Are you ready to go natural? For years long, sleek tresses that moved defined pretty, but today more and more men and women are rediscovering the beauty of their own kinks, curls and coils. In fact the movement is enough of a trend that MTV’s True Life is transitioners between the ages of 15 to 28 to share their stories leading up to The Big Chop. Suffice it to say, whether your hair is naturally curly, wavy, or straight, working with your natural texture instead of against it, is the secret to the ultimate hair. Some fearless divas don’t hesitate when it’s time for change. When the fearless are ready to go natural, they simply grab scissors or clippers and chop their hair low and grow their hair out from a teeny weeny afro to unlimited length. But if you’ve had relaxed hair longer than you can remember, you may need time to transition into the natural lifestyle before you go natural.
If you’re ready to transition to natural, the following tips can help you maintain your hair until you do the big chop.
1. Moisturize your new growth regularly and handle it gently to keep strands from breaking. Hair is weakest at the point where your straight hair meets waves or curls. So as the saying goes, moisture, moisture and more moisture is key to keep your strands from drying, breaking and splitting
2. Say goodbye to fine toothed combs and bristle brushes. These tools pull out your hair and keep you from retaining length. You may be able to get away with running narrow toothed combs through freshly relaxed hair, but they’re a definite no-no for natural hair. Get used to the protocol now and save yourself the grief when you finally reveal your natural hair after the big chop.
3. Learn about protective styling. One of the best ways to retain hair growth is to leave your hair alone as much as possible. So consider braid or twist extensions, weaves or wigs, so you can keep your hands out of your hair as much as possible. If hair extensions aren’t your thing, braid or twist up your own hair and or rock a bun if your hair is long enough.
4. Don’t throw away your hair products just yet. Now that you’re thinking about going natural, you’ve probably noticed that natural hair care products seem to be everywhere. In fact brands like Carol’s Daughter are synonymous with lush, natural curls. You’ll have plenty of time to experience the new world of natural products as your hair grows out. In the meantime, if you have shampoos and conditioners that work for you, stick with them until you find new products to take their place.