luckiestdestiny
Well-Known Member
NATURAL HAIR PICS! WL check LD's 14 month pics w/set back explanations, etc
Hi ladies. Warning: pics from camera phone. Sorry. They aren't the best but the get the job done. Please read set backs and why before going on to pics. It's a novel but come on it's a length check have a heart.
I don't usually do these (and haven't before) cause some of yall go HAAAARD
So SETBACKS:
I have grave's disease and was given radioactive iodine which destroyed my thyroid. Also I have anemia. Why this matters? Dry, brittle hair that breaks, and you have to cut constantly. Especially when you're out of balance, and as I just discovered the anemia and treating (medicine and food). Also my thyroid keeps swinging to hypo. Usually it's 10 pds or so that's all (except after the big radioactive iodine which was 100 pds, but I got down to my ideal weight give or take 10 pds which still went up and back down but I was fine with that).
No matter how much I condition, it's gonna be dry that's the thing. BUT I've found that through hard core dcing I can counteract the whole thyroid disease...for the most part. Around oct 2009 my thyroid hormone, which was in balance with medicine, went low again (skin was starting to dry, by Nov hair was really dry,etc. Dec/Jan it was the sahara).Who knows why. Doc says sometimes after years body gets used to amount and it has to be adjusted. IDK. The reason I realized is I gained 25 pounds after just losing. I didn't realize my hormone was out of wack until around Dec09/Jan 10 because I gained so much that I HAD to notice. I've spent from then to now having meds adjusted up up and up to get it just right. I know it's just right now as I'm finally starting to lose back down slowly (five pounds so far but at least it's a start) but come on! AND the toll it took on my already dry hair and even memory which was not fun in class when talking...
SETBACKS
Original set back
First set back was several years ago before I joined once diagnosed, had pathetically dry hair. I just cut all of it off which the ladies here call BC to 1/2 inch and grew it out from there: sometimes with weaves, and sometimes braids. After a while and a certain length mostly braid, dc, low manipulation, etc. I got it to MBL
Fast forward to early 2009...I had two set backs:
EARLY 2009 second setback:
One with a stylist and layers...it was just too many. Now I love some layering at the bottom but it was too many. And now basically I want it blunt (for now). Wish I documented it but it's on my other phone and that one's broke. I do have other pics so don't stone me.
Third Set back
with someone and their darn hot comb. They left it in a place too long and about a one by one inch section at the top of my hair was singed off to one inch. I wanted to kill them
cause ol girl was trying to comb it down and blend it in hoping I wasn't watching her every move. When I told her I just saw a huge section of my hair fly (like literally it flew through the air because it was singed, and it broke off right there as if someone took scissors to it.). She had the nerve to tell me that if I didn't move it wouldn't have happened. I told her that if she wasn't on the phone it wouldn't have happened, collected my things gave an evil look to the manager daring her to tell me I owed them as I walked out. The whole store watching...
NOV 2009 from mbl to shoulder in a few snips
So I've been growing those layers out since then. In late Oct, early nov 2009 (can't remember if it was Halloween or the day after but it was one of those cause a friend visited for two days and I cut it then) I hacked off my hair to shoulder length. The ends were brittle from the thyroid imbalance (didn't check yet but soon realized) and newly found anemia (fun!) so I just didn't want to deal with it.It was a couple inches past. Nowhere near armpit. I admit did a gansta lean lol! So anyways best believe I tried hard not to do it with my new (update 2011) check up cause I didn't want yall to go hard. BUT in NOV 2009 I took this pic, I couldn't help it because it was heart breaking. I had to lean yall I had to lean. I had just flat ironed.
I kept it braided for the year period. I washed in braids. If frizzy I redid. I just cornrowed it. My sweetie just got over it. If I had to go somewhere then I'd do something else (like an event, etc) But basically I stayed in braids. AND If I didn't cornrow a stylist did it for me. I like her cause she never pulls my hair.
Summer 2010 CUT 2 MORE INCHES
Okay after braiding it up and taking it down the next year summer 2010 I still cut off Two inches. Why? Cause there are sections that are a little shorter. I wanted to catch those up. I don't mind light layering but I do mind tons. Though I have tons of hair, I noticed, though everyone else said it was in my imagination.
