Back to Hair! Blog Update

Wow its been six months since my last blog post!

Eeek!

I admit my motivation for blogging did wane quite a bit and I regret the time I spent away from the blogsphere. To be honest, I've settled into the routine of my hair and its not as exciting as when I first big chopped.

So I realize that I need to remind myself why I blog. Well, keeping a hair blog is useful for recording both the struggles and accomplishments with my hair so that over time I can reflect on how much my hair has changed. I can record what products and techniques I find useful or not so useful, and of course there's the opportunity that the information I record here will help someone else, who like me, craves all knowledge of how to care for 4c hair.

So now that that's clarified, on to the tasks at hand. Next week I start classes in my third and final year of university. Of course, I'm excited and nervous about the new semester, especially about my time management skills. o.o

It's a fight, but I really want to devote attention to both my studies and my blog.

Starting with my blog (sorry studies, you have to wait) I plan to update the blog design soon and spam upload more posts as we enter the month of September.

I'm now 1 year 6 months post relaxer!

Relaxed hair to transitioning hair to fully natural hair. Kinky, coily, "nappy", whatever you call it, I love my hair!

If you had to sum up the last 6 months of your hair journey, how would you describe it?

Much love,
~Hatter

The Hols are here!

Whew!

This week my exams finished so I'm finally free!

If I could sum up how I feel in one video...this would be it:

(And who doesn't love Tom Hiddleston?? :)

This semester has been extra busy for me and unfortunately I haven't blogged nearly as often as I should have.

My second year of university is now half-way finished...I can hardly believe how time is flying!

Since my mini-chop in August I've mostly been keeping my hair in braids. Trust me, this has saved me sooooo much time and energy. All I have to do in the morning is moisturize and seal and I'm out the door. When I get home later this month I plan to take out this current set of braids and maybe...cut off the rest of my straight ends. :)

I'm excited to see how much my roots have grown out since August. I'm still not a big fan of the teenie weenie afro on myself...so we'll see whether I decide to big chop or continue to transition. I'd love to accomplish a long term transition of 1-2 years like some bloggers, but I'm just too impatient!

Watching youtube videos has helped to keep me inspired while I couldn't play with my actual hair.
Here are some of my recent favourites:

As the year comes to an end I feel that I need to sit down and reflect on my highs and lows, strengths and weaknesses. I plan to do this especially for my university experience. Honestly, this semester has been my most challenging so far; emotionally, spiritually and mentally. So, I need to evaluate how I can prepare for next semester so I don't feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks at the end!

Have you begun to reflect on the past year, or made any goals for the new year?

Oh, and I can't wait for Christmas!!

Lots of love,
~Hatter

Six months post relaxer

August 10th 2013 made me 6 months post relaxer!

That date also marked my mini chop, leaving me with 2-3 inches of relaxed ends attached to my new growth. So far, I can already tell that my natural hair texture is different from when I was a child, and I'm excited for my big chop when I'll finally be able to appreciate and critique every kink and coil.

Currently I am very inspired by this video uploaded by one of my hair crushes, Mae.

She is four years post big chop and I love love love her hair! Her video encourages me to be patient in my transition, as well as to put in the hard work necessary for cultivating healthy, gorgeous natural hair.




After enjoying my short haircut for about 2 weeks, my mother installed another set of braids. Honestly, I would like to maintain my hair myself but since university has started again and my mom is going back to St. Kitts, I know that my laziness and impatience would sabotage my hair-care efforts.




I plan to keep these braids in for 8 weeks, which should last me until the end of October.



How's your hair journey going?
Love!
~Hatter

The battle for natural hair- it has begun!

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This Saturday will make me 13 weeks post relaxer. So far my difficulties have been with breakage, detangling and keeping my hair detangled. However, today I experienced another difficulty which shocked me more than expected- opposition to me going natural by my family.

Specifically, it was my brother who, in response to my mom when she mentioned my decision, blurted out that "natural hair doesn't look good."

*cue death stare*

Honestly, I was annoyed; more so at the ignorance of the statement than at the fact that it came from my own brother. However, I had to remind myself that people's opinions and preferences are very different, partly due to their experiences in life. Although natural hair has gained steady momentum in the past years, relaxed hair is still the mainstream in many societies including those here in the Caribbean.

So I really shouldn't be upset with my brother...he, like many of us, was socialized to prefer and desire silky, straight hair. I, myself, wasn't too fond of natural hair before I went on my hair journey. And the poor women walking around with neglected, half-done natural hair certainly doesn't give any support for women who want to wear their natural hair. Of course there are plenty of women who also sport relaxed hair that's far from healthy, but as long as it appears to pursue to Eurocentric ideal, it's okay, right?

My mother has also expressed concern over me going natural, mostly because she remembers how difficult it was to take care of my hair as a child, and she fears that I'm not ready to care for it on my own. I do understand her fears, and this week she had me swayed in the direction of  getting a relaxer and cutting off any damaged hair.

Also, today I was with my mom when she got her hair relaxed at the salon. The hairdresser (who used to relax my hair) looked at my hair and commented that it wasn't looking too hot. Ermm...duhh!
I do have 13 weeks of new growth poppin' out of my scalp! Farrr from tactful madame...

