Relaxer Update

**Written July 12th, 2013***

Relaxed after 15 wks, my longest stretch this year. I think I like it better when I stretch 11-12 wks, so I'm thinking I'll be sticking to that from now on. I didn't really have much of a problem with the stretch itself [mainly because my hair was in a protective style for 6wks of it] it was just at 13 wks post, I felt like I had to blow dry it after every wash just to be able to manage it and I didn't want to rely on heat to stretch it out.

I am pleased with how quickly my hair is recovering from the damage and how nicely it's growing back in. There is still maybe about a 2 in. difference between the broken pieces and my unaffected hair but I plan to just get my hair to certain length and then trim back to that length until all my hair is one uniformed length again. I've been APL since April but I began to trim it up then...... I'm just going to let it grow back to APL and then keep it there until my strands "catch up."

I feel as though the senagalese twists were a good protective style, I think I just like braids better. They hold there form longer and your hair isn't as noticeable as with the twists. My verdict: I'll stick to braids.

Focusing on keeping my ends as healthy as possible and retaining length!

Relaxer update

Decided to take me sew-in down after 4 wks because my scalp was itchy something awful...... and since I'm in a no heat challenge blending my hair with the weave was becoming more and more difficult. The style I wore is great as a protective style for me and I plan to definitely re-visit it again! My hair was 10wks post when  I took the sew-in out but I wanted to make sure my scalp and hair was really clean and pre-treated so I waited an extra week to relax. I was looking for a chelating shampoo locally but ended up settling for a hard water shampoo from Sally's by Ion when I couldn't find one. In my opinion, that shampoo was money well spent! I hadn't felt my hair hold moisture like that in.......EVER lol. It got my hair way cleaner than the clarifier I had been using (since the beginning of my hair journey) but when I think about it then I was dealing with different water too so, I won't trash talk my old faithful!

I went back to Amanda (who did my last relaxer) and she hooked me up like last time. She actually gave me a complimentary DC which I was appreciative of! I tried to explain to her that my hair was still underprocessed but I guess because she couldn't flat out see the texture difference (when my hair isn't straightened, it's very hard to see what's new growth and what's relaxed... O.o awh lawd) when applying the relaxer, she didn't get to go over the underprocessed hair like we planned. She could really see what I was talking about once she fully washed my hair and was getting ready to put me under the dryer.

"Oh wow. You have about 2 1/2 inches of underprocessed hair all over!" was her response after she examined my strands.......Finally somebody sees what I see! We talked about what I should do about it and came up with a plan. I feel like I'm in good hands!


Enough babbling, on to the results!

I am thrilled to have such noticeable growth from one stretch to the next! Although my hair is still uneven, it's filling it nicely and that is something to be happy about. The longest piece measures down to APL and the rest of my hair is not too far behind it! Amanda took the courtesy of showing me the broken strands that are the reason behind my thin and uneven strands..... So now I know what I need to focus on.

My next relaxer will be 1-2wks before my wedding, which puts me at either 14 or 15 wks post...... I think baggying my ends and putting my hair away is the best way for me to retain most if not all of the length I gain this stretch!

I'm ready.

My hair currently

How many weeks: 10wks post

Last wash: Sunday

What was used: V05 moisturizing shampoo; DC'd with Nairobi Humecta-sil moisture replenishing conditioner; finished out with some random conditioner I had sitting around. *SN: trying to get rid of a lot of products from my PJism days so everything is sort of in rotation right now*

Hair state: Dry. No other way to describe it..... I think it was one of those conditioners that my hair didn't like too well.

What I'm using to moisturize/seal: S-curl, water and sometimes an oil.... if not that then Silk elements moisturizer (in a jar)

Plan to relax: In 2wks (and I CAN NOT WAIT)

This is what my hair is looking like at the moment:

I am trying to finish strong with this stretch. It just feels like the longest one I've done in a while..... could be because of the issues I had with my last relaxer not going so well. I am debating whether or not I should try to do my own again or find a decent salon to go to. I don't want to give up on doing my own hair, but that last episode has left me a little apprehensive about trying it again...... I don't know we'll see how I'm feeling in about 2 wks!!

So what is your hair looking like currently?

My hair..... semi-currently.

So remember when I posted a few weeks ago that I was uber frustrated with my hair? ::If you don't it's okay, here's the link:: Well a few days later on a whim I decided to quit whining and do something about it......  STRAW CURLS.

Right after I took them out......

After about 3 days, I started to separate them. 

Although you can blatantly see my new growth courtesy of the flash on my phone and they don't look the best/professionally done, I think this hairstyle did a good job of giving my hair a fresh look. It was a much needed changed from the everyday bun/clip routine I had fallen into. All I used was a cap full of setting lotion (that blue liquid in a spray bottle full of water) Smooth Shine Polishing foam mousse (got mine from Family Dollar store for $2.75), drinking straws and bobby pins. This hair style lasted me a week; from Labor Day until this past Monday. The only reason why I took it down was because I had separated the front so much that they were starting to lose definition, other wise they would still be up.

Currently 7wks post now..... Got 5 more wks and I will be relaxing. I may have to revisit this style in the future.

What ya think? Did I do a good job? Have any tips or suggestions for other hair styles or how I could make this one last longer? COMMENT!

Hair update

I'm 5 wks post as of yesterday..... At this point I feel like my stretch is dragging along, but I always feel that way around this time. Since my last relaxer left me under processed EVERYWHERE my new growth is extra, ultra, thick and full. Don't know how I feel about that right now cause it makes it really hard to do any type of styles with out putting heat on my hair. Not really trying to use heat like that either.

Really at a loss as to what I should do with my hair at this point.... I'm over using buns and clipping my hair up all the time but it's making me look super boring and plain! I plan to wash tomorrow after school and regroup to gather more hair styles for my hairs current state.

Have I mentioned that I'm frustrated with my hair? Yep, last week I was tempted to relax it ::at 4 wks eeek!:: just because it's giving me so much grief..... *SIGH* I digress.

Someone save me from my hair......