FALL 2010 Braided up
OCT 2010 WEAVED IT
cause lets' face it I wanted a change. The same lady did my weave and you just couldn't tell cause she did an excellent job. It looked like flat ironed natural hair. I'll probably do that again.
FAST FORWARD TO JAN 2011 LENGTH CHECK
Ta da! Here's my length check
I didn't make waist length but I don't think it's bad to go from shoulder to this point and with a two inch trim in between. Not to mention the chop at the beginning from mbl to shoulder.
First pic: see my hair thickness.And there's no doubt that I'm 4A NATURAL. I blew out my hair. And flat ironed 1/8 of my head. My mom came in and laughed and said it was only 1/8 done
(I'm flying back to NY this weekend, and I missed the first class. Don't judge me
. I only have two and my mom has lupus so I like to spend as much time with her as I can when I visit). So when she said the OBVIOUS. I decided screw it, I am just braiding it back up.
HAIR TEXTURE
4A, Dry, Suprisingly fine: thin strands but tons of it, Dense (tons of trans like so many that I am NOT going to flat iron the whole thing. I felt like it was enough to take out my weave, wash my hair, dc. Leave in DC for two days and put in more dc and coconut oil to dry condition. AND then to wash, let air dry 80 percent and then blow dry). So flatironing that little bit felt like a feat.
Note the denseness of my thin strands. You'd think I had thick hair if you didn't pluck one from my head. Even in twists that I blew out and pinned to my head it still is really thick. I thought blowing it out would make it easier to tackle. It WAS easier than normal so I thank longhairdontcare for that one, but it still wasn't perfect.
I'm not even going to the "excuse my back fat". I'm tired of fighting this thyroid crap, but I'm going to win. So yall will see me next year in my wedding dress looking fly and hopefully back down to my original size again. Before the battle took over again, that is (hypo battle).
Okay and
TADA FINALLY
Keep in mind this is not flat ironed super straight and there is a little more hair between my fingers (about 1/2 inch or a little more or so from the feel of it). I don't like tugging my hair super straight because I don't like putting tons of tension on it.
Without further ado I didn't make waist length. And I don't want to straighten within an inch of its life or pull hard to get there So oh well My hair is even. I just pulled a small piece of it to show length. The entire hair is as thick as the first pic through ends and even because of steady trims.
Scalp. I couldn't part straight to flat iron cause it's so thick. Also it's not flat ironed really straight. BUT I tried to get that camera up in there.
I say I did the best with what God gave me. Show me whatcha working with. I think that trims aside, I got some good growth, OH and did I mention that my normally fast growth gets SLOW like a turtle when I go hypo, and also when I'm anemic (or really anemic) so my growth was a lot slower than usual for me.
HAIR PRODUCTS
I shampoo with the old creme of nature (I bought tons from sallie when I knew they were going out of business). I co wash in braids with a diluted cheapie conditioner but really only every couple of weeks, or once a week.
When I'm flat ironed I still try to go two-3 weeks and dry shampoo in between and argan oil the ends.
I love coconut oil and argan oil which are the only oils to penetrate strands. I don't believe in hard protein. My hair is already dry enough and I don't really need. What my hair craves is moisture. I get my protein from coconut oil (over night) mixed with avocado oil and steaming them before I wash. I believe in slathering with oil the night before washing, and conditioner too.
I focus shampoo only on scalp and only shampoo every other X, trying to conditioner wash mostly.
I love using a mixture of whatever conditioner I have around and shea butter chloesterol by lustrasilk on wash days (sometimes I even leave it in overnight whipped w/ the oils and conditioner before wash day).
When I flat iron I use la placha deap heat recontructor & leave in , also use if I blow dry. It has silk protein in it but I found my hair loves it.
My hair also loves silk elements deep conditioner.
Supplements: eating tons of veggies, and also chlorella. I will say I think it's the reason I didn't have to BC again (because when my thyroid is that out of whack usually it all has to go. Luckily the optimal nutrition counteracted some of it).
I'm just happy I'm here. I feel like Rocky running up those darn steps. I mean between hypothyrodism and anemia, It's really hard combatting those things.