Anyway, today my conviction was sealed by both my brother and former hairdresser. How dare anyone tell me that the hair that God gave me doesn't look good? It's not a subject I will get self-righteous about, but it irks me when people look down on me and underestimate my abilities, thinking that the silly little child is not handling herself or her hair well at all.

It's hair. I'm going to be 18 and I am ready to make my own decisions. And at the end of the day, it's hair! I could be strung out on drugs or preggers with 3 baby daddies but all I want is to go natural!

(okay, that was a bit dramatic...)

I'm fed up of the relaxer process and I hate other people doing my hair. The people in my life who don't approve of my decision to go natural will just have to get over it, because God makes no mistakes, and I'm not on this earth to satisfy anyone's aesthetic pleasures.

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Goodnight!

~Hatter

Back to Roots: I'm "going natural"

Yep, I'm going natural.


I don't really like the term "going natural" since I've been natural most of my life, and have only had relaxed hair for about 5-7 years (first time when I was a preteen, after which I transitioned, then had my hair relaxed again around 13 years old) So, I'm going back natural, or I'll just say back to my roots. (no pun intended!)

Although I am very excited about my transition to natural hair, in no way have I become totally anti-relaxer. I still admire the women who maintain their healthy relaxed hair (shout-out to Jeni and Ebony!) and I will continue to read their blogs, use their tips and blog about the relaxed hair world.

I find it silly when black women go to the extreme and denounce the "creamy crack" which they themselves were so "addicted" to before they went natural. Hair is hair and I will not alienate my self or my fellow hair sisters by preaching the superiority of one form of hair over another.

To me, confidence and being comfortable with oneself is most important. The fact that many black women are so uncomfortable or shy about wearing their natural hair in public for fear of social rejection is truly sad. I do not want to be one of those women who hides her hair because she resents it. I admit, before the natural hair movement I thought I would never go back natural because my natural texture is very thick, coarse, and was a pain to take care of as a child...but that doesn't have to be the case anymore. With all the information available online, new products catered to naturals, and the inspiring blogging ladies who have transitioned, I should have no fear for lack of support for caring for my hair.

Its time to finally throw off the ancient stigma and condemnation black women have faced for wearing their natural hair. I will not let fear of myself or the opinions of others rule my life.

Life is about exploring and taking risks! I have no reason to force myself to bear with my relaxed hair when, recently, it's been making me perpetually unhappy.

So...I'm on another adventure. The first was my healthy relaxed hair journey...now this one is a healthy natural hair journey!

In my blog description I wrote: "Healthy relaxed hair or bust! Who's with me?"
So did I achieve healthy relaxed hair? Up to a point, I did, and then for reasons I still haven't figured out, my breakage increased and my hair's health has been decreasing ever since.

I don't consider my relaxed hair journey a complete failure since I learned a lot about healthy hair care, achieved my first year's goal of armpit length hair and discovered some amazing hair blogs- by both natural and relaxed hair women!

Again, I am excited about this transition. I'm exactly 8 weeks post relaxer and my roots are hecka thick, but a bit uneven since I have texlaxed areas from my last relaxer. I initially planned to get braided extensions installed today, but my mom won't be able to do it and I trust no one else to braid my hair. I might have to wait until after my final exams to get them done. That's about 4 weeks away...yikes! I've hardly stretched my relaxer longer than 8 weeks post without difficulty so I do have a challenge ahead...Thank God for youtube tutorials and ORS Nourishing Conditioner that I hope will get me through the first phase of my transition!



I'm going to 18 years old in August and it just seems significant that I chose to go back natural at this point. Becoming an "adult" brings fresh experiences, one of which will be my health natural hair transition. Who knows, maybe I'll "big chop" for my birthday! (Probably not, though. I'll only have 6 months worth of new growth!)

Cheers to being unafraid to experiment and falling in love with me...a woman fearfully and wonderfully made!

Some of my recent inspirations:

urbanbushbabes.com

urbanbushbabes.com

kandeelovesya.tumblr.com

Where mah 4c hair ladies at?? I'll be needing some tips! =)

~Hatter

Winds of Change: Relaxed vs Natural

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Relaxed or Natural?

That is the question!

 For the past few weeks I've been considering my hair situation quite seriously.

On one hand, I did want to stick out my breakage in the hopes of finding a product/technique that would restore my hair's health. On the other hand, I was severely frustrated and fed up with my lack of progress over the past few months.

From breakage to texlaxed roots to consistently uneven ends...I think I may have reached the end of my rope.

I know that on my healthy hair journey I'm supposed to expect difficult periods and motivate myself to endure them, but recently I haven't seen the point in constantly enduring stress and frustration when I really don't have to.

So, I'm considering "going natural" or transitioning.


And before you think I'm simply "giving up" on my hair, let me explain further:

• I admit it, I'm fed-up. Fed-up of being disappointed and not gaining pleasure from my hair. It's said that madness is essentially repeating the same steps while hoping for different results...well I might be mad! I have been trying to solve the source of my breakage but all the techniques that I've tried have yet to resolve them. More and more, I'm feeling emotionally detached from my relaxed hair. So why not try a different method all together?

