Wash and go with a twist

I can't be all pain and wallowing and self-pity and crying around here.  It's a good way to go crazy, so I guess it's a good thing I had a good hair day right?  A bad hair day would have been the straw that broke the camel's back. 


So, my hair has gotten too long to do much else with it besides a wash and go, illustrated here.  My hair isn't as tightly curly as Teri's, which means I battle with my ends that go stick straight without some help from the rollers.  I can scrunch all day long but as my hair dries, the ends just stretch out and go limp.  But back to the length - check this out y'all!

Easter 2009 - My head was tilted back just a bit making my hair look longer but it was just past  armpit length, not quite bra-strap length.  This was my attempt at a twist and curl and I quickly realized that it would take twelve thousand hours to dry, thus the fuzziness.  

 A closer look at the length and fuzz.  I think I was drunk by this point because I have no idea who that guy is.  Everyone becomes your friend when you whip out the camera.

4th of July 2009 - a little fuzzy from being at the lake all day but a little longer

October 2009 - Juuuust past bra-strap length.  Nothing but wash and goes by this point.

I experimented with doing a wash and go AND a twist and curl and I've been pleased.  I get more height and definition at the crown and hairline and the curls stay more defined longer.  The first time I did it I washed my hair around seven in the evening, putting it in four two-strand twists when I went to bed around 11, which meant my hair was mostly dry but not 100%.  I really liked it so I decided to try it again and take pictures this time.

I defined the individual curls and then put them in the two-strand twists, securing them at the top with duckbill clips.

Twist size.  Curly Nikki does something like 20 twists on her hair and the first time I did that I looked like I had a bad 80s perm.  My hair likes four twists, no more no less.

 

I love love LOVE Moroccan Oil!  It smells so sexy and exotic and I wish they made body lotion and perfume.  For the wash and go twist I put it on my ends, put end papers around them and rolled them up in rollers. My twitchy finger inadvertently erased that picture - booo!

Remember my braid-out fail?  And how I was complaining how hard it was to take pictures of my hair without looking like an idiot?  I swear on everything y'all, it JUST occurred to me this past Monday to put my camera somewhere and set the timer.  I'm so slow.

My very first self-portrait.  

Skin's not so fluorescent this time - note to self:  always take pictures in natural light!

I tried so hard to muster a smile but this was as close as I could come.

I gave up and just started looking away from the camera - this is about the hair anyway.

Check out how long my hair has gotten!  And check out the nearly straight ends - some of them complied but the other ones just did their own thing.

The curls aren't uniform spirals because of the wash and go part but I kinda like the messiness.  And I love the height at the hairline.  When I do the twists I do a rough part down the middle but when I take it down I do a side part so I get more height.  More height = distraction from the lightbulb forehead since I can't really do bangs to cover it.

The biggest challenge for me with a wash and go is flatness and 

straight hair at the hairline and crown.  This fixes that!

See what I mean?  

I'm constantly sliding my fingers in at the scalp and lifting it, praying for height.

Granted, this was straight out of the shower but if I don't do anything with it, it will stay this way.  Flat and sad with a lightbulb forehead.

Feb 2010 - my hands are at my waist. 

 And yes, those are ice-skating penguins.  My mommy has a matching pair and they're awesome!  

Until just now, I didn't realize how quickly my hair had grown and it's pretty cool what can happen when you leave your hair alone and just let it grow.  I'm debating whether or not to get a haircut to shape it since it's been over a year.  I like my hair better when it's got some layers and shape to it but I'm so scared to jinx the progress I've made.

My next challenge is trying to figure out why I'm getting scalp scabs.  I don't use heat, I don't scratch my head so fiercely I would get scabs so I don't know where they're coming from!  The other thing that's driving me crazy is split ends.  I do search-and-destroys only to find a whole new crop a month later!  Is that normal?  At least my curly hair hides them - they still piss me off though.

What about y'all?  Do you have hair pictures on your computer?  Do you have one of those length-check t-shirts?  Do you google 'scalp scabs' or other equally annoying hair challenges?  

And a big huge giant hug to all of you who have read my last few posts and commented.  No freakin lie y'all, you guys are a huge part of why I'm putting one foot in front of the other and still breathing.  Anytime you're having a bad day and thinking that what you do doesn't matter and no one cares, please remind yourself 'Desiree is massively appreciative of my presence and because I said something to her, because I reached out she feels better and that is MAJOR and that matters.'

Because it does and because you do.  You guys are awesome.