Could it have been that the majority of your SL hair was already damaged and caused it to break off? No one seems to have a problem getting from a TWA to SL in a year. That's 6 inches.
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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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Could it have been that the majority of your SL hair was already damaged and caused it to break off? No one seems to have a problem getting from a TWA to SL in a year. That's 6 inches.
CaraWalker
Well-Known Member
or maybe you could just take what im saying at face value and accept the idea that i know the hair that is growing out of my actual head and what is and is not happening to it.
CaraWalker
Well-Known Member
do you understand what "most" means? nobody ever said it's not possible for black women to do the same thing.
im getting out of this thread because i dont have the patience for this and im about to get derisive.
pearlific1
Well-Known Member
Hmmm...good question, OP. I've had no issues getting to APL; it just takes a long time to grow my hair. I've been on this board since late 2008 or early 2009 (under another username) and started with SL relaxed hair. I've gone from SL relaxed to BSL texlaxed to transitioning to now grazing APL with natural hair all while only averaging 4"-4.5"/yr with no retention issues. I think the amount one retains per average amount grown is the one of the greatest factors in reaching length goals.
wow meow!
I just have to join in to this!
My backstory - when relaxed hair never grew past shoulders - after having my son, cut back to a fade due to postpartum hormonal changes. Wore it low for about 6 months. Decided to grow out for length. Went from fade to apl in 18months. And I am a tangly, fine haired, medium po, extra high density, extra dry, tenderheaded, type four xyz.
Anyhow, I went to Ms Jessies and got a texturizer. It was awesome, four months later I did it again, but it was too aggressive and my hair was bone straight. Tried to deal but big chopped again. Two years later, grew it out past SL and texturized again. Mistake. BCd again. Decided to try the straight haired natural route and ended up with heat damage and mid shaft splits so cut back to ear length. Finally approaching CBL. In the past I ascertain that i was growing at least .75/mo. My hair now grows .5 to .66/mo and I base that on watching my greys grow out. If I take vits and ish, I could probably get it up to the .75 again. Can I retain it all if I'm not cowashing every 2-3x/week? No. There are some people that are slow growers, but I truly believe it has to do with diet, environment and water intake.
I just have to join in to this!
My backstory - when relaxed hair never grew past shoulders - after having my son, cut back to a fade due to postpartum hormonal changes. Wore it low for about 6 months. Decided to grow out for length. Went from fade to apl in 18months. And I am a tangly, fine haired, medium po, extra high density, extra dry, tenderheaded, type four xyz.
Anyhow, I went to Ms Jessies and got a texturizer. It was awesome, four months later I did it again, but it was too aggressive and my hair was bone straight. Tried to deal but big chopped again. Two years later, grew it out past SL and texturized again. Mistake. BCd again. Decided to try the straight haired natural route and ended up with heat damage and mid shaft splits so cut back to ear length. Finally approaching CBL. In the past I ascertain that i was growing at least .75/mo. My hair now grows .5 to .66/mo and I base that on watching my greys grow out. If I take vits and ish, I could probably get it up to the .75 again. Can I retain it all if I'm not cowashing every 2-3x/week? No. There are some people that are slow growers, but I truly believe it has to do with diet, environment and water intake.
nothidden
TeamNatural95-Fractals/Zigzags
I agree w/this. Though I am not a slow grower, I know I can't go wrong giving my hair some basics to maximize growth. For me this means protein via diet (powder in smoothies) and hair treatments, a cleansed scalp, daily hydration because my curls are super tight and love water (daily until it gets too long), inversion method to stimulate my scalp and promote growth (which will evolve into daily scalp massages while cleansing), and moisturizing hair products.
Honestly, when my hair was below shoulder length as a child, I didn't do any of this! I was young and getting my hair pressed w/a hot comb bi-weekly
wow meow!
I just have to join in to this!