• I have also come to appreciate natural hair much more. When I wrote my post about the natural hair movement I, like many other relaxed ladies, felt very tempted to join the movement. It seemed cool, embracing your "roots". Looking back, I'm glad I didn't because I didn't have the emotional appreciation of natural hair and an earnest curiosity or desire to take care of it. Now, I feel much more committed to the idea and even excited about growing out my afro. The youtube tutorials and tumblr blogs I've been following are very inspiring and I have been valuing natural hair from a different light. My new growth is quite tame (shock upon shocks!), easy to comb and its just so fluffy. I'm very curious about my natural hair texture.

"But aren't I supposed to be consistent on my hair journey? Why give up? Shouldn't I stick it out with the end results (health and length) in mind?"



Jeni of justgrowalready.com is one of my relaxed hair-spirations. Through thick and thin she has cared for her hair and gained amazing results!

Honestly I'm not too sure how to answer this question. Sometimes I feel like a should give my hair more time and be persistent on my relaxed hair journey. Then at other times I feel like its too much of an emotional, time consuming burden. At the end of the day, hair is hair. I don't want to be worrying about my relaxed hair issues more than my assignments and other responsibilities. For me, its a matter of eliminating unnecessary problems. (Ouch, does that sound as harsh as I think it does? lol)

I know that natural hair (especially my thick 4c texture) is no laughing matter, and will require a lot of work. However, seeing that it would be chemically stronger than relaxed hair, and there is now so much useful natural hair information online, I know the challenge would be much easier than years ago when I used to wear my natural hair.


"So if you 'give up' on this hair journey, who's to say that you won't give up again on your natural hair journey?"

Time will tell, but I certainly don't plan on starting another hair journey with failure in mind. And who's to say that I am giving up? Transitioning doesn't change the fact that I'm continuing to work towards healthier hair. It just changes my strategies and overall orientation towards taking care my kinky hair.


So what's your opinion? Is it okay if someone on a relaxed hair journey sacrifices it when times get tough? Is it all about the commitment to relaxed hair or personal satisfaction? Have you ever felt like calling it quits on relaxed hair and "going natural"?


I appreciate your honesty!

~Hatter

Waiting...

Good night everyone!

This is my first hair post in weeks because I've been waiting...

....waiting to fall back in love with my hair!

After my last relaxer in which my new growth was severely underprocessed, I haven't been showing my locks a lot of love. Combined with the breakage that I'm still experiencing...I've been having a dull time.

The breakage may be due to some ends that need to go, my texlaxed roots or just dryness. (Admittedly, because I fear causing even more hair snapping off I haven't been moisturizing and sealing very thoroughly.)

Lawwd it's like I need to be a hair scientist just to figure out what my hair needs!

I'm really looking forward to my next relaxer so I can do an official length check and cut off any straggling ends.

Pray that I have patience and resolved my breakage!


How is your hair journey going? I hope you're enjoying it more than I am.

The good old days!

Waiting to fall back in love with my hair...
~Hatter

2013 Hair Goals

2013 is here and its time to set some goals for the next 12 months ahead.

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Last year, my goals were to stretch my relaxers to no less than 8 weeks, and achieve Arm Pit Length by December. About 95% of the time I was able to stretch to 8 weeks, and I was grazing APL last month!

This year my overall goal is health: both for my body and hair.

My hair goals are:

1. Thicker Hair

When my hair was first relaxed, about 4 years ago, I had super thick, healthy hair. Now, years and countless relaxer services later, my hair is much thinner (but still healthy, thank God).
Thankfully, thin hair can be combated with....

Castor Oil

Yes, I'm going to try using castor oil at least 1x per week to thicken up my new growth so that *hopefully* I'll have thicker, fuller hair by the end of the year. To track my thickness I can compare pictures of my ponytail this month, to that in September, then in December to see is there was any significant progress.

     2.   Longer Hair:

Megan of ulovemegz.com She is my inspiration!

Bra Strap length maybe? It seems a looong way from APL. I hope that I can at least reach Below Shoulder Blade by the end of the year. In the picture below, the second blue line is about BSB and the third white line is BSL. I'm already excited about comparing this starting length picture with the one in December 2013!

I can achieve this goal through:

• Healthy Ends

Preventing split ends is a key to length retention. Strong, even ends are also more resistant to breakage and gives the hair a fuller, healthier appearance.

Protective styling is what jumps to mind when I think of preserving my ends. I've been very bored with buns so using youtube to find creative, easy protective styles is a must.

Dusting and trimming my hair when needed can also help. Now that I accomplished my first self trim I look forward to dusting my hair after every relaxer (or maybe every 6 weeks or so).

• Reducing breakage

Over last month or so I've noticed a number of both long and short broken strands in the bathroom sink after combing my hair. I'm a person who can get easily stressed over any noticeable hair loss, so this issue is of great importance to me. I can focus  on:

Proper protein/moisture balance by moisturizing, using the baggy method and perhaps deep conditioning more frequently. 

Drinking more water to hydrate from the inside-out. 

