Styling Transitioning Hair

Styling during the transitioning period need not be a massive job. Decide on a particular look and get the info on how to achieve it. It can be as simple as first, second and done. That way you are dealing with a specific process and you have clear guidelines on a then b then c. Experiment with getting on top of one process before you move onto trying the next one. That way your target is set and you can go yay or nay and move on from there. DIY can be intimidating mostly due to the uncertainty that comes with having to decide on the next step.

The biggest part of your process will be detangling your hair. Processed hair tangles a lot. It is much more apparent when you have the two textures to compare. The processed ends are much finer and more likely to mat. Sectioning your hair may be a pain. Completely detangling it may be just as frustrating. Start with four sections and work with one at a time. Further section a quarter into slivers and detangle ends to roots. Always working in a downward motion never in an upward one. As processed hair can have damaged cuticles and reversing the direction can lift the scales on the hair and cause havoc. 

You can use a comb/ Denman type brush or your hands. I prefer my hands but this took me a while to get used to. So don’t put pressure on yourself. Go from easy to more complex.

Whatever you do, do not wash your hair as is often shown in TV ads. You will be sorry as the mating that happens with transitioning hair will be made worse. Section and shampoo. Clip and move on. try and wash your hair upright. You can tilt your head forward and over into a basin especially if you have shorter hair,  but with length this will create more tangles than is necessary and is totally avoidable. 

DO NOT DO THIS!

The easiest way to style transitioning hair is by braids or twists. Depending on the length of your hair and the look you want, experiment with one of these till you find the one you like best. 

A braid or twist

Option 1) cornrow your hair in horizontal rows and set to dry. 2) Flat twist triangles (asin a cut pizza shape) and set to dry 3) Single-strand twist and set to dry 4) bantu knots

Cornrows

Flat Twist

Knots/ Bantu Knots

Once these are dry- you can undo the plaits/twists and create a simple style. 

The amount of variation with braids and twists are endless. They come on a sliding scale from very laid back all the way to dress up. shop around for look online to find what works for you. 

Sumetra Reed- Natural Metra has several amazing vlogs on Youtube that show clear  visuals on how to create amazing hair
See her do her magic here. https://www.youtube.com/user/NaturalMetra

The endless styling options

Maintenance: You can then just use a satin bonnet to preserve this style for a few days or 

You can redo the braids, twists or knots as a nightly routine and undo it in the morning. 

Do a quick style and your out the door. 

The Not So ‘wash n go’

Here the point of the process is to style your hair in curls or coils while wet, leave to dry and either wear it as is for a few days or style the curls when dry to a hairdo. 

Wash n go’s are often misrepresented as a quick and easy way to style but this is not the case. Unless you have very sleek smooth curls that just appear and are defined on their own you will have to do a few things to get your curls to a defined state. 

The way this process works is 1) to cleanse and condition. 2) detangle 3) rinse. 4) add a leave in and or a gel. 5) set your curls by either combing them in your hair or using your fingers to set small sections. Either by smoothing your hair between the palm of your hand. Alternatively taking every single stand of curl and smoothing it individually. It takes a long time. Especially if you are new to this process. I suggest you try it when you have at least 1.5 hours to get through the process. The last thing you want is to try this at 6am when you have to leave the house at 6:30. The processed bits of your hair may not form a curl, particularly if it has been relaxed. The more growth you have the better the overall look will be. 

Flexi-rods, rollers and knots

Another useful skill to master is a flexi rod set. It may take a few tries before you figure it out but its well worth the struggle. Also, other types of rollers give a wide variety of curls that can help during the transitioning period. The reason it is useful is that it helps to blend the two different textures. It stretches out the coily parts of the hair to give the look of even curls.  Also if you have very coily curls the size of skewers as I do then this is a useful way to get bigger curls. Do check out a tube video or two till you get the hang of this one. 

Things you want to reduce or avoid: 

Chemicals that will change the texture of your hair. Unless you have consciously decided to change the texture of your hair note that permanent hair dyes, texturises, and most chemicals with extreme points of alkali substances will change the texture of your hair. It will compromise the protein bonds of your hair and will lead to some kind of damage. 

Heat is a potential factor of damage to all hair. Natural hair is susceptible to heat damage and can become limp and dry from extreme heat exposure. Use heat protectants but most of all guard against very high temperatures. If you do want to use heat try and keep it as low as possible to avoid burning you hair. Avoid heat damage at all cost as heat damage cannot be repaired. The only way to mend it is with a scissor. 

Washing your hair in a hurry will cause a lot of frustration. Detangling natural coily hair is a time-consuming task. Be patient and do not resort to wild combing to speed up the process. You will break your hair. If you opt for finger detangling know it require more time. Do not pull tangles out with force. Slow is your friend. 

Things you want to do:

Curb breakage- Natural hair is not indestructible, instead it is fragile. So handle it with care, be patient when detangling and styling. Satin bonnets and pillowcases will help protect your hair from breakage. Do your hair when your able to take your time instead of rushing though the process. Wet hair in particular tends to be elastic. While your natural hair will easily bounce back from a stretch your processed ends may not. Take care not to cause more damage to processed ends. Slowly trim them to reduce the risk of breaking the healthy lengths. 

Hairstyling is an art. Don't be discouraged if you do not succeed at first. The more you do it the better you will become. Think of it as walking. At some point in your life you learnt how to do it and now you barely think about the fact that it was something you had to learn. Have fun with your hair. If it does not work, just laugh and move on. Don't let it overwhelm you. Have a back up plan for fail days. A hat, a doek, a few hairpins can save the day. Just as you can use a broken cake to make cake pops or another dessert you can use a messed up hairstyle to create a nice pin-up. 

