FuzzyBlackWaves
February 13th, 2015, 09:54 AM
A lot of bad things happened to me in 2013. That's how I found myself, on Valentines day, taking 'before' photos of my hair.
Deciding to grow my hair out was a promise to look after myself more. To extend myself as a person rather than constantly trying to change or attempt to 'tame' who I am.
This is my hair on February 14th 2013.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/LHC/Februarycloseup_zpsbeb3a6b8.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/LHC/Februarycloseup_zpsbeb3a6b8.jpg.html)
It was a mess. Dry, flyaways everywhere, splits appearing the day after a trim. And it wouldn't grow beyond what you see here. I dyed my whole head every two weeks. Straightened it every few days. Never used any oil treatments and just piled product upon product on top in hopes of making it 'manageable'. I'd rip a hair brush from the top to the bottom twice a day and wore it down almost all the time. I'd roll on it and crush it in my sleep, let it rub against things, crush it behind my back when I sat down. I never really paid a lot of attention to it. I didn't pay a lot of attention to myself.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/2013_zpsloplh6eo.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/2013_zpsloplh6eo.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/Untitled%201kk_zpsokduakjx.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/Untitled%201kk_zpsokduakjx.png.html)
I decided to change my ways and discovered my natural waves. 2013 was frustrating. I broke through the BSL barrier into mid-back length but I was fairly unhappy with how much it grew over the year. I'd had to have trims pretty much every month because of the former damage done to it. Still, there was no denying that the condition had improved, and the days of it not growing at all had come to an end.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/yoooooooo_zpsuwft8ptn.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/yoooooooo_zpsuwft8ptn.png.html)
2014 was a year of much faster growth as I altered my diet and lifestyle for the better. I finally reached waist length.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/hurr_zpswhhjo3y3.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/hurr_zpswhhjo3y3.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/IMG_5589_zpsaclvswcm.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/IMG_5589_zpsaclvswcm.jpg.html)
Last month I realized that my hair was well on it's way to hip length. I did my first ever self-trim back to waist length to get rid of some of the two year-old, damaged ends.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/20150213_134749_244%201_zps4znibmai.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/20150213_134749_244%201_zps4znibmai.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/two%20years_zps8ea7o1py.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/two%20years_zps8ea7o1py.png.html)
And some photos from today - 1 year, 364 days of growth to be exact (I'd have taken them tomorrow but I'll be busy all day - no more lonely Valentine's Day for me).
Deciding to grow my hair out was a promise to look after myself more. To extend myself as a person rather than constantly trying to change or attempt to 'tame' who I am.
This is my hair on February 14th 2013.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/LHC/Februarycloseup_zpsbeb3a6b8.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/LHC/Februarycloseup_zpsbeb3a6b8.jpg.html)
It was a mess. Dry, flyaways everywhere, splits appearing the day after a trim. And it wouldn't grow beyond what you see here. I dyed my whole head every two weeks. Straightened it every few days. Never used any oil treatments and just piled product upon product on top in hopes of making it 'manageable'. I'd rip a hair brush from the top to the bottom twice a day and wore it down almost all the time. I'd roll on it and crush it in my sleep, let it rub against things, crush it behind my back when I sat down. I never really paid a lot of attention to it. I didn't pay a lot of attention to myself.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/2013_zpsloplh6eo.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/2013_zpsloplh6eo.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/Untitled%201kk_zpsokduakjx.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/Untitled%201kk_zpsokduakjx.png.html)
I decided to change my ways and discovered my natural waves. 2013 was frustrating. I broke through the BSL barrier into mid-back length but I was fairly unhappy with how much it grew over the year. I'd had to have trims pretty much every month because of the former damage done to it. Still, there was no denying that the condition had improved, and the days of it not growing at all had come to an end.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/yoooooooo_zpsuwft8ptn.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/yoooooooo_zpsuwft8ptn.png.html)
2014 was a year of much faster growth as I altered my diet and lifestyle for the better. I finally reached waist length.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/hurr_zpswhhjo3y3.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/hurr_zpswhhjo3y3.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/IMG_5589_zpsaclvswcm.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/IMG_5589_zpsaclvswcm.jpg.html)
Last month I realized that my hair was well on it's way to hip length. I did my first ever self-trim back to waist length to get rid of some of the two year-old, damaged ends.
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/20150213_134749_244%201_zps4znibmai.jpg (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/20150213_134749_244%201_zps4znibmai.jpg.html)
http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/u605/NikkiBik/two%20years_zps8ea7o1py.png (http://s1324.photobucket.com/user/NikkiBik/media/two%20years_zps8ea7o1py.png.html)
And some photos from today - 1 year, 364 days of growth to be exact (I'd have taken them tomorrow but I'll be busy all day - no more lonely Valentine's Day for me).