Going Natural Transitioning from Relaxed Hair
81- Natural Hair Growth to long curly hair
Yes, it is possible to grow your hair long even if your hair is tightly coiled or kinky curly, this is because it all depends on keeping healthy hair and retaining length through protective styling and using...
How do I transition to natural hair
Transitioning from relaxed to natural hair is a process that allows you to maintain the length in your hair while it grows. Some transitioning methods and going natural advice will help you maintain healthy hair while reducing unnecessary breakage. African american hairstyles transitioning allows you to lessen the need to do the BC or big chop. How long you decide to transition and what products will help with keeping your hair moisturized is things you will need to consider when you start your natural hair journey.
Relaxers also known as creamy crack can cause so much damage to women of color that the idea of continuing on a course of hair abuse is now leading napptural women to go natural. It is an emotional journey that many have experienced. Hair forums and discussion boards are available to help with the transition period as well as giving the needed support to all you curly heads out there.
natural hair with relaxed ends
How long should I transition?
The length of time that you transition depends on the person, some have opted to transition for up to a year or more, while others do the big chop right away, and others keep their ends trimmed slowly reducing relaxed ends as their natural hair grows out. Its important to note that the point where the natural hair and the relaxed hair meet is really fragile, so in order to minimize breakage you will need to treat all your hair as if it is natural, this means to avoid pressing out your new growth to blend in with your relaxed ends.
It is important that if you decide to transition for 6 months or longer that you will need to start moisturizing and taking care of all your hair as if it is all natural, use products that will help in the process. In black hair the curl pattern will be more noticeable once it reaches some length, so be patient because it does take time. Find products that cater to your natural hair, start experimenting with various products to see what will work best for you. Everyones hair is different and what may work for you may not work for someone else.
Transitioning From Relaxed to Natural: A Few Tips
What products should I use while transitiong
While you are transitioning it is important to remember that you will need to moisturize, deep condition and use hot oil treatments, you are entering a whole new world with your hair and it is one that is less traveled by many black women and napptural women who want to gain healthier longer hair. So the first thing to do is to look at the product labels, read ingredients on hair care products, make a list of moisture retaining ingredients so that you can purchase products that will maintain your curl definition, provide softness and manageability as well as retain moisture for added length.
Some of the most popular products include Karens body beautiful, elucence moisture balanceing conditioner and shampoo, unrefined shea butter, extra virgin olive oil, coconut milk, carrot oil, essential oils and moisturizing gels and creams is what you need to apply to your hair on a daily basis around the temples, hairline and ends of your hair.
Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural Hair Video by Scandalous Beauty
What transitioning methods should I use?
During the transition process of growing out your relaxer you will need to find good natural hairstyles to wear that way you can allow you hair time to rest while it is growing out. Some of the best natural hairstyles for transitioning is two strand twists, flat braids, and banti knots. Using protective styles require that you change up and have variety, due to added stress your hair will receive if you stick with just one protective style method.
So if you find that you like to wear twists, wear them for a month and then the next month pick a different transitioning method for your hair. Braid outs is also recommended to use while transitioning. Natural hair is stronger than permed hair but it is also can be fragile, fine and course so it needs to be handled with gentle care.
transitional methods
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Growing out your perm
cutting off relaxed hair
protecting your hair while transitioning
how long should I transition
natural hair grows
ethnic haircare
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Comments
I used to relax my hair once a year, now I don't , except for my bangs. I found that when I didn't fight my curly hair, it got healthier. Good tips!
Love your avatar and chic do! :)
Its amazing how healthy curly hair really is, when we learn the right products to use.