Hi ladies. Warning: pics from camera phone. Sorry. They aren't the best but the get the job done. Please read set backs and why before going on to pics. It's a novel but come on it's a length check have a heart.
I don't usually do these (and haven't before) cause some of yall go HAAAARD
So SETBACKS:
I have grave's disease and was given radioactive iodine which destroyed my thyroid. Also I have anemia. Why this matters? Dry, brittle hair that breaks, and you have to cut constantly. Especially when you're out of balance, and as I just discovered the anemia and treating (medicine and food). Also my thyroid keeps swinging to hypo. Usually it's 10 pds or so that's all (except after the big radioactive iodine which was 100 pds, but I got down to my ideal weight give or take 10 pds which still went up and back down but I was fine with that).
No matter how much I condition, it's gonna be dry that's the thing. BUT I've found that through hard core dcing I can counteract the whole thyroid disease...for the most part. Around oct 2009 my thyroid hormone, which was in balance with medicine, went low again (skin was starting to dry, by Nov hair was really dry,etc. Dec/Jan it was the sahara).Who knows why. Doc says sometimes after years body gets used to amount and it has to be adjusted. IDK. The reason I realized is I gained 25 pounds after just losing. I didn't realize my hormone was out of wack until around Dec09/Jan 10 because I gained so much that I HAD to notice. I've spent from then to now having meds adjusted up up and up to get it just right. I know it's just right now as I'm finally starting to lose back down slowly (five pounds so far but at least it's a start) but come on! AND the toll it took on my already dry hair and even memory which was not fun in class when talking...
SETBACKS
Original set back
First set back was several years ago before I joined once diagnosed, had pathetically dry hair. I just cut all of it off which the ladies here call BC to 1/2 inch and grew it out from there: sometimes with weaves, and sometimes braids. After a while and a certain length mostly braid, dc, low manipulation, etc. I got it to MBL
Fast forward to early 2009...I had two set backs:
EARLY 2009 second setback:
One with a stylist and layers...it was just too many. Now I love some layering at the bottom but it was too many. And now basically I want it blunt (for now). Wish I documented it but it's on my other phone and that one's broke. I do have other pics so don't stone me.
Third Set back
with someone and their darn hot comb. They left it in a place too long and about a one by one inch section at the top of my hair was singed off to one inch. I wanted to kill them
cause ol girl was trying to comb it down and blend it in hoping I wasn't watching her every move. When I told her I just saw a huge section of my hair fly (like literally it flew through the air because it was singed, and it broke off right there as if someone took scissors to it.). She had the nerve to tell me that if I didn't move it wouldn't have happened. I told her that if she wasn't on the phone it wouldn't have happened, collected my things gave an evil look to the manager daring her to tell me I owed them as I walked out. The whole store watching...NOV 2009 from mbl to shoulder in a few snips
So I've been growing those layers out since then. In late Oct, early nov 2009 (can't remember if it was Halloween or the day after but it was one of those cause a friend visited for two days and I cut it then) I hacked off my hair to shoulder length. The ends were brittle from the thyroid imbalance (didn't check yet but soon realized) and newly found anemia (fun!) so I just didn't want to deal with it.It was a couple inches past. Nowhere near armpit. I admit did a gansta lean lol! So anyways best believe I tried hard not to do it with my new (update 2011) check up cause I didn't want yall to go hard. BUT in NOV 2009 I took this pic, I couldn't help it because it was heart breaking. I had to lean yall I had to lean
. I had just flat ironed.
I kept it braided for the year period. I washed in braids. If frizzy I redid. I just cornrowed it. My sweetie just got over it. If I had to go somewhere then I'd do something else (like an event, etc) But basically I stayed in braids. AND If I didn't cornrow a stylist did it for me. I like her cause she never pulls my hair.
Summer 2010 CUT 2 MORE INCHES
Okay after braiding it up and taking it down the next year summer 2010 I still cut off Two inches. Why? Cause there are sections that are a little shorter. I wanted to catch those up. I don't mind light layering but I do mind tons. Though I have tons of hair, I noticed, though everyone else said it was in my imagination.
