12 inches in 12 months - 2014

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

fancypants007

Sounds like a good method you got going. I kinda gave up on co-washing. Not that it wasn't working but it got to be too much manipulation and I'm very laid back with my hair. I like leaving my hair alone....all the time.

I suppose my changes in the coming months will be staying up on my moisture game. I got to a point where I would heavily moisturize on wash day, and maybe moisturize once out of the next week. It seemed to be working for awhile but, I knew I could be doing better. So these days I try to moisturize every 2 days, if not daily and my hair has been looking so much better.

As far as styles....I might just stay with my yarn braids. They work for me, I retain the most growth and I just LOVE the way my hair looks in yarn braids. When it's not yarn braids, its one of the hats that I crochet. I'm being pretty chill with my hair this year, we already had our round of adventures last year....

That sounds like a plan. I know if you find something that works and you like and look good in, then continue doing what you're doing. I'm just getting a little bored with buns even though I have wore them in the past for over a year. Low manipulation I like too, I think that's why I'm looking forward to putting the braids back in my hair. How do you do yarn twists? Is the yarn better than kanekalon braiding hair? Thanks for sharing.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

That sounds like a plan. I know if you find something that works and you like and look good in, then continue doing what you're doing. I'm just getting a little bored with buns even though I have wore them in the past for over a year. Low manipulation I like too, I think that's why I'm looking forward to putting the braids back in my hair. How do you do yarn twists? Is the yarn better than kanekalon braiding hair? Thanks for sharing.

I have the same question. I need to see what yarn twists look like. I can't imagine it. But I have heard they are easy to do.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I finished up the last of the Komaza Stinky Stuff. I have no way of telling if it worked. I liked trying it out though. I am going to switch back to the 4Naturals Hair Treatment. I have two bottles of this. I want to hunt down some more bottles at Sally's.

I am going to lay off the NJoy's oil for a while to let my face straighten out. I threw the high dose of biotin out. I will go back to just the 2000 mcg. I am not going to buy any more biotin or msm for a while after I use up these. When I get back from the weekend, I will drastically change my diet to get back on track. And going to start my yoga.

I am going to try doing a perm rod set before the end of the month. If I can get 2nd, 3rd day hair then I will cowash every 3 days.

 

[Mane Event]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I haven't checked in a while but I'm still going strong. No updates on a length check, b/c I don't know what's going on! I've been in the same cornrows since April (I'm re-brading the parameter where there's a lot of build-up) but haven't checked for length)

I'm glad to see everyone's engagement. Btw, I love Vatika Oil...skin and hair!!!!

I'm still doing 20,000mg of MSM. I'm also going to try adding Biocell w/ H.A. this month.

My hubby started taking this supplement back in March with is workout regimen and awkardly made the comment "D***, I gotta shave again [head and face]" I asked why and he responded, "I don't know...my hair just keeps growing fast" I said GO ON.....and curiously asked, "well what have you been doing differently " He said, "The only thing different is the Biocell I added to my supplement regimen." :scratchch I started researching and it seems to have similar benefits to MSM.

I'll keep you all posted. I don't think it's a miracle supplement that LHCF hasn't already figured out (sorry I didn't search prior to posting)...Just keeping this top of mind!

 

[Jewell]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

fancypants007

I apologize for not answering your question about the drawstring pony in the Fotki. Thank you for your gracious compliment! It is a synthetic hair drawstring pony I bought for $10 from my local BSS. I will dig it out of the hair container I have and look at the brand...I can't think of it off top but I know I enjoyed wearing it...for synthetic hair, it looked and felt a lot like human hair. And for $10 it has lasted me since that album...though I haven't worn it in a couple years since my hair has been dyed black.

I'm letting my natural color grow out a while but I think I will henndigo before summer is out...I love black hair too much. I feel the boring light to medium brown I have inherently is kinda blah, lol. And I don't wanna do damage and put anymore highlights in...when I had them (see Fotki) I had no damage (got blonde highlights again in late 2007), but I quickly got bored with them as my hair grows fast and I hated the way my roots looked since I didn't get them touched up. I dislike that dark, grown out roots and highlights look on me.

