Struggles of transitioning to natural hair

It's been almost 1.5 years since I started my transition to natural hair. Has it been easy? No. Was it unbearable? No. Would I recommend going natural? Definitely!. When I started transitioning, I read a lot of posts and watched a lot of videos which said transitioning is very difficult because you have 2 textures and insufficient knowledge on how to care for your 'new' hair. Honestly, after the information overload, I was prepared for the worst. But to my pleasant surprise, my journey hasn't been hell. Either way, there are still some things I've struggled with, and here is how I solved them.

1. Wash time

When my hair was relaxed, it was obviously easier to wash due to the fact that the strands were less tangled so using a conditioner always did the trick. With transitioning hair, it has become more time consuming since I have to separate my hair in sections and detangle the hair. There are 2 things I did to solve this issue: firstly, I cowashed or wet my hair often because I found that when my hair was dry it tangles a lot more making washing a pain. Secondly, I would recommend detangling in sections because this was you are gentle with you hair and honestly you will work through the sections faster than trying to detangle your whole head at once.

2. Frizz

As my new growth increased, I got to a stage where my frontline was curly, too short for a fringe but also too short to pull back. This is one of the awkward stages, especially if the relaxed hair breaks off on that section. It is literally not here not there, so it makes certain days difficult when you can't get it to look less messy. My solution for such days, was gel and a headband. I would spritz my hair with my DIY Hair Moisturizing Spritz, apply some leave-in conditioner and then apply a bit of gel. Brush my hair back using my Tangle Teezer, put my hair in a ponytail and then add a headband.

3. No wash and go

Gone and at the same time still to come, are the times when you could wash your hair and be ready in less than 8 hours. If you try to pull off a wash and go, it would just look ridiculous with your hair partly curly and the rest hanging like a wet towel. Because you now have 2 textures which look nothing alike, you need prepping or pre-styling time which is anywhere from 8hrs if you do not use heat. For this, I didn't have a solution. 

4. Prepping or pre-styling

Now this is probably what I struggle with most. Linked to point 3, it takes forever for my hair to be ready and for me to go out. I constantly have to do braids/twists to merge both textures, so afterwards I can wear a braid out or twist out. And if you forget or are too lazy to make the braids, then into a bun the hair goes because that's the easiest way to hide the texture difference.

That's all I could remember at the moment, but like I said it hasn't been too difficult. With trial and error I learned how to handle each problem, and it is all worth it. Everytime I look at my curls, they make me smile. I am currently at a stage where I still have a bit of relaxed ends but at the same time, I can get away with a wash and go. And let me tell you this, I honestly cannot wait for the day when I trim off the rest of my relaxed ends and will be fully natural. According to my plan, this happens on the first weekend of June, so be sure to follow me on snapchat (@styleofcolours) where I will share the process.

Are you transitioning or considering going natural? Let me know if you have any questions.