Older Pics (Once Upon A Time)

Please forgive the quality of the photos.  Some of them are pics scanned and so the quality may not be so great.  I'm sure there's a better way to do this, but I haven't gotten used to blogging yet. lol.  I think they are in order timewise, I can't really remember exactly when each one was taken. 

 


Hair looked okay, but I think I was doing a good job
hiding the damage (maybe 2007 or 2008)



Good hair day.  You can tell I was feeling my hair in this pic. Ha! I had a
red rinse put in too. But it was after yet another chop due to damage. :(
I'm thinking 2008

I was trying to get my hair back on track.  Ends look very stringy
here.  My hair obviously was not in the best health. (2009)

Another chop due to damage. My hair was breaking and looking thin
in the back. (Summer 2010)
  

This was the big chop. My hair was shaved low in the back.
Almost cried.  I have never gone this short before. Spring 2011

Another big chop pic.  I didn't ever really take any of the back.
I got the cut in Spring(March I believe) of 2011 btw.

On my birthday, Oct. 21, 2011
Letting it grow out(of course)

 September 2012 (but I still have a ways to go)

Here are two more photos that may have shown the longest my hair has been.  I wouldn't mind to go even longer than that.  Again, please excuse the image quality.  Those had to have been taken between 2004 and 2006.  Wow!

I plan on keeping track of everything I do and making sure to exclude direct heat as much as possible, moisture moisture moisture, lots-a-protein, and some all-around TLC! :)

Tomorrow I will document my wash day.  So glad to have this all documented so I can keep track of what I am doing and the results I am getting.  Until tomorrow!

Andrea :)



Today Is Wash Day (Friday, Oct. 26, 2012)

So today is wash day for me.  Still in the process.  I have pre-pooed, shampood, etc. etc., next is deep conditioning.  I will actually get more into detail once I've completed my currently 2 day plan to get my hair together. I'm going to leave my deep conditioner in overnight because I want to do a roller set (fingers crossed) in the A.M.  I have two weddings to attend tomorrow so this is why I am making it a two day process.

Thought I would start out by sharing my plans for my new hair journey, as far as the changes that I want to make to my "regimen".  That's so weird to say because I never realized I had one. Here are some things I currently plan to or already have added to my hair care regimen:





Taken Oct. 19; two days before my b-day on Oct. 21 :)

1. Deep Conditioning - this is a must to keep moisture in my hair.  When I was getting my hair done at the salon every two weeks I was not getting this.  This was only done when I received a relaxer.  I guess I was supposed to ask (but she knew I wanted my length back.  I would have thought she'd have suggested it.  I used to do this on and off when I cared for my own hair.  Now I plan to do this on a regular basis.  I may even try co-washing (washing with conditioner only).
2. Protein Treatments - During my healthy hair research I have come across a lot of sites, posts, and articles emphasizing the importance of keeping the proper moisture/protein balance for your hair.  I had never known or even considered how important this is to hair health.  I even just realized recently that I had occasionally done a few protein treatments in the past.  I had once gotten into a routine of using Organic Root Stimulator's Hair Mayonaise once a week.  Sometimes it made my hair feel kind of hard and after my research now I know why. LOL!  Too much protein.  I am trying to learn to read my hair and know when it needs more protein and when it needs more moisture.
3. Tex-laxing - This is when you relax the hair without completely processing it, leaving some texture.  I had always wondered if my hair had not been fully processed when Mrs. Winbush was doing my relaxers in high school.  I would always notice that when it was wet it would curl up which made me wonder if it was stronger because it was not completely processed.  After I went off to college I started going to different salons and I notice that my hair no longer curls up the way it used to.  I think beginning this process will help my hair to be stronger and thicker.
4. Relaxer Stretching - I have read about this on a lot of different blogs and online articles as well.  I am definitely guilty of scheduling that relaxer when I feel the slightest amount of kinkiness in my new growth.  I cannot stand and feel like I cannot even touch my hair with a comb. Ugh! But it is definely best to stretch the time between relaxers because you dont want any overlapping of relaxer onto your previously relaxed hair.  This can cause overprocessing and breakage and BREAKAGE is what I want to AVOID big time!!!  No more of that.   For now I'm hoping I can go 10 weeks.  Maybe eventually I will work my way up to 12 or 14.  I am currently going on 6 weeks.  I would have had my appointment scheduled by now. Ha ha!  I also plan to self relax as well. 

