Back!

It has been way too long!! Life simply took over. I am now a medical student and have been so busy, I’ve neglected my hair a bit. Well, I’m back on the saddle. Yes, I’ve reached waist length (a while ago, in fact) and most likely went past it. However, the ends were so thin, they were almost invisible. So around July of this year, I decided to cut it to BSL. My goal for the year of 2022 is to get back to WL and I’m doing that with braids as a protective style. Here is the plan:

Protective style

• self-installed large knotless braids (X-Pression Kanekalon hair)

Length to Keep in Each Install

• 3-5 months (re-braiding individual sections to refresh)
• after each install, give hair small break then reinstall fresh set of knotless braids

Products

• scalp: castor oil, Wild Growth Oil, Sulfur 8
• hair: any leave-in, castor oil, whipped shea butter (home made)
• shampoo: Nutrine Garlic Shampoo (unscented)
• conditioner: Nutrine Garlic Conditioner (unscented)
• deep conditioner: Alter Ego Garlic Mask Hot Oil Treatment

Regimen

• everyday or every other day, apply castor oil/WGO/sulfur 8 mix to scalp
• daily moisturizing of hair length with whatever moisturizer and oil on hand
• shampoo hair in braids with diluted shampoo on weeks 1, 3, 5, etc
• co-wash hair in braids with conditioner on weeks 2, 4, 6, etc
• during hair break, apply henna
• during hair break, shampoo and deep condition with hair mask

It’s a simple plan. By December 2022, barring set backs and an unfavorable growth cycle, I should have waist length hair. My ultimate goal is tailbone length hair and I hope to get there by December 2023! 😀

I’ve also been working on my skin care, which has been going well – thank goodness!

4 Years Post Last Relaxer!

Wow, it has been 4 years since I last relaxed my hair and about 1.5 years since my big chop!  I don’t have much to write about because I have much going on right now, but I plan to revisit this topic again in a future post! However, know one thing…I am really considering a (small) cut. I have heat damage and a “tail” forming. Not cute.

December 2014 Length Check (Silk Press) [PICS]

Another silk press? I know…what is wrong with me…

Without further ado, my official length check pic for the end of 2014 taken on December 24th, 2014:

 

And the comparison shot between September 3rd and December 24th 2014:

I will unofficially claim MBL. It just doesn’t feel like it’s MBL and my ends are thinner than I’d like; I’ve been urged by others to claim MBL, hence the “unofficial” claim. I did not trim my ends this time around like I did in September.

One positive thing I do notice with the comparison photo is that it looks like I’ve retained/grew more hair in this four month period than I did my last comparison photo, which was from January to May 2014:

I must be doing something right!

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Winners of 2014

henna (though I fell off after only 3 applications)

buns (as always)

growth aids (biotin, MSM, and silica)

Losers of 2014

hair boredom (dangerous things can happen when you’re “bored”

heat damage

mini twists (installation and take-down wreak havoc on my strands and takes too long)

The Middle of the Pack

sew-ins (I tried my first full sew-in in September. My experience was neither terrible nor great; however, I do see a lot of potential for this style…I’m getting another sew-in in February)

Things I Want To Focus on in 2015

thicker ends

protein treatments

henna treatments

more “stylish” protective styles (i.e. sew-ins)

consistent hair blogging and hair photo documentation

continue growth aids (biotin, MSM, and silica)

attaining waist length hair! 😀

My One Year Nappiversary (And Revisiting Hair Goals)!

Today (November 9th) marks the day that I big chopped! Wooot! I’ve been fully natural for a full year! What a wonderful feeling! 🙂

I’ve made some goal changes, though. I know that my ultimate goal was hip length but after measuring the difference between my current length (bra strap) and my natural waist with a measuring tape yesterday (for the first time ever), hip length just felt too faraway. Apparently, I have a longer torso than I originally thought (well, I am tall). Anyway, the distance was about 5 – 6 inches (but I’ll just call it 6). That’s at least a year of growth, and given that I grow and retain about 4 inches a year, I can more realistically expect to be waist length in a year and a half or so….

Ugh. This makes me just want to enjoy my hair more since 18 months feels so far away. However, enjoying my hair more means less retention and thus an even longer time to fulfill my waist length desires. A perfect Catch-22. I’m not going to sweat it, though. I’m very happy with what I have accomplished thus far.

Also, I still haven’t gotten around the Youtube thing. I will….I just need to have an agenda and mission for it. Perhaps just documenting my journey to waist length? There are tons of natural hair Youtubers who are awesome at styling and such…but I can’t still. Though, I am getting better. Perhaps, that will be the theme of my Youtube channel: a journey to waist length by a style-challenged natural.  I will attempt styles and see what happens from there. Anyway, even if no one watches, I will. It’s a great visual way to document my process, just like this blog has been awesome so far.

