OK so it's not actually an ode. I just wanted to write a post about the benefits of documenting my hair journey and encourage others to do so also. Now and again I will visit my blog and click through the posts as if I were a reader. I've come to realise how useful my documentation has been for me in my journey and have listed a few reasons why:

1. It keeps me motivated. Having to frequently update my blog means that my hair journey is always fresh in my mind. Even when I get discouraged, I know that I can write about it here instead of just giving up.

See also: 9 Ways to Keep Motivated During Your Hair Journey

2. It reminds me that I'm making progress. Since I can't physically feel my hair growing and I see it everyday, it can sometimes feel like my progress is slow. Being able to see photographs of my hair (both on my blog and in my personal photos), I can see the changes in thickness. As I've been taking photos of my new growth, I can also see the differences in how much new growth I'm getting. When putting my pictures in chronological order, I can see how my texture is changing as the relaxed hair gets cut off.

3. I can refresh myself on forgotten products and techniques. Sometimes we like a change so we switch up our routine or products. My blog allows me to scroll back through time and revisit things I'd forgotten about that worked for me. It also means I can collect information about what didn't work for my hair so I don't make the same mistakes.

I never thought I'd go natural - at least not any time soon. Time has flown by, and while I know I still have a long way to go, my blog has allowed me the realisation that I've come a long way in the last 9 months. If you don't already, I highly recommend you begin documenting your hair journey too!

So it's been a while since I've posted but there hasn't been much to report. I've continued to wash and deep condition my hair weekly. I still moisturise daily and am still struggling to stop flat ironing so frequently 

One thing I have noticed however, is my breakage has decreased. While I still do have broken areas in the middle of my head, I have found that the existing hair strands are hardly snapping off and most of the hairs that come out are shed hair. I can't say why or when this started happening but I am definitely not complaining!

When I'm detangling my wet hair, I still continue to be surprised at the hair I find in the comb. For some reason I still expect it to be straight as if it were relaxed. I now get little coils that I'm fascinated with (I'm always stretching the strand to see how long it actually is).

Each day I am coming more and more to terms with the fact that my hair is about 90% natural. I'm hoping to get my next hair cut around Christmas, and am eager to see how much relaxed hair gets cut off when I do.

Wet hair