Transitioning from Locks to Mid-Length Loose Hair

A little more than 1 year of natural hair growth  |  Source - Mika

You've heard about transitioning to natural hair but have you heard of transitioning from locks to loose natural hair? Yes, you could spend weeks or months with a pin or paperclip picking out the locs that you have had for the last six years. But, for those of you who would like to keep a little length without hours of detangling, you could try this method.

How to Transition from Locks to Loose Natural Hair

1. Stop retightening your roots. I know this sounds crazy but don't worry. There are many ways to camouflage your puffy roots.
2. Wash your hair and deep condition with ph balanced moisturizing conditioners regularly. This loosens up the hair and helps your new growth to remain healthy. Finger comb your roots to keep them untangled.
3. Keep your hair moisturized with a daily water spritz or light moisturizer and seal in the moisture with oil nightly as you would your natural hair.
4. Wear hairstyles that camouflage your kinky roots. You can still look fabulous. 
   Some suggested examples are:
    –   Braidouts with headbands
    –   Slicked back buns
    –   Flat twists in the front and a braid-out in the back
    –   Bhantu Knots/Chiney Bumps
    –   Regular two-strand twists
    –   Cornrows
5. Keep doing this until you have a fair amount of new growth. I recommend doing this for about one year.
6. Cut and detangle your hair! Cut your hair and leave an inch or two of your locked hair on the ends. This section should be easy to detangle with all the regular moisture you've been giving your hair. Be prepared to spend a day at home and focus on coming out the ends of your hair, Washing and deep conditioning your loose natural hair.

Now you have beautiful loose natural hair once again. 

Check out the video below to see someone who is waiting a while before cutting her locks off.