An unofficial length check is coming your way this week (with a list of what I have learned during this first year of being natural)! Ideally, it would be with this post, but my normal picture taker isn’t here. In fact, I live with a roommate (I’ll refer to him as “LF” – an absolute inside joke haha) in NYC and he’s having a crash course on everything black hair. It’s quite fun and amusing! I’m sure he’ll agree to take my length check pictures from now on, but he’ll definitely think it weird just as with everything else I do hair-related.

Bye ’til next time!

The Growth Aid Edition: BioSil (Silica Supplement)

In the previous month while wearing my weave, I took no growth aids. It wasn’t a conscious decision…I just fell out of it for a few months. However, in the beginning of this month, I rededicated my energy back into my hair and giving it the optimal environment to thrive, and that included using growth aids.

So I’m back on my biotin (5,000 mcg) and MSM (5,000 g but will up to 10,000 g gradually in the next few weeks) with Vitamin C (1,000 mg). The newest addition is BioSil. Biosil is a silica supplement (more readily bio-available than the silica in bamboo leaf tea and horsetail tea) that promotes collagen production. Therefore, not only will my hair benefit, so will my skin and nails. Being that I’m in a serious skin regimen, I find this a major bonus. I just received my BioSil liquid drops yesterday (I ordered through Vitacost.com) and started taking it today.

I am doing whatever I can to end this year with a big bang in the hair department. I WILL be MBL. 🙂

I have another growth aid I’m experimenting with. It will be my first topical growth aid in a very long time (years, in fact), and it sounds promising. It’s called Liquid Gold Hair Growth Oil (Sulfur-based). My weave, however, is making it not so convenient to use, so I’ll talk about it more after I remove my weave, which I will remove in the next 2-4 weeks, hopefully.

My “permanent” growth aids will always be MSM and biotin. The rest will go in and out of rotation depending on my hair needs and goals.

Has 5 mg of Silicon (as choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid or ch-OSA) and 100 mg of Choline (as ch-OSA) per serving (5 drops). Instructions state to take 5 drops every 12 hours (i.e. administer 2x a day).

3 Years Post Relaxer and Length Check! [PICS]

On May 21, 2011, I got my last relaxer. This month marks 3 years since that relaxer. Six months ago, on November 9th, I chopped off all my relaxed ends, leaving only my natural kinky curly hair. Here is my hair today:

Freshly washed and deep conditioned hair; full back shot

Close up of back of hair.

Gosh, I look goofy here. I was sticking my neck out (water was dripping from my damp hair) but overall, I’m looking straight head.

Right side.

Left side.

Length check, pulled.

Length check, pulled (full back)

My previous length check from four months ago:

Length check of hair on January 24, 2014, for comparison.

Even though almost everyday I complain about my hair taking forever to reach its goals, these pictures definitely put me at ease. A watched pot never boils! It’s safe to say that I’m finally at BSL. Next up, MBL! Goal month: November/December 2014.

 

PS – I failed at being a vegan. I had beef ribs, hot dogs, burgers, and chicken at my family’s barbeque yesterday. Mmm-mmm, finger-lickin’ good!

January 2014 Length Check [PICS]

I know it’s one month overdue, but my length check is finally here!  I won’t straighten my hair for a while so the pictures are from a fresh co-wash today. I am about 2.5 months post big chop and 32 months post last relaxer. Go me!

Freshly co-washed hair

One side of my hair is longer than the other. Proof that my right side (your left) grows faster than my left (your right) and not because of breakage. My hair was uneven like this when I big-chopped 2 months ago.

Right side. I’m not sure if the loose curls at the ends on the front are relaxed ends or heat damaged ends. Either way, they’ll be gone soon. I’m keeping it there for now because my hair appears longer in the back than in the front as that is how my hair is naturally layered.

Left side.

Length Check, pulled.

Length check, pulled, with a different shirt. Nearly BSL. I want to be at least an inch past it to officially claim it.

In comparison, my hair a year ago on January 6, 2013. Same top. Straightened hair. I considered myself BSL here. Peep them arms! 😉

I needed to get these length check pictures out of the way asap because the next thing on my list is either Senegalese twists or a full sew-in bob cut with bangs (Chinese bangs, preferably. I don’t like side-swept as they look more obviously weave-ish). My hair will be going on a vacation, so if you know anyone who can do either styles on the cheap, just hook a sista up. 😉

Example of Senegalese twists I want. The length and size of the twists are just perfect.

Another example of Senegalese twists I want. The length and size of the twists are just perfect.

Example of full sew-in bob cut I want. I also may opt for a longer and slightly graduated bob, as well.