6-Months Down!

Woot Woot!

Yesterday marked 6-months since I big chopped!

Time flies when you're having fun! I am writing this quick post to capture what has occured over the last 6 months in terms of growth! Previous posts go into detail about products, regimen, etc.

 

The picture on the left was my big chop twists and now I've almost doubled my length! (Turn up lol)

Excited to see what the next 6-months will hold.

Thanks for reading!

AR

5 Months Natural + Whipped Shea Butter + Castor Oil Challenge

Here we are!

I have been natural for 5 months now and this has been a great learning experience.

For starters my hair is definitely growing which is a plus because I know some people who went natural and their hair hit a wall so to speak.

I've learned that some products that my hair liked during my relaxed/transitioning days are no longer good on my hair. For example my hair used to love Elasta QP Olive Oil & Mango Butter, most Shea Moisture styling products, and the Olive Oil Gel.
The Elasta  QP product leaves my hair extremely dry after a day of use and gives my hair a dull look. Almost all of the Shea Moisture products now only coats my hair and leaves this filmy residue on the top of my hair. This left my hair hard and dry. The Olive Oil Gel flakes really bad so I only use it along my edges when I do my twist outs and puffs.

So what does my hair like? CONDITIONER! That's right. My hair flourishes when conditioner and water hit it. While I have not purchased any new conditioners the one's that I have used on a regular basis consist of Aussie Moist Conditioner, Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Shine, and Giovanni Tea Tree Conditioner. I have also used the Organix Biotin & Collagen Conditioner sparingly as I do not want extremely thick hair right now.
The only moisturizer that is working for my hair right now is my whipped shea butter recipe. It consists of 16oz raw shea butter, 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and castor oil. Very simple to make and it will last me a long time. It made my braidout last longer and acted like a gel for twists. It provides a great amount of shine and my curls look more elongated. So I will not be purchasing any store brought moisturizers for a long time.

While I haven't purchased any new hair products as of yet I plan to try new ones out once all of my current hair products are used up. (My attempt to tame the product junkie inside lol)

I am now able to wear puffs and even pull off a bang look with ease now. While I love seeing my curls I do plan to start wearing a protective styles for the months of October through March due to weather changes. I am currently looking for a wig to wear and of course I will be wearing braids as a long term protective style.

Hairlista's Castor Challenge Part 10 has not been a consistent part of my regimen since I started because I've been traveling a lot but I have picked back up on it and will be following the routine the remainder of the challenge.

So cheers to 5-months! Excited for what the next few months have to hold.

BIG CHOP!!!

You read that correctly! I did the big chop! May 3rd, 2015 at 10:15pm EST.

After taking my hair down last week I hadn't really decided on a day of when I would actually do my hair. My plans for wash day went left when I decided to have a random wash day on Friday night.

I did prepoo my hair and washed with shampoo and conditioner.

I hadn't cut my hair immediately. Instead I did some twist all over to help with detangling and to allow for a protective style until I decided on my next move.

I fell in LOVE with this picture! My curls are so defined and seeing how thin the ends were let me know that whenever I decided to cut my hair it would so much fun.

Well that decision came much sooner than I anticipated. Rule #1: Never leave Aneesah alone in the bathroom with a mirror, great lighting, and a pair of scissors...unexplainable things are bound to happen. :)

Here is my big chop story:

Sunday evening after church and visiting with family I was sitting on my couch going through online coupon blogs and watching TV with my boyfriend. Once again I was playing with different sections of my hair and it felt so weird because the ends were straight and dull while my roots were really thick.

I got up and went to the bathroom and started to soak each section with warm water and started cutting...and cutting...and cutting some more.

My boyfriend finally screamed from the living room "What's my baby doing!?"
I said "Oh nothing just cutting my hair off."
He said "Oh gosh babe."
While my boyfriend isn't into short hair he is 1000% supportive of letting me take on this adventure.

So supportive that he cut 75% of my hair for me!  I couldn't ask for better results.

While I haven't seen my hair all the way out in an afro, I am instantly hooked by the twists that are now able to stay intact without unraveling.

I AM OFFICIALLY NATURAL!!!

7 months post relaxer... 1 day NATURAL!

Going Natural...Sticking with Relaxers?

Hello All,

This post really is just an illustration of the thoughts I've had about my hair as of late. So it may seem like I am rambling but most importantly I am being completely transparent.

The past 6 months with my hair has been a "journey" in every shape of the word. I have had setbacks, comebacks, and everything in between. I have seen my hair grow but for some reason I am not having the same satisfaction with my hair that I had when I first started my relaxed hair journey. It feels like something is missing. I don't feel as enthused about my hair anymore and I find that I want to make a change.

So I have been praying about this and what I think will give me some peace of mind is to completely start my hair from scratch. I have never had my hair shorter than neck length and doing a big chop sounds so extreme but it is what I want to do.

I was natural for 18 years before I started relaxing my hair and before I knew anything about a hair journey. So with that I am fully comfortable with caring for my hair in it's natural state especially now that I am better equipped with all this hair knowledge that I have gained over the years.

I am excited to cut my hair but nervous as well because I don't know what styles to do with a TWA. I have researched TONS of blogs, YouTube videos, Pinterest posts, Google searches, and have had countless conversations with friends and family about this change so that I am able to map out a game plan for when I do decide to cut it.

As of right now I have the date set for January 31st, 2015.

From there I have dates marked that I plan to get my hair braided up to allow my hair to grow for the first six months without manipulation.

I am very excited to make this change and cannot wait to share the experience with you all!

If anyone is natural or big chopped please share any tips, tricks, or suggestions that may be helpful for me going forward

Thanks everyone for the support!

ASR