My backstory - when relaxed hair never grew past shoulders - after having my son, cut back to a fade due to postpartum hormonal changes. Wore it low for about 6 months. Decided to grow out for length. Went from fade to apl in 18months. And I am a tangly, fine haired, medium po, extra high density, extra dry, tenderheaded, type four xyz.
Anyhow, I went to Ms Jessies and got a texturizer. It was awesome, four months later I did it again, but it was too aggressive and my hair was bone straight. Tried to deal but big chopped again. Two years later, grew it out past SL and texturized again. Mistake. BCd again. Decided to try the straight haired natural route and ended up with heat damage and mid shaft splits so cut back to ear length. Finally approaching CBL. In the past I ascertain that i was growing at least .75/mo. My hair now grows .5 to .66/mo and I base that on watching my greys grow out. If I take vits and ish, I could probably get it up to the .75 again. Can I retain it all if I'm not cowashing every 2-3x/week? No. There are some people that are slow growers, but I truly believe it has to do with diet, environment and water intake.
Hmmmm.....I never thought about water intake. I might join a challenge to see I it make difference. Thanks!
PinkSunshine77
New York's Finest
Because I cut all of my relaxed hair off a little over a year ago. I actually was APL relaxed when I BC'd. My natural hair is currently SL. I didn't think I'd be able to ponytail it already but here we are
IMFOCSD
Well-Known Member
Been a member since 2005, my hair finally reached APL around 2012-2013 after periods of random breakage & different hair cuts....my hair started breaking off, ends got thin & see thru so i cut back to SL then eventually began transitioning...Now im almost 2 years natural w/stretched SL 4ab thick hair.
@Subscribe I try to drink at least 100oz/day If you find it's hard, drink herbal teas without added sweeteners. That still counts as water! Bamboo tea is a great tea for the hair due to the silica. Two other ways to up your water is to have a bottle of water by your bedside to drink first thing before getting up in the morning and the other is if you drink an entire bottle of water when you take your vits. If you do that, that's 34 oz without trying too hard.
Femmefatal1981
Well-Known Member
Because I....
wear and wash and go almost every day
I almost never protective style
I don't detangle
I don't DC
I only get trims once a year because I only straightened once a yr
I don't sleep in a scarf or bonnet ( most of the the time)
I don't stick to what works. MHM worked great for my hair last year but I got bored with it.
Last month I went blonde... I'm sure I'm going to pay for that with a few inches. To combat that I decided to commit to a stylist and get a blow out and DC every 2 weeks for the rest of the year. Basically I have not done what I need to do to get there. I will try and be more consistent the next 12 months.
wear and wash and go almost every day
I almost never protective style
I don't detangle
I don't DC
I only get trims once a year because I only straightened once a yr
I don't sleep in a scarf or bonnet ( most of the the time)
I don't stick to what works. MHM worked great for my hair last year but I got bored with it.
Last month I went blonde... I'm sure I'm going to pay for that with a few inches. To combat that I decided to commit to a stylist and get a blow out and DC every 2 weeks for the rest of the year. Basically I have not done what I need to do to get there. I will try and be more consistent the next 12 months.
kupenda
Well-Known Member
I BC'd at least twice. Then had some damage from a stylist and began doing deeper trims at home every few weeks. I got past APL this year but my ends were still sh*tty so I cut over 3 inches, which brought me back to no man's land. I'll be APL again by October if I fight the urge for another baldie
trendsetta25
Well-Known Member
I think my reason was...Setbacks like relaxing and not rinsing properly.
mshoneyfly
Well-Known Member
@CurliDiva
I agree with this. I am not that tall (about 5'4") but have a big head, a long kneck and a long torso. Thats why its good to take pics of your hair bc it always looks the same to me in the mirror. But looking at a photo tells the real story.
greenandchic
Well-Known Member
I'm longer than APL but have been "stuck" at the same length forever:
- Early in my hair journey, I didn't know or understand proper detangling techniques = breakage.
- 2010 - Too much protective styles that caused tangles -had to cut my hair. I also didn't moisturize enough.
