I do protein treatments but not nearly as often as I used to and I contribute this to two things: (1) I use Organix Coconut Milk Anti-Breakage Serum during the week; (2) Constant use of ceramides, namely grapeseed oil since I seal every night with this oil. Now I thankfully only experience breakage if I’m running a comb through my hair (another reason why I don’t use a comb during the week) so only do a protein treatment midway through my relaxer stretch and when I’m doing my relaxer touch up (right after I rinse out the relaxer but before I neutralize).
Some ladies have a hard time figuring out if they should be worried about breakage or not. How much breakage do you get and how do you keep going in spite of it?
I don’t much get breakage now but I do believe some breakage is inevitable. Some days when I moisturize and seal I’ll break a few strands when I’m parting my hair. No reason to freak out, it just happens. There were times in the past when I experience a lot of breakage and wondered when it would end. It’s very discouraging seeing broken hair everywhere, being afraid to even touch your hair, but what made me keep going was the thought that if I do nothing, if I don’t fix it, it’s only going to get worse. So I hoped online and began researching what causes breakage, what makes hair susceptible to breakage and once I understood how hair works, I evaluated my own hair. It’s still how I approach it. If I notice I’m getting more breakage than normal, I know I have to fix it, I have to do something because the alternative just isn’t an option.
You are currently grazing waist length, kudos! Do you have a goal length and when do you hope to get there?
Thank you! My goal length is w/hip length, basically between waist and hip length. I hope to grow to hip length in 2013 and at the end of the year, cut my hair to w/hip length. So hopefully in roughly 14 months, I’ll have reached my goal! Whoop!
Have you ever had a setback?
I sure have! Between March, 2009 to December, 2010 my biggest reoccurring problem was long strand breakage. I just couldn’t figure out how to stop it at the time so a few months after every trim, my ends would look extremely thin and need another cut. My last battle with long strand breakage was in December, 2010. My ends were incredibly thin and at the end of the year, I had 2 inches cut off to give me fresh start. What has helped combat long strand breakage the most is keeping my new growth moisturized during my stretches. I can’t stress how much of a breakthrough discovering that dry new growth meant breakage at the line of demarcation was for me.
Now I know that a LOT of relaxed ladies have trouble growing their hair long. What would you say is the one thing has contributed to your success so far?
Keeping my hair moisturized. Some women thrive on protein, me, I focus on moisture. As I mentioned above, keeping my new growth moisturized prevents breakage at the line of demarcation. Likewise, keeping my ends moisturized, prevents them from breaking, the number one deterrent when retaining length.
Any favorite hair products?
Um, can I get away with saying all my staples are my favorites? 🙂 If I had to name five: my favorite moisturizer is Darcy’s Botanicals Coconut Lemongrass Transitioning Creme, my favorite serum is Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum, my favorite deep conditioner* is KeraPRO Restorative Treatment, my favorite leave-in conditioner* is Darcy’s Botanicals Daily Leave-In, and my favorite smoothing conditioner is Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Daily Treatment.
Where can we find you online?
Seemingly everywhere!
Website: JustGrowAlready.com
www.facebook.com/justgrowalready
Instagram and Twitter: @jenijen23
Youtube: www.youtube.com/jenichris23
Tumblr: justgrowalready.tumblr.com
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