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Reasons Why Your Hair Has Only Gotten To Apl And You've Been Here 3,4,5,6+ Years?

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I'm not APL but I've been here forever

I was on target for APL when my hair started breaking so I started trimming. I found out I had heat damage so I big chopped. If I had known better I should have just trimmed monthly and did regular protein treatments.

Was progressing OK and went to a stylist for a rollerset. After some harsh detangling I ended up with a head of mid-shaft splits and splits all the way up the strand. I refused to big chop again but I have been cutting out splits for 1.5 years. It was miserable but almost over.

I'm finally starting to retain again. I'm just reaching SL and hoping to get to APL next year. Not even sure when any other length will come into the picture.

I've been here so long APL is going to feel like TBL to me.
 
I've been here since 2008 and I'm still not APL. I've never had hair longer than SL.

I will say that my hair was in a short haircut when I joined. I made it to about shoulder length over the course of 2 years but I was trimming heavily because my hair didn't appear thick and full from root to tip. In December 2010 I BC'd and went natural. I had about a couple inches of hair. In 2012 I chopped off 4-5 inches of hair due to heat damage. Now in 2015 I still haven't reached APL. For years I did all the right things; deep condition, moisturize seal, bun, protective style. I finally realized that I have a problem growing and retaining length. I'm a slow grower and get 3-4 inches a year. If I trim twice a year that's half my growth chopped off( if I go to a stylist for my trims they're probably taking all my growth). So, basically I think I'm retaining 2 inches max per year.

However, I don't want waist length hair. I never wanted hair that long. My goal has always been APL. That's all I want.
 
After I reached APL, I got lazy. Extremely lazy. I didn't want to keep up with all the vitamins, the cowashing every couple of days, constant deep conditioning and moisturizing and sealing, etc. It became too much. I just decided that I want to get back to growing my hair, but I'm gonna have to take baby steps.
 
I've been here awhile. My run on sentence answer:

Started relaxed, transitioned, BCed, texturized, reached MBL, damaged my hair, cut to BSL, transitioned again, then cut when my natural hair was a bit below shoulder length, now I'm just reaching APL stretched.

Sucks to be only APL again after so many years, but considering my hair history it makes sense.
 
I tried to grow my hair to apl but hair longer than bsb makes me crazy. I tried to grow it and wear short wigs for a while but it didn't work either. Again this year, I'm trying to resist the urge to trim and see how long I can grow it so I'm wearing braids till the end of the year. Hopefully it works this time....
 
Plain and simple, my own hardheadedness. I was in denial about protein treatments for my natural hair, didn't know how to use protein treatments properly, didn't understand that protein treatments needed to be followed up with a moisturizing conditioner not another conditioner with a protein and that my hair hated glycerin and leave ins with protein. And the importance of dusting. And I also was in denial about how extension braids put tension on my hair and sucked all the moisture out of my already hi po hair. And also the importance of weekly washing and my treatments and finger combing (thank you Virtuenow). I was also in denial that my hair was fine.

Now that I finally get it because it can take awhile for some of us to get it, I know that my hair which has been APL before will now get there again by next year and this time I know how to retain my inches. I call my past years the 'wasted years' when I look back at some of my old posts, I cringe.

Best,
Almond Eyes
 
My hair do not grow 6 inches a year, more like 3 inches a year (I have transition new growth of 16 months to prove that). I don't know if I would get 6 inches with vitamins but I doubt it.

Whenever my hair gets pass APL, my ends start looking thin and I trim.
 
I transitioned and reached APL, but now I experience breakage at the ends. I don't always braid or twist or adequately protect my hair before bed and that results in tangling and breakage. I can't do low manipulation because my hair tangles, but experience breakage when I comb/finger comb. I'm finally doing an Aphogee 2step for the first time in YEARS and I will do a good trim (which I also haven't been doing well at either) and get back on track to my goal of BSL. That's all I want. Not a lot to ask for around here.
 
Started out relaxed then transitioned to natural at least four times cutting off all my hair each time. This last time I decided to stick with the natural process no matter what, and within 3 years, my hair is now at BSL. The longer it gets, the easier it is to maintain but I never got to this point because I always cut it off the minute it becomes too much work. If I didn't transition so many times, my hair would probably be way past WL.
 
Was relaxed with a Halle cut, grew it to SL, got intrigued about natural hair so I went natural. As a natural I got close to APL then got a keratin treatment and lost all my curl pattern, so I re-big chopped this past January.

It's very frustrating at times because I really do want long hair. Gonna stick it out as a colored-natural and hope I see growth and retention to get me to my hair goals.
 
