Now I'll be honest with you guys... I love having long hair. Of course it does not define who I am as a woman, nor does it make my life better. It all comes down to personal preference to me. It wasn't until the spring of 2013 when I decided to see how long I could grow my relaxed hair. I was a freshman in college and my hair was shoulder length. It had never been any longer or shorter since I decided to have it "texturized" at fourteen. Apparently the texturizer had been left in too long and it straightened my hair, so I just rolled with it for all those years.
I had zero knowledge about making my hair grow faster than its average rate, and so I turned to YouTube. There was TONS of information about caring for relaxed hair other than shampooing and conditioning it. I began following people on social media with long relaxed hair, I created a regimen after weeks of experimenting and played around with different styles such as braidouts and flexirod sets that I wore when my roots started to grow out. I also began to stay away from flat-irons and blow dryers and getting touch-ups every ten weeks instead of eight weeks.
And you know what? It actually worked! I did deep conditioning, hot oil treatments, co-washing, protective styles; massaged my scalp with Jamaican Black Castor Oil (aka nectarine from the gods) and saw amazing results. In just two years my hair had grown from shoulder length to almost bra strap length, which was quite an accomplishment for me because my hair had never grown past shoulder length.
I knew I would go back natural eventually. It was no big deal for me because I loved my hair whether it was natural or relaxed. What changed my mind however was my own impatience. I was about an inch away from reaching full bra strap length with my relaxed hair, but trims always seemed to get in the way. Don't get me wrong; I knew that trims helped to keep my ends healthy, however I ultimately decided that I would not have to get so much trims if I went back natural. Again, I was curious to see how long my hair could grow if I cared for it just as much, or more, than I did with my relaxed hair.
And that was when my second hair journey began. I started the transition on October 17, 2015. With the help of my aunt, she put my hair into cute protective styles while giving me great advice on what to expect after the big chop. I started with my usual braidouts that I sometimes used to do when I was relaxed, but once my dead ends became thinner and more obvious in braidouts, my aunt installed crochet braids into my hair. I enjoyed the different styles and it gave me a much-needed break from the intense maintenance.
Once I grew impatient and quite disgusted by my "weeping willow" hair,
I decided to have my big chop on November 13, 2016. My aunt was a pro at doing big chops so the process went by pretty quickly. I was so excited to be officially natural. I expected to work hard and it definitely hasn't been easy. But this new hair journey is one that I'm willing to work for.
Okay, onto the fun part. Well... it might not be as fun once you see it but shown below is my current hair regimen, which is subject to change at any time. You don't have to follow this regimen. This is just a routine that works for my hair but I hope that this can give you some inspiration. Also, if you're interested in seeing a slideshow of my journey, click here. Thanks for reading and I'll be back with another post soon!
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