Has this HAIR JOURNEY been harder/easier than expected????

[oooop2]

And what do you do to keep yourself motivated???

For me, it's been harder than expected.

I went from a SL perm to a scalp BC in 1 sitting. Wore a BC for 8yrs and totally LOVED the freedom that it provided.

Well since moving to Japan, I decided to let my hair grow since I couldn't make my 2wk trip to my barber.

Now that my hair is growing, I am finding that at times, all of the extra prep/etc can be a bit taxing and makes me miss my BC days.

However, the versatility that my hair has shown and my ability to do different things w/ my hair is what keeps me motivated.

 

[Glib Gurl]

Looking back on the year and a half I have been here, it's easier now because I've sort of got my routine down, have figured out what works for me, and am finally starting to see real progess. (See my new siggy ) At first, though, it was very frustrating because I basically had to unlearn some bad habits and experiment with different techniques until I starting finding what works.

 

[charmtreese]

It was hard in the beginning (the first 18 months or so), trying to find the right products and regimen that benefited my hair was the hardest part. Now, its smooth sailing and Im ready to reap the reward of having long, healthy hair.

 

[natstar]

It's been a tad bit harder for me cause what I was expecting with my natural hair isn't what I got. I thought I would have thick hair but it's fine. I also thought that it would grow to bsl by now (been 3 yrs on the journey) but it hasn't budged at all this year (even w/taking care of it). I am currently trying to come to terms with my natural hair length and density.

 

[nodisrespect]

It's hard because I feel like I am doing everything right and am not seeing any progress. Why am I walking around with unkempt, not styled hair for if I'm not getting any results? I feel like I'm doing this all for nothing.

 

[vestaluv1]

I've only been doing the conscious hair care thing for about 5 or 6 weeks and I'm already finding it time consuming and taxing, not to mention...expensive.
It's harder because I'm also transitioning.
Before now, let me tell you, some of the girls on this forum would be like... ' ...you do what to your hair' .
I use to wash my hair maybe once every three weeks with any shampoo with no conditioning, no dc'ing, ripping the comb through my hair and generally just being impatient with my hair. Oh, and I never moisturised my hair, relaxed whenever I felt I needed a touch up and on top of having no moisture I used to gel my hair down. . I could go on.
Thats the past and I've come a LONG way. I'm seeing many improvements in a short space of time and I just thank God that he's stopped me from abusing my hair...

But, OMG it took me 8 hours to pre-poo, wash, deep condition, detangle and plait my hair today. .
Before, I would have washed my hair during my quick 20 minute shower and just tied my hair back.

I think I had the worst hair habits out of everyone in the forum and I'm suprised I still have hair.

 

[Riverwalk]

Harder. Way Harder.

 

[Dposh167]

definitely harder...i didn't know how easy my ends can get splits, even if i hardly use heat. it sux....and slow hair growth sux tooerplexed

 

[Nicole1976]

I would say it was hard in the begining, but the longer I took care of my hair the easier it got for me to manage/see progress in my hair

Unfortunately no amount of anything will speed up my slow hair growith

 

[ravenmerlita]

Easier... once I got past the mental part out of the way and stopped worrying about whether my hair would grow or not.

 

[barbiesocialite]

easier.... grant it taking care of my hair is more time consuming it used to be as a whole but I believe in the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) method of hair care...my change in eating habits, taking supplements and basic styling techniques that I've acquired since beginning my hair growth journey allow me to retain length even when I fall off of my regimen for a while

I agree with the poster above me, ever since I got over the psychological barriers and just let my hair be, it seems to be growing much faster

 

[The Girl]

I agree with Raven...for me it was a mind thing. I kept watching and wanting and messing with it. I was a pj and jumped on every other new challenge. I am not getting to where I don't worry about it. Heck, I was too lazy to wash/rinse this weekend. I just put it in 2 french braids and called it a day.

 

[Oasis]

Mine is definitely harder than I expected. When I was relaxed I didn't give a ish about my head so I used harsh shampoos, didn't DC, didn't moisturize, etc. I just got my hair braided for months at a time and left it alone.

Now that I'm natural I only use certain products and it's just more time consuming. I've been 100% natural for almost a year now and I still don't have a working regimen.

 

[Tinky]

Harder .

 

[drasgrl]

At times it's been hard because I would get really serious about trying to grow it then I would get lazy and fall off the wagon and stop taking really good care of it and I would get frustrated because I never saw growth.

Only since the beginning of the year and I really determined again and it's getting a little easier especially since I've seen some growth and I want to keep going.

 

[Blessed_Angel]

Looking back on the year and a half I have been here, it's easier now because I've sort of got my routine down, have figured out what works for me, and am finally starting to see real progess. (See my new siggy ) At first, though, it was very frustrating because I basically had to unlearn some bad habits and experiment with different techniques until I starting finding what works.

Same here.

What keeps me motivated is learnin more and more on this site. When I first started; I felt like I was back in college: taking notes, trying to remember everything that I learned...lol. It's also inspiring to see other Black woman with healthy, long and beautiful hair. I'm also so happy to see it on my own head.

What was unexpected was how much there is to hair (e.g. protein/moisture balance, clarifying, heat protection). All those things I had no clue about until I joined this site and read a hair book.

