Starting Your Hair Journey

I feel we all jump into this journey feet first and eyes wide. Most of the time we have to back track and relearn our hair.

Here are a few tips to getting started and these very same things are what I did to officially start my journey.

> Buy a journal/calendar. Documenting along the way what you're doing, when, how you're doing it will be a great reference point to come back to. I use a journal and date each sheet as I use it. I write in what I did for that day such as Wash Day, then write what products I used, how my hair felt and how it reacted. This has helped me most when I try new products or use an old product in a new way. This has also helps to establish staple products or get rid of something that totally didn't do it for you.

> Research, Research, and Research some more! There are blogs, books, YouTube and hair care sites such as www.k-i-s-s.biz or www.hairlista.com. These two sites are over flowing with information to help you.

> Don't get sucked into being  a 'product junkie' (PJ)! Try to keep it as simple as possible in the beginning. As you get to know your hair its better to add and subtract product and techniques. Start with a few products as to nor overwhelm yourself: moisture shampoo and conditioner, leave-in, deep conditioner, thermal style protectant, hair lotion and oil.

**a few other items are satin or silk scarves, satin or silk pillow case, and a wide tooth comb.

> Trim your ends. You can't repair damaged, split ends other than just cutting them off.Its best to start your journey fresh :)

> Take a starting picture of the front, sides and back of your hair. These pictures will serve as a reference point along the way especially when you feel like you're not making progress.

> Patience. Its the hardest part of this journey. No matter how bad we want it our hair will grow at its own speed. So stressing about it or buying everything that swears to grow your hair down to the floor in a week won't do you any good. Be patient with your hair and it will be patient with you :)

 What 'helps' me be patient is to set short term goals along with long term goals. For example, I'm trying to stretch my next relaxer an extra week. To do so I need to better understand my new growth and protective styles. So this is what I'm researching. This ties into my ling term goal which is to be APL at the end of 2013. I've done enough "growth aids" to realize that stretching works best for me.

This is my journey and through it all I will continue to do what works for me. I hope you do the same.

 HHJ! :)