How-To: Starting Your Transition

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The biggest question that I had when I embarked on my natural hair journey in May 2010 was this: how do I start transitioning? I immediately began scouring the Internet for an answer to my question, but alas, there was no answer to be found. I found a lot of information on transitional styles but nothing more. To help someone who is the same boat I was once in, here is the thought process that I went through to start my transition.

1.    Stop getting relaxers.

This is the biggest step in beginning your transitioning process. I’m not going to lie, it felt a little weird when I reached my 6 week post relaxer mark and I didn’t go back to the salon to get a touch up. Skipping the first one was the hardest, but once I realized my pockets that month were a little heavier since I didn’t spend the money on the creamy crack application, it wasn’t hard at all to continue with not getting a relaxer.

2.    Decide how long you want to transition.

The length of time you choose to spend transitioning is completely up to you. It can be as short at 1 day to as long as 2+ years. When making this determination, consider how long you want your hair to be when you BC (your hair grows at an average rate of .5 inches a month), how willing and able you are to deal with the two textures on your head (it does get frustrating every once in a while). I chose to transition for at least a year because I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable with having extremely short hair (I’ve never seen my hair extremely short before) and I figured that after a year, I would have a decent length. Not necessarily SL, but certainly more than just an inch.

3.    Determine how you want to wear your hair.

While transitioning, you will need to wear your hair in such a way that the two textures on your hair are blended. There are few different ways that one can do this. Some choose to use protective styling such as box braids or kinky twists. Others choose to use low-manipulation styling such as rod sets and bantu-knot outs. Still others choose to flat iron their new growth. Choose a method that will work best for you, your lifestyle, and your natural hair goals. Consider how often you want to restyle your hair, whether you will be going to a stylist or doing your hair yourself, how you want to wear your hair once fully natural, and how often you want to trim your permed ends when making this determination. I knew that I wanted to regularly wear my hair curly once fully natural, and I knew that I wanted something that didn’t cause a lot of fuss but allowed for a variety of different styles. With this in mind, I chose to wear my hair in low-manipulation styles. For more information on ways to wear your hair during your transition, check out this post.

4.    Create a hair care regimen.

Because of the line of demarcation, transitioning hair is fragile and requires a lot of consistent care. To be consistent with the care of your transitioning hair, developing a regimen is extremely beneficial. During the first 3 - 4 months, get to know your new growth and learn your hair's likes and dislikes. Once you have this down, proceed to creating a regimen that suits your hair's needs and helps you manage the two textures. This transitioning hair care regimen does not necessarily have to be the one that you follow once completely natural. I personally will be switching it up a bit once fully natural. Your regimen can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it to be. For tips on creating a transitioning hair care regimen, check out this post.

Also, check out my Do's (part 1 and part 2) and Don'ts of transitioning.