1. Decide HOW you are going to transition: Some OPTIONS – You can get braids/weave and cut your relaxed ends off gradually in between the changing of the braids/weave. – You can wear styles with your own hair that use minimal heat: wet roller/rod sets that give a curly look, bantu knots, two-strand twists/twist-outs (There are pictures of all of these on my blog) This was personally my favorite way of transitioning.
2. Decide how LONG you want to transition: Long-term vs. Short-term – Long-term transition: If you don’t feel comfortable with chopping off all of your relaxed ends with only a couple of inches left of hair, then consider cutting your relaxed ends off gradually. There are many girls who have transitioned over the period of 8 months to years. – Short-term transition: This is pretty much simultaneous with a “big chop” (BC) which consists of chopping all of the relaxed ends at once after letting the natural hair grow in from a couple weeks to a couple months. I actually transitioned for 4 months. This if for those of you like me, who may start to get anxious when you see that natural hair start to grow in!!
3. Select appropriate PRODUCTS to care for your transitioning hair This is a hard area to generalize since many products work differently for each person. The main thing to realize though is that using shampoos with sulfates in them tend to be drying to the hair and can result in enhanced breakage between the relaxed and new natural hair. That interface is already going to be weak because of the different textures, so you have to be careful. One thing that worked well for me is the idea of “co-washing”. This is when you instead wash your hair with conditioner. If you do a rigorous enough wash, you can still remove the dirt and residue just using conditioner and it won’t dry out your hair. If you find you’re getting product build-up in your hair after a while, then you can use a sulfate-free shampoo to more fully cleanse your hair. There are other methods for washing that include the use of baking soda conditioner and apple cider vinegar rinses. I haven’t personally tried these yet so I can’t vouch, but there are plenty of other chicas on YouTube that provide more information on these areas. You should also moisturize your hair well. You can watch a vid that I did describing various methods you can take to ensure that your hair is well-moisturized. This will help to minimize breakage. Some of the main things I use to help retain moisture include water/glycerin mixes, shea butter/coconut oil/aloe vera gel creams, natural oils (jojoba, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, peppermint, rosemary, lemon).
Sidenote:
As far as washing, there again is a lot of variety among girls when it comes to the frequency. I personally got used to washing my hair at least once every week or two times a week when I was transitioning. This was mainly because I would do a lot of flexi-rod sets/bantu knot outs and my styles wouldn’t last for more than week : ) Good products for when you’re styling/setting your hair are actually natural products like shea butter, aloe vera gel, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil and plenty others! You can check out the rest of my blog out to see different things I’ve tried with those products. With styling, try not to blow dry and flat-iron your hair much. Maybe once a month if at all. Really focus on styles that use minimal heat : )
4. Have PATIENCE! Transitioning can sometimes get frustrating when you are dealing with 2 different textures of hair. However, if you have the patience to endure, you will be thanked with healthy, natural hair at the end : ) Sometimes it can be encouraging to start a hair journal, where you can jot down the products that worked/didn’t worked, styles that you liked, and hair growth updates. Sometimes its even encouraging to look at pictures of natural hair journeys on www.fotki.com, where you can see the results of those who have already gone down the transitioning road. The link to my fotki is on the right sidebar of my blog.
Hope this helps anyone who is thinking about transitioning or currently transitioning! As always, let me know if you ever have questions at goingaunaturale@gmail.com !
(Some pics from my TRANSITIONING stage)
His Daughter 
i LOVE the first pic, such a beautiful do. im sure the transitioner and others will benefit
goodness your hair grew fast!!! love it!
Just so everyone knows…these pics are from when I was transitioning : )
Hey,
I stumbled upon your blog via youtube. I like your two strand twist tierra video. Check out my blog. I recently redid it. http://www.naturalhairrules.com
Blessings
Hi,
Thanks for all your tips. Especially, those tips on moisture. I really like all of your styles, I think you look wonderful!
I've been transitioning now for about 6 months, and my hair is becoming more and more dry (haven't been using good products). So, I am going to try to make my own moisturizer this weekend, and use your water based, oil based, cream based method. Wish me luck!
BTW, I came across your blog on youtube…I'm subscribing now…
Beautiful! I am currently transitioning and will be looking forward to doing my BC. I was going to BC this weekend but it's so cold and dry whee I live, so I may wait until March. . . if I can.
Thank you for providing soooo many useful resources.
Thanks for the tips. I'm just beginning the transition and am nervous about it all. These points are a good start for me…
i have been natural for close too a year now i just brushe'd it all out since all i wore around my brother was a satin cap i got bored one day and did a pompador my dad saw it and said that is so cute show your stepmom she looke'd at it wow man that is so cool my bro saw it a pomp come on man your natural your not suppose'd too have a pomp i told him man a twa is so versatile how can i not bye
Hey there! This really helped a lot. Thanx! I'm just beginning with my natural journey. Almost a month without a touch up and I'm already seeing a teeny weeny bit of my natural hair!! soo excited. Thanx for the transitioning tips =) Your hair is gorgeous..
I'm currently deployed in Afghanistan and I just wanted to see how long I could go w/out relaxing (last one was Feb '10). I actually have a touch up kit just in case, but happily haven't wanted to use it. I haven't seen my own hair in about 20 yrs (i'm 30!) and I'm finding its nothing like I remember. I've been wearing extensions, and I noticed my baby hair is looking a little wavy. I looked at my neck hairs and found a curl that when pulled, snapped back! I was totally shocked. I was the first mixed child in my family (Puerto Rican/Black) and utterly resented my "nappy" hair and was often moved to tears. Well, I recently cried again but this time it was for how beautiful my Black is and how I'll never relax again. I'll be making the BC when I get back to the US, and I am so grateful for this site for helping me turn my "stretch" into a transition!
Your hair looks so healthy. I am currently wearing my hair natural. I would like to know what kind of shampoo would you recommend for beginners like myself? I now use curl activator on my hair, it that a good idea? My goal is never go back to relaxers. I like wearing my hair natural. If you would please share the name of the products you use for shampoo, and conditioners.
Greatly appreciated,
Be Blessed!
Thank you so much for all of the tips. I am currently at 21 weeks without a relaxer, but I decided not to do the BC. You’re hair is beautiful you inspire me so much! Thanks a lot!!!!!!
I am going to get the rods and curl my hair that way. Thanks for the tips. Peace, Blessings and Joy/PB&J from brownmama
I have kinky, course, thick hair with shrinkage and I can’t find a product that will bring out my natural curls and elongate it, without leaving nasty residue. A lot of these products that are for kinky hair really isn’t. Can you help me!?!?!?!!!!!
I’ve been transitioning for about 5 months now using braids but got bored of that style. I came across your blog and the tips (especially for retaining moisture) have been great. I’ll definitely be trying out some of these transitioning styles to mix things up a bit. You’re truly an inspiration. Keep up the good work!
Love..love your hair. I have been transitioning for five months and I’m soooo excited…thanks for all the motivation!
My natural hair is driving me crazy!!!!! I don’t know what to do to it and it’s always dry & brittle looking. It also seems like it won’t grow. I have been natural nearly 2 years, and I still know absolutely nothing about how to style it or care for it everyday. Every hair style I try is ugly and frizzy looking, and no products seem t help. I have no curl pattern and it’s very unruly, I have tried all types of products and they don’t work. HELP!!!!!