Bc to 8 months

I had gotten my first relaxer when i was about 6...i'm guessing. My mom doesn't remember and neither do i, so i had to be really young. I'm not sure who's idea it was to relax my hair either, it could have been my mother, she's white and i'm sure this was a new hair experience for her. Maybe it was a "well meaning" hairdresser or maybe even a stranger on the street saw the white woman with the black baby and thought to offer some "advice".

I was about 9 or 10 in these pics and my hair was doing really well with the relaxer!

I kept my hair relaxed for 15 years with very little problems. When i was younger my mom would probably wash and condition my hair every week or 2 weeks. I don't remember her ever using deep conditioner, and i doubt she ever did. We would use pert shampoo and white rain conditioner, then she would put my hair in 4 ponytails, braid it to the end and leave it. Every now and then she would loose the ponytail holder (but leave the braid), resmooth it and tie it back up. I recently asked her what hairdressing she used on my hair but she didn't remember. I do remember pink lotion though...who can ever forget that distinct smell! This seemed to be a good regimen for me at that time, my hair really seemed healthy and was growing nicely.

Around the age of 12 i started going to the salon every 2 weeks to get my hair washed and conditioned. My hair was still growing and was really healthy.

Then, i'm not sure what happened, but my hair slowly started to break off. My hair home care was not really the best, just grease really, so i'm sure now that was the culprit. By the time i decided to go natural i was a few inches below shoulder length. My hair was in OK shape, but i had really thin, see through ends.

The first time i went natural was in 2005. I transitioned for about 4 months and then chopped it off myself. I liked it. So did my mom and boyfriend...my dad didn't even notice LOL

After a year i bleached my hair platinum blonde and with continued co washing and dc my hair did pretty well. I lived with wash & go's and everything was great...until i flat ironed it.

I flat ironed my hair after 2 years being natural and was so surprised at how long it was...of course that made me just want to relax it again! So about 2 months after flat ironing it, i went and got a relaxer. I cried and cried and blamed my boyfriend for letting me do that! I felt so weird with straight hair! It just felt so wimpy and short, so i ran out and bought a weave to make a ponytail and i never showed my relaxed hair from then on.

That same month i became pregnant with my son. 4 months after getting that relaxer i big chopped again! I don't know if it was the hormones or my dissatisfaction with my relaxed hair, but it was no more, i cut it down to about 1/2 an inch. I wore a wig for a couple months until it grew a bit. Then i relaxed again a few months after my son was born! I was in a crazy cycle of natural and relaxed, natural and relaxed. But this is my final time, i am finished for sure with relaxing. I am happy with my hair and don't see a need in relaxing anymore. I didn't have a problem with relaxing, its just that my natural hair fits me and my life now.

I did my final bc April 1 2008

I joined longhaircareforum.com and nappturality.com and from this point i tried my best to treat my hair right. I deep conditioned and cowashed and my hair was doing really well! Then i decided i didn't like my dark colored hair. I ran some hair bleach through it and though it was cuteish...it looked kind of dusty to me after awhile.

So i put a rinse over it. Now as my hair grows i can see the ends are frizzier where the color still is.

In December it made 8 months since my chop and i think my hair is doing pretty. Its grown quite a bit and is really soft!

Right now i'm not sure of the length since i have been wigging it with half wigs and phony ponies since December 15th. i will probably release her on the 16th of February for my wedding anniversary and see where she is at!