In
Part 8, we left off at March 2008 (
1 year after the perm) with my hair at 30 inches and 4 inches of new growth that year. From March up until August, I had to work with my hair to try and disguise the fact that part was straight and the other part permed. I continued to have to use gel and a blow dryer to get it to look right, it was still very dry, and I would also straighten it sometimes and then curl it with a curling iron or hot rollers as shown in the photos below:
I did the above for months, until it dawned on me that I could
just straighten and/or curl JUST the permed part and leave my new growth untouched! So I started to do that, leaving my new growth and scalp alone and my hair grew rapidly and the condition of my new growth is black, shiny and silky. Also, I started using the leave-in conditioner again and letting my hair air dry more often, even though my curls from the perm aren't as tight, its much easier on my hair that way. If I want all my hair straight, I just straighten the permed part. If I want to curl my hair, I just curl the permed part now.
Next, I discovered the reason that my hair seemed to have stopped fixing and looking like it used to: Garnier Fructis changed their ingredients in their Shampoo that I had used for over a year. The shampoo now has SLS in it. I've read that SLS is drying on the hair, and so I have since gone back to Finesse Bodifying Shampoo and Moisturizing Conditioner and have already in just a short time, noticed a difference. I still use the Garnier Fructic leave-in condtioner though.
Here is my hair a few days ago after curling just the permed part:
You can see how much lighter my permed hair is from my new growth (
which is black, some dark brown). My new growth is now at
12 inches of new hair since my perm!! Total length right now is
38 inches.
In just 9 months, my hair grew 8 inches! I credit it to my supplements, diet, taking better care of my hair, not perming it again and most importantly prayer! I hope to get my "old" hair back that I used to have in 2005 before my 2 perms by taking care of it like I used to from now on.
