When transitioning to natural hair or stretching the time between relaxer applications, there are several important essentials to consider. I’m sure that there are many, many things I could share, but here are seven that should really help you on your journey.
1. Assess. Take really good inventory of the state and texture of your hair. Determine whether your hair is dry, porous, or breaking. When assessing your hair’s texture, it is not necessary to assign yourself a letter/number from the curly hair types chart. Merely assess just how different your unmanipulated natural hair texture is from your relaxed hair. This will determine how susceptible your hair may be to breakage at the line of demarcation.
2. Pamper. Your hair is the weakest at the line of demarcation. This is the place along your hair shaft where the natural hair ends and the relaxed hair begins. The greater the difference between the two textures, the greater the potential for breakage at or near the line of demarcation. For this reason, it is very important to be very gentle with your hair-especially at the line. Try not to tug or yank when detangling, and whenever possible, select low manipulation styles that allow the hair shaft some consistency in texture. If you are stretching the time between relaxer retouches, it is imperative that there is not overlapping of relaxer on previously relaxed hair. It is a great idea to apply a moisturizing conditioner to the hair as a leave-in before your appointment (be sure hair is DRY before relaxer service).
3. Choose complementary styling options. Whether you are stretching the time between relaxers or transitioning from relaxed to natural, choosing styles that do not require a lot of manipulation are key. Additionally, styles that stretch the natural hair to loosen the curl pattern (ex. roller sets or blow dried styles with adequate tension) help to lower the stress your hair would otherwise experience at that line of demarcation.
4. Be consistent. Of course I recommend finding an adept professional hair stylist to help you on your healthy hair journey, it is still important to have a consistent regimen that you use at home. Unfortunately, with natural hair, products are never one size fits all. What may work well for me may not work at all for you. But it is vital that you find a clarifying shampoo, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and a protein conditioner that yields pleasant results on your hair. Your stylist should be able to offer you viable suggestions. Set a regular schedule dedicating time to taking care of your tresses. Don’t forget that every 4-8 weeks, a protein treatment will help your hair to thrive. Just be sure that it is followed immediately with conditioner that adds moisture back into your hair.
5. YES, you need to trim your ends! There have been way too many non-licensed people on various social media outlets who suggest that ends trimming is not essential, or that once a year is sufficient. That is tomfoolery for sure. Your professional stylist can assess your ends to determine the necessary frequency of ends trims you need. Remember that the more regular you are with trimming, the less that will need to be trimmed when you go. The less frequently you trim, the less likely you are to see your actual rate of hair growth because as your tresses grow from the root, the split strands are breaking off at the ends. Unattended split ends just keep splitting up the hair shaft until they are cut off. Although there are conditioners and treatments that can temporarily soften the frizziness of split ends, there is NO product that can actually mend them.
6. Be realistic. Take some time to set realistic hair goals for yourself. Ask yourself why you even chose to go natural or why you are stretching the time between relaxer retouches. It is never a good idea to covet the hair of others. Rather it is much more productive and realistic to strive for having the best hair YOU can have. Be mindful that various textures of hair are more conducive to certain styles. Tighter curl patterns tend to produce beautiful twist outs, while hair with looser curl patterns is easier manipulated for roller sets. Of course all textures can do both, but I just wanted to provide an example.
Remember that your texture is what it is, and choosing to go natural means that you are okay with that. It is (to me) a waste of time trying to find products to “make your hair curly”. Either it is or it isn’t. And that’s okay! Finally, remember that the tighter the curl, the more the shrinkage. Try not to get too carried away with hair length. If you take care of your hair consistently, the length will come. There are a plethora of great style options that will allow you to show off your length when the time comes.
7. Be patient. Going natural is a long process-especially when you decide NOT to opt for the “Big Chop”. They say Rome was not built in a day (and it wasn’t!), so you have to prepare yourself mentally for the time it will take to start seeing your coif how you imagined it could be when you decided to go natural.
Remember that your diet DOES play a big role in the health of your hair. It gets its nourishment from your blood, so the better your eating habits, the better your hair journey will be (natural or not). Do not forget that the very best way to keep your hair from being dry is to DRINK WATER. Most people who drink at least 50 ounces of water daily do not experience dry hair nearly as much as those who do not regularly drink water. Also, oil is NOT hydration. Only water hydrates! There are no grow long hair miracle oils, conditioners, or foods, but there are supplements that can aid in helping you see consistent growth (Click here for the one I recommend).
Those are just a few tips I have for you. If you have specific questions, feel free to post them below. I will try to answer as many as I can.
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