Dprincess, you have some really great points. You were so right about the relaxed being weaker than the natural hair. My hair was mid back length. I transitioned for 16 months until I could take it no more. I BC'd on 2/27/09. What a relief - no more 5 hour styling (detangling and twisting) for me (at home). No more globs of hair on the floor, in the bed, or in the comb. I LOVE my natural hair. It is versatile and easy to maintain.
I'm relaxed and my hair is very healthy. I'm not afraid of my natural I stretch my relaxers at times up to 6 months. My relaxed hair is very healthy and that's because I educated myself on how to take care of my relaxed hair. Natural or relaxed hair is a choice. But educate yourself on your choice.
I am 47wks post and at first I was only going to stretch my relaxer for a year but now my feelings are begining to change, I feel like natural is calling my name! thanks for all the awesome tips you gave.
Excellent points! I'm also transitioning atm and I'm about 3inches in and the one style that has really helped me is "bantu knots/twists". The Bantu knots actually make my relaxed hair look "natural". Your advice about treating all of your hair as though it is natural is some of the best advice I've heard because it really does put you in that mindset of "i'm natural", so my preparation is NATURAL. Great, great advice!
I totally agree...My second time going natural was more challenging than the first..IRONICALLY. I've been natural for 5 years and I am STILL getting to know my hair. It's very important to know what's best for you. Thanks hon!
I'm 17 years old and this is my 16th month of transitioning. i plan to cut off the rest of my relaxed ends in two weeks. Going natural( especially transitioning) is extremely hard. I had to deal with two textures in the beginning- mostly relaxed. But then i realized that the more your natural hair grows, the easier it gets. And the best thing is styling. I go to a pretty diverse school, of about 3,000 students and only 2 of us are openly natural. The best thing is the attention i get. I love it.
I tuned into your channel, 3 years ago, when I decided to go natural. You are the very first natural sister that I subscribed to. Three years, 14.5 inches of Natural hair later! I just want to tell you, thank you so much! you were very inspirational to me, and I am glad to have began my Journey with you. I send this video to every person in the street who stops to ask me about my hair. :0)
I'm a guy and stumbled across this on accident, but I wanted to say that you are BEAUTIFUL, AND I LOVE YOUR HAIR....Straight Hair, Curly Hair, Afro it doesn't matter as long as you're happy with YOU that's all that matter...Your Natural Hair brings out a inner beauty.....Just wanted to give you props.
I am on this journey for myself and my teenaged daughter to get off the hair crack!! I am so happy to run into your channel, you are a lovely articulate sister.
Just want to tell you that you have the best advice. I decided to go natural recently and I have gotten my products together and believe I am going to have a successful transition. Thanks so much. Be Blessed.
I've been transitioning for almost 8 months now but after seeing these encouraging videos, it makes me want to do the big chop. I kinda want to start from square one to get to know my natural side. Thanks for the tips. They were very helpful.
I love your advice! You are so right, this is a fabulous journey I am loving every minute of mine! I'm currently in my 8th month of transitioning back to my natural hair and it's the best decision I've made in a long time. And I have to add, that "firing your stylist" is GREAT advice (even though my best friend was my stylist) because many of them know more about "styling" than "healthy hair care." Unfortunately it's true. And before anyone gets all upset, I said "many" not "all."
I relaxed my hair for the first time in Jan 2009...it was all good..growing nicely then around April May 2009 it started to break off..got really damaged...In around septemeber 2009..I had no choice but to cut it..decided relaxer isnt for me. It made me lose chunks of hair..bald spots and all...Now its Jan 2010 and my hair is grown...no bald spots..no breakage...NATURAL hair for life! Cant wait to see how long it can grow
I'm not African American, I have PIN straight boring hair, I just randomly stumbled upon this video and I am super, super jealous of your hair. It's BEAUTIFUL.
I completely agree with you. I recently started my journey, and I am so excited to continue! I hope other Black women would embark on their natural hair journey as well.
You hit the nail on the head. I've had my hair relaxed since I was 10 y-o. My relaxed hair is long, thick and healthy so nobody in my life (so far) support my decision to go natural but I really want to but I've kinda been scared. I still haven't decided when to start but I'm building up my resolve. Thanx alot.