I've only been here for 2 years but am finally very close to apl. I started with damaged, bone straight relaxed sl hair. I refused to cut and didnt understand what to do for fine, hi po, tangly hair.

What I've learned:
-Hair needs lots of protein
-Only detangle with a good slippy product
-Longterm protective styling works for me
-Be very gentle
-Only manipulate hair when I have the energy
-regular dustings are vital

I am finally retaining length but its a struggle to stay consistent
 
So I made it to APL about two years ago despite numerous set backs and just in general not knowing wtf I was doing:gorgeous: . Then I got really busy at my job working 60 hours a week and decided to relax my hair. Wore my relaxed hair for a while then began to do my normal wig routine. Thought that because I had relaxed hair I didn't have to de-tangle before I washed and conditioned it which resulted in this nasty rat's nest on my crown:eek2::darkcloud:! I tried for 3 days to de-tangle that bad boy I figured if I was able to unravel my locks then I could unravel this knot too. I did dc's, HOTs, protein, Green House overnight and alladat to no avail. I finally decided it was time to start over and cut my losses as well as my hair:crybaby:.

It was shorter than it have ever been because the tangle went down to about 2 inches from the root and I just said I'd go back to being a short natural since it was easier. My hair was maybe a centimeter from my head, not even eyebrow length :lachen: this was last year in the spring. then I began to experiment with hair dyes and enjoying the fact that I wasn't trying to hide behind a huge afro and my skin cleared up a lot. Didn't come on this board for a while because I was no longer on a growth journey. Then at some point in the fall when I saw my hair color growing out I said grow my afro back. So here I am, cbl and all! :rocker:
 
every time i reach SL, or close to it, I big chop. I don't plan to do that anymore. I think I've found my happy medium -- straight haired natural. I'm finally EL and I should reach NL by this October, so I hope to be at APL or close to it by the end of next summer.
 
HA! If I knew why I'd tell you. But... I wish I could make it to APL. All I need is two inches and I can't get them! It's strong and healthy. Didn't take too long to grow out from a bald cut when I went natural, but... I think it's my hormones. I'm going through peri-menopause.

As long as I've been a member though I never wanted to get to APL or longer until about a year ago.
 
1. My hair doesn't grow 6 inches in a year. I'm lucky if I grow 4 and retain 3.
2. Diagnosed with alopecia in 2010. Some of the hair has still never recovered.
3. I have terrible hand in hair disease when my hair is not in a protective styles.
4. Used to jump on a lot of bandwagon which lead to never having consistency with my regimen.
5. I'm the queen of fall setbacks. Seriously, my hair and regimen can be great for 6-7 months out the year and then November hits and things begin to go downhill. (I actually think my alopecia diagnosis happened that November)

I've been pretty disciplined with my regimen this year and retained a bit of length. My hair is unevenly approaching SL now. I hope to get to APL in spring or summer 2016.
 
Here's my story:
-joined in 2011 with EL hair
-grew it to SL by summer 2012
-did my first BC August 2012 down to 0.5 inch
-relaxed again 2/2013 at pixie length
-cut back to a pixie Jan 2014
-2nd BC 12/2014 down to 2 inches

Yeah, so I need to stop cutting my hair. :confused:
I'm grazing SL now and hope to be APL by May 2016. My goal is BSL.
 
I don't know if I count, since I've had mid back, relaxed hair before this board.

I came to the hair side when I began transitioning to natural about 3 years ago. Watching YouTube videos made me think being natural would be easy, but it wasn't after awhile. So I became very lazy & started wearing fake pony tails & eventually extensions.

With this, I gained length and at BSL stopped the extensions. During that brief time, I began seeing breakage. I'd lost about 4" of hair, because I still really didn't know what I was doing. I was told by a stylist that I needed to moisturize more & do deep conditions. My hair is now back to a bit past APL (breakage & trims), but I look at it as part of the learning curve as a fairly new natural.

I will continue going back and forth between extensions and wearing my own hair. Extensions are great protective styles & it's fun playing with different looks. Wearing my hair out more will help me get used to and learn how to take care of my natural hair better.

However, if I am APL in another year, then I will have serious problems. Oh, and my hair only grows 4" in a year.
 
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Went home to Kenya and sat under a dryer that frankly burnt my hair to a crisp. 10 min in I lowered the heat because I was pretty sure my brain had actually began to boil. Within 3 months of returning it had all broken off so I cut it all back to neck length. All that hair in my avatar does not exist anymore. It's been 3 yrs and my hair has never recovered fully.
 
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