An Update On My Nape Progress - December 2014

If you have followed my hair journey, you may know that one of the major problems that I wanted to focus on from the start was my nape.  You can read up on prior posts here and here.  For years, my nape has never been in the best shape, but since starting my journey I have definitely started to make progress.  Now I'm not saying that it's in the most optimal condition right now, but it's definitely better than it has been, thanks to better healthy hair practices.

My Nape Progress

A little passed shoulder length

Ear length (left) |  Neck length (right)

I don't think I've done anything too drastic in order to improve my nape. For my case, I think the key problem was my nape being over-processed from relaxing. I think that the stylist(s) I visited were not rinsing my nape thoroughly and were not wiping down the sink where my relaxed head had been resting.  I'm a short girl so my neck never quite rested in the bowl as it should.  Because of my nape continuing to be in such a poor state, I kept cutting my hair hoping to start over despite my length goals.  I would cut my hair only to end up with the same results - dry, broken, damaged nape.

I attribute my progress to:  

1. Stretching my relaxers
2. Moisturizing and Sealing frequently
3. Trying my best to "leave it alone"(very hard to do...lol)
4. Trying to keep my nape from rubbing against jackets, coats, and shirt collars. I cringe when I feel a strand of my hair stick to my shirt....

I am so proud to say that I have turned this around, despite the negative comments from my stylist at the time who constantly told me that my nape just wasn't going to grow.  I was determined to prove her wrong.  I sometimes felt discouraged, because it seemed to take forever to really see real results, but I had to be patient. And we all know that patience is extremely important in a hair journey. Progress doesn't happen over night.

Right now my nape is a little passed shoulder length.  I have been trimming it occasionally to get rid of dead ends.  I am so excited about my progress, but the journey with my nape is far from over.  The next stop for my nape journey..., APL! :)

Thanks for reading and happy hair nape growing!