My hair is 17 years old and in all my hair journey, I'd like to think that I finally got it right with my hair care products and routine. I really do not do anything special, but I just make sure to reduce the number of times I process my hair with chemical products and heat.
Growing up, I heard my mom talk a lot about how birthing my siblings and I caused her significant hair loss. She said the hair loss was more with my brother, prompting her to cut her hair and start all over.
When I had my baby, I also battled hair loss. My hair was literally pulling from my scalp and every one kept advising me to cut the hair and start all over, but I refused. I'd always tell them, even if it's one strand left, I'll keep making it because my hair goes nowhere.
I really do love my hair, as it seems to have been with me for most of my life. There were a lot of trial and error process which almost cost me my hair, but I was sure to build my confidence level and not be cajoled into parting ways with my hair.
You'd think a hairstylist should know your hair type and what works, but no, most of them are the weapon fashioned against you and your beautiful babies (hair).
You know, I one time considered transitioning from my processed hair to a naturally grown hair, since that's what most people are doing now. But then, remembering where I was coming from and my hair type, it will be a wasted effort because I have really thick hair.
It should be worthy to note that at the beginning of my hair journey, I had wanted to go all natural, just conditioning and hair butters. But then, there was a coup plotted against me by all the hairstylist in the area at the time. They had asked me to process the hair to soften it, but I refused.
After breaking several of their combs, causing the stylists and myself a great deal of stress, none of them would make my hair again.
I was still in Secondary school then and there was no way I was going to school with all that Afro. Thus, I was forced to start applying relaxer and my hair struggles began.
There was a time back then in Uni that the hair stylist was using a wash-out conditioner as leave in for my hair. My hair broke a lot and at a point stopped growing. There was also a time I was over processing with bad relaxers and my hair went from slightly black to brown.
All through these phases of hair struggles, I wasn't really myself, I had internal crisis but not dare show it, so people won't force their thoughts on me to go for the big chop.
If there's one thing that I believed in is that the human body can recover from anything with the right vitamins and care, the hair is not left out from this theory. With my hair loss phase, I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't place it.
After taking advice from various stylists, and it failed to yield any solution to my hair problem, I went on Google. From Google, I met a hair blogger who talks about her processed hair and how healthy she has managed to keep it all through the years.
She elaborated on the challenges of hair loss she encountered on her journey, which was the same thing I was experiencing at the time. I watched her video and took some screenshots of her hair care routine.
I scrolled down and then I saw her email address, of which I emailed her as she gave permission for email on any questions pertaining to hair challenges.
She responded and boy was I glad! She actually gave me a listening ear and I told her about my hair loss. After pouring out my heart, she advised that I cut down on any protein treatment that I'm using. From her blog, I learned that the hair should be processed twice a year on six months interval and always be braided in protective hairstyles.
After my encounter with her, I started reviewing all my products and discovered that the conditioner I was using was actually the major culprit of my hair breakage. I didn't even finish the conditioner before trashing it and proceeded to getting the product suggested by the blogger.
I also cut down to two times a year in applying relaxer on my hair, as against the 4 to 6 times I was doing before. With this healthy hair practice on repeat, I would say I have finally gotten it right with my hair.
All images are mine