Buying seamless combs to reduce the stress on my hair. I was introduced to these through Jeni of justgrowalready.com. I plan to purchase some Hercules Sagemann combs from hotcombs.net. 

Those are all of my hair goals for now! I may add to this list later but for now I'm focusing on the two main goals of thickness and length.

I can't forget that Jesus is my inner strength and helper. I often fall short of my personal goals, so I shouldn't be wary of calling on His spirit to give me the strength, determination and perseverance I need to accomplish both my personal and hair-related goals.

Here is the link to posts by Nadege of relaxedhairhealth.blogspot.com that are great for motivation and tips for accomplishing goals. If you're like me and need an extra push, these posts should be of great help.


Good luck with your 2013 hair goals!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

-Philippians 4:13

God bless.
~Hatter

1 Year Hair Anniversary: A look back at 2012

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As we get ready to toast to the new year, its time to reflect on 2012 and give thanks for the many blessings I've received.

I thank God for a successful year, and for Jesus's help through my transition to university, as well as on my hair journey!

Entering 2013, I'm forced to wonder: how did the time fly so fast?
This month marked one year since I officially began my hair journey. I remember last December when I was dealing with irksome scalp issues and very heavy shedding. I thank God that it spurred me to research healthy hair care. From my first hair revelations by ulovemegz on youtube, to the Science of Black Hair, blogs and forums, I learned a lot of information that helped me to improve the health (and length!) of my hair.

Lets take a look at my hair near the beginning of my journey, and then to present.

January length check:

December length check:

I can definitely see progress!!
In January I was just shoulder length, and now in December I'm grazing arm pit length.

Other areas I've noticed health improvement include my scalp. For the past two to three months I have not had a major flare-up of seborheic dermatitis and my scalp is much less sensitive, dry and itchy. Whether this is due to healthier hair practices, hormonal shifts or diet, I'm glad that my scalp has been behaving!

I can't forget to mention that now I'm almost totally my own hairdresser. I've increased my DIY skills to the point that I am now a pro at washing, conditioning, rollersetting and airdrying my hair myself. I am especially happy that I've mastered these areas since I feel much more in control over my hair, instead of being totally dependant on a hairdresser.

On the other hand, I also had two minor setbacks this past year. The first was a "trim" by my old hairdresser that put me from about collarbone length to the shoulder length picture above. The second was the tear-worthy balls of hair I lost on my second to last relaxer due to major knots and dreads that formed in my new growth.

Ahh, and how can I forget my stretching issues at 8-9 weeks post? Those were the worst obstacles I've encountered on my hair journey, and I have to pay particular attention to how I stretch my relaxer in the new year.

Although there are still several areas of my hair's health that I have to work on, overall 2012 has been a successful year on my hair journey as I've learned a lot about how to take care of my hair and help it to thrive. =) Relaxed hair can grow!

What stood out on your hair journey in 2012? Have you thought of any areas of improvement for the new year?


Ask for what you want in faith and you shall receive it!

"And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Matthew 21:22

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P.S.
Aren't you glad the world didn't end this year?? haha

Have a happy New Year!
~Hatter

Relaxer and Trim Update

Last Thursday 20th December I had my hair relaxed at about 6 and a half weeks post relaxer. 

Yes, that was a short time, even for me! I'm definitely not going on such a short stretch again. I hardly had new growth! 

As per usual, the hairdresser used Precise Relaxer in Mild. This time my scalp got burned on my left side since I was scratching it during the week *guilty face*.

Comparison between November 3rd and December 20th relaxers:

November relaxer (left) and December relaxer, after self-trim (right)

There is very little difference between the two pictures for these reasons:

1. This time I only waited 6 and a half weeks before relaxing. Consequently, I saw much less "length" than if I had waited my usual 8 weeks.
2. I trimmed my hair myself. Minor length gain + self trim = little retention. lol!

I'm actually not sure if I trimmed too much, because my ends were quite ragged. In my November relaxer I did not get a trim by the hairdresser and "dusting" my ends wasn't enough to remove the uneven ends. This relaxer, I tried to give myself a thorough self trim. That might be why it doesn't seem that I retained any growth over the past 6 weeks.

In this last post I described the methods I wanted to use to trim my hair. In reality, they didn't work so well! I started with Feye's Method then switched to sectioning my hair across my head, pulling the section upwards, (like I was rollersetting) and snipping off thin ends.

The amount of hair I trimmed off of my ends. 

Anywhoo, I'm happy to saw that I'm officially grazing Arm Pit Length! woot woot!

APL was my goal for 2012 and I'm glad that I'm almost there!

I won't officially claim full arm pit length until my next relaxer in the new year, but I'm happy that, despite the set backs and obstacles, I made significant length progress in the first year of my hair journey! 

I'm keeping an eye on my ends so make sure they don't get too ragged again. I hate major trims, so I'm thinking of dusting my ends every month or so to keep them in shape.

Soon I'll post a full review of my hair journey in 2012, my reflections and goals for next year.

How has your hair progressed this year? Have you made any new hair goals for 2013?

Love!

