BreeNique
New Member
Hello, ladies! Here are some pics of the first flat-ironing session of my hair this year. I'm kinda afraid of using heat on my hair, and my patience and lack of technique make it hard for me to apply heat on anything resembling a regular basis! So, whenever I trek back to the midwest (once in september, again in november, and this march), my cousin (the "nique"/ monique of "breenique") does a BANGIN job straigthening it for me!
Here are pics of my journey thus far, officially/ unofficially beginning with my transition in december 2011. In May 2010, I cut my hair from approx. SL to EL, on something of a whim, just hours before my high school graduation
Here's circa August 2009, 3 months later:
A semi-natural/ in-between relaxers shot. I was seeing my natural texture for the first time in about four years, it was kinda foreign. but fun.
March 2010, 7 months later. I was visiting a salon that used a lot of heat, and insisted on cutting my hair upon each visit (usually 3-5 weeks apart), so there was little noticable growth for almost a year -_-
That summer, I didn't cut! I was transitioning from relaxed to natural, with a full head of relaxed (and color-treated) hair in this photo:
Transitioning (kinda, on accident):: September 2010
..yeah, wasn't so good at PS-ing at first...and flexi-rods were my enemies. couldn't figure em out!
I was beginning to understand PS-ing (thanks to "nique!", and was revamping the way I understood my hair--not as a problem to be solved in 30 minutes or less, but as much or as little of an extension of self as I allowed it to be. My hair became a joy, not an obligation!...but some days were rougher than others. -_-
In the following pics, you can use my hair coloring (a ligther brown) as a line of demarcation of sorts--most of the hair above about an inch and a half of that line is natural.
--> November 2011
^^wet hair, you can kinda tell where the relaxed parts start and stop.
texture shots! i was getting more into maintaining my hair!
January 2011, a length-check! I was about SL, transitioning full on!
April 2011, I was getting better at this PS-ing! This flexi rod set was my go-to for most of spring.
--> June 2011, after a minorly major BC! The last inch or so was color treated/ relaxed, and i was almost 100% natural! I made the mistake of going back to the salon that used a lot of heat, and once again, i left disappointed. That was my last visit. ever.
My PS during the summer months:
my "going out" wig, haha! ignore the boy. <3
my other daily PS: a piece out in front (unbraided), with a bun (baggy on the ends! you KNOW!)
Texture shot/ braid-out results. the last inch or so of relaxed was KILLING me , but i couldn't cut it!
Sept. 2011 flat-iron! Compare to the January flat-iron (before my BC--the mirror pic.)
Thanksgiving/ November flat-iron! (in between, PSing with twist-outs, braid-outs, bantu knot-outs, and experimenting with buns. My regi included mostly coconut oil and Elasta QP. That part has remained consistent)
Feb 2012...i discovered...the bun. it's a sock, wrapped in black satin-y material (the head wrap you use to tie around your wrapped hair), wrapped in a plastic bag. yeah. it's intense. i put my hair through, and secure around! my love, my love.
Outside of a bun/ normal, a few days after a braid-out.
TODAY! MARCH 25, 2012! I'VE HIT MY SHORT-TERM GOAL OF FULL APL BY MARCH 28TH, NEXT STOP, FULL BSB BY AUGUST!! <3 <3
Regi @ beginning of transition:
-whatever was nearby. seriously. no method to the madness. just washing, shampooing, and drying. -_-
1 year in: co-washing 2x a week, DC at least once a week, and a protien every 3 weeks or so.
2 years in/ now: co-washing 2x a week, clarifying once a month (usually on the first wash of the month), DC once a week or 2x a week, and protien every 4 weeks! I have used Coconut oil as my primary sealer, and elasta qp mango butter moisturizer in the winter, with NTM silk leave-in in the summer/ warmer weather.
RECAP!
May 2009:
September 2011
November 2011
March 2012 (almost 3 years, at least 5 cuts later!)
Here are pics of my journey thus far, officially/ unofficially beginning with my transition in december 2011. In May 2010, I cut my hair from approx. SL to EL, on something of a whim, just hours before my high school graduation
Here's circa August 2009, 3 months later:
A semi-natural/ in-between relaxers shot. I was seeing my natural texture for the first time in about four years, it was kinda foreign. but fun.
March 2010, 7 months later. I was visiting a salon that used a lot of heat, and insisted on cutting my hair upon each visit (usually 3-5 weeks apart), so there was little noticable growth for almost a year -_-
That summer, I didn't cut! I was transitioning from relaxed to natural, with a full head of relaxed (and color-treated) hair in this photo:
Transitioning (kinda, on accident):: September 2010
..yeah, wasn't so good at PS-ing at first...and flexi-rods were my enemies. couldn't figure em out!
I was beginning to understand PS-ing (thanks to "nique!", and was revamping the way I understood my hair--not as a problem to be solved in 30 minutes or less, but as much or as little of an extension of self as I allowed it to be. My hair became a joy, not an obligation!...but some days were rougher than others. -_-
In the following pics, you can use my hair coloring (a ligther brown) as a line of demarcation of sorts--most of the hair above about an inch and a half of that line is natural.
^^wet hair, you can kinda tell where the relaxed parts start and stop.
texture shots! i was getting more into maintaining my hair!
January 2011, a length-check! I was about SL, transitioning full on!
April 2011, I was getting better at this PS-ing! This flexi rod set was my go-to for most of spring.
My PS during the summer months:
my other daily PS: a piece out in front (unbraided), with a bun (baggy on the ends! you KNOW!)
Texture shot/ braid-out results. the last inch or so of relaxed was KILLING me , but i couldn't cut it!
Sept. 2011 flat-iron! Compare to the January flat-iron (before my BC--the mirror pic.)
Thanksgiving/ November flat-iron! (in between, PSing with twist-outs, braid-outs, bantu knot-outs, and experimenting with buns. My regi included mostly coconut oil and Elasta QP. That part has remained consistent)
Feb 2012...i discovered...the bun. it's a sock, wrapped in black satin-y material (the head wrap you use to tie around your wrapped hair), wrapped in a plastic bag. yeah. it's intense. i put my hair through, and secure around! my love, my love.
Outside of a bun/ normal, a few days after a braid-out.
TODAY! MARCH 25, 2012! I'VE HIT MY SHORT-TERM GOAL OF FULL APL BY MARCH 28TH, NEXT STOP, FULL BSB BY AUGUST!! <3 <3
Regi @ beginning of transition:
-whatever was nearby. seriously. no method to the madness. just washing, shampooing, and drying. -_-
1 year in: co-washing 2x a week, DC at least once a week, and a protien every 3 weeks or so.
2 years in/ now: co-washing 2x a week, clarifying once a month (usually on the first wash of the month), DC once a week or 2x a week, and protien every 4 weeks! I have used Coconut oil as my primary sealer, and elasta qp mango butter moisturizer in the winter, with NTM silk leave-in in the summer/ warmer weather.
RECAP!
May 2009:
September 2011
November 2011
March 2012 (almost 3 years, at least 5 cuts later!)
Thanks for this inspirational post.
Congrats! Your hair is gorgeous! Keep at it. 
Congratulation