I went natural while in college and it was tough because I did not do any research prior to doing so and I learned that my hair is rather kinky verse the soft curls I though I had. Problem now is that I decided to go back to relaxers and now my hair is back with damages and breakage. I would like to again and hopefully stay natural. Do you have any suggestions on what products I can use to make the maintenance easier as dealing with really kinky hair is tough.
you right about that if you have been like me and you were used to working with straight relaxed hair and now learning to deal with natural kinky hair it can be a challenge, I have found what works well is to keep the hair moisturized on a daily basis with products that do not dry the hair out, Shea Butter has high recommendations and I personally do a braid out which keeps the hair more manageable.
At night take sections of your hair and add a leave in conditioner not all at once just put a little on each section then braid each section into platts or cornrows, then when you get up in the morning take the braids out and you will have a wavy crinkly texture, now blend the sections together and style. Once you do this for 30 to 90 days you will train your hair to stay in a looser curl pattern.
i have cut my hair and have decide to go natural it is already starting to regrow and i am exicited about goin from now on naturally curly my natural hair texture which i love some much and can't wait till it grows out really long and can finally style it as i please
It is exciting and there are so many natural hairstyles to choose from. one of the things I have been told from other natural curlies is that they love the versatility of being able to wear their hair anyway they want to.
has any one heard of these products??? i am in transition growing out my relaxer.
http://www.healthyhairjourney.com/training.html
i have NOT had a perm since January of this year (GO ME!) and I'm excited to have gone this long. At month three I decided to get micro braids, but I didn't like the wair the girl braided my hair, so I took it down after a month. I later went to a salon where they used hydrotherepy and it felt great, but with the atl humidity, the style didn't last 3 hours. Two weeks later I went to a dominican salon and got a "blow out" when i say mami had my hair STRAIGHT...it felt like I just got a relaxer!! That process is cool, but the heat is HORRIBLE! It felt like she had the dryer right on my scalp during the process, and her words were, "mami, if chu want go naturale it will be bery bery hott, that how it is for natural hair". So i had to sit in the chair in suffer, but the end result was flawless. She, the dominican stylist, suggested I try a cinnimon stick dominican product to soften my new growth, but i'm not to sure on that yet. So I'm looking for a product that will help my transition flow more smoothly. My new growth is THICK and it tangles where the natural and relaxed hair meet. Another thing is that i take cycling classes about twice a week, and do regular workouts on the days in between, i need a product that can stand the sweat. Any suggestions? Or if you've heard of the products above, do you recomend?
Shelly I do recommend while you are transitioning to take really good care oof your ends, because they are weaker, and I have heard that coconut oil and aphrogee treatments are good to prevent breakage and sheeding, the best thing to do is to wear protective styles such as two strand twists, bantu knots and braid outs, just remember your more prone to breakage until you do the big chop.
Thanks for your questions.
okay i am a young girl[15 years of age] and i have been thinking about going natural because i noticed that my hair would be way more healthier and i like the curly-natural look because wen i wash my hair now after about 1 and a half from not havin a relaxer my hair is curly but it doesnt stay that way for a long time and my friend doesnt think that i should do it because she said that my hair would be and look nappy..so my questions are [1] can i use like the curly shampoo and gels to get my hair to stay curly.?? [2] do you think that i should go to a dominican salon so they can help me get my hair natural but still have it lok straight and decent for school.?? and wat are some producs that i can use to get my back to being natural curly.?? [i thank you for the advice that you are willing to give me, it really helps me out alot.]
Hello Zhane, going natural is the best for your hair and many have found that their hair grows longer after they stop putting relaxer in it. Some of the best ways to keep defined curls is to use leave in conditioner instead of shampoos,also if you use Eco Styling Gel and Coconut oil, these work well if you want a wash and go hairstyle. If you want to try twist outs you can use shea butter on dry hair and do two strand twists, this will allow you to wear your hair in wavy hairstyle.
Some recommended products are the Kinky Curly, Miss Jessies Curly Pudding, Aveda's Curl Enhancer, Aloe Vera Gel, Carol’s Daughter Honey Mimosa these products work well especially if you want to get your curls back after flat ironing it or blowdrying it straight.
