Hi Beauties!
Photo Credit: Essence |
Some women opt for big chopping and taking off all their chemically treated hair at once and allowing for a faster transition from relaxed to natural. As we all know, this can be a huge emotional challenge for a lot of women. Most women are slightly attached to the length of their hair and prefer to grow out their natural hair by slowly transitioning.
For those who want to know how to maintain healthy hair while transitioning with relaxed ends, I have a few tips!
1. Get regular trims
Even though you want to maintain some length while transitioning it is critical to trim your ends every 2 and a half to three months. Hair Guru’s like Anthony Dickey of Hair Rules salon recommends this same time frame for healthy ends. If ends aren’t trimmed regularly, the hair will continue to break during your transition.
2. Do protective styling
While transitioning, there is sometimes that awkward phase where you don’t know exactly what to do with your hair. Your natural hair isn’t to the length you want it yet, but you’re also not ready to cut off all your relaxed ends.
My suggestion for this phase of transitioning is to do protective styling. Protective styling is essential for transitioning because the more you leave your hair alone (no manipulation) the more it grows! Protective styling is simply covering your hair (especially your ends) as much as possible. My favorite protective styling in the past has been a high ballerina bun. For most women transitioning they experiment with wigs, weaves and braids! All these options are fantastic if installed correctly by a licensed professional.
Photo Credit: Hi-Imcurrentlyobessed |
3. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Natural hair and even hair that is in the transitional phase seeks TONS of moisture. Use a leave in conditioner as often as possible. For those transitioners with finer hair try a light weight liquid leave in. For those with thicker, coarse hair opt for a thicker, creamier consistency. Leave in conditioner will seal the hair cuticles and lock in the moisture from your previous conditioner used after shampooing.
Karen’s Body Beautiful Hair Nectar $16 |
4. Deep condition
This is one of the most important elements to maintaining healthy hair while transitioning. If your hair loves conditioner (which most textures do) try to deep condition hair every week to prevent severe breakage. Deep conditioning revives your hair and adds tons of moisture. My favorite as you all know is the Macadamia Deep Conditioning Masque (TRY IT OUT!)
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http://www.macadamiahair.com |
5. No heat challenge
This is probably the hardest part of maintaining healthy hair during transitioning. It might seem impossible to use NO heat at all during your journey but it is a HUGE part of growing out healthy hair. Excessive heat is dangerous for your hair and WILL slow down your transitioning process. Heat damage is no joke…it’s real ya’ll!
I recommend using no form of direct heat on your tresses for at lest 6 months. This means no blow dryers, flat irons, hooded dryers, diffusers, curly irons & hot combs!
If done correctly this challenge will save you time in the future from having to figure out how to “treat heat damaged” natural hair.
Heat damage to hair is irreversible and you will have to under go another transition!
That’s all for now beauties! Hope this helps!
What are some of your tranistioning tips??
Please share below!
xoxo,