| Posted on April 24, 2012 at 2:15 PM |
When deciding to transition from a relaxer to natural look, you have to decide if you are going to do the “BC” a.k.a the Big Chop. If you decided that you are not ready for that then you want to grow out the relaxed hair to maintain the length of your hair. This is not always the easiest nor the best choice, but there are ways to make this work! It is important to know where the natural hair and the relaxed hair meet is very fragile. To minimize breakage, treat your hair as if it is all natural, this means avoid pressing out the new growth (as if trying to blend in with the relaxed ends).
When transitioning, you will need to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!! Use products that will help with the transition of relaxed to natural. Black hair curl pattern will be more noticeable once it reaches some length. Deep conditioners and hot oil treatments are a must for natural hair.
It is ok to experiment with different products. It is recommended so you will know which products work well with your hair. As I have stated in another blog, give each new product time to see if they will work before giving up on them or trying something else.
It is important to trim the ends of your hair as your new growth gets longer. If you rather not do this, then it will be a longer transition process.
Regardless if you are doing the big chop or not; you need to know what products will work, You need to read labels and ingredients before buying products. This is a whole new world; just as you invested time and money in relaxed hair, you should do the same for natural hair. To name a few of the oils that work best to retain moisture are shea butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and carrot oil. There are many ways of mixing oils and shea butter and other products to make your own homemade product. First, try to get the right PH balance in your hair! You can do this by using aloe vera gel, coconut oil, and cream based leave in conditioner on the hair. (Sparkwisdom on YouTube has a tutorial showing how to check PH and adding aloe vera gel to reduce the PH—check it out!)
Protective styles are styles that do not put a lot of stress on the hair; it is best to do a protective style at night so that your hair will not be exposed…risking more breakage. Protective styles can be just as fashionable that you will be able to wear them out. This just helps your hair rest some days while it is growing out. Some styles are 2 strand twists, flat braids, bantu knots, straw set, and curl rods. With the 2 strand twist—you can wear the twists some days and then take the twists out for a crinkly/curly look. So there are many ways and more variety!
Categories: Hair
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