People will likely notice a change in your hair and inquire about what you are doing. Be prepared and simply let them know you’ve decided to go natural and transition. Sometimes it helps to explain what terms mean so those outside of the natural community can understand. Also, reveal to them the reasons why you chose to go natural. You never know, you may inadvertently convert someone. If a person is being too negative, just tell them to kick rocks.
Don’t expect styles to last as long as they did when your hair was completely relaxed. The humidity manipulates natural hair easily so your new growth will be affected which will reflect in the look of your hairstyle. Try to wear protective styles that won’t be easily transformed by the weather.
Your new growth is your natural hair texture. The longer it grows, the thicker your hair will become at the roots. It’s a great indicator that your hair is growing but it does make it more difficult to style. The key is finding styles that blend your kinky roots with your straight hair.
You will likely become frustrated with your hair and the transitioning process. This is normal. Try to find ways over these humps of frustration by styling your hair a new way or giving yourself a break by getting braids or a sew-in. If you can’t shake the frustration it may just be time to big chop.
Your hair may shed more than usual or break as you transition. A little breakage is normal since the line of demarcation where the natural and relaxed hair meets is so fragile. There is no need to be alarmed but if you are losing handfuls of hair, this may be an indicator your hair can no longer take the transition and it’s time to cut the relaxer completely off.
Chime Edwards is an extremely popular YouTube vlogger with over 145,000 subscribers. Chime was also featured in Nikki Walton’s (Curly Nikki) book, ‘Better Than Good Hair.’
