5 Month Natural Hair Update

I big chopped on Feb. 22, 2011. Therefore, at the end of July, I've been natural 5 months. Here are some updates... Length check is 5 1/2 inches. I started out with about a half inch so that's about an inch of growth per month. (That's good!) Here are some pics...

Daily Natural Hair Care Regimen

People ask me all the time, "What do you do to your hair to make it so curly?" And believe it or not, sometimes, people get a little mad or give me the "yeah right" face, when I say, "Nothing... My hair is naturally curly." But it's the truth. I cannot lie and say I don't put any product in my hair. I definitely do, but it's more-so for frizz and shine, not for curl enhancement. Once I did the Big Chop in February 2011, I began this daily regimen...

1. Co-wash every day (conditioner only). I use Mixed Chicks deep conditioner. The link to their website is below under our Suggested Links. Although it is deep conditioner, I do not use any heat. I wet my hair as soon as I get in the shower, put in the deep conditioner and leave it in my hair as I shower. Before getting out of the shower, I rinse it out. 
2. Shampoo weekly... On the weekends, I do a complete wash (shampoo and conditioner). Shampooing everyday dried my hair out so, since doing it weekly, I've seen a big improvement. I used Mixed Chicks shampoo and deep conditioner (mentioned above). On the weekends, I do not rinse out the deep conditioner as quickly as I do during the week. I leave the deep conditioner in for a few hours as I clean the house, workout, etc. 
3. Key for me is... apply product while your hair is soaking wet! Do not towel dry!! Towel drying creates more frizz. When I first get out of the shower, my hair is extremely curly (in little cork screws). That is the style I want to mimick, so even before getting dressed, I put Mixed Chicks Leave in Conditioner and Styling Oil in my hair. When I applied the leave in conditioner alone, it looked nice, but my hair was a little hard and crunchy. So, I put a small amount of leave in conditioner in my hand, also do one pump of oil, mix it together and apply that to my hair. I do it 3 times (for the back, middle and front of my head). 
4. Then, I do "the shake". lol I do not comb or brush my hair because it causes breakage. I finger through it while I'm in the shower (under running water) to detangle it. Once I apply the leave in conditioner and oil, I put my hands over my eyes and shake my head as from left to right (about 10 times). Then I shake my head up and down about ten times as well. This helps to separate the curls and give me a little more volume without combing, brushing, applying heat, etc. 
5. Style and done!    

Transition Tips!

Once you decide to transition to natural, here are a few tips that worked well for me:

1. No heat (blow dryers, flat irons, etc.). Although you may think it helps to blend the 2 different hair textures, it actually destroys the natural curl pattern that's trying to come in. 
2. Treat your entire hair as if it's natural. I co-washed my hair daily. Cowash = washing with conditioner only. During cold months, I'd co-wash my hair at night, add leave in conditioner, twist it, roll the twists and let it air dry until bedtime. At bedtime, I'd put on a satin scarf, go to sleep and take out the twists in the morning. Depending on your preference, leave it out, put it in a bun, rock a headband, etc.
3. Go to the salon to have your ends trimmed monthly. The monthly trim will create the illusion that your hair is staying the same length. As new growth grows in, the stylist is clipping relaxed hair off the ends. Continue to do this until there is no longer any relaxed hair OR do the Big Chop! Big Chop (BC) is when you cut off all of your relaxed hair and are left with an extremely short TWA (teeny weeny afro).

**The pics below show 2 - 3 months of transition time.** (Notice there's a distinct difference between the new growth and the relaxed ends).