I was reflecting on this earlier as I reminisced on the amount of money I have spent on sew in weaves. From April 2005 up until Summer 2009, I have worn sew in weaves the majority of the time. I would get them done every month or month and a half. Each time I would remove the install, whether I did it myself or the beautician did it, I noticed that my hair was not improving whatsoever. I figured that it was due to the fact that I wasn't taking care of my hair underneath the weave. Honestly, I didn't know how. When I had an epiphany some time in 2008, I would apply castor oil to my scalp via a color application bottle. This is the only time that I noticed growth, but I also noticed my edges were getting thinner and thinner. Towards the end of my phase with weaves I came to the sad realization that they did not benefit my hair in any shape, way or form. When I began to take care of my hair myself and stopped wearing weaves for 2-3 months, I noticed that my hair was much thicker and fuller than ever before but I was dissatisfied with my hair length and I began to have visions of 'long, pretty weaves" and I got another install. When I took that out a month later, I noticed my hair was so thin and it looked very unhealthy. At that moment, I decided to no longer put weaves in my hair because it was doing more harm than good.