However, all’s not well in the ongoing drama of my hair. I’ve had protective hairstyles for almost all of the last 6months with a total of maybe two weeks spent out of braids or twists, or a weave of some sort. Prior to the protective hairstyle challenge I embarked on summer of 2011, I could go up to 4 months between relaxers and had found a way to deal with my hair and bend the unruly nature of the undergrowth to my will.

Recently that has not been the case and it’s been quite the challenge figuring out what’s changed and how to adapt my routine. I do know that I have been using different daily moisturizers because I’ve just not come across the kind I used to buy recently. But my leave-in conditioner is the same and my hair looks different when it dries. Oh and it takes longer to dry now too. Combing through my new growth now hurts and my hair just overall seems to just refuse to behave!!!

My non-heat styling tricks are not as successful any more, I’ve had to work harder to resist the urge to use heating tools and go (it’s helped that I lent my flat iron to a friend, but I need to be sure to get it back soon). It’s not that they don’t work, it’s more like they don’t work evenly and I wind up resorting to french braids or an updo to be presentable. Argh! I have have just been so frustrated with the level on noncooperation. I feel like I’ve caved and lived through things I typically hate, like grease, to try to make this a more friendly experience but honestly my hair has a mind of its own and it chooses to wage war with me now.

My solutions?? None. …..at this time. I am much too busy with life at the moment to give this problem the level of attention that it demands. What I will do instead, is the 3in6 challenge, mainly because I need my hair to be on the lowest level of maintenance for the next 4-5months and then in the summer we’ll sort this all out.

Note: I will have to make some changes and adaptations to the way that I participate in the 3in6 and I also anticipate that I will personally end parts of the challenge early, at the start of May. Yes, I know, it’s not my best display of solidarity but, understand that I have worn protective styles for about 6 months already the second half of 2011. No I probably haven’t had enough fresh fruit, or drank enough water but I can work on that for the full duration of this challenge. Secondly, I just relaxed my hair in November and I think that I can last through to the end of April (5 months between chemical treatments), but I am afraid that if I go any longer, I might damage my relaxed hair. If you need any details on why I relax my hair please read my prior posts.

In the meantime, thanks for a great 2011, and here’s to an even better 2012!!!!!