This Can't Be Possible....Right?

Hey everyone!

I hope you guys are having a awesome weekend! Mine has been pretty busy but I thought I'd pop in with a not so random musing of mine.

Last night, I washed and DCed my hair (and actually found that I have to wash and DC my hair in sections-just so all of my hair gets product on it). I then straightened it for this meeting I had to attend (Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama Annual Meeting). For kicks, I wanted to see what my hair progress was...if any. I did a length check on April 19th so I didn't expect much from my hair. However, this is what I saw:

Now if you recall, in April after my relaxer my hair looked like this:

I didn't adjust my bra any differently and I'm not hitting the gangsta lean (lol) to make my hair look longer. I'm just flummoxed. Is it possible to have that kind of retention in 3 weeks? Granted, I bun and half wig (shoot my hair is back in a bun now!) a lot but I wouldn't expect this kind of progress so soon.

Y'all weigh in and tell me what you think!

Perhaps I Overreacted....

Yesterday I posted about an anti-climatic relaxer day. I was a wee bit disappointed that I wasn't the length I expected to be. However, as I looked at my progress pics from March to April, I realized that progress had been made.

Yes, my hair is gaining in length as I am inching closer to BSL. However, I found that the majority of my progress can be seen in the fact that the rest of my hair is catching up to my longest length (hence the perfect U shape!). My hair is basically trying to even itself out! My hair has really been growing in this pattern for my entire journey. The longest length would grow, the rest of my hair would play catch up, then the cycle would repeat again.

So what's the moral of the story? This hair journey isn't just about gaining wonderful lengths. There is a bigger picture involved. It really is about learning about your hair, how it grows, and what makes it happy. I was thisclose to feeling discouraged but once I took stock of my hair's progress, I realize that I have made great strides.

Now you guys tell me: Have you guys ever felt discouraged in your hair journey? How did you overcome it?

A Watched Pot Never Boils...

I just had the most anti-climatic relaxer day ever.

I relaxed my hair yesterday after a 15 week stretch (since 20+ week stretches are not for me)using Mizani Butter Blends.After going through all the motions of getting a relaxer, I expected to be grazing BSL by now but wound up at pretty much the same length as seen in my March update. o_O

All things considered though, my hair is still thick and healthy. It's also taking on a distinct U shape which I think is kind of neat. In the meantime, however, I'm still half wigging it up and will probably do so until September or so. Anyway, here are the comparison shots. The top photo is the newest update and the bottom is the March 2011 update:




I guess if I keep trying to track my progress, I'm never gonna see growth as fast as I want to. I'm gonna have to keep my hair hidden for a bit so I don't get frustrated trying to reach this hair goal. I guess it is true what they say...a watched pot never boils.

Year 3: A Reflection

March 2011 marks my 3rd year of my healthy hair journey. To say that this journey has been nothing but amazing would be an understatement. I've watched my hair grow to the longest length it has ever been and I'm finding myself to be the go-to person amongst my family and friends for hair care.

This was not my initial goal. Way back in 2008, I just wanted a solution for my dry hair and a way to keep my hair from breaking so much. Back then, I couldn't imagine my hair getting close to BSL, but yet here I am. :)

Looking back, I've learned so much but I admit that I don't know everything. I've never had hair this long so that comes with a new set of rules for maintenance. This summer, I'm learning how to make it through w/o braids. Shoot, I'm still learning what products work and when.

However, I am excited what the next year will bring and to see if I will reach my ultimate goal of MBL (anything beyond that would be too much for me to care for). Thank all of you for taking this journey with me. Hopefully my experiences, have been of help to you in your journey. :)

Happy Tuesday you guys!