~Hatter

21 Questions Hair Tag

Here's my response to Ms. Fancy Flair Lady's 21 Questions Hair Tag.

Although she tagged me a couple weeks ago, I've only been able to complete it this week. Sorry for the late post! Hope you enjoy =)

1. Why did you start taking better care of your hair?

Last year around this time I was experiencing major shedding, plus a severe flare-up of seborrhoeic dermatitis. This led me first to watching videos on youtube (shout out to ulovemegz!) and then hair blogs to find a solution to my hair issues. Then I decided to start my own blog this year =)

2. What are your 2 favourite hair products?

This is a hard one! If I had to choose only two they would be Organic Root Stimulator Replenishing Conditioner and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Silk Touch Leave-in Cream.

3. Who's hair did you admire as a child?

My mother's! From the braids she wore, to the times that her hair was relaxed or natural, I loved watching my mother take care of her hair.

4. What is your ultimate goal length?

Right I haven't decided on an ultimate goal. I definitely want to get at least to bra strap length. Maybe after I reach that goal I'll go for waist length.

5. How are you going to celebrate when you reach your ultimate goal?

I'm going to do a bombshell hair style! lol Like a retro or pin-up style with bouncy curls. I'll probably wear a matching outfit and makeup and wear that all day =P

6. Two styles you want to try at your goal length?

A fish tail braid and super curl hair using a curling iron or even flexi rods.

7. Which do you prefer: Health or Length?

Both are important to me, but I know health is what matters more overall.

8. Which do you prefer: hair ties with no metal parts or butterfly clips?

Hair ties. Butterfly clips are too uncomfortable for my scalp.

9. What products do you prefer: salon brands, organic brands, BSS brands, Drugstore brands, or other?

All of the above! Brand doesn't matter as long as the product does what it's supposed to, and doesn't have too many harmful ingredients.

10. Which product/technique do you think is over-rated?

Extended relaxer stretches. I admire the women who gan go 3-6 months or longer on a stretch but just 9 weeks post is a headache for me. Plus it damages my hair more than increases its health.

11. Which product/technique do you think is under-rated?

Pincurls!

12. What is your favourite part of your hair regimen?

On wash days, it's taking my rollers down from my hair and enjoying the curls =)

13. What is the most annoying part of your hair regimen?

Detangling after washing my hair at 8-9 weeks post relaxer. Ouch!

14. Oils or butters?

Oils. I've never tried hair butters.

15. Buns or ponytails?

Buns! Especially big buns from an old braid-out.

16. Wigs or weaves?

Neither. I don't particularly like them. (don't hate! =)

17. What is your opinion of growth aids?

Although I don't use any, I would prefer "natural" growth aids like castor oil. I don't like the idea or using a pill, cream or gel.

18. At what length do you consider hair long?

Arm pit length.

19. When is the last time you visited a salon?

About seven weeks ago for my last relaxer.

20. What do you like to surf most often: Youtube channels, personal blogs, or hair forums?

Oh gosh, who can choose among those?? I think I surf personal blogs most often.

21. And finally, what piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out on their hair journey?

I would advise him/her to be armed with as much information before starting a hair journey. Besides hair blogs and forums, The Science of Black Hair by Audrey-Davis Sivasothy is a priceless book about healthy hair care.  Knowing as much as possible before the journey would make it a lot easier to be prepared for possible setbacks, as well as to prevent them.


Love!
~Hatter

My Stretching issues 8-9 weeks post relaxer

*disclaimer: this is a lengthy Hatter post!*

Okay, now that you're prepared, read on valiant reader!

On my last relaxer stretch I successfully made it to 9 weeks post. *woop woop!*

Ironically, the only other time I successfully stretched that long was earlier this year on my very first relaxer stretch of my hair journey. Since then I've only been able to manage my new growth for about 7-8 weeks before getting fed up and going to the hairdresser.

As I've mentioned before, by the 7-8 week post relaxer mark I usually encounter these issues:

1. by eight weeks post my hair does not feel "slippery" or smooth and lubricated after deep conditioning. 
2. detangling after washing and deep conditioning becomes almost a nightmare as breakage, tangling, matting (and tears) increase and rollersets become increasingly difficult.

Although I adapted my regimen slightly during my last stretch to try to deal with these issues, I still encountered similar problems. =(

Some things I thought would have helped:

•  using diluted moisturizer to hydrate and soften my new growth. (This actually did work! My new growth was as tame as a lamb lol.)

• more low manipulation and protective styles during the week such as buns and braidouts.

• I also stopped using combs everyday and decided to finger comb more often. I do think that this contributed to less breakage than I usually experience around 8 weeks post relaxer.

• I focused on keeping my ends moisturized by generously apply deep conditioner from tip to root, as well as coating my ends with oil at night.

• I used a heavier protein treatment to deep condition with. 

On my last wash before my relaxer I used the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise after pre-pooing with the Optimum Care Fortifying Conditioner. I realized that I gave my hair a double shot of protein! That might explain why I still experienced significant breakage on my last wash day. My hair might have gotten too much protein, causing it to snap and break off. 

This is actually ironic as my hair usually loves protein. I guess I messed up my moisture/protein balance that time.

