Bonjour everyone!

I'm back with a fresh Brazilian keratin treatment (nicknamed the 'hair fertiliser' by my stylist) and I've finally got a trim! This is just a quick post to keep you updated on what's been going on with my hair.

For the last few months I've cut down to using heat once a week, but in the last few weeks I've cut out heat completely, damp bunning everyday in a bid to retain length and moisture. It's definitely working! My hairdresser commented straight away on how my hair has grown and picked up in thickness - I couldn't help but do the cabbage patch dance in the chair.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a photo of my hair before I had it trimmed, but I could feel it touching a lower part of my back which I was happy about. Because of the trim, I'm at roughly the same length as my last BKT, but I don't mind simply because I know I have fresh ends that will retain length better than before. With my no-heat regime, I'm even more hopeful for good results. In fact, I'm seriously considering a 3 month bunning challenge in the New Year (details coming soon). Will you join me?

Overall, I'm happy with my hair and feel confident that I'll be able to see even more progress in the coming months. I've enjoyed my hair for two days and now it's going straight back into a protective/low manipulation style. Oh, the sacrifices...

BKT an a trim - 12 Dec 2015

It's tempting to hang on to dead, splitting ends for the sake of length, but trimming your bad ends will do wonders for the overall look and feel of your hair.

It's been six months since my strands last saw the scissors, and my hair is definitely screaming out for a trim. But it's not always easy to tell if your hair needs a snip. For example, an uneven hemline doesn't always mean you're experiencing breakage - sometimes it just means different sections of your hair are growing at different rates.

There are many types of split ends, some more obvious than others. The chart below shows the many varieties, but unless you're in bright light or have long hair where you can see your ends, it's not always that simple.

There are many types of split ends

So how else do you know if it's time for a trim? I've gathered together my top three tips to watch out for:

1. You suddenly start seeing little hairs on the floor, on your shirt or in the sink.
   Finding short hairs all over the place means your ends are breaking off. The ends of your hair are the oldest and weakest parts, and therefore are more prone to breakage. Get rid of those dead ends by getting a trim. It will improve the look of your hair and leave you with healthier, stronger ends.
   
   
2. You begin to dread wash day because of the dreaded tangles. Has your hair started tangling at the ends? When ends become old and tapered (as opposed to fresh and blunt), they're more prone to knotting with each other. Instead of spending hours untangling and risking further breakage, let's reach for those scissors!
   
   
3. You've been at the same length for a while. Hair is always growing, but while we're longing for length, it may not feel like it's growing fast enough. Sometimes though, we really do get stuck at the same length for an extended period of time. It's not that the hair isn't growing, it's that the ends are breaking at the same rate of growth, thus creating an illusion of plateau. If this sounds familiar, set yourself up for length retention by starting with fresh ends. To track your hair's length progress, be sure to snap a photo ever few months.

I'm going on holiday in 5 days and so I wanted my hair to look fresh. The ends were feeling rough and generally my hair needed some sort of trim or re-shape.

So today I took myself to the hairdressers and got another hair cut. My stylist recommended I install some braids for a few months just to give my hair a break from the heat I've been using. I can't lie - the thought has crossed my mind, but I really don't feel like braids, wigs or weaves are for me personally. I'm doing this transition the unconventional (and perhaps the stupid) way!

My hair cuts just keep getting shorter and shorter. The shorter it is, the more heat I use and thus the more I have to get trims. What have I gotten myself in to?

She tidied up my hemline

In my previous post, I was complaining about the hair breakage in my crown. I said it was time for another hair cut, and today I went and got one!

My most recent hair cut - 24 July 2014

After a disaster flat ironing episode a few weeks ago (didn't use heat protectant), my hair was suffering from heat damage. I was determined to get my hair cut. Not only would it get rid of the damage, it would get me closer to being fully natural by getting rid of more relaxed ends.

When I arrived at the hairdressers, it was closed. I was so eager to get a haircut that I went to another salon and asked them to keep the same bob style, but just go shorter. As soon as the woman started cutting, I could tell she didn't know what she was doing. Chopping layers here and there, she totally ignored the bottom half of my hair and only cut the top! I was left with very short layers up top and a MULLET (well, not quite) at the back! It looked like a boy's haircut. I was so upset and annoyed.

So today I went to my usual stylist and told her what had happened. She said she couldn't do the exact style I wanted but she'll make the best of it. I still don't particularly like the style but I guess it's the best of a bad situation. This is the shortest my hair's ever been. The good thing about having it this short however, is I do not need to straighten my hair as much.  I literally just tie a scarf round my head without having to wrap my hair.




Lessons learned? If my stylist isn't available, WAIT until she is!
For more on heat damage, see blackgirllonghair.com: 7 Signs of Damaged Hair