My hair story has been an interesting one filled with relaxers, texlaxers, heat damage and 3 big chops (yes, 3!)! Let's rewind a bit so I can better explain why I have had to start all over numerous times. So, here is my hair story...
(This post is a bit lengthy as I have had many "trial and error" experiences with my hair)
The first time I went natural was back in June of 2009. And this was the first time my hair was ever this short but I eventually loved having a TWA (teeny weeny afro)! I did the big chop because I wanted to know what being natural was all about. I wanted to do better for myself, my health and my hair. So, every other week I snipped away a few inches of relaxed hair and one night in June, I just got rid of it all completely!
(1st Big Chop : June 2009)
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As my hair grew out I had a hard time managing it and I became so frustrated with the process that I put a chemical ("hair softener") back in my hair in October of 2010. My goal with doing that was to make it easier to style my hair but to still keep some texture to it. And honestly, my hair was still the same for the most part except it looked shinier and was easier to manage for a few weeks lol!
(After Hair Softener : October 2010)
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Then I was offered a job in November of 2010 and I felt the "need" to apply a relaxer in my hair before starting work. Yes, I applied two chemicals to my hair in a matter of one month and yes, I fell into the trap of society's standards. Long story short, the relaxer did not even take. With the first few relaxers, my hair remained kinky and after a while those kinks turned into waves. I relaxed/texlaxed my hair for about 5-6 months. To be honest, I did love how easy my hair was to manage but there were many days when my hair looked stringy and dull and my hair was no where near healthy.
(After Relaxing/Texlaxing Hair : March or April 2011)
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And I'm still not done lol! At the time my co-worker and I had been talking about going natural and this was a daily conversation for us. Whenever we had a moment to chat, we would talk about vloggers and bloggers and gels and creams and shea butter and everything natural lol! I was really serious about returning to my natural texture because I found my chemically processed hair to be a headache. So one night while straightening my hair, I made it half way through and said "Forget this!" It was October 1...I was 3 months pregnant with baby kid #3...I had the house to myself...I grabbed some scissors (not shears 'cause I didn't think there was a difference) and chopped away...
(After 2nd Big Chop : October 2011)
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And then, my hair started to grow and I was having another "love-hate" relationship with my hair. This time I was determined to get past my temporary frustration with my hair and decided to better take care of it so I could enjoy it. I did that until one night I was browsing on Facebook and saw a friend with straight, natural hair and I thought her hair was sooo pretty. I decided to straighten my hair that night....using coconut oil as a heat protectant.
*I know coconut oil works well for others but it did not work for mine at that time, but I will touch on that in another post.* Months after that I became addicted to having my hair straight so I was applying heat to my hair on a daily basis...not good!
("Flat Iron Frenzy Days" : November 2013 - March 2014)
(The Heat Damage : Fall 2013 - Spring 2014)
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After flat ironing non-stop for months, my hair was very damaged! My roots were suffering, they were "traumatized," and the ends of my hair were in horrible condition --
they were extremely dry and brittle. I knew then I had to stop damaging hair! I had always desired to have strong, healthy, long natural hair and my habits were keeping me from reaching my goals. So, I did my last and final big chop and took about 4-6 inches off!
(After 3rd Big Chop : March 2014)
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Now, my hair is the healthiest it has ever been and I have never been so happy and excited about being natural!
*** (My Hair Now!) ***
:: Thanks for reading! ::
Morgan :)
: Check out more of my hair on Instagram! Click there! >> The4cProject :
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