It's now been 10 days since the big cut and I've had time to analyze how I feel about it.  It definitely feels different and I'm still surprised at how quickly I run out of hair when I braid it compared to before.  I have no regrets at all though.  The ends feel so good and now I feel like I can try my best to maintain them and see what happens.  They may end up like before but perhaps not and there should be at least an interim period where I can enjoy their health and some growth.

Here are some photos from today.  I did a thorough coconut oiling two days ago.

The Big Chop

The last year has been spent trying to improve my hair's health while maintaining or increasing length.  I came to the conclusion that it wasn't possible with the ends as damaged as they have been.  This was my hair on May 25, 2012:

Two days later I had my wife cut over 7 inches off.  Now the ends feel great and hopefully I can keep them that way through better care.  The results:

An Essay on the Long-Haired Man by Phil O. Trichos

My friend Duncan kindly sent me copies of this pamphlet originally published in 1964 that delves deeply into the history of longhaired men.  Click onto the images to read the scanned copies.

Untouched Drying Technique

For some reason, leaving hair completely untouched during the drying process creates a different feeling and look.  It works best with a cold water rinse before exiting the shower but tonight I just didn't let my hair touch a towel after a warm water rinse.  It had a different level of sheen and softness though the lighting makes it hard to tell.

The Three Day Soak

I usually will only leave coconut oil in for an overnight period but this time I lengthened it to three days before washing it out.  I only put shampoo directly on my scalp but let it run over the length of my hair more than I normally would.  I then used Suave Coconut conditioner on the length.  Here are the results the day after the wash:

I think it's worth enduring the increased oiliness once in a while and doing a deeper treatment like that.

Braid Waves

I get some braid waves everyday just from braiding my dry hair in the morning and wearing it that way all day.  I thought I'd see what kind of waves I could get from braiding my hair while wet and then sleeping with it like that.

Here are the results:

Results from Going Back to Coconut Oilings

This month I've done several heavy coconut oilings with one time leaving it in for three days.  I'm reminded of why I was so enthused about it when I first used it last spring.  I think my hair suffered during the autumn when I wasn't using it.

Here is my hair finger-detangled with no brushing:

Then it was brushed through and braided into a halftail:

We're expecting a new arrival very shortly so I don't know how much attention I'll be able to give it but hopefully I'll be able to keep up a better oiling routine.