Hope this helps!
I am a teenager and am currently transitioning from relaxed to natural. Could you reccommend any products(conditioners and styling) that can promote new growth and prevent breakage of the relaxed hair? Also do you know any local stores that would sell them for a low price and are there products that can create a curly look for relaxed hair when dry? If so which ones? Thank you for all of your advice and suggestions.
I am going natural "agan" after about 10 years. I know that I will have to get used to the breakage between the two types of hair....but my 12 year old daughter, I had a texturizer put on her hair about 18 months ago...she has long wavy hair almost to her elbows...if we transition back to natural, will she also lose hair from the texturizer?
Hello Amber, the most cost effective hair care products are the ones you buy at the grocery store, avocado, coconut milk, jojoba oil, honey, olive oil, are all natural homemade haircare products that can be used for curly hair.
Hi Karen, the best way to retain length and not lose hair is to keep the ends moisturized, use conditioners that will keep hair soft, plus protective styling keeps ends from breaking, texturizers are chemicals so the natural hair will be a different grade as it grows out, so the best way to protect the ends is to do braid outs, twist outs and avoid excessive brushing, combing and pulling on the hair.
I am in the process of going natural. I go to a stylist every two weeks and he washes, deep conditions and straightens my hair. Do you have any suggestions of what I can do to maintain for the week that I don't visit him? I don't want to try braids because my hair is really thin and weak.
Hello Ty, its great that you have decided to go natural, the transition period is the most difficult of being natural, going to the salon will help maintain your hair and keep from experiencing breakage, the reason your hair is thin and weak is due to the many years of using hair relaxers, chemical relaxers break down the hair causing it to be limp, I would suggest doing wash and gos and also using a headband to smooth the edges in the front, also separating your hair into two sections and making large two strand twists will allow for you to wear a protective style that is not as stressful on the hair as braids.
I have not had a relaxer since March 2009. I started taking swimming lessons twice a week and have decided not to relax my hair while taking lessons. I have been taking lessons since May and will probably continue until September. I am not trying to transition to natural, but do you have any suggestions for keeping my hair healthy during this period?
Hi tara, swimming lessons really sounds fun, you will want to protect your hair from the chlorine an use deep conditioners, shea butter comes highly recommended because it can be used sparingly, a little goes a long way, anytime we grow out our relaxers we will experience breakage.
If we are going to be blowdrying our hair or using flat irons to make it straight, protective hairstyles are the best with braiding hair into cornrows, flat twists, or keeping hair in a ponytail making sure to use a head covering when going to bed at night. Also wearing hair extentions and hair weaves allows hair to take a break during the summer.
The Dominican Cinnamon Treatment (espiritu de canela) has worked for me. It burns a little bit, but I use it in conjunction with suela y canela cream conditioner. Despite the 15 years of relaxing my hair, it is continuing to grow. It is now to the middle of my back.
Hi, as many of the other commenters, I am in the process of going natural as well. Thanks to you for your research and insight and for the commenters for all their advice.
My question is this: I am 34 years old and have just decided to go natural (last perm in April 2009). Even though I am still young, I have more than my fair share of gray hair and my gray hair is really breaking off, making the transition even more difficult. Can you offer any suggestions for this situation?
Also, I moved a few years back and unfortunately have not found a beautician as good as my beloved Andre (sniff, sniff). So, I do A LOT of home hair care. What are your suggestions if you can't get to a stylist but are transitioning?
