Straight Natural Hair and a Length Check

Do you remember back when I had straight hair? Yeah, neither do I. But I did have straight hair a few weeks ago (I went straight for Easter). I washed my hair only 10 days later because I was bored, but I did manage to fit in a quick length check, and the results are (unfortunately) pretty much what I’d expected.

My hair is actually shorter (at least on the left side) than it was at my last length check in December 2012. That’s because (1) I recently cut quite a bit of my hair off in frustration…never EVER cut your hair when you’re frustrated or angry; and (2) the reason I cut my hair in the first place was because I was frustrated that my hair was breaking. My hair is growing (I can tell because my color has grown out by about an inch and a half!) but you can’t retain that length if your hair is also breaking.

So why, after so many years of a healthy hair regimen, was my hair breaking? Well, I just got lazy! I was having fun styling my hair in curly ‘fros and twist outs every week, styles that involved a lot of manipulation (in some cases, nightly re-twisting). I also didn’t use henna for an entire year; my hair is much stronger and less prone to breaking if I do monthly henna treatments.

I’ve learned a lot from this experience. It forced me to look into the reasons why my hair was breaking and make changes. This year, I’ve been wearing my hair in twists for two weeks of every month, and I’m hoping that protective styling helps me to retain more length. I’m also going back to wearing Curlformer sets instead of twistouts. Curlformer sets keep my ends straight and free of tangles. Even though I really like the look of twistouts, they create more knots and tangles in my hair, which then lead to split and broken ends. I’ve also been very good about moisturizing my hair every day.

It’s hard to think that I have nothing to show for a year of growth, but I’m focusing on October–I’m hoping my hair is 2″ longer by my wedding date. That is a lofty goal (our wedding is a little over 5 months away!) and I don’t have the best track record for length retention, but I’m trying! My long-term goal is to get my hair completely past this red sports bra by my 30th birthday, which is March 8th, 2015. I love setting goals because they keep me focused, and I’m determined to meet both of these hair goals! I’ll keep you all updated along the way…and I promise I’ll stay away from the scissors, especially when I’m mad!

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