HOW I AM TRANSITIONING TO NATURAL HAIR!! By Uzo of Don't Touch the hair

Hiya,
I have been asked severally about hair care tips for ladies who are transitioning to natural hair as it can be quite a daunting task if you are not well equipped, so I reached out to Blogger Uzo of DON'T TOUCH THE HAIR who has been transitioning for 17 months and she was kind enough to answer the most pressing question most transitioners have.



Enjoy;

Please introduce yourself
Hi, I’m Uzoma. I do many things but the internet knows me for my hair journey. I document my ups and downs on my blog, Don’t Touch the Hair (https://donttouchthehair.com). I started taking better care of my hair in 2012 and I decided to transition to natural last year.














How long have you been transitioning?
I’ve been transitioning for almost 17 months.



What have you discovered about your new growth?
·         It shrinks quite a bit but that’s okay. Shrinkage means my hair has good elasticity and it’s properly moisturised.
·         I have different textures throughout my head. The front portion has a finer texture so I have to be very gentle with it. The back section is a little bit coarser so it can withstand more manipulation.
·         It’s much softer than I expected it to be. I had natural hair from 2006 – 2008 and the entire time my hair felt pretty hard. I’m using knowledge from my hair journey to help with my hair during this transition. Thankfully, it is working.




When would you say was the time you started feeling the stress from your line of demarcation (if applicable)
Around 3 - 4 months post relaxer, I had a pretty bad setback because of a protein treatment I did. My hair, especially the new growth, got really tangled. In fact, I wasn’t planning to transition at that point. I did the protein treatment to prepare for the relaxer I wanted to do the following week. Since I had that setback, I am more careful about how I handle my hair at the demarcation point.


How did you combat the challenge?
I am very careful when I manipulate my hair. Wash days are when I manipulate my hair the most. When I wash my hair, I take many precautions to reduce stress on that area, including sectioning my hair, gentle detangling, using oils to help lubricate my strands, etc. I also take my time to fortify that section with protein and moisture. This is by no means perfect and I do see some breakage at the demarcation point. It is definitely less than what I would expect if I didn’t take care of that area. 




How much hair have you had to cut in the process?
Normally, I try to dust my ends every one to two months to prevent split ends. I slacked a bit earlier this year. In June (at around 13 months post relaxer), I got my hair done and the stylist trimmed about 3 - 4 inches off. Right now, I have about 5 – 6 inches of new growth. It’s about 4 inches at my nape.  My hair is mostly natural.



When do you plan to be fully natural (time span)?
When I started, I had a goal of making my transition 18 months. I’m almost at the finish line and I plan to cut off my relaxed ends very soon. It has, by no means, been easy but I’m glad I challenged myself to do this.



What have been your go to products during your transition? Do you have a transitioning regimen?
My products have been the same ones that I used when I was relaxed. I use the same shampoos, conditioners, leave-ins, etc. I didn’t think it would be necessary to buy new products when I had others to finish. Plus, these products have helped me get through my relaxer stretches. For shampoos, I use the ORS Creamy Aloe shampoo to clarify and the Crème of Nature Argan Oil shampoo as my sulphate-free shampoo. For deep conditioning, I use Crème of Nature Intensive Conditioning Treatment or Hairveda Sitrinillah Deep Conditioning Hair Masque. The Crème of Nature conditioner is balanced between moisture and protein while the Hairveda conditioner is strictly moisturising. I am looking for a good protein conditioner. Hopefully, I can find one that is Nigerian-made. Right now, I’m using ORS Hair Mayonnaise but it isn’t as strong as I was expecting. For my leave-in, I use the African Naturalistas Leave-in Conditioner, if needed. For oils, I use hemp seed, olive, and castor oils. My moisturiser of choice is the Cantu Shea Butter Creamy Hair lotion.
My regimen is pretty much the same as when I was relaxed. I just modified some steps to help my transition.
Wash: Every 7 - 10 days
1.       Pre-poo with oil mix, if needed
2.       Detangle to remove shed hair
3.       Wash twice with sulphate-free shampoo (clarify with a sulphate-based shampoo once a month)
4.       Deep condition hair with heat or steam for 20 -30 minutes. I alternate between a moisture-based conditioner and a protein-based conditioner (If there’s no electricity, I wrap my hair with cling film and a towel.)
5.       Rinse with cool/cold water and dry with t-shirt or towel
6.       Apply leave-ins and detangle
7.       Style
For styling, I usually put my hair in braids and pin them up for the week. I have attempted some styles to blend the two textures together, like braid outs or curly styles. I also try to stretch my hair. If I don’t, my new growth will shrink and tangle. It would be a nightmare to detangle.
Protein Treatments: Every other wash day (twice a month). I usually use a medium protein treatment.
Moisturising and sealing: Every 2 - 3 days, as needed. Apply oil mix (hemp seed, castor, and olive oils + essential oils) to scalp once a week. At times, I may spray my hair with water.
Trim/Dust Ends: Once a month to every 6 weeks.

Do you know your hair type?
I think I have a pretty good idea about my hair type, which is listed below. However, I don’t really follow the curl typing system that much. Personally, I think that understanding your strand thickness and porosity can help determine the best techniques and products to use for your hair. For example, my strands are pretty fine so I can’t use thick or heavy products on my hair. It would get weighed down.
Curl type: 4a/4b
Density: Medium to low
Strand Thickness: Fine to medium
Porosity: Normal to high

Thanks so much Uzo for the helpful answers, hope this interview helps a transitioner out there!!!

Until my next post, stay blessed!!

Xxx
Dabs

When do you plan to be fully natural (time span)?
 !"#$$"%"
&'(&)
How long have you been transioning?
*)(+
What have you discovered about your new growth?
,-)

*./ )0/*
* )"
)
1/&''23&''4))
"
) 
When would you say was the me you started feeling the stress from your line of demarcaon (if
applicable)
5678/"9
)
/-
 !"#$$"%"
&'(&)
How long have you been transioning?
*)(+
What have you discovered about your new growth?
,-)

*./ )0/*
* )"
)
1/&''23&''4))
"
) 
When would you say was the me you started feeling the stress from your line of demarcaon (if
applicable)
5678/"9
)
/-
 !"#$$"%"
&'(&)
How long have you been transioning?
*)(+
What have you discovered about your new growth?
,-)

*./ )0/*
* )"
)
1/&''23&''4))
"
) 
When would you say was the me you started feeling the stress from your line of demarcaon (if
applicable)
5678/"9
)
/-

Share:

1 comments