Cut 7" in one year?
Yep, I'm going to go ahead and get another hair cut.
I think I need to cut another 2" to regain my thickness. I have an appointment to see Reniece in October for my next relaxer and haircut. This will make a total of 7" that I've cut this year. I go through different phases with my hair - length obsession, shape obsession (ex. V shape vs. U shape) and now I'm in the blunt ends obsession phase.
After my last relaxer, I went back and reviewed all my progress pictures. There is a stark difference between when my stylist, Reniece, relaxed my hair and when I self-relaxed. I take great care of my hair between relaxers, so when its time to relax, I've always been able to retain all my length and thickness.
Reniece did my relaxers in the pictures above and I retained about 2". Please note that I didn't stretch for 4 months, she also did my relaxer in March 2007. When I look at these pictures and then compare them to my self relaxer results here, its clear that self relaxing caused me to lose thickness.
Relaxer day is critical to your regimen and even stylists can cause damage (see below). My last setback was the main reason I decided to try self relaxing. Why pay someone $130 to leave me with thin ends when I can do that myself for free? (LOL).
I still believe that self relaxing can be done successfully without adverse effects. Although I can probably change my technique to avoid breakage, I decided that it isn't worth the risk of losing progress. Not to mention that it takes me 8-10 hours to self relax, blow dry, and flat iron (that includes taking breaks to eat and watch my shows lol). So after doing the cost-benefit analysis, I decided to stop self relaxing for now (I may try again in the future).
I think I need to cut another 2" to regain my thickness. I have an appointment to see Reniece in October for my next relaxer and haircut. This will make a total of 7" that I've cut this year. I go through different phases with my hair - length obsession, shape obsession (ex. V shape vs. U shape) and now I'm in the blunt ends obsession phase.
After my last relaxer, I went back and reviewed all my progress pictures. There is a stark difference between when my stylist, Reniece, relaxed my hair and when I self-relaxed. I take great care of my hair between relaxers, so when its time to relax, I've always been able to retain all my length and thickness.
January 2007 (Relaxer and cut); finger at top of bra strap
May 2007 (Relaxer)
Reniece did my relaxers in the pictures above and I retained about 2". Please note that I didn't stretch for 4 months, she also did my relaxer in March 2007. When I look at these pictures and then compare them to my self relaxer results here, its clear that self relaxing caused me to lose thickness.
Relaxer day is critical to your regimen and even stylists can cause damage (see below). My last setback was the main reason I decided to try self relaxing. Why pay someone $130 to leave me with thin ends when I can do that myself for free? (LOL).
December 2008 (Relaxer hair loss caused by a new stylist)
Throwback Hair Picture - September 2004
Hi friends,
In an attempt to make myself feel better about my self induced thin ends (can we say "cry baby"? LOL) I decided to review some of my old hair pictures. If you feel silly about taking pictures of your hair, this is exactly why pictures are helpful. You can always look back, be proud about your progress, and motivate yourself to keep going.
Here's a picture of my hair on September 14, 2004. This is when I officially started taking care of my hair and my goal was to gain length and thickness.
In an attempt to make myself feel better about my self induced thin ends (can we say "cry baby"? LOL) I decided to review some of my old hair pictures. If you feel silly about taking pictures of your hair, this is exactly why pictures are helpful. You can always look back, be proud about your progress, and motivate yourself to keep going.
Here's a picture of my hair on September 14, 2004. This is when I officially started taking care of my hair and my goal was to gain length and thickness.
September 2004 (Thin left side)
September 2004
Here's a picture of my hair at waist length in November 2009. This is the longest my hair has ever been. Keep in mind that I've suffered numerous setbacks and was constantly trimming to gain thickness.
November 2009
Five years may be a long time, but guess what? Five years are going to pass regardless of what we do. I hope this serves as an inspiration for those of you who are just starting out. If I can do it, so can you.
Where will your hair be in 5 years?
Relaxer Day Pictures
Hi friends!
Sorry for the delay. My internet has been malfunctioning all week; it is reminiscent of dial-up service circa 1998. Anyway, without further adieu...
Here are the pictures of my blow dried and flat ironed hair.
Sorry for the delay. My internet has been malfunctioning all week; it is reminiscent of dial-up service circa 1998. Anyway, without further adieu...
Here are the pictures of my blow dried and flat ironed hair.
July 2010
May 2010
I'm inclined to say that in the July picture, my hair was more spread across my back, thus making my ends appear thinner. But I'm not sure if that is me trying to rationalize in order to feel better (lol). What do you think?
On a positive note, I'm excited that my July flat ironed hair, has the same sheen as the May flat ironed hair, when my stylist did it. I'm getting better at flat ironing my own hair.
I already told my stylist that if my next relaxer causes thinning, then I'll be making the trip to DC every 3 months so she can do it. She agreed that if I'm losing progress, then I should go back to her. Isn't she awesome? Few people comprehend my hair journey. But, I've been going to her since 2004, so she has witnessed my progress and setbacks.
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