3 y/o+ Natural-head ladies, where are you now???

[1QTPie]

Did you BC 12/02 as well 1QTPie?

Yep! 12/30/2002. LOL!



Oh and I really didn't transition, technically I went the same amount of time I always did without a relaxer about 2-3 months and then when I decided that THIS time I was going to do it, I just waited about 2 more months so that I could decide how short I wanted my fro.

 

[thaidreams]

I'm a little over 3 years and am BSL. I'm hoping that by Dec. I'll be mid-back lenght since I'm laying off all the heat and wearing protective styles!

 

[danigurl18]

very inspiring!!

 

[temfash]

I've been natural since 2001, I'm between SL and APL.

 

[Mimi22]

I've been natural since 2001, I'm between SL and APL.

Any setbacks??

 

[Kurly K]

great thread! mayb before and after pics could b added too

 

[Fine 4s]

**wipes tears***
i WOULD have been here, as i went natural around the same time AND my hair grows well. i had lots of set backs, mainly from heat damage from too hot irons. the set back was crucial because my hair snapped about mid shaft! so i basically had to cut it to the same length which was right above shoulder about three years in.
and mwedzi said it all, another reason was because i didn't know how to retain length. i was just going off of...i'm natural it will grow!
so now, after 1 year of healthy growing from damaged shoulder/collar bone length in 2007, i'm at apl and you best believe i rarely use heat and when i do it's not super hot.
but it's okay though my hair is healthy and thick now and not heat damaged! ya live and ya learn

Everytime I hear about heat damage setbacks I just get more and more afraid of straightening! By reading this I feel like I've just extended my heat styling by another year....

Anyway, I've been on the healthy hair kick for about 18 mos. now and I'm BSL in the back, Close to APL in the top middle, about APL on the sides and Shin length in the front. I have about 3 more inches of heat damaged ends to cut off....

 

[MrsQueeny]

I have been natural for almost 7 years. My last bc was on October 1, 2005. I will hit 3 years of growth from that soon. Right now, I am midback length. Q

 

[2inspireU]

I'll make 4 years in November and I'm currently APL now.

 

[msdeevee]

I,m APL now but it should be longer next May will be 5 years post relaxer and I have had several setbacks.

For most of the time I must admit I was not as careful with detangling as I should have been, everytime I would wash my hair I would have little springy tight coils all over the floor and when I pulled them out they'd be at least 2-3 inches long. Then I mostly went w/o heat but the couple of times I would blow-dry ...lots of loss again from dry hair.

Then I had my hair in braids w/ extensions sometimes and my braider would just rake my hair out . I had to quit her!

My final faux-pas is dying my hair. I have decided that I can't do that anymore that stuff is drying my hair out like crazy making my ends crunchy and dry and matted. So after reading the henna threads I'm gonna try to go that route hoping I'll get the same result so many others have had with that.

If that doesn't work out, I'm prepared to BC and start all over again.

 

[Leeda.the.Paladin]

I like this thread

 

[LadyD]

For most of the time I must admit I was not as careful with detangling as I should have been, everytime I would wash my hair I would have little springy tight coils all over the floor and when I pulled them out they'd be at least 2-3 inches long.

What did you do to get rid of the coils? This is my problem also and the reason (I believe) I am not retaining any length. I thought maybe it would get better if I used the blow dryer after washing but when I did that last night there was hair snapping every where so that won't be done again.

 

[LiberianGirl]

Great thread OP. Congrats on the progress ladies! I hope to be where you are soon.

I'm not even bsl and I've been natural for 12 years. But I think we shouldn't assume that because someone's natural that they'll be retaining length. I mean, we never ask the question "oh, you've been relaxed for 5 years, so your hair should be long by now, right?" If you don't know how to retain length, natural or not, you won't get it.

Oh, I've been trying to grow now since Jan.

I don't think that was the intention of the thread.

 

[ktykaty]

My 3 years anniversary will be 08/21. My transition lasted a month or so.
I'm APL and hope to be BSL before the and of the year. I Got myself a major cut in may 2007 to get rid of some died ends.

 

[Casarela]

this thread is yummy!! Its great !

 

[CenteredGirl]

let me qualify this response on the real. I became a natural 6+years ago and have been in the hair growth game since then. I am a 4ab natural. Most of my hair is "b", but I get a frew breaks with the "a" strandsFor the first 5, my hair didn't grow past a little below SL.

Then I found a forum and bought every product that was hailed as the "Savior" and "Sure Thing" for Hair growth. I made a bit of progress, but hair was thin and broken off and see through -but longer.

May of 07, I started to track threads posted by or commented on by Samantha Jones. My hair changed overnight. Since then my progress has been notable and my hair is now BSL (I think). I have not measured it since my avi which was taken in December 07. But I'm sure I've made progress, cause I can feel it -- I will post progress at the end of August, so we'll see.

It's been a hard journey, I only wish I would have known what I've learned from Sam years ago. But, no regrets. You have to learn about YOUR hair and how certain products and techniques interact with it.

