Fragile Black Hair

I think it is a pretty well known fact that most of us with “kinky” hair also have very fragile hair. That is definitely the case for me. After much searching on the internet, I have come to the conclusion that I have type 4C hair.

I used to put a relaxer in my hair pre-Lupus, and for quite a while post Lupus as well. In the beginning, all I knew what I wanted a relaxer. I begged and begged my mom until she let me do it. She didn’t want me to have one as she knew how damaging they could be. But, I was in a new school in grade 7…and I guess she relented after my constant and endless nagging. I wish I had just trusted my Mother’s warnings…but then again, people often do not learn these things until they themselves have experienced it.

At that age, I had no idea how to take care of my hair. I did not know what products to use, I did not know how to wash my hair, etc. The way a person without kinky hair washes their hair is quite different than how I should wash my hair in that my hair is so fragile and needs to be treated as such.

I have been doing a lot of research on how I should take care of my hair. I had noticed that my hair would always break off at the ends and was weak and dry. I’m sure the fact that I have Lupus and am on several medications does not help the situation either! So I am going to try some stuff and hopefully grow a decent amount of hair in the meantime. I have my hair in braids right now, so I hope take a picture of my hair when it is out of the braids in order to serve as a starting picture.

Another one of my struggles where my hair is concerned is the fact that my hair is quite thin where my temples are. I have very thin baby hair there, but it just seems to stay that way. When I went to Florida with my family, my sister emailed me and told me about a segment she had seen on Dr. Oz, stating that using Lavender Oil on your hair may help it grow. After doing some internet research, there are many people who seem to agree with this theory. I purchased my very own bottle of lavender oil and mix it with olive oil every night. I concentrate only on my temples where the baby hair is, as I still have my hair in braids. I also put some of this mixture in an empty spray bottle and spray it between my braids.

Apparently hair is supposed to grow, on average, about 6 inches a year. Let’s see how my hair does with this new and careful regime…and maybe, inspite of all my meds and the fact that my hair is already predisposed to being dry, I can grow and retain some long hair!

Again, I will post updates along the way!