The Do's of Transitioning to Natural Hair, Part 1

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There are a lot of mistakes that I made during my transitioning process so far. I did a lot of things on a whim without really thinking about what I was doing or why I was doing it. Needless to say that caused me some frustration. Although I in now way consider myself to be an expert (I'm still learning as I go along), here are some of the things that I would tell myself to do if I were to do this process all over again.

1.    Research, Research, Research!!!

At the beginning of anyone’s transitioning process, there usually isn’t much new growth. Take this time to research any and everything about natural hair and the transitioning process. No matter what anyone tells you, be sure to always conduct your own research. That doesn’t mean that you have to dismiss what was told to you. Use that information as a starting line and see if your research either supports or vacates that information before you act on it.

2.    Keep a hair journal.

This may seem trivial, but it is really beneficial. Keeping a journal of some kind allows you to keep track of what is and what isn’t working for your hair. It will also help you keep track of what you are doing to your hair so that if you try something and get a really great or really bad result you can track what it was that you did. Your hair journal is also a great place to keep all of the information that you researched.

3.    Develop an easy, manageable hair care regimen

Consistent good hair care is one of the best ways to encourage growth and retain length in your hair regardless of whether you are relaxed, natural, or transitioning. To ensure that you are consistently treating your hair in the same manner, a regimen is needed. Think about what your hair needs when creating your regimen and design something around that.

4.    Find and Master at least one transitional style

In my opinion, every person who is transitioning to natural hair should have at least one signature style that you know frontwards and backwards. This is EXTREMELY beneficial. By knowing this style, you will be able to have a quick go to style on even the worst of bad hair days.

5.    Treat all of your hair as if it were natural.

Just because you have two extremely different textures on your head, that doesn’t mean that you have to treat them differently. Since the ultimate goal is to have healthy natural hair, treat all of your hair as if it were natural to further facilitate this end.

This is the first post in a 3 part series regarding this information. Check back tomorrow for part 2!