10 Best Products for Transitioning from Relaxed to Natural Hair

As your hair transitions, your hair’s roots will look very different compared to the relaxed part. They can look bushy and unkempt without even trying! Your hair will look all over the place, with parts of it straight and parts of it curly.

What should you do? When your hair is transitioning from one texture to another, it is fragile and would need that extra care. You might want to lean on products that won’t build up in your scalp and strands. And products that wouldn’t dry out your hair but instead bring it moisture. So, pick the right products that’ll help smooth transition from relaxed to natural hair.

One of the products you should avoid is the ones that have sulfates in them. Sulfates in your typical conditioner do the cleaning part of the shampoo. They remove oils, sebum, and dirt off your hair and scalp.

Sometimes they do too good of a job. As in, they strip so much of that oil that it leaves nothing for your hair. It leaves your hair dry, frizzy and parched for moisture.

You can lessen your use of sulfates while your hair is transitioning and may opt for co-washing with conditioners, deep conditioning for every shampoo day, and the use of leave-on treatments as well.

If you do your hair care routine right, you might just leave the room with healthy bouncy curls. Here are products to help you care for transitioning roots and into beautiful, radiant, healthy hair.

 

Best Natural Hair-Transitioning Products

Here are the 10 best products for transitioning from relaxed to natural hair that you should check out.

1. Shea Moisture Raw Retention Shampoo

If you wanted to change your sulfate shampoo into a sulfate-free one, then Shea Moisture Raw Retention Shampoo is your pick! This shampoo claims to restore dry hair that has been damaged because of treatments or is transitioning. They’ve used alternative milder cleansers, so your hair retains its natural oils. They then blended it with shea butter, sea kelp, and argan oil to seal in moisture.

PROS:

• It’s highly moisturizing.
• The shampoo doesn’t strip off hair’s natural oils.
• It doesn’t contain sulfate, silicone, and paraben.

CONS

• The scent may be too strong.
• It can leave your hair oily. (If your hair type is oily, this product is may be too moisturizing for you)

 

2. Maui Moisture Thicken & Restore Bamboo Fiber Mist

Dry hair, and you need a spritz-and-go kind of action? Maui Moisture Thicken & Restore Bamboo Fiber Mist is for you! It has ingredients like Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Bamboo fibers, and many more! This unique blend conditions and helps soften and refresh treated hair. 

PROS:

• The shampoo boosts hair volume.
• It can serve as an additional heat barrier when blow-drying.
• The ingredients are vegan.
• It’s formulated for all types of hair. 

CONS:

• The smell needs improvement.
• The product can build up in your hair.

 

3. As I Am Double Butter Cream Moisturizer

A very useful natural hair-transitioning product. Does your hair look dull and limp? Your curls wouldn’t clump? Try As I Am Double Butter Cream Moisturizer! This daily moisturizer repairs your hair—split ends and all— and allows your natural hair to clump your curls. Giving you that healthy look, restoring your hair its strength and shine. Along with organic oils and natural butters, this product is enhanced with Pro-vitamin B5. 

PROS:

• It leaves your hair soft and manageable.
• The product is very thick, and a little comes a long way.
• It’s easy to apply! Just rub it in your palms, and scrunch it onto your hair so that you won’t disrupt the coil and curl formation.

CONS:

• The texture can feel a bit sticky/greasy.
• It feels heavy on the hair.
• It’s on the pricier side.

 

4. Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment

Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment is the product for that me-time pampering weekend. This deep conditioning treatment is formulated to have a very think and moisturizing consistency. It’s ideal for bringing back moisture to dry curly hair. You just leave this on clean wet hair for 30-60 minutes and then rinse it out. 

PROS:

• It’s unscented. (For you folks with sensitivity to fragrance.)
• You can dilute this treatment to make it last longer.
• It uses a lot of natural ingredients.

CONS:

• It isn’t easy to squeeze out the product. (from being too thick)
• It smells earthy. (Since it’s unscented, what you smell is the natural ingredients, and it sometimes can leave you wanting.)

 

5. SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Conditioner

SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Conditioner is designed to give you soft and shiny hair while defining those curls as well!

