Thinking about transitioning?
Before I chopped on December 1st, 2004...I was relaxer free for a little under a year. I battled with the decision to transition for several months before I decided to go ahead and take the big plunge! My original plan was to relax in December of 2003...and get a touch up sometime in the Spring (April or May of 2004). When the time for the touch up came...I just couldn't bring myself to do it! With the long break from the relaxers...I noticed that my hair started to thicken up again, and it was growing at a good rate (something that never happened when I was relaxing). I even noticed that my new growth was coming in coily and curly! My experiences as an adult with relaxers really weren't too bad, however, I had bad experiences with relaxers as a child. My hair broke off...my sides thinned out a little....and I was burned more times than I care to remember! I also think that my relaxed hair was prone to splits. No matter how much I moisturized, I was always in need of a trim. I believe this is another reason why I could never retain any length. With relaxers, my scalp would usually dry out..and flake like crazy. I thought to myself...is the bone straight look really worth all of this? I wanted to have my long...thick hair back...so I made the decision to rediscover my naptural roots.

Transitioning really does take mental preparedness. When I first heard that phrase...I thought to myself...yeah right...all you have to do is stop relaxing! It really is true though! I had a couple people suggesting that I needed to get a relaxer...and that I needed a little touch up. It took me a while to realize that no one needs to get a relaxer. It's all about what you like and what is best for your hair. You should only relax your hair if it is something that you want to do...and that's the same for going natural. To fully transition your hair...you also have to transition your mind. Once I got over my always straight...fresh out of the salon mentality...I was ready to transition!

My transition was both fun...and rough at times. I have learned a lot about my hair these past 9 months. One major thing that I've learned is that you are going to have breakage during your transition...how much depends on you. The relaxed ends will eventually break. It can be a lot...or a little. It's all about on how you handle your hair. Some of the best tips that I've learned from LHCF about limiting the breakage are....

Detangle under the shower head when the water is streaming! I really learned this one the hard way! I kept playing in my hair...and caused myself to have unnecessary breakage. To cut down on my terrible cause of Hand In Hair Disease...I started braiding my hair up when I'm at home.

The K-Cutter Comb is a thick haired girl's best friend! I absolutely love this comb! I don't know what I would do without it! It makes detangling in the shower a breeze!

The Denman Brush is a life saver! This brush is almost like a comb! I never thought I could detangle with a brush...and NOT lose a ton of hair.

Moisture is the Key! The last thing you want to happen is your hair to break off from not being moisturized! Water has become my best friend. I was one of the people that used to believe that old African American hair myth "If you wash your hair too much it will fall out." I wash my hair on a daily basis...and it is doing just fine!

What ever you do...don't hold on to your relaxed ends at the expense of your natural hair! I was going to transition for two years...but I decided to end it once I saw that with the increase in breakage...I also had an increase in split ends where to two textures met! The purpose of transitioning is to enjoy a healthy head of hair....and a ton of splits will just lead to damaged tresses. If you decide to BC...remember it will only be short for a few months before it starts growing back in. I really had to keep telling myself this or else I would have never done it!

One thing that I regret doing was using heat to straighten my hair for trims. As soon as I would get my hair flat ironed...I would start seeing a dramatic increase in split ends! When I did the BC...I had my stylist do it on my damp...freshly conditioned hair. I wish I would have done that for previous trims!

One thing that I had during my transition was a ton of support! Two of my close friends decided to stop relaxing...so when I needed to share my hair obsession with someone...they were always there to listen lol. I also had Support from the ladies of LHCF...and Nappturality. :) I never would have transitioned if I hadn't found LHCF...and I know I would still be hanging on to these relaxed ends if it wasn't for Nappturality. If you decide to transition...try your best to find someone on or offline that you can talk to if you ever feel discouraged.

I am happy with my decision to stop the usage of chemicals. I think that it's one if not THE BEST decision that I have made for my hair so far!