2 Years Natural

I just realized I've been natural for 2 years! My last perm was June 2008. I had not consciously decided to go natural at the time though - I did that in September of 2008 when I decided to buy a lace front wig and was doing research on youtube (where I fell upon the natural hair care channels which changed my life. The lacefront wig ended up being a major set back (pulling out the hair in my hair line so i wore my hair out while it was transitioning all summer long). This was also a major set back because I worked at a summer camp and had to swim with the kids daily and was out in the sun for the majority of the day. It's a wonder how my hair started growing at all. I should probably mention that I didn't 'Big Chop'. I transitioned for a VERY long time...a year in fact.

When i went to London i started wearing wigs as a protective style which is when my hair began growing, but it is also when i stopped caring for my hair. So i have yet to find a happy median. Despite all the setbacks my hair has been growing. Hoepfully in another two years it'll be at a length long enough for me to wear it out and styled without worrying too much about peoples reactions.

I think although i've gone natural and my faimly and friends are supportive i'm not 100% comfortable with the idea and still wear wigs etc. Perhaps I make excuses which are practical, like 'in the winter the Canadian weather damages the hair, and in the summer the pool dries it out' but at the end of the day, I definitely have trouble with the length of my hair. I am NOT a short haired person. I have never had short hair. Actually that's a lie, i did in Grade 12, when my hair was at it's worst as far as damage. I had permed it, coloured it, flat ironed it, you name it I had done it and I had NO idea how to care for it, other than greasing my scalp with Dax. It was horrible. After I graduated and started uni, i wore my hair in braids, then i took up weaves. But despite wearing weaves I still had to perm my hair. I then began wearing weaved without perming my hair just to see how long my hair could grow before I had to perm it again. Eventually I was tired of having to pay for weaves and settled on investing in a lace wig. (you know the story from there).

I thought i'd just recap my story. Not necessarily for everyone benefit, but for my own. Just to remember how far my hair has come, because it's so easy to forget. I honestly thought I had only been natural for a year for some bizarre reason.

So to sum up
2 years since last relaxer
1year 8 months since deciding to go natural
1 year since transitioning and chopping off ends (I had about 6 inches or so on my head... there are pictures if you trackback a bit)