My last perm was 1 month ago. I decided to go natural after almost 15 years of perms... I choose to go back natural b/c of all the breakage I was getting with my perms and it was not growing. Im thinking about doing little chops everymonth and then by december of this year (2009) chop to rest off it there is any more relaxed hair left. Im really scared about shooort hair. and what I would look like with my natural hair. IM exicted about the process but real nervous at the same time. Any tips of hair styles,products to use, and words of wisdom?!! HELLLP
Dani I can understand how you feel, it can be scary to change from long straight hair to short natural hair, Once you overcome the new look to natural curls when transitioning it leads to true bliss. Having natural curls has so much versatility especially when you learn new ways of styling it, and having the right products, when your first starting out it is best to learn which products work the best for your hair type, find out what type of curls you have, such as spiral, z shapped or flat curl, it will make a difference when using the rake and smooth method, of wash and goes with co-wash, shorter curly hair looks good with hair accessories, it is when you start to get more length that you can do braid outs and twist outs. Be patient it is a labor of love that will take time to develop.
Lawlady, I was just thinking about what you said, if you are unable to get to a beautician, it is helpful to start your own haircare routine, by day or by week, if you choose to style your hair each day, its best to prepare your locs at night, some suggestions are depending on how long your hair is, you may want to slightly dampen the hair with leave in conditioner and then put hair in flat twists, cornrows or two-strand twists, and cover up with a head scarf, because when you wake up in the morning you can just undo the braids and your hair will have a more wavy lengthening of the curl pattern for easy styling. As for covering gray hair, semi permanent haircolor is best, plus henna has been recommended as achieving the best results for covering gray.
HI, im also thinking about going natural. i have have a couple of friends who are transitioning but they go to the dominicans to have thier hair blown out every two weeks? i wanted to know if that is healthy or damaging to your hair.
Jay, I hear of woman who are transitioning like to get their hair blown out, partly because they are not ready to do the big chop, and they are trying to grow out their natural hair while leaving relaxed ends. It is not good for the hair to be left in the transition phase for too long, because ultimately the two hair textures do not mix well and you will incur damage, to me the best way to take care of your hair is to just cut off the relaxed ends, because the hair will grow better, other factors is that while transitioning you want to have good deep conditioning treatments such as aphrogee as well as natural hair oils such as coconut oil.
Hi. I really want to go natural, but perms have left my hair thin and highly prone to breakage. I need some ideas for protective styles. The only one I can think of at the moment is braids...but could that be too stressful on my damaged relaxed hair? And what exactly are braid-outs and twist-outs?
Honey546, the best way to grow out a relaxed perm style is to put your hair in two strand twists that way you can give your hair a chance to heal from the damage and two-strand twists do not put added stress on the hair, you can also brush your hair back into a bun and keep your hair in an updo hairstyle. Braid outs are the after look of when you take your braids down in the morning after having your hair cornrows, flat twists or braids, that crinkle look can be put into a hairstyle.
Anyone tried Komaza Curl pudding? Will it work on my permed ends while I'm transitioning?
I am currently in the process of transition so this was EXTRA helpful for me. Thank you!
Ok, i do twist outs every now and then and I am transitioning but I also love to flat iron my hair. Is there a way that you can transition and still blowdry and flat iron?
You can still blow dry your hair when transitioning you just have to be careful that you do not damage the ends of your hair because of the two textures.
I'm 14 years old and I have never put a relaxer in my hair so although i dont have anything in common with anyone else here I still need help with different styles for my hair. I've been twisting and braiding my hair since i was about 7 yrs old and when I started going to private school in the 7th grade my mom decided to straighten my hair more often for school. My hair is still very curly when I wash it and to tell you the truth my curly fro kinda freaks me out (when blowdried my hair is in the middle of my back) so you can imagine the intensity of my curly fro. I wanted to know if there are any other styles I can do with my hair.
Wow elizabeth you have some really long curly hair, thats great, but I can see as you mentioned finding new hairstyles can be challenging, Some cute hair styles would be if you parted your hair horizontally, separating the hair at your crown into a pony tail and then taking the lose hair in the back and twisting it up into the pony tail then putting mini twists that fall forward, next day take out twists and you will have a beautiful versatile hairstyle that you can wear with any outfit.
thanks :D
Hi.... I need desperate help.... I've bin transitioning for a few months now n my hair's been growing pretty good. I'm not prepared for the big chop as yet. But Miss Universe is in a few days n i'll be attending so i need desperate help with styling options because, if i don't get any help....I'll be forced to relax it again!!!! Plz help me!!!
