MY Hair Story and tidbits

Oh noes! Ang laki ng ilong ko sa first pic. Anyway, so here's my hair after two nights of braiding. Nope, it hasn't grown yet. I figured I should take a photo of before and after a month. So this photo will be the before shot!

 It's gotten longer from when I got it trimmed by 1/2 inch approximately two weeks ago. I can tell because as you can see I can already clip away my full bangs or wear it sideways. Good news is, after the two nights of braiding it, I feel like my hair texture has improved. 

So my hair story goes this way: I used to have nice straight hair that waves at the bottom effortlessly until I decided to cut it short when the "bob" was back in style. I pretty much wore it like that for two years because I can't seem to grow it the way it used to anymore. I don't know why. So then, last 2008, I went for my first vacay to the Philippines since we migrated to the States. And I decided to have my hair "rebonded" (or straight perm). It wasn't a big deal because a lot of people had done it--mom, cousins, friends, tita, etc.--and it looked really nice, shiny and straight without ever using a flat iron or blower to it. However, mine wasn't nice, shiny and straight. My hair became so brittle and rough and despicable. I was so devastated that I definitely regret that trip to the salon. It wasn't David's Salon but it was a trusted salon by many people I knew, I included when we're still living in the Philippines. It was even my former hair dresser who did my hair. From then on, I have been trying to restore my hair. I bought extra virgin coconut oil, hair masks and spas, raved-about conditioners, etc. None really worked at that time, maybe the medicine was too strong and I had to deal with it for a year or so, which is the average time you need to get your hair re-rebonded again. I did not ever go back to that salon, sad to say. And I've also noticed that my hair doesn't grow as quickly as it used to after that event. 

To this day, I still feel the aftermath of that one terrifying parlor appointment. And I am still struggling to grow my hair. Sometimes, because I think that my hair has been abused already that I have the license to mistreat it. There were times when I just straighten or curl it every day, of course I used a protectant but still unhealthy. Right? After my very recent haircut, I said to myself to just try to take care of my hair again. My sister always keep reprimanding me about adding damage to it. And I would get offended, but this time I want to take it constructively. In addition to that, I've also been very careful of what I use on my face everyday, trying to wear less or no make-up at all. And the picture above is a testament to that, no make-up and natural hair. It's not that bad, right? I mean I have imperfections but I can embrace it and try to eliminate it in organic ways that will be most beneficial to me in the long run. Beauty, as they say, after all, is in the eye of the beholder.