Lately I’ve noticed that my hair has not been giving what I know it is capable of giving. It looked and felt dry and it was breaking off..real bad. Bad hair days were becoming my norm and if you know me you already know that if I don’t like my hair, I’m not going. The state of my hair was honestly making me fall out of love with it.
I contemplated starting my loc journey earlier than I had initially anticipated because I was putting in too much time and effort into my hair for it to behave the way that it was. I still plan on getting locs one day but after a recent visit to my stylist I decided to give my loose hair a chance to thrive. So here I am, embarking on a self proclaimed healthy hair journey.
Before I launch into more about my healthy hair journey, let me tell you how I think I got here. In April of 2022, I got my hair colored a beautiful ginger color. For the first few months I took great care of my hair. I had a pretty solid regimen that included weekly deep conditioning using high quality products. In July, I got knotless braids which is my go-to summer hairstyle. I essentially kept braids in my hair until October. It wasn’t the same set but I would take a set out right before my appointment for a new set. When I took the last set out in October of 2022, I noticed that my hair looked and felt different. While the back of my hair was doing ok, the front was not so much. The front of my hair which had the most color is where I experienced the most breakage which left me with somewhat of a mullet.
It’s important to mention that I have very fine hair. My curls give the illusion that my hair is thicker than it is but it’s actually very fine. And as much as I love color, I am finally accepting that my hair just cannot handle it. I think that I would have eventually ended up with color damage without the braids but the braids and neglect definitely sped things up a bit. I also want to point out that my amazing stylist took very special care when coloring my hair. She didn’t lift my hair that much and didn’t over process it all. But experiencing damage is a risk that you take when you decide to color. Not everyone’s hair responds the same to color and what you do at home matters a lot.
I saw my stylist in January and we collectively decided that we both hated my mullet. We also both decided that she was going to cut a significant amount of my hair in the back to allow the front to “catch up.” When I go back to her in May I will have her cut any color that remains.
My new cut is what prompted me to jump on this healthy hair journey because what better time for a fresh start than after a haircut. Also, I realized that if I don’t take better care of my hair at home it will essentially be in the same state at my next appointment.
So, here’s what I plan to do:
- See my stylist for trims every 3.5 to 4 months.
- Stay away from hair color that requires me to lighten my hair.
- Take a daily multivitamin.
- Exercise 3-5 days a week.
- Drink more water.
- Eat a more balanced diet that includes lots of protein, fruits, and veggies.
- Deep condition at least twice a month.
- Implement Vegamour Gro Hair Serum into my nighttime routine. Followed by a scalp massage.
- Re-moisturize my hair every 2 days (between wash days).
- Only keep protective styles for approx 3-4 weeks at a time.
Of course I will be taking you guys along on this journey. Let me know if any of you are on a healthy hair journey and what you plan to do to achieve healthier hair.
Happy Growing!
