Enter The Transition: Build Your Transitioner's Toolkit

Recently decided to make the switch from relaxed to natural?

Here's how to assemble the ultimate tool kit to protect you and your hair through your new transitioning mission!

Getting your tools together. . .

Any new mission needs an armoury – and transitioning is no exception. Going from relaxed hair to natural hair is much more than a style shift – it requires a changing of the guard as you ditch the old mindset and gird yourself with a whole new approach to handling the hair atop your head.

The biggest component in your armoury is a clear focus and decision to embrace and work with your natural hair. What you will also require, is a practical toolkit in your hand.

You'll need it to prevent the technical difficulties that you will inevitably experience along the way becoming more than temporary hiccups, and morphing into towering setbacks that make you give up your goal.

The practical components of your armoury are threefold: tools, techniques and products. In each Enter: The Transition, we'll delve a little deeper into all of these.

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For now, here's a primer of everything you'll need to get started:


Products

Pretreatment

Clarifying Shampoo

Regular Shampoo

Co-wash

1 Conditioner for roots + 1 conditioner for ends or a conditioner good for roots and ends

1 Deep conditioner for roots + 1 for ends or a deep conditioner good for roots and ends

1 Moisturizer for roots + 1 moisturizer for ends or a moisturizer good for roots and ends

Sealant: serum/oil/butter

Edge sealer

Scalp treatment spray or oil

Heat protectant (only for those who wish to heatstyle through their transition)

Tools

Combs and brushes

1 Medium-toothed and 1 wide-toothed comb. Choose only seamless combs, made from single- mould plastic, rubber or  well-varnished wood or bone.

Tail comb. This is to be used for parting only; the teeth are too close together for use in regular combing and detangling so it does not matter if they are seamless or not.

Brush with flexible, round-tipped plastic or silicone bristles for detangling.

Boar bristle brush for smoothing, particularly for edges.

Stiff toothbrush. Unconventional but effective tool for smoothing edges.

Shower cap, foil cap, cling film or plastic bag for treatments

Rollers

Other tools

Satin scarf

Bobby pins

Giant Alligator clips. Get the plastic or coated kind – the uncoated metal can cut hair.

Covered ponytail holders

Cute scarves and hair accessories

Rods (Flexi or perm)

OPTIONAL (for those who wish to heatstyle during their transition only)

Round brush

Hood dryer

Blowdryer

Flat iron

Heat protectant

Concentrator

Basic Techniques

How to grow in your curly roots without breaking your relaxed hair

How to safely detangle mixed textures – curly roots and straight ends

How to heatstyle transitioning hair

Heatless styles that blend new growth

How to wash transitioning hair

    . . .and when all else fails, how to hide a bad hair day.



The benefits of the toolbox. . .

Having your tools stockpiled and your techniques at the ready goes a long way to easing your transition. Not only does it make the process less frustrating and more fun for you – more about discovering your hair daily than struggling to reconcile two opposing hair types – it's also effective against certain outside forces.

While the current climate is far more favourable to transitioning than the strong opposition many would-be naturals faced in years past, the ability to have every hair in place remains very powerful against any negativity you encounter for your decision.