Using a Sew-in when transitioning to Natural Hair

(Three of my all time favorite sew-ins)
Thanks to Rhaquel Buchanan

As I have previously stated in earlier post I have been natural for 2 1/2 years, the reason I decided to stop relaxing my hair is because I started to dread getting relaxers. After I would get a relaxer my hair would be lifeless with no body. Before I decided to take the leap to natural I had much encouragement from my two friends Apryl and Carla. They made me realize, you didn' t to have a certain texture of hair to go natural. I think one of my fears was that I wouldn't be able to wear straight weaves and I wouldn't be able to wear my hair blown out. Boy, was I terribly wrong. My blow-outs never looked better and I wear straight hair weaves with no problem. In this particular post I wanted to talk about using sew-ins during the transitioning process of relaxed hair to natural hair.
Through my own experience I have come up with FIVE helpful tips when wearing a sew-in and transitioning to natural hair.

5. Make sure the corn rows aren't too tight, or too skinny. From my own personal experience when the braids are too tight and skinny they can pull on your edges which can cause the hair to break off. You also want to make sure you leave enough of your edges out on the sides.
4. Let somebody else take your sew-in out or get a friend to help you. When taking a sew-in out the hair is very fragile because it has been braided up for weeks and it needs to be handled with care. Be prepared for a lot of shedding because the hair sheds naturally and when you take the braids down all the hair is coming out at once that would have come out over several weeks of time. Do not be alarmed this is normal.
3. Try not to use synthetic hair when braiding the hair up for a sew-in. I found that my own hair rubbing against the synthetic hair was causing it to really break off. This is my own personal opinion through my experiences.
2. Keeping the scalp clean. Of course you will wash your hair while you have the sew-in but it is important to not neglect the scalp. Take a color applicator bottle, pour in your shampoo and dilute it with water and apply on scalp rinse thoroughly. (the diluting with water helps with buildup.
1. Most important, do not forget to keep the scalp moisturized!

Sew-ins are really great during the transitioning process because heat is extremely damaging for your hair, so a sew-in is a vacation from the blow dryers and flat irons.