Almost 5 Months

I haven't had a new entry for quite some time, because I was in this beautiful place:

Yes, I was under the Tuscan sun and words cannot describe it--- it's just so romantic and magical! [Insert abrupt transition to hair here] My hair absolutely loved the warm, dry Mediterranean weather. I washed, scrunched and air dried for the duration of the trip. My waves were super defined, soft and shiny and lasted the entire day!

As the title of the entry indicates, I'm almost 5 months post-relaxer and couldn't be happier. Although I haven't been transitioning that long, I'll admit now, month 3 was super difficult! I kept threatening my hair to behave or I'd reach for the relaxer. I experienced a serious amount of shedding! Luckily, months 4 and almost month 5, have been pleasant. 

I can't speak too soon, but I think my hair has finally accepted the idea of transitioning. I experience very little shedding and my hair has never been so soft and full-- and it's growing at such a fast rate! I've limited shampooing my hair to once per week and no more. I'm generous with my conditioner, but also skip that and just wet my hair and apply leave-in, when my hair feels moisturized and clean. One thing I am going to reintroduce into my regime is vinegar rinses. I used to do them 1x month, because the water in my town is hard. I am pretty strict about flat-ironing my hair no more than 1 x per month. This allows me versatility and gives me a chance to trim dead ends -- I prefer to trim my hair dry vs. wet.

I know this is going to be a long road to travel and that I won't have a head of full and long natural hair for a few years. I'm content with the way my hair looks now, it is kinkier around the edges and curlier around the crown, but I'm learning to embrace it. One important lesson I've learned as I approach month 5, is that I should love all of my hair. In the beginning, I found myself only focusing on the new growth and viewing my relaxed hair as an accessory. However, healthy hair is about the big picture-- my scalp, new growth, and my relaxed hair too!

Here are some pictures of current styles, which are helping me a lot as I transition:

This one is super easy. After wetting my hair, I added leave in and essential oils divided my hair in three parts and plaited each part and sealed the ends with all natural Shea butter. I pulled my two front plaits towards the back of my hair and held in place with a bobby pin and simply put an Ouchless hair elastic on the back plait. Wrapped my hair (I really need a satin pillowcase) before bed, woke up and unraveled the plaits et voila:

  

Another style I like is spiral curls. Although this style is more time-consuming than the previous and does involve sitting under the dryer, I think it's still a good summer look.

Peace & Love, 

Annabel