Will report on the brand of pony tomorrow. I have the same one in black with blonde streaks, but I felt it didn't look as natural with my hair so I really didn't wear it.

Mskraizy

Lol I know, those Indian oils and products have some names don't they?! My former neighbor was Afghani and spoke Pashto and Hindi...I couldn't understand the slightest of what she said. It sure sounded pretty, though. I like to listen to Indian music but I have know idea what they're saying. Mainly the Bollywood beats and sound attract me. One day I would like to learn a couple more languages, including Hindi. Yep, the mahabhringaraj oil is on eBay, and Amazon. I have peppermint oil too and that does help a lot!

If you don't have any Indian stores around, try a nearby larger city if possible. Or, check Arab or Middle Eastern grocery stores if they are around. They often carry Indian and Pakistani products. Most of my oils come from eBay where a couple Arab or Pakistani sellers have them listed...some Indian sellers too out of NY and FL. The nearest Indian store to me is 30 miles away, called Patel Bros. so I have to drive a ways as I haven't found one in my actual city yet. It's easier to order on eBay and get free shipping than drive and sit in traffic, burning gas.

I must second that motion about falling off the cowashing. I was reminiscing about my hair from my Fotki before I cut it, (circa 2006-2007), and thought about my regimen at the time, and it was low-manipulation with washes once a week to once every 2 wks since I had a lot going on with my health at the time. I air-dried, and didnt use direct heat.

The only thing extra I did at the time was occasionally touch up my color with Bigen Oriental Black Permanent Powder Hair Color. Love that stuff, just wish it wasn't filled with metallic salts and PPD. It takes 4-5 boxes to do my hair root to tip, so they need bigger bottles!! That led me to henndigoing--more bang for my buck. However, since I have to leave henna and indigo on for a while, I prefer using Bigen since it is fast and a lot less work intensive in preparation.

Back around '06-'07, I basically wore my hair bunned and tied up all the time, and didn't do so much washing. I have remedied the dryness I had momentarily, so I think to maintain and further increase my retention and thickness, I'm going back low-maintenance. My hair is longer and thicker now than it was then, so I don't want to mess things up by doing too much.

Washing once a week, moisturizing and/or oiling every couple of days. No combing in between wash days aside from finger combing, or lightly raking the surface to re-style. I liked that regimen and only increased my washes in the last 2 months due to some dryness, but I'm hair lazy in general...I don't do long DC's, and I am lazy about things like henndigo treatments though they have been quite beneficial.

I like to leave my hair alone, and it likes to be left alone. I'm thinking of putting in some braids or kinky twists for the rest of summer. But I can see myself being exhausted from takedown, so it might be me and my boring bun for a while! I definitely need a touch-up soon. I've got too much NG right now to try and go another 5 wks. I'm thinking a TU and my bun will be the plan. Not much work there, lol

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I finished up the last of the Komaza Stinky Stuff. I have no way of telling if it worked. I liked trying it out though. I am going to switch back to the 4Naturals Hair Treatment. I have two bottles of this. I want to hunt down some more bottles at Sally's.

I am going to lay off the NJoy's oil for a while to let my face straighten out. I threw the high dose of biotin out. I will go back to just the 2000 mcg. I am not going to buy any more biotin or msm for a while after I use up these. When I get back from the weekend, I will drastically change my diet to get back on track. And going to start my yoga.

I am going to try doing a perm rod set before the end of the month. If I can get 2nd, 3rd day hair then I will cowash every 3 days.

I know what you mean about the break outs, I'm breaking out, but it's not really bothering me yet. I'm taking MSM granules and Biotin powder and adding it to my brewer's yeast juice mix. I took your suggestion and diluted NJoy's mix with other oils and I'm not having any problems. I would break out with little welts on my arms because you wash your hands after applying the oil, but then you scratch your scalp and scratch your harnd and I started seeing this type of reaction. I'm not seeing this now with the oil being diluted. I also purchased some Gro Aut oil but haven't tried it yet. I think I'm going to start making my own hair oil from here on out. The perm rod set sounds lovely. Let us know how it turns out. Nice to have you back.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

I haven't checked in a while but I'm still going strong. No updates on a length check, b/c I don't know what's going on! I've been in the same cornrows since April (I'm re-brading the parameter where there's a lot of build-up) but haven't checked for length)

I'm glad to see everyone's engagement. Btw, I love Vatika Oil...skin and hair!!!!

