Hiya, curlies! I wanted to post some pics here of how my hair looked when I was transitioning. I didn't have any natural products then because I couldn't afford them, so I stuck with pink lotion, very cheap leave ins (
African Pride Olive Miracle) and Pantene shampoos and conditioners even though I was beginning to realize that those things were bad for my hair. But I used what I could! :-)
I was home most of the time, so I kept my hair twisted up a LOT. I remember how my twist outs looked, mostly stringy at the bottom and nice and fluffy at the top. I transitioned for two years because my relaxed hair was already about 16 or 17 inches long and I didn't want to lose all of my length that quickly. I don't remember getting a lot of breakage with my line of demarcation because I was very gentle with my hair then. Eventually, when I got tired of the two textures (and needed a change in life), I did my own big chop and cut my hair a little past ear length.
See my whole hair journey here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y9UEDQV8D4
I was never very fond of or good at updos; I love having my hair down. That's always been my signature thing. Occasionally, I'd wear a ponytail or two, but nowadays, It's
rare that you'll catch me wearing a ponytail or a bun unless it's inside the house. I'm quite sure that I'd still look nice in updos, though, especially since most people say that I look Indian based on the way my head is shaped when you look at me sideways. LOL! (random)
Transitioning Tips:
1. STAY AWAY from combs! Try to do as least combing as possible to avoid breakage at the oh so fragile line of demarcation.
2. Finger detangling is
always best. Don't worry; you CAN do it! If you have stubborn type 4 hair, make sure that your hair is wet and saturated with conditioner or a silky leave in before attempting to finger detangle.
3. Deep condition weekly. This was one thing that I couldn't afford to do back then, but I wish that I had been able to. My hair would have been a lot stronger, and I would have probably avoided seeing a ton of hair come out in the shower. :-/
4. Protect the ends! Yes, they are the relaxed, already damaged portion of your hair that'll eventually get whacked off, but trust me, you don't want dry, raggedy looking ends when you're trying to blend your two textures. Been there, done that. Pay more attention to those ends than anything else; seal them like you'd seal your bank account.
That's all for now, folks. Peace out!
~Epic Realist~
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