The Dizzy Diva: Hair do' the right thing!

Hey everyone! So, like I've said before, my hair is relaxed. I have considered being natural many times, but the fact of the matter is, I like to wear my hair straight, and if I was natural, I would not be putting a bunch of heat in my hair. So, instead of going natural, I do super long stretches so I'm not relaxing so often. I typically relax about every 12 weeks, but this can vary depending on if I do two protective styles in a row. I have found that 12 weeks is about as long as I can go before I become in danger of breakage at the line of demarcation (the point where my natural texture/new growth and relaxed hair meet). And I never do two long term styles in a row because the hair is usually too weak. I currently am abut 9 weeks post.

Since my last relaxer on the second weekend of November, I have done several low manipulation styles such as bunning, twists, and twist-outs. I am low on funds, so I can't afford new extensions, but that was ok, because my hair was thick and healthy. I even got the beloved comment "Do you have tracks in? " So, I was styling it up happily, until about 3 weeks ago when I started noticing my hair was very dry, even after moisturizing, and I was shedding heavily, both whole strands, and broken strands. After washing, I noticed my hair was thinner, not devastating, but noticeable.

So, I went into turbo mode trying to figure out what was wrong. I realized that the temperature outside had changed. We had been having a pretty mild winter, with lows in the mid 30's. But then we had a few snow storms and the temp dropped to the teens and even single digits. And me? No hat, no hood, no protective style. Just my poor locks braving the blistering cold. And typically, my hair would have been weaved up and away in November. So, I rummaged through my hair bin for days trying to figure something out. I saw old tattered wigs, several weave scraps, and a few different rolls of different length weave hair. All different shades. And me? Broke as a joke. I was in distress.

Luckily, Jesus loves me, and I was encouraged to take a second look at all my weave scraps. I had some pre-bumped hair in 4 inch #1b, and 8 inch #2, and some longer pieces (about 10-12 inch) I use for clips, some dyed "Black Cherry" and some a very light #2 (looks more like #4). My hair color is a #1b/2 and about 10 inches. Next to each other, it looked like the hot mess I saw the first time I looked, but then I started to see the potential for a bob. With the right blending, I could def make it work. Besides, I was out of options, and was losing hair daily. So, I did it! And I must say, I am quite pleased with results!