I'm still doing 20,000mg of MSM. I'm also going to try adding Biocell w/ H.A. this month.

My hubby started taking this supplement back in March with is workout regimen and awkardly made the comment "D***, I gotta shave again [head and face]" I asked why and he responded, "I don't know...my hair just keeps growing fast" I said GO ON.....and curiously asked, "well what have you been doing differently " He said, "The only thing different is the Biocell I added to my supplement regimen." :scratchch I started researching and it seems to have similar benefits to MSM.

I'll keep you all posted. I don't think it's a miracle supplement that LHCF hasn't already figured out (sorry I didn't search prior to posting)...Just keeping this top of mind!

Thanks for checking in and yes we are still going strong, all of us. I have to check into this Biocell, never heard of it before. Thanks for sharing.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

fancypants007

I apologize for not answering your question about the drawstring pony in the Fotki. Thank you for your gracious compliment! It is a synthetic hair drawstring pony I bought for $10 from my local BSS. I will dig it out of the hair container I have and look at the brand...I can't think of it off top but I know I enjoyed wearing it...for synthetic hair, it looked and felt a lot like human hair. And for $10 it has lasted me since that album...though I haven't worn it in a couple years since my hair has been dyed black.

I'm letting my natural color grow out a while but I think I will henndigo before summer is out...I love black hair too much. I feel the boring light to medium brown I have inherently is kinda blah, lol. And I don't wanna do damage and put anymore highlights in...when I had them (see Fotki) I had no damage (got blonde highlights again in late 2007), but I quickly got bored with them as my hair grows fast and I hated the way my roots looked since I didn't get them touched up. I dislike that dark, grown out roots and highlights look on me.

Will report on the brand of pony tomorrow. I have the same one in black with blonde streaks, but I felt it didn't look as natural with my hair so I really didn't wear it.

Mskraizy

Lol I know, those Indian oils and products have some names don't they?! My former neighbor was Afghani and spoke Pashto and Hindi...I couldn't understand the slightest of what she said. It sure sounded pretty, though. I like to listen to Indian music but I have know idea what they're saying. Mainly the Bollywood beats and sound attract me. One day I would like to learn a couple more languages, including Hindi. Yep, the mahabhringaraj oil is on eBay, and Amazon. I have peppermint oil too and that does help a lot!

If you don't have any Indian stores around, try a nearby larger city if possible. Or, check Arab or Middle Eastern grocery stores if they are around. They often carry Indian and Pakistani products. Most of my oils come from eBay where a couple Arab or Pakistani sellers have them listed...some Indian sellers too out of NY and FL. The nearest Indian store to me is 30 miles away, called Patel Bros. so I have to drive a ways as I haven't found one in my actual city yet. It's easier to order on eBay and get free shipping than drive and sit in traffic, burning gas.

I must second that motion about falling off the cowashing. I was reminiscing about my hair from my Fotki before I cut it, (circa 2006-2007), and thought about my regimen at the time, and it was low-manipulation with washes once a week to once every 2 wks since I had a lot going on with my health at the time. I air-dried, and didnt use direct heat.

The only thing extra I did at the time was occasionally touch up my color with Bigen Oriental Black Permanent Powder Hair Color. Love that stuff, just wish it wasn't filled with metallic salts and PPD. It takes 4-5 boxes to do my hair root to tip, so they need bigger bottles!! That led me to henndigoing--more bang for my buck. However, since I have to leave henna and indigo on for a while, I prefer using Bigen since it is fast and a lot less work intensive in preparation.

Back around '06-'07, I basically wore my hair bunned and tied up all the time, and didn't do so much washing. I have remedied the dryness I had momentarily, so I think to maintain and further increase my retention and thickness, I'm going back low-maintenance. My hair is longer and thicker now than it was then, so I don't want to mess things up by doing too much.

Washing once a week, moisturizing and/or oiling every couple of days. No combing in between wash days aside from finger combing, or lightly raking the surface to re-style. I liked that regimen and only increased my washes in the last 2 months due to some dryness, but I'm hair lazy in general...I don't do long DC's, and I am lazy about things like henndigo treatments though they have been quite beneficial.

I like to leave my hair alone, and it likes to be left alone. I'm thinking of putting in some braids or kinky twists for the rest of summer. But I can see myself being exhausted from takedown, so it might be me and my boring bun for a while! I definitely need a touch-up soon. I've got too much NG right now to try and go another 5 wks. I'm thinking a TU and my bun will be the plan. Not much work there, lol

Jewell, Thank you. I like the drawstring because it looked so natural on you. Some of those ponys have alot of hair and at times when I wear them, I have to pin some of the excess hair down. I will await your reply.

That's funny, I like bollywood music too. I have alot of bollywood workouts and I love them because of the music. I think I'm going to add one of them to my workout regime.

It's so true what you said about low manipulation. I have never combed my hair so much and I can tell it's growing because of the tangles, but it's still not a problem. I was a little concerned about cowashing during the week because of the manipulation and it's still not a problem. I comb my hair AM and PM and I have only about 2 or 3 strands in the comb. But I am looking forward to putting braids back in my hair and I will keep them in for most of the summer. I will definitely be doing low manipulation. I stumbled across LadyP regime, in fact I purchased her book awhile ago and she stated to moisturise your hair once a week by saturating them and washing and deep conditioning once a week using heat. This is new for me because I was always moisturisng my braids every day. I'm going to try her method. The only thing I'm going to add is keeping my scalp clean with my scalp cleanser and doing this everyday. I also found a recipe for a leave-in spray just for the scalp made out out of black tea and roobios tea. I will be oiling my scalp in PM, and cleansing scalp in AM and applying leave in spray to scalp. I'm going to see how it works the first month and will determine if I will continue to use it. Thanks for sharing all your thorough knowledge with us. Greatly appreciated!

 

[JustGROWwithIt]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

So I looked up this LadyP method that fancypants007 mentioned since I am wearing my hair in Marley/Havana Twists for the next couple months. I'm doing everything already except for the deep moisture braiding method so I will be starting that. Plus I redo half of my twists every 2 weeks to keep them fresh.
Has anyone had success with doing the LadyP method?

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

fancypants007
faithVA

Thanks ladies! I absolutely LOVE yarn for my hair. It really helps lock moisture in the hair and helps me retain my most of amount of growth when I do them. It's the cheapest style I've ever done (like $10 for a big bundle) and they last a long time for me cause...you know..yarn don't frizz.


I infuse my hair with lots of moisture prior to install (deep condition, wash, moisturize...etc.) and I also add a little of my leave in to the actual yarn before braiding it in. And to maintain it, I'll just spritz them and oil and massage my scalp on a nightly basis. It's soooo easy! I love them.

**Fresh Yarn Braids**

**Yarn Braids at 3 WEEKS**

Now yarn twists....I do them the same way but they don't last as long as yarn braids do. My hair frizzes out way too much for the twists, but I love the braids!! Yarn twists will last me like 2 weeks, and yarn braids can go for a month, maybe more!

**These are my recent yarn twists that soo failed me at week 2**

In yarn braids I still wash weekly and maintain my hair as if I didn't even have yarn in, but for me it's the best protective style I've EVER encountered!!! lol

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

@fancypants007

I apologize for not answering your question about the drawstring pony in the Fotki. Thank you for your gracious compliment! It is a synthetic hair drawstring pony I bought for $10 from my local BSS. I will dig it out of the hair container I have and look at the brand...I can't think of it off top but I know I enjoyed wearing it...for synthetic hair, it looked and felt a lot like human hair. And for $10 it has lasted me since that album...though I haven't worn it in a couple years since my hair has been dyed black.

I'm letting my natural color grow out a while but I think I will henndigo before summer is out...I love black hair too much. I feel the boring light to medium brown I have inherently is kinda blah, lol. And I don't wanna do damage and put anymore highlights in...when I had them (see Fotki) I had no damage (got blonde highlights again in late 2007), but I quickly got bored with them as my hair grows fast and I hated the way my roots looked since I didn't get them touched up. I dislike that dark, grown out roots and highlights look on me.

Will report on the brand of pony tomorrow. I have the same one in black with blonde streaks, but I felt it didn't look as natural with my hair so I really didn't wear it.

@Mskraizy

Lol I know, those Indian oils and products have some names don't they?! My former neighbor was Afghani and spoke Pashto and Hindi...I couldn't understand the slightest of what she said. It sure sounded pretty, though. I like to listen to Indian music but I have know idea what they're saying. Mainly the Bollywood beats and sound attract me. One day I would like to learn a couple more languages, including Hindi. Yep, the mahabhringaraj oil is on eBay, and Amazon. I have peppermint oil too and that does help a lot!

If you don't have any Indian stores around, try a nearby larger city if possible. Or, check Arab or Middle Eastern grocery stores if they are around. They often carry Indian and Pakistani products. Most of my oils come from eBay where a couple Arab or Pakistani sellers have them listed...some Indian sellers too out of NY and FL. The nearest Indian store to me is 30 miles away, called Patel Bros. so I have to drive a ways as I haven't found one in my actual city yet. It's easier to order on eBay and get free shipping than drive and sit in traffic, burning gas.

I must second that motion about falling off the cowashing. I was reminiscing about my hair from my Fotki before I cut it, (circa 2006-2007), and thought about my regimen at the time, and it was low-manipulation with washes once a week to once every 2 wks since I had a lot going on with my health at the time. I air-dried, and didnt use direct heat.

The only thing extra I did at the time was occasionally touch up my color with Bigen Oriental Black Permanent Powder Hair Color. Love that stuff, just wish it wasn't filled with metallic salts and PPD. It takes 4-5 boxes to do my hair root to tip, so they need bigger bottles!! That led me to henndigoing--more bang for my buck. However, since I have to leave henna and indigo on for a while, I prefer using Bigen since it is fast and a lot less work intensive in preparation.

Back around '06-'07, I basically wore my hair bunned and tied up all the time, and didn't do so much washing. I have remedied the dryness I had momentarily, so I think to maintain and further increase my retention and thickness, I'm going back low-maintenance. My hair is longer and thicker now than it was then, so I don't want to mess things up by doing too much.

Washing once a week, moisturizing and/or oiling every couple of days. No combing in between wash days aside from finger combing, or lightly raking the surface to re-style. I liked that regimen and only increased my washes in the last 2 months due to some dryness, but I'm hair lazy in general...I don't do long DC's, and I am lazy about things like henndigo treatments though they have been quite beneficial.

I like to leave my hair alone, and it likes to be left alone. I'm thinking of putting in some braids or kinky twists for the rest of summer. But I can see myself being exhausted from takedown, so it might be me and my boring bun for a while! I definitely need a touch-up soon. I've got too much NG right now to try and go another 5 wks. I'm thinking a TU and my bun will be the plan. Not much work there, lol

There's a lot of random stores where I live, I just have to seep through them all. lol

And YASSS! I totally feel you on the hair laziness thing. It's the only thing you can be lazy about and have good results and benefits!

That's why I love sticking to doing my yarn braids. A month of low maintenance, but the install and takedowns do get pretty lengthy.

 

[nyunyu]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Hey mornin! I'm new here, just just just joined this am, Yay for me! I know it's June but I was wondering if I could join the challenge, purleez?

