Length retention Fall 2010 - Winter 2011

Throughout the cold seasons I try to do as much as I can to retain length. Since I dislike cold weather so much this is the best time of the year to keep my hair up and protected. When its cold I need to be able to throw on hats and coats without worrying about my hair.

I started here:

Line 3

And now I am here:

Line 6.5

 From line 3 - line 6.5, not bad; each line is 1 inch from the previous line. I am really close to 7 and may be at that line but I did not flat iron my hair until it was bone straight. I got results very similar to the previous winter so it looks like I may have discovered a length retention routine that works for me. My secret? Keep it simple. Complicated regimens and numerous treatments may yield good results also, but why put yourself (and wallet) through that stress if you don't need to. To see the steps I followed each week click here: Fall 2010 -W inter 2011 Regimen

There are a few things I would have changed about the regimen:

1. I would have started the scalp moisturizing and massages earlier in the winter, maybe around mid-December.

2. I liked the yarn braids but because it was my first experience with them they were not as great for my length retention as I would have like for them to be - my ends were dry when I removed the braids. I should have focused a lot more attention to moisturizing the portion of the braids that held the ends of my hair.

3. I think I would have benefited from an additional henna treatment. I am noticing that at this point of my healthy hair journey I am moving away from following a strict regimen and trying to do what my hair tells me.

Now that Spring is here (although it's still cold out) it's time to enjoy this length. My goal this Spring/Summer is to actually wear my hair out more. I find myself getting stuck in a protective styling routine because they enable me to only worry about my hair once a week.


BTW, last night I found some fabric paint in my craft room so next time the lines/numbers on my shirt will be a lot easier to see in pics;)