Transitioning refers to the process of growing out your relaxed hair. Transitioning begins whenever you mentally decide that you no longer want to continue to relax your hair. From that point up until the time that you cut the last of your relaxed ends is called transitioning. You are not completely natural until you have cut out all of of the relaxed hair and have nothing but virgin, unaltered hair on your head. You will trim your ends monthly as you normally would until only your natural hair is remaining.

How Long Does Transitioning Last?

That all depends on you. The amount of time that you transition is totally up to you. You can transition up until the time that you are ready to cut off the rest of your relaxed ends. If you want to grow out the total length of your hair, then this process could last up to two years or more depending on the length of your hair. If you don't want to wait, it could be as short as a couple of months to a few days if you choose to BC.

What Does BC Mean??

BC stands for "Big Cut." Some people don't want to bother with growing out the relaxer and dealing with multiple textures at one time. These individuals may opt to BC instead, cutting all of their relaxer out at one time and wearing a TWA. A TWA is a teenie weenie afro.

How Do I Care for My Hair While Transitioning?

Transitioning is a great option for those individuals who want more length before they go completely natural. If you are a patient person that is good with styling hair, then this is a great option for you, but transitioning is not always easy. It can be very frustratig at times. You need to make sure you are properly caring for all of the textures on your head to make the transition to natural be as smooth as possible. You will need to give your hair lots of TLC (tender, loving care). Your new growth will crave moisture, so you need to keep it properly moisturized. Deep condition your hair weekly. Pay special attention to the line of demarcation. This is the place where your relaxed hair meets your natural hair, and as you can imagine, it is a very fragile place on the hair strand that is prone to breakage. Make sure that you keep your ends trimmed regularly.

What Styles Can I Wear While I Am Transitioning?

There are many styles that you can wear while you are transitioning. The easiest for most women is braid or twist extensions. In fact some people opt to wear braid or twist extensions the entire time they transition until they are ready to cut out the remaining relaxed ends. However, braids and twists without extensions are an excellent option. Two strand twists, bantu knots, buns, roller wraps, roller sets and "out" styles (i.e twist outs, braid outs, knot outs) are all great styling options. The key is to choose styles that will blend and mask the difference in the two textures as you are growing your hair out. We do not reccomend using heat to press the roots to match your relaxed ends. Not only can it be damaging to your natural hair, as excessive heat can cause damage to the hair strand like a relaxer causing the hair to permanently straighten, but it is opposite of the whole purpose of the transitioning process. Transitioning is about letting go of the old processed hair and learning to accept and get comfortable in your natural, highly textured hair. You should be manipulating your relaxed her to mimic your natural hair instead!

I'm Transitioning and Want to Cut My Hair, but Something is Holding Me Back. Is This Normal?

This is quite normal. It's a very natural reaction to experience fear when you are encountering something new and different that you are not accustomed to. Women of color have been taught that our natural hair is not acceptable, needs to be covered or chemically altered to be attractive. We have all been taught the long, straight, hair beauty myth, and even though we know in our minds and hearts that it is wrong, it can still be difficult to overcome that old way of thinking that has been drilled into our minds since we were little girls. People often say that there are two forms of transitioning: the physical transition and the mental transition. The mental transition can be just as difficult as the physical one. Your mind may not be able to handle the physical changes that your hair is growing through. If you are feeling this way, know that this is normal. Relax, and know that in time you will reach a point where you are comfortable in your natural skin, and it will be easy and effortless to let go. If you ever reach a point where you get frustrated and just don't know what to do with your hair, get braid or weave extensions or wear a wig until you are comfortable.

Document Your Journey!

Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged, disappointed or frustrated when you are new to natural. You may feel like you're having a hard time retaining length and have a hard time feeling comfortable and confident in your natural beauty. In these cases, it's helpful to document your natural journey. Each month take pictures of your hair. Start an online hair album. Many naturals create hair albums on a website called www.fotki.com. Any photo-sharing site will do. You may not feel like you have come a long way at all, but when you can physically look at a picture and see the changes in length and styling flexibility, you will feel a lot better being able to see the progress you are making. Also, check out other natural's hair albums as a source of nappy inspiration. You can always look at my hair album, www.fotki.com/mzpoetic (e-mail me for the current password). At last, check out our nappy inspoirations page for nappy-isms to motivate and encourage you on your napptural journey and to find pics of women of all hair types, textures and lengths wearing their natural hair proudly!