One plus year later...... PICTURE HEAVY

Myjourney2009

Ready to be APL
Hello all, well here I am a bit over one year after going back to relaxers, after being natural for almost 2 years. This year brought many aha moments for me and it did not come without some trouble, but I still have most of my hair on my head. I have included a bit of information followed by pics and my routine/products will follow.


Last year on 9/16/2009 I relaxed with Mizani BB reg. It came out fantastically. Three months later I TU'd (12/2009) with the same relaxer for the same amount of time and it was a disaster, it barely looked like I did a TU after I washed my hair.
2 months later (2/2010) I did a TU and a corrective, I wound up over processing a bit of my hairline. No problem, I waited 4 months for my next TU and realized the Mizani BB reg. was too mild for my hair because I had to keep it on too long for my liking and I still did not get the texture I preferred.
I went up to a Mizani BB super and did not smooth and kept it on for a total of 18-20 min and that was a disaster . I did a corrective 2 weeks later and gauged based on how my hair felt how much I needed to smooth this time it came out better but still not to my liking. My hair is very dense in the back and if I don't smooth well I will look like I did not have a TU. My goals for this year was to grow and cut off the color, most of it is gone I think I have about an 1/2 left that I will cut off in June 2011.

Here are some interesting things I have learned about my hair.
· At 7 weeks post I wash my hair in 4 braids because my NG is so dense I can't get the shampoo to the scalp without using a lot.
· I cannot wait a week to relax after washing my hair. I TU one or two days after washing my hair (Thanks @dlewis) It worked very well, no breakage and no burning. If I wait 3 days I can't get to my NG easily and demarcation breakage will occur.
· I can't sleep with anything on my head the day before relaxing. The front of the scarf/bonnet causes too much friction around my edges and I wind up burning during my TU. I will be sleeping on a satin pillow case.
· My hair grows an average of 1/2 inch a month from the crown back and a little more than 1/4 of an inch a month in the front. That looks to be about 6 inches in the back and maybe 4 in the front.
· I need a super relaxer (Mizani BB) for the back and I smooth 3x and my processing time is 18-20 min. For the front I am still trying to figure out if I will drop down to Mizani BB reg or if I will just doctor up my Super. Although I use a super my hair is not bone straight (I don't want it to be). IMO Mizani BB is a very mild relaxer
· I will NEVER try roller setting again without doing it using the ponytail method. I will put a couple of rollers on various sections where I plan on wearing a part to give me more lift and so that I will not have to use a flatiron.
· I found that applying the relaxer with vertical parts in the back allows me to get it on faster. This has shaved 3 min off my applying time, previously it took me 10 min to apply the relaxer to the back and sometimes. I go back horizontally to smooth ( and to apply more if needed). It took me over a year to get the texture I preferred. In the beginning my hair looked texturized and I have done a corrective a few times (one time I did one a week later and the shedding was out of this world, I will never do that again). The last corrective (10/2010) was done 2 weeks after the initial TU and no excessive shedding occurred.
· My hair likes protein in small doses, I add a little every week. A collagen heavy one week and a Collagen with Keratin conditioner another week. I usually add about a T to 3-4 T moisture DC and the next week the same amount to my Ion veggie protein conditioner (which IMO is more of a moisturizer than a strengthener).
· For the past two months I have incorporated ceramide rich oils into my routine (Thanks @halee_J), and that inclusion has really made my hair look and feel even better. I find that one T of HSO in my DC's is sufficient, however I need to add 2 T of WGO to my protein to get the same results.

I have learned a lot here and I am so grateful to all the information I have learned.

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10/21/09
1 month after returning to relaxed hair. I cut off 2 inches this same day.​

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11/18/09
Another trim to even it out some more.​


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2/17/10​
This TU was a corrective, I overprocessed my hairline and it thinned out ALOT. Also during this time I realized that doing a typical wrap was a no-no it caused the initial thinning of my right side. I did not TU again for 4 months.

