Hair-versary

It is now a little over a year since I've had my BC and stayed natural. I am so proud of myself that I was able to accomplish this. And I've seen a lot of positive changes in my hair throughout this process. Not only did it grow longer, but now it is as long as it was before I cut it :) I cannot believe it only took one year to grow back! Also, in dumping the hair crack and letting my hair grow freely, I was reintroduced to my natural hair texture and found a head of curls. I think I will wear protective hairstyles for another year to give my hair some more growth and then I will leave it out more.

Here's a look at some of my hair styles throughout this past year. I wore protective styles a lot to keep me from being tempted to go back to the hair crack.

Protective style wig

Natural hair style - wash and go with hair pinned up


Natural style - fro hawk with the sides braided


Protective hairstyle - Full head straight weave


Protective hairstyle - Full head wet 'n wavy weave


Natural hairstyle - bantu knotted then picked out, with a braided front


Protective hairstyle - full head straight weave again


Protective hairstyle - red full head weave


Protective hairstyle - short full head weave


Natural hair slightly blown out 1 year after BC


Nappy-versary length test one year after BC - Not bad...

New protective style - full head long weave

Ready for another year of protective styles, another year of growth, and another year of perm free coils!

Been Gone for Too Long

Wow! So it's been almost a year since my last post, and I must say a lot has changed since then.

First of all I no longer live in Albany and have moved back down to the city -- one of the best decisions I ever made. Ever since I moved down to the city, I have accomplished so much more towards my career that I would've never done in upstate. In addition to finishing college, I also graduated from the Made in New York PA Training Program and have been freelancing in production ever since. I LOVE it! I was blessed to work with and meet some of the most amazing people, including my bf. We have been dating for almost 9 months now and he is just amazing and treats me like a queen. He embraces my natural hair and loves me for who I am. I have learned a lot about life, love and God through him.

I've also experienced some harsh realities of this world that I feel need to be addressed. Although we tend to look the other way, most of us are aware of the appearance discrimination that constantly occurs in the work force. For most companies, it is subtly implied that you need to maintain a certain "image" or act a certain way in order to work for that organization. Don't believe me? Walk into Holister and Abercrombie and what do you see? Most - if not all - the employees are blond and blue eyed. Although truly disappointing, this reality came to me last year when I was let go from my job because of my natural hair. Disgraced, appalled, and disappointed, I was saddened for a few weeks. However, after getting myself together with the support of my friends, I realized that it was the best thing to happen to me because it gave me incentive to move and pursue my interests and while still being me. I was able to embrace my natural beauty and love who I am. So for that, I have to say "thank you".