Timeline: Being Natural – 9 Months In (1 year’s growth)

Month: 9
Growth: 1 years’ worth
Length: 5.5″- 6″

My 9th month of being fully natural was partially spent in a protective style. I had gone back home in January for a few days and came back to Joburg with a weave/braid combo. This time, my trip to Dar was kinder to my hair and my self esteem than the previous trip. And I think this was two fold; my hair was longer than it was before and I think that led some people to not think of it as ‘ugly’ or ‘bush’ but more ‘funky’ and I also was just more confident with my hair. I’d had it longer than I did on my previous trip and by then I had a much better idea of what I could do to it. I’d been successfully wearing braid outs and twist outs so style wise I was more comfortable with my hair. I applauded myself for reaching a full year without relaxer touching my hair and wrote this review.

“I just knew my hair was not happy and was tired so I had to do something
new. The only thing that made me stick to my decision was that if I had
spent so much time and energy in making my relaxed hair look great, and
learn how to care for it, surely I can do the same for my own.
naturally grown hair. Surely. And that’s what I did, and continue to do…So far, I’ve gotten frustrated but never have I thought of my hair so
hard and unmanageable that I NEED to relax it to make it easier.”

The year went by relatively quickly and I was so excited with the progress my hair was making. I could really see the difference in growth, especially when I realised that I couldn’t really do wash and go’s anymore. My hair was long enough to get tangled and knotted up if I did. So, that was really the time that I noted that braid outs and twist outs weren’t just for cosmetic reasons but also to reduce breakage. Yet even though I was getting used to the natural thing, I was still experimenting with products, styles and recipes…and sometimes failing. Case in point, my epic fail moment of trying out a banana based deep conditioner and… well…ended up looking like a mop (click here for the blog post). Suffice to say, I am never putting banana on my head again. Ever.

Routine wise, I stuck to washing my hair weekly, making sure to deep condition after every wash. And I realised that the entire year before, I was wondering if I’d ever get the hang of being natural yet there I was, flat twisting my hair every night without fail, spritzing everyday and finally understanding what people meant when they’d say ‘listen to your hair’. That is when I began to follow that advice… and still do today.

“So a year down the line, I’m glad for that day in the salon. Because if
it wasn’t for that disaster, I wouldn’t be natural now, sporting a
healthy, thick ass mass of hair on my head. I’m still as excited as ever
to see it grow higher, into an inconvenient fro :D”

That was my frame of mind then. And remains so today.

Next timeline post: Being Natural – 10 Months In

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