Relaxer Results

Hi friends, happy Sunday! I hope everyone is well.

I got my hair relaxed today, and unfortunately had to get 4 inches cut. Talk about a set-back. I wasn't surprised because my hair has been breaking on a consistent basis since the beginning of January. I noticed the breakage early on, but I hadn't changed any part of my routine, so I wasn't sure what to do to try to stop the breakage. I finally chalked it up to the weather (I live in Philadelphia). I had this same issue last year this time, but before the breakage was mainly because I was using Amla Oil and my hair had a bad reaction.

Fast forward to today and my stylist could see the damage. She initially wasn't going to cut much (and do a normal trim), but I'll ALWAYS choose health over length, so I told her to cut it! It really hurt my feelings/ set in when I threw my length check t-shirt on and saw that my hair was at line #1 and I was on pace to be at line #5, which is BSL. However, I had to remind myself that last year this time I was at the same length and by the end of the year I was at line #4, so I can certainly do it again this year. It's not an ideal situation, but at least I know that I can grow my hair.

Moving forward, I'm going to experiment with my conditioner and see if that changes anything. Although I'm blaming my breakage on the weather, I'm still not 100% comfortable with my conditioner. I exclusively use Phyto products because that's what my stylist uses and I'm too lazy I find it easier to stick with a product line that she knows well and can provide recommendations for based on her knowledge of my hair. However, Phyto did a major overhaul of all of their products last year and they discontinued the conditioner that I previously used. I used one replacement and immediately thought my hair was breaking a little as a result, so I changed to another and had the same results. I've been using the new conditioner(s) for about 1 year and I did retain length, but I still think it's playing a role in the breakage.

Following are some photos:

3.9.14_Line #1

3.9.14_Line #1

Left: 3.9.14 line #1; Right: 12.1.13 line #4

Looking at these photos, I should have gotten a cut sooner, but I thought the thinness in my ends was the result of styling and not bad ends. Anyway, you live and you learn. My goal is to maintain this thickness throughout the year and reach line #4 again!  I'll keep you all posted :-).

HHG

Relaxer Results

Hi friends! I apologize because I have not done a good job of posting over the summer. In my last relaxer update, I mentioned that my goal was to wear my hair out over the summer in order to “enjoy” it a bit more and give myself, and close family and friends a break from my wigs. I had planned to post my hairstyles, but only shared the details of my curlformers.

Fortunately, I did stick to the plan of wearing my hair out for the summer, which I’m SOO proud of myself for! After I did the curlformers, I did bantu knots a few times, followed by twist and curls, followed by braid and curls. My favorite styles were the curlformers and braid and curl. It’s funny because the braid and curl was a HUGE hit with everyone! Literally – it was to the point where complete strangers (ex: middle aged white man) would approach me to compliment my hair and/ or ask how I achieved the style. It was also interesting because everyone commented on the length of my hair, stating that if my hair was shoulder length, or a little beyond with the curls, then it must really be “long.”  I’m sure you all can relate in that when you’re on a hair journey, you often don’t think your hair is that long considering the many women who have MBL, and longer hair. However, I’m now a little past APL, and am finally starting to feel like my hair is long!

I got my hair texturized on Saturday at 12 weeks, and it was business as usual (texturizer + trim)! At one point when I was roughly 6 weeks post, I thought I was experiencing more breakage than normal. I kept an eye on my hair and stopped using JBCO (Jamaican black castor oil) and eventually gave up EVCO (extra virgin coconut oil). Fortunately, I didn’t actually have any unusual breakage (based on my stylist’s assessment), so either eliminating the oils did the trick, or I was being overly sensitive.

One last note – I exercise daily, with the exception of the first two weeks post relaxer (I need to get my money’s worth out of my straight hair, lol), but this summer I ended up taking the entire 12 weeks off from exercising  and I decided to track the impact on my hair. I noticed that although I’m close to line #3 on my shirt, my hair should actually be at or slightly past #3 based on my normal growth rate. So overall, working out makes a difference for my hair growth! Fortunately party time is over, so I’ll be back to Insanity, and wigs in two weeks J.