My next thing now is to start my hair journal and see more growth. And to wear more protective styles; especially since the weather has gotten warmer.

 

[MonPetite]

I messed with my hair a lot more relaxed and texlaxed than I do now, starting my natural journey.

I know what works for me. I have fun with trying different conditioners and shampoos and writing reviews. I'm dabbling with shine treatments now and will not color again (I got a demi-permanent in my natural shade to knock out my red-highlights until I hit the 7" mark).

I'm definitely less crazy about always checking for length or jumping on bandwagons. I like seeing my hair truck along. It's fun checking length every two months and seeing that new inch of hair. I enjoy my texture, washing my hair daily, co-washing daily, even detangling daily.

I keep things simple now and I enjoy my hair natural far more than I did relaxed and natural.

I definitely have to agree about the mindset change. Especially now as I'm focused on "circumference" and shape versus length.

The only thing make this journey (as a natural) harder is the negativity I get from family, aquaintances, and passerbys.

That and TWAs can get boring if you don't look into accessories.

I can't wait to get my childhood mane back to start braiding, adorning, folding, bunning, twisting, parting and shaking!

 

[Energist]

It becomes easier as it gets longer.

 

[TrendySocialite]

My journey has been harder than I thought. Learning everything and keeping up with it is hard at times. I admit that when I'm on the board, it's easier because it's in the forefront of my mind. But I've seen growth and progress, so I'm not stopping now.

 

[wheezy807]

For me it has been easier than expected, GOD bless. Even my very first stretch was 12wks and it wasn't as hard as i antcipated. I have not had any major setbacks and i am truly enjoying the ride. Actually the only minor setbacks i have had were my old scissor happy stylist and i got rid of her late last year. No protein/moisture overloads or nada. I think my desire for healthy, long hair alone keeps me motivated. When i started this journey i wasn't sure how long the fire woud burn, but THANK GOD the fire has been burning ever since. Now if i can just help grow some family members and friends hair i'll be satisfied, hopefully.

 

[ohmysanity]

Harder...and easier.

Harder because, I had reached my goal of BSL, and I messed up because I dyed/bleached my own hair, resulting in mega HAIR LOSS. It brought me back to square one in some places... but those places are not at SL length, while the rest are resting between SL and APL. 8]

Easier because; taking care of my hair makes me feel better about myself. When I see girls complaining about how their hair NEVER grows, I just smile to myself, because they're obviously wrongly taught. It also helps me take other responsibilities as well.

 

[locabouthair]

harder but I am the type that obsess and analyze my hair way too much. I've also suffered 3 big setbacks from stylist and that made it extremely hard.

I'm gonna do like everyone else says, just let it be. Life's too short for me to be stressing over my hair.

 

[Isis]

It's been exciting for me. IMO, it's all about how one approaches their hair journey, which is similar to how one might approach their life journey. When it's too serious, filled with worry and fear, the journey can be full of ups and downs. When it's filled with expectation, wonder and an open mind, it can be a lot of fun with good surprises. I'll always be learning something new in this journey.

 

[oooop2]

Thanks ladies for all the input. It's nice to know that even though we all have our ups and downs, we're all trying to stay on course

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

Great thread!

Mine has been way easier than I expected. I have not experienced any disappiontments or set-backs. I only have issues with my own impatience; I try to tell myself that WL does not happen overnight

 

[Candycane044]

My journey has been harder because I haven't learned to fully let go and let my hair be. I'm constantly measuring my hair and seeing where it is almost as if I have OCD. Once I get past this stage I'm sure I'll be fine.

 

[Miss*Tress]

Great thread!

Mine has been way easier than I expected. I have not experienced any disappiontments or set-backs. I only have issues with my own impatience; I try to tell myself that WL does not happen overnight

Same here, MissNorway. Although I have breakage at the back of my head, overall it has been a relatively easy road.

 

[MAMATO]

My journey was easier than expected. Before Lhcf, I had a few good habits (pre-pooing, frequent washing etc)...but also some extremely bad ones like heat every day, no DC, no moisturize, no satin scarf, no protective styles, relaxer every 6wks on all the length, every day combing (my hair tangles a lot) and I would end up with handful of hair all over in my bathroom. The plumber was quite like a family member with all that hair blocking my sink and my bath...and his frequent visit

Now, it's another story... my DH and I are happy that we don't have to sweep the bathroom everyday. He loves LHCF. With all the good habits I've learned from lhcf, I went from shoulder to APL in 3 months. I've always been SL all my life, so that's my first time experiencing APL. I am so excited ...I am getting ambitious BSL here I come.

 

[ajacks]

Definitely harder. Trying to find the right products, do I need moisture or protein, jumping on every bandwagon (and then falling off), joining every challenge, spending so much money on my PJism. I am constantly doing length checks, visiting this site and stalking fotkis. It's been sort of a obsession and I think that is the problem.

I think that if I just KISS, relax and let my hair do it's thing it will hopefully get easier.

 

[Jazala]

It's hard because I feel like I am doing everything right and am not seeing any progress. Why am I walking around with unkempt, not styled hair for if I'm not getting any results? I feel like I'm doing this all for nothing.

Check out some of the threads on protective styles. Also take a look at Sylver2's fotki and look at her scarf technique. No need to walk around with unstyled hair. You can be beatiful and grow hair too!!!

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=212633

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=219087