Going natural isn’t always the easiest decision to make. I have many clients that suffer from extensive damage caused by relaxers, but refuse to give them up.  For many women, there is a strong psychological and emotional connection to relaxers.

It took me years of extensive damage leading to doctor visits and thousands of wasted dollars before I could wrap my mind around going relaxer free. When I finally decided to transition, I wore extensions for six months and then I cut off my ends.

Now I had a new problem, learning to manage my new head of super coily, short, dry hair. I didn’t realize how huge of a physical transition going natural would be; now managing my hair had become my new challenge.

If you are looking to go natural here are some tips:

• Get to know your texture and tailor your routine to this texture type.
• Be patient; natural hair may take a longer time to style.
• Use products that keep the hair hydrated, healthy, and manageable such as Sweet Nature by Eddie.
• Wash and condition your hair in sections to cut down on tangles if you have 5” of hair or more.
• Use a sulfate free shampoo and a petrolatum/mineral oil free moisturizer to cut down on dryness.
• Heat can alter the hair texture unevenly, so be careful when using heating appliances.

This isn’t an all inclusive list, but following these tips can definitely help alleviate some frustration when going natural.