Now protective styles are my go to's because they are low maintenance for me, and my hair.
Transitioning styles are a bit trickier because usually, that means you are dealing with half relaxed and half natural hair, or you just big chopped and you have no idea what you should do next.
I mean, you want to look cute regardless if your hair isn't all one consistency, am I right?
The Best Styles for Transitioning Hair
1. The Braided Crown
Or, braids in general. I loved doing two dutch braids and then putting the end of the braids in buns, or (still my go-to) half-up half-down hairstyles, etc.
The braided crown was what I wore most of the time because it made me feel comfortable with my transition and well, beautiful!
It was also easy to do and also served as a cute braid out after leaving it in for 2 or so days. You can even braid your hair with a middle part, or my fave was to do a side part like the picture shows!
2. The Pineapple
It started off as a little poof and now it's a pony! I miss being able to have a poof *sheds tear* but this style was a fave because I could add curly bangs, or braids to make it extra snazzy.
3. Wigs!
I loved using/experimenting with wigs because I didn't have to damage my hair with heat and also could have long hair again.
Now protective styles are my go-to's because they are low maintenance for me, and my hair.
Using caps was also helpful when transitioning after doing braid-outs!
It hid my roots that didn't match the rest of my relaxed hair.
Protective Styles & Trimming Your Hair
My favorite are twists! These are great to wear for days and then take out for another bouncy curly look!
Personally, I feel as though twists and braids are truly protective when they are just done with natural hair. When your hair is already in a sensitive state, it is important to minimize how much you are manipulating your hair.
Sometimes braiding hair can be damaging when your hair is not properly taken care of or moisturized prior to getting it done. For example, hair braided too tightly can pull on the already sensitive hairs causing breakage.
Twists are easy and do not require the hair to be manipulated much or pulled. It's a great style that can help the hair relax and grow. It is also a great style to call out split ends.
When you have twists, the ends of your curly hair should coil. If you see limp waves when your hair is naturally coily, this can be an easy way to notice that your ends may need to be trimmed.
Trimming ends does not have to happen at a certain time of the week, month, year...it really is when YOUR hair needs it, and everybody is different. (So for some, trimming your hair may be needed as a freequently scheduled thing.)
If you have high porosity and are prone to breakage, then trimming may be a way for you to combat split ends, however, it is important to know that other ways of treating hair are important to prevent breakage altogether.
Otherwise, you will trim often and not retain length because the majority of the high porosity hair issue is due to a lack of retaining moisture.
Using Heat...
THIS COULD BE, YOUR # 1 CAUSE FOR NOT RETAINING LENGTH.
In high school, I constantly straightened my hair.
Then in college, as if I wasn't straightening my hair enough already, I damaged it to the point of causing it to break off entirely.
It looked like I had cut my hair when reality it was breakage that caught up to me.
You can see how long it was in July 2014, it's over my shoulder and past my chest.
Then by March 2015, my hair was above my chest from straightening it so much. Comparing my hair from the year I graduated high school, you can see how much it broke over the years.
It took me a total of 5 years to grow my hair from a shoulder-length cut to past my chest.
Yet, going natural I grew my hair from a length above my shoulders, to the middle of my back in less than 4 years (3 years and 6 months total)!
But how has my hair grown so fast this time around?!
Have you been listening, Linda?! Routine, less heat, and natural products, lovely!
Now, I use heat (including blow drying) less than 4 times a YEAR. This year, 2020, is break year for me where I'm not straightening my hair at all.
Heat can cause high porosity symptoms, as the cuticle is being manipulated and dried severely.
If you do use heat, it's important that you deep condition, moisturize properly, and take time to give your hair a break!!!
Peep my Damaged Hair and Recovery post for more on how I straighten my hair now.
Peep the following Hair Habits, Then & Now post series, for tips on:
And, this additional blog post on hair growth!