5 THINGS TO AVOID WHEN TRANSITIONING

Heyyyyyy guys!

How are you all? I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I have midterms this week so my weekend wasn’t so great 🙁 but it will be over soon!! What have you guys got planned for Valentine’s Day?? Anything fun??

Wet hair! Setting it up for a wash and go 🙂

So most of the emails I get are from people who are transitioning from relaxed to natural and they are FRUSTRATED because they “don’t know what to do with the natural growth” or their hair is “constantly breaking” or they are just having a “hard time blending the relaxed hair and the natural hair”. If you’re carrying out healthy hair practices, such as deep conditioning, moisturising and sealing, you shouldn’t have much of a problem. However, sometimes we unknowingly do things to our hair that cause breakage. Have a look at the things to avoid!

• EXCESSIVE HEAT – We already know this, heat isn’t great for your hair! That doesn’t mean don’t ever use heat (I like to straighten my hair or blow out my hair from time to time) but use it sparingly and with caution. I know that it can be tough to blend the two textures but PLEASE be careful of using heat. Heat damage is one of the few virtually irreversible things that can happen to your hair. If you must use heat, use a good heat protectant, such as the Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Leave-In Spray.

Use with caution!

• NOT DEEP CONDITIONING ENOUGH – I constantly go on about the importance of deep conditioning. It is an important aspect of haircare, whether you’re natural, relaxed, transitioning and whether you have curly/kinky/wavy hair or not. You especially should be deep conditioning when dealing with two textures and hair that could potentially be very dry. I always recommend at least once a week. If that can’t happen, go for once every two weeks. Ensure you deep condition AT LEAST twice a month.
• TOO MUCH MANIPULATION – You have to remember that the point where the natural hair and relaxed hair meet is very weak and fragile. If you spend a great deal of time tugging and pulling and combing and brushing it, it will break off! You don’t want that. Try to protective style while you’re transitioning (of course, if you’re protective styling, ensure you keep your hair clean and moisturised).

A moisturised bun keeps my hair off my face and tucked away!

• KEEPING THE RELAXED ENDS FOR AGESSSS –  I know many of us want long hair. But remember health > length. If you feel that the relaxed ends are a hindrance to your hair journey, cut them off. Don’t keep those relaxed ends forever just because you want to have long hair. Plus your life will be much easier when you have just one texture to deal with!
• BEING IMPATIENT – Sounds annoying but you have to be patient!! Anything worth doing takes time. It may be annoying and may take a while but it will be worth it in the end. As I said in my very first blog post, I big chopped and transitioned so I get how tough it can be but push through!! You’ll get there. And hey, you know what, if you try and it doesn’t work and you run back to your hairdresser screaming at him/her to slap the relaxer back on your head, that’s okay too! You tried! Haha

Braid out for the win *happy dance*