How to go from a relaxed hair to natural hair?

My hair is damaged and the sides (near my hairline) is gone.


I am unsure if I should keep it natural until my hair grows back or perm it again and do treatments.How to go from a relaxed hair to natural hair?
http://longhaircareforum.com


It's up to you but I would go natural and stay natural. Learn from mistakes, lots of people have had bad relaxer experiences and go natural because of it.


HOW TO TRANSITION:


First, Congratulations on making the excellent choice to go natural! I have a lot of tips.


I just I BCed (big chop) after 10 months of transitioning. 5 things you MUST know about natural hair and for during the transition.





1. Never, never, NEVER try to detangle or comb it without some type of conditioner in your hair. You are just asking for breakage and pain. Only detangle with fingers/wide tooth comb. It was rough until I discovered that conditioner is your best friend.





2. You may have a very kinky/nappy texture. Do not look at curly haired pictures and think your hair will look like that. Do not think your hair will grow downwards or shine or sway. Embrace the texture you have or you will be running back to relaxers. Transition your mind, not just your hair.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_mzdBr9鈥?/a>





3. Hair grows kind of slow for some people and it can get discouraging. Document your progress. This is important becuase it's easy to ignore how much your hair has grown. Get a camera.





4. Go to the below websites, check out people at the forums, how to videos on youtube, look at people's fotkis, really research becuase there is now so much more info on natural hair than there used to be. Also know everyone's hair is different so find what works for you. Experiment and find a good nappy support group. http://nappturality.com is a good site.





5. You may get negative reactions from people like dirty looks and mean comments. Some people are still negative about nappy hair and some people just don't like change. Just hang in there becuase you know your hair is healthier. WATCH THESE VIDEOS:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEiCrejLn鈥?/a>





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXC0bQZ2z鈥?/a>


There are 3 options for transitioning. I will discuss pros and cons of each method:





1. Leave hair out while transitioning


PRO: Learn to deal with new texture right away and what works and doesn't. Can grow out natural hair and keep relaxed hair so you don't have to have short hair. You don't get the culture shock of braiding down. Can cut off hair in little chops if you want or keep it until ready for the BC.


CON: The hassle of dealing with both textures can lead to a premature BIG CHOP. Also if you aren't ready for short hair not good for you because breakage might occur since the meeting point of relaxed/natural is fragile. Hard to find styles for both textures.





2. Braid hair down/put under weave.


PRO: This is good if you don't want to deal with the hassle of two textures and want to keep relaxed hair as long as possible.


CON: Some culture shock when hair gets unbraided and you don't know how to deal with new growth if you wore a straight weave.





3. The BIG CHOP


PRO: Easiest, cutting off hair right away means no hassle of two textures and right option for people who's relaxed hair is damaged or they just want it gone right away. Also you get to know your natural self from the beginning.


CON: leaves you with about 1'; of new growth. Not for you if you hate short hair.


If you choose to leave hair out here are my tips on styling and hairstyles:





HAIRSTYLES:


You can flat iron the new growth to match the relaxed hair but I personally prefer to match the relaxed hair to the new growth. It's healthier, the styles last longer, you can do it yourself and it teaches you how to deal with your own texture right away.


STYLE INSPIRATION:


http://www.youtube.com/user/naturalnana


http://public.fotki.com/poochie247/prett鈥?/a>


Basically you don't have to BC now but I wouldn't transition for more than a year if you plan on going fully natural at some point. The tangles alone get ridiculous.





WHAT YOU SHOULD DO: You may need to start over and just chop the hair off, it's a goner for sure with all the damage it has, but if you want to hang out to it until healthy hair comes in you can do that to. This is very important. If you choose to not stay natural, at least know that the best time to apply relaxer is after hair has grown long. Basically, I would do some protein treatments, some deep conditioning treatments for a month or so. STOP STRAIGHTENING AND USING HEAT AND RELAXING YOUR HAIR! You can use this time to start doing some natural styles. Next, put your hair into a protective weave/braids in order to let hair rest. So wear a weave or braids BUT not for too long...couple of months and then let hair breathe for a few months and do more treatments. Don't forget no heat or relaxers during this time. Then do some braids and before you know it you will have enough hair to do the BC and cut off those relaxed ends. Voila, you are all natural!


Good luck.How to go from a relaxed hair to natural hair?
well you are probably putting your perm on the wrong way, you should have put vaseline around the edges around your hair , also you arent suppose to put the relaxer on the edges until last because it doesnt take as long for it to straighten. So your best bet is to just let your hair grow out naturally.
grow it out.


keep it natural.


there are so many youtube videos and websites to help with this.





here are just a few blogs:


http://www.freewebs.com/sistas-in-kc


http://naturallyvoguish.blogspot.com/


http://www.freewebs.com/kimanisknapps/


http://www.rockyournatural.blogspot.com


http://sashashae.com/hairblog/


http://bloglorious.com


http://blackgirllonghair.blogspot.com


http://maneandchic.blogspot.com/


http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/categor鈥?/a>


http://biracialhair.org/Welcome.html
I would keep it natural until it's at the length you want it, and then get it permed. If it's damaged then you should do treatments on it three times a week to repair it properly.





Or just keep it natural and don't bother with a perm at all?
Stop relaxing it, that is very damaging.


I would recommend this website, it is all about growing natural hair.


http://www.long-healthy-hair-advisor.com鈥?/a>
I would like to add a web forum that I go to. I'm personally not ready to let go of my relaxers lol but one day I will go one day go natural. Good for you for going natural!





http://forum.blackhairmedia.com/