As some of you know I started my transition to fully natural this past May. My hair has grown quite a bit and I really attribute my growth and retention to properly taking care of my hair. Youtube and a few notable blogs: The Moptop Maven, Curly Nikki, and Long Hair Care Forum have been my libraries.
Here are my top ten steps to a successful and less stressful transition. Happy Hair Growth Ladies!
1. Go into transitioning with an open mind. Your hair may or may not look exactly as you anticipate. It is also very important for your sanity and self esteem to not compare yourself to other's. Everyone has a different curl pattern and you may also have a few different curl patterns on your own head. Take one day at a time.
2. Find your go-to transition style. Your goal should be to succesfully blend your permed hair with the natural texture as it grows. You can also choose to transition through braids, wigs and weaves. I, however, would recommend you not postponing learning how to care for your own hair.
3. ALWAYS detangle your hair when it is soaking WET in the shower and preferably under running water. I bought a Jilbere Shower comb from Sally's. It is a seamless wide tooth comb which means it won't pull or tug on your hair. Start combing from the ends and work your way up. Additionally, make sure to use a conditioner with alot of SLIP. The ones I recommend are Suave Humectant, Hello Hydration and Aussie Moisture. These are all very affordable and I usually find mine at the Dollar General ;0) These can also be duped your co-wash staples. Co-washing is substituting conditioner for shampoo as most shampoo's contain harsh chemicals that strip your hair clean instead of imparting the much needed moisturizer your natural hair craves.
4. Exfoliate your scalp. Healthy hair starts with a clean scalp. For more on how to do this read this post.
5. MOISTURE MOISTURE MOISTURE. Be sure to always keep your hair moisturized. Dry hair turns brittle and breaks. Apply a moisturizer on your hair whether you wear it natural or straight. Do this daily and you will help to retain length as well as boost the health of your tresses. My favorite oil for both my skin and hair is Grapeseed Oil. I purchase mine from Wholefoods in the skincare section.
5. Treat your hair to a deep conditioning treatment once per week. It is vital to be sure to impart an equal balance of both protein and moisture in your hair. My favorite deep conditioning treatment is using Hello Hydration conditioner coupled with grapeseed or olive oil. I leave it on for a few hours while cleaning up on a Saturday or I will opt to sit under a dryer. Steaming your hair is also another great option for deep conditioning. Using argon oil for steaming, the main ingredient in the popular Morrocan mask, would be great for this method. For a hard core protein treatment, I reach for my Aphoghee 2 minute keratin reconstructor.
6. Eliminate heat styling all together if you can help it. I did not use heat on my hair from May through September and my hair seemed to grow like weeds. I opted for bantu knot outs and I love how they look! I also adopted a great leave in conditioner, Sebastians potion no. 9. This stuff is like gold in a bottle.
7. Treat the edges and hair on the hair line as if it were a fine lace. How many women do you see walking around with 'no edges'? This is mainly due to follical damage caused by chemicals or tension on the hair. Be sure to protect yours by wearing a silk scarf as opposed to cotton and if you transition with braids be extra careful not to pull the nape and hairline strands too tight.
8. Knowledge is POWER. With that said the point at which your natural hair meets your permed hair is called the line of demarcation. This is the weakest point of the strand and you should be EXTRA gentle when styling and combing your hair because of this. Alot of women choose to BC aka Big Chop because of the ease in not having to deal with this very sensitive line of breakage.
9. Trim or dust your ends as needed and be wary of those pesky single strand knots, often experienced by curly naturals. If you choose to wear your hair straight only do so for a month or more at a time without washing and restraightening. This will lessen the propensity of heat damage to your curls.
10. Last but not least, it's just hair so have fun in your transition and love the new YOU.
Take care lovely ladies,
Lipstick Diva
