HAIRstory #4

One step forward, two steps back!

As I continued to see growth through the spring months of 2007, I maintained permed hair and clipped my ends in order to keep up with my ear patches. Because of this, I began manipulating my hair more than ever! Straightening, coloring, checking every day to see if my patches were growing. I couldn't necessarily wear a bun, which would be a protective style, because at the time, my ear patches wouldn't stretch back far enough! So I turned to wearing braids.


They were a life saver! Not to mention, I could braid my own hair; but it would take me between 12 and 16 hours slaving in front of a mirror. Needless to say, I usually opted to pay someone else to braid it: 8 hours! I found someone who was fast and efficient - she braided my hair for the entire Spring '07 semester. Once they were in, life was a breeze and my hair was finally resting.


I rarely wore them down, usually up in a bun or half up and half down. I was using synthetic hair - 100% Kanekalon. I didn't find micros and human hair too fancy because, from what I saw on other women, I wasn't able to braid past my hair and took the risk of my ends being exposed. I purchased a bottle of Doo Gro Mega Thick Growth Oil. Did it contribute to hair growth? Not really sure, but I do know it was a light oil that wasn't too thick on my scalp.


As if with unbraided hair, I washed my hair weekly with Nioxin paying close attention to my scalp. Sythetic hair can become very heavy when saturated with water and begin to pull on the hair strands. Therefore, it's best to blot the braids dry, wrap them up in a towel on the top of your head or use a hood dryer or handheld blow dryer to promote the drying process.

I wore braids from February to June 2007. Every 4 to 6 weeks I would redo the front section and every 8 to 10 weeks I would put in a new set of braids. Unfortunately, during this time I never took any progress pictures, got my ends cut, or colored my hair: just braids. Finally in June 2007 I took out my braids, permed my hair and went directly into the beauty shop to - you got it! Get my hair cut to match my ear patches. Finally, my hair was "even!"


With love to last a life time, K!