FALL 2010 Braided up
OCT 2010 WEAVED IT
cause lets' face it I wanted a change. The same lady did my weave and you just couldn't tell cause she did an excellent job. It looked like flat ironed natural hair. I'll probably do that again.
FAST FORWARD TO JAN 2011 LENGTH CHECK
Ta da! Here's my length check
I didn't make waist length but I don't think it's bad to go from shoulder to this point and with a two inch trim in between. Not to mention the chop at the beginning from mbl to shoulder.
First pic: see my hair thickness.And there's no doubt that I'm 4A NATURAL. I blew out my hair. And flat ironed 1/8 of my head. My mom came in and laughed and said it was only 1/8 done
(I'm flying back to NY this weekend, and I missed the first class. Don't judge me. I only have two and my mom has lupus so I like to spend as much time with her as I can when I visit). So when she said the OBVIOUS. I decided screw it, I am just braiding it back up. HAIR TEXTURE
4A, Dry, Suprisingly fine: thin strands but tons of it, Dense (tons of trans like so many that I am NOT going to flat iron the whole thing. I felt like it was enough to take out my weave, wash my hair, dc. Leave in DC for two days and put in more dc and coconut oil to dry condition. AND then to wash, let air dry 80 percent and then blow dry). So flatironing that little bit felt like a feat.
Note the denseness of my thin strands. You'd think I had thick hair if you didn't pluck one from my head. Even in twists that I blew out and pinned to my head it still is really thick. I thought blowing it out would make it easier to tackle. It WAS easier than normal so I thank longhairdontcare for that one, but it still wasn't perfect.
I'm not even going to the "excuse my back fat". I'm tired of fighting this thyroid crap, but I'm going to win. So yall will see me next year in my wedding dress looking fly and hopefully back down to my original size again. Before the battle took over again, that is (hypo battle).
Okay and
TADA FINALLY
Keep in mind this is not flat ironed super straight and there is a little more hair between my fingers (about 1/2 inch or a little more or so from the feel of it). I don't like tugging my hair super straight because I don't like putting tons of tension on it.
Without further ado I didn't make waist length. And I don't want to straighten within an inch of its life or pull hard to get there So oh well My hair is even. I just pulled a small piece of it to show length. The entire hair is as thick as the first pic through ends and even because of steady trims.
Scalp. I couldn't part straight to flat iron cause it's so thick. Also it's not flat ironed really straight. BUT I tried to get that camera up in there.
I say I did the best with what God gave me. Show me whatcha working with. I think that trims aside, I got some good growth, OH and did I mention that my normally fast growth gets SLOW like a turtle when I go hypo, and also when I'm anemic (or really anemic) so my growth was a lot slower than usual for me.
HAIR PRODUCTS
I shampoo with the old creme of nature (I bought tons from sallie when I knew they were going out of business). I co wash in braids with a diluted cheapie conditioner but really only every couple of weeks, or once a week.
When I'm flat ironed I still try to go two-3 weeks and dry shampoo in between and argan oil the ends.
I love coconut oil and argan oil which are the only oils to penetrate strands. I don't believe in hard protein. My hair is already dry enough and I don't really need. What my hair craves is moisture. I get my protein from coconut oil (over night) mixed with avocado oil and steaming them before I wash. I believe in slathering with oil the night before washing, and conditioner too.
I focus shampoo only on scalp and only shampoo every other X, trying to conditioner wash mostly.
I love using a mixture of whatever conditioner I have around and shea butter chloesterol by lustrasilk on wash days (sometimes I even leave it in overnight whipped w/ the oils and conditioner before wash day).
When I flat iron I use la placha deap heat recontructor & leave in , also use if I blow dry. It has silk protein in it but I found my hair loves it.
My hair also loves silk elements deep conditioner.
Supplements: eating tons of veggies, and also chlorella. I will say I think it's the reason I didn't have to BC again (because when my thyroid is that out of whack usually it all has to go. Luckily the optimal nutrition counteracted some of it).
I'm just happy I'm here. I feel like Rocky running up those darn steps. I mean between hypothyrodism and anemia, It's really hard combatting those things.
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for those camera pics. but you've done pretty good so far to me, great thickness!!!
Cause it's no joke.
