At this point in my hair journey, I have decided that low manipulation and moisture should be my focus. After looking at my current length shots and looking at a few of my YouTube videos from the past (july in particular, "Romy Monologue" and another can't think of the title at the moment) my hair is the exact same length as it is now. Like most I became depressed and frustrated. Then I realized that its not that my hair isn't growing, I'm just not retaining the length. Which of course is due to ....(drum roll)...BREAKAGE!!! And what does breakage comes from....DRYNESS or a LACK of MOISTURE!!!
As my hair has been continually breaking off, I checked to see what kind of hair was breaking off. If you examine a strand hair and it has a little white bulb or ball at either end that means it is not breakage but natural shedding which is going to occur no matter what. But if there is not white bulb that is pure breakage from dryness or too much protein in your hair. Too much protein can cause the hair to stiffen and become very hard, which leads to breakage as well.
Seeing as though, my strands of hair did not have little white bulbs on them and I don't use any conditioners, shampoos or leave ins that contain extra protein I felt it was safe to assume that my ahir was breaking off becasue of a lack of moisture.
*This is more or less the amount of hair that came out of my Denman brush after detangling...this does not include all of the "stragglies" on the floor
I have also learned that the "hands in your head" disorder can increase or encourage breakage, especially in naturals. As most naturals know, we have a tendency to always want to play in our hair and do different styles with it all the time if not everyday. This constant touching of the hair can lead to all kinds of contaminants in the hair shaft and on the scalp. Since our hair is very curly and coily it is actually weaker than straight or relaxed hair. At every bend or curl is an easy access point for it to break off.
With all of that being said, I have decided to maintain a protective style at all times and concentrate on keeping the ends of my hair moisturized daily. Especially while living in Thailand. If all goes well, I think I might continue to wear protective styles for at least a year if not more. This is my proposed routine (hopefully I can stick with it)....
Style: Box Braids - 2-3 weeks
Routine:
Pre Poo Treatment - Mixture of Honey, EVOO and a cheap conditioner
Wash/Clarify once a month - Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo
Co-Wash once or twice a week - Wan Thai Aloe Vera Conditioner Treatment
Deep Condition once a week - Wan Thai Aloe Vera Conditioner Treatment, EVOO/Vitamin E mix,
Coconut Oil and Honey
Scalp Treatment - Hair Growth Oil mix after every Co-Wash
Daily Moisturizer - Nature Glo Spray on Conditioner - ON THE ENDS
*Both of these products I found in Thailand and they both contain Vitamin E, ProVitamin B5. The Spray On Conditioner has Jojoba Oil in it as well.....and oh The conditioner does have protein...hmmm
With all shampoos, I will focus on the scalp only and not the hair itself. I think that if I can keep this up at least for the time that I am in Thailand until I get to the states that I should at least be able to retain the length I have now and that in the future. I also took a couple of length pics so that I could track my progress. To view those just go to the Photo Gallery. So now only time will tell. Wish me luck!!!
*Me with my first Box Braids ever on New Years' Eve