 

[Blessed&higlyflavoured]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

hey ladies
you look like you all are doing well. Mskraizy, i like the sound of those yarn braids. it seem simple. and their wont be a bunch of hair around the place. Whenever i do my hair in extension braids, my dad always complains about having hair in his ... ahem ... crack.
any hoooo
i've gone from cowashing and deep conditioning almost daily and not shampooing at all, to shampooing once a week and using the deep conditioner as a leave in because i am LAZY.
but ladies my hair is hella soft and my ends are improving as i search and destroy/dust thedamage the away. I stopped using the infusion because it seems i'm allergic to rosemary (good to know). I'm trying eucalyptus next. i'll let you know

Finally i found an old pic of me when i was 14-15 with full shoulder length shrunken twists (what i'm aiming for). the longest part of my hair is the same length but it's the evenness that i want back. It's encouraged me to do less with my hair. Then i just used to shampoo once in a blue moon. Rinse with water and layer a tonne of products one on top of the other, literallly anything i could get my hands on. every six weeks i would redo the twists.

sof n' free curl activtor, baby lotion, vaseline, any leave in. I think between my increase in knowledge of hair, the better products and the better techniques that i have now and the simplicity of then, i could get some serious improvement by simplifying my regimen.

 

[ilong]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

. I threw the high dose of biotin out. I will go back to just the 2000 mcg. I am not going to buy any more biotin or msm for a while after I use up these. .

@faithVA - I won't throw out my biotin but the way I feel now, I don't plan on purchasing anymore for a while. I am beginning to suspect biotin IS NOT necessarily THE active promoter of hair growth, as it is marketed to be. I have religiously taken biotin daily since January (give or take a week). I actually started in October but missed December because of flu/winter virus. My dosage ranged from 1500mcg daily up to 100mg (yes!!!) daily. There has been no increased hair growth rate. With the dosages I've taken over this 6 month period I should have experienced some change in rate - and I have not. My nails (finger and toe) have not grown any more than their normal rate either. The brands I took varied - so I can't attribute the problem to the brand. If biotin was going to increase my hair growth rate, 6 months is sufficient time to see results. My diet is such that it would not hamper the effacy of the biotin and I take supplements (chlorella/spirulina) high in protein - daily without fail. So I believe that "it" (biotin) does not produce the marketed results.

In my opinion, for as many LHCF members who take biotin - our hair growth should be much higher than I have read. If someone has "bonafide proof that biotin and only biotin resulted in increased growth" I would love to hear about it.
I think it is a "big sell" and payoff for companies but the payoff for the consumer is nill.
Beginning July 1 - I will stop taking biotin and start Viviscal. I just purchased a 6 month supply. I will take it (as recommendeded) for 6 months and see if I notice any change in growth rate. The only other change I plan to make is change my protective style from daily wig wearing to a sew in.

Sorry if I highjacked the thread.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Hello everyone and the countdown begins..... 10..9..8..7..

Sunday is "P" day, Pic Progress updates. I will be posting my pic on Monday. I hope everyone is doing well. Sometimes, I haven't felt like doing certain things, but there are some things I'm consistent with like oiling and massaging my scalp, moisturing my hair, drinking my brewers yeast and taking my hair vitamins, msm and biotin. I miss one day of exercising, and I didn't feel like doing my headstand on friday last week. I keep telling myself, this is not the time to slow down. You have 2 months behind you, and 10 more to go. Keep up the pace and put forth the effort and you WILL get there. I think once I measure and see the results of my efforts I will relax. I'm just a little nervous and anxious because we're getting close to "P" day. Instead of showing a length pic this time, I'm going to measure how much growth I got and take a pic of it. I can see growth but I don't know how much. Remember, posting a pic is optional even though we would love to see results because it keeps us motivated, but even if you share how many inches you achieved, we will take your word for it. We're trying to keep everyone encouraged and motivated to keep doing, keep moving forward, keep pressing ahead so we can reach and meet our goals at the end of this challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing about everyone's progress soon. Stay focused and keep consistent!

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

So I looked up this LadyP method that fancypants007 mentioned since I am wearing my hair in Marley/Havana Twists for the next couple months. I'm doing everything already except for the deep moisture braiding method so I will be starting that. Plus I redo half of my twists every 2 weeks to keep them fresh.
Has anyone had success with doing the LadyP method?

