How to Transition your Kid from Relaxed to Natural Hair
Your child's hair is texturized or relaxed and you are wondering how do you stop putting chemicals in your child's hair and make their hair completely natural.
First thing, know that you are not alone.
Let me share a little bit about myself and my older daughter, known as Big Sis on our YouTube channel, DiscoveringNatural.
When Big Sis was 4 years old, I got to a point of frustration with her natural hair. At that time, I was blind to the beauty of natural hair. Maybe I was sleep deprived due to having a newborn, Lil Sis, or maybe it was the pain I felt when I saw her cry when I did her hair. I decided to listen to "friends" who advised me that the best thing to do was to texturize her hair. It will make her hair easier to manage. Everyone is doing it. They said. And, without doing my research, I listened and went ahead.
Her hair was pretty... at first...
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| Cornrow out (1 month texturized hair (4 years old Big Sis)) |
Transitioning Your Child's hair is DIFFERENT from Transitioning your Hair
Why?
When you transition a child's hair, you do not want to wear styles that are manipulated daily. You want to keep the process as simple as possible. Try styling your child's hair with a style that can last 2 weeks. Styles such as threading, cornrows, flat twists, twists, will help camouflage the relaxed ends and help with growth because the hair is not being manipulated.
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| Big Sis - months after starting transitioning |
Moisture is KEY!
Yes! Yes! Do not slack on moisturizing your child's hair. Keeping the hair moisturized will keep it from breaking. Whenever you wash her hair, make sure that you do a deep conditioning treatment to help restore moisture and keep the hair healthy.
Big Chop ONLY when your child is ready
Doing a transitioning big chop can be a big step. Make sure that your child is ready for this change. Something that helped me was doing regular trims of the relaxed ends while transitioning. This will reduce the shock factor.
The Hair will Grow Back
Remember, hair always grows back. Practice healthy hair choices and make sure that the ends are taken care of in order to retain length. Stay encouraged because when you are positive, your child will feel the same way.
A child's perspective on how it was to get her hair relaxed. Click here or watch below:
Do you have a child that is currently relaxed and you would love to transition her? What are your struggles?
I am glad I came across your blog, I am in the process of transitioning my two girl's hair from texturizer to natural. They are now 2 months post relaxer. I am also transitioning and I am 4 months post relaxer.
ReplyDeleteI want to applaud you for taking this step. It is a learning process. Have lots of patience and make sure you do your research. If you have any questions, you can contact me directly through my facebook page, DiscoveringNatural.
DeletePlease how long did u transition her hair for before the big chop
ReplyDeleteI transitioned her for a year. January 2011-January 2012
DeleteMy oldest girls hair is tricky because when she is 2-3 month post relaxer her hair tangles up and she is always in protective styles. My youngest has eczema which we just discovered, so I am busy transitioning her but the hair just cuts itself to the root.
ReplyDeletePlease advice
Thanks so much for commenting. In regards to your oldest daughter, does the tangle happen more at the line of demarcation. The line of demarcation is where the relax and new growth meets. I will suggest saturating that area with a mixture of oils and conditioner. Oils like Extra Virgin oil or coconut oil. Then use your fingers to gently loosen up the tangle. My oldest daughter also had eczema, she has not had major flare ups since I stopped relaxing her hair. Make sure you are moisturizing her hair regularly. Keeping moisture in the hair will help with the breaking. Also, you can try doing a light protein treatment to strengthen the hair. Check out my channel for types of protein treatments. Hope this helps.
DeleteHi, my two daughters hair is 2 yrs post relaxer. Their hair is now so damaged that when I braid it, the tip is so thin.I decided to stop applying relaxer 3 months ago but it's been very challenging as my second daughter cries every time I touch her hair.I feel so bad to see her cry that much all the time but I am so bent on not going back to relaxer. Pls what do I do?
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned that your daughter's hair is 2 years post relaxer, however you said you stopped applying relaxer 3 months ago. When exactly was the last relaxer? Also, try to do finger combing/detangling when working with the hair. That helps reduce the pain from combing. Also, make sure to properly moisturizer before styling. I have several videos showing how to do this on our channel http://youtube.com/DiscoveringNatural.
DeleteHere is one that can help you soften the hair in order to manipulate it without the aid of relaxer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKZCU_e4kfo&list=PL225896DC8B2C76C3&index=22
my Daughter is 6 and like you i permed her hair cause it was such a hassle with a new baby and one on the way..it was so beautiful..at first.. but niw 3 years later her hair is damaged and medium length.. im so sad i permed it..now i want to start the transition...im pregnant again and i really want to do this...what are the easiest styles i can do...
ReplyDeleteThe easiest style I do is cornrows which lasts 2 weeks. That gives you a little break. That is what I did for my daughter
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