Twist it BABY!

I have decided to start this new thing...twist my hair up for 5 days and then take it down for 2 days. Wash and deep condition on the 8th day and then twist it up again. Why you ask? Well I got the idea from a twitter friend of mine (YaYaMarie -- check her out). She is doing that. I think it is the best thing to do especially in the summer since the heat can cause breakage and frizziness. Also this is good for me since I have been doing wash and goes everyday and have the urge to always comb which has caused excess breakage. So this is what I'll be doing for the rest of the summer.

The first pic is last weeks style and the pic on the right is this weeks style

The Do's and Dont's of Transitioning to Natural Hair

Okay first the 'Do's':

1. Do take extra care of your hair! It's different now because you're getting off of the creamy crack and since your hair will be going through withdrawal, it will need that extra care and attention to prevent too much shedding or breakage.

2. Do always moisturize! Moisture is the key for healthy new growth and maintaining the relaxed hair while you have it. I'd say moisturized daily.

3. Do condition. Co- wash regular and deep condition at either 1x per week or 2x per week depending on your hair condition or liking.

4. Do experiment with transitioning styles. For me this prepared me to sort of get used to what's to come. It also is an easy way to blend the two textures.

5. Do have fun with it! Transitioning is a very trying period of however long you decided to transition. Make a blog, Vlog, journal, or a picture journal (like fotki.com). Also join some forums. This way you will have the support of others that are going through the same thing or those who have been there.



The 'Don'ts':

1. Don't use flat ironing as a styling method. I cannot stress this enough. Flat irons are heat and heat is very dangerous for your hair right now especially at the line of demarcation which is the weakest area. If you must I'd say do it 1x during your transition! So pick a special day!

2. Don't put too much stress on your hair. This means no buns that are too tight, no rubber bands, and no combing and brushing! (that's next)

3. Don't comb your hair dry! This can cause unnecessary shedding. It's better to comb your hair in the shower while wet with conditioner. And brushing isn't necessary. I don't even think I owned a brush while transitioning.
4. Don't use products that contain mineral oil or petroleum. They can clog the pores on your scalp actually slowing down growth. So...no blue magic grease.
5. Don't use products using sulfates. They are actually drying for the hair. Many shampoos contain sulfates.
6. Don't rush to do the big chop. Be sure you are ready b/c you don't want to regret it. Also when you feel like your natural hair is getting to long and the two textures are harder to maintain it might be time to BC.

Suggested Products to Use While Transitioning

Okay, I like to use natural product for my hair, but i will suggest some store shelf products.

Shampoo: Black soap. I love this b/c its all natural and it works as a clarifying shampoo. A store shelf brand I would suggest is anything that doesn't contain sulfates because these are very drying for the hair.

Conditioner: I prefer an all natural lightweight conditioner like oyin handmade's honey hemp conditioner or My Honey Child's Jamaica Island Conditioner which is my current favorite. A store shelf brand I would suggest would be Organix coconut milk conditioner or any of Garnier Frutis conditioners.

Deep conditioner: A deep conditioner can be made at home. I suggest a conditioner made with coconut anything b/c it's great for repairing damaged, dry hair. The conditioner I make is made of coconut milk, coconut oil, olive oil, and half an avocado. blend until smooth. I do not recommend store shelf for a deep conditioner b/c you can find these all over your local grocery store.

Moisturizer: If I've said it once, I'll say it again: SHEA BUTTER! lol. I feel that shea butter is the best for transitioning hair b/c it coats and protects the hair. You can mix it with oils to make it whipped or you can mix it with water and oils to make a cream. Store shelf for this I recommend Hollywood's Beauty Carrot Creme. Its great for breakage and it's really inexpensive.

Oils: To me the best oils are EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), coconut oil, and jojoba oil. Store shelf would be Africa's Best Herbal Oil. It has a bunch of great oils and it's inexpensive. Apply to scalp daily to condition natural hair and to hair shaft to prevent breaking and split ends.

Transitioning Styles I Tried and Highly Recommend

There are 3 styles I attempted (and succeeded) with during my transition. The first was twist outs. I don't have a pic but there is a link to my youtube video.

Another style is bantu knot outs. Bantu knots have about 50% success rate. It works for some, others they don't. For me it worked. Click here for my tutorial, but there are so many other vids in youtube land about bantu knots. Although in the video I used pantene pro v for women of color setting/wrap lotion. I do not recommend this b/c it contains chemicals that are drying for the hair. I was still experimenting w/ products then and didn't know any better. If the knots don't stay on their own, using ouchless hair ties are recommended. It is best to wait until your hair is fully dry before unraveling the knots.

Another style I frequently did was a braid out. This is the picture at the beginning of this post. This style is very good at blending the two textures.

These styles are very quick and easy to do. It is recommended to style when hair is wet after doing a wash and deep conditioning (best for transitioning hair). Always moisturize the hair everyday! Find a favorite moisturizer of your choice and do it everyday.

The purpose of these transitioning styles are to protect the hair from damage and breaking. combing and brushing the hair everyday can cause breakage. Another reason is to blend the two textures (relaxed and natural). And the main reason I suggest others to use these styles is because it prepares you for what is to come (waves, curls, etc.)

Other styles are straw sets, flexirod sets, roller sets, but I choose not to do these because they are very time consuming and I have a very limited schedule but these styles do look nice.

Two styles that I would have liked to try are 2 strand cornrow outs and 3 strand cornrow outs. Same thing as braid outs or twist outs but I feel they are better for longer new growth.

Why I decided to Transition

After 3 attempts I finally went all the way through with transitioning. My first try was back in high school. One of my friends decided to go through it with me. Needless to say that after 3 mos of new growth we was running to the store for a box perm! LOL! The second time was after I moved to Delaware in '06. My hair was growing out after I had gotten a faux hawk cut and I was getting micros. I got micros back to back for a combo of 6 mos. I noticed my curl pattern and decided to go ahead and not get a perm. Lets just say that didn't last long. The third time was when I got pregnant with my youngest. It was an unexpected pregnancy and since I new I would get that extra hair growth that most pregnant women get I decided it was a good time. But since my husband (now separated) liked girls with longer hair I got another relaxer to please him. Then when I was 5 mos pregnant, I found out my mom was transitioning and she did her big chop in September of that year. So it really motivated me to go all the way since she looked like an African goddess. So after studying this natural hair phenomenon (when I do something I always study it) I found out how bad relaxers were for our hair. I found out that our hair is actually stripped everytime we get one. That's why the instructions say not to place on already relaxed hair (only new growth) eventhough we still do that. And that's one of the reasons why the hair looks thinner at the ends. Another thing that motivated me was that I was reading how a lot of black women have negative views on natural hair eventhough that's who we truely are. And I realized I grew up with the same thinking that natural hair is nappy and bad, but this was because that's what I was taught. I do not want my beautiful daughters feeling the same way. This was my beginning to end the cycle. The last reason was that I was just too damn tired of getting relaxers every 3 mos. I dreaded it every 3 mos. This was something that I felt if I didn't want to do it, then I simply should stop.

Who I Am

My name is LaTonya and I'm a single mom from Charleston, SC. I recently decided to transition back to my natural hair on August 2008. I transitioned for 7 months and finally did my Big Chop on January 25th 2009. I have gone through a lot since the beginning of my transition. Let's just say when things need to be changed in your life everything else goes along with it too. Hair and makeup along with my children are my hobbies right now. I am also taking classes to get my bachelor's in marketing at AIU online. I have a YouTube channel by the name innovativethinkin where i talk about my natural hair journey, facts about natural hair and natural hair products, product reviews, and I also do makeup tutorials! So feel free to check it out!