How Sew-Ins Helped Me Transition to All Natural

For me, going natural was a decision I made one night after taking a sew in out. I liked to keep my protective styles in for the maximum length of time, to get my money’s worth.

I also didn’t like to wear my hair out for more than a week in-between taking one out. However, one night I was washing my hair I fell in love with my natural curl pattern. Since I liked to get full sew ins, there was no need for a relaxer, so inadvertently, I was transitioning.

I really didn’t know much about the natural world, or that there was so much information out there on Youtube, and Instagram. Not to mention, none of my friends, at the time, were natural. I decided to just keep getting sew ins, and vowed to never get another relaxer.

I would be lying if I said that the process was easy, because it wasn’t a cake walk. I was so used to touching up my edges with a dab of relaxer, just to make laying them down easy, but since I vowed to be all natural, that went for my edges too. However, keeping the sew ins in for 8 weeks at a time was probably what made transitioning such a breeze for me.

I hear a lot of people usually give up transitioning and revert back to relaxers, because blending the two textures is a hassle, especially if you want to rock natural styles. Since I kept my hair braided up, I didn’t have to worry about that, and I still had the benefits of sleek straight hair, that I loved. It wasn’t until 8 months later, when I was decided to cut the rest of my relaxed ends off, and start rocking my natural hair.

I know some women criticized me for wearing sew ins during that transitioning period, and even said that I was ashamed of my hair. Which wasn’t the case, at all! I just knew what worked for me. Which, I think is the main take away.

Yes, sew-ins helped me get through the transitioning phase, but that doesn’t mean it is for everybody. You have to find what works for you and what you are comfortable with, and go for it. Regardless of what anybody has to say!