Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural Hair Without the Big Chop

Vogue Italia Editorial Tribute to Black Beauties

There could be many reasons why you choose to transition rather than big chop. Regardless of your reason, congratulations! You've made a courageous first step. Transitioning is a process that allows you to grow out your natural hair without cutting off your relaxed hair all at once as you would with "the big chop". You are transitioning your hair from a chemically relaxed state to a natural state. If you transition, your primary goal is to maintain length.

At the beginning of the transition phase you determine how long you want to transition. There is no right or wrong time frame. No specific length of time is required. There are three ways to determine how long you will transition.

The first is by selecting a timeline beginning with the date of your last relaxer. If I relax today and decide that this is my last relaxer, my transition begins. Let's say you decide to transition for two years. You will big chop two years from the date of your last relaxer. This date will be your anniversary for each year that you transition.


The second way is by deciding on the hair length that you'd like to accomplish before cutting off your relaxed ends. You may want to have 12 inches of natural hair before you big chop. You must determine your rate of hair growth or go with the average to estimate your timeline. However, there is no big chop date scheduled. You will big chop when you achieve your goal of 12 inches of new growth/natural hair. Hair grows at an average rate of 1/2 inch per month. To achieve 12 inches of natural hair you can safely assume that it may take approximately 2 years to reach that goal. However, not everyone will experience the same rate of growth. Your hair may grow faster or slower than the average.

The third way to transition is to base it on how you feel. You can big chop whenever you're mentally ready to take that step. Take your time.

As mentioned the primary goal of a transitioner is to maintain length or your goal may also be to retain length. At some point you want your relaxed ends to be banished, exiled, get the old heave-ho. You can do this progressively or aggressively. Here are a few standard practices of a transitioner in maintaining or retaining length:

You can clip the ends of your hair as your hair grows. If it grows one inch, cut one inch. This will progressively rid your hair of its relaxed ends.

Another way is by having mini chop sessions throughout your transition. You may decide to do a mini chop every 3 months until your relaxed ends are no more or until you reach your scheduled big chop date. Your mini chop may include cutting 2 inches of relaxed ends every 3 months or cutting 3 inches every 6 months. You decide.

Finally, you may want to retain length, which means you want to continue to see your hair get longer as it grows so you may decide to just trim your split ends as needed.

Select Products

Throughout the transition phase you will determine which products will keep your hair healthy, well moisturized, and prevent breakage. There are so many products on the market and it's easy to become a product junkie. You'll be trying out many new shampoos, conditioners, deep conditioners and moisturizers until you find the products that your hair thrives on. To eliminate wasteful spending you may want to read product reviews and learn about product ingredients before purchasing a product. YouTube is a great resource for this. Hair forums and discussion boards are also great resources to learn about natural hair and natural hair care.

Moisturize

Keeping your hair moisturized and hydrated is a critical factor in transitioning. Why? Your hair will be more fragile than ever due to having two very confrontational textures of hair on your head. You have your kinky, curly, coily hair growing in and you have your relaxed, straight ends. Where these two textures meet is the most fragile part of your hair strand. This is the line of demarcation and the hair breaks easily at this point. A gentle hand, limited manipulation of your hair, and extreme moisture and hydration is needed. The products you use will either suck your hair of its moisture or add moisture to it. Learning about product ingredients and which ingredients will add moisture to your hair will benefit you.

Prevent Breakage

Preventing breakage is one of your biggest goals while transitioning. You prevent breakage by using the right products and tools, keeping your hair healthy and strong, and practicing low manipulation techniques and styles.

Certain combs, brushes, hair clips, and hair ties can cause unnecessary hair breakage. You'll have to have an observant eye and learn which hair tools are wreaking havoc on your delicate tresses. Your hands are your best tool.

Healthy hair is strong hair. Strong hair is hair that does not break as easily. Think back to when you were a young child and your parents told you that you must eat your vegetables. Well, we need to go back to the basics. Proper nutrition can help you grow your hair longer and stronger. Hair is a protein and it needs protein and other essential vitamins and minerals to thrive.

Low manipulation basically means keeping the utilization of hair tools and hair styling to a minimum. When you are transitioning, your hair is at a fragile state and can break easily. The less you manipulate it, the less breakage you may experience. This is where the concept of protective styling comes in. Protective styling allows for low manipulation and protection of the ends of your hair.

Protective Styling

Protective styling is a term used in the natural hair community that represents a method of styling natural hair that protects the ends of your hair from breakage. The ends of your hair are the oldest part of your hair strand and for this reason will need just as much if not more love than you give your new natural hair growth. The ends of your hair need extra moisture and protection. This includes protection from brushing against the fibers of your clothing causing breakage and protection from tangled and knotted ends.

Night Time Routine

Your night time routine will be your hairs life saver. Protecting your hair at night will be the difference between retaining length or experience hair thinning and breakage especially at the ends and around the edges and nape. Three things that you can do to protect your hair at night while transitioning include: Moisturize your hair at night and braid it or twist it up, cover your hair with a satin or silk scarf, and use a satin or silk pillow case. It's a daunting task at first but once you're in the routine of things it will become a breeze and your hair will thank you in the morning.

There is no wrong or right way to transition and each person's reason and method of transitioning will differ. The goal is to learn what works for you and go with it.

I wish you the greatest success in your transition!