Transitioning to Natural Hair Without Breakage, Month by Month

To go natural without breakage, protect the spot where new growth meets relaxed hair. Detangle only with conditioner in, keep heat and tension low, and trim the relaxed ends as you go. Or cut them off in one go, because a big chop removes that weak spot entirely.

If you've stopped relaxing and your comb keeps filling with short, snapped pieces, that's the line giving way. And if you planned on being fully natural in a year, the math on coily hair growth may surprise you.

Why Does Hair Break Where the Relaxer Stops?

Each strand is now two materials joined end to end, and the join is the weakest point. A relaxer breaks the bonds that give hair its shape. A review of hair cosmetics says chemically treated hair is highly sensitive and prone to breakage.

The same review says breakage from repeated relaxing usually happens at the junction of new growth and previously treated hair. That's the exact spot you're now growing out. It also notes that a thinner cuticle layer makes African hair more prone to breakage to begin with.

So the coily root bends one way and the straighter, weaker length bends another. Every time you comb, twist, tie or sleep on it, the strain gathers at the join.

How Long Does It Take to Transition to Natural Hair?

Usually longer than people expect, because coily hair may grow more slowly than the figures usually quoted. One small study measured 38 young adults born in central and western Africa. Their hair grew at a much slower rate than hair measured earlier in white volunteers of a similar age.

The average was 256 micrometers a day, against 396 for the white volunteers. That works out to roughly 3.7 inches (9 cm) a year, compared with about 5.7 inches (14.5 cm). Individual rates in the African group ranged widely, from about 2.2 to 5.2 inches a year.

At that average, here's roughly how much natural hair you'd have:

• 3 months: about 1 inch (2.3 cm). The texture change is easy to feel at the root.
• 6 months: close to 2 inches (4.7 cm). Now there's a real length of each texture meeting at the join.
• 12 months: about 3.7 inches (9 cm), enough for a short natural cut.
• 18 months: about 5.5 inches (14 cm).
• 24 months: about 7.4 inches (19 cm).

So if your relaxed hair is 8 inches long, growing all of it out without cutting would take a little over two years. Treat these figures as a rough guide, since it was one small study and your rate may sit anywhere in that range.

Big Chop or Long Transition: Which Breaks Less?

The big chop breaks less, because it removes the join. You get one texture that behaves the same from root to tip. The cost is length, all at once.

A long transition keeps your length, but you're caring for the weak point for a year or more. Many people split the difference. They trim the relaxed ends every few months, then cut the rest once the natural hair reaches a length they like. Use the timeline above to pick that date in advance, so a bad wash day doesn't make the decision for you.

How to Stop Breakage at the Line of Demarcation

Most of the breakage comes from handling, so the fix is to handle the join less and more gently. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says to use conditioner every time you wash your hair. It also says to coat the ends, which it calls the oldest and most fragile part of your hair. When you're transitioning, those ends are the relaxed sections.

• Detangle wet, with conditioner in, in small sections, and slow down at the join. How to detangle natural hair has the full method.
• Blend the textures without heat. Twist-outs, braid-outs and flexi rods make the relaxed ends curl to match the root.
• Cover your hair at night with a satin scarf or bonnet to cut friction on the lengths.
• Wash once a week or every other week, which is the AAD's general advice for Black hair.

Breakage that keeps showing up in one place, such as where you tie your hair, has its own causes. Why hair breaks in the same spot matches the spot to the cause.

Can I Straighten My Hair While Transitioning?

You can, but heat on the root puts the most strain right where your hair is weakest. If you press your hair, the AAD says to use a ceramic comb or iron and only do so once a week. Choose the lowest temperature that gives you the style you want. It also advises a heat protecting product first.

Don't touch up the relaxed ends to make them match. The AAD says to never apply relaxer to hair that has already been relaxed.

Are Braids and Weaves Safe During a Transition?

They can hide the line, but they're also where traction hair loss starts. The AAD lists hair extensions or weaves, especially on relaxed hair among the styles that can cause traction alopecia when they're too tight.

The AAD suggests wearing braids for no longer than 6 to 8 weeks. It says pain from tightly pulled hair is a sign to change the style right away. Look out for broken hairs around your forehead, stinging or crusts on your scalp, and patches of hair loss where your hair is pulled tight. Traction alopecia can become permanent the longer it goes untreated.

Protective styles that keep tension low lists the gentler options. If your hairline is already thinning, why your edges are thinning goes through what can grow back.

When Breakage Isn't About the Transition

Breakage at the crown can be an early sign of a scarring hair loss, not a transition problem. The AAD says hair breakage, especially in the center of the scalp, may be the first sign of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA). It often affects middle-aged Black women and starts at the crown.

Going natural won't necessarily prevent it. The AAD says styling was once thought to cause CCCA, but research suggests how you style your hair may not play a role. It also says CCCA runs in families, and that early treatment, before follicles scar, gives you the best chance of keeping your hair.

Your last relaxer matters too. Relaxers can burn the scalp, as the hair cosmetics review notes. A scalp that stays sore, scabbed or crusty after a relaxer needs a doctor, not a new product.

Does Stopping Relaxers Lower Any Health Risks?

Possibly, but the evidence is an association, not proof. An NIH study followed 33,497 US women aged 35 to 74 for almost 11 years. It linked frequent use of hair straightening products to a higher risk of uterine cancer.

Frequent meant more than four times in the previous year. The estimated risk of uterine cancer by age 70 was 1.64% for women who never used straighteners and 4.05% for frequent users. The researchers didn't collect brands or ingredients, and they say more research is needed. The study didn't look at whether stopping lowers that risk.

When to See a Dermatologist

See a board-certified dermatologist if you notice any of these:

• Breakage or thinning at the center or crown of your scalp
• Small bumps, flaking, itching, burning or tingling on the scalp
• Broken hairs or a receding hairline at the front
• Sores, scabs or burns from a relaxer that haven't healed
• Shiny, smooth patches where hair used to grow

The AAD says it's never too early to see a dermatologist about hair loss. Both CCCA and traction alopecia respond best to early treatment. Once you're fully natural, a routine built for your hair type picks up from there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Big Chop or Transition?

Big chop if breakage is wearing you down, since it removes the weak join in one cut. Transition if length matters more to you. Many people trim gradually, then cut the last relaxed ends once the new growth reaches a length they like.

How Long Does It Take to Grow Out a Relaxer?

In one small study of 38 young adults born in central and western Africa, hair grew about 3.7 inches a year on average. So 8 inches of relaxed hair would take a little over two years to grow out without trimming. Your rate could be faster or slower.

Why Is My Hair Breaking So Much While Transitioning?

Mostly because the relaxed length is weaker than the new growth, and strain gathers where they meet. Detangle with conditioner, keep heat and tension low, and trim the ends. If the breakage is at your crown, see a dermatologist.