How Long Have You Been Relaxer Free?

As the title says, I'd be interested to know how long you all have been transitioning and how you did it?  I'll go first.

I got braids back in late 95 during my first year in college.  I had gotten a relaxer about a week prior...never do that!!!  I took the braids out  about a month later and went to wash my hair.  I scrubbed the hell out of my scalp only to realize, my hair was not detangling!!!!  It was a hot mess!  I was forced to go to some local stylist I didn't know and she cut my hair into the cutest short bob.  I discovered two things that day...

1. Do not get a full-on relaxer soon before getting braids and if you do, shampoo your hair gently, in one direction and finger comb throughout.

2. I look bangin with short hair.  It was a bit of a shock tbh because I'm sure like most of you, I thought the longer the better.  Turns out, I have the cutest ears and when my hair is off of my neck and pulled away from my face, I look lots better.

Anyway, I rocked the bob for a while and started wearing braids again.  This time though, I didn't get any relaxers.  Long story short, by 97 my hair had grown back and then some and it was officially almost 2 years since my last relaxer.

So the summer of spring 97 I marched my way to my brother's barber and he gave me an AWESOME fro'.  And that's all she wrote.

What your story?