- 2011-2012 - Henna dried out and broke off my hair. I also went overboard with protein and lost a few inches.
- 2013 - Had a difficult time with tangles again. One WnG set me back (tangles, matted hair, etc).
- 2014 - My first time being relaxed. Finally started to retain hair.
- 2015 - Things were going well until I started experiencing health related shedding. I have chronic (long term) Lyme disease which can cause hair loss. I took an antibiotic that's know for hair loss as a side effect. I also tend to have hypothyroid (which I'm treating) which can cause hair loss. Also, a medication for thyroid can cause hair loss as a side effect (switched to a different formula). I cut 2.5 inches off since the shedding was so bad. Thankfully the shedding has stopped and my NG is thick (thanks to supplements and EO treatment) and my hair is back on its way to where I want it to be.
- My hair doesn't grow 6" per year. I'm luck to have 4".
overtherainbow
Well-Known Member
This is true. Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating because I'm 5'4" with a small head, short torso and long legs. I'm about 15 inches from armpit to the middle of my hips.
I started my healthy hair journey in 2012 with APL hair. Since then i have been struggling to reach full BSL.
1. I didn't deep condition regularly
2. I didn't setup a proper moisture/protein regimen
3. I didn't stick with a set hairstyle, always changing my hairstyles
4. I half heartedly protective styled
5. I didn't regular moisturize and seal
And my biggest hair setback was HEAT DAMAGE
I had heat damage in 2012 and in 2015. I just recently chopped away 1/4 of my hair length
So my hair is sorta uneven buttttt the straight wavy hair pieces were driving me insane. So away the hair had to go...
However my hair naturally has layers so its not too bad.
I'm not sure what my hair length is now, but I will do a length check when the new year starts. I think I'll save up for a top notch quality flat iron before I use heat on my hair again. I just refuse to give up heat permanently.
1. I didn't deep condition regularly
2. I didn't setup a proper moisture/protein regimen
3. I didn't stick with a set hairstyle, always changing my hairstyles
4. I half heartedly protective styled
5. I didn't regular moisturize and seal
And my biggest hair setback was HEAT DAMAGE
I had heat damage in 2012 and in 2015. I just recently chopped away 1/4 of my hair length
So my hair is sorta uneven buttttt the straight wavy hair pieces were driving me insane. So away the hair had to go...
However my hair naturally has layers so its not too bad.
I'm not sure what my hair length is now, but I will do a length check when the new year starts. I think I'll save up for a top notch quality flat iron before I use heat on my hair again. I just refuse to give up heat permanently.
I'm doing much better now the last few months
1. I regularly deep condition with light protein/moisture once or twice week
2. I dust every so often since I've come to the realization I have fine hair, which requires scheduled dusting
3. I moisture and seal with Coconut Oil every other day
4. I have a consistent hairstyle now, my half up half down with side bangs
1. I regularly deep condition with light protein/moisture once or twice week
2. I dust every so often since I've come to the realization I have fine hair, which requires scheduled dusting
3. I moisture and seal with Coconut Oil every other day
4. I have a consistent hairstyle now, my half up half down with side bangs
Desert Skye
Well-Known Member
I must one of the oldest members here.
My hair is not WL because of: laziness, pregnancy, thinking it was ok to bleached my relaxed hair, doing a bc. All this in a course of 11 years.
My hair is not WL because of: laziness, pregnancy, thinking it was ok to bleached my relaxed hair, doing a bc. All this in a course of 11 years.
