My Decision after Four Months of Hard Work (4 Month Recap with pix)

Well, I have decided to realy act right about my HHJ. So I have, and it has been a long four months. I am have been contemplating about my hair the entire time. At one point, I wanted to quit earlier this year, around March. But I constantly read blogs and looked a before and after pix. I, too, wanted to be in the winner's circle one day. So on April 22nd or 23rd, I made a promise to myself that I was going to do absolutely right by my hair. I also promised myself that I was going to do everything that I possibly can to get my hair to WL exactly one year from the day that I made that promise. LOL, who knows if I can really do that. But I said that I was willing. I began to really do better while I was in school. One thing that held me back was nights with my BF. UGH! That boy hates my bonnets and scarves. I would wake up, and I would see where he snatched it off my head while I was asleep. He continues to despise it, but I had to alert him of the pros of having it on, and the cons of not wearing one to bed. I was barely able to prove my point. He would have still been against, but he loves the fact that I do not wear weave. So, as long as I do not wear weave in his presence, I can sleep with my bonnets. Isn't that sad? I had to make a deal with him about MY hair and MY bonnets. But, I love him, lol. He is ok with it because he understands that I am on a HHJ. He is very supportive, so he has helped motivate me while I was at school. We have graduated, so we have parted ways for a while.
:( I am sad that I am FIVE hours away from him, but this distance does give me alot more freedom to do as I am pleased with my hair. Not total freedom because my mother is so annoying about what I do with my hair and how I wear.

But I have been doing alot of things with my hair that I have not done or did not have much luck with. So I have been trying to strengthen my skills when it comes to my hair.

Here is a pic of me since I have been home since graudation. One of my most WEAKEST areas in hair styling is WRAPPING. When I wrap my hair, I always get that crown all jacked up and very wavy. During my advised HHJ, I learned how to properly wet-wrap my hair. I made sure not to snatch nor pull and my tug my wet hair. Wrapped styles started looking much better. I have had a lot less waves in the middle of my head. I have actually learned another wet wrap method that I am going to try out when I relax my hair again. So I am proud that I have gotten better and doing better.

 

 

One thing about me, I love to mix up my life with curls and straight hair. During my last semester in school, I loved doing my hair in curls. My last couple of months in school, I used orange perm rods to create this look. I started realizing here that it was taking alot longer to dry my hair, anywhere from 30 minutes to and hour and 30 minutes. Ugh! But styles were coming out adorable. I would roll my hair with these rollers and sit under the dryer. After my hair was dry, I would separate the curls and have this big curly look that I absolutely loved. These curls and this style could last a week without re-rolling.

 

 

At home after graduating, I was able to get ahold of my magnetic rollers. Here is the end result where I washed and set my hair with large rollers.

 

Here is another attempt at a smaller set of rollers for this roller set.

 Over the summer, I started experimenting with flexi rods. They have became my best friend. I am going to buy the extremely large ones and the very small ones to keep diversity in my styles. I believe that I am going to forever use flexi rods. I love how they do my hair. I can sleep in them. I am absolutely in love.

 

 

Over these four months, I have also learned so much about how to properly wash, condition, oil and prep my hair for whatever. I have opened my mind for so much information that I cannot believe what I have been missing all of these years on this HHJ.
I have also bought satin rollers that I have absolutely love.

This year, I have also finally bought my first bottle of JBCO. I have used it for three weeks, and I have seen a great difference in my hair since the initial usage. I have noticed thickness and growth. My hair has been so soft, wet and dry. My mother has really enjoyed it. I have just bought three more bottles of it, one for me, my mom and her mom. I cannot wait until I see some before and after pix since using this product.

I have bought this new heat protectant that has been a wonderful addition to my wet and dry hair regimen.

I have been on this hair jounery for four years. I find it very upsetting that I have not hit any landmarks in all of those years. I have felt like I have wasted so much time and money on this HHJ with no visible results. This fact is that constant nagging voice in the back of my head that tells me that I am not going to get anywhere and that I should invest this time, hardwork and commitment into something that is actually going to flourish.
BUT...

So what is my decision? Well, I believe that I have gave it enough thought. After all of this new stuff that I have incorporated into my HHJ and regimen, I was on the fence about staying or straying. But I decided to flat iron my hair as a part of my one month heat pass in August. I have noticed a huge difference in growth and thickness. The pictures were taken a month apart, the first one is after I trimmed my hair in July and the second one is where I flatironned my hair in August. I was absolutely flabbergasted when I saw these pictures together. I could not believe the growth difference in the two. I look at this picture and I do not just see growth. I can actually see health in this picture. I can actually see where I have been working hard and it has been paying off. I think I am sold. I believe that I can remain on this hair journey, but I do not need to let it consume me. I believe that it stresses me out. I cannot have that. I am so glad that my regimen is so so so simple. I believe that if it was a complicated, long, over-exagerated regimen, it would really stress me out and become too much for me. So, I am thankful fo this opportunity that I have receive to really get myself together. I officially have a goal, to be APL by Christmas. I have also made myself another rule, that I will not stress myself out by trying to meet dates and goals. I wanted my HHJ to be fun, and I have sucked the life out of it. LOL. But I am going to press on.

THANKS for reading this VERY LONG blog. I appreciate all of my followers, and I wish you well on each and everyone of your HHJs.
MWAH!