Length Check! (2 years, 6 mos. post relaxer)

Hi all!

VERY QUICK length check/hair growth update!

She's a-growin'!!! =D

Reaches my bra when stretched:

Compare that to the length I had at 18 months post-relaxer (the angle makes it look longer than it was, but it was a little over collar bone length here):

And 23 months post-relaxer (mid-chest length):

Side by side comparisons @23 months vs. 30 months:

Yay! Progress!!!

That's all for now!

Until next time! =)

Growth Update: 22 Months Post-Relaxer

Hi all!

I haven't updated in a while mostly because there hasn't been a whole lot of *new* going on with my hair. 

I'm doing my usual straw sets and caring for my hair the same way I have been the past year or so and I really haven't experimented with any others styles or methods lately. So that's the reason for the lack of recent posts. But, it's been 22 months since my last relaxer! I'm SO CLOSE to my initial two-year goal!

I've really been trying to play with my hair right after I wash it to get more familiar with my natural 

un-manipulated (is that a word? lol!) texture. 

Here's what it looks like: 

 I really need to trim some more off of the left side (pictured below) because it seems that I've left more straight ends on that side than the left. But, I do like the shape of my hair right now. 

Here's the right side. As I said, here you can hardly even see the straight pieces, whereas on the left they're much more visible:

 Here's the front view so you can see the lopsided shape I'm talking about. This is EASILY taken care of though! Just need to trim off more of the straight stuff. I'm happy regardless because my hair has definitely grown a lot! =) 

And here's what my straw set looks like at 21 months...

...and 22 months!

It gets bigger (and healthier) by the day. =)

Well, that's all for now!

Have a great week and THANK YOU for checking in! =)

Click Here For My Straw Set Tutorial

Length Check

Hi!

This week..before I started one of my straw sets, I got a huge itch for chopping off my ends.

So I cut all of the relaxer off from the bottom section of my hair. 

Before:

After (Shrunken):

After (Stretched):

There's a LOT of length there, but man, does my hair deliver a serious dose of shrinkage! lol.

When I saw how much shorter my hair was without the ends, I decided to only cut the relaxer from that bottom layer completely and just do a light trim of the rest of it. My itch and temporary curiosity were satisfied. 

Here's how this particular straw set turned out:

I actually really like how it turned out with my trim!

Anyway, for those who celebrate: happy Easter weekend!

Have a safe, fun and blessed one! 

=)

Click Here For My Straw Set Tutorial

Growth Update: Transitioning Hair, 18 Months Post-Relaxer

Hi all!

Finally a new video!

I know I haven't made one in months, and I apologize (especially to my YouTube subscribers) for that! My computer had been out of  commission forever: no audio, buggy when connecting to the internet. It was VERY difficult to make videos with it that way. Now that it's up and running again, I'm hoping the videos will be more regular like they used to be! And if there's anything YOU want to see in a future video, please let me know! =)

Anyway, this video is just a photo montage update on my transition. I am now 18 months (a year and a half!!) post-relaxer. Just 6 months away from my initial goal! =)

How far along are you guys, and how much further do you plan to go?

Enjoy! 

More Than Half My Hair is Natural.

Hi!

I've been gone soooooo long. Updating is really hard now that I have limited internet access. My computer ONCE AGAIN is out of commission (kind of.) I can only use the internet when I'm in "safe mode" (which is the most basic and primitive settings a computer can operate in,) so it's been tough. This is also why I haven't been making videos lately...while I can use the internet in "safe mode," the audio doesn't work in it. 

-_- 

Grrr.

Anyway, I'm finally checking in with a growth update. As of today, I am 16 months post-relaxer!!!

More than half my hair is natural. =]

My curl pattern is pretty crazy:

 The curls towards the nape of my neck are really tight and defined. 

I love them, and they pop really easily.

But the hair that immediately frames my face and sits all around the crown of my head, not so much definition.

The curls there are a lot looser and I wouldn't even call them curls- they're waves.

They are also drier than the rest of my hair and tend to get more frizzy.

I don't really know what to do with them and it's pretty dang frustrating. 

The bad thing about long-term transitioning is that I don't know why the hair at the top of my head is like this.

I don't know if it's actually really curly, but because the hair at my crown has more "dead weight" (longer relaxed ends) it's just being weighed down and my curl pattern can't take control...I would know this if I had big chopped.I also don't know if it's due to too much manipulation from slicking it back with gel when I wear buns OR if my hair is just naturally mixed textures. I think this is the answer. I'm guessing both manipulation and the fact that I live in sunny L.A and the sun is always beating down on (and drying out) that spot on my head have caused these curls to be drier and looser. *Sigh* If that's the case, I know I'm not alone because multiple textures, and specifically, looser curls at the crown, seem to be a common issue. 

Anyway, I decided to "trim" my hair, to get rid of more of those limp strings. 

One side trimmed.

There's definitely still a good amount of relaxed ends still hanging on, but with this trim, I certainly have more natural hair than processed hair on my head. 

Anyway, I'll be updating again soon! I'm trying to get back to updating at least weekly or bi-monthly!

