I have kinda always been "natural". The trend in my country is to get a relaxer as soon as you graduate high school, but i never did that. I have very fine hair and so each time i would go to the salon to have my hair straightened, it would get bone straight and it would look 'relaxed'. Almost all the hairdressers i encountered told me i had nice hair and i should not spoil it by relaxing it. Am guessing their definition of nice hair was based on the fact that my hair did not take so much to get stretched.
Another reason i did not relax my hair was because my mother kept preaching to me about how relaxers damaged her hair..(and yet she has never stoped relaxing. lol)
Yah, so heat became my best friend and the only way i knew to take care of my hair.I had no idea how bad heat was for my hair.
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| 2012 heat stretched hair |
Occasionally, i would add a relaxer to the front portion of my hair just so i could wear an open weave, my natural hair never blended well with the weaves so i had to do something. (behind mum's back of course.lol)
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| open weave |
I knew nothing about my ability to grow about 0.5 inches per month, so even though my hair stayed at shoulder length for years, i was not bothered. The only negative thing i noticed was people telling me my hair was thinning out. I hated those comments but i brushed them aside.
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| january 2013 (Heat damage) |
February 2013, i decided to begin my own journey, i was determined to see just how much potential i have to grow long healthy hair.
So the first step was to cut some of my heat damaged ends, stay away from heat and come up with a plan to nurse my hair back to health.
I started deep conditioning my hair weekly, i stayed away from weaves and any hairstyles that would put any strain on my hair especially my edges.
The first few months were rough for me, because i was being very impatient.This was the very first time i was doing something about my hair and somehow i thought i would see results in like 2 days but that was not the case at all! I only got to see a difference in my hair in august 2013. I do not know what i was trying to do, but i pulled on the back strands of my hair and i was shocked at how much it had grown...you can imagine the excitement.
Feb 2014 marked exactly one year of my healthy hair journey and am excited to be in the second year of my journey and see what my hair has for me this time around.
I am enjoying my hair so far and i will document every step of the way so i can monitor the ups and downs of this journey.
2013
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| dec 2013 |
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| november 2o13 |
2014
Really nice hair you have mama
ReplyDeleteThanks luv.
ReplyDeleteI have been inspired. I have also started my journey thumbs up to you for being an inspiration to me . my hair is very stubborn so I just have to be stubborn to make sure am successful on this journey of growing Zambian hair long...Thanks once again for your support..
ReplyDelete