I’m EIGHT months into transitioning to natural hair! I honestly cannot believe it’s been eight months already. I figured since I’ve learned so much & can see what’s happening with my hair that I’d do an update to let you all know what I’m doing & what’s working for me. Transitioning is by far one of the hardest things I’ve done in my adult years & now that I have so much growth, I know it’s only going to get harder as I go on, but I’m definitely up for the challenge! (No, I don’t have dandruff, I just came out of the shower & have tiny water droplets in my hair still!)
Hair Type: So, I know that once you complete your transition, your “curls that you thought you had” can change, since they are no longer competing with your relaxed ends for nutrients, etc.. If anyone watches MoKnowsHair & saw her complete her friend’s transition process, you’d know what I’m talking about when I say once you cut the ends off, your hair looks, feels & behaves differently. It’s insane that through a computer screen I was able to see the difference in 100% natural hair versus the 50/50 natural & relaxed.
As of right now, my hair looks like it’s in the 3C range, but looks to have some type 4 qualities. I personally think that hair typing can never be 100% accurate on how your hair looks, feels, & behaves, but I think it’s a good guideline during this process. Understanding that my hair seems to have qualities of type 3C & type 4 A,B, & C, helps me narrow down products as well as hairstyles that will best fit my hair. As far as being positive what hair type I have, we’ll just have to wait until I decide to cut my ends off!
When Are You Chopping: NEVER! Muahahhah. Just kidding! But, I never set a date & time for when I’m going to chop my ends off. Personally, I’ve always had about shoulder length hair & don’t feel comfortable just chopping it all off cold turkey, hence why I’m transitioning. I know, I could just do a sew in or braids, but I feel like “protective styles” won’t be extremely beneficial to my hair while it’s transitioning. For one, I deep condition once a week, (sometimes two or three times if I can), to make sure my hair isn’t dry, brittle & thirsty. Yes, I know I could do this with braids or a sew in if necessary, but realistically I don’t these styles would truly allow me to give my hair all that it needs. I also wouldn’t like being stuck with one style & that’s it! I know that putting in a sew in/braids is my choice, but I know myself well enough to know I wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable with a TWA, (teeny weeny afro), so weave would be a must. But, the thing about a $150 sew in or $100 braids, once they’re in, you’re more than likely keeping them in for a month & a half MINIMUM. I change what I want to do with my hair on the daily; buns, twist outs, braid outs, bantu knot outs, two pom poms, etc., are all styles I decide on the spot to do with my hair. I don’t like being stuck with no other option, hence why weave isn’t something I’m a huge fan of. That all being said, I will not be chopping anytime soon. I HAVE to be comfortable with how my hair looks, because at the end of the day, it’s my hair! I have people telling me to chop it off, but at the end of the day, who has to be comfortable walking around with their new short hair cut? Me. So, needless to say a “chop” will not be happening anytime in my near future. I believe that I’ll know when it’s the right time to make the big “chop”.
Growth/Color: The growth that I’ve experienced around my head varies from place to place. For example, the back of my head, along my hairline to my neck looks to have gained about 3.5 inches. The middle of my head has about 4.5-5 inches of growth. Keep in mind that when I’m giving these estimates, it’s based on STRETCHED length. The thing about curly hair is that it looks like you’ve only grown an inch or two compared next to straight hair, but once you stretch it, you see the hair length at it’s fullest.
Through this process I’ve used Hairfinity for six months & just began using Manetabolism for one month. I feel like although these supplements are far from magic pills but if you’re maintaining healthy new growth, these pills will definitely aid in making your hair healthy. Ultimately healthy hair grows, so if you’re not taking care of your hair & taking these, I can’t say whether or not you’ll see results by using these alone. Now as far as the color of my hair, believe it or not, this is the hair color I was born with. My roots are dark, but as time goes on, the sun naturally gives me blonde highlights.
I remember being a little girl & having grown ups as me if my mom dyes my hair & I never understood why, but now I do. As my curly hair is growing in, I’m noticing it’s not as inclined to soak up the sun rays as my relaxed hair, so I think it’ll be interesting to see if my curls become a blonde color or if they continue to stay a brown color. Truthfully, I would like for it to stay the same color, but I guess I’ll just have to wait & see what happens!
Advice: I think the biggest tip I can give to anyone who’s beginning the transitioning process or considering it is to do what makes YOU happy. At the end of the day, no one has to take care of your hair but you, so don’t allow someone to determine the destiny of your locks. You’ll have people who want you to relax it, chop it, etc., but keep doing what you want. You’ll have people who aren’t familiar with your hair type ask you why your hair is “like that” & refer to your hair type as “frizzy”, “nappy”, or “kinky”. But, you have to rise above what you hear & know what you want for yourself. Without knowing why I’m transitioning or what I want to gain from going natural, I would’ve relaxed my hair by now or chopped it off, neither of which I truly want to do at this point in time.
Another word of advice is accept that your hair isn’t everyone else’s. You fantasize about what your hair will look like, because let’s be honest, not knowing what your hair type is is somewhat of a surprise mystery that you solve at the end! You get small clues along the way that help you try to figure it out, but you won’t know for sure until the end. I believe it’s completely normal, natural & OKAY to think about what your hair may look like at the end, because I’ve done it plenty of times. All I’m saying is don’t get caught up on what others’ hair looks like, how long they took to chop, or how long it took for them to grow it out to your desired length.
That’s their hair & their hair journey, so don’t base yours off of another girls’, because if your results aren’t the same it will lead to let down & more frustration with the already frustrating process of “transitioning”. Last tid bit, your hair is different, so ADAPT! Don’t be afraid to change your hair types, change your products, routine, styling tools, etc.. I was soo stuck on using one of my old combs instead of buying a $3 shower comb from Sallys! I finally bought one and cannot believe how easy it is to detangle my hair in the shower & how little fall out I have!
Your hair is changing to something that is much healthier than what is was, so change is GOOD! Change with your hair & adapt, because otherwise you won’t be giving your fragile locks the TLC they need to grow & reach their full potential.
Thank you all for stopping by & for all my transitioners out there, STAY STRONG!
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xoxo.