Curly hair tends to get dry more easily than straight hair, and if your hair is transitioning from a straight texture to a curly one, it can be all over the place.

This contains a blend of coconut oil, silk protein, and neem oils which ensures your hair will stay shiny, healthy, and soft. The shea butter is added to moisturize and detangle the frizzy hair. 

PROS:

• The coconut smell is good.
• It’s affordable.
• The bottle shape is travel-friendly. 

CONS: 

• The pump needs improvement because it delivers only small amounts per pump.
• It can leave your hair greasy if you have naturally oily hair.

 

6. Devacurl Buildup Buster Hair Cleanser

Need to remove the product build-up? Devacurl Buildup Buster Hair Cleanser is a clarifying shampoo that’s sulfate-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, and cruelty-free. This cleanser utilizes micellar technology to gently wash out the build-up in the scalp and hair. 

PROS:

• The ingredients are 100% vegan.
• It’s hydrating despite being a clarifying shampoo.
• It smells like a plant —the good kind.
• This contains ingredients such as Abyssinian seed oil and Jojoba oil for hydration and moisture.

CONS:

• It may leave your hair a bit greasy.
• The product doesn’t lather much.

 

7. Aunt Jackie’s Instant Leave-in Detangling Therapy

Instead of fighting your hair and risking damage, try Aunt Jackie’s Instant Leave-in Detangling Therapy. It puts an end to your tangled hair problems and restores it to a healthy, vibrant hair.

This product is blended with Shea Butter and Olive Oil to strengthen and moisturize hair.

PROS:

• It contains olive oil, which can act as a heat protectant.
• This product easily detangles thick, curly, tumbleweed-like hair.
• Lots of people love its scent. 
• It contains shea butter, which is a great moisturizing ingredient.

CONS:

• It won’t work on wet hair.
• It contains silicones that can build up over time.

 

8. Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Conditioner

Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Conditioner targets damage from chemically straightened hair. Along with the other products in their line, they claim to have 98% less breakage after one use. 

This rejuvenating conditioner uses Monoi Oil as its main ingredient to restore protein, moisture, and other ingredients to your hair. 

PROS:

• It has monoi oil, which can restore protein and moisturize your hair.
• The conditioner has Pro-vitamin B5 and bamboo water for reducing hair breaks and snaps.
• It’s formulated to work on even on naturally 4c curly type.

CONS:

• It’s costly for the amount you’re getting.
• The waxes and oils in the ingredients can build up in your scalp, clogging the hair and scalp.

 

9. Creme of Nature Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioner

Creme of Nature Argan Oil Leave-in Conditioner is a leave-in conditioner that claims to do seven things to your hair: strengthen, detangle, protect, moisturize, prevent split ends, shine, and control frizz.

This creamy formula has Silk Amino Acids, Argan Oil, and Pro-Vitamin B5 to achieve that healthy, silky hair.

PROS:

• It can be used as a heat protectant.
• The conditioner can also be used as a detangler.
• You can even use it on beards.
• It has a pleasant smell.

CONS:

• Because of the creamy consistency, it’s hard for the product to be pumped out of the bottle.
• It can feel heavy on the hair.

 

10. Cantu Shea Butter Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream

Try Cantu Shea Butter for Natural Hair Moisturizing Curl Activator Cream for owning up to your textured hair. When your hair is transitioning, it may have a hard time going from relaxed to your naturally textured hair. This product aims to enhance your natural curl pattern, moisturize it, and give you that oomph back.

PROS:

• One bottle goes a long way.
• Its shea butter content will provide the moisture your transitioning hair needs.
• It smells good.

CONS:

• It can irritate your skin if you’re sensitive to fragrance.
• It can feel tacky and weighted.

 

The Verdict

Transitioning hair can need a lot of effort to maintain. It’s difficult to manage and can be dry and dull! But it shouldn’t be!

For us, we recommend SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Conditioner. It’s great to use for a co-wash, helping your hair to be moisturized without stripping out the natural oils. What we love about it more is that it has that nice coconut smell, and the price is totally up to your alley!

 

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