Okay let's start off with my hair history. I decided to have my hair relaxed when at 11 years old and was starting high school. My hair was probably a bit passed shoulder length at that time. For the next four years my hair started to flourish without me really noticing because I wasn't really paying much attention to my hair. I would religiously go to the hairdresser every week and just let her take care of it. I would also relax my hair every 4 weeks (as soon as I saw any trace of new growth). I never really washed my hair myself and at the time I though that was normal lol.

Fast forward to 2008, I decided that over the summer I would braid my hair for the first time when I went to visit my grandmother in England. That was probably the beginning of bad decisions that I have made concerning my hair. I didn't keep the braids in for long, maybe 2 weeks. Then I decided to take it out. I really liked the wavy look so I left it like that for maybe 3 days without combing it out. I went to my grandmother's hairdresser (who I wasn't used to) and she told me that I should have combed my hair out to prevent tangles and then proceeded to comb out my hair with a small tooth comb.

I didn't know any better so I let her continue. By the time she was done there was a lot of hair on the floor and I thought I was just going to cry then and there. After she washed my hair she said she needed to cut it because of all the hair that "came out" it was uneven. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. That was the moment I decided I would never braid my hair again (lol I ended up braiding my hair again a few years after).

Fast forward to 2011, I was beginning my first year of university and decided that I wanted a change. I decided to dye my hair myself and told myself that there was a high chance that my hair would break a bit. So I decided to go the hairdresser and cut my hair neck length a few weeks after dying it. My hair started to get so dry. I went away for university and the hairdresser in that town was not very close to where I lived so I was forced to attempt to wash and style my hair myself.

Each week I would wash my hair, blow dry it and flat iron it. Because of the dryness of my hair from dying it my hair would just break off in the flat iron while I was straightening it. I went home for the summer (2012) and my hair started to grow back after receiving proper care from the hairdresser I was used to, but my hair was very uneven so I had to cut it again.

Fast forward to 2013, while at a friend's house I noticed them watching "natural hair journey" videos on youtube. I started to watch a few as well and then searched "relaxed hair journey". I was very encouraged by the videos I saw and so, I decided would embark on a relaxed hair journey of my own in June in order to receive the healthy hair I once had.

Sorry for such a long post and thanks for reading!

Do you have a hair history you would like to share?

- Sarah