Hurray!!!
Exactly 365 days ago in a 6 man room in the prestigious Moremi hall of the University of First Choice and the nation’s pride (University of Lagos of course); a final year microbiology female student had her big chop. Whoop Whoop!!!
Yeah I know I’ve been natural all my life, so you might be wondering why I am super duper excited; I'd  tell you. Having natural hair is very different from having healthy natural hair. I big chopped because my hair was not growing or maybe it was growing and I was not retaining length, my hair was natural but twas not healthy. So on that fateful day, I embarked on a journey to grow healthy natural hair. I’m on a mission to grow my hair healthy, beautiful and very long to my waist, yes I said that TO MY WAIST; and I’m gonna get there in the next 4 to 5 years by God’s grace. I’ve always loved long hair and I believe as a woman my hair is my crown and glory, it’s a very special gift from God to me; so I must love it no matter how difficult and unmanageable it may seem cause trust me my 4c kinks can be very annoying sometimes and just refuse to cooperate but I’ve learnt to love it just the way it is cause that’s what God did for us, He loved us in our filth and stubbornness.
So today, I’d be sharing lessons I’ve learnt in my one year journey, my setbacks, staple products and my goals for the next one year.

Lessons I’ve learnt
1. Patience: My hair has taught me to take things poco a poco (little by little). Our hair grows at different pace so there is really no need to rush. Just enjoy your length at it different stages and give it time, it will grow. After all a mango tree does not mature fully in a month, it takes weeks and months of nurturing before it blossoms and start bearing fruits.
2.  No comparisons:  Even the bible says that he that compares himself with another is not wise. Don’t compare your growth process with another person. No two individuals are the same, so your growth rate can never be the same. Do what you need to do and leave your hair to grow at its own pace.
3.  Love and listen to your hair: For 4C kink bearers like me, our hair can be so annoying sometimes, having a mind of its own and doing whatsoever it pleases. You push it to the left and it bounces right back, sometimes bobby pins can’t even help. I totally understand but my dear you still need to love it. Know what your hair wants at each time, listen to it. Sometimes you know your hair is dry and it needs water or moisture but you also know that adding water would make it shrink and ruin your hairstyle for the day. Don’t forget that dry hair leads to breakage which leads to lack of length retention. Embrace your shrinkage dear and moisturize your hair when needed.
4. Accept your flaws: Since I started growing my hair, I noticed that I don’t have full edges due to the shape of my hairline. No matter what I do, it can’t be as full as some of my natural haired friends. Now that’s a fact I need to accept and move on.
5. Don’t follow the multitude: Don’t use a product or hair tool because everyone is using it. If your hair doesn’t feel good with it,  drop it.

Set backs
1. Shedding and breakage
2. Length retention (split ends)
3. Itching and dandruff

My staple products
75% of the products I used were made by me in my kitchen or bedroom. You can check this post for some of them. They include my DIY shea mix, shampoo, hair oil and deep conditioner.

Hair goals and plans
My major goals are to get to mid back length by this time next year, get rid of dandruffs and retain as much length as possible. To achieve this, I’d be doing the following:
1. My normal hair routine or regimen
2. Reduce hair manipulation
3. Do more protective styles
4. Improve on my eating habits. Take more veggies, fruits and water.
5. Use hair growth supplements
6. Exercise more.
7. Carry out an intensive 6 month hair growth challenge (id notify you when its time)

So guys, that’s all for now. I'm so excited about my hair journey and if you are contemplating on starting yours, what are you waiting for? Start now.

See y'all in my next post.