Protective Styling: This means wearing your hair in style in which the ends are tucked away and protected from things such as weather and getting caught in clothing. Some ideas include buns and tucked up-dos. Here are some examples. (These are not my images).
Low Manipulation: This means when you do style your hair, handle it as little as possible. Try finger combing instead of using an actual comb to detangle or make parts, use a scarf to smooth edges instead of a brush and wear your hair in the style you choose until you need to wash again.
Safe Handling while washing: This means choosing shampoos and conditioners that work for you but are not too harsh. Products that cause drying will lead to breakage and split-ends, Also be mindful of when you detangle. I usually suggest a detangle session before your wash. This will make your wash session much easier. If your hair is very tangled and matted use water and some conditioner with good slip. Once you begin to wash, keep hair in sections to prevent tangling.
My personal growth: So as you all know I have been completely natural since 2010, however due to some bad choices I did another big chop in July of 2012. Here are some pics right after the cut:
And her are pics of my hair now:
This is about 10 months of growth since the cut, which should be about 5 inches.
For those of you with hair goals, I would recommend only doing length checks every six months or longer. That way you will be able to notice the growth. Anything less than this will mean less than three inches of expected growth and will be harder to notice. I used to do a check every month and became absolutely obsessed, pulling out tape measuerers, rulers and everything else. Try to leave your hair be and just enjoy every stage of growth. Before you know it, we'll all be team #LongHairDontCare!
