Celebrating 2 Years with Natural Hair

This week marks my two year Natural Hair anniversary.  What does that mean exactly?  Well, it was two years ago this week that I decided to go ahead with the Big Chop and finally let go of the last of my relaxed hair.  Since then, I have tried many different styling techniques and hair products hoping to find what works best for my thick and curly hair texture.  There have been some hits and surely lots of misses but it has been a learning experience all the same. 
The reason for all of my trial error is because I wore my hair straightened by chemical relaxer since age 11.  Before that, my mother styled my hair so the last two years have been my first experience with doing my hair in its’ natural state.  Not only that, my hair is beginning to grow past the shorter lengths I am used to which means I’m also learning how to maintain my length. 
So proud of my TWA
in 2009
Still, even after all of the research, hair forums, YouTube videos and my own personal hair trials, I am discovering that I still have a long way to go before I can claim that I have mastered my hair.  My natural hair journey hasn’t exactly been easy but it is still something I wish that I had done sooner.  It just makes so much sense to do my hair without all of the extra manipulation that comes with heat styling and chemical processing.  I don’t run inside when it rains.  I enjoy my fro and my big hair.  When I get that itch to wear it straight, I can do that too.  I love my natural hair and I can’t wait to see where it ends up in the next two years. 

Length Check-February 2011

Since I’m on a hair growth journey, I can get antsy sometimes because I don’t always get to see my hair’s true length under all this shrinkage.  Last month I decided to straighten my hair out to see where it’s at right now lengthwise. 

Since I have layers and bangs, the longest part is in the back which is why I take pictures so I can see where it falls.  At first I didn’t really think that it looked like much because I still have a ways to go before I reach my current goal of APL.  However, when I compared it to a picture that I took last year I actually saw how far I’ve come.  The other thing I noticed is that my hair isn’t as short as I thought it was since my cut in January.  I was scared that maybe I cut a little too much since I did it on slightly stretched hair.  Am I going to make it to APL by May…my 2 year Nappiversary?  For me, it’s still hard to say.  Either way, I can see that I am making progress.