Alot has happened....

So shortly after my 2 year anniversary....I caved. Even as I write this I fight back tears. In July I decided to relax my hair. It was summer and I wanted to be in the pool. I knew that dealing with chlorine and my natural hair would be a struggle, so I decided to relax my hair so that it would be more manageable as it got wet. In September I relaxed my new growth. In October I decided to give myself a bob, so that my hair would grow evenly. Though my hair looked healthy, it kept shedding like crazy. Hair everywhere! I was afraid to put my hair in a ponytail for fear that it would chip off. It was #teamtoomuch. I missed my natural hair's state. Strong and durable. I wanted it back.  I decided to cut my hair to about 2 inches hoping that I could put it in twists to muster up some new growth. Being the impulsive person that I am, transitioning is just difficult for me. I like to start fresh watching and feeling my growth. And so that's where I am right now, debating whether I should another big cop, or transition with the 2 inches of hair that I have left. Decisions..

Oct 2014

Happy 2 year Anniversary to Me!!

Its May, year 2! I envisioned my hair in a very big twistout. To my dismay I've come to realize that my hair grows like a snail. I've decided to keep my hair in Markey twists for the whole summer. In hoping that by year 3 my hair will be long enough so that I can have the twist out of my dreams. On the bright side, I've made it to 2 years without perming my hair, and my hair is healthy. Kudos Jacita!

Twistout

It's March..month 22. I've been taking my Hairfinity pills for almost 2 months now. I notice how my hair is a lot thicker now. I have enough length and thickness to wear a decent looking twistout. In wearing it out like this, it will help with my hair retention. I'm not looking too shabby.  I'm impressed! Two more months until my 2 year anniversary!! Woo hoo!

March 2014

My New Journey: Retaining Length

It's February..month 21. I recently bought Hairfinity vitamins. I started in Jan, and am now on my second bottle. It's hard for me to tell if my hair has grown. Why? Because I had to trim my hair. Now that my hair is long enough for me to put in a bun, I have been od'ing with pulling and tugging my hair..which is a recipe for BREAKAGE! So between breakage and split ends (due to some of the hair color I still have in my hair) I had to trim to make my hair healthy and as even as possible. Unfortunately my hair looks very short right now..but I won't focus on that now  but its health. I straightened my hair to trim my ends. I'm hoping to keep my hair straight as long as possible. I've only been able to keep it straight for a few days before dousing it in water. My goal is a month.

Now that I've just started my 2nd bottle of Hairfinity, it will be easier for me to document my hair grow for a month. I'm looking online for hairstyles I can do for a month. So far I've been using the flexi rods to add curls to my hair. I know I won't want to keep using them every night. Right now I have my hair in a loose high ponytail with a scarf over my head to keep the moisture in along with keeping my edges flat. Trying to figure out how to style in the mornings. Because of its short length, it's hard to style without using heat...and heat is what I want to stay far away from. And this comes to the title of this post, My New Journey: Retaining Length. I've decided to stop putting my hair in "tight" ponytails with water and gel. This was breaking my hair. This is a great time to start this, now that I'm approaching my 2 year anniversary. 

Fresh trim. Journey to hair retention. 

Faux Bun

New "go to" look. The hair is synthetic, and blends so well with my hair texture! Score!

November 2013

Bun Season

It's November, and this marks my 1 1/2 year anniversary. I can now wear my "own" hair in a bun. Progress!!

November 2013

Flexi Rods

I bought some flexi rods and tried them out on my straightened hair.

October 2013

Time to straighten!

It's month 17, October!

I had my twists in since the end of June. I took them out and decided to flat iron my hair now that it's Fall...it will last longer w/less humidity. I've been thinking about being a "straight natural". I like it because it's easier to maintain. Cheers to growth! 

October 2013

Retwisted

So I decided to retwist my Marley twists. They are shorter now I reused the same hair. I used curling rods to curl the ends,  dipped them in steaming hot water and voila!

July 2013

Marley twists

Its month 14. I've been wearing my natural hair for a few months now. Now it's time for a protective style. I'm in love!!!

July 2013

Afro? Not quite

So, now that my twa has grown, I've been teeter tottering over the idea of wearing my hair as an afro...twist out afro, that is. I absolutely love the look on others, but on me? Not so much. I feel that my face is too elongated for this look, plus I'm used to the "my hair being pulled up" look. I'm inching my way there, though. I decided to wear an afro, but with a headband..lol. My goal is to wear my hair..with no help. No hair ties, head bands..etc. 

In due time..in due time..

June 2013

My TWA Fro-hawk

It's June! Month 13!! 

I've been rocking the high puff for a while. I decided it's time for a new "go to" look. This might be a winner!! The Fro-hawk!

June 2013

One Year Mark

It's May! I finally made one year. Woohoo!! Go me! Lol. I'm excited as you can see. My hair is about 4inches or so. It's thick, strong, and finally healthy. My signature look is wearing it in a high puff with twist out hair. I really enjoy playing in my hair. I must say I didn't play in my hair as much when it was relaxed, mainly because it was stringy and just blah.

I'm not saying that I'm not grateful but I'm really looking forward to more length, so that I can do the styles I really want to do. But I do see the necessity in being content with each stage, because you can then appreciate how far you've come. This time last year I was pretty much bald, and now I can wear it up in a puff. Progress! It was also very liberating to walk around with little to no hair. It forced me to embrace myself and to acknowledge that, "I am not my hair". There is more to me, and I explored that. This journey has definitely taken my confidence level up a notch. I've come to realize that this is not only a hair journey but a spiritual one as well.

Curl definition

It's April (month 11) woo hoo! I tried this technique using Eco Styler gel, along with a curl activator...coating each small section of hair with it, then putting a comb or detangling brush right through it.
Here are the results.

April 2013

High Puff

Put my hair in tiny twists, took them out and brushed it up into a puff. Here are the results. I'm loving the length!!

March 2013

Time to wash

I took out my first twa hairstyle and achieved this look. Though it's dirty and oily I loved the look. But time to wash..ciao!

March 2013

My First Natural Hair Style!

It's March (month 10) and I've had my hair in braids on and off for about 5 months. I missed my hair and decided to take out my most recent braids. I mustered up some more growth and went to YouTube to find a hairstyle for my new length, and this is what I found! What do you think?

March 2013

Bantu Knot

I decided to experiment with the "Bantu knot" look. I happen to prefer this look over the twist out. It's much fuller. Here are the results...


Jan 2013

Took my braids out for a breather!

Happy New Year, or as my 4yr old would say, "Happy January!"(month 8), and though my hair should be longer (based on the hair grows 1/2in a month rule) I am pleased that I am no longer bald! Woohoo! I decided to color my hair black, since I'll be getting my hair braided again, and want to use darker hair. So I dyed my hair, twisted it, and these are the results....


Jan 2013

Braided up

So I got my hair "did" again. This time, professionally. When I did it myself, it took me 3 days, which caused my fingers to cramp up along w/hangnails. Not fun. I'm digging the new look. The length is good, and I'm not minding the big size braids. Overall, I'm pleased. My goal is to stay in protective styles until I muster up some noticeable length.