back into hiding

after that whole setback thing, i was ready to just put my hair back up. it was kind of depressing thinking about what happened, and it was really hot outside anyway. i took a trip to north carolina to visit a friend, and while there, i went curly again. my friend told me a number of times how much he loved my curly hair, and that made me feel so great. (sidebar: his mom makes this really great blend of oils and butters for your hair and skin that he introduced me to....this stuff is GOLDEN!) when i got back, i decided to go ahead and get my bobraz installed. i sealed it and called around to find a weaveologist, and i quickly found someone talented (and budget friendly) to help me out. without going into too much detail, i'll just mention that she was unprofessional....but she did a great job on my hair, and that's the important thing. i got it put in on june 15, two days after my natural anniversary, and i plan on keeping it until sept 15 or so. to recap, it's only one pack, i did not split the wefts, and it is sealed with dritz fray check to minimize shedding.

here is the hair after i sealed it, but before i washed it:she used a zigzag braiding pattern, and i left out my perimeter:
i washed and dried it before she installed it, and since it had very little product in it, this stuff got HUGE!

after wetting it and adding cantu, it looked a little better:
overall, i'm happy with the finished product. i could have left out more perimeter, but it is manageable.it is long though...almost to my waist when wet, and BSLish when dry. i am toying with cutting it, since it is a LOT of hair, but i haven't yet. i am also thinking about coloring it since my leaveout is still hanging onto that demi-permanent, but i am hoping that will fade to its natural color and match the bobraz by july. it may happen sooner, since i cowash every day just about, but we shall see.

setup for a comeback....right?

So basically....all my hard work over the past 6 months, all the hiding my hair, all of that ANTICIPATION went down the drain in a matter of minutes. At the time I was really upset, but the less I look at my length, the more content I am.

The first week of June, I went and got a Dominican blowout so I could have straight hair for my two-year natural anniversary, and it was beautiful. Every time I did my hair the previous week, I stretched it out just to make sure I was BSL, and I was -- wet and dry. I was so excited to take my progress pictures once it was all blown out. At the salon, once my hair was straight, I felt how long it was on my back and smiled. (As you guys may know, I have serious hair anorexia, and I was excited for it to FINALLY feel "long".) Then I made the ultimate mistake -- I got a trim. Apparently it didn't matter that I always take great care in getting the same girl to do my hair, because she is the one who did this to me. I asked for a trim, and she showed me what she was going to cut, as she ALWAYS does -- but she had to have moved her hand up higher once she got to the back where I couldn't see. They say hindsight is 20/20, and now I realize I got too comfortable with her and didn't watch what she was doing after that first cut OR look on the floor when she was done. I just got her to wrap it (since it was so humid, plus it was late and I wasn't going anywhere but home) and got up. I gave her a huge tip, on top of that. I just wanted it to stay straight for a bridal shower I was going to the next day, so I didn't unwrap it and discover what was going on until the next day. I felt so stupid (and bald), and all I wanted to do was wear it in a bun. As bad as I wanted to go back and curse her out, I couldn't. Number one, the damage is done, and number two, she barely speaks English. Number three, she'd deny it anyway. *sigh*

Anyway, my hair is back to the length it was at the end of last year -- not even close to BSL anymore. Just full APL, where I've been stuck for so long now. Here is where I was in March, almost BSB -- versus where I am now:


I'm going to have to abandon chasing MBL in 2010 and hope on a wish and a prayer I make BSL before December. I'm just at a loss between thinking about how she pulled the wool over my eyes and what I want to do in the future. All these shouldawouldacouldas -- I shoulda bought my own trimming shears, I couldn't because I know I would have been a perfectionist and cut too much of my OWN hair off, and what was the point since I had a seemingly "perfect" stylist? One thing's clear -- I'm never letting anyone trim my hair ever again.

Since then, I've washed my hair to curly again (let's be real, it was too hot in VA for straight hair anyway) and bought my own trimming shears. I take comfort in the fact that I won't need a trim now for a while, since I did kinda need one before. I'm trying to tell myself that my hair looks better, and the point IS health over length, but it sucks to be that close to a goal then lose it all. I'm just hoping that when this sew-in comes down, I've gotten at least close to where I was.