I seem to be in the beginnings of my usual seasonal go to of FALLing for straight hair.  Although I typically embrace my curly hair throughout the year I do enjoy spending some time wearing my straight hair when fall comes around since this is one of the few times of year that the Florida weather permits it.  After recently straightening my hair to trim my ends I thought it might be a great idea to start a 6 month growth challenge.  My 3 year natural hair anniversary is on April 3rd and I’m really curious to see what kind of hair growth I can achieve from now to then.

I’ve been researching various growth challenges that others have done to get an idea of some solid parameters I might be interested in.  I found a great 2-Year Waist Length Healthy Hair Challenge on Facebook with some rules that appealed to me and since this is my natural hair length goal I thought it was perfect.  What I love most about this challenge is that it includes so many other healthy elements that I could totally stand to make habits out of.   With that being said, there are also some parameters  here that will serve as extreme challenges  for me, all which I’ve notated below.  So,  I’ve decided to do my very best to adhere to these rules for the next 6 months.  I’ll do monthly updates on my progress.  Here’s a look at my starting point. I’m right around bra strap length.  Wish me luck!

• Wash/Cleanse your hair 1x per week
• Always Deep Condition after every Wash & Hot Oil treatment followed by a Leave In Conditioner
• Blot hair with a t-shirt & Air dry the hair 99% of the time
• No heat (blow drying, flat iron, curling iron, etc.) until you’ve been in the challenge for at least 2 months, after that you’re allowed only one (1) Heat pass per month (Going to be tough since I love straight hair during the fall but, gonna do my best!)
• Remain FAITHFUL to Moisturizing & Sealing your ends at least 3x a week to prevent breakage & split ends
• Wear protective or low manipulation styles 3-5x a week (I LOVE trying new things with my hair so this will be tough!)
• Take a hair growth aide or multivitamin if you choose to benefit the health & growth of your hair & body (Discuss this with your physician to see if this is appropriate for you & your health)
• ALWAYS protect your hair at night with a silk/satin scarf and/or bonnet. Sleeping with a satin pillowcase will be beneficial as well.
• Eat a healthy diet, eliminating fast food and as many processed foods as possible (I totally need to do this anyway! Will do my best HOWEVER Thanksgiving and Christmas are off limits! lol!)
• Exercise at least 2-3x a week, whether it’s walking, running, jogging, aerobics, etc. Do something that will get your heart pumping & get your blood flow circulating. (Yep! Totally need to do this more consistently too!)
• Drink PLENTY of water (Another one!)
• Keep your hands OUT of your hair when you’re not styling or massaging it (Challenge!)
• Every day, look in the mirror at yourself & say a positive affirmation about yourself to motivate yourself. (Critical for embracing my Be You Beauty!)
• Take a picture of your hair before starting this challenge. At the end of every other month, take a picture and do a length check to track how your hair is coming along. Post a picture to the Wall whenever you are making progress for your encouragement and others encouragement & inspiration as well.
• Periodically post how much growth you’ve had.

Anyone want to join me??!!  What would be your goal for a 6 month growth challenge?