My hair journey!

11:42


My hair journey! + some tips

Some people have been asking how I grew my hair or how I transitioned so here it is. I hope its helpful and feel free to message me for any other hair tips!

September 2013 

September 2013 was the the last time I relaxed my hair, so that I could leave my hair out at the front when I got my weave installed. My hair has never been particularly long and during this time it was approximately above my shoulder in length. Around this time I made the decision to stop relaxing my hair after being inspired by images of women with long, voluminous natural hair.
May 2014. (I'm on the left) My hair was still relaxed and heavily heat damaged.

June 2014

Between September 2013 and June 2014 I wore a lot of weaves and braids whilst I was growing out the relaxer in my hair. I still had all the relaxed ends but it was becoming increasingly difficult to comb through the full length of my hair and to be honest my hair just did not look healthy with my roots being very kinky and coily, whilst my ends were dead straight and would flop over when wet instead of curling. One evening, quite spontaneously, I grabbed a pair of scissors and chopped off more than 3/4 of my hair. I was pretty excited about the potential growth of my hair. For the next year and a half I pretty much alternated between braids, wigs and weaves, which is what I believe to be responsible for the considerable growth of my hair.  I would deep condition and wash it in between each hair style as well as moisturise my scalp whilst I had the protective style in. As you can see from the picture below, I did not cut my hair evenly whatsoever, and there are some straight hair strands remaining at the top but it doesn't have to be a professional job.
September 2014

February 2016

By now there had been some significant growth and I felt more comfortable wearing my hair out. Though looking back I wish I hadn't worn so many protective styles in the beginning and embraced the very short length I had. I see so many beautiful women rocking the short hair styles, I would have loved to rock the finger wave hairstyle.

I started being more consistent with my hair routine, which included washing and deep conditioning my hair once a week. I Only used shampoo once a month and washed my hair with conditioner, which is also known as co-washing, weekly. I would also use the WOC method, pretty much every day, this consists of spraying the hair with water so its slightly damp, adding my oil of choice to and a moisturising cream to lock in the moisture, before either putting my hair into braids or twists and wrapping my head. This really kept my hair moisturised and has helped my hair grow between Feburary and October 2016, though it would have grown a lot faster had I worn more protective styles and manipulated it less.
February 2016.  

Present day

Currently I am slacking in terms of washing my hair regularly, however, during the week I keep my hair corn rowed and wear a wig, so I have minismised the amount of times I manipulate my hair and I also make sure to try and moisurise my cornrows a few times during the week because they can become very dry. Stretched out my hair is about bra strap length now (eek!) but my aim is about waist length, so I will probably continue on as I have been going and try my best to stick to my routine.


October 2016

8 tips for growing your hair!

  1. Snip off any dead ends! This doesn't necessarily mean doing the big chop, you can just trim your hair as you go along if you prefer that.
  2. Minimise manipulation of your hair! Though my hair has grown in the last 9 months, the growth rate would have been greater had I played around with it less, and worn more protective styles.
  3. MOISTURISE! MOISTURISE! MOISTURISE!  Even when your hair is in braids, or under a wig or weave keep that hair moisturised and scalp clean! Try not to keep each hairstyle for more than 3 months and deep condition! 
  4. Stick to your routine! I won't lie and say I have always kept to my routine, I am human and I get lazy especially on wash days because it really does take an entire day. Being lazy with your routine or lack of care will leave your hair growth stagnant, which I am trying to avoid. 
  5. Wrap your hair before you go to sleep or use a satin pillow case to avoid breakage or dryness.
  6. Minimise heat! I do blow dry my hair if I need to dry it quickly and when I do I use heat protector. I don't believe it is practical to tell people to never use heat because some hair styles will need blow dried hair or a curling wand. I would just advise not to do it frequently and use heat protector when you do.
  7. Leave those edges alone! I, like most of us, am a lover of sleek and gelled edges but our poor edges do need a break and some tender loving care. Be careful with wigs, braids and weaves as they can take a toll on our edges. 
  8. Take loads of pictures of your journey! One thing i regret is not taking enough pictures from the very beginning. 
I hope this has been helpful and if you have any questions, just message me!

Until next time!

Chengetai Victoria

You Might Also Like

0 comments

Contact Form

Name

Email *

Message *