I'm sorry for such a long hiatus! Thank you for sticking with me! =)

Have a great week!

1 Year of Growth!!!

Hi all! I'm sorry for the hiatus! I just moved and started the teaching credential at a new school. On top of this, my computer decided to crash and is now out of commission for who knows how long.

Here's a quick hair growth update!

September 20th made it one year since my last relaxer!!! :)

I've got another year to go to hit my time goal. It flies by though, so I'm not too worried (yet.) Here are 2 quick pics of my new growth and of the point it reaches (my fingertips) when stretched!

Happy October! :)

10-months Post Relaxer

Hi all!

I'm officially a University of California, Riverside alumnus. It feels so strange!

I wore a straw set  to the ceremony (surprise!)  

I had to practice getting the damn mortarboard hat to stay put, but it ended up working out.

I didn't even get "hat hair!" =) 

Click Here For My Straw Set Tutorial

It's been ten months since my last relaxer and my hair has grown a lot.

I gauge it's length by how many "dips" or "waves" I can count.

I'm not ready to lose so much length yet, and I don't really have a plan on when I'm thinking of doing the Big Chop. So for now, I'm just waiting it out, straw setting and getting excited about the progress.

@2 months:

@ 10 months:

@ 4 months:

@ 10 months

In other news: My boyfriend's parents are flying in to CA from Maryland and they have a lot planned for us.

So this coming week, I'll be with them at their time share on a (much needed) mini-vacation!

Look for twitter updates on that. =)

That's all for now!

Happy first week of Summer!

Sushi & A Hair Growth Update

Hi all!

This week came and went so fast! I now officially have one quarter left of my undergraduate career! Eek! I wrapped up the quarter with some kayaking in San Diego and by finally satisfying the monster sushi craving I've had for the last month or so. I'm down for sushi any day, any time. <3 LOVE.

It's been six months since my last relaxer. When I used to get relaxers regularly, there were several times that I'd stretch the relaxer for six months. So, next a week, it will officially be the longest I have ever gone without one. Here's another growth update, and a better look at the curl pattern that's coming in. I can finally see a definite "s" pattern. =)

That's all for now! Thanks for reading. =) I'll check in again soon!

4 months

Here's my growth so far, on dry hair. Sorry they're a bit yellow!

It's Been a Little While

Hi all! 

I've finally finished Fall Quarter of classes and today marks my second day back at home! 

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't been doing anything special with my hair. Just the usual straw set that's been lasting me 4-5 days. Don't mind my thrilled face here. Haha!

I noticed when I did this particular straw set, that I've got a good 4 inches of growth now.  By Christmas, I'll be 4 months into my transition. If i continue at this rate, I'll be at a comfortable enough length to do my mini-chop after 12 months. My goal was 16 months, but let's see how fast my hair grows.
You can see the clear differentiation in textures.

On that same note, does anyone know of any vitamins I can take that promote hair growth? 

Something else I noticed during this straw set, was that using the Cantu Shea Butter and following with the Eco Styler gel are probably going to work well to define my curls when my hair grows out. I say this because I realized my natural curls were really defined when I took the straws out after my hair had dried.

Until next time! =]


Click Here For My Straw Set Tutorial

Another Growth Check - 3 Months

I am 3 months into my transition now, 

so here's another hair growth update on wet hair. 

It looks pretty long! However, I know that's partially because 

the relaxed ends are weighing the natural curls down.

Here's a head-on view.

It's funny how my new growth has a lot of body and volume, 

then when you hit the relaxed ends, it becomes so limp and lifeless.

I'm wearing braids right now.They'll be taken out for a braid-out  for church tonight and school tomorrow. =] Also, I just want to say thank you to my readers again! It's good to know there are people out there who are following my journey that I can network with and share ideas/advice. Thank you!

Curl Pattern is Poppin! =]

My curl pattern is really starting to take shape. I know it can still change once my hair grows out more, but I LOVE what I'm seeing right now. It looks like it's in the 3c/4a range? It's still hard for me to tell - in another 3 months it will be more pronounced and I can't wait! =] The previous hair growth update I posted was my hair when wet, and these photos are what it looks like dry (with hair lotion and olive oil organic root stimulator in it.)

A little less than two inches of natural growth?

Curl pattern close-up.

Extreme curl pattern close-up.

I am loving my natural texture! I haven't seen it in so long. Its crazy because as soon as there was any sign of curl at my roots, I would run to the salon to get a touch-up relaxer and now I'm dying for more curls to show up! I'm just way anxious to get some more length...

My natural length w/ shrinkage and all!

(This isn't the longest it got either.)

I cannot wait to be there ^^^ again. 

Except this time I'll be armed with knowledge of how to take care of and style it.

I'm so excited! 

Hair Growth Update

Short post today just to document how much new hair growth I've got since I'm now at the 2 month mark. The two different textures are no fun, but I'm excited to be seeing some curl again!

2 months of growth

Curl Pattern Close-Up

And Tanika Ray= Hair Envy
*Drool*

Disclaimer: I do not own this image.