I absolutely love your passion for embracing and nurturing black hair. Just so you know. After staying up all night watching your video blogs...I decided to bantu knot my hair...just to see how I was going to like it. I LOVE it! I am relaxed and colored BUT I don't want to do the big chop. I think I will do what you said just trim until it's all gone.
Ok, I'm about to embark onto this journey. It's been decades since I've been completely natural, but in this time, natural hair goes with the truth and honesty that we have to embrace and live by. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm not trying to impress anyone. I am who I am and I'm to be accepted as I am or keep pushing. I'll stay tuned in to stay encouraged.
I stopped perming my hair over two years ago, and just let it grow out. I rinsed and conditioned it every week and washed it every other week. Pantene relaxed and natural is really good. I love it, and it saved me a ton of money.
im transitioning out of my third relaxer ever and after that im never getting one again. im already treating my hair like its natural, nurturing it to health, and i cant wait for it to grow out. thanks for the tips!! im making sure my little sister never ever gets a perm when shes older!
I recently have embarked on my own "natural" journey and I'm excited. I have been using the protective style of "braid outs" and i completely changed my hair product lines to ones that exclude sulfate and all the other products which dry out curly hair. I know it will be worth it in the end. My hair is growing out thicker already. I have opted to NOT do a big chop but rather to let it grow out and blend my natural hair to curly w/ braid outs. Your tips are helpful.
Thank you!! I have been in transition for 11.5 months and will BC in 2 weeks. This was sooo helpful. I have started treating my relaxed hair like it's natural instead of the other way around.
I have started my natural hair process about 1 year ago or so. Yes, it is a process. I like the fact that I can go from natural to flat iron at any time without having a relaxer. But one key factor is your diet. Eat more vegetables & fruits along with taking your vitamins. This helps to keep your hair strong during your transition.
she is beautiful and has influenced me to really go natural. ive thought about it doing it many many times before. thanx for being here to give tips and opinions on how to go about doing this. its greatly appreciated! idk how anyone could dislike an informational video????
I've been transitioning from relaxed to natural hair since October and you gave some great tips that are very helpful. I though about flat ironing my hair every other month, but now I'm just going to stick with trying out braid outs, twist outs and braids until my natural hair gets long enough for me to where long and then I'll slowly start to trim my hair since I like my hair long and its not damaged right now. Great info :)
just wanted to thank you for the encouragement, i was becoming frustrated with the transition but..after listening to your testimony of your journey, i will continue with mine...my sisters and my niece have already begun and completed their transitions and they are sooo happy so thanks again for your encouragement and information
I remember when I first went natural I couldnt keep my hands out of my hair. I absolutely love the way it feels and the permed textured does not compare to the natural thickness...its amazing!
I greatly appreciate the candor and honesty that my stylist won't help me. I've come to this point where I want to go back to natural having grown up "au natural". These youtube videos have been helpful.
I agree. Coarse hair is beautiful and has more structure to it. You can definitely do some creative natural styles with coarse hair that you can't do with fine hair. And, coarse hair looks really thick and pretty when straightened too.
The B/c is so much easier because as your hair grows you figure out early on which products work and which ones don't so by the time you reach your desired length, you know exactly what to put in your hair and what not to. When you transition you have two types of hair that respond differently to each product.
I started my transition by getting micro braids 3 months after my relaxer for the summer. I kept them in for 3 months, so that put me at the 6 month mark. When I took them out I just cut off about 3 inches all around. Then I pampered my hair with oil treatments and co-washes for the next 4 months and trims.. I did wear a lace front wig during that time which was really different because I never worn one before. Now my natural hair is thick beautiful and past my shoulders. Good luck to you.
you have inspired me to go back to being natural. I tried it 7 yrs ago and it was great after my "BC" bu then I got pregnant and after my daughter was born it was sooooooooooo much I couldn't handle it. I relax my hair 4x's a year and I wear a bun EVERY DAY! It's just time. I feel it. Thanx for doing you're vid's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i decided to go natural three weeks ago. it's been three months since my last relaxer. my mom said that the process of transitioning will be hard, but i'm so ready for it.
