I have been trying to grow my hair for years. I would chemically straighten my hair because it was presumed by others that it would be “easier” to manage. At seven years old was the first-time my hair was chemically straightened, and this was not my decision nor my mother’s, but another family members. I recall my mother saying, “I did not know that they were doing this,” but she was not upset. As the years went by I was told that my hair was beautiful and silky, but it kept getting shorter, and shorter, ultimately sitting at my shoulders by fourteen.
I started watching how to grow long hair fast videos on YouTube. I learned some tips such as the inversion method, trim regularly, use less heat, etc. I tried these methods, but my hair stood at a standstill, I was not seeing any growth, I kept digressing. My hair would grow, but I never saw results in length. After watching tons of videos and trying different techniques I stumbled across The Natural Hair Movement.
The Natural Hair Movement is women, majority black women, growing their hair back to its natural state instead of conforming to European beauty standards. As previously stated before, I chemically straightened my hair since I was seven. Within this YouTube community, I saw women with beautiful, textured, long hair.
I WANTED IN.
I stopped chemically straightening my hair in January 2015. I continued to straighten my hair with the flat iron until mid-May. During the summer and into the 2015-2016 school year, I would wear my hair in buns or protective styles, especially since I joined my schools marching band, as apart of the flag line.
By April 2016, I began to see results, finally professionally straightening my hair after a year, no chemicals, and became very pleased with the results.
Although my hair was the exact same length it was HEALTHY and flourshing, because when i washed my hair these were my results:
I finally had the curls that I desired, but not the length. So my next goal would to grow long curly hair, which I have not yet achieved due to laziness. Throughout 2016-2019 my hair would grow but ultimately become damaged because lacks of trims, which are important because I easily develop single strand knots, which leads to breakage. As seen below, hair ranging in length and health, including protective styles:
Now, my hair is not in my desired state. Although it may look healthy to others, it is not. My new goal is to have healthy hair, and with healthy hair comes length. I plan to cut damaged ends soon, giving my hair the love it deserves, and possibly changing its overall look. In recent months, I have been searching YouTube for ideas, but ultimately i have not made a decision.
*All images via Google Photos*
Literature & the Internet 