My coily hair today is in much better condition than it was last year when I experienced my 1st summer living in a hot and humid desert.  I learned late last year that my coils would need much more moisture than it did when I was living in the beautiful coastal weather that L.A. offered.   My hair is pictured after my morning cowash.  I added a shea butter/coconut/jojoba oil mix to my twists while they were still damp.  My twists are hanging with my head tilted back to show the weight of water and moisturizer in my hair.  When my hair is dry or lacking moisture, it will not move at all.

My stretched twists have reached a surprising 16 months!  I have been stretching this twist style since March 2011 and I'm truly surprised that I could make them last as long as they've been lasting!  I've been wanting to take them out for some time now.  I constantly daydream about other hairstyles that I'd love to be wearing right now.  But I quickly shake those nonesense dreams out of my head when I remember why I started this twist journey-- to adopt an easy-to-execute hair routine and being consistent with it, conquering dryness, evading knots and having a life.  Yes, having a life, definitely!  I've been able to spend more time on my life than sitting down every morning and night planning and executing various hairstyles.  In the process, I've also given my hair a break by not bothering it with combs or brushes.

As far as hair growth goes, consistency and patience are key.  Now that I've mastered the most minimal maintenance routine for my twists and learned how to keep my hair healthy in this treacherous desert weather, I'm confident that consistent growth and length retention is right around the corner.  *yippee!*