i'm deleting this text from my profile page on a hair social network i'm a member of & wanted to share it on here:
"OK Kim, so what tips or advice do u have for transitioners?"
~Treat ur ng seperately than ur relaxed hair, like, make sure u dc ur ng AS WELL as ur relaxed hair. Take care of ur ends, try to stop as much relaxed hair breakage as possible. This can b hard to do, especially when transitioning. Stay on top of ur moisture/protein balance, not a big deal as long as u remember to do a lil protein treatment every now & then or use products that contain light proteins. & watch out for that line of demarcation! UR RELAXED HAIR WANTS 2 BREAK OFF AT THAT VERY SPOT! Its bad enough for ur ends to break off, but when u get a lot of breakage @ the line of demarcation...u can pretty much throw-in the towel. Take care of ur edges too. Long story short, moisture plays a very important role w/ hair, period. Not just relaxed, transitioning, or 'natural' hair, but hair, PERIOD. Also, remember this; TRY TO KEEP AS MUCH RELAXED HAIR ON UR HEAD AS POSSIBLE WHILE TRANSITIONING, meaning do what u can to prevent breakage. UR RELAXED HAIR IS WHAT'S GONNA B 'hiding' UR NG & PLUS, U NEED THAT RELAXED HAIR TO HELP U W/ TRANSITIONING STYLES (sum good 1's r style variations of braidouts, bantu knot outs, twistouts...). Patience is important too. & DONT TRY TO MAKE URSELF STICK TO A STRICT BC DEADLINE. U might or might not b able to make it to ur infamous 'BC Date'. Just play the 'transition game' by ear. Ur hair will quietly whisper 2 u when its ready for THE CHOP. lol
"Anything else u'd like to add for our other hair-conscious sisters?"
~Yeah, we ALL need to make sure we're keeping our hair adequately moisturized. Relaxed ladies too. It seems, to me, that relaxed hair seems to only grow to a certain point primarily bcuz of breakage issues. TAKE CARE OF THESE ENDS LADIES! If u take good care of ur ends, u'll have less or no breakage. Thus, ur hair will b able to 'grow' longer (retain more length). & hair that's under weaves & wigs should still b properly cared for, as well. Seems like a lot of ladies have the tendency to over-do it w/ proteins too. Aphogee stands out in my mind bcuz so many ladies use it, these products r HEAVY proteins. Anything w/ the words 'reconstructor' or 'repair' or similar words on their labels are protein treatments & are more than likely HEAVY proteins. All I'm saying is b careful not to use these products too often. Protein overload is a quick way to extra breakage. As is moisture-overload, but it seems like more black women might have issues w/ too much protein than too much moisture. Anywho, just listen to ur hair. Do a lil research (all u gotta do is just 'google' stuff). Be gentle w/ ur hair (i gotta work on that 1, too) & most importantly, HAVE FUN WITH UR HAIR, no matter what the length or texture is.
~Closing words~
~Stop the hair discrimination & segregation we've imposed on our own culture! Natural hair is the way our hair is meant to grow out of our scalps, no matter what style the woman chooses to wear, whether it b straight, curly, kinky, 'fro, under a wig or weave. She's still gonna b natural. & no STYLE can make her any less so! Relaxed hair is natural hair that has been chemically processed to alter & destroy the hair's natural curl pattern. Not the healthiest thing 2 b doing 2 ur hair, but as long as u realize that 'Hey, I have chemically processed hair so let me buckle down & really take good care of it.', then u'll b aiight. I prefer natural hair over relaxed hair. The pros of natural hair outweigh the cons. I dont know where all the misconceptions about natural hair came from, but um....yeah, its not that serious. Its just a different texture than straight, relaxed hair, that's all. Why has an un-natural chemical process become the 'norm' in black women hair care? & why is being relaxer-free frowned on? That's just like a woman of another race getting a curly perm (or some other chemical hair process), I bet women of her race dont give her hell about using chemicals to achieve curly hair. So why do we give each other hell about our hair?!
Just a thought~
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Please respect my own & each reader of my blog's opinions & personal beliefs. This will not be a place of conflict, but is meant to enlighten & raise questions & awareness~