Hair Products

Below is a collage of some of my hair products.

Transitioning

I was inspired to do a piece on transitioning from relaxed hair to chemical-free hair (I don’t like to use the term natural hair, because I believe as long as it’s growing out of your scalp it’s natural, be it dyed, relaxed, texturised etc)

How can you talk about this since you relax your hair?

Well, I have transitioned twice in the past and so am able to look at the pro and cons from the inside and out.  In my opinion, here are some of the important points to ponder when considering returning to an unaltered state of hair…

Why am I transitioning?

This is a very important question, the most important if you ask me. Just like every other thing in life, a purpose for a thing has to be established before going into it, otherwise failure is inevitable. A fair amount of people who transition do so because their hair is in an irreparably damaged state, as a result of sustained improper application of chemical relaxers and/or poor grooming habits.

Other people make the decision to transition out of the conviction that unaltered hair is part of their identity and who they are.

Strangely enough for others, the decision to transition is born out of a desire to be more adventurous and explore alternative hairstyles and grooming methods.

What do I need to know?

I am a firm believer in the need to get wisdom and understanding before embarking on any project, therefore I would advise anyone thinking about transitioning to read, read, read, especially if this is the first time/attempt.

In my case, after I got over the shock (1^st transition) of not recognising the person in the mirror, I constantly struggled with grooming. I had no idea what to do, worse still, no one I knew at that point knew what to either, not even my hairdresser.  

So began the trial and error phase:

Error 1 – trying to get it to look ‘relaxed’/straight

Error 2 – constantly applying heat

Error 3 – washing only once a week and keeping water/moisture based products away from the hair – that’s the worst thing you could do.

Error 4 – using products meant for relaxed hair

Error 5 – constantly combing and brushing hair

Error 6 - not getting enough information before starting

Error 7 – thinking since hair is in its absolute state, it can be treated anyhow (afro hair is extremely fragile and should be treated as such)

Error 8 – hoping and praying it would ‘sleep’/lay down at some stage in the future (don’t even think about it if you have type 4b/4c hair like mine)

Error 9 – thinking your type 4b/4c unaltered hair will be the same as someone with 3a/3b hair type

Error 10 – cutting off your hair as a result of some live changing experience is not the same as transitioning – just means you want to cut off your hair!

Error 11 – applying just a little relaxer or texturiser to ‘help it along’. Once you do that you are back to square 1.

To chop or not to chop?

At some point, those who wish to transition will have to cut off their relaxed ends. Some wait till the hair’s grown to a certain point, other go ahead with the big chop as soon as they can. I believe the big chop is best option – get it over and done with and start getting used to the new hair. You grieve, you move on.

I think a lot of people who go the other route, i.e. growing out the hair and then cutting off the relaxed ends are complicating things. Some people have been known to change their minds after seeing all the new growth and how much hair they would have to cut off. I would definitely do the big chop and then lovingly care for my hair and watch it grow.

What should I be prepared for?

Hang-ups.

A lot of women of African origin have never wore their hair unaltered and so do not know how to react when they see someone with hair that has not been chemically treated. Folks will say what folks will say, so it’s best to develop a thick skin. In the words of my mother, who by the way has supported every hair change I have ever been through - ‘emphasise your cheek bones, embrace colour and wear earrings’ – I have to admit this advise was specifically for me as I am petite with a square shaped face…yeah I know.

I did a big chop during my first transition; actually, it was more like a big shave, and looked like a 12 year old boy. But with blush, bold eye shadow and earrings (normally I don’t wear them), I managed to pull off a look that inspired many people and produced copy-cats.

Last words

I love healthy natural hair in all states…to each her own. No one has a right to make anyone feel inferior because of their hair texture or how they choose to wear their hair. It’s what’s underneath the head, not what’s on it that matters.