SmilingElephant's Hip-Tailbone Challenge 2026

[SmilingElephant]

I know I’m just barging into this thread without joining (I just can’t do challenges) but I saw the word shrinkage, and then the hair pictures of @SmilingElephant and had to jump in to relate. My hair has not been cooperating for a good few years now, and I finally had to cut off all the longer pieces (my hair was lopsided, with breakage and/or shedding in areas, and getting super-thin). I had lengths from BSB to TBL. I don’t remember exactly when I finally decided to cut it, but I basically kept it covered from November through April, and in buns since. I had to rush out over the weekend, and I don’t know what possessed me to do a wash & go instead of a bun, but I did. My w&g shrank up above my shoulders. I was so shocked, I didn’t think I had cut it *that* much. My hair mats up too much with a w&g, and I don’t want to damage it even more, so I was putting it into twists yesterday. Almost all the twists were MBL when I pulled on them. Now if only I could get some density back.

Hey @yamilee21

Yes, this shrinkage gets on my nerves, but I keep reminding myself that it's been barely 3 years since I cut all my hair off. October will make 3 years...so I should expect my hair to shrink up the way it does right now.

I'm so used to my hair being longer, thus weighing it down more so it didn't shrink as much.

If your hair is matting up in wash n gos....try adding a little hair grease on top of your leave in, or let you hair air-dry a little bit and add the grease. I do that mainly in the Fall/Winter

 

[SmilingElephant]

The shrinkage is real! I found that The Doux Mousse Def really elongated my curl pattern when I tried it last week.This week, I used The Doux Crazy Sexy Curl, my curls are not as stretched as they were with Mousse Def, but definitely more stretched than when I use Miche gel to foam mousse. I'm MBL, and my WAG sits at SL when I use Miche foam, and around CBL/APL with The Doux crazy sexy curl mousse.

Hmmm

I need to try that mousse, then. I like their Big Poppa gel, although I haven't used it in a while. The last time I used it, I remember it being a 1 and Done product.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

I used to be a Jehovah's Witness. I grew up and learned to realize we all experience God in our own personal ways.

If I wanted to talk about religion, I'd be in that forum...but I'm not

I do apologize. I didn't mean to offend you or strike a nerve. I was just interested in your thought processes since you brought it up. Once again, I apologize, enjoy the rest of whatever part of the day it is for you. Sorry ladies for derailing the thread.

 

[Angel of the North]

Hmmm

I need to try that mousse, then. I like their Big Poppa gel, although I haven't used it in a while. The last time I used it, I remember it being a 1 and Done product.

I didn't feel that it was a one and done product, however, I would need to try it on my hair after shampooing to get a true gauge on the product.

I have not used shampoo in a while, just been cowashing, but I ideally should clarify before testing out new products.

This week I used the crazy sexy curl mousse over S-Curl, and then topped it off with the Big Poppa gel.

I'm loving the results, my hair is super moisturised, there's a cast but it's not crunchy/hard, it's firm but light hold. There's slightly a little more frizz than last week but nothing crazy, curls are still defined, with hold.

I'm on day 3, and it's holding up very well, I'm really happy with my results this week and feel this is a winning combo. I still have the CRN spiked honey mousse to try, I'll get on that for next week.

 

[SmilingElephant]

So my order of the blue "Sport" EcoStyler gel just came in. I can't wait to try it tomorrow I'm hoping it gives more of a cast than the other formulas do.

I'm also eyeballing their other new formulas: Rosemary Mint, and Avocado Castor Oil (I think...I know it's avocado something)

I'm gonna give my beloved EcoStyler another chance. Maybe the sport formula will help redeem them

 

[Angel of the North]

So my order of the blue "Sport" EcoStyler gel just came in. I can't wait to try it tomorrow I'm hoping it gives more of a cast than the other formulas do.

I'm also eyeballing their other new formulas: Rosemary Mint, and Avocado Castor Oil (I think...I know it's avocado something)

I'm gonna give my beloved EcoStyler another chance. Maybe the sport formula will help redeem them

I've seen some many complaints about their formula change, as I had never used any of the eco styler gels, I would be oblivious to the former one. I hope their new lines work week for you, I'm looking forward to hearing your reviews.

The new lines seem to have more oils/herbs in them,.which will hopefully be a good thing. Do you know what the difference is between the sport formula and the others? When I was looking at the extreme wetline gels, I noticed that their blue gel was oil based and their clear gel was water based.

