Part I: So you wanna transition?

As promised, I will be highlighting various ways to transition from relaxed hair to natural. I started transitioning in October of 2006 and I chopped off the relaxed hair in May of 2007. Each post will focus on a different transition style...in depth. I tried a lot of different styles along the way and hopefully one or more of these ideas will be helpful to you :-)



The Sew In...Broke College Student Style :-)

Let me start by saying I've never been a fan of extensions or fake hair of any sort. As I started to transition, however, I began to realize, as stated in an earlier post, that if I continued to put heat on my hair, it would ruin my curl pattern. So I decided after much thought to venture into the exciting world of weave. Dun Dun Duuuun!

The first step of this process was deciding what kind of hair to use. Many people would go for straight hair, but I realized that this would mean straightening the hair on the top...thus defeating my purpose. I also knew I definitely wasn't going for a wig. I finally decided on "wet n' wavy" human hair because it blended better with my new growth. I tried various brands and you'll have to see what type of curl you like. I usually rocked the 12 or 14 inch hair.

Now here's the Broke College Student part :-)

Every 4 weeks, my friend Ashley (Shoutout to Ashley Greene!!) would come over and cornrow my hair. Then I, yes I said I, would sew in my wet n wavy weave. I would leave some out in the front and usually used a headband to let it blend better or I would braid it and undo the braid in the morning so it could be wavy to match the hair.

Things to know:
1. Use a good quality of hair. Human hair isn't too expensive. Synthetic hair will dry out your hair underneath.

2. Take care of the roots! Sometimes with weave we focus so much on the fake stuff that we forget our real goal is to nurture what's underneath. Oil your scalp, moisturize and treat it well.

3. Headbands are a life saver! Even if they are the black stretchy kind, they help your hair blend in so it doesn't look fake.

4. The best part of Wet n Wavy is you can get it wet, but beware of tangling. It happens easily. Also, don't wash it too often...remember it isn't actually growing from your head. LOL!

5. When you first sew in wet n wavy hair, it isn't very curly. After sewing it in, you must wet the hair and use a gel or mouse and scrunch the hair.

6. FYI: A sew in, like other styles that cover your hair, is referred to in natural hair world as "Protective Styling".

7. Last, but not least, if you're not a broke college student, feel free to get your hair done by a certified professional. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right ladies?


XOXO

Here are some pics: