I had almost waist length hair growing up. First time I ever experienced breakage was when I was maybe 6 / 7 years old and my mom put an olgalvie (I don't know how it's spelled) perm in my hair. My hair broke off, and I had to wear nape length shirly temple curls. My hair soon grew out from it, as my hair grows a little fast, but I was devestated. I cried and cried. My mother tried hot oil treatments but she couldn't stop the breakage. She tried what she could.
She never broke my hair off again, and has been perming me since I was 6. I've had hair anywhere from sl to bsl length under her care, but I think that relaxer was too strong for my 6 year old hair.
I remember the convo vividly even though I was 6...
"Wouldn't you like to wear your hair straight all the time without mommy having to press it"
so the answer was yes of course.
Bottom line I think she was tired of fooling with my hair.
I remember my father rolling my hair some nights because she got sick of me squirming LOL.
Anyway, back to the story, I trust her with my hair like no other for relaxers, but had we had this board then, I wonder if she would have relax me (she doesn't visit this board, but I wonder if she did, would she have), and then, if she had, and I was older, I woul dhave known what to do to save my nearly w/l length hair. If I can find a picture to scan, I will.
I never had a bad breakage episode since then, just moving between bsl and apl or worse, sl, because dead ends hand to be cut off (hopefully this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN
)