 

[SmilingElephant]

I've seen some many complaints about their formula change, as I had never used any of the eco styler gels, I would be oblivious to the former one. I hope their new lines work week for you, I'm looking forward to hearing your reviews.

The new lines seem to have more oils/herbs in them,.which will hopefully be a good thing. Do you know what the difference is between the sport formula and the others? When I was looking at the extreme wetline gels, I noticed that their blue gel was oil based and their clear gel was water based.

Well, I tried the blue Sport Eco Styler the other day and there's something I noticed about the EcoStyler gels: They give great definition, but they no longer have that hold they used to have.

I had to use my Aussie Mega spray for hold but my curls lasted for days!

 

[Napp]

I highly recommend Xiomara gel. It reminds me of original Wetline gel. It works great in my hair.

 

[SmilingElephant]

I highly recommend Xiomara gel. It reminds me of original Wetline gel. It works great in my hair.

I saw it on Amazon but figured it probably wasn't a good gel. I've been using Super Wet gel but it's getting harder to find. I'll have to check Xiomara out.

 

[Angel of the North]

I saw it on Amazon but figured it probably wasn't a good gel. I've been using Super Wet gel but it's getting harder to find. I'll have to check Xiomara out.

I don't think the super wet gel is available over here, when I looked ot up, it was roughly £30 including shipping,.but I don't think that includes import taxes. I saw it on Amazon (US for $8.99.

ETA: The xiomara, was even more lol. On average £30 another £17 shipping, not including import taxes. It looks like I'll be sticking with Big Poppa

 

[SmilingElephant]

So I bought the Xiomara gel They had them 2 for $9 and some change. I will report with results soon.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Okay I tried it and I think it's my new fave!

THESE are the curls I know and love!



My hair is still wet, but this is the definition I look for after taking my hair out of the t shirt to dry. If my hair does not look like this after I take it out of my t shirt, then it's a crap product.

I'm loving the Xiomara!

 

[Angel of the North]

Okay I tried it and I think it's my new fave!

THESE are the curls I know and love!

View attachment 505886

My hair is still wet, but this is the definition I look for after taking my hair out of the t shirt to dry. If my hair does not look like this after I take it out of my t shirt, then it's a crap product.

I'm loving the Xiomara!

I was just about to say your hair looks like it's grown a lot, then I realised that it was still wet I'm so glad that you're loving this gel, and also that you got a great deal on them. I love finding products that work, I wish I could try it too, but I can't justify the £40-70 for an $8 dollar hair gel.

 

[Napp]

Okay I tried it and I think it's my new fave!

THESE are the curls I know and love!

View attachment 505886

My hair is still wet, but this is the definition I look for after taking my hair out of the t shirt to dry. If my hair does not look like this after I take it out of my t shirt, then it's a crap product.

I'm loving the Xiomara!

I love it too! I don’t want it to get too popular and they mess it up like Xtreme gel

 

[SmilingElephant]

I love it too! I don’t want it to get too popular and they mess it up like Xtreme gel

Yes! Every time they get popular they mess them up! Makes me wanna buy 2 jars every time I get paid just so I can have the original formula. They did the same thing to EcoStyler and that was my FAVORITE gel

 

[yamilee21]

@SmilingElephant Wait, what happened to EcoStyler? We use the “Argan” oil and the “Olive” oil versions, and I haven’t really noticed much difference… been using them maybe 15ish years.

 

[SmilingElephant]

@SmilingElephant Wait, what happened to EcoStyler? We use the “Argan” oil and the “Olive” oil versions, and I haven’t really noticed much difference… been using them maybe 15ish years.

It doesn't have the hold in it that it used to. They changed the formula a few years ago. I can tell the difference in my curls when I use it.

 

[SmilingElephant]

My hair has gotten longer! This is my ponytail from today. My hair is 90% dry!

 

[SmilingElephant]

Yesterday, I used the LUS Brand system and Xiomara gel. This gel pairs well, for me, with different leave ins.

I like it so far with the LUS All in One, or Mixed Chicks Leave In, or Novex Leave In, and a serum like the L'Oreal Frizz Killer.

 

[SmilingElephant]

 

[JoyBloom]

Heyyyy all. Still kicking it, loc’d & loaded. Been using Carols Daughter to shampoo & condition in the shower every Friday. Aloe Vera & infused olive oil as a leave in. Length still looks the same as my locs are still maturing but they getting a lil fatter.

 

[SmilingElephant]

@JoyBloom BEAUTIFUL! And give me those glasses, they are so cute!

