FennFire911
October 9th, 2018, 07:34 PM
Well my hair-iversary is some time in October, I forgot the date specifically hehe
2017 brought me lots of damage from lots of bad decisions, so it was more of a setback than anything. Here in 2018 I have been far better to my hair, though I'm still seeing residual damage that's just going to have to grow out. Hair is certainly an exercise in patience and care.
In the following pic is when I first started in 2016 next to a year later in Oct of 2017. In March of 2017 I toned my hair, as in with Vol20 and some other thing I added to it. In other words, an actual chemical toning, not just purple shampoo. Then in May or June I did deposit-only BRIGHT red, hated it, and over the course of 4 days I washed it so many times with head and shoulders, baking soda, and only thinly diluted vinegar, that I was back to my original blonde shade. Did I learn from that? Nope. I dyed the last 8" smoky blue and within a week didn't like it anymore and did the same get rid of it quick wash routine. All of that, in addition to a bad attempt at a compact cut, was terrible terrible terrible, and my ends don't lie. There sits all of the abuse, no denying it.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/20C8AC90-1EAF-4B45-9B9C-4DA04131D766_zpsgo4d6bss.jpg
In December of 2017 I got very discouraged and cut about 3" off. I didn't measure before or after, I gave up on keeping a detailed journal for a while as I was pouting. But I joined the No Trimming 2018 thread. It's been tough. My ends leave a lot to be desired. But this year I have done NO heat what so ever. Not even a blow dryer on cool air. I have washed gently, conditioned religiously, and oiled sometimes. lol No colouring, no perms, no chemicals.
I've tried stretching washes to once a week for an entire month. Didn't work for me.
I tried CO and WO, for several weeks each which I know isn't long enough to know for sure, but I am certain those also don't work for me.
My scalp is occasionally itchy. Some days it's fine, some days it's annoying. The general practitioner I work for looked and said I have a dry scalp. I went to a dermatologist and he said SD. I've tried treatments for both with no improvement and no worsening of symptoms. I first noticed my scalp being this way when I was 17, so it's been 22 years and lots of wash techniques with no change. So since nothing is making it obviously better nor obviously worse, I'm currently trying hard water shampoo. I'm on well water and we do have some minerals. So far so good. My lengths feel softer and are shinier, and my scalp still has mood swings. This next picture was taken today. It's not a hair typing pic, today is day 2 after wash and my hair has been brushed.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/C290DD11-5685-4C03-9B3E-A3C0F80546E0_zpsjwhurl7l.jpeg
(That's the same Pokemon tshirt in all 3 pics lol)
I keep telling myself, "be patient, be gentle." I'm kicking around getting into the No Trimming 2019 challenge, but I'm not sure yet if I'll trim on the designated day.
I want to take a moment to explain my frustration at my perception of having such a slow journey. Years ago my hair was, I think, TBL+, close to classic. And what did I do to get there? NOTHING. I washed every other day, used mousse to keep it smooth, hair spray to keep my fly aways a little more controllable. I wore my hair in either a doubled up ponytail or in an I-don't-know-how-to-take-care-of-my-long-hair "doorknob" bun. I was completely oblivious and just did whatever. I never dyed it or anything. I never did anything. I had young kids, home schooled them, and had a homestead hobby farm. Ponytail was as fancy as it ever got and fancy care routines never fit into my schedule. My hair was clean, and nothing more. I finally caved in and donated 14" to Locks Of Love because people said I "should" and I didn't know LoL was not a particularly worthy charity. Over the next following years I was plagued by going to salons for trims and having all my progress chopped off when the stylist would take way more than I asked for. I was between BSL and MBL for a few years.
This is what I USED to have, without even giving it a second thought.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/E75F13CF-FDE7-48A0-8891-234D7520C809_zps5kqdy074.jpeg
I want to end this on a positive note. I'm not where I want to be and I have a good bit of time to go before the evidence of my hair-abuse grows out, but it's not all doom and gloom either. Nobody knows about the damage but me. If I braid my hair, the bun I had it in before leaves the ends a little wavy. Most of the time my hair is in a bun, and the ends make it a breeze to keep it all tucked in and neat looking. If my hair is not in a bun, just a little bit of waviness prevents it from looking too messy and rough.
This next picture was in the end of August 2018. I'd had my hair in a French braid with a paranda all day at work, and this is how it looked when I took the braid out.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/DFC29C40-E5BF-4D1E-AABA-7C6746DE926E_zpsgzyiudez.jpeg
I tell myself to be patient, be gentle, be forgiving to myself because everybody goes through odd phases and makes mistakes. This will grow out again. I won't give in to peer pressure again. There's nowhere to go but up!
I want to send out a huge thank you to the men and women of TLCH. I don't post a lot, but I check every day and read all the amazing advice and encouragement. Finding this site has been a game changer for me. If nothing else, at least I know how to do a variety of good buns now instead of my old clueless one.
