If you are a loyal reader of my articles–and you totally should be!–you have followed my experiences with keratin treatments. My hair felt and looked really healthy the first time I did the treatment, but the stylist who applied it last time mixed it with a relaxer formula (unbeknownst to me”> so I had to say bye bye to my curly hair. That was so not what I had signed up for.
Fast forward to: now.
I am dealing with two textures on my hair: the ends of my hair have the keratin/relaxer in it, so they are slightly wavy (and since I have long hair, that is a lot”>; the roots of my hair are a lot curlier.
Transitioning with wavy hair can be so frustrating at times. During this past year, I have had to learn to cope with my new “in-between” hair. If you are going through the same as me, I hope my tips will help you through your transitioning phase as well.
These days, I wear my hair in stretched out styles more than ever.
Now that I have two different textures, wearing my hair curly sometimes makes me want to cry. That’s how bad it makes me feel. Stretched out styles allow my hair to appear the same in texture from top to bottom, which for me is a luxury now. I may blow dry my hair straight or use my Curlformers method to get gorgeous bombshell waves.
Lucky for me, my hair is not sensitive to heat damage. I used to blow dry my hair every day before I discovered the CG method, and I never really noticed a change in texture. And although I am not afraid of a little heat damage, I still keep the temperature of my blow dryer on the lowest setting and I use heat protectant products.
I also rarely use a flat iron, and if I use it I keep it on the lowest setting as well. My blowouts usually last for 7 days. I do them a maximum of 4 times per month.
I am more selective about styling products.
With my hair in its current state, I reach for specific styling products that will help me merge the two textures together. I need something that makes my hair curlier, or a heavy styler that stretches out my roots. My favorites at the moment are:
- Ouidad Tress Effects Styling Gel: it provides an excellent definition and stretches the curls out a bit. It is also good on 2nd day hair.
- Jessicurl Rockin Ringlets Styling Potion: One of my Holy Grails since I can remember. It contains epsom salt, which makes my bottom layer of hair appear curlier. I avoid putting it on the roots so that the two textures look more similar.
- TreLuxe Hi! Definition Curl Enhancing Styling Gel: defines my hair really well, takes care of the frizz and it’s heavy so that my roots are stretched out.
- Ouidad Sea Salt Spray: This sea salt spray is awesome, because it is so moisturizing but it also really helps my curls to pop more! (Read my full review“>
- Aphogee Curlific! Texture Treatment: This stuff is like unicorn magic! It really helps in getting more curls on the bottom part of my hair! It also makes my hair feel extremely soft and repaired.
I get frequent trims now.
I tend to trim my hair a lot more than before. I used to cut my hair once a year since I have almost no split ends and my hair is really resistant to breakage. Now I am cutting my hair every 3 months to get rid of the straight part faster. I am too afraid to go shorter, but if you have the guts to do it, it can be very liberating! I try to have some layers in my hair too, because layers help the curls to pop more. Be sure not to over-layer your hair or you will have super curly hair on top and a mullet of straight hair on the bottom–not cute.
I take supplements.
I want my straight ends gone ASAP. To speed up the hair growth I use supplements. I take Viviscal 2x/day, because it’s the only supplement that has some real clinical trials made on it. Check them out on PubMed and don’t buy supplements that are not being tested. You can seriously damage your liver and kidney!
I love a good braid-out or twist-out.
Yes, looser textured curlies can rock these styles. Check out my video above to see how I get a pretty twist-out on wavy hair. This will help make my hair more uniformly wavy, and it is the perfect summer style. To get a straight style without heat you can wrap your hair when wet, and let it dry overnight. If you have super thick or long hair… it will take you ages, but if you have finer or shorter hair you can totally rock it.
Above all, I have learned to be patient!
Yes, I know. It is so hard. But that is what I have to do. If you are in a similar situation in your journey, trust me – your curls will grow back before you will know it. If you are a long term transitioner, calculate 2-3 years of hair growth. If you are braver, you can easily big chop after 1 or 2 years.