Love Naturally

SHL

Are you in Transit?

The Basics of transitioning to Natural hair?

The next few articles will deal with all the major points en route to transitioning. The first article is dedicated to the decision to transition, The second styling transitioning hair and the third the interesting things I learnt both enrolee and during my natural hair stages. 

For some the choice may be simple for others not at all. Here are some things to consider if your thinking of signing on the transition contract. In short the process of caring for your hair from the basics to the extras. What to do and not do. The various products, styling options and other aids. Also, what to expect of your hair and finally some interesting things to keep in mind about natural hair. 

The first thing to consider and decide is if you would like to big chop and move on or if you would like to transition to an eventual big chop some time in the future. 

The Big Chop:

To big chop or to gradually get length and then big chop in essence transition is your first decision. There are pros and cons to both so consider what fits into your life since once that hair hits the ground there is no going back. Going big chop can be life changing or it can be just another day. This will depend on your motivation to chop as well as whether or not you have ever had a TWA. Women who like short hair and those who have had very short hair may actually not feel moved by this experience at all. For them it is a non-event and once done it is done. For me the first big chop was a big deal. It was an emotional event and I felt relieved and excited and when that first shower hit my head it felt forever changed. 

When I had processed hair I would mourn my hair for days. Going natural was still an emotional experience but the feelings were more relief and excitement than sadness. I felt like I had gained something instead of only losing a part of myself. 

If you are going big chop for the first time there is no way of knowing how you will react and or respond at the realisation that your hair is no longer there. So be resolved about your decision before you take the dive. 

Very Short hair

There are few things as liberating as having very short hair. The shorter the hair the more healthy it appears to be. Shorter hair appears more responsive and it will change as the hair ages and becomes more worn. My tightly coily short hair was a breeze to manage until it reached a mid afro state. Increased tangles, knots, product buildup, styling and all the rest can take a toll on your time and look of your hair.

The awkward growing stages:

Hair growth is a frustrating and slow process. Be mindful of this when you consider going big chop and factor a few years to grow length. There are clear recognisable growth points that will appear to allude you if length is your goal. Keep a photo diary to remind yourself of the changes. Otherwise you will feel eternally cheated by the growth chart. Your hair will appear to be a still life image for about a year. Often, many naturals become frustrated by feeling like their hair is not growing. So for arguments sake lets say you went brush cut, then you will have a twa, then below your ear, then you can pull it to your collar bone, then pull it to your shoulder and beyond. Note, I say pull because natural hair and particularly curly, coily and kinky hair can be very long and appear to be quite short. The power of shrinkage is real and it will frustrate you. You may want to use this to your advantage and enjoy the shorter looks for as long as possible because eventually your hair will get long and you will have new things to lament. At brastrap length my coils are only now reaching my shoulders. You can either enjoy this short look or you can use the various stretching techniques (twists  and braid outs)  to give a longer appearance. 

Setting hair goals:

It is a good idea to set some hair goals so that you can see the progress you are making and to actually appreciate where you are in relation to where you were. However, we often put way too much pressure on ourselves and so set unrealistic goals. Hair grows at a very predictable rate of about 2 to 2.5 cm per month. And on my fingernail 2cm gives me very long nails but on my head it does almost nothing. However, fast forward twelve months and you will see the difference so, be patient. It will grow. I recall one of my favourite videos by miss Longhairdontcare where she said: “Yes, Lord black hair does grow” She had waist length natural hair and got so tired of people questioning this fact and actually questioning if her hair was real at all. In some of her videos she actually had to part her hair to show her scalp in all sorts of direction as well as to get in the shower to show people that her hair does revert back to being curly since she often used heat. She was one of the first US vloggers that I followed and she was one of the first very long haired ladies who shared how she did it and was totally unapologetic about doing it her own way. She sadly passed from a bout with Lupus a few years ago. 

Setting goals need not at all be to grow long hair.  Healthy hair is just as valuable. Maintaining healthy hair can be a very rewarding change. You may want to explore healthier hair by moving to better products or treating a scalp condition or to make it part of your overall health. There are lots of options in the product space and they are not equal. So perhaps invest in better understanding of what is actually in the products you choose and how that is impacting your health. Or in the treatment options for specific scalp conditions. There are very many topics to explore in the natural health division so do become more savvy if these interest you. 

Taking care of your hair

Get to know what the basics of haircare. The quick view is that you have to aim to cleanse and condition your hair every week. You can stretch it to two weeks if you absolutely have to.  You can add stuff to this process but taking away from it is not a good idea. Your scalp needs to cleaned to maintain a healthy balance. Your hair will also thrive on more moisture. Your hair is exposed to the elements and it needs stuff (moisture and other treatments) to keep it from becoming straw. Yes, there are some people who have amazing hair and don’t ever use a conditioner but these lucky few are a minority. For the majority of us product and process is our saviour. 

The add ons:

There are several add-ons in a hair regime such as clay treatments, protein treatments, moisture masks. Clay treatments are used when one wants better curl definition, protein treatments are for overworked and frequently heat stressed hair. Moisture treatments are done to treat dryness and straw like hair. All of these depend on your preferences and desired outcomes. Further there are several stylers and sealants such as the gels, oils and wax used to finish a look or seal in your process. There are many of these products available on the market.  Here you will have to exercise discretion with trial and error and to find the ones you like. 

These few points listed above covers the basic decisions you will have to make when starting on a new regime. The next article deals with Styling options once you have gone past step one. Followed by my list of interesting things to expect once you have gone natural. 

Love Naturally
SHL