Thank you ladies for all the positive replies and support. Caramelle, I do not plan to relax my hair. I have been natural all my life. I used to get my hair blow dried and lightly pressed about once a month to keep my hair straight. I did not even start wearing my hair curly until Nov 2002. I still can't believe that. Hairlove, btw, i love your hair, and good luck transitioning. My hair routine is I shampoo with Creme of Nature dry hair formula shampoo once a week. I do conditioner rinses with EVOO every other day and put it up in a wet bun. Sometimes i pin it up my curls if i am going out. I have tried other protective styles, but they just break my hair off because my ends dry up and my hair shrinks so fast. I tried many finshing products a lot times they can make my hair break off and dry. Also, I trim my ends as needed which could be some loose ends or snags. I can't tell how much i trim because i do when i step out the shower when my hair is curly. All i know is i do not trim much because i have had so many hair trimming disasters at the salon. Usually my trims can vary from every two two to four months. Also when i workout rinse my hair out and do another condition rinse on my ends. This is has got to be what save my hair from disaster because i am avid exerciser and i really sweat! I will just be happy to keep this length because now i back in college where the water is hard. Therefore i have to rinse my hair in sink because the water is soft which is trying and can cause breakage. I just have to hope for the best and to keep my length. ok, ladies i feel a little silly and stupid for asking, but how do you post pictures on picturetrail. I have never done it before so if anyone is willing to love help me i would love that.