I completely agree with everything you said! I'm ~10 months post (and finally decided to vlog my journey - woo hoo!) and I am soooo happy that I decided to go natural. And I no longer use stylists!!!! I am the best stylist that I have ever had (and coincidentally, the most affordable) and I have fallen in love with my hair. Swoon! Great vid!
Dang, I really appreciate this, because this is my first month into transitioning and I am really nervous, but my mind is made so I can really use all the help I can get and you are really articulate and helpful
I have not gotten a relaxer in like 5 months now and I'm going natural. I'm choosing to do the Big Chop tomorrow! I'm nervous and all that, but I now know that I can do it...we all can! I've had my hair relaxed since I was three yrs. old and I'm 31 now, so I would love to know what my natural hair looks like! Yours is so gorgeous, I hope my natural pattern will look like yours and grow nicely! I just want healthy hair, that is the goal and the best kind of hair to have! Thanks for these tips! :)
A braid out style is basically when you set your hair with braids. You can start on dry hair, or on wet hair (which gives more curl definition, but at the same time, less length to the style). So you make a certain number of braids in your hair, leave it in overnight, and in the morning, you unbraid your hair and wear the curls it makes! It's a staple natural hairstyle. You can find hundreds of tutorials on youtube, just write braid out in the search bar. You'll be amazed!!!!
Thanks for the good information. I just recently made the decision to transition from relaxed to natural because I spend three days a week in the pool and would like to do it more without worrying how the chlorine will effect my hair due to the relaxer. I've spent a lot of time gathering information on doing it without the "big chop". This video has been a great help and I'm looking forward to the journey.
Thank you for this video. It really helped me keep to my transitioning journey. I've been on my journey for almost 6 months after having a relaxer since I was 7 yrs old. Well. I'm 30 now and this natural journey really has tested my patience lol. I've had so much breakage because of thinking I could use Natural hair products with my old Relaxed hair products. It just doesn't work. So, I really committed to the process and took a chance on a line of products for strictly natural hair and I have to say I've seen a huge difference in my hair in only one week. I've trimmed my hair last month and I understand that its important to keep at it every month. I am looking forward to the rest of this journey and I wish all the transitioning ladies good luck. God bless :-)
I'm 6 months into my hair journey. My hair dresser is working with my, which is great(we have 20 yrs together). So I'm happy for that. since my hair is long and thick, we have decided to hard press it, which is working but now it is hot out. This Saturday she is doing braids that will last 2-3 months,i can't wait.thanks for the video
Thanks for the info. I've been natural for years but only recently have I understood the importance of being natural and taking care of my hair properly. Now I plan to transition my daughters hair from relaxed to natural and her hair is long but I notice her hair is breaking just like mine did when I had a perm. I feel she'll appreciate the natural hair better and I plan to teach her how to take care of it like I take care of mine. This advice helped alot. Thanks.
Loved the video! Im about to go back natural next week and I'm gonna do the BC!! I've done it before about ten years ago to start my locks and had locks for over 5 years and decided I wanted the Afro, the twists and all that so I combed my locks out and wore natural styles and my hair is wavy and I found that I couldn't deal with the waves so I relaxed it again and I regret it! So I'm starting over again from scratch. You r so right about everything u said, and I love ur hair!!!
Bless you. You speak that word, girl. I hope and pray that at least one sistah will make the transition because of your video. You're beautiful as is your hair. Thank you for the video!
Thank you SO much for this!! I'm only in the 2nd month of transition and it's so overwhelming. Your advice has been the most helpful and inspirational yet.
Thanks for sharing. I'm 6 months post and I've thought of relaxing only because my styling is limited and I feel overwhelm but after watching this I've learned to be patient... Thanks alot!
I just wanted to say thank you for the hair tips. I"ve been considering going natural for a while but I never wanted to do the bc. I just didn't think that it would look right on me. So I'm going to take your advice. I know that it's going to be hard but I'm blessed to have come across people like you on youtube. It just gives me the motivation needed to keep moving foward on my own hair journey. So just thanks again and always know that your advice is valued.