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3/2/10
This was also my 1st time with Caruso rollers and I absolutely love them. Hair was soft and bouncy.​

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3/4/10​
Same caruso set. I combed it down and UGH! I hated it look how thin may hair is in the front.

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3/9/10


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3/9/10
UGH squared!!!!

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5/20/10
NG is screaming at me LOL, I didnt even flatten it, that is how I wore it. I also used my satin rollers in the front and flexirods in the back.

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5/20/10
same set, back view.

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7/4/10
looks like a fresh TU. satin rollers and flexirods again.

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7/4/10
same day, back view.


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7/24/10
hair was eithier satin rolled or flexi rodded. My hair was a bit stiff here, it took months for me to realize it was because my hair was not a fan of alot of protein.

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9/17/2010
3 months post flatironed roots (before the cut) @410 with my Sedu and remaining hair @320 (Thanks @MsKibibi).I used EVCO and Sabino moisture block (the original). This was before the cut.

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9/17/2010
Same day, this is the back view before the cut.

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9/17/2010
Same day, front view. I did the cut to rid my hair of almost all the color.

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9/17/2010
Same day, back view.

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9/17/2010
Same day. The infamous swang shot

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10/10/10
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness).

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10/10/2010
This side is going to take a little longer to thicken up because when I was wet wrapping I had some breakage

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10/10/10
2 weeks after TU, Front hair line right side now. I left it on too long by accident and I got the front bone straight, (not overprocessed this time thank goodness. This is the left side, it is almost back 100%.

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10/10/2010
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse.

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10/10/10
Rollerset with salerm 21 and con argan oil mousse, back view
 
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Thank you, it has been quite a year. I am glad I now have things pretty much under control and I can focus on length now.
 
Your hair is looking thicker. Congratulations on reaching this point. Look forward to the updates. BTW, could you make your text a lil bigger, some of us are a lil blind....I'm one of them :)
 
Thank you and yes it is thicker. It is only going to get thicker because some small sections broke off from my rough handling (near the crown and some in the back) during a stretch. My M&S sessions are kind of lengthy, I am working on a system to speed things up. My first goal is APL and I dont want to sit there for 30 min just M&Sing. Thank goodness I dont do it everyday.

I will make the text bigger, I did not realize it was so small, because from my end it is average font, sorry about that

My next update will be in June 2011. I am going to take off 1 inch at that time as well. If everything goes well I should have gained 4 1/2 inches (atleast from the crown to the nape).
 
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congrats.

i believe the mizani relaxers are made to be texturisers and so maybe thats why it didnt get straight enough for u.
 
OP! Ultimately, the hair journey is just that...for some the road is smoother, for others a little more rocky. At the end of it all, I think that you have definitely learned some valuable lessons and that's the point! Your hair looks much healthier now and I know that you will reach your goal of APL soon!
 
MJ!!! OUTSTANDING PROGRESS my friend. I love the details, the photos and the aha moments. Thank you for sharing. Although you didn't let us see your entire face...I see enough to say, you're pretty....just thought I add that. I've learned so much from you and have so much respect for you, your journey and your advice. Keep up the outstanding work and you'll get that APL sooner than you think. *cheering for you*
 
Your hair looks really amazing :wow: I'm so glad the ceramides are working for you :yep: Keep up the great work your hair is blinging :cool2:
 
divachyk. I hope to do updates every six months. Thank you for the compliments as well. It was a long road and I have to say that last cut I did, I really did not want to. I had to get rid of that color it was the bane of my existance, before the cut I had reached collarbone length and most of my hair was shoulder length.

I will probably be APL (six inches) come this time next year and full collarbone length. Right now I am bottom neck length and most of my hair is full nape length. It will take me about 6 inches to be APL. I feel a little antsy but there is nothing I can do to speed it up, so all I can do is wait.
 
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Congrats on your progress... and thanks for the details... maybe I may try ceramides... **Off to find ceramides threads***
Thanks! :)
 
I missed it too, thanks for bumping and great progress OP, HHJ! I can imagine what it is like today.
 
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