Well, this is the plan.  I am hoping this will all lead to positive things for my hair.  I am still experiencing some breakage and shedding here and there, but I think it's getting better.  I am definitely still learning and figuring out what will work for me. My goal at the moment is Bra Strap Length (BSL).  Not sure how long this will take me.  Hopefully I will get my official first wash day post up tomorrow or Sunday.  I also want to get some pics up soon of where my hair used to be and where it is currently.  Here are some I took about a week ago to see where my length is right now.  The pic on the bottom shows my damaged nap.  :(







Hair looking a lot healthier. Started my new changes in Sept.
My last trim was after my relaxer in August. This pic was taken 10/19/12

My damaged nape :(
Plan to apply a lot of TLC here



 

I am so excited about this new journey.  I hope I can inspire anyone just as others have inspired me.  It can be done!

Goodnight!

Andrea :)

So this is all new for me.  I'm not even sure where to begin.  I have always longed to have long hair ever since I was a little girl. (I had always said if a genie ever granted me 3 wishes, one of them would be to have long hair! LOL!)  Well, inn high school, my hair really started to grow.  Finally got my wish, huh? I owe a big part of it to my "beautician" Mrs. Winbush.  She always said she may not be able to style it, but she can make your hair grow.  And she was right.  She would relax, oil, and roller set my hair (usually ever 6 or 7 weeks).  Outside of that I would let my mom wash and roller set it every two weeks.  My hair was growing, but I always felt like it looked so boring.

So when I got to college, I got tired of my boring hair. So what did I do?  I start to use heating tools! Flat irons, curling irons, anything to straighten and curl and whatever I thought I could do to avoid throwing it in yet another ponytail.  Unfortunately, I started to cause damage to my tresses. :(  That resulted in having to get my hair trimmed; and I don't like scissors anywhere near my hair. 

After that I'd been up and down on getting my length back. I would get it cut; try again; more damage; more cutting.  One time I decided to get highlights in my hair.  I eventually started to experience breakage.  I went to one stylist who talked me into using less oil so that my hair would have body.  Yet again, more damage, more cutting.  I changed stylists, thinking she would help me get my tresses back to length and health.  More heat, more damage, more cutting.  My nape was also a major problem for me as well.  And I am not putting all the blame on the stylists, but the last one I went to told me that my hair just wasn't going to grow like I wanted because I'm getting older and my hair is changing.  Trying to convince me that my hair looked better and thicker when it's cut shorter; but that's not what I wanted. I let her cut my hair the shortest that I ever had a year ago.  The style was kind of longer in the front to shape the face, but shaved in the back.  I almost cried, but I felt that I needed to start over because my hair was just not healthy. 

A few months ago I got fed up.  I decided that I refuse to listen to these negative comments.  I will take things "back" into my own hands, and learn what it is that I'm doing wrong and the things that I should be doing but haven't been.  I have found a lot of inspiration from other HHJ(healthy hair journey) bloggers and other sites on relaxed hair health.  Yes, I am seeking to keep health "relaxed" hair.  I had once upon a time considered going natural because I thought my hair would be healthier and stronger. After all that I had learned I realized that going natural is not for me.  I don't think I would have enough patience to care for my hair in it's natural state as I know it is very kinky. 

I guess I have already started my journey in some way, but I have just recently decided to document.  I am still learning and working on figuring out what works for my hair.  I plan on sharing and documenting and including old and new pics of my hair over the years just to show where I have been.  I really hope to see some positive change soon.  Until then, I need to get some rest. Tomorrow's a new day! :)

Andrea

:)