My oh my how things have changed…
I have been completely natural for over four and a half years and both my hair and regimen have gone through so many different changes. I’ve changed too.
For the first six months after my big chop, I would only do a wash and go. Honestly I had no other ideas on what to do with my newly natural hair.
The last six months of my first year I decided to wear sew in weaves. I continued to wear extensions until I was about fifteen months natural.
When I decided to stop wearing my weaves I was really close to relaxing my natural hair again. I had no information on being natural, I was frustrated, and I was just giving up. It all changed when I found Youtube and all of the amazing blogs. I decided to research and learn about my natural hair.
I started to really experiment with my hair in the second year. During this time I wore many different hairstyles to include- twist outs, braid outs, bantu knot outs, updos and half updos. I was finally having fun with my natural hair!
Once I got closer to my third year, I really wanted to focus on having healthy and longer hair. So, I decided to start my healthy hair growth journey. Most of my third year I wore two strand twists. I would twist my natural hair and leave it in for about 3-4 weeks, wash deep condition, and repeat. I retained lots of length during my third and fourth year. I think it was because I had a really strict, low manipulation regimen. It worked for me at the time and gave me the results I was looking for.
My fourth year anniversary I reached my length goal of waist length. It was really exciting for me. I was someone who never had long hair. My hair always grew to my shoulders and then broke off. I never thought it was possible.
Now that I am approaching my fifth year I am feeling freer than free. I honestly feel so much, much better than the moment I did my big chop. I feel like I have gotten to a point where I don’t feel like my hair defines me as a person. I am not afraid to experiment, I do what I want to do with my hair. I have a regimen where I use minimal heat. I switch up my hairstyles and I just have nothing but fun with my hair. Maybe in the future I’ll add a pop of color with henna. You never know!
Throughout my journey so many things have changed. Not only has my hair changed, I’ve changed! The journey never ends!
