Hair Growth Review: Five Months Timeframe

It's September 2011. Eight months without using a ionic flat iron. (See article on flat iron free pledge) Five sodium hydroxide relaxer attempts where four attempts only texturized my type 4c curl pattern. My final styling was completed with stove and marcel irons and the True Indulgence relaxer system. (Please see separate article.) I still have a little wave in my hair. On a separate note, I think that I have 3 different hair textures in my head. Below the occipital bone is probably a type 4a. Above the occipital bone into the crown is probably a type 4c. Let me clarify that my occipital bone sits low. Therefore I have a lot of type 4c hair. My front hair is probably a type 4b. I have had about five trims trying to keep some shape. I mainly layered in the back so I have been cutting away length there.
This picture is from April 2011. Big difference right? I had started to eliminate all the ends that had been flat iron damaged. Apparently, the curlier your hair; the more flat iron passes you take trying to get the hair straight. I figured out that I was losing the battle; so no more flat irons for me. So I started the "protective styling." (i.e. wigs and half wigs)
Then in June 2011, I realized the wigs were too heavy. The wigs were cute but they started traumatizing my scalp. Please my article on wig weight. The synthetic wigs are heavier than the human hair wigs, but they all were too heavy for my head shape. I still was growing lengthwise, but who needs thin hair? I intentionally left my hairline out to avoid damage from the traction of the wig. Can you imagine me thinning my hairline out?
So by July 2011, I was recovering from the wigs and protective styling. My front had thickened back up. I had started wearing my natural styling. The natural styling was a "bear" to deal with. I did not have a choice. The wigs were too heavy. I was trying to avoid the heat from any type of irons. I could not find a sodium hydroxide relaxer that straightened without burning me within 20 minutes or less.
August 2011, my new growth comes in strong again! It controls my whole look. I also started wondering if the texturized hair is reverting some. It was time to attempt the next relaxer. That was a battle. (See the separate article on my August hair battle) I was not pleased with the relaxer that I tried. It was extremely drying. I was going to have to discover a completely different combination of natural products just to adapt to this new partially relaxed hair. I did not have any more patience for this natural hair care. So I went into the gluefree quick weave styling to just let it rest because some areas were too straight to try to wear it natural, and some areas were too natural to hold straight in the crazy weather that we were having. Talk about caught between a "rock and a hard place."
September 2011, my growth was doing well. The Viviscal pills seem to work well. I decided to discontinue them during relaxer time. I am proud of my five months of hair growth. It was good for me to actually see my progress. I have been wearing my hair natural part of the time. I have also used the partial gluefree quickweave styling a few times. This styling is less stressful on the hair than the synthetic wigs, but it allows me a longer, straighter look for a styling change. Well, this was my hair texture before this September 2011 relaxer. I did not take a picture of the texture of my hair wet after the relaxer. Sorry. I still had texture in it but more wave than curl. I did not want it bone straight. However, I did need it straight enough not to revert back in high humidity. It took four sodium hydroxide relaxer attempts, and I still had not achieved enough straightness to prevent frizzing in high humidity. I am actually beginning to wonder if going from ultra kinky, sensitive scalp to straight enough to avoid reversion is realistic in one sodium hydroxide relaxer setting? I was not able to successfully do this in one setting. Of course, sensitive scalp formula relaxers can probably achieve this, but they are not healthy for the hair nor scalp. Once or twice a year in a bind, yes - you should recover; but I avoid sensitive scalp relaxers now at all cost!

This documentation is important to me because some stylists and people in general feel that "nappy hair" can only grow to a certain length and break. This is not true. "Nappy hair" is fragile in its natural state and if it is chemically overprocessed or heat damaged. If you keep "nappy hair" texturized enough to soften and not revert without over straightening it - length and strength can be maintained. So far I have learned that the frequency of relaxing is not a problem. It is the type of relaxer used. It is also how much straighening that you are trying to achieve in one setting. Stay positive, stay focussed, stay tuned!