Transitioning Update: June (Pictures to come!)

Summer is quickly approaching! We are halfway through the year (where did time go?) I will make 4 months post relaxer on June 17th. This experience of "transitioning to my curly roots" as I like to call it, has been a constant roller coaster. I have made small accomplishments with the health of my hair in 3.5 months. These accomplishments include:

1. Using less heat/appliances on my hair: Early on in my transition, I used heat on my hair twice. The last time I used heat on my was for Easter of this year. This was a hard decision to make and a hard pill to swallow. I use to be the girl who loved her wet set/blow out styles. I never had a problem with using heat on my hair or heat damage. I always air dried my wet sets and blowed out my roots for 10 minutes max. If I was in a rush I would go under a dryer for about 45 minutes. I purchased my first flat iron in 2010. I have not had my hair in a "pressed" style since I was twelve. I quickly learned that flat irons made my hair dry for some reason. I haven't used it in almost 2 years. I made the choice to cut heat out of my regimen because I became lazy about the maintenance. I use to wash my hair twice a week because my hair gets oily very easily. I also wanted to try the Curly Girl method, which I currently still follow. These days, I still fancy my hair straight, sleek, and flowing. I don't think it would hinder my journey to natural hair but I will reserve it for special occasions.
2. Thicker Hair: My hair was always moderately thick however, relaxing over the years has thinned out my hair somewhat. My hair did not regain some of it's "natural" thickness until I started transitioning.
3. Seeing my natural curl pattern: I did not do a big chop or a mini chop however, I began randomly cutting pieces of hair that were over an inch long to see what my natural texture would look like. I also cut off a patch of hair that was damaged from previous relaxing down to the new growth. Since then, that patch has grown in to be a 3c/4a texture of hair. I'm not really sure on my hair type, but I believe I am a 3c/4a mix. This is why I won't use heat on my hair until all of my hair is natural. I have this curiosity like most women do in determining their hair type/texture.
4. Hair styling becomes easier: When I first started transitioning, I would say around 1-2 months post relaxer, my hair was still manageable and easy to style. Around my third month of transitioning, my hair became very tangled, matted, and frizzy at the roots. There were days where I struggled with styling. My buns weren't looking like they use to, my hair would be dried out at the end of the day, and I had enough of single strand knots to make a friendship bracelet. At the middle of May, hair styling started to become easier for me. My hair held more moisture, it was less frizzy, and my braid outs held up in any kind of weather.