So You've achieved Your Hair Goal...Now What??

[Pryncez524]

Hey Ladies,
I was sitting hair thinking about my hair goals and the length I want to achieve. Now I know a lot of us believe in and wear protective styles to achieve those lengths. So once you get to that length you want, will you start wearing your hair long and flowing, or will you keep up with the protective styles? I mean whats the point of all this hair care if you can't show it off right? Well I'd like to hear your replies.

 

[Black Hoya Chick]

when i reach my goal i will definitely let it flow more. maybe 4-5 days a week. but only outdoors. i will keep it pinned up or wrapped if i am home and no one is seeing me. and then i will try to do protective styles the other 2-3 days a week

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I wear my hair out often, but I wasn't really a hardcore protective person anyway. I still do protective styles on occasion, but it's less about protection and more about convenience at this point.

 

[HoneyA]

When I get to WL, I'm sure I'll still wear protective styles because they are so much easier and more comfortable to wear now. I guess I got used to them. But I'll wear my hair out too just like I do now. Either way, protective styles or not, I am enjoying my hair.

 

[Mrs.Green]

I am gonna wear my hair anyway I want. Why grow it if you won't enjoy it. I won't worry about my ends because I will keep them trimmed to maintain length. Plus I have better hair practices now and I know not to abuse heat and to keep my ends/hair moisturized, sealed and healthy.

 

[Anew]

I'll try to do more wraps and rollersets to wear it out. I'm lazy though, so I'll probably be bunning it up as much as I normally do now.

 

[Junebug D]

Good question... I think I'd probably slack off a bit once I reach my goal. Probably to the point where I'm not retaining new length, but maintaining the length that I already have.

 

[**SaSSy**]

Well my first goal was full APL, but since my back is APL, and my front is SL I think I want to change my goal to APL in the front and BSL in the back. Anything longer than would just be too much for me to be bother with and even though I'm not bored yet, I know that I will get bored bagging, and bunning 2 to 3 years from now. So I will most likely wear my hair out about 50% of the time then. My hair gets really dry fast so it's a must to baggy in the winter.

 

[Fhrizzball]

I think it'll take forever in a day to reach my goal which keeps on changing. When I do though I don't think I'll wear it out often. I only want long hair to try out different hair styles. My main would probably be a long frenchbraid down my back or something. I'm too simple for my own good. I probably won't be trying to matain the length so if it gets longer it'll just be a plus for me.

 

[prospurr4]

Once I reach full WL (sometime in 2009), I will get a blunt cut and wear my hair down more. But I also like updos and will continue with those, as well.

 

[LunadeMiel]

When I reach waistlength unstreched I might just die from Joy. I still think that I will still let it keep growing. I do plan on wearing it out a lot though. I never plan on cutting my hair. NEVER!!!!

 

[SlantedEyezMiss2003]

Well, my first goal is mid-back, and when I reach that goal I will probably wear ponytails or braidouts(I think braid outs are cute with long hair) or keep it wavy....I'll only straigthen with heat for special occasions(sp?), my next goal is waist length or tailbone, and I wil do the same braid-out, ponytails, or high buns, for some reason with long hair......you really don't need much heat unless you want it very straight...I mean I LOVE wavy hair, and if I get it wavy by braiding it or twisting it, then that's the style I would wear, long and wavy.

 

[Cichelle]

I still wear my hair up almost all of the time. It's a matter of convenience at this point. I like to know where my hair is so it doesn't get caught in things. Plus, my work circumstances in the future will require it. But I love letting it lose at night after I put my daughter to bed and before I go to bed.

 

[Caramela]

Everytime I reach a hair goal, I unconsiously set the next goal. So it seems like I never reach goal, or I'm never satisfied. It's like the dangling carrot of hair growth. Having said that, I wear my hair up like 99.8% of the time. Initially it was for end protection, but now I think it's more like 10% end protection, 40% it's so easy!, and 40% I'm too lazy to really style my hair.
I need to break out of this though because I'm not really "enjoying" my length, except for when I'm combing it out in the shower with a conditioner-only wash. That's really the highlight of my hair-life

 

[JustKiya]

I'm growing my hair specifically to wear it in protective styles, so I suspect my hair will continue to be 'up' 95% of the time. My hair doesn't 'flow', 'bounce', or 'swing' at all, anyway, and shrinkage means even if it is down, the full length will still be concealed, so I'm not really stressing 'showing off' my work. Having it is reward and enjoyment enough for me.

 

[blazingthru]

When I reach my goal I am going to wear all the styles that are stuck in my head waiting to come out, then I am going to teach others how to grow their hair too. Proof is in the pudding, They see my hair hopefully they will be sure to follow. I will wear my hair out on occassions Like now I got a fro but to afraid to have my hair out so up it went

 

[Pryncez524]

Thanks for the responses ladies.
I think that once I reach about waist length, I'll wear it down and straight more often...or down and curly. But at the same time I've learned so much from being here so I'll still do protective styling and keep it moisturized and all that. Before when I didn't know anything about hair care, my hair would grow but then have to be cut because I would have spaces from letting my hair get tangled and then combing it out really roughly*shudders*. Or I'd let my hair get really dry so I'd have split ends. Now when I think about it I can't believe I treated my hair so badly. I'm so glad I found this forum You guys have the best advice!!

 

[Mz.Shug]

I plan on wearing my hair out but only by means of HEALTHY (ie..no heat) hair styles.Lots of rollersets,wraps,chingons(did I spell that right?),wash n' gos,cute up do's...
My reggie will remain the same..just different styling.

 

[RetailTherapy]

Once I reach BSL I plan to wear my hair out at least once a week and do rollersets. Until then its buns and half wigs.

 

[chavascandy]

My goal is to reach WL. Once I do..... I am still going to incorparte protective styles BUT,mostly I will enjoy the length of my hair by wearing in any given style.

I will be extra careful not to do anything to my hair that will damage it though.

 

[anherica]

I actually like protective styling and can't wait until my hair is long enough to do some really pretty, intricate buns or updos. I wear it mostly in pinned up twists now, and love the convenience of not having to really fiddle around with my hair much. So, I expect more of the same when it's longer, just bigger and easier. Can't wait!!

 

[Blossssom]

Cut it all off (donate the hair to the cancer society) and start all over... that's what I plan to do

NOT!

 

[hillytmj]

I recently reached my first goal, and I'm pressing towards the next one. When I reach my ultimate goal, I will wear it out more, but I'm sure I'll still keep it up at times. Many of the ladies on this board who have super long hair - as well as many of my non African American friends who have long waistlength hair - always keep their hair up and let it flow when we go out or something like that.

 

[Pryncez524]

I actually like protective styling and can't wait until my hair is long enough to do some really pretty, intricate buns or updos. I wear it mostly in pinned up twists now, and love the convenience of not having to really fiddle around with my hair much. So, I expect more of the same when it's longer, just bigger and easier. Can't wait!!

Me too. I wanna do those really pretty updos and buns when my hair is longer.

Cut it all off (donate the hair to the cancer society) and start all over... that's what I plan to do

NOT!

lol

 

[BostonMaria]

Cut it all off (donate the hair to the cancer society) and start all over... that's what I plan to do

NOT!

LMAO!!!!! That's terrible, but funny too!

I am with the ladies that said they are going to enjoy their hair. I plan to grow waist length, either cut into layers or just leave it alone. I will keep letting it grow and do its own thang. Mostly I will start thinking of a million styles that I've always wanted to do.

Heck I'll even start dancing like flashdance and dump a bucket of water over my head, shake my head around like Beyonce does LMAO (hopefully I won't get whiplash)

 

[Pryncez524]

LMAO!!!!! That's terrible, but funny too!

I am with the ladies that said they are going to enjoy their hair. I plan to grow waist length, either cut into layers or just leave it alone. I will keep letting it grow and do its own thang. Mostly I will start thinking of a million styles that I've always wanted to do.

Heck I'll even start dancing like flashdance and dump a bucket of water over my head, shake my head around like Beyonce does LMAO (hopefully I won't get whiplash)

Hey when you do that can you invite me to the whiplash party? lol

 

[JustKiya]

LMAO!!!!! That's terrible, but funny too!

I am with the ladies that said they are going to enjoy their hair. I plan to grow waist length, either cut into layers or just leave it alone. I will keep letting it grow and do its own thang. Mostly I will start thinking of a million styles that I've always wanted to do.

Heck I'll even start dancing like flashdance and dump a bucket of water over my head, shake my head around like Beyonce does LMAO (hopefully I won't get whiplash)

I just had a vision of me doing this to myself on freshly pressed hair.

 

[msa]

All the styles I wear now on my SL hair are ones that I enjoy and also aid in retention. I know I will still wear them (bantu knot outs, wash-n-go's, twists) as my hair gets longer and I reach my goals. Once my hair is longer I think the styles I love now will look even better and I'll be able to do things I can't do now, like buns and high ponytails.

I'm enjoying my hair now and retaining length. I happen to love protective styles...but if I didn't, I definitely wouldn't be doing them. When I get to my goal, not much is going to change.

 

[jeanne516]

once i reach my goal of waistlength, I'll probably do more braidouts and twistouts, bantu knot-outs, and rollersets...Can't wait

 

[Lady Esquire]

Hey Ladies,
I was sitting hair thinking about my hair goals and the length I want to achieve. Now I know a lot of us believe in and wear protective styles to achieve those lengths. So once you get to that length you want, will you start wearing your hair long and flowing, or will you keep up with the protective styles? I mean whats the point of all this hair care if you can't show it off right? Well I'd like to hear your replies.

I plan to go back to work in late '09 or early '10. And when I start wearing my fly suits, I cannot wait to wearing my long locs to match. I will probaby wear it out 4-5 times a week, and up when its due for a wash.