The regular readers on Fashion and Style Police would know all about my natural hair transition story. I decided to go natural some years ago and although I have not looked back ever since. My hair has gone fully natural now, and although it is not at the length I want it to be, it is getting there.

I picked up some life lessons from my natural hair transition. Here a few tips you may useful.

You don’t have to do the big chop

I didn’t go down the big chop route because I wasn’t comfortable cutting my hair. So I decided to transition my relaxed hair, and cut off the relaxed ends gradually. This process took forever but I would do it all over again if I had to. Rocking a very low-cut was not something I was prepared to do. So don’t feel you have to do cut your hair low to go natural.

Make time for hair wash day

The process of washing my hair takes hours. I wash my hair every fortnight when I don’t have a protective style on, and I always make sure I block out some hours to get my hair washed properly. If you intend to go natural, you must ensure you have the time to care for your hair. Keeping your scalp clean is very important especially when you are transitioning to natural hair. A dirty scalp would stop new growth from coming in, so hair wash days are super important.

I usually start my hair wash days with an oil treatment. Pink Oil Hair Moisturiser is the current oil treatment I am using. I apply the oil on my hair and leave it under a shower cap for a few hours, while I go about my normal day. Then I wash with SheaMoisture Shampoo and Conditioner. After washing, I apply African Pride Leave-in Conditioner and air dry.

Get rid of all hair chemicals

I got rid of all my relaxers, texturises and all hair chemicals in my bathroom cabinets. And I made room for natural hair products. I have loads of  SheaMoisture hair products because they work amazingly well on my hair. I also make my own hair spray with water and almond oil in a spray bottle and that works great too.

Try different protective styles

My hair is always in a protective style. I took off my crotchet braids some weeks and I plan to have my hair in cornrows this weekend. I find it easier to manage my natural hair when it is a protective style. It is best to style the natural hair in various protective styles to retain hair length and keep it healthy.

What do you think of these natural hair tips?