Shrinkage, Stretching and Growth

Last night I tried banding for the first time.  This is a heat-free method of stretching the hair.  It's officially been 3 months since my big chop and I wanted to really see how much my hair has grown. 

First, I sectioned my hair into 6 parts.  I spritzed each section with water, detangled and used ouchless hair bands to band each section.  I took pictures after banding just one side.  Comparing the banded and un-banded section you can already get a good idea of the shrinkage I'm dealing with.

 When I took the bands out this morning my hair was still slightly damp, but I went ahead and picked my afro out anyway.

 

For a comparison, here's my hair right after my big chop.

Looks to be about an inch of growth, which is perfectly average and completely predictable...LOL!

My final style for the day is a big high poof, made easier due to the stretching.

I don't know! And that's okay.

"I don't know!"

When it comes to most subjects, I hate those three words.  I hate not knowing about...well...anything.  If I have to say I don't know, I am immediately making sure I know in the future.  I'm googling, binging, yahooing until I have a complete mastery of the subject...except when it comes to my natural hair...

Now don't get me wrong.  I did plenty of research when I decided to go natural.  I continued my course of study as I transitioned (I'm so grateful YouTube is free).  I knew everything I could possibly know about the structure of natural hair, it's needs and wants, the products I should and shouldn't use, possible styles and treatments.  What I didn't know was what my own personal hair freed from chemicals and unburdened by treated hair would actually do.

I wore my hair up in a high poof for the first time this week.  I'm almost 3 months post-Big Chop (10 days shy of the lunarversary) and until this week my hair wasn't long enough to stay under the band all the way around.  My supervisor asked me if my hair grows fast. I told her, with what I know was a crazed, but happy look on my face, "I don't know!"  When my hair was relaxed, the rate of breakage almost always matched or surpassed my rate of growth.  I had little to no length retention, so I had no idea how fast my hair grew. 

Everything about this journey is new.  Will my hair curl tomorrow?  I don't know!  Will it stay stretched for more than 4 hours?  *shrugs shoulders*  For once, the thrill of discovery has outweighed my need to know.