I finally completed my No Heat Challenge which went from October 1, 2013 to February 1, 2014. It may sound crazy but it was the longest that I had gone without using heat since my transition to natural hair. At first, I thought maybe I was going to succumb to the urge to straighten my hair or use a blow dryer. Once I got the hang of styling my hair in other ways, it ended up being easier than I expected.
During the challenge I allowed myself the use of my hooded dryer for roller sets and drying my wash n’ go curls. Other than that, I usually just air dried my hair. My favorite styles ended up being braid outs and ponytail roller sets. These were easy ways to stretch my hair that also gave my hair manageability.
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| My Current Hair Length February 2014 |
Once the four month challenge was over, I straightened my hair for a length check. I was happy to see that my layers were finally growing out. After flat ironing my hair I decided to give myself a much needed trim. One of the things I noticed though was how many single strand knots I had to cut out. Not good! My thoughts on that were that maybe I should stay away from tightly curly styles until I get to a length where I’m comfortable with just maintaining. For now, I’ll be using stretched styles to try and keep the knots under control.
I’ve decided that I’ll probably go another three months before using heat to straighten my hair again. I really liked how the new hair growing in felt so much thicker and healthier. I don’t want to damage it by using excess heat. Overall, I’m pleased with the results and am glad that I challenged myself in this way. I learned a lot about my hair and what it needs, which will help me obtain my goals.
Have you ever participated in a hair challenge?
Well done for going without heat for so long. Your hair looks beautiful.
I've not used heat since the beginning of December and I'm itching to straighten my hair! x
Thanks! It was challenging but after a couple of months it got easier. Now I'm thinking I'll do this regularly until I reach my goal length. Thanks for the comment!
I'm in month 2 of my 9 month no heat challenge. I'm pretty much sticking with a 2 strand flat twist out. I'm not certain when I will do a length check but I'm going mostly for healthy hair. I've been relaxer free for about 7 years but I've used a LOT of heat almost everyday. Thank you for sharing! This is very encouraging!
No problem! Good luck to you on your challenge and thanks for stopping by.