It also didn't help that at 7 weeks post, I failed to detangle properly and as my hair air-dried I got some wicked dreadlocks forming at my roots. (For realz)

I can't understand why my hair gets so tangly and rough after 7 weeks post. Is it that my cuticles remain raised? If so a product like Roux Porosity Control or even an apple cidar vinegar rinse may help to close my cuticles and make my hair smoother and easier to manage.

Or maybe 8-9 weeks post just isn't a viable option for me. I know that the longer I stretch, the healthier my scalp becomes between relaxers, but I really don't want to sacrifice the health of my hair. My hairdresser claimed that the texture of my hair makes it difficult to stretch longer than 8 weeks. Honestly, I think I agree with her. I have a tight curl pattern...picture the thickest,  most dense afro you can imagine...

...yup! That resembles my 4c hair texture.

Can that texture and relaxed hair realistically coexist for an extended period of time? My experiences seem to be telling me no =(

I hate the relaxer process and I really want as few trips to the salon as possible in a year, but the cons have been outweighing the pros of stretching 8 weeks and beyond. The breakage (and tangling in particular!) I experience at 8 weeks post have to stop as I really can't bear to continue dealing with them in the near future.

I'm honestly not looking forward to stretching beyond 8 weeks again, so I think that on my current stretch, my last wash day will be at seven weeks post, then a couple days after that its relaxer time.


Any advice?

~Hatter

Relaxer Update

On Saturday 3rd November 2012 I had my hair relaxed at the salon at nine weeks post.

The hairdresser used Ultra Precise Relaxer in Mild formula, and again, my results were excellent.

Ultra Precise relaxer in mild strength.

This time the hairdresser didn't base my scalp (eek!) but, gloriously, my scalp hardly got burned by the relaxer (yay!) It's either due to the mild relaxer strength or the fact that my scalp hasn't been very sensitive lately. In fact, I haven't had a flare up of seborrhoeic dermatitis for over a month =)

I'm quite impressed by this relaxer. Compared to the Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Relaxer in normal strength, the Precise does not irritate my scalp nearly as much and it gets my hair much straighter. (Maybe this is because I can leave the Precise relaxer in my hair for a longer time? Either way I'm loving it!)

