My [HEALTHY] Hair Journey.

This post is intended to share my experience as a natural hair girl! The dates are as specific as possible and the pictures are my property. Also, be mindful that what was successful for me may not be successful for you. In the same note, what did not work for my hair, may work perfectly for your tresses.

I have always had thick, curly hair. I am about six years old in the pictures to the right, and I would describe my curl pattern as a 3C based on the hair-types. My curls were very defined, and healthy. As a child, I always wanted to wear my hair in the styles of the other girls my age i.e. flat twists, braids, or curl sets. However, I did not understand that their hair was chemically treated (often referred to as "relaxed") and would behave differently than my curly tresses.


Each time I would go to a salon and request a style that I saw other girls my age wearing I was told that my hair would not hold the style, because "it was too thick" or "too curly." As a result, I despised having curly hair! Yes, I hated having such beautiful curls! One reason was that I felt like people only saw the beauty in my hair, and not me as a person.





Finally, around age 12 I got my first relaxer. For those who do not know, a relaxer is a chemical (in the form of cream) that straightens your hair. In most cases, people with coarse hair use relaxers to make their hair more manageable. Although I do not have coarse hair, getting my hair chemically treated would make the styles I desired last longer, as well as look better. This was a major set back for my hair. It took my hair no longer being curly to appreciate the fact that it was curly in the first place. To the left are two pictures of my hair straightened while chemically treated with a relaxer.

Although my hair may seem long, it is very unhealthy. The ends are thin and stringy (you can see through them). This is from a lack of trimming and moisture in my hair; the chemicals in relaxers remove the natural oils and nutrients already in your hair. Since my hair lacked moisture and nutrients on the ends, I was not retaining the length of my hair. Not to mention, my natural curl pattern was being destroyed. I departed ways from the damaged the relaxer caused after washing my hair one day and realizing that I could not have my cake and eat it, too. I could either have my natural, curly hair or chemically treated, relaxed hair. I opted for the healthier, natural route and have yet to regret it.

My natural, healthy hair journey began in December 2010, as evident in the first two pictures. (Disregard the image quality). After researching new hair styles for my curly hair, I ran across a website that saved my life: NaturallyCurly.Com In addition to this online forum dedicated to curly tresses, I discovered the Greenhouse Effect. In essence, the Greenhouse Effect is a technique used to seal in moisture, which is the key to healthy hair and retaining length. I did this method 4 or 5 nights each week and shampooed my hair weekly. Also, I did not apply ANY heat to my hair for 8 months. The results are evident in the following pictures.

Although I did not continue the Greenhouse Effect as I should have after January 2012, I have maintained a healthy hair care regimen. My hair is currently APL (armpit length) when curly and stretched, and BSL (bra strap length) when straightened. I hope to achieve BSL when curly and stretched by the end of 2014.