Great video. My last relaxer was in August 2012 , and although my hair is very long with a relaxer it has started to become very thin . My hair has lost a good deal of length due to shrinkage , which a flat iron can bring back but I refuse to do it as the risk of heat damage. I have discovered that my natural hair texture is so beautiful. I encourage others to just at least see their own texture for themselves and decide from there. :)
Very nice! I love how you discuss the emotional journey. I am nearly a year into my journey and I remember how hard it was at first to get myself to leave the house with my own natural short hair.
I love your hair! I'm transitioning also in my natural hair journey, I haven't had a relaxer since July 29, 2010 and sometimes it gets frustrating that my new growth is coming in. But, I know in the long run it's going to be worth it! My decision for stop using relaxers were right after I would perm it I would get headaches, it ate some of my hair out(which since has grown back), and the chemicals they use are not healthy for the body. I can honestly say I love this new chapter of my life! ;)
I feel like Im beginning all over trying to recover my hair from all the heat damage and color. Obviously I wasnt helping my hair grow out either and recently I had to cut off 4 inches. Now that I am more informed, and have sworn off heat for 6months I'm going to do it the right way and pray me hair restores and grows. I should've just tune in to everything you were doing and could've saved myself all this hair drama. But you live, you learn. Started the journey all over again! Pray for me =(
Yey. Its nice to see so many people are going natural like I am. Its not common in this area and there isn't much education about black hair care. I've been getting comments like if I go to long between relaxers my hair will fall out and everything. Its nice to see that more people then me are starting to see something wrong with putting chemicals in our hair.
I started my transition journey this January and I have had relaxers since I can remember. My hair has always been long too. I do not want to loose length as a result of transitioning. I am also a licensed cosmetologist as well but i have been out of the salon for years. Thank you for the tips and encouragement I am sure I'll need it.
Hey ladies, just wanted to let you know that I'm transitioning and have found Nexxus' Botanoil Shampoo and Humectress Conditioner and Keraphix Reconstructor (Deep Conditioner) to be a great help. My hair is VERY THICK even with the relaxer and these products detangle so well that i hardly have any hair in the brush and in the drain when I'm done washing&conditioning and combing. I wish everyone well on this journey. Keep it up!
this is achieved when you braid your hair (the smaller braids=smaller curls) and take it out after some time. you can do it on wet or dry hair, but i recommend you braid it while its wet and unbraid it when it dries.
Thank you this really helped me I've tried to go natural a few times and always reverted back to a relaxer cause I got frustrated. I am now ready for the long journey.
you said two things that just made me so happy. i love that you said i dont have to do the big chop and you are so rite about the stylist thing. i have wanted to go natural since i was in middle school and everytime i tried, my stylist would be like my hair is this and that and i should relax it. but now i guess bcuz im older im able to speak up more and i stoppd goin'.
Hi I did the BC and it is so true I did not know what to do with the dry brittle and short hair that grew back but you are so informative as well as the people leaving comments Thanks everyone
I must say Thank you for this video. I recall making the decision to go natural in April 2009 and later finding this video. This really helped me as I transitioned for 1.5 years and I am now happy with my natual kinky curly hair! :0)
yupppp im trying to go natural tooo!!!! i havent had a relaxer since august, Im doing the transitioning thing, its time for a trim tho ! Im not ready for the BC quite yet, waitin for some more length, but I am excited for having natural hair!!!! and i agree, its more versatile having natural hair, you can straighten if you want, but you cant get your natural curl back once its relaxed. And from all my friends who are natural, or who already transitioned, told me its a learning process!
I really appreciate your channel. You were the first person that I saw on youtube that I wanted to model my transition after. I have been natural 15 months and I am still dealing with those relaxed ends. I am slowly but surely cutting those ends off. I have a video up on my transition and my goal is waist length. I am at my bra now!
I did spiral curls for 2-3 years while I was transitioning, and my hair was fabulous and healthy! I shampooed it once a week. My natural hair is course, but while doing the wet sets (spirals) using the green magnetic rollers, I found that my hair responded very well. Plus, I was able to retain so much length before finally doing the bc.
very informative. I've just made the decision to go natural after years of relaxing my hair and I'll be honest, I'm scared and excited and just full of emotions. I think natural hair is beautiful and I wish I'd made this decision years ago. It's been 2 months and I've been relaxer free and already I can see my beautiful natural hair growing. I love my length and commend those that have done the big chop. It's good to know I can start this journey without doing that.
