My hair has been through EVERYTHING from perms to the big chop. I was very young when I got my first perm and honestly, I understand why my mom did it. If you think I have a lot of hair now, just imagine how it was when I was younger. I think I got my first perm in kindergarten and was getting them done up until the 5th or 6th grade. Around that time, my mom realized how damaging they were to my sister's and I hair, so she decided to chop it ALL off.
When I say I was soooo upset, because WHO in the 6th grade (2007) was wearing twist outs and natural hairstyles like that? All the girls I knew had braids, weave ponytails or perms. After a while I started to understand why my mom made that decision. We weren't keeping up with the perms like we were in the beginning and our hair started to break off in the middle. During that time, we learned how to do our own hair: twist outs, braid outs, finger twists, you name It. I also started to appreciate my natural hair more around that time too. Once I graduated from the 6th grade, I felt it was time to put my hair away for a little. I wore braids for 2 years straight and I enjoyed having my hair away. I vividly remember the Sundays where my mom would do 4 heads in one day (yes 4). We spent the entire day getting our hair done and still made It on time to get 8 hours of sleep.
High school is when I started to experiment more with my hair. My freshman year I wore braids majority of the time. After having my hair away for years, I forgot what my hair even looked like. My sisters and I convinced my mom to take us to the Dominicans and we loved the way our hair looked. We kept that up for a while until my mom realized again how damaging that much heat on our head was. Then we finally tried pack hair for the first time and it was over after that. During that time, Taylor was learning how to do hair, so she would do my sew-ins.
Once I graduated, I started to experiment with my natural hair again. I remember buying a wet n wavy one summer (oh the times), and wearing it like that the entire summer. Eventually I got tired of it, and wanted to try something different. I remember spending days scrolling on Youtube and Pinterest trying to find my next hairstyle. I finally decided on bantu knots and was happy that my mom already had the curl products I needed.
My first bantu knots were successful. I used the Shea Moisture Curling Pudding and was in LOVE with the results. I wore my hair like that the entire summer and up until my first year in college. Every night I would come home from work and stay up to retwist my hair (afraid to try the pineapple style at night). I remember getting so many compliments on my curls and I also remember how upset my friends were when I finally straightened my hair. I also dyed It for the first time that year too. After that, I was back to wearing weaves again.
I tried my first closure around my junior year in college. Closures were just becoming a thing around
that time and I wanted to see what the hype was about ( I realized it after my first one). I dyed the bundles myself too and was impressed with the way they came out. I loved the fact that all of my hair was away and I had the ability to put as much heat on the bundles as I wanted to. The only thing I hated about closures is how they looked once they got old. After 2-3 weeks, that thing would move to the back of your head lol.
After
college is when I decided I needed a change. I think I was inspired after getting a bob for graduation. On March 16, 2018, after spending HOURS on Pinterest convincing myself that I could pull off a bob, I cut my hair. One of my friends recommended her stylist and I just went for it. One thing about me and my hair, I will try literally anything. If it's one thing about hair, it will grow back, most of the times, even healthier.
Within two months, my bob was shoulder length (mind you, when I initially cut my hair, it was a little past my ears).
I honestly was just tired of having hair, so on June 28th, I cut it ALL off again, this time into a short cut. The cut was definitely hard to manage because I was still natural. I kept my short cut for a while, but I got bored and needed something new so I dyed my hair blonde (November 2018). The initial color was a little too yellow for me, but my stylist was afraid to double process my hair in one day. I lightened it again around January 2019 for my birthday and loved it.
Now the blonde was cute but my natural curls were GONE. The top of my hair only curled if I used
curling rods. By the time March came, my hair was long enough for faux locs and braids. July came and I was able to put my hair in a bun. September, I was back to my initial bob length and from there, just protective styles after protective styles. I started doing faux locs more and then during quarantine, I taught myself how to do knotless braids.
I almost forgot to mention my red hair phase in 2020. I feel like I go through periods in life where I need to shake stuff up and it always start with my hair. Now, the red I ended up with, was not the red I had in mind BUT I did end up LOVING it. I was itching for something different and this was definitely different. My curl pattern did become looser once I dyed my hair red and I think it's because I processed my hair AND dyed it in the same day.
August of 2021, a friend dared me to go six months without putting heat to my hair, which included blow drying too. Where I messed up at was NOT getting my ends clipped before starting the challenge. Looking back on the videos of my hair, I needed a trim bad.
Today, 3 years later, my hair is almost at bra strap length and is healthy. I think I'm at a point where I want to see how long it get. I'm glad I learned to start doing my own hair because honestly, I don't have the time to sit in salon chairs for hours. Also, the way I change my hair every two to three business days, that's just another bill I don't need lol.
I won't sit and tell you that I used specific products for hair growth or that I keep up with trims (because I never did but I'm starting to now). Honestly, I just keep my hair away in protective styles and also let my hair breathe from time to time. I rarely straighten my hair or even wear my real hair out, but I want to start.
CONCLUSION: I express myself through my hair. There's not a style I'm not willing to try (if I can convince myself I'll look good with it).
Love this! Took me for a ride back down memory lane💕