Morning Lovelies! Happy Hump Day!

So, as I've mentioned in several previous posts, 2017 is all about elevation for me. I am determined to improve myself and grow in every single area of my life and my hair happens to be one of those areas, as well. My hair definitely isn't in the worse state it's ever been in but I have noticed some damaging changes within recent years. I attribute it to a number of factors, which I will get into momentarily. However, let's chat about some critical moments throughout my hair journey.

So, 2015 I colored my hair a lot! At the beginning of the year I had highlights professionally done but unfortunately using bleach. I found that this completely dried out my hair. It always looked very dehydrated no matter how much moisture I put into it. So, after rocking with my highlights for about 8-9 months I decided I wanted to go back to black and start fresh. This was yet another chemical process to get my hair back black. This actually was a double process because the first time the colorist dyed my hair, wherever my blonde highlights were it ended up turning green. The lighting in her salon wasn't the best, so I didn't realize it at the time. After leaving the salon, I went to a friends house who so kindly pointed out that my hair was green. Can you say panic mode!!! So, two days later I had to return to the salon to have my hair colored yet again. It was at this point I immediately noticed a change in my texture and my curl pattern. My texture had become a little more coarse where beforehand I had soft curls/hair. My curl pattern also was a lot looser, almost droopy (similar to the way curls with heat damage look but not as straight at the ends). Couple all of this with blow drying and flat ironing approximately 7-8 times out of the year and my hair just wasn't looking it's best. I've also noticed that it's starting to thin a little bit at the top, which I'm sure is attributed to stress because the same exact thing happened to me when I got married 4 years ago during the wedding planning process.

Above is my natural black hair before any coloring in 2013.

Pictured above and below is later in 2013 when I decided to have my hair dyed a chocolate brown with minimal highlights in the front and a haircut to give my hair a little more shape.

In the beginning of 2015 when I decided to have my hair bleached.

2015 bleached hair with curls

Once summer 2015 hit that's when my hair started taking a turn for the worse...very dry and a lot of shedding.

As you see below the damage was horrific.

So, in the beginning of 2016 I decided to go back to the color black.

Pictured below is when I returned to the hair salon two days later to have my hair re-dyed due to green hair. This is when I noticed the change in texture and even more damage.

Below is when my hair started thinning pretty badly, lacked volume, and had a dull/frizzy look to it.

This picture was taken February of 2017 and my hair is definitely a lot healthier but there's definitely room for improvement, as I am still dealing with shedding and a little thinning in some areas.

The Main Culprits of my unhealthy hair and what I plan to do differently:

Heat

I will be taking part in a no heat challenge for at least 1 year. I did this for two years back in 2011 and my hair was so full, long, and thick. I hope to be back there soon.

Bleaching/Coloring

I will not be putting any hair altering chemicals in my hair at all, especially bleach. Although, I am a little unsure of how committed I'll be able to be regarding the coloring because these grays are starting to shine through...but I'm going to do my best. However, if I do succumb to coloring again it will be something that's not too harsh like a demi-permanent. If you're not familiar with a demi it's a hair coloring process that doesn't contain ammonia but contains small amounts of peroxide to allow the hair shaft to open up, so that the color can be absorbed. It also isn't permanent and typically will fade/wash out after 15-20 washes. I typically wash 4-6 times per month.

Poor Eating Habits

Not eating the proper foods, leaves a nutrition deficit which is indicative of weak hair and nails, as well as an occasional skin break out. So, sticking to more fruits and veggies and less sweets is a must!

Lack of Vitamins

I currently am not taking any vitamins but plan to start incorporating this back into my daily routine for my overall health. I also found that I had great results with the health of my hair when I consistently took biotin pills.

Poor Water Intake

Nothing extremely drastic here because I only drink water now. I don't drink juice and very rarely drink soda. However, I do indulge in a glass of wine or a cocktail every now and then but I really need to be more consistent in drinking half my body weight in water.

Stress

When I am overwhelmed and dealing with a lot of stress my hair falls out in clumps. I would show you guys pictures but I'm not feeling that brave at the moment. However, it is a frightening experience when your hair is literally coming out in handfuls at one time. So, I definitely need to introduce better coping mechanisms to de-stress. Exercise really does help me with that but we will chat about this in a future post.

Are you or have you struggled with the same issues/experiences? Any tips to share? XOXO

Wellness Wednesday: Operation Healthy Hair is in Effect