Thanks for the compliment :). You can also try a good moisturizer and curl activating gel. There are a lot of products on the market that help keep curls defined. Mixed chicks, Curls, Kinky Curly--these are all brands that cater to curly hair, and there are several others. You just have to find what works for you. Good luck!
This is a must watch video. Our hair is not an accident, its beautiful soft and versatile. I co sign this video but this video may still seem foreign if you haven't began the natural hair journey so be sure to watch before and after the decision to return natural, especially if you are a 4a, 4b, or 4c hair type.
Thankyou for the support and advice i am on my 4th month of going natural and you are definantly right about being patient its not always easy, frustration is always around the corner. :)
If i could go back in time i would never have let my mom perm my hair. I use to have such long beautiful hair and now its short and badly damaged. I really want to go naturally, but I was terrified because I did not want to chop all my hair off. After doing some research today I've decided that I'm gonna go natural through transitioning. African American hair is so beautiful and it really is versatile, we should all embrace it.
Thank you so much! I'm just starting this process right now. It's going to be a long journey, but I really want to wear my hair natural. You are a true blessing! :)
this video helped me soooo much, im half African American and half latina and I am trying to go from relaxed to natural hair so my hair is really curly, im getting really impatient lol but this helped alot THANK YOU!
I have been natural for almost two years and my hair was long so I let it grow out for a year then cut it into a bob type hair style!!! That worked perfect for me cuz I didn't have to cut it all off and it allowed my hair to grow out quicker and I luv my naturl hair. N its definitely emotinal cuz I started actually four years ago n didn't know how to take care of it and relaxed it, but I learned and now I luv my hair!!
Everything you said is so true. I decided to go natural two years ago and I went for the Big Chop. I figured it was going to get cut off anyways so I cut my relaxed hair off from the begining. It was emotional for me cause I love having long hair and to have my hair that short killed me. But two years later I love my natural hair, I will never relax it again especially since I can just flat iron it if I want that relaxed look. It is a journey but it is well worth it.
Goodness gracious!!! I am so grateful to God for you. Thank you for this much needed video. I am in the transition right now from relaxed hair to going natural. My natural hair looks similar to yours because my hair is mixed. You have a lot of good information and I will definitely use all of what you said. Thanks again.
Thanks for letting me know that I don't have to do the BC in order to get natural hair. It's been 16 weeks no relaxer and I really appreicate this video it's very informative. Hope to hear more GREAT tips in the near future. Again thanks and Be Blessed!!
i think your flat-iron frequency is okay; if you see that your hair isn't reacting negatively. that's basically what i did and my hair didn't incur any damage. i think the philosophy of flat-ironing depends on the person. especially if you know how to take care of your hair already (moisturizing, not putting a lot of stress on it, etc). that's just my 2 cents.
Hey hun. Other ladies have asked me this, and the only suggestion I can give is to gently massage that area with some oil. Keep your edges well moisturized at night too. The pure oils (i.e. carrot and olive oil) from the Hollywood Beauty line are really good for that because they absorb quickly and don't leave your hair or scalp greasy.
I am just starting my journey to natural hair. It has been @ 2 months since I had a relaxer. I am kinda scared because I have had a relaxer since I was a teenager and really dont know what my hair type is. I have found you and a lot of other sisters on here very helpful. I would do the BC, but I dont think I will look good, so I am going to let it grow out. Just want to say thank you for posting this video. you are a beautiful young lady. I love your hair.
Thisis VERY clear and concise. I love all of the tips you've provided. I plan to wear braidouts mostly when I decide to transition or stretch. Thank you!
Curlformers are awesome for transition. It takes a long time, but if you do it every week spend 2 hours on ur hair, you will have healthy, natural transition style that will make all the hair flat and the same texture no heat. It just takes me an hour to do my whole head and another hour to deep condition, wash, etc.
