feature=plcp