Length check

I really want to relax my hair. I know December 19th is my one year anniversary but I want to relax and do away with the wigs. I decided to flat iron. I still have the relaxed ends left over which allows me to get a high pony tail. It's obvious I'm not getting to shoulder length this year. But next year hopefully I'll be there. My hair was breaking during the flat ironing, but this could be because I used no protectant and just relied on the JBCO that was already on my hair. I wonder if I'll have these troubles when relaxed. I wasn't able to flat iron completely straight but i was able to get at least a sense of my length.