Thanks everybody, for all your support along my ongoing journey. :toast::flower:
2017 brought me lots of damage from lots of bad decisions, so it was more of a setback than anything. Here in 2018 I have been far better to my hair, though I'm still seeing residual damage that's just going to have to grow out. Hair is certainly an exercise in patience and care.
In the following pic is when I first started in 2016 next to a year later in Oct of 2017. In March of 2017 I toned my hair, as in with Vol20 and some other thing I added to it. In other words, an actual chemical toning, not just purple shampoo. Then in May or June I did deposit-only BRIGHT red, hated it, and over the course of 4 days I washed it so many times with head and shoulders, baking soda, and only thinly diluted vinegar, that I was back to my original blonde shade. Did I learn from that? Nope. I dyed the last 8" smoky blue and within a week didn't like it anymore and did the same get rid of it quick wash routine. All of that, in addition to a bad attempt at a compact cut, was terrible terrible terrible, and my ends don't lie. There sits all of the abuse, no denying it.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/20C8AC90-1EAF-4B45-9B9C-4DA04131D766_zpsgo4d6bss.jpg
In December of 2017 I got very discouraged and cut about 3" off. I didn't measure before or after, I gave up on keeping a detailed journal for a while as I was pouting. But I joined the No Trimming 2018 thread. It's been tough. My ends leave a lot to be desired. But this year I have done NO heat what so ever. Not even a blow dryer on cool air. I have washed gently, conditioned religiously, and oiled sometimes. lol No colouring, no perms, no chemicals.
I've tried stretching washes to once a week for an entire month. Didn't work for me.
I tried CO and WO, for several weeks each which I know isn't long enough to know for sure, but I am certain those also don't work for me.
My scalp is occasionally itchy. Some days it's fine, some days it's annoying. The general practitioner I work for looked and said I have a dry scalp. I went to a dermatologist and he said SD. I've tried treatments for both with no improvement and no worsening of symptoms. I first noticed my scalp being this way when I was 17, so it's been 22 years and lots of wash techniques with no change. So since nothing is making it obviously better nor obviously worse, I'm currently trying hard water shampoo. I'm on well water and we do have some minerals. So far so good. My lengths feel softer and are shinier, and my scalp still has mood swings. This next picture was taken today. It's not a hair typing pic, today is day 2 after wash and my hair has been brushed.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/C290DD11-5685-4C03-9B3E-A3C0F80546E0_zpsjwhurl7l.jpeg
(That's the same Pokemon tshirt in all 3 pics lol)
I keep telling myself, "be patient, be gentle." I'm kicking around getting into the No Trimming 2019 challenge, but I'm not sure yet if I'll trim on the designated day.
I want to take a moment to explain my frustration at my perception of having such a slow journey. Years ago my hair was, I think, TBL+, close to classic. And what did I do to get there? NOTHING. I washed every other day, used mousse to keep it smooth, hair spray to keep my fly aways a little more controllable. I wore my hair in either a doubled up ponytail or in an I-don't-know-how-to-take-care-of-my-long-hair "doorknob" bun. I was completely oblivious and just did whatever. I never dyed it or anything. I never did anything. I had young kids, home schooled them, and had a homestead hobby farm. Ponytail was as fancy as it ever got and fancy care routines never fit into my schedule. My hair was clean, and nothing more. I finally caved in and donated 14" to Locks Of Love because people said I "should" and I didn't know LoL was not a particularly worthy charity. Over the next following years I was plagued by going to salons for trims and having all my progress chopped off when the stylist would take way more than I asked for. I was between BSL and MBL for a few years.
This is what I USED to have, without even giving it a second thought.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/E75F13CF-FDE7-48A0-8891-234D7520C809_zps5kqdy074.jpeg
I want to end this on a positive note. I'm not where I want to be and I have a good bit of time to go before the evidence of my hair-abuse grows out, but it's not all doom and gloom either. Nobody knows about the damage but me. If I braid my hair, the bun I had it in before leaves the ends a little wavy. Most of the time my hair is in a bun, and the ends make it a breeze to keep it all tucked in and neat looking. If my hair is not in a bun, just a little bit of waviness prevents it from looking too messy and rough.
This next picture was in the end of August 2018. I'd had my hair in a French braid with a paranda all day at work, and this is how it looked when I took the braid out.
https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/DFC29C40-E5BF-4D1E-AABA-7C6746DE926E_zpsgzyiudez.jpeg
I tell myself to be patient, be gentle, be forgiving to myself because everybody goes through odd phases and makes mistakes. This will grow out again. I won't give in to peer pressure again. There's nowhere to go but up!
I want to send out a huge thank you to the men and women of TLCH. I don't post a lot, but I check every day and read all the amazing advice and encouragement. Finding this site has been a game changer for me. If nothing else, at least I know how to do a variety of good buns now instead of my old clueless one.
Thanks everybody, for all your support along my ongoing journey. :toast::flower: