Are you ready to go natural? There are two steps you can take to start your natural hair journey: Transitioning to natural hair or the Big chop. Transitioning (growing out your relaxed hair) can be difficult as you have to deal with two hair textures. In addition to this, you have to take care of your new growth, which you don’t know yet.
On the other hand, if you do the big chop (cutting off your perm), you will get rid of your relaxed hair, but,sometimes you will be left with a super short haircut. Some natural Frolicious beauties don’t like the short hairstyles on them.
Today, I would like to give you some tips on how what would be better for you: Transitioning to Natural Hair or The Big Chop.
Transitioning from relaxed to natural
If you don’t want to sacrifice your hair length, then you can transition to natural hair. In this case you should be aware that you will need to deal with 2 hair textures (new hair growth and relaxed hair) which is sometimes not easy. Then you should ask yourself how long you want to transition to natural hair. You can get a trim after some months or after a year or two. Check out these tips that will make your transition much easier.
Detangling and Wash Days
Use a good conditioner and a wide-toothed comb. Start at your hair’s end and work your way gently to the roots. The point where your natural hair meets your processed hair is the your hair’s weakest point. Take your time when you detangle and style your hair. At the very beginning I used to wash my hair weekly. One of my favorite shampoo is Come Clean by Kinky-Curly. It removes build up of old products. After shampooing you should deep conditioning your hair. I started with Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Mask and I am still using it. In addition to this, don’t forget to do protein treatments every 6 to 8 weeks.
Unfortunately, our hair tends to be dry. Water is the best moisturizer but you will need to add a leave in conditioner (e.g. Giovanni Direct Leave-In) and an oil on top to seal in the moisture. A great way to moisturize your hair is go do the LOC method (Liquid, Oil and Cream).
If you need more information, check out this post “LCO or LOC Method – Have you tried it yet“?
Styling
Try to avoid heat usage as your hair is already in a fragile state and can easily be damaged. Let your hair air dry instead of using heat. Furthermore, avoid transitioning styles that put too much tension on your hair. A manipulation style which does not require daily styling and maintenance is perfect. You can do twist out or braid out. Sleep on a silk pillow case or a satin bonnet to protect your edges.
Big Chop
If you don’t care cutting off your hair and start from scratch, then the big chop would be perfect for you. It has the benefit of starting fresh by allowing your hair to grow without having any damaged hair ends. However, shortly after the haircut you need to figure out how to maintain your short hair (TWA – Teeny Weenie Afro). Here are some great tips for you.
Get a professional hair cut
In order to achieve the best results get a professional haircut. You want to feel comfortable. Even if you only left with a few inches – please don’t forget that your hair will grow back. Embrace your new short hair. Moreover, don’t let your hair define who you are. Wear some stylish earrings or head pieces to feel yourself.
If you need some inspirations, read this: How to Embrace Your Short Hair – 10 Hairstyles
Detangling and Wash days
Detangling your hair is not an issue, so wash days won’t be time consuming. If your hair is longer I would consider washing your hair once per week to remove build up including a deep conditioning treatment. Besides detangling, moisturizing your hair is also going to play a big role during your natural hair journey.
Even if your hair is not long you need to moisturize it daily or any other day. This depends on how well your hair retains moisture. This depends on if you have high or low porosity hair. Knowing your hair type will help you a lot in understanding how to select the best products for your hair.
Check out this blog post about: How Hair Porosity Affects Your Hair Routine
As mentioned before, a water based hair product like Giovanni Direct Leave-In is perfect to moisturize your hair. In addition to this, you need a great moisturizing cream (e.g. Modiê Moisturising Créme – Check out my review) and some oils. Currently, I am using my DIY Moringa 0il to seal in the moisture.
Styling
After the big chop will not have many styling options. However, you can do finger coils or mini bantu knots. After the first year you will be able to rock many different hairstyles. You will be surprised how long your hair will be after only one year.
What now? Transitioning to Natural Hair or The Big Chop
You see, that at the end transitioning to natural hair or the big chop will end with the same result – you will cut off your relaxed hair. I did a mini chop. It means I allowed my hair to grow naturally and trimmed the relaxed and damaged ends every 3 months. This way, I was able to get used to my natural hair journey. For me it was the best choice.
Have you made your decision yet? What is best for you: transitioning to natural hair or the big chop? Leave your comments below. Download the Natural Hair Checklist for Free.
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