How to Start Transitioning to Natural Hair

By DiscoveringNatural


Transitioning to Natural Hair is a process of letting your new growth (natural hair) grow with your relaxed ends.

Let's start from the very beginning...

When it comes to knowing how to start transitioning to natural hair, you have to have a starting point. The starting point is you having relaxed hair and wondering how to convert that relaxed, chemically treated hair back to its natural state. 

Speaking from experience, when I ventured into the great unknown which was natural hair, I did not know what laid ahead for me. I knew that I did not want to cut off all my relaxed hair just 8 weeks after my last relaxer. I also knew that I wanted to learn more about this new world. You would think that it would be easy for me since I just got done transitioning my daughter for a year and my youngest daughter has always been natural. But there is a difference when it comes to caring for your own hair.

Step 1: Have a Plan
Having a plan as to how I wanted to be natural, was the first step I took. I knew that I was not going to do the Big Chop; chopping off all my relaxed ends, which will only give me about 2 inches of natural hair.  It was easy for me to realize that transitioning was the way to go.


Step 2: Have a Regimen
Developing a regimen early in your transitioning journey will help you have an easier transition. A regimen can be as simple as what you do on a daily basis, nightly basis, wash day, and monthly, when it comes to caring for your hair.

Step 3: Have Several Transitioning Styles
Due to the difficulty of blending your relaxed ends with your new growth, which can cause some unwarranted frustrations. If you are like me and choose to transition without the aid of extensions/attachments, wigs or weaves, having the right transitioning styles can take a lot of creativity.  Know that there are so many resources out there that can help you. YouTube is a great place to start when it comes to learning how to style your hair.



Step 3: Facing the Struggle
Like every new venture, transitioning can have its own challenges. Getting over those challenges can help make your transitioning period long and less stressful. The longer your transition, the more new growth and length you can have.

• The first struggle I had when I started transitioning was the dryness I experienced. Substituting the use of shampoo that contain sulfates with sulfate free shampoo helped with reducing the dryness. Also, using conditioner to wash my hair (cowash) made my new growth soft.

• Another struggle I had was with the constant tangling of my relaxed ends and my new growth. The point where the relaxed hair touches the new growth is known as the line of Demarcation. This point is prone to breakage. What helped me was finger detangling rather than using a comb.

Transitioning to natural hair can be a wonderful time for you to learn more about natural hair and how to care for it. Take each day at a time and learn from your mistake.