You welcome elizabeth, thanks for the comment.
Roots, I would suggest you go see some great natural hairstyle videos on youtube, my personal favorite is "PrettyDimples" she has some of the best and creative natural hairstyles on the tube.
I am a 15 year old girl who has decided to go natural. My mom has been relaxing my hair since my sixth birthday. I am now in my fourth month transition (haven't relaxed since April 2009, yay me). I have enjoyed my experience so far and have always loved my curly hair, but my mom got to "tired" of having to "deal with" my wild curls. My hair really didn't start to grow as much until I decided to go back to matural state of hair. I just want to say thanks for the hair care tips they really are helping me along this very curly and natural path. I am so anxious to see how long my hair is this time next year.
Alexis imani, thanks for sharing your experience I am glad to hear that you are able to see a improvement in hair growth since you went back natural, it is also nice to hear that you find the natural haircare tips useful too!
Hi, I have recently decided to start my transitioning ut process from relaxed to natural as well. I am cutting the ends off little by little and all the relaxed hair will be cut by December 2009. During this process, I have been keep my hair braided but would like to know of conditioning treaments/methods for micro-braided styles. Please let me know what you recommend, thanks:)
I too am going natural (for the third time!!!). Every time I make the decision to go natural I get frustrated mostly because of the waiting period and then I relax my hair! I am glad to have gotten these tips which may help me hold out for longer this time around! lol...
Eve, thanks for sharing your experience with transitioning from relaxed hair, it is a journey and is worth the time and effort, wearing micro braids can add stress to your hair so make sure to keep the braids big in size so as not to lose hair around the hairline, a good moisturizer is coconut oil, tea tree oil, shea butter and believe it or not fruit is actually good as a natural conditioner. Who would have thought.
Hana Marie I can feel you on the transitioning phase, I went through the same thing, I wore weaves and hair pieces for a long time and in between I would see my natural hair growing and so I would try to wear it for a couple of weeks but it was hard, especially since it was so short. Once your natural hair gets some length then you will like it much better, plus watching youtube videos of various natural hairstyles really helps too!
As I always say going natural can be a love hate relationship it just takes patience and a desire to see your hair at its healthiest state possible. Thanks for the comment.
Hi.. i'm in my teens and thinking about going natural... my straightened hair is rly a nice quality (as in it looks almost exactly like type 2 hair). I REALLY don't want to cut it off, but after looking at the vids on this page and realizing i wouldn't know my REAL texture until around 3 mnths down the line, I'm really hesitant. it's shoulder length and i would NOT look good going really short. Braids and cornrows give me headaches hence my relaxed hair. What to do? i would like to go natural but what method should i take and what should i do with my hair during the transitioning period?
Hi, Kay, it sounds like you can keep your hair length, not everyone who goes natural needs to get the big chop, especially if they have a nice grade of hair and the new growth will blend well into the relaxed hair. I would suggest that you try braid outs and twist outs, this way you can wear your hair wavy and with crinkles, kinda the way I have my braidout in the picture above.
How you get the look is you slightly dampen your hair at night and section off peices you want to put into a french braid, you can have 6 to 8 braids, next take a thick moisturizing conditioner and apply it to each section, you only need a little bit, it will not harm your hair and you can leave it in, because what this will do is act as a setting lotion for your braids, you can also add a dab of olive oil, coconut oil or hair oil, do not use hair grease because it will be too heavy for your hairstyle.
Once you braid up each section put on a silk scarf or bonnet at night while you sleep, in the morning you can take out each braid, you will notice your hair has a wavy crinkle texture, break apart each section with your fingers and fluff it out, do not comb or brush it, because it will frizz up, just use your fingers and then add hair accessories, wear your hair down, parted to the side or up in a pony tail. This way you can train your relaxed hair to be curly, it works really well during the transition period.
