Then, my hair started to get drier and break off more. I had no idea why it started to do that as I was doing what I had always done. (I will tell you what caused this in future posts as I found out) My curls were not as curly anymore either because once curls are dry, they usually have a hard time holding the curl. Curls that are moisturized show the best curl, just ask someone with curly hair! I had no clue what was causing this, and I had to start using gel in my hair (alcohol free) and then blow-dry my hair holding the hair scrunched as I dried it to get my hair to look right. So I did this for months and lost inches, but luckily my hair was growing at a good rate on top or I would have had even shorter hair than I did in this photo:
This photo was taken one year after my perm. You can see in the photo, how much length I had lost! My hair above was approximately 30 inches long (remember it was at its longest 50 inches before the 2 perms in 2005 and then 2007). In the one year since getting a perm, my hair had grown with new growth but only 4 inches. Remember how long my hair was when I first got the perm? Then look at it above, a year after, even with new growth it is so much shorter.
I also started straightening my hair (to match my new growth) and was frustrated that my hair was so dry and frizzy and no longer had that nice look with my curls when left air-dried. So I contemplated getting another perm and even set it up to do so, but my husband mentioned that my hair would just keep getting shorter and shorter and more damaged. Did I want long hair or did I want to keep making it shorter for vanity was the question that rang through my mind. I made the choice to NOT get another perm.
So this part ends at a year after I got my perm, March 2008. The next few posts will continue on from this point up until today. I also have a slideshow compilation of all the photos with captions and then we will start the "Hair Products" posts showing what I have used in the past, what I still use and what works, etc.