 

[LadyD]

great thread! mayb before and after pics could b added too

Here are mine. My ends are not that crunchy my hair was blown dry and not straight. But you can tell I'm at the same length.

 

[temfash]

Any setbacks??

Loads, I haven't been able to retain lenght till I started doing more protective styles and condition washing. I never knew what a good moisture /protein balance was till I read sistaslicks articles realised I had been ODing on protein. My hair is very fine and kinky thus breaks easily so afros and puffs are out of the question due to tangling. I'm more about healthy hair than long hair.

 

[JustKiya]

One more year, one more year!

 

[zzirvingj]

I like this thread

LOVE your puff!!

 

[laketta]

I chopped the last of my permed ends in June 03. I am MBL and thisclose to waist.

 

[Zuhus]

subscribing..

 

[Mimi22]

let me qualify this response on the real. I became a natural 6+years ago and have been in the hair growth game since then. I am a 4ab natural. Most of my hair is "b", but I get a frew breaks with the "a" strandsFor the first 5, my hair didn't grow past a little below SL.

Then I found a forum and bought every product that was hailed as the "Savior" and "Sure Thing" for Hair growth. I made a bit of progress, but hair was thin and broken off and see through -but longer.

May of 07, I started to track threads posted by or commented on by Samantha Jones. My hair changed overnight. Since then my progress has been notable and my hair is now BSL (I think). I have not measured it since my avi which was taken in December 07. But I'm sure I've made progress, cause I can feel it -- I will post progress at the end of August, so we'll see.

It's been a hard journey, I only wish I would have known what I've learned from Sam years ago. But, no regrets. You have to learn about YOUR hair and how certain products and techniques interact with it.

That sounds AMAZING!!
Care to share any tips??

 

[bLackButtaFly]

I bc'd in 5/05. I transitioned for about 8 months or so. I'm currently a smidge past apl on my longest layer(most of my hair is one length, but I have some long bangs).

I did have a slight setback where I got a hair cut instead of a trim and took me from cl to shoulder length, but now i'm growing it all back, and have not let a stylist near my hair w/ scissors since then. I think by this time next year i'll be done growing, since it's become quite a handful to take care of all this hair...

 

[BillsBackerz67]

Ive been natural since I was 19 and now Im 24...yall do the matherplexed

 

[CenteredGirl]

That sounds AMAZING!!
Care to share any tips??

Sure here are a couple that have stood the test of time for my natural hair type:

1. Overnight Prepoos (coconut and olive oil are my staples). Something about the protection this gives really pays off in the next stage - shampoo. I sit under a heat cap for 1 hour, then wrap it up and go to bed.
2. Gentle shampoos (I usually use baking soda, but Sam turned me on to diluted Castile) Works wonders.
3. Part my hair in two sections when I shampoo.
4. I DC for 2 hours - 1 under a hot dryer the other under a heating cap Sam gave me. She also whipped up a DC and sent it to me. Whatever it is, it is off the hook. She's very into making her own products. Works Wonders.
5. Sam is a proponent of natural hair care ingredients. Anything you can't read or google with straight answer goes in the trash.
6. Cones are a savior - for well moisturized hair. If you put cones on dry feeling hair with crackly ends, it will break off.
7. For real hair growth, you need to leave your mitts out of your hair. twist it up, wig it up, bun it up and you will get growth.
8. Natural kinky hair can be smoothed out without heat if it is well moisturized. My ends are straight after I put them into bantu knots.
9. Dry, crinkly, zigzaggy ends are the devil. There is no hope for them because they lack moisture and are porous. Snap snap, so snip snip.
   
   Anyone who wants to know anything about natural hair should search out SamanthaJones67.

Natural kinky hair is beautiful when it is well moisturized. I wouldn't change it for anything.

 

[nappy85]

I big chopped in June 2004 to about 1-2 inches. Now my hair is between the top and the bottom of my brastrap.

 

[youwillrise]

november will make 3 years for me
so, i'm not quite 3 years natural yet.



last i checked, i had made it to APL
but i think i lost a bit of length this summer
because i got lazy. ha.

i'm trying to work it back...and beyond.

 

[jenteel]

i voted bra strap length
but im not the best gauge
(bsl is also 25 inches on me)

i started actively growing my hair a little before joining this board in nov 06
at that time i was abt armpit length
b4 that i was cutting inches off every 3 months
b/c my stylists i and were obsessed w/ perfect even ends
and i kept my hair short for years b4 that

but i must say this board has helped tremendously
i knew nothing abt moisturizing to this extent so that's why i kept cutting

 

[donewit-it]

I'm not at 3 years yet. I actually just had my 2 year anniversary as a natural. This is the longest time that I've remained relaxer free. I'm loving the journey.

I feel BillBackers siggie with where's my scalp. That's how I feel everyday.

I'm about an inch or two shy of APL. The back might be already there, but my front has some catching up to do.