I Admit It- I Made a Mistake

Ok, I'm a big girl and can admit when I made a mistake. I should not have altered my natural-I should not have pressed my hair-I should not have let the Dominicans blow my hair out (no matter how pretty it looked!). What I thought would be a great alternative for my hair and a breather for me (wearing natural my sew-in)turned into a disaster...or made a bad situation worse. I took out my sew-in, used some great products (which I will tell you all about later), but when my hair dried and I was ready to wear it out I realized it is not in wear out condition. Meaning that I have so much damage to it that I had to cut it (sigh)... Yes, I have toyed around with this idea before, and I even shared it with you guys. But I didn't really THINK that I would have to cut it. To be honest with you, I'm not sure what I can contribute my hair damage to-it could be the heat I had put on it through pressing, blow-drying, and flat ironing, it could be I didn't condition it and take care of it the way I should have, the sew-in made it worse, or it be a combination of all of the above. All I know is after I took out my sew-in (which I received many compliments on), I was shocked and amazed at what I saw in the mirror and felt with my hands. My hair was broken off in some places, dry in other places, and just all around looked like a hot mess. Not to talk badly about children, but you all have seen the little girl whose mama you want to slap because she obviously has NOT been taking care of her child's hair; it's different lengths, straight in some places, short in others, and looks like no one cares about the health of her hair. Yes, I am that little girl (at 20 something), and I want to kick my own behind. I truly believe that if I had just kept wearing my natural curly 'fro last summer and using my Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding/Baby Buttercreme, Jamaican Lime Loc and Twist creme, and Carol's Daughter Pomade I would not be in this situation right now.
So, what can I do to get my hair back on the right track? Well, I've already taken one step. I have cut my hair so that it is even (for the most part). Yes, I do plan on going to a salon so a stylist can repair my hair, but to be honest I am really embarassed by the state of my tresses (or lack thereof). So, this summer I will definitely be on "Mission Impossible: The Napptural Girl Grows out her Tresses". If any of you have ANY suggestions on maintaining a short crop and helping to grow hair, I am ALL ears. Also, please feel free to share your hair disasters and how you fixed it. In the meantime, stay nappturally beautiful