Progress...

Well it's been a while since I "chopped" my hair and began to work through the damage ends that I had. To clarify, I did not cut my hair, only trimmed a few inches every few weeks as it continued to grow out. I was already 100% natural at this point, but had scaggly, broken off ends. I still do in some sections, but this is the state of my hair so far.

For the length check I simply twisted, then retwisted my hair and then used a hair straightener on a low setting to stretch it out a bit in the back, rather than press it out completely. I did not want to straighten my entire head because the goal was merely to check my length, as I will putting my hair in a protective style for the next two weeks (twist). It's getting cold and I am getting lazy and I do not want that to negatively impact my progress. In the process of stretching my hair two things became very apparent. First, the left side of my head is much thicker ( and a bit longer) than the right side. Not just on the back, but in the side and front as well. I am really puzzled by this discovery. I can understand the sides of my head being different length and thickness because I sleep on my right side. This tends to stunt hair growth a little bit. However, the back and the front *scratch head*? I don't get that at all. I will try rubbing some JBCO on that side to see what happens. I actually planned to do a 6 month JBCO challenge between Oct 12-Mar 28 (details to follow), so I need to figure out how to adjust that for this issue if I hope to see a difference. My hope is that it will help thicken up my hair some since I do not think it really works as a growth aid.

The second issue I notice with my hair is the fact that I have a "gap" around my nape. If you look closely, you can see it looks thin right in the middle. That is because the nape is spotty. I am not sure how to fix that, but I will do some research and see what I can do. Beyond that, I am pleased with my progress. I completed a hot oil treatment this weekend and my hair felt really good after I did my final rinse (e.g. shampoo, DC, etc). Changing my regimen has done wonders for my hair. It feels softer, looks shinier and I am experience less breakage and dryness. 

                                 

Relaxer Day

Well it's relaxer time again! A bit early, but necessary because I have a wedding coming up and I want to avoid the drama of getting my hair done days before the big event. As well, my hair is very limp and lifeless after a fresh relaxer, and giving it a few washes seems to plump it up---don't know why, but it does.

I must say I was pleasantly surprise by the fullness of my hair. Even my hairdresser noticed and said he sees an improvement in the health of of my hair (I have posted pic below). I specifically asked my hairdresser to style my hair exactly the same so I could really see the difference. It looks thicker to me. In terms of growth, nothing to brag about, but it could have been much worse (e.g. breakage, shedding). I had to get a light trim (1/4-1/2 inch) because my ends were a little ragged, I also notice that one side of my head (at the back) grows significantly faster that the other side. I think at this stage of my hair journey I am beginning to see the importance of achieving and maintaining the health of my hair oppose to just trying to achieve length.

So it appears that I will not achieve my goal of full SL by July because my sides are just ridiculous in terms of growth--they DON'T!!!! My sides have not budged at all since my last relaxer. I don't understand it. So I will be adding that to my list of hair goals. I am happy to see that the back of my head is progressing well though.

Relaxer Day

So today was my relaxer day. I will say I am neither pleased or totally disappointed with my progress because there was some growth . I have included pic below. I am not very happy with my sides though (they are currently at my jaw). Why won't they grow ?!!!! Over the next few months I am going to have to give my sides some serious TLC if I hope to reach my goal by July. 

My new growth was a bit thicker, so perhaps the JBCO was more helpful than I thought, not sure. I was a little peeved at my hairdresser though. Please tell me on what planet the word "just a touch" mean cut 1/2 an inch of hair?! I mean really, you just cut off one month of growth! I was not too pleased . Whatever, not going to make excuses for the lack of significant growth...my hair is my hair; love it or leave it. I just won't "trim" it for the next two relaxers, but I will see how my ends hold up. I don't want raggedy ends in an effort to reach my goal.


I will say my hair felt stronger prior to my relaxer. I think the EVCO has been helpful with that. I also coated my hair and based my scalp with some EVCO, which I think has helped with the silkiness I am feeling right now. I think I will definitely continue with EVCO after the challenge. My hairdresser did comment on the health of my hair-- nothing too positive. LOL! Well back to the drawing board.  He convinced me to up my treatment game by using a specialized treatment that I can use at home (he knows better than to insist that I come in more often--funds are tight). Apparently, you need a license to purchase it, so I will need to buy it from him. I doubt it will be a natural product, so I will have to give it some serious thought before I use it. We'll see how that goes!

ETA: I never did get that magical treatment from my hairdresser....

I know it seems like my hair is thicker in the left pic, but it's just the way it was curled. I will admit the lower pic also looks a little deceiving because the hair isn't curled under as tightly, so I measured it (don't want to cheat myself by saying I have growth that I don't). I achieved about 1 1/2 inches of new growth (not including what was cut of course!). There was also a definite difference after my relaxer in terms of texture as well. It is much shiner and silkier and is it my imagination or does it even seem darker? (I know the lighting is off in the pic, but on the real, my hair is darker). If I could just get my sides to catch up with the back it would be all good.

P.S. the little bump in my hair is because I wear a hat from the hairdresser--Canada is too cold!

Relaxer Day

So I got a relaxer today, and I must say I was little disappointed with my progress. I know I shouldn't be too surprised because I have been neglecting my hair big time, which was why I started this blog in the first place . However, I sort of hoped I would see some progress in terms of growth. Alas, there was none! I've posted a picture of my hair below.

As usual, once I returned from the hairdresser I re-washed my hair with Motions neutralizing shampoo, a practice I adopted a few years ago.I will usually let the lather from the shampoo sit on my hair while I take a shower. I do this because I really don't want to take any chances with the relaxer, as many scalp disorders (namely baldness) can occur when the relaxer is not washed out properly. Any woman that self-relaxes her hair will tell you that you need to wash your hair at least 3 times, in which the last wash is done for a minimum of 5 minute to truly neutralize the relaxer. Now ladies, when was the last time a hairdresser neutralized your hair for 5 minutes? Time it and see, I'll bet you it's under 45 seconds! Your probably asking "well why don't I just tell my hairdresser to wash my hair for a longer period of time?" Eh, I'm a control freak and just like to play it safe.

Following my shampoo I proceed with a deep conditioner, utilizing a recipe I got from my girl Sunshyne over at HI, which I use to replenish the lost moisture and proteins that was stripped from my hair during the relaxing process and the multiple washes. For this I applied:

2 tbsp Aphogee Keratin 2 min reconstructor

3 tsp avocado oil

3 tsp castor oil

3 tsp coconut oil

I am going to have to modify this recipe a bit. I found it way too "soupy" with the oil to conditioner ratio way too high. I will update the changes I plan to make.

Following this process I noticed that my scalp didn't feel as tight (irritated) and my hair felt strong. Shoulder-length here I come!

ETA: New post relaxer treatment recipe

3 tbsp Aphogee Keratin 2 min reconstructor

1 tsp avocado oil

1 tsp castor oil

1 tsp coconut oil