On to the results! Wait! Before you look, can you guess how much length I've retained? =D

~~~~~~~

              

September relaxer results.

My November relaxer results: I'm almost armpit length!!

I'm almost armpit length!! Woooot! APL is my goal for December and I might have one last touch up for the year in late December or I might stretch to early January. Either way it feels thrilling to get closer and closer to the first length goal of my hair journey :)

As I'm sure you can tell, I need a good trim! I tried to trim my hair and it was a failure but I'm determined not to let my hairdresser come near me with scissors. Hopefully doing a thorough dusting of my ends again within the next few weeks will even out their appearance.

    

Celebrations aside, I lost a lot of hair during the relaxer process! On my last wash before relaxer day, I literally just left my hair alone with all its tangles and knots. Consequently, on relaxer day, the dreadlocks that formed at my roots were broken down by the relaxer and combed out:

Hair I lost from matts and tangles being combed out after my relaxer.

My hair doesn't feel much thinner but I can definitely tell that I've had quite some breakage throughout my hair.

Anywhooos, I'm now two weeks post and I had a very good wash day today. I'm glad that, after the hair drama I experienced these past few weeks, my hair still looks modestly healthy.

I can't wait to regain the full health and thickness of my hair! Don't you hate feeling that just when you make progress something happens that puts you two steps back again?

I'm seriously doubting that I'll be stretching to nine weeks again in the near future. My last experience just took too much of a toll on my hair. 

Has anyone had a similar experience? How did you overcome your hair health setbacks?

Much love from

~Hatter

(Super late) Relaxer Update!

I apologize for this super late relaxer update! I originally didn't want to post this picture  but I never got around to taking a better one. So...read and enjoy!

On Wednesday 29th September I had my hair relaxed by my sister's hairdresser here in Trinidad.

From the photo above I can see that I'm coming close to armpit length!! *dances crazily*

However, the lady trimmed my hair...and we all know what a "trim" is like by the hairdresser >.>

I had a feeling she took off too much so the next time I go for a relaxer she is definitely not coming near my hair with scissors!!

Besides the trim, the only other thing that irked me about my touch is up is that the hairdresser got relaxer all over my hair >.< Ughh. I have to ask her next time to be careful about just applying to the new growth. I should definitely coat my relaxed hair with oil/conditioner before I go to the salon too.

This time my hair was relaxed using Precise relaxer in mild formula as the hairdresser didn't carry my beloved Organic Root Stimulator Relaxer.

No complaints there! My scalp didn't burn as much with the Precise and my roots got processed pretty well.

Comparison from my June relaxer (left) and August relaxer (right).

  

From the comparison photos it doesn't seem that I've gained much length in the last two months *thanks to my "trim"*, but I still hope to reach armpit length by my last touch up for the year in December.

I'm currently 5 weeks post and handling my new growth nicely. I'm devising some strategies to deal with the mini-afro that grows in at the 8 week mark.

Happy hurrr day!

~Hatter

University-bound!

Drum-roll please!

I am proud to announce that, as of August 2012, I became a university student! Woot woot!

I now studying for a B. Sc. Psychology, at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, my home country. (Shout out to all my fellow West Indians! *waves Trini flag proudly*)







source



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I am so excited for the future!! Hall life is already fun and certainly a new experience. All these crazy people would certainly make an interesting a psychology study! lol

The fire and spirit of the Caribbean is certainly all around me. I really hope that meeting new people (while a terrifying experience) will help me to open up my shy personality.

Living on hall (aka dorm) made me think that I'd have to adapt my hair regimen significantly, but so far things have mostly stayed the same. I pre-poo overnight and shampoo, deep condition and rollerset on the days when I have no class.
At exam time I'll see how much my regimen will have to change. I hope I'll still have time for all my beauty rituals. :)

Being at university has also made me think about my personal development and maturity (those should have been the first points I discussed instead of my hair...right?) I know that I'm among the youngest students to be starting university and this fact is shaping up to be both an advantage and disadvantage.

Postively: I'm getting a head start with my future by aiming to obtain my degree within the next three years since I've graduated sixth form college.
(Note: sixth form college in the Caribbean is something like 12th grade in the US, except college has a two year duration and we sit different exams to the SAT. Also, most degrees at the UWI are three instead of the US four years. :) Its like making up for that extra year at sixth form!)

Negatively: I'm not quite sure that I have the same level of intellectual maturity as many of my colleagues. At many of my classes I'm like, "Oh gooshh why isn't my vocabulary like that?" Or "My gawwd can't I read between the lines?!" lol I guess university is the perfect time for me to focus on improving my err, "critical thinking and communication skills".....eek!

Another point- being underage sucks! I've got limits on the types of events I can attend, (not that I party!! Oh nooo *innocent face*) and of course, who wants to associate with the shrimp?? lol

Okay, rant over.

Despite all of that I am incredibly grateful to be here and I just have to push myself to infinity and beyond! to stay on top of my grades and personal relationships. It helps that I have family here in Trinidad to support me! =)

Even if I had no family. I've got Jesus!


Are you in college/university? How has the experience affected you? Any tips?

Oh the life of a
~Hatter!

Unfortunate wash day @ 8 weeks post: learning from my mistakes

 

On this last stretch I encountered increased breakage that I've never experienced past 6 weeks post since on my hair journey. During my last wash on Saturday at 8 weeks post, my hair emerged from the shower extremely tangled and matted! :( Unfortunately I didn't have my detangler on hand and so it took the better part of an hour to detangle. Even with my patience I ended up with a large ball of broken and shed hair! If that wasn't enough, I think my hair was starting to break at the demarcation line, something I've almost never experienced before. Grrrr

Looking back I can try to evaluate some possible causes of my unusual wash day experience:

• My regimen, even at 8 weeks post was exactly the same as at my first weeks post relaxer

I think this point may be the root of my problems. I've often read many relaxed ladies describe the changes they make to their regimen as they go deeper into a relaxer stretch. I know I should have adapted my regimen too, but honestly, ain't nobody got time for that! LOL 

Ok back to being serious....

I think that as my hair gets deeper into a stretch:

1. I may experience issues with porosity as my cuticles remained raised (from repeated airdrying) This increases the chance of my hair losing moisture faster, remaining in a weak state and thus snapping and breaking off. 
2. I need to condition more often. Co-washing mid-week may help restore precious moisture to the line of demarcation between my natural and relaxed hair, helping to restore elasticity and prevent breakage. 