I’m really happy with my hair health and feel like I’m seeing length progress. If all things remain consistent I believe I’ll hit my next goal of BSL, between lines #4 and #5, by my 3 year hairversary in March 2014. I’m hoping to reach my final length goal of MBL, line #7, by next year this time (September 2014). Until next time…

Left: 8.2013 (~line 3) ; Right: 6.2013 (line 2)

Left: 8.2013 (~line 3); Right: 9.2012 (~ 1 year ago)

Relaxer Results

Hi Friends! I hope everyone is well and staying cool during this heat wave (I'm in Philadelphia).

I texturized at 14 weeks over the weekend and had a pretty uneventful experience, which is a good thing. I hope I don't jinx myself, but I think I've finally mastered the best way to care for my hair leading up to my texturizer to ensure that it's a good experience. I was especially nervous this time because I took my braids out last week and texturized 2 weeks later than my normal 12 week period. I didn't have amazing growth results (not that I normally do), but in tracking my results through pictures, I've noticed that every other texturizer I see length progress in the back, and the alternating texturizers show length progress on the sides. What I mean is when I compare these results to March, the back of my hair is touching line #2, which is just about where it was in March. But now the sides are longer and closer to lines #1 & 2. Basically it looks like my hair grows in a U shape. I'm not sure if it's because it was cut like this at one point and now my stylist maintains the shape, or if it's natural. Makes me no difference either way, just an observation. I had my normal trim as well and am satisfied with my hair!

Left: 2.24.13; Right: 6.1.13

Top: 6.1.13; Bottom: 2.24.13 (this is to show the side comparison)

You may remember me mentioning this before, but since I've worn wigs 99% of the time over the last year plus, I've decided to try to wear my hair out this summer. I told myself that after my June relaxer, I would wear my hair out (i.e. no wigs) until my September relaxer. This is a HUGE deal for me. For my new readers, the main reason why I wear wigs is because I work out daily in the AM, sweat heavily, and have to go to work. With that, I have yet to find a style that allows me to look presentable while maintaining my active lifestyle.

In the beginning of my hair journey (in the summer of 2011), I wore my hair out before I discovered wigs, but I just don't know how things will be now. Nonetheless, I think wearing wigs has made me lazy and a bit scared that once I stop wearing them, I won't retain length as well, which is probably not true. While I haven't tried it yet, I feel like most women on hair journey's have been successful using primarily buns, and other protective styles to retain length. If they can do it, why can't I?

So wish me luck ladies. I'm going to try to post pictures weekly to help keep me accountable. Until next time!

2 Year Hairversary!!!

3/31/13 marked 2 years ago that I started my long, hair journey. Boy how quickly time flies! Looking back, I've realized that the first year was a year of hiccups and lots of experimentation while this last year I truly got the hang of things.

I was natural for the first 5 months of my hair journey (I had been natural for a little less than 2 years before beginning my hair journey) and then realized that I love straight hair and straight hair styles, but I couldn't achieve and maintain them with natural hair. This was the case primarily because I work out daily. Natural hair + a desire to wear straight hair styles + daily sweat sessions do not work well. Three months after beginning my journey I got a brazilian keratin treatment (June 2011), and then two months later I decided to get a texturizer (August 2011). This was the perfect solution for my hair, but it took a few months and some trial and error to get there.

After I got the texturizer, I committed to washing and doing my hair myself weekly, but this was definitely new for me. Then life took over and I ended up back in my stylist's chair every week, getting my hair corn rowed because I had started wearing wigs. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but I didn't feel like I was making much progress in terms of length. Nonetheless, I stuck with this routine and figured I needed to be patient.