 

[SmilingElephant]

So this was yesterday's ponytail. I feel like I finally got my ponytail back!

I co-washed with OGX Moroccan Argan Oil conditioner. Then I sprayed the L'Oreal Hyaloron Plump serum spray and then applied LUS BRANDS Curly All-in-one leave in and Xiomara gel.

Today I just misted it with water and sprayed some more of the serum.

I really feel like my hair has really grown! This is why I don't take a bunch of pictures all the time, I like to wait so I can see a major difference.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Okay, so here's my length check for September. Y'all probably can't tell a difference, but I can. And I'm really irritated because my hair is longer in the shower, because I'm the water helps it stretch out more.



Maybe I could try taking pics in the shower, but who wants to do that? (Fully clothed, of course ) I'm the shower I am definitely waist length so I'm claiming it, dammit!

 

[Theresamonet]

So I finally did it — I put in the mini braids.
I had actually prepped my hair about three weeks ago to do it, and then I just… didn’t. Lol. I think I needed to mentally prepare for all the braiding. In the end, it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I did it over the course of five days. I could have finished sooner, but I don’t have the daily stamina for marathon braiding sessions. I parted and cornrowed my sections on day one, then braided one quadrant each day. Doing it this way kept me from getting too worn out, but by the time I reached the last two rows, I was OVER IT.

View attachment 503996
View attachment 503998

There’s no added hair and no product used during the braiding process. I just lightly moisturized beforehand with water, TGIN leave-in, and avocado oil.

My plan is to keep these in for about two months. That’s the goal, anyway. I really don’t want to redo them anytime soon, but I also don’t want my hair to start locing — so we’ll see how things go.

Tentative routine:

• Daily moisturize and seal with my herbal/ayurvedic spray and avocado oil. Maybe diluted TGIN or Rusk leave-in a few times a week.
• Weekly wash and deep condition. Still figuring out the best techniques and products for this.
• I’d like to incorporate ayurvedic treatments at least every other week. I usually do masks, but with the braids in, I’ll probably switch to teas to avoid particles getting stuck in my hair.
• After washing and deep conditioning, I’ll spray my hair with Infusium 23 and follow with a soak in diluted leave-in conditioner. Infusium 23 is actually the only product I still remember from the old Crown & Glory method. I’ve searched everywhere for a detailed breakdown of that routine, but haven’t been able to find one. Such a shame.
• My hair will be in a bun under my satin Slap cap 90% of the time — as usual. Lol.
• I want to get back to massaging my scalp a few times a week. I did this consistently last year and I believe it helped with growth. But I also think oiling my scalp contributed to the intense itching and recurring folliculitis I dealt with. I cut out scalp oils completely this year and things have been calm. I did buy The Ordinary’s scalp serum and want to try incorporating it. I’m going to wait until my first wash though, just in case it causes irritation.

I really hope this goes well. I can see how this could make long stretches much smoother and support good retention. But I also see the potential for setbacks. Fingers crossed!

I just took these braids down this weekend. 4 months.

I'm going to do a protein treatment and DC tomorrow, and then relax and trim this weekend. My last relaxer was in January. I was gonna reinstall the mini braids in a few weeks, but I think I'm going to ride the rest of the year out in cornrows underneath my headband wig.

 

[JuiceMobsta]

@SmilingElephant I think your ponytail looks fuller and longer

 

[faithVA]

Okay, so here's my length check for September. Y'all probably can't tell a difference, but I can. And I'm really irritated because my hair is longer in the shower, because I'm the water helps it stretch out more.



Maybe I could try taking pics in the shower, but who wants to do that? (Fully clothed, of course ) I'm the shower I am definitely waist length so I'm claiming it, dammit!

I say claim it. We all know all of those waves and curls, even if you pull it, take away from visible length. If you are waist length in the shower then that is official enough.

 

[SmilingElephant]

So, THIS came in the mail today!



I used it as soon as it arrived! I wanted to engage in the LUXURY!

It's the Oribe Styling Butter Curl Enhancing Creme.

A little DEFINITELY goes a long way! It has an earthy scent. And it left my curls feeling soft like velvet and plump, even though I layered it under the Xiomara gel.

It's a fun splurge

 

[SmilingElephant]

I need to go through my stash and throw stuff away. Stuff I've had for over a year (or more )

I just need the energy to do it

 

[faithVA]

I need to go through my stash and throw stuff away. Stuff I've had for over a year (or more )

I just need the energy to do it

How much stuff do you have? Why a year?

Probably for you since you are beyond a certain length your regimen is pretty set.