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!

My Nape - Making Progress Slowly But Surely

I finally got around to getting some updated pics for my nape progress comparison.   As I've said before, it's not where I'd hoped to be at this point in my journey, but progress is progress and I am happy.  It was very hard to get a good comparison as far as length but I think the progress is still visible. 

At the start of my journey I could barely grasp the hair, but now I can get small rollers in for my rollersets.  The main thing that I have been focusing on is keeping my nape moisturized and massaging my scalp with Castor oil and avoiding stress in that area.  Also, when relaxing I usually relax this area last, so the relaxer is only on this area for a couple of minutes really. Under-processing my nape allows for more strength in that area. Not only have I seen progress in the length and thickness, but also the texture.  It is so much softer, no longer stiff and course.  Thank you Darcy's Coconut Lemongrass Transition Crème, JBCO, and peppermint oil! 

I remember my old stylist used to tell my how the texture of my hair at my nape is just different than the rest of my hair and that it just wasn't going to grow.  Her solution was to just hide it or keep cutting my hair short.  I opted to take another route.  I've mentioned before that I feel the main cause for my damaged nape was definitely over-processing.  This is why it felt so course.  I've also realized that my nape grows so much slower than the rest of my hair, so this plus the fact that I used to get my hair relaxed bone straight every 6 weeks was a bad combination.  Check out my previous post here to read about some other causes of nape damage and tips on remedying this problem.

This area is still a work in progress.  I will continue to focus on baying my nape as I have been and hope to see more progress soon.  I'll be sure to keep you all updated on my progress.

 

Do you have any problem areas with your hair?

What have you done to remedy them and have you seen progress? 

Please share in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!

   Andrea

Quick Post

I have been having an issue with my hair appearing thinner toward the back center of my head.This has been bugging me since the start of my journey. The thinness is worse when my hair is oily. I know my nape is part of the problem. I'm thinking that I may have to blame it on the claw clips and other types of hair clips which I always place in the same area as well. :( I thought maybe even "doobie" wrapping my hair when it's straightened may be another culprit. I'm planning to start primarily cross wrapping my hair when necessary. As far as the claw clips, this has been my go-to simple & easy P.S. because my creativity is lacking in that dept. What to do. Not sure about that. I'm working on my nape as well by M&S morning and night and massaging castor oil into my hair and scalp. That thin area just makes me want to cut it all off even though it's probably not necessary. I'll just keep
focusing on correcting these issues AND being patient. Just had to throw up this quick post.

Thanks for reading!
Andrea

Nape Damage and Recovery

I am one of the many relaxed women who have suffered damage to my nape or the "kitchen" as some call it.  It had always been a little bit of an issue for me.  It was always the shortest part of my hair as it is for many women.  My nape issue, however, seemed to get worse during my college years and a little bit after.  I kept wondering "Is it something that I'm doing?" And it may very well have been.  I have later come to realize that the stylists I had been going to may have contributed to this issue as well. 

One of my key goals during my journey is to baby my nape to get it healthy and eventually the same length as the rest of my hair.  I wasn't too excited to post this pic, but this is my journey and I wanted to share everything...even the not so pretty.  :(  When I get to my goal I'm sure I'll be glad that I posted this pic just to remember where I started and feel good about my ultimate progress.


Current condition of my nape

Smooth edges by tying with silk scarf

The last stylist I was seeing would always point out my hair getting thinner and breaking back there.  She would always tell me that my hair looked better and thicker short, pretty much encouraging me to cut it.  She knew that my goal was long hair, but she just kept giving me excuse afte excuse instead of helping me get the length I wanted.  "You're getting older and your hair is changing so it won't grow like it used to" or "Your nape won't grow because the texture is different than the rest of your hair" (I won't tell you what she compared it to...OMG!)  I would get it cut in a bob or some short style and eventually the damage and thinness of my hair would become noticeable again.  Finally one day while waiting for her to call me to the chair, I was flipping through a hair magazine and saw a photo of Terri Vaughn featuring a really cute short cut that was shaved/tapered in the back.  I had never liked having scissors anywhere near my hair even for a trim but imagine her taking some electric clippers to my head! Yikes!  But I was ready.  I thought maybe I just need to start fresh. So I did it. I freaked out, but I did it! Lol!  The shortest cut I had ever had. I kept some length in the front, but my hair in the back was "gone".  I never did get any good pics of the back.

Hair cut in Spring 2011

I didn't care to maintain the style afterward.  I just wanted my hair to grow back which was always my ultimate goal; and it was growing. But when I really started to get some length again, so came the thinning and breakage in the same area.  I was that person that never questioned the stylist; the licensed professional.  But sometimes having a license doesn't mean much if they don't practice the right techniques. It wasn't until starting my HHJ and doing some research that I came across some of the many causes of damage to the nape including mistakes of the stylist. 

Causes of Nape Damage
1.  Scarfs, jackets, or other clothing rubbing the hair and causing friction and thus breakage. I've always been a cold natured person so I wear jackets and sweaters a lot especially at work.
2.  Overprocessing when relaxing. Many people apply the relaxer to this area first because they think that it is the most resistant.  The result is overprocessed, dry, crunchy hair which equals breakage.
3.  Poorly neutralizing the nape after relaxer.  The stylist may not rinse that area as thoroughly since it is not visible.
4.  Not wiping down the neck area of the sink after rinsing and neutralizing.  The stylist may have rinsed off the relaxer back there, but if she hasn't wiped down the bowl very well and places your head right back on the bowl, you just got more relaxer on your hair which again causes over processing and damage. I'm pretty short and have a hard time getting my head all the way back into the bowl, so my nape is sitting where my neck should be a lot of the time. I think this was my major cause of nape damage.

silky hair wrap scarf

Recovery

1.  Try to prevent your hair rubbing against your clothing.  Lately I've been using a long hair wrap scarf that I purchased at walmart to tie around my neck.  Rather have my hair rubbing against a satin scarf than a cotton scarf, sweater, jacket, etc. Not to mention they're pretty stylish. :)

2.  When relaxing, apply relaxer to this area last to avoid overprocessing.

3.  If you go to a stylist for your relaxers, speak up and ask him/her to make sure the hair is thoroughly rinsed and neutralized back there.  Maybe spend a little extra time rinsing that area.

4.  Ask your stylist to make sure the bowl is wiped thoroughly before setting your head back down after rinsing.
5. Make sure to moisturize this part of the hair as often as possible.  This section will need extra care and attention.
6.  Apply castor oil to the hair and scalp.  Castor oil is known to nourish hair and stimulate hair growth.

I am now a self relaxer and have incorporated all of the above Recovery techniques into my regimen.  I am making good progress so far, and though it seems to be slow(ya'll know I'm just impatient...lol) I am sure I will see continued progress.

Is anyone else having nape issues?  What things have you found to have caused the problem and what techniques have you used to fix your issue?  Did this work for you?

Please share and thanks for reading!

Andrea

Update 12/2/15
Please see this post here for an update on my nape progress as of December 2014.