This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details..
Do you want to go natural, but you aren’t ready or don’t want to do the Big Chop? If so, then you want to transition to natural hair! Transitioning is the process of growing your hair out until you are ready to cut the remaining relaxed ends off. Thus, during a transition, you have two different hair textures at once: your natural new growth at the top of the strand and your straighter relaxed ends at the bottom. And like any hair journey, your transition is unique, and you can transition for as long as you want! I transitioned for 10 months, but some people even go years before they are comfortable trimming off their ends. Although the idea sounds simple, transitioning can be trying at times, and it is definitely a process. So, here are 10 tips for transitioning to natural hair.
1. Try protective styles.
Personally, I love protective styles! Box braids, Marley twists, and crochet braids are great ways to switch up your look, and they make transitioning so much easier! If you want to grow out your hair without the hassle, or you’re sick of dealing with the two different textures, just throw in a protective style!
2. Develop a routine.
Now this is definitely harder than it sounds! When I had relaxed hair, the routine was so simple: wash, deep condition, blow dry, and flat iron every week or two and oil my scalp in between. But because of the two different textures, transitioning hair requires a lot more maintenance, and if you’re not following a wash and moisture routine, your hair can break off right where those two textures meet. (And we don’t want that). So, you have to develop a routine. I personally washed, deep conditioned, and styled once a week, making sure to use moisturizing products and sealing oils. It’s different than relaxed hair of course, but if you start the routine early on in your journey, you’ll be a pro in no time!
3. Stick to the same few products.
When going natural, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and excited by all of the product choices, especially if you love watching natural hair YouTube channels like I do. But when transitioning, routine is important, and finding the products that work for both textures is hard, so I recommend finding a set of products that work and sticking to them. It’ll help with frustration, and you’ll save money! During my transition, I liked the Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Collection and Eco Styling Gel, but each transition is different, so you’ll have to find your own faves. Just make sure the products you choose offer moisture that’ll last at least 5 days so you don’t have to manipulate your hair too much between washes.
4. Do styles that hide the texture difference.
As I mentioned earlier, when you transition, you are basically taking care of two different hair textures: natural new growth and relaxed ends. But, when you style your hair, you don’t want the texture difference to be noticeable (as in curls at the top and straggly ends at the bottom). So, try styles that hide the texture difference. Some of my favorites are flexi rods, perms rods, Bantu knots, and slick buns. I also enjoyed doing twist outs and braid outs with rods at the end. If you’re not that savvy with rod sets, YouTuber Daye La Soul has so many helpful tutorials!
5. Continue regular trims.
I’m not talking about a big chop here, because obviously if you’re transitioning, you don’t want to big chop. But, it is still important to get those regular trims. You want to protect and take care of your new curls, so you don’t need split ends travelling up the hair shaft. So, if you normally trim every 6 months, just keep doing it! When you eventually decide to end your transition, you’ll have less relaxer to cut of anyway!
6. Protect your hair at night.
I can’t write any post about natural hair without mentioning satin scarves, bonnets, or pillowcases! Protecting your hair at night is essential to any hair journey, so you should have been doing it with your relaxed hair, too. But, I already mentioned that transitioning hair is fragile and prone to breakage, so we can combat that by avoiding friction with our pillows and sheets at night. Basically, this step is essential, sis! (To learn more about what you’ll need as a naturalista, check out “Natural Hair Essentials”)
7. Use Jamaican Black Castor Oil to stimulate hair growth.
At this point, I think everybody has heard about JBCO! And since you want to grow out your curls, why not speed up the process a little bit? Now, I’m not exactly sure how this magical oil works, but I swear by it! I recommend applying it to your scalp every few days and massaging it in, especially around the edges. For more uses of oils, read “10 Ways to Use Oils on Natural Hair”.
8. Do protein treatments.
With fragile, transitioning hair, breakage is prone to happen. So, why not try to combat this by making your hair stronger? The main way to strengthen and re-build the bonds in your hair is by using a protein treatment. Protein treatments are known for helping with breakage, and I used them during my transition. However, if used incorrectly or too often, protein can cause damage as well! So be sure to follow the directions on your protein treatment, and don’t do them more than your hair can tolerate.
9. Lay off the heat.
This was the hardest tip for me to follow during my transition. With relaxed hair, the main goal for me was to have sleek, straight hair, and it was kind of hard to let this go. But with health and moisture being key to a great transition, I had to lay off the heat. Straight hair is hard to moisturize (since you don’t want it to revert), and dry hair leads to breakage. Plus, you don’t want to give your new curls heat damage! If that happens, you’ll have to start your entire transition over again! Remember, transitioning is all about nourishing those new curls, so try some new styles that don’t require heat! (See step 4)
10. Be patient and enjoy the process.
Patience is a virtue, my dear! I know how tempting it is to cut a piece of relaxed hair off or straighten for a length check, but transitioning is A PROCESS, and hair does not grow overnight! Also, have patience with yourself! If you’ve never been natural before, there is a learning curve, and you may struggle a bit. This is normal. Read blogs (like this one!) and watch YouTube videos! There are so many free resources out there for you. And lastly, enjoy your transition! You’re going back to your roots and growing healthier hair. That’s something to be happy about! Look at your new curls growing in! Look at the new styles you’re trying! Look at how much you’re learning! Be proud of yourself, girl! You are doing it!
These are my 10 tips for transitioning to natural hair. If you have any more to add to the list, leave them in the comments!
A lot of thanks for each of your hard work on this web page. Kim really likes going through investigation and it’s really easy to understand why. Many of us know all of the dynamic method you make powerful strategies on this web blog and as well as improve participation from people on that issue so our girl is in fact learning a lot of things. Have fun with the remaining portion of the new year. You are conducting a really good job.