3. My hair needs. more. protein. Now its a proven fact that my hair loves protein! I definitely think that from 7 weeks post and onwards I should use the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise to deep condition weekly. This conditioner has more protein than my weekly staple conditioner (ORS Replenishing Conditioner) 
4. From 6 weeks post I repeatedly had my hair braided, (cornrowed) several times a weeks. Although the manipulation done to create this style might have increased my breakage slightly, I'm inclined to think that the first three points made my issues worse. 

I'm going to try to make a conscience effort to adapt my regimen as I go deeper into my relaxer stretches. Using the points above, I'll draft a new regimen, post it and evaluate its effectiveness at preventing (and stopping!) any potential breakage, tangles and knots at 8 weeks post relaxer. 

How do you adapt your regimen during your relaxer stretches?

'Tis all for now!

Hatter

Hair journey progress! : The Evolution of my Wash Day

The purpose of a hair journey is to make significant progress towards one's hair goals: whether health, length or both. I can happily say that I have experienced noticeable, positive changes in my hair since the beginning of my hair journey. One of these areas is how I wash and condition my hair and my subsequent results.

At the start of my journey in December 2011 I could not successfully wash, condition and dry my hair. (Sounds incredible, I know!) Wash days were literally an experiment- I tried various methods and tweaked my variables in the hope that I would find what worked for my hair!

Some characteristics of my previous wash process:

1. I washed all of my hair at once (i.e. I had never heard of washing in sections)
2. Following from number 1, my scalp was never properly cleansed in my crown area (eww)
3. Washing all my hair at once led to tangles, tangles and more tangles! (Much more than now!)
4. Airdrying was not good for my hair back then. When I say "not good" I mean that my hair wasn't healthy enough to withstand airdrying in a loose state. Looking back, I think I had issues with porosity and raised cuticles as my hair would dry like a lion's mane, and twice it took over 12 hours for my hair to fully dry.
5. My rollersets were fit to be laughed at...Seriously. In the beginning I would fumble and place two or three rollers before giving up, exasperated. 

Some characteristics of my present wash process:

1. I now wash my hair in four sections, focusing on shampooing each one seperately before moving on to the next section.
2. Washing in sections ensures that my entire scalp is cleansed.
3. Using sections also leads to less tangles as the hair is parted, allowing my fingers to access my scalp easier and disturb my hair less.
4. I can now airdry without my hair crying and begging for mercy (yay!). Now my cuticles lay smooth and my hair dries flatter in about 2-3 hours. I definitely attribute this to the general improvement in my hair's health, the new techniques I've adopted and using products more suited to my hair.
5. I can rollerset! (woop woop!) It took three or four desperate efforts before I could rollerset my entire head. For the past five or so weeks I've been consistently airdrying because I'm lazy it's easier and quicker. However, today is wash day and I'm eager to set my hair.

I feel encouraged when I can look back and notice improvements in my hair's health. "Health before length" is what many black ladies prophesy and I'm definitely eager to see my growth and length retention increase as my hair's health also increases.

What progress have you made in your hair journey? Write it down and track how it further improves in the near future as you continue to take stellar care of your hair. =)

Ta ta!

~Hatter

My inspirations: Hair journey

Here are some of the major sources for my hair-spiration, tutorials and indispensible information about caring for relaxed (and natural!) hair.

1. Youtube

• ulovemegz

If you read some of my previous posts you would have realized how much I love Megan's videos! She was my very first youtube hair-spiration who motivated me to start my own hair journey.  

• FusionofCultures

I found out about this cute chic from reading loveyourtresses.com. Laila-Jean transitioned from relaxed to natural hair and is now rocking a head-full of beautiful curls! I always admire ladies who are able to take great care of their natural tresses, making amazing looking natural hair the newest envy on the block. ;)

2. justgrowalready.com




Jen! What more can I say? Besides reading every one of her posts and scouring her blog several times a week, I use Jen as a real hair-spiration for what I want my hair to look like some day! She's transitioning from relaxed to telaxed hair and so far she's almost middle-back length. Every post about her journey is informative and, okay, I admit it, I'm a bit addicted to her site!

3. longing4length.com




Ms Ebony, like Jen, is a seasoned lady on her hair journey and likewise inspires me very much. She has hosted many hair challenges (like the Six Month Rollerset) and recently debuted her first e-book! Check out her website, you won't regret it. =)

4. relaxedhairhealth.blogspot.com

Ahhhh, Nadege. May I say she is the top of the top of hair-spiration? Her blog was the first I found that I thought was the key to healthy, long relaxed hair. lol Nadege is always on the look-out to discover better and better products for her hair and blogs about her progress. Jen and Nadege's blog definitely top my list of best hair blogs.

5. hairlista.com

Yup! A great forum site to ask, discuss and receive answers on all and anything hair related. Reminds me of longhaircareforum.com but honestly I prefer hairlista! Like LHCF, you must have an account to access the forum and create a profile. However, the set-up is easy and I recommend any serious hairlista to sign up for the site to expand her knowledge of hair care (both natural and relaxed). Are you a hairlista like me? Check out my hairlista page here.

6. naturalchica.com

The best natural hair care site I've found so far! Like I said before, I admire natural-haired ladies and I can see myself transitioning back to natural hair in the future. After searching youtube I came across Mae's channel, which linked to her site naturalchica.com. Interested in transitioning, caring for natural hair, or, (like me) just love to look at gorgeous hair? haha this is the site for you. Mae also provides tons of great info from hair doctors and other professionals about natural hair care.

I hope these sites inspire you as they inspired me!
Are any of these sites among your favourites? Did I miss any?

Happy hair day!
~Hatter

Relaxer Update

On Saturday June 30th I relaxed my hair at 8 weeks, 4 days post! I could have stretched to the full 9 weeks but I was craving straight, silky roots.
This time my mom relaxed my hair at home using my regular relaxer: Organic Root Stimulator No-Lye Relaxer in "Normal".

  

My relaxer results:

The results!

The Positive: my roots mostly relaxed verrrry straight. So much better than when my hairdresser does it!

The Negative: despite my mother's prowess at relaxing, the hair at my widow's peak got texlaxed! LOL. It was because there wasn't enough relaxer in the tub to saturate the area. NB: next time, 2 boxes of relaxer will definitely be needed!

Overall, I'm happy with my results!

Comparison pics: 

January

March

   

June

I admit these pictures aren't very good for comparing my length progress! The last picture is the clearest. Taking better pictures is definitely something I need to work on... However, I can see the length I've gained since January. The real issue is...can I reach armpit length by December? We'll see!

Oh the elusive armpit length! I shall conquer theee

Happy hair day!

~Hatter