The one about hair

Buckle up, kids, there's gonna be a crapload of pictures in this post. So, I've had a few people asking lately about how long it took to grow my hair our, tips and tricks, and a line up of pics. First, we'll do pictures (ignore the growing pregnant belly, tracking my hair growth while documenting my belly seemed like the easiest way to remember to take a monthly picture), and then I'll do tips and tricks at the end. Ready, set, go!

October 2012, my last pixie cut

November 2012, 1 month in

January 2013, 3 months in

 February 2013, 4 months

 March 2013, 5 months

 April 2013, 6 months

 May 2013, 7 months (flat iron waves)

 June 2013, 8 months (Almost looks like I cut it this length on purpose)

 July 2013, 9 months (long enough to tuck)

August 2013, 10 months (Able to do my natural curls) 

 Still August 2013, I just had to show how miserable I looked being hugely pregnant at the end of The. Hottest. Summer. EVER.

 October 2013, A full year of growth

 November 2013, I actually took length off with my last cut. 

It's amazing what a difference a year can make! My hair isn't long, by any means, but it feels long to me. I can feel it brushing the back of my neck and it still takes me by surprise occasionally. 

Now, how did I do it?  Patience. Lots of it. Seriously, though, it was a combination of a couple of things. I have a fantastic stylist that held my hand through the whole process. She made me come in and get regular mullet trims, because for whatever reason the back grows about a gazillion times faster than the front. She worked with me to get me through the 4 months of awkwardness that happened in the middle there. 

Secondly, I only wash twice, maybe three times, a week. My hair is naturally very dry, so the extra oil from less frequent washings kept it nice and strong. If you feel like you're getting too oily, invest in some dry shampoo. Washing with shampoo every day is really pretty bad for your hair. It strips the natural oils and causes breakage. 

I also recommend deep conditioning. I just use plain old coconut oil and do it about twice a month. You just slather it all over your hair, throw on a shower cap, and let it soak in for 30 minutes or so. Then you carry on with washing and styling like normal. Speaking of styling, heat style as little as you can get away with. For me, this meant drying my hair straight twice a week. Once it's like that I can leave it for several days without having to do anything at all to it.

The last thing is nutrition. Make sure you're eating a balanced diet and taking in enough calories. I would also suggest taking a multivitamin, probably prenatal, and a biotin or hair/skin/nail supplement.

So, there you have it, my (totally not a professional) opinion on how to grow out a pixie cut. Seriously the best tool in your arsenal is going to be patience. 

20 week progress

 

Progress

So, my last blog dropped an announcement on y'all.  I guess I should share a little progress.  Also, please ignore my awful, dead-animal hair.  I'm in the process of growing out my pixie to donate my hair and it's in the awkward mullet-y stage right now.  Anyway, a few pics of the progress:

8 Weeks 1/17

12 Weeks 2/14

16 Weeks 3/14

Cravings: Cadbury Mini-eggs, Tater tots, Cafe Rio pork

Milestones: Baby Bean is a mover and a shaker.  I feel her/him rolling around in there all the time, especially if I've just eaten something sweet.

Total weight gain: 6 pounds.  Not too shabby

I'm looking forward to: feeling Bean kick from the outside, scheduling an ultrasound, being done with my early glucose test.

The Plunge

Well, after much research, a lot of thought, and some good old-fashioned bravery, I finally jumped head first (hee hee!) into a new way of "washing" my hair.

Yep, I've gone completely shampoo-free. I'd been kicking around the idea of going no 'poo for quite a long time. I'd read that it was really great for curly hair. Basically, real shampoo is made to strip oils from your hair. That's it's job, it's what the chemical combination is meant to do. Well, that's a problem for me. I have incredibly dry hair, naturally. It's a curse of curly hair. Anyway, I noticed that after using traditional shampoo I was having to condition the hell out of my hair to make it feel even a little bit normal. Add to that all of the product I was having to use and you have yourself a hot mess.

So back to my story: I was already only washing my hair once a week and using baking soda once a week. So I figured the time had come. I was taking the plunge into no 'poo.

Let me share with you a few observations and then I'll give you my recipes:

1. My hair has changed color. It's true, I haven't dyed my hair in several months, however in the last three weeks it's become a richer brown with quite a bit of red in it.

2. I did experience a weird phase about 2 weeks in where my roots were extra-oily and my ends were extra-dry. This only lasted about a week. Apparently, it's a normalizing phase where the scalp produces more oil for some reason. It goes away, I promise.

3. It styles much more easily. I don't know if it's healthier, or stronger, or what, but it's breaking less and takes to the flat iron much better.

4. It has lost some of it's body. I've never had to tease my hair before to give it volume, however when my hair is straight now it's s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t. I'll have to work on this for awhile.

And now, the recipes.

First, I use a 1:3 ratio of baking soda to water. I put this on my dry hair just at the roots. I massage it into my scalp and comb it through to the ends. I let it sit for about 2-3 minutes and then rinse it out.

Next, I use a 1:4 ratio of apple cider vinegar to water. I saturate the ends of my hair and leave the roots alone. I'll let this sit about a minute or so and then rinse it well. I promise, your hair won't smell like vinegar. Just watch your eyes. It stings like you wouldn't believe.

Anyway, if any of you out there give it a go let me know how it works for you. Personally, I love it.