Check-in Trim, Trim, Trim those Damaged Ends Away

I said a couple of weeks ago that I had been trimming away my thin ends, but I would put down the scissors well.... I picked them up again last week. I trimmed another half inch off I think. It needed to go so what can I say. I think it is because my ends got so dry while I was trying out a new moisturizer mix. Well needless to say I am not using it anymore.

Most people say you should start your hair journey with a good trim, but I just could not bring myself to do it then. When I started my hair journey my hair was the shortest it had ever been (about CBL) and I just couldn't imagine cutting anything off. So I have been trimming off a inch or half inch here and there since then. I do not have a problem with split ends (thankfully)  just thin, dry ends (which can lead to split ends). This is the result of over processing and multiple permanent dyes/ bleaching. I am happy that I have cut so much off. I probably have another 2 inches of hair that has been dyed/bleached to go, but what is left is not as bad.

I was grazing APL after my relaxer in January and my goal was to be full APL by my birthday in April. Since I've been trimming so much I am not sure where I am at now. I am 7 weeks post now so I am half way through my stretch. I will continue wearing buns everyday and only using indirect heat (when I am deep conditioning). I want nothing more than to be APL by my birthday. I would have never guessed it would take me this long to reach APL but it is what it is. I can't complain because my almost APL length hair now is so much better than my almost APL length hair when I started. I never understood why people said health over length before I started my hair journey, but now I am happy to be one of those ladies. Health over length any day, because with health comes length. No need to hold on to thin damaged ends just to say I'm at APL.

Did you all have to do a lot of trimming when you first started your health hair journey? Did you have the nerve to do a really good trim before starting your journey? Or were your ends pretty good when you started?

Almost 6 months into my Hair Journey

I started my healthy hair journey in August of 2012, so I am almost at month 6. I am happy to report I can defiantly tell a huge difference in my hair. I know everyone says you can tell a difference in your thickness and overall health of your hair before you can see the length, and that is very true. I honestly did not start feeling a really big difference until the end of December. I relaxed my hair earlier this month and I was simply AMAZED when I washed my hair the week after my relaxer. It felt so much different and longer. I would have never guessed I would be able to air dry my hair like I can now. Because my hair is in better condition it does not tangle, frizz, and dry out like it would have when I air dried before my hair journey.

It gives me the conformation I need to continue on this journey. It has not been easy to retrain myself on how I handle my hair. There have been many nights I did not feel like moisturizing and sealing my hair. And many days I did not feel like washing and deep conditioning my hair (like today) but I always get it done.

I have been trimming away the past few days. I have probably trimmed one or two inches off. I am putting the scissors down now. I have cut off what I needed too. I think I will go back to deep conditioning my hair twice a week because I want to do everything I can to keep my hair moisturized. I feel like my birthday is coming up fast and I want to see as much growth as I can before then. I relaxed my hair the first week in January and I will not relax again until right before my birthday on April 13. Since I have been hard core trimming my new goal is to be full APL (maybe a little past) by my birthday.

Check In- More Videos

I added more videos today! Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel :)

I Caught the YouTube Fever

I have been thinking about starting a YouTube channel for a while, but I was not sure if I was going to have the time to be able to record videos and edit them. I want my blog to be the best it can be so I think videos are a must :) I recorded my first video last weekend, but I could not find an editing app. I finally found one today that I liked. I still have to play with it some more to learn everything it can do. I will be recording more videos this weekend. Let me know if you have any request. I think I will do a video on my regimen and the 21 questions tag I posted. Unfortunately I could not get AlwaysChanging101 so my name is AlwaysChanging13.

My blog is AlwaysChanging- Check in

I started this blog as a way to track my relaxed hair journey. I have really fallen in love with blogging now. I am always thinking about what my next post can be about or what I can do to improve my page. I think videos would be a great addition. I know that doing YouTube videos can take a lot of time, because I would have to record, edit, and upload. That's a full days work. I was on YouTube Thursday watching old videos of  Traycee from K.I.S.S. and I would love to be able to go back and watch my hair growth as well as have my blog to be able to reference. I think I am going to play around with my camera and see how I like it.

Another change I have been thinking about is having a guest blogger maybe once a month. I know that there are a lot of people out there that have blogs and a great way to share your thoughts and grow your audience is to guest blog. If you have a blog or if you just want to write a article please email me. Everyone's hair journey is not the same so I would love to read a post from some of you. It can be about why you started your hair journey, product review, or tips that you would like to share.

Check-in - Water, Water, and More Water

One of the first things I started doing when I started my relaxed hair journey was increased the amount of water I drank. My goal started off small because I was not use to drinking a lot of water. I wanted to drink 32 ounces of water a day. That is actually half of the recommended 64 ounces. After a couple of weeks I went to 64 ounces a day. I saw such a difference in my hair and skin. Water flushes out things in our system that our body does not need. It is also essential to maintaining moisturized hair and skin. I eventually ended up drinking nothing but water. It was not on purpose at first. I just told myself I would not drink anything but water until I reached my 64 ounces for that day. What I found out was I did not want any sodas or juice then. I now have a soda maybe once every two weeks and I do not miss them. Getting 64 ounces of water is not as hard as I thought. I have a 33 ounce water bottle that I keep with me throughout the day. I found it easier to drink 2 large bottles than to have to drink several small bottles. At first I had to make a conscious effort to drink some every hour, but after a few weeks it just became second nature. It is important to drink the water throughout the day and not all at one time. I want to make sure that my body has time to absorb everything it needs. Who can commit to drinking 64 ounces a day with me (or if you already do), your body, skin, and hair will thank you for it.

Check-in 50 Views

Today I deep conditioned my hair and typed some new post while under the dryer. I co washed in the shower and my hair is air drying now. I am so happy to see that I am up to 50 views! I appreciate every single view. I would LOVE to be over 100 views by December so please keep coming back. I will keep posting and adding to the blog every week.   So until next time LOVE- LIVE- LAUGH.

Quick check-in- Managing air dried hair

I'm getting ready to do my nightly moisturizing and sealing. My roots are really thick. I air dried last night with my hair in four loose braids. I will be going to bed with my hair in two french braids. That helps with the puffiness. My hair feels good after my DC last night. I am still struggling with my ends feeling dry. I have not done a protein treatment in a few weeks, so I will be doing that soon. Before my DC on Saturday I will do a wet strand test. This will help me understand what my hair needs.

Check-in Deep Condition

Today is Wednesday that mean its deep conditioning time. I've been wearing my hair straight the last few days, so I'm really in need of this. This is the first time since I started my HJ that my hair has been down for two days straight. I didn't really want to have it down until it got healthier. I wasn't really satisfied with how my flat ironed hair performed, so I am running back to my protective styles now. I have not changed my deep conditioning routine lately because it has been working really good. I will be posting my DC regiment today.


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