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Transition Hair ·
Transitioning Hair ·
What Is Hair Transition? ·
What is Transitioning Hair?
"The best thing about lockdown was transitioning with the help of IntrinsiCurly Me products. My curls just love it. My hair is now super shiny and the healthiest it's been since high school ! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! " Christine F
What is it?
Transitioning hair is the (often frustrating) phase at the start of your curly journey, during which your hair finds its way back to its natural curl pattern. It's the journey we often talk about, of watching your curls become more defined over time.
How your hair transitions depends on your hair history. If you have been straightening, blow-drying , relaxing and bleaching it may take much longer to see optimal results.
Transitioning is challenging because you’re dealing with two different hair textures, your hair that has been blowdried, straightened, relaxed etc and your new virgin hair that is growing out.
Why does it happen?
Your hair is too damaged from blow drying, straightening, bleaching or relaxing to reveal your natural curl pattern. Your new 'virgin' hair isn't damaged and so your natural curl pattern is revealed at the root.
How long does it take?
How long transitioning takes is very different for everyone, and is often dependent on the level of damage you are dealing with or growing out.
It can take anywhere from approximately 6 months to 2 years, depending on what your hair has been through. We feel you, we really do.
The more you use IntrinsiCurly Me the better your results will be.
Remember that every time you 'blow fry' or straighten you are removing some of that moisture and taking 2 steps back. We ain't judgin', we just sayin'.
Why does my hair suddenly seem more oily while I am transitioning?
Since your hair was probably dry you've been overproducing sebum to balance out that dryness. Now that you've stopped all the hair horror routines your hair isn't as dry anymore but it may take a while for your sebum production to level out.
Tips on transitioning hair
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Say bye-bye to blow fry. Ditch all the chemical relaxers and heat tools for good (diffusing on low-medium heat and low-medium speed is ok).
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Deep condition. At least once a week initially.
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Find your style. Try hairstyles like buns, up do's, braids or bantu knots (to name a few) so that most parts of your straight hair are not visible. Or if you want to hide the curly part (for now), use hats, scarves or headbands.
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Trim, trim, trim. Once your hair has grown long enough, start getting mini haircuts on the straightened parts of your hair. The fewer straight ends you have, the more confident you will be. Chop regularly throughout your transition. Some people also like to grow it out to a certain length. Once they are confident enough they cut off the straight ends in one go, also known as the Big Chop. You can read our blog post on that here https://www.intrinsicurlyme.co.za/blogs/intrinsicurly-me-blog/the-big-chop. Choose whatever you are comfortable with.
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Focus on hydration. Water is key for happy, bouncy curls. Techniques like squish to condish with lots of water can make a huge difference.
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Keep it simple to start with. There is A LOT of info on the internet and it can be overwhelming. Try not to 'overtreat' your hair in the beginning. We recommend a cleanser or cowash (depending on your hair type), a conditioner and a styling aid. You can get all of those in our Basic Combo here https://www.intrinsicurlyme.co.za/collections/combos
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Be patient! Great hair doesn't happen in one day. That's why we call it a #journeytocurly
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