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I hate to break it to you but it is better to tell you now at the beginning. Ready? Ok. You will have to cut off your relaxer. You may choose to cut it all off at once. Or you may trim it gradually. But it will have to go.
Once you have decided to stop relaxing your hair you will want to be natural ASAP. But transitioning can be a lesson in patience. Don’t believe any product that promises to “revert” your relaxed hair back to kinky again. Be ware of those telling you to pour beer or any other substance in your hair in an effort to make it “go back.” Relaxing your hair changes the molecular structure of your hair permanently the only why to get rid of it is to cut it off. But don’t despair in the end you will have a head full of healthy hair if you take care of it during the transition process. Breakage and Shedding You will have breakage and shedding. You natural hair is stronger than the chemically treated part. The line where the two types meet is a weak point. Conditioning and wearing styles that limit the amount that you have to style your hair will help. In the end the relaxed ends will need to go anyway. Opposing Opinions Everyone will not agree with your decision to stop relaxing your hair. You should be prepared for that. If you haven’t already think about why you want to go natural. If you are solid and confident about your decision most people will respect that. If you know that you are going to face a lot of opposition from friends or family, you may want to be low key about the whole thing. My mother always told me, “You don’t need to give people a stick to beat you with.” There are several transitioning styles that don’t draw attention to what you are doing with your hair. If your current stylist is not a supporter of natural hair or only knows how to do chemical/heat styling. You may want to find a stylist who will be supportive of your decision. Change in Hair Care and Routine During this in between time you’ll need to take care of your hair differently. It will be important to condition and moisturize your hair regularly. You will need to wash your hair and comb your hair in ways that put tangling to a minimum. You will want to find a protective style that is right for you, if you will be growing your hair out and trimming the ends. |
