38 Months Natural
SO! Sew-In #2 comes out and I feel it was a success. As tempting as it is to go right back and get another one, I'm deciding to give my hair a break. I kept the last sew-in for a total of 9 weeks and I've continued to take Hairfinity, drink a lot of water, and make sure my hair stays as moisturized as possible! Let's see my results!
November 5, 2014 = 144 weeks natural (2 yrs, 9 mos, 4 days)
Notice that my head is slightly tilted back in the pic on the left ...and is straightforward in the pic on the left |
March 30 = 165 weeks natural (3 yrs, 2 mos)
In the picture on the left, my head is slightly tilted back, so it looks longer than it actually is versus the picture on the left where my head isn't tilted. It's only been 9 weeks but you can tell from the pictures that my hair has really flourished during that time. I feel as if it more filling out than growing, but any kind of growth is good growth! Let's check in on some of the subjects I touched on during my last length check:
1. I'm still upset about the hair issues I ran into in 2014. I spent a lot of time during this last sew-in talking to myself about my hair. I'm to the point now where I want to focus on getting my hair healthier and thicker. I want to do this by being mindful of the styles I choose and...here's a biggie...accepting my hair the way it is. Before taking my sew-in out, I convinced myself that I wanted to start getting this wash and go down pact. I've tried it before and was okay with the results I had, but it was something I'd wear for only a few days, at max! I researched it and I got confident about my ability to give it a good try. My main go to style is the stretched twist out. With this style, I usually re-twist my hair every single night! I've washed my hair since getting it straightened and I've noticed that my stretched twist outs cause SO MUCH SHEDDING!! Yes, I've noticed this before and yes, I know the constant manipulation (the initial twisting, stretching, and continuous re-twisting) is so not good for my hair. However, because of that and the concerted effort I want to put forth into conserving my hair, I've tried something different...post to come soon!
2. I've changed my work schedule to be able to get some different things accomplished during the week. Finding a natural hair stylist was initially one of the things on that list. I've been thinking about a few different things regarding finding a natural hair stylist. I want to try my hand at really learning about the ingredients my hair needs to stay healthy. I also need to get better at learning and avoiding ingredients and products that are good for my hair.
3. As far as styling versatility, I'm going to try my own hand at a few styles. The only difference I want to make is trying to style my hair wet, as opposed to trying to do it dry!
Nov 2014 - March 2015 |
I've said that I can't do this natural hair journey alone and I'm still on the fence about that. I'm definitely leaning more towards the "I need a more consistent natural hair stylist" side, but I want to try and be more dependent. I'm all for learning how to do things on my own, so I feel like I need to try harder than I have in the past.
Hairfinity is still on the table. Unfortunately, I waited until the last minute to take my length check picture, and ended up having to do it myself. Because of that, my measurement isn't as accurate as I would like for it to be. I had to bend my arm behind my back, leaving my shoulders slightly hunched forward. However, what I did with the picture was line my head up with the other picture so we could get a guesstimate of where my hair would hit on the shirt had my shoulders been square.
This will extend my trial with Hairfinity a little longer. From what I can tell my hair has grown roughly 1.5 inches...which is standard if we're going by the 1/2 an inch an month rule. Now that my sew-ins are out and my hair is free, I'll be able to keep a better eye on this growth!
Follow Mi!
Looks so healthy. I've been frustrated with my hair. I'm gonna go get some help with it before I do something crazy. Nice post
ReplyDeletethose are great results. Your hair looks really beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGirl, your hair looks great - thick and healthy! I didn't even know there was such a job as a natural hair stylist but considering how many women have become interested in growing and properly maintaining their natural hair in recent years, that totally makes sense. The sew-ins, water and Hairfinity are certainly working for you! :))
ReplyDeleteDrea
thedreadaily.com
You're hair looks great!!! It's hard to find a stylist that focuses on hairCare, that's one of the reasons I started doing on my own hair (besides saving my coins). It's trial and error sometimes but I'm sure you can do it. You have a great head of hair to start with already
ReplyDeleteYou can say that one more time!! One of my friends was telling me that she had to get 3 inches cut today but she goes to the salon every month! I was like, is the person doing your hair not taking care of it?? That's a lot. So, I just really have to become more knowledgable about hair stuff. I do enjoy saving coins, but if a few months down the road, things aren't looking better, I'm really going to invest in finding a cosmetologist!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Drea!! It looks it's thinnest a couple of days after being straightened. I feel like that's when I can see what's truly going on with my hair. Even my stretched twist outs were starting to look a little less full. Hopefully with this low manipulation styling I've been trying it'll thicken back up in a few months. I know it's going to have to start from the root, so I'm really going to be keeping my eyes on it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Giselle!! I'm just trying to keep it healthy! Let's see how these next few months go!
ReplyDeleteOh Christinia! I definitely understand how you feel. I get frustrated with my hair at times too. I feel like it should be further along than what it is and it seems like whatever I do sometimes it's just stagnant. I'm going to try this low manipulation styling for a few weeks or months to see if I feel better about it. If not, I'm really going to have to find a good natural hair cosmetologist! So, my advice to you is...don't let it get you down. Do some research and see if you can't figure it out on your own...and if you still don't feel good about it, it might be time to start trying out some salons!!
ReplyDeletedid you have a full sew in or did you have aby leave out ? I can't decide what to do.
ReplyDeleteYour hair looks great! I have to hold off on the heat styling for awhile since its starting to take its toll again. Usually I keep it straight during the winter as there is humidity and I go curly for spring and summer to give my hair a break.
ReplyDelete