My hair is in between SL and APL. I'm trying to get to BSL length however:
1. I have Hand in Hair Syndrome (particularly if I'm nervous)
2. I don't get trims as often as I should
3. At the beginning of my natural hair journey I didn't detangle as thoroughly as I should
4. It wasn't until recently that I've had a consistent hair regimen (I was a bit of a product junkie)
1. I have Hand in Hair Syndrome (particularly if I'm nervous)
2. I don't get trims as often as I should
3. At the beginning of my natural hair journey I didn't detangle as thoroughly as I should
4. It wasn't until recently that I've had a consistent hair regimen (I was a bit of a product junkie)
WaistLengthDreams
Well-Known Member
I'm past APL so I hope you don't mind me hoping in here but I've been stuck at the same length for a few years now and I think it's because of too many trims. I've been trimming my hair every 3 months this entire time I've been stuck. And I've pretty much been cutting away my progress. I'm going back to annual (or maybe twice a year) trims, which is what I was doing when I was doing a better job at retaining length.
Also, I'd like to chime in on the 6 inches of growth discussion: I want to echo what @Wenbev said about diet playing a big roll in hair growth. Making sure that you eat healthy fats, enough protein and drink lots of water make a big difference in the quality of hair that grows from your scalp (i.e. shine, elasticity, strength) as well as the rate at which it grows.
That is my problem! I have the longest neck ever! And I'm 6ft 2!
AmethystLily
Cynic on the outside; Dreamer on the inside
True in my case. It wasn't till a couple of years ago that I started figuring out what truly works for my hair. I personally have found that my growth rate is 1/2 in per month on my right side, and 3/4 in per month on my left side. With 100% retention, that would be up to 9 inches a year (on left side). Despite that though, I keep hitting a plateau when I go a couple of inches past collarbone length. I've reached APL before, so I should be able to do it again. I got a Komaza Hair Analysis and while it wasn't as terrible as I'd feared, it did reveal some issues that kept setting me back.
missliberia
Well-Known Member
Chile, you name it I've done it by way of things that will hamper your progress to longer lengths. I am sitting at a respectable BSL but it has taken a long time and I'd like to chime in on what I was doing wrong.
I have been natural since October of 2011 so about 4 years and I transitioned for 18 months before my BC. Since that time, I was wearing puffs for the first 2 years and SSK's got a hold of most of my length. Then I tried curly girl max hydration and protective styling and found out my hair does not like being wet all the time. The middle of my hair was see thru (W hemline) and I had to keep trimming. Then I realized I needed to up my protein. My hair did not like all the moisture and it was losing me length cowashing with all these moisturizing things. I beefed up on protein more and started retaining a full hemline but protective styling like buns were still giving me more SSK's than I liked so about all last year I was a straightened natural. This is when my hair thrived because in that time perfected my protein regimen (3 weeks of protein DC and 1 of moisture only DC in a month's time) and I could see a weekly update in terms of how I was doing because of my straightening. Hair is completely heat trained at this point and I do not care about the loss of curl because it is the most manageable my hair has ever been.
But now I want waist length and beyond so I am using weaves as a protective style. While straightening I got a few more split ends than I normally would have so I have tucked my hair into braids under a weave with my edges and horseshoe section out in the front. Have had it for about a month now and we will see how this goes.
I have been natural since October of 2011 so about 4 years and I transitioned for 18 months before my BC. Since that time, I was wearing puffs for the first 2 years and SSK's got a hold of most of my length. Then I tried curly girl max hydration and protective styling and found out my hair does not like being wet all the time. The middle of my hair was see thru (W hemline) and I had to keep trimming. Then I realized I needed to up my protein. My hair did not like all the moisture and it was losing me length cowashing with all these moisturizing things. I beefed up on protein more and started retaining a full hemline but protective styling like buns were still giving me more SSK's than I liked so about all last year I was a straightened natural. This is when my hair thrived because in that time perfected my protein regimen (3 weeks of protein DC and 1 of moisture only DC in a month's time) and I could see a weekly update in terms of how I was doing because of my straightening. Hair is completely heat trained at this point and I do not care about the loss of curl because it is the most manageable my hair has ever been.
But now I want waist length and beyond so I am using weaves as a protective style. While straightening I got a few more split ends than I normally would have so I have tucked my hair into braids under a weave with my edges and horseshoe section out in the front. Have had it for about a month now and we will see how this goes.
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