Hey Girl,

That sounds like an awesome plan to redo every 2 weeks. I made the mistake after putting a relaxer touchup in my hair around the end of March, I applied braids after 2 weeks and left them in for 1 month. I moisturised everyday, oiled my scalp with sulfur mix and when I took braids down, I had some breakage. I never did this before and I have certainly learned my lesson and will never do it again. I was surprised when I revisited LadyP's method and she said to only moisturise once a week and shampoo and deep condition once a week. After I take my measurement pic on Sunday, I'm going to put braids back in my hair and I will be doing things LadyP's way except, I will not be using conditioner on my hair, I will be using a moisturising spray, oil, and then seal with butter. I'm going to keep them in for 1 month at a time. You can do a google or search this forum and you will find information about LadyP. I think someone started a challenge using her methods. This is one of her threads.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=496712

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

fancypants007
faithVA

Thanks ladies! I absolutely LOVE yarn for my hair. It really helps lock moisture in the hair and helps me retain my most of amount of growth when I do them. It's the cheapest style I've ever done (like $10 for a big bundle) and they last a long time for me cause...you know..yarn don't frizz.


I infuse my hair with lots of moisture prior to install (deep condition, wash, moisturize...etc.) and I also add a little of my leave in to the actual yarn before braiding it in. And to maintain it, I'll just spritz them and oil and massage my scalp on a nightly basis. It's soooo easy! I love them.

**Fresh Yarn Braids**

**Yarn Braids at 3 WEEKS**

Now yarn twists....I do them the same way but they don't last as long as yarn braids do. My hair frizzes out way too much for the twists, but I love the braids!! Yarn twists will last me like 2 weeks, and yarn braids can go for a month, maybe more!

**These are my recent yarn twists that soo failed me at week 2**

In yarn braids I still wash weekly and maintain my hair as if I didn't even have yarn in, but for me it's the best protective style I've EVER encountered!!! lol

Thanks for sharing. What brand of yarn do you recommend. I have to google this to see if there is some kind of tutorial on doing yarn braids. I may try this in the future.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Hey mornin! I'm new here, just just just joined this am, Yay for me! I know it's June but I was wondering if I could join the challenge, purleez?

Yes you can and welcome. We would love to have you. At the end of this month is check in day for us who started in April, however if you like you can post a starting pic at the end of this month as your starting pic. Please share any tips/suggestions you may have. Thanks for wanting to join.

 

[JustGROWwithIt]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Hey Girl,

That sounds like an awesome plan to redo every 2 weeks. I made the mistake after putting a relaxer touchup in my hair around the end of March, I applied braids after 2 weeks and left them in for 1 month. I moisturised everyday, oiled my scalp with sulfur mix and when I took braids down, I had some breakage. I never did this before and I have certainly learned my lesson and will never do it again. I was surprised when I revisited LadyP's method and she said to only moisturise once a week and shampoo and deep condition once a week. After I take my measurement pic on Sunday, I'm going to put braids back in my hair and I will be doing things LadyP's way except, I will not be using conditioner on my hair, I will be using a moisturising spray, oil, and then seal with butter. I'm going to keep them in for 1 month at a time. You can do a google or search this forum and you will find information about LadyP. I think someone started a challenge using her methods. This is one of her threads.
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=496712

Thanks, I found the challenge and joined! I didn't realize that we are only supposed to moisturize once a week. I have been spraying my hair with a moisturizing spray every other day. How does once a week work for you? It makes me nervous to go that long without moisturizing! Especially after shampooing, since the moisture I infused using the deep moisture method will be washed...right?

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Thanks, I found the challenge and joined! I didn't realize that we are only supposed to moisturize once a week. I have been spraying my hair with a moisturizing spray every other day. How does once a week work for you? It makes me nervous to go that long without moisturizing! Especially after shampooing, since the moisture I infused using the deep moisture method will be washed...right?

Well I don't know. I used her method several months ago and when I took my braids down, my hair was very moisturised. I wasn't washing once a week and I