Two-Year Hair Journey Update

June is my 2 YEAR HAIR-VERSARY and I am beyond amazed at how far I have come in such a short period of time.  I started out my hair journey with unhealthy thin bone-straight relaxed hair that was a little shorter than shoulder length. Today I still relax, but NOT bone straight. My hair is hovering right at mid-back length and I am well on my way to hopefully reaching my goal length of waist length hair.  I have learned so much about what it takes to grow and maintain healthy hair from those that have successfully completed their own journeys.  Great reads are Grow It by Chicoro, and The Science of Black hair by Audrey Davis-Sivasothy, both available through amazon.com.  I think it was so beneficial early on to gain knowledge and inspiration from ladies on the long hair care hair boards. One of the best is k-i-s-s-.biz (also know as Keep it Simple Sista).  I always say the best thing you can do for your hair is to educate yourself on healthy hair care! Learn what products you need to avoid, what styles to avoid and mechanical devices cause damage to hair. Learn how CRITICAL the moisture content of your is.  Once you realize the impact this has on the health of your hair, dropping certain practices and adding new ones to your regimen will become a no-brainer. Today I LOVE my hair and I NEVER thought I would be able to utter the words.  If I can grow my hair long and strong ANYBODY can.  I always thought long healthy relaxed hair was unattainable if you have had short damaged hair all your life like I did.  This simply is not true.  If you are displeased with the health and condition of your hair, relaxed or natural, take an active approach in caring for it yourself.  If that means ditching your hair dresser then so be it! Black women's hair was made to grow to great lengths just as women's hair of any other race.  I have posted Pics of my progress over the past two years.  I hope you will find it inspiring and proof that educating yourself will allow you to achieve anything : ) Happy Growing!

Start of my Hair Journey June 2010 - Length Check w/ Wet Hair

1 year into my HJ - June 2011 - Length Check

2 years into my HJ - June 2012 - Length Check

Beginning Length June 2010

Current Length June 2012!!!

Slave to Hair No More!

Hello Hair World!

I would like to take the time to introduce myself and explain my reasons for starting this blog. My name is Sharida, and I have been a slave to my hair since the age of eight. The many trials, tribulations, hate and frustrations with my hair all started with my relaxer, and it's been on going for the past 20 years. Of course in 1990 my mom had only experienced an Afro and Jerry Curl for herself, but she still made the decision to have her co worker (not a professional) relax my hair because swimming in summer camp would mean washing, combing and managing a thick mane of kinky African American hair daily. Who has time to comb through that unmanageable mess? She just didn't have the patience for that times two ( I have a twin sister too). So with no knowledge of how to care for my relaxed hair properly I ruined my once head of thick healthy hair by washing it only once every few months, not conditioning, piling mineral oils on it, not moisturizing, not trimming, you name it...if it should be done, I was NOT doing it. Fast forward to my late teen years and early college years. Washing a bit more often, but not following a real regimen and relaxing whenever I felt like it, sill no trims, then I added too tight phony ponies daily along with micro braids, blow dryers, flat irons and sew in weaves. For so long I hated my hair, and thought all black hair was bad hair and inferior. Why can't my hair grow long, healthy and shiny? Why did God choose for us to be the only race with dry hair that will not grow long? I would ask myself, why is black hair NOT our crowning glory like Indian, Asian, Latino and Caucasian woman? I just decided I would have to invest in "hiding" my real hair forever like so many black women do and deal with this cursed mane.

Fast forward to May 2010, the start of my Healthy Hair Journey (HHJ). I am no longer a slave to my hair officially! I also LOVE my hair, not my Indian weave! I have through my own research, and support from life changing web sites (such as www.k-i-s-s.biz, and www.hairlista.com) figured out the key to breaking this ridiculous mindset so many black women have about their hair. The answer, the key, the secret is KNOWLEDGE! The more we know about our own hair, what makes it different, what makes it thrive, what makes it healthy, unhealthy, grow, break, etc., the more likely we are to achieve the look, length, and overall health we have long desired for our hair.  I urge all you out there to not trust all the product promises, manufactures, and sales clerks, but trust what your hair tells you, real science, and your results. I f your hair "appears" to be healthy but "it won't grow", then it is not as healthy as you think it is. It is growing and breaking at the same rate, and retaining no length. That to me is not healthy hair. Healthy hair grows long unless purposely cut short. Yes the maximun length varies as it depends on the life cycle of your hair strand, but trust me sistas, neck length hair is NOT your maximum length. Through this journey I too will dispel the myth that relaxed (or natural) African American textured hair will not grow long and is inferior to our counterparts. I look forward to sharing my HHJ progress, pictures, product reviews and knowledge with you all.

U GROW GIRL !

Sharida