Fast forward to March of 2012 when I had a bad texturizer experience and that was it. I decided that I needed to make time to care for my hair myself because I hated the last experience I had and I thought after one year into my journey, I should be able to do my hair myself. Thank God for that experience because between March 2012 and my next texturizer in June 2012, I retained the most length since beginning my hair journey. It was almost like a growth spurt, but I know better, it was just good ol' length retention!

Since March 2012, I've been doing my hair myself with the exception of my quarterly texturizer and trim. I have no desire to be a DIYer with chemicals, or scissors...that's where I draw the line, lol! With the exception of my recent almost set back, I have retained length and feel like I FINALLY understand what my hair needs and how to maximize length retention. It took 2 years, which seems like a long time, but I'm glad I was forced to truly understand how my hair thrives.

Following are a few things that I've learned:

• Patience, patience, patience! 
• When experimenting with products, try to change only one product at a time and take note of when you introduce the new product. For example, I have my staples, and I only introduce new products or experiment with changing things after a relaxer. This helps me track/ monitor the effects on my hair.
• Focus on learning your hair and the length will follow!

Finally, this post wouldn't be complete without progress photos! 

Left: 3/31/11; Middle: 3/31/12; Right: 3/31/13

South Africa!: Part 1

This post is so overdue, but I figured better late than never! Where do I begin....?

For any new readers (waving hi!), my family and I traveled to South African and Kenya at the end of 2012 for one of my closest friends' wedding.

I had the honor of being in the wedding, but as any hair enthusiast, I was a bit nervous about how my hair would be handled since I, nor my stylist would be doing it for the wedding. Fortunately, after a little negotiation, I allowed my friends' stylist to do my hair. The stylist did not have Phyto products, which is what I normally use in my hair, but he did carry Paul Mitchell, so fortunately good products were used. The woman who ended up doing my hair did a really good job - she gave me a nice wash and scalp massage and she was gentle. I was definitely anxious about the blow out because this is the part in the process that can go extremely wrong. I was pleasantly surprised though - she coated my hair really well with a heat protectant and used a round brush. Even with the round brush, she didn't pull my hair through like the Dominican's do, she used minimal heat (just to dry my hair, not to straighten) and she was gentle. So overall, I have no complaints.

On the morning of the wedding, I had my hair done by the head stylist and he went with spiral curls. He used the old school barrel curling irons, which I wasn't that thrilled about just because I know the technology in flat irons is better for hair. Aside from that, the experience was much better than I anticipated it would be, and my friend was happy with the outcome, which was most important! Also, my hair ended up working really well with the fascinator that I wore for the big day. Following are a few pictures. I'll come back with Part II! HHG

Relaxer Results

Happy Sunday friends!

As planned, I got my texturizer today at 11 weeks. It was uneventful - in a good way - and I managed to maintain some length. You may remember that I was expecting a deep trim considering my breakage issues. Fortunately, I got a normal trim and my stylist believes that my hair health is back on track, my breakage is under control (and will continue to subside), and things seem in order. I restocked my products and got 2 new items that I'll share in another post. Overall, I'm committed to sticking to the basics and closely monitoring what products I use.

The other exciting news is that I scheduled my appointment to get my box braids!!! I'll get them done in 4 weeks, and wear them for 8 weeks for my normal 12 weeks between relaxers.

Below is a comparison shot vs. last relaxer. Sorry for the lack of photos this time, but this gives an idea. Also, the photos are in different lights and angles because my sister, who is about my height, took the one in December and my BF, who is taller than me, took the one today. I'll try to take more consistent photos moving forward. My hair looks a little weird, but I don't have a random chunk missing (as it appears) and the trim is similar to the December photo. Guess what...I'M FINALLY TOUCHING THE LINE ON MY SHIRT!!!! I didn't think I would get there today, but I'm pretty excited! Until next time :-)

Left: February 2013; Right: December 2012

Relaxer Weekend

Hi friends! I will be texturizing my hair this weekend at 11 weeks post. I typically texturize every 12 weeks at minimum, but I decided to do so one week early because my stylist couldn't fit me in next week, so my options were to texturize one week early or one week late. My hair seems to have grown a bit faster, or thicker since my last texturizer, and I'm over dealing with it right now, so I'm more than happy to get it done this weekend. As I mentioned in my last post, I anticipate having to get a deeper trim than normal due to my breakage issue, so we'll see how that goes. At this point though, I just want my old hair back that was breakage free and thriving, so length is not much of a concern.

In other news, I decided that I want to start to enjoy my hair a bit more. For those of you who don't know, I wear wigs 100% of the time because I exercise daily and like to wear my hair straight. This has worked well for me over the last two years, but it has made me SUPER lazy and not interested in doing much with my hair. When I was in South Africa (I know I'm lame and still need to fill you guys in on the trip), I wore my hair out for the first 10 days or so and LOVED every minute of it! It was so nice/ fun to have my hair blowing in the wind, and brushing on my shoulders....

But on the flip side, I started to freak out and think that damage would ensue because I'm not used to wearing my hair out and didn't want my ends to be compromised. I think I'm a little off and just need to find a balance. So I'm going to force myself to wear my hair out after my June relaxer. At that point the weather should be consistently warm again and I won't have to worry as much about my hair rubbing on different materials.

Leading up to my June relaxer, I want to get my hair braided. My stylist did beautiful box braids on a young lady who I saw the last time I was at the hairdresser. I haven't had braids in probably 6+ years and want to bring them back! I would like to get them half way through my next stretch, so that's about 6 weeks from now. After that, I'm going to step away from the wigs...or a least try to ;-)

Relaxer Results

Hi friends! I hope your Sunday is going well. This is a long post, so feel free to skip to the bottom for pics if you don't feel like reading! I got my hair relaxed today after 13 weeks. I usually relax anywhere between 12 and 14 weeks, so I'm right on schedule.

Overall I had a really good relaxer experience from start to finish in terms of tangling and the blow-out process, which can be horrible, BUT - I'm stressed! After my last relaxer, I was excited to see if I would make my end of year goal of APL, but over the last month or more, my hair has been BREAKING like crazy. Yes ladies - you heard me right, the dreaded B word. They were little tiny pieces, but that obviously adds up!

Initially when I noticed the breakage, I thought it would pass, but it never did. The one thing that I changed to try to combat the breakage was to stop using the detangling spray as a leave-in conditioner (although I stopped using it because I ran out, not because I thought it was the cause of the problem). I also used tea before shampooing for a few weeks. The reason I didn't change much is because I couldn't figure out what to change. When I reflected on my regimen, I couldn't think of anything majorly different that I was doing...kind of. Over time I was making really small adjustments to my regimen (for example different oils, using honey, etc. to pre-condition), so I think that is also what made it hard to figure out. Then I was thinking that maybe I just needed a good trim.

Well after my hair was blown out and it was time to trim, my stylist showed me that my hair is DEFINITELY broken in certain areas. My left side was shorter than my right, so I imagine the breakage I suffered came primarily from the left side, there is a section in the back of my hair with some breakage (it's minimal, but breakage nonetheless), and then there's a section on the front left side that's broken. Also, my ends on the left side were significantly more worn than the right, which is just weird.

While my stylist was showing me this, I immediately started stressing because my hair seemed to be doing so well earlier this year, and I feel like I had just gotten into a rhythm with understanding my hair and now it has some damage and I don't know why. Length goals immediately went out of the window because I will always strive for health over length.

I started thinking a bit harder and trying to remember what I was doing differently at the beginning of the year versus now. I think in an effort to keep the basics the same, I may have experimented too much with things that should have been a part of the basics, but weren't. For example, I used to do a weekly oil treatment with Huile d'Ales pre shampoo Intense Hydrating Oil before shampooing, and then go into my routine. Also, I used to shampoo 2X during a typical wash day, but I've been being lazy and only doing one shampoo on a given week. I used to do a protein treatment every other week (I think), but I haven't done that since April. Long story short, the small things definitely add up, and I've learned that the hard way.

So I purchased a few of the basics that I used to use and will start using again in an effort to get back on track. The other thing I learned is that I need to start journaling again! Part of the reason why I couldn't figure out what was different is because I haven't been diligent about recording my regimen and products (or blogging about it). I have a horrible memory and if I don't write things down, I won't remember. So without further delay, here are a few pics from today + comparisons. BTW - my BF thinks I made APL, while my sister says I'm grazing...I'm not sure.

Relaxer Results: December 2012

Left: December 2012, Right: September 2012

November 2011 vs. December 2012

Relaxer Results

Hi All!

I can't believe it's time for another relaxer update already - just a testament to how quickly the summer passed! I relaxed after 11 weeks, which is just one week shy of how often I prefer to relax at a minimum (i.e. 12 weeks). It went ok this time - not as well as last time, but not too bad. As I mentioned earlier this week, I wasn't expecting a lot of growth, but I did get some. I got my hair trimmed as normal and if it weren't for my photos and length check t-shirt, I probably would think that nothing changed. Fortunately I can tell that I'm getting a little closer to the first line on my t-shirt, so I think I'm on track to reach my goal of APL by December.

Picasa nor iPhoto were cooperating with me tonight (and they usually don't...), so I couldn't make a nice comparison of last relaxer vs. this one, but you guys will still get the gist. Until next time...

June 2012 Relaxer

September 2012 Relaxer

Relaxer Results

Hi Friends! I know it has been forever, but I wanted to drop in with a quick relaxer update. I relaxed today and had a very good experience overall - it was much better than my horror story from March, which kept me out of the salon since my last relaxer.

Anyway - now to the photos, which of course is what we all want to see! Overall, I can tell that my hair grew, but I think it's most apparent in the front/ sides. I chickened out of not getting my hair trimmed as I discussed in this post because I'm a stickler for healthy ends, so I couldn't do it. I came to grips with the fact that I'd rather take longer to reach my goal, than get there and have to chop it off. I need to figure out how to present a nice comparison collage of my progress thus far (I need some tips from Jeni from Just Grow Already :-) ). Blogger is doing something funky with the first set of photos that I couldn't fix, but whatever. The first set are from March 2012 and the second are my most recent...

Relaxer Results

So I got my relaxer today. I have mixed feelings about my hair. The results are fine and as expected, but the process to get to the final results was TORTUROUS! When I think of getting my hair done, I like to think of being relaxed, having a wonderful experience, etc. Fortunately, I do go to a great salon that's very comfortable and relaxing, but when it's time for my relaxer, it's a real process.

I'm partially to blame for today's experience because I took my cornrows out last night, but didn't comb through my hair to release the shed hair. I honestly thought my stylist would do that once I arrived, but she didn't. So you can only imagine how things turned out....I had 1,000 knots, tangling, etc. So. Not. Fun. Once I got in her chair to get my hair blown out, the torture session continued. As I sat there, bearing the pain, I was thinking to myself - what can I do differently moving forward?

I think I'm going to ease up on the corn rows and maybe try roller setting my hair and then wrapping under my wig. This way, I'll get to release the shed hair on a regular basis rather than have it accumulate.  I hope this also significantly reduces the tangling and knots that I get.

I'm not bashing my stylist because I do feel that she listens to me and has been accommodating to my hair goals, but I just don't think it's normal to go to the salon and be in that much discomfort. I think a lot of the issue as well is that I have very coarse, thick hair that is texturized, so there is a good amount of texture and curl in my hair. This may be causing more harm than good.

My Mother mentioned that she thinks my hair is too coarse and thick for the way I'm currently caring for it in terms of wearing cornrows and getting them redone monthly. I agree with her in that I need to return to my bi-weekly visits because I think that will help with maintaining my hair a little better.

