Operation 13 inches in 12 months!!

The challenge:  Grow 13 inches in 12 months!

Now, after running the numbers, this could easily be a YIKES moment.

The head starts spinning, wondering "how the heck am I gonna pull this off?  I can barely hit an inch a month without jumping through hoops!"

Well, I say, why not jump through hoops?

Why not give it all you can to get to your goal?

After all, it's only one year of your life!

People have always said what a difference a year makes...I say...what a difference some waist length hair makes!! (lol)

So let's mull over the facts, then launch into the game plan.


Facts:

I can barely hit an inch a month.  I'm not sure what my natural growth speed is, but I'm guessing somewhere between .25 to .4 inches a month...that's right, not even  1/2 an inch a month :(

Bear in mind, this is without supplements and without paying much attention to my hair at all.  If I start to manipulate it at all, then I retain even less!  My hair hates to be bothered, I've discovered.

My 4c hair hates manipulation.  Good to know.

Next, my hair is thirsty.  Very thirsty.  It likes to be moist at all times.  As soon as the air hits it it becomes dry and "trashy," like the protective covering of a corn husk.  How do I bypass this?  With the greenhouse method, also known as baggying.

My hair has absolutely no curl pattern in its natural state.  When dry, it is very similar to a cotton ball.  I love and appreciate it in all its curl-lessness.  (lol)

Aside:  when I get used to this, I will add photos, right now I just need to get these thoughts out of my head and unto paper...erm, blogger.

Next fact - I'm a tad lazy, so being consistent is going to be a challenge.

I shed like crazy!  Relaxed, natural, doesn't matter.  Shedding is my thing it seems.    I'll have to incorporate something in my game plan to address this.  I have not yet done so.  In the past I bought garlic pills but the scent was a turnoff and, moreover, the my lack of discipline kicked in -- I didn't even last 2 days :(

My 4c hair is strong but fragile.  Makes sense?  Not to me either.  Lemme 'splain....
So each individual strand is... you know what, I don't think I can put it into words, you'll just have to take my word for it.  Or maybe one day, if I'm not too shy, I'll make a video outlining my angst..

I've never had what we call in our community "edges."  Apparently it's hereditary and something passed down from my mother, who has very fine kinky edges.  I have very thin, sparse edges and always have.  I was looking at a photo from grade school (you remember those annual school shots!) from about perhaps the 3rd grade and my edges were exactly the same as they are today, fine and nappy.

Which brings me to another point, I have fine hair.  Now this, my friends, was an epiphany of epic proportion.  I have long been under the misguided notion that 4c kinky nappy hair was STRONG and PLENTY.  Well, turns out that mine, while extra nappy, is also fine.  Puzzling at first but not at all surprising.  Our hair exists in all shapes, sizes, types and variations.

My nape, the nappiest area on my head, is very short, dry and difficult to grow.  In fact, it is the shortest area on my entire head (if we take the edges out of the equation).  Thus, my nape requires extra special attention.  Solution:  keep it braided up and moisturized.  Translation:  the nape should never see the light of day.

In summary, for many years, I did not know how to handle my hair given the aforementioned facts.  It is easy to jump from bandwagon to bandwagon, but 4c's must remember that our hair is different and sometimes complex.  What works for a 4a or a 3c may not necessarily work for a 4c.

In my next entry, I'll detail what has worked for me as a 4c.