The key is to keep experimenting with braidouts and twists outs untill you have a method that works best for you. Just remember that you do not want to comb or brush your hair, you want to let your hair retain wave pattern, after awhile of repeating these steps, your hair will start to curl up naturally on its own.
It works the same way when we straighten our hair it gets used to being straight, so now we have to train it to be curly.
Hope this helps!
THANK YOUUU... so soo much! I think i will try that and see how it works out!!
okay great, let me know how it works for you!
hi,am also going through transitioning phase like everyone else and its very painfull but am very excited i have been perming my hair for lst15yrs and am i really miss my curls so my lst perm was april 09 and i have short hair so i decide to not cute it shorter. i have been doing henna treatment and hot oil treatment now for the past few month my taxture is softer but still getting breakage and its anoonying so wht am i doing wrong and if u could also suggest hair dos for short hair i would appreicated :0
sadiakogaar, its a great decision you made, because your hair is going to love you for it. The downside is that you will experience breakage during your transition phase and what can help is to use shea butter, it retains the moisture in the hair and gives it slip. Short hair styles work best with wet sets and finger rolls, you can find some great hairstyle ideas on youtube. Thanks for stopping by my hub!
Well im 15 years old and i been having a perm since i was 12. My hair was long all the way to my elbows. Ever since 3 years ago my hair start getting shorter. Now i decide i want to go natural. My hair have always been thin and long.
so how can i get ready in doing my hair natural? I want to also make it grow because my hair is now to my shoulder.
mizz dimples it sounds like you could wear two strand twists, a side puff, individual braids, or a bantu knots, while growing your hair out keep it moisterized and tie it up at night, braid outs are my favorites too!
I'm going natural.I'm transitioning until my newgrowth reaches my shoulders or at least my collar bone. I haven't had a relaxer since dec.2008. I'm wondering, is it necessary to cut off spit ends while transitioning?
My last perm was july 25 and i have alot of new growth. i choosen to trim it every month.Im wondering if you could give me any ideas on blending my new growth with my relaxed ends.Thanks for your time.
Hi, I'm a freshman in college and I haven't had a perm since July, I was unaware of how to go through this transaction, so I didn't keep up with my hair as much and its very dry and my ends are bad. I have been trying to keep up with it now, but every time I try to do something with my hair more of my hair is shedding. I was wondering what can I do to recover my hair. I have been using pantene pro-v lately, is this a good product to use? and if not, what are some better products to use? Thanks
I enjoyed reading your article. My last perm was 8 years ago. I started using MissJessies products about 5 years ago and I love it. Go to www.missjessies.com. The products are great.
Thanks for sharing your experience with miss jessie's products, I hear a lot of good things, for healthy natural hair care.
I regret to this day relaxing my hair a few months ago. I had little baby dreads sprouting and was so impatient that I picked them all out and wore an afro for a while. Getting bored with that, I decided to relax my hair, and it was all good until I had to touch up my roots. I forgot how easy and beautiful my natural hair was, so I am now growing it back :) Also, some other great products to use I personally love that are designed for natural hair are from Taliah Waajid
lipstiklovr, I can relate to you story, I have started over at least 3 times, it can be a challenge to wait out the process.
Well first off, I want to clarify that black people do not get a perm. We get relaxers as it says to relax our nappy hair. I hate black hair and I think most natural styles are ugly. However, since I was unfortunatley born with this type of hair I am trying to do what is best for it. The relaxers has left it frail. The frustation is when I go out the door, I like to look kempt. Weaves and braids I can't do. The are damaging too. What do I do?
packerpack says:
8 months ago
Good tips and I hope you will add more to this Hub. Atually I too have a Hub on the similar topic. It gives you tips on how to maintain a good and healthy hair.