The Transition: Relaxed VS Natural

  Transitioning into natural hair seems to be the most these days. Women are realizing that having relaxed hair leads to thinning and baldness overtime. Being relaxed versus being natural is an understatement for most women. As a stylist, I feel great when I see women embrace their natural hair and adopt a natural lifestyle. You must realize that your hair grows very differently when it's "chemically free". You inherit more volume, more body, and more curl.  Being on the road to natural hair is not for everybody, it's going to be tough and take some discipline on your part. Getting back to your "natural" beauty is a beautiful thing and an interesting road to self discovery. Some of us think that being natural means we don't have much choices with our hair and that's why some of us don't bother with transitioning. Sure being relaxed leaves us with 6 to 8 weeks of straight silky hair but, did you know if properly trained you can have silky healthy natural hair?

Here are some tips to help you transition:
 1. Consider The "Big Chop"
     This is only for the serious minded. The fastest way to get rid of all the relaxer is to cut it all out.

 2. Avoid Any More Chemicals
     Yes, skip that Brazilian Blow Out or just relaxing your edges

 3. Try A Protective Style
      The best way to not bother with your hair is to not see it. Try getting a Full Sew In Extension with no hair        left out.

 4. Hydrate Regularly
     Natural hair does produce its own oil but,  it tends to get dry very fast because like your body it needs           nourishment.

 5. Learn How To Do Twist Outs
     Twist outs can be a very beautiful style and it is one of the best styles to where when you are transitioning.

 What To Expect When Transitioning

  Expect to loose length. A big part of transitioning is cutting off the relaxed hair. Whether you go with the" Big Chop" or you gradually cut it out over time, it has to go. Relaxed hair and Natural hair go through a battle, who can stay here and who needs to go? Natural hair will always win because relaxed hair texture is altered where natural hair is strong and new. (New Growth) This is where you will see your hair go through extreme breakage. So when transitioning you have Two Choices: You can keep the relaxed hair and try to minimize the breakage by getting the ends trimmed quite regularly or you can go for the gold and cut it all out.