A Year In Natural Hair | 2016 In Review
I've gotten lots of questions over the year about my hair, so I thought it would be fun to do a look back at all the different natural hair styles I've worn this year. I love to switch up my hair, and that's really what I love most about having natural hair. It's so versatile. This year, I focused on trying to grow out my hair after a pretty big chop right at the very end of 2015.
So...let's take a look back at my year in natural hair...
January 2016
So I had just cut my hair and for the first time in a really long time, my hair was so short that I couldn't even put it into a ponytail. The struggle was too real.Here are shots from my MAC Burgundy Times Nine post and you can see how short my hair was.
Even though it was hard styling my hair with it being so short in the back, I was able to do some really cute styles (if I do say so myself lol).If you follow me on Instagram, then you might've seen these already, but here are my favorite selfies from January: 
February 2016
Come February, I was a little more familiar with my short hair. Even though having less hair means it's easier to wash and detangle, it's really hard for me to style. Here's a picture from my Best of 2015 video with me and my short little wash 'n go.
I'm gonna be 100% honest and say I didn't love this hairstyle. I think it made my face look so chubby!That being said, there are a few products that are my wash and go essentials:
[xyz-ihs snippet="wash-n-go"]
March 2016
By the time March rolled around, I had really gotten into doing flat twists. My hair had grown a bit and the shape was perfect for big fluffy curls. 
Check out my Date Night Makeup Tutorial for details on my makeup. I need to re-visit this highlighter!
April 2016
A little background info...I haven't had a relaxer in at least 6 years. However, some parts of my hair, mainly in the front, had become heat damaged. The ends were too straight and unhealthy. Around the summer of 2015, I began cutting a couple of inches off my hair every other month. I didn't want to do a drastic "big chop" because I'd done that once before in college and just didn't want to have super short hair again. As of now, I just need one more trim of the front of my hair, and I'll be good!By April, I tried to do the wash and go style again, but I just wasn't feeling it. You can see in the picture below that I could barely muster a smile LOL.
I think the back was curling up nicely, but the front wasn't (hence the headband).
May - June 2016
Since I wasn't having the best luck with my wash n go, I went back to doing my flat twists. Don't get me wrong, I really like how my hair looks when I do flat twists, but sometimes having to twist my hair so frequently gets tedious.My hair had grown a bit, so I was no longer twisting my hair out from the crown of my head. Instead, I twisted it straight back or created a side part.
July 2016
After taking a little break from wash n go hairstyles, I went back to them in July. I'd started working out more regularly and just felt like it was too difficult to maintain the twist out hairstyles.
As you can see, the front of my hair is still much straighter than it is in the back. It's really hard growing everything out because the back grows faster than the front. I've been balancing trying to cut off the damaged ends and maintaining enough length to make styling as easy (and cute) as possible.
what do you do when you're trying to grow out your hair?
Makeup details are in this post.
[xyz-ihs snippet="june-favorites-16"]
July was also the first (and only) time that I had my hair braided. I got my hair done in two long french braids right before I headed to Barbados and loved how easy it was.
You can see pictures from my Crop Over experience in my Barbados Photo Diary.
August - September 2016
I think in August I finally started to see some length. The front of my hair had reached lip/chin length so it was easier to pull it back. The thing about short hair is that every month you feel like you have a whole new hair style. Sometimes that's great because the same techniques produce a slightly different look. Other times, it's really annoying because you're always trying to figure out your hair.Here's a snap from IG and it's probably my best hair day of 2016:
I'm wearing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation and think it's one of the best foundations of 2016. See this post for a full review.Here are my favorite products for twist outs:
[xyz-ihs snippet="twist-out"]
October 2016
Once again, I revisited my wash n go and I feel like I entered "big hair" territory :-). The front is still pretty straight, but when I put on a headband, I think it looks pretty good.
You can see full makeup details in this post.
[xyz-ihs snippet="september-favorites-16"]
November 2016
November was exciting because I was finally able to put my hair into a high bun. When my hair was longer, this was my go-to. I think it's so chic and classic (and EASY).
You can get makeup details in this Fall Makeup Routine post.
December 2016
In December, I finally started to see some length in my hair:
Full makeup details in this post.And I'm gonna close this post with another one of my favorite hair days of 2016:
Hope 2017 is off to a great start.