Sorry for the long post - I'm rambling and likely not making sense. I'm just frustrated because I want a better experience when I get my hair relaxer and I don't know how to achieve that with the state of my hair right now. Anyway, below are some pictures and comparison shots vs. my last relaxer. My hair felt longer when I was getting it done, but looking at these pictures....not so much. My hair used to be this length, so I don't really feel like it's changing much (I had cut my hair a few months before starting my hair journey, so that's why this length feels normal). Hopefully I'll start to see a difference in length soon.

Novermber 2011 Relaxer & Trim

November 2011 Relaxer & Trim

March 2012 Relaxer & Trim

March 2012 Relaxer & Trim

How Long Did it Take?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I have been thinking recently - with my length check impending on my one year hair anniversary, I'm not really getting my hopes up for long, lucious, locks...I just don't see it. I'm trying to keep a level mind because the reality is, I know my hair has grown since last year. However, when my sister and I first started our journey, we were all pumped (as most newbies are) and had LOFTY goals!

We were thinking that because we both had shoulder length hair already, it would be reasonable to hit full shoulder length within 6 months (i.e. September of 2011) and then be on our way to APL (arm pit length) by our one year mark. Point. Blank. Period!

Well fast forward to today: my sister has struggled with her hair journey and is trying to get back on board, and I have been very committed, but a little curious about whether or not all of this M&S'ing, and wig wearing have paid off?

So that brings me to the point of this post...how long did it take you lovely ladies to see some real progress? As I continue to read different blogs, etc. it seems to take about two years for the length to start kicking in strong for many people. That's just my observation, but I could be psyching myself out to try and feel better, lol. Anyway, I'm committed regardless, but I want to know when the fruit of my labor will be apparent?

Random

Here is a picture of the front of my hair that I took from the car to text my sister...lol! We started our hair journey together so she was anxiously awaiting my results. I thought it might be fun to share on the blog since I don't have any front shots of my hair.

First Length Check: Relaxer Results

So I just returned from the salon for my much anticipated relaxer (I was actually nervous before I went - not really sure why?).

I had my stylist just flat iron my hair straight because I plan to jump right back into my wig tomorrow and wear my hair cross wrapped underneath. So here are the results (sorry for the poor quality - I still don't have a camera, so these are taken with my phone):

11.2011 Relaxer & Trim

11.2011 Relaxer & Trim

It's hard to get a sense of the growth because the damn lines on my shirt start at like APL! I think I'm going to get another shirt starting my next length check. You can check out my starting pictures here.

So regarding my actual hair appointment - everything went well for the most part. My hair has been in cornrows for the last 4 weeks since I've been wearing Mina. I got a steam treatment and a trim. My trim isn't actually jacked up although it may seem so from the photos - my BF took these and wasn't in the mood to have a photo shoot, lol! 

I don't think my stylist trimmed any more than normal, although she made a comment that I shouldn't wait as long between trims next time, which leads me to believe that she may have actually cut more than normal. Whatever the case, I decided that I really want my future long hair to look just as full and thick as my current length hair, so I'm committed to trimming with every relaxer and patiently working toward my goal.

I feel ok about my hair right now. This is the length that my hair has been most of my life (I got it cut into a bob one year ago), so it's funny because I almost feel like now is the start of my hair journey since anything significantly beyond this will be unchartered territory for me.

I usually relax every 12 weeks, but I'm thinking I will actually wait until the end of March 2012 for my next relaxer because:

1. I'm planning to wear my wig through the winter in order to keep my hair protected, which means I'll be in corn rows
2. If I go until the end of March, I'll only be adding another 6 weeks
3. The end of March marks my 1 year hair journey, so I thought it may be kind of fun to get a relaxer and have my next length check then

So that's my story for now! I'm not really sure if what I'm doing is or isn't working, but I guess time will tell!