“Today there are many women who do not respect, appreciate, or understand their own hair in its natural state.” (Lisa Akbari) It’s because they do not understand how to style, control and manage their true texture.
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while been doing more research for you all!
Many women have decided to go natural for health, beauty, or other personal reasons and are lost as to what to do during the transition period.
What you hair is experiencing:
As your hair starts to grow you will start to notice (if your hair is relaxed) where your natural curl pattern and your relaxed hair meet. This is where your focus should be. The line where the hair meets each other, old and new, is called the line of demarcation or difference. This is where the hair is the weakest and needs to be taken care of with caution. If you’ve noticed that you’ve experienced shedding it’s because at this line the weight of the relaxed hair is too strong for the natural hair to hold and it snaps and breaks off.
What to do:
CONDITIONING AND MOISTURIZING are key factors in transitioning your hair. Conditioning and moisturizing keeps your hair healthy and the elasticity strong (how far it can stretch without breaking) within the strand.
Rule of Thumb: If your hair feels dry apply moisturizer, if your hair looks dry apply oil, if it looks and feels both add both. Apply moisturizer then oil to seal and add shine. If your scalp is dry apply oil.
What styles can I wear?:
There are many styles that I recommend.
If your hair is strong enough you can get a sew-in until all your relaxed hair is cut off. I don’t always recommend because it can be hard to get moisture to the hair underneath causing dryness. Also sometimes the braids could be too tight causing to much strain on areas like the edges causing breakage. You might as well have cut it off.
Other styles: crimps, twist set or braid set, micro-braids, kinky twists, rod set or THE BIG CHOP!
If you don’t plan on wearing your hair in an afro or twisted I suggest a weekly shampoo, condition, and flat iron straight. Your hair can withstand being straight and all one texture and the conditioning and thermal protection will allow you to maintain health. The heat from the blow dryer and iron will rearrange your curl pattern by loosening it. The loosening of your curl would leave your afro or twists straight on the ends which is why I don’t recommend it if you plan on wearing these styles.
Why does natural hair get so dry?:
Your scalp secretes oil called sebum. When the hair is combed or brushed the oils are distributed throughout the hair strand in a straightened state. When your hair is natural the strands are in a spiral state not allowing the oil to wind down the strand like it could if it was straight. You also do not brush and comb your hair to distribute the oils. This is why you must condition, moisturize and put oil on your hair.
How did I grow my hair out?:
I used to have really long hair, and then one day I cut it into a bob! The next year I cut it into a Halle Berry cut. From there I braided it in micro braids for the next 5 months. By then I was able to cut off the rest of the relaxer and wear a little afro.
Next Blog- My transition in whole!
*** Remember: Heating tools for daily use~ the first day you burn away maintenance products, the next day you burn hair!***
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