I remember when..

[Channy31]

Just thought this would be fun and interesting to reminisce about the times before LHCF, when our hair wasn't healthy/ natural/ relaxed. Just basically remembering how far we have all come in our journeys

I remember when my hair was so damaged that it wouldn't move, if I lent my hair on something it would just stay there until I pushed it back to where I wanted it. It was just like straw really.



What about you guys?

 

[naija24]

My hair was like that for so long that I thought that was just how black hair worked.

I hope to never have damaged hair like that again. (I also made a pledge to never cut my hair again) so we'll see how that goes.

 

[shasha8685]

I'm remember when:

--my hair would break off if you just looked at it (it was bad ).

--I would use Pink Lotion for moisture. My hair would stay dry and I couldn't figure out why.

--I relaxed every 4 weeks and used heat everyday.



Thank goodness for growth and change because I never want to go back to those days!

 

[Channy31]

I used heat everyday and stil didn't get the results I wanted because it was so damaged

 

[geejay]

I remember when every hair styling session resulted in little broken pieces of hair all over the sink and my clothing.

 

[StarScream35]

I remember really thinking that stylists were the only ones who could do my hair so I relied on them like white on rice.

Speaking of stylists, I remember that old belief that said if a man did your hair, it would grow faster. I was hell bent on finding myself a male stylist.............LOL

I remember when I was scared as crap to go natural but now I'm like.........why was I scared??

 

[prospurr4]

...my hair was so messed up:

- It never got past full SL.

- Pieces of hair on my clothing (and even on my desk/papers at work ) were the norm.

-My lack of heat-usage skills resulted in burned, dry hair. (I still have no heat skills, but it doesn't matter since direct heat hasn't touched my hair in over 7 years. )

- I could never wear my hair up unless I used MANY hairpins to keep the varied broken lengths at bay.

- In addition to heat damage, my hair was also chemically overprocessed.

I could go on and on. Like I said at the beginning, my hair was really messed up. Thank you Lord for leading me to LHCF!

 

[kandiekj100]

I remember in junior high when I started hot curling my own hair, I would spray my hair with hairspray and then curl it. And that snap, crackle, pop, couple with the smoke meant I was doing it right. I'm surprised I still had hair on my head. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but definitely was not what i had been when my mom was doing my hair.

Luckily by the time I reached high school I stopped doing that nonsense, lol.

 

[HoneyA]

I'm remember when:

--my hair would break off if you just looked at it (it was bad )

I remember when every hair styling session resulted in little broken pieces of hair all over the sink and my clothing.

...my hair was so messed up:

- It never got past full SL.

- Pieces of hair on my clothing (and even on my desk/papers at work ) were the norm.

Ditto to the broken hair everywhere. I was so afraid to go to the doctor in case he told me I was ill. That much hair on the floor could not have been normal. Turned out it was just a moisture/protein imbalance

 

[BeautyGoesDutch]

-I remember going to the salon and telling the hair stylist my scalp was sore but she would say "It Just means your hair is growing"

-I Remember people saying you get a "Blunt" Cut your hair will never grow back again.

-Split Ends are the best thing for hair growth means you hair is growing so fast it can't keep up.

-Marcel Irons are the best irons to use after a Relaxer

-Relaxer should burn Means it's working and relaxing all the way down to my ends every three weeks. (Oh Yea, while the relaxer was on spray oil sheen on it to stop the burn and it will give it shine too )

-Hair Stylist would relax my edges every two week SMH

ROFL Now looking back others and myself were just horrible to my hair

 

[StarScream35]

Some of these erroneous beliefs that people had, has my bottom lip stuck to the floor. I'm just speechless!

 

[prettybyrd]

I used to be at the salon for hours on Saturdays. ...Sometimes I miss it, especially the gossip.

 

[IronButterfly]

I remember thinking I had the worse black hair in the world (literally!)

I remember thinking wearing un-straigtened hair meant something was wrong with you.

I remember hot combing my hair with vaseline and being glad it was smoking like hot bacon.

I remember having a nervous breakdown in my car because my curly weave wouldn't blend in right! (Funny how a little flaxseed gel now gives the same results).

I remember my ends used to feel all crispy and crunchy. I would cut my hair with the household scissors.

Ok...I'm done remembering...I just can't...

 

[EnExitStageLeft]

......When I as in high school and my hair was MBL, thick and dry as *BLEEP*.

I only rocked buns this time and absolutely HATED my hair. When I got in 12th grade I cut it to shoulder length and rocked it that way FOR YEARS! Then the bob became popular and I got scissor happy. Name a type of bob and I probably had it lol.

*Sigh....I sometimes have that urge to go short again, but I resist........for now

 

[yaya24]

I remember:

-Black protein gelled up ponytails w/ a side swoop..

-I remember curling the "length" of my hair with hot curling irons after using pump it up spritz

-Combing my strands with fine tooth combs

-I remember using neutralizing shampoo on my wash day sometimes.. I thought that was okay.

-Deep conditioning??.. I def don't remember doing that I would put it in and put on a cap..then rinse it out after 5-10 minutes.

-I'm pretty sure I remember relaxing every 5-6 weeks.

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I 'memba when I use to use my huge barrel shiny silver curling iron barrel to lay down my edges. . .WITH PumpIt Up spritz

I 'memba when a little bit of grease, water and some hard brushing was all I needed to get my hair to submit to a smooth ponytail(though it never had length and looked like a little chicken butt)

I 'member getting my curly perm

I 'memba sitting on the floor between my moms knees while she pulled and jerked my hair into submitting to braids and beads all the while threating to slap me in the head with the comb if I moved one mo time

I 'member my first relaxer, Dark n Lovely. . .tore my hair out and I never used and still refuse to use DnL products

I 'member hating to get my hair pressed because I had bad nerves and would flinch and get burned

I 'memba doing my friends hair in my bedroom in highschool when I learned how to do fingerwaves

I 'memba when I learned to stretch my relaxers beyond 6 weeks

I 'memba when I found out that grease is NOT a moisturizer

I 'memba when I did my first braid out

I 'memba when I had a daughter and I made it my business to learn about healthy long black girl hair

 

[prettybyrd]

I remember:


-I remember curling the "length" of my hair with hot curling irons after using pump it up spritz

I remember doing this in middle school because a girl told me, "When it sizzles, that's just the alcohol in the spritz burning off, it's actually protecting your hair from the heat." My dumb behind starting doing it everyday until my Mom caught me.

 

[Victoria44]

I remember having to pick the broken hairs off my shirt, especially if I wore a light colored shirt to school.

- running my hand down my ponytail several times a day and removing loads of broken and shed hairs.

 

[Saga]

I remember having scabs on my scalp

I remember the Dominican ladies couldnt ever remember the last perm they used on my hair so they just switched it up each time

I remember getting a relaxer once a month

I remember my hair falling out by the hour

I remember getting microbraids to hide the damage, but it only made it worse

I remember reading a book on black hair care and deciding to cut it all off

 

[InBloom]

I remember when I thought there was some special, magical product that would make my hair grow.....

I remember when I maintained a pixie cut because I couldn't grow past chin length.....

I remember when I protein overloaded myself, trying to fix the problem of dry/brittle/breaking hair.....

I remember when I thought only mixed girls could achieve long hair......

I remember when I thought full shoulder length was long.....

 

[LexiDior]

I remember when i use to pull my split ends apart and keep it moving.
I remember keep braids in for months at a time.
I remember washing my hair once a week...with a clarifying shampoo.
I remember brushing dandruff out my with every wash and not doing anything about it.
I remember flat ironing my bang everyday.

 

[StarScream35]

I remember trying Rio Hair relaxer......thank God it didn't do much damage to my hair.

 

[Jasmataz]

I remember coloring/bleaching my hair several times a year when I had a relaxer.

I remember getting a touch-up, color rinse, and glued in tracks all on the same day. My scalp was BURNING.

I remember when I would take my hair down from having braids and not detangling before I shampooed.

I remember ripping through my hair with a comb, trying to get the track glue out .

I remember when I thought products like Doo Gro would actually make my hair grow long.

 

[veesweets]

I remember hot combing my hair with vaseline and being glad it was smoking like hot bacon.

Me too girl, me too Then I would wonder why my hair was so heavy and flat.. between the vaseline and the oil sheen it was always shiny though!

 

[newnyer]

StarScream35 WOAH--RIO?!! I remember those infomercials!! I wanted to try it SO bad and almost pouted when my Ma wouldn't even consider it. Whew! So glad now....

Anyway,
I remember when I actually believed my stylist with all my heart when she told me I probably could not grow my hair past SL AND have it healthy. "Some people's hair just can't grow that long." Pffft!!!

I remember when waiting more than 6-8 weeks for a relaxer was a sin.

I remember when I never looked at the ingredients on all my hair products.

I remember when I wore weaves to get the hair length I want but probably couldn't get....now I'll get a weave (someday) just to give my hair length a break.

I remember when I wouldn't think twice as to who touched my hair. Yes I had a regular stylist but I would wander. Now you need 3 references, a resume, pictures of your work, a list of all products used and regimen, a credit check, your emergency contact, and your family medical history (j/k!). Then I'll still just hold on to your # until I'm ready to take the plunge.

 

[leiah]

I remember peeling my split ends apart
Holding out a section of hair and seeing strands bent at a perfect right angle where they were about to break
Kept my flat iron at my desk and would just mindlessly run it through my hair while I was on the computer. No heat protectant of course

I just opened a book I haven't touched for years and found little broken hairs in it

 

[Angelinhell]

I remember when I thought there was some special, magical product that would make my hair grow.....

It's so crazy to me that beauticians now come up to me to ask me what's my secret

I remember when I thought full shoulder length was long.....

I felt this way too lol, but that was because everybody else made me feel like my hair was booty length

..........

 

[Angelinhell]

I remember when I would flatiron my hair 5 days a week, and on the weekends every once in awhile just for fun.

I remember when I thought putting grease or ors moisturizer and "sealing" it in with my flatiron was deep conditioning. (A stylist told me to do this btw)

 

[LexiDior]

I remember peeling my split ends apart
Holding out a section of hair and seeing strands bent at a perfect right angle where they were about to break
Kept my flat iron at my desk and would just mindlessly run it through my hair while I was on the computer. No heat protectant of course

I just opened a book I haven't touched for years and found little broken hairs in it

I found an old grease jar from a couple of years ago and it has so much hair in it. im glad i found LHCF when I did.

 

[IMFOCSD]

I remember going to the salon for a relaxer and them spraying my scalp with oil sheen to "stop the burn" i remember patches of hair loss, i remember someone packing grease onto my hair right before a hot comb being ripped through my hair and burning my ears and scalp i remember getting my hair relaxed & eventually relaxing my own hair every 4 weeks like clockwork, i remember broken hairs all over my clothes and floor, and combing several times a day smh, i remember reaching above SL and then my hair breaking off to neck length or shorter i remember never using a DC, protein or reconstructor...hell i had never heard of them before this board...i remember using hair glue to put weave in my hair...sigh

So glad those days are behind me!