Well let me tell you....
I am a 20 something year old PhD, teacher, and former Air Force brat who calls the DC area home. Although I have always done something to my hair (see pics), I never really knew how to properly care for my hair until I entered graduate school.
Let me explain.
When I was in my mother's house, I didn't receive a relaxer until I was 12 (almost 13) years old. I had been begging my mom for one because all the girls in my class had one and she finally caved. Unfortunately, the stylist relaxed my virgin hair w/ a super strength relaxer because my thick,coiled tresses intimidated her. My hair eventually broke off and my mother refrained from relaxing my hair for a year and a half. We stuck to a strict wash, condition, braid regimen and my hair thrived. When I finally did get a relaxer put back in my hair, my mom would go months and months before she did a touch up (anywhere between 3 to 5 months). During this time my hair was thick but it was SL because I would bombard my hair with heat on a daily basis (only to put it in a ponytail or clip it up).
* Me in 9th and 10th grade, respectively. This is pretty much how I wore my hair. Clipped up or in braids. In 12th grade, I got a hair cut similar to the one seen in this blog. *
Then came college.
* My thin SL hair at the end of my freshman year at NSU *
* I cut my hair SUPER short immediately following Christmas break during my sophomore year. Here, it was growing out and I was constantly using a curling iron to curl it...hence the 'fro *
* During my junior year my hair was growing out. This intermediate stage was the best. I could unwrap my hair and go. I didn't use a lot of heat during this time *
* The start of my final year at NSU. Over the summer I had dyed my hair some sort of light brown using Dark and Lovely (BIG MISTAKE!) and wound up having to get it cut into a bob *
* My hair by the time graduation rolled around. See how thin and damaged it is? *
I know now that my hair is thick and thrives off of moisture however, way back when (before I knew any better), I was told by various stylists that with my 'grade' of hair, I would have to relax every 4 weeks w/ the strongest relaxer strength they had. Of course I listened. I mean, why would a stylist be wrong? It is what they go to school for right? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong! That was by far the worst hair care advice that I had ever received. My hair slowly began to thin and break off....badly. By the time I entered grad school in Fall 2007, my hair would break if you even looked at it. Hair was in the sink, all over the floor...hair was just everywhere. I knew hair wasn't supposed to do this and I wanted to find a way to fix it. In March 2008, I began my journey.
Beginning my HHJ. I began exploring flexirod sets and low manipulation styles
*Five months into my HHJ. I had my hair straightened for my friend's wedding. I was beginning to regain thickness*
For the first 8 months of my journey, I was relaxer free. I was really focused on just babying my hair and getting it back to health. I wore a lot of protective/low manipulation styles during this time trying to wean myself from using heat daily. My hair thrived. I decided that November that I could have a head of healthy relaxed hair and decided to relax. I loved the results but was frustrated by the length of my hair. I was doing everything right and my hair was thickening up but it really wasn't growing length-wise. I figured that the damage my hair went through for years couldn't be overcome by 8 months of healthy hair practices. So, in January 2009, I cut it.
That brings us to my blog. I have been tracking my hair's progress since then. Every product I've tried, every method used, every lesson learned is documented here. I am by no means an expert, I think I have a pretty good idea as to what works and what doesn't. Ultimately, I wish to be MBL (which would be the longest length I have been...ever!) and I want to do it with the best healthy hair care practices possible.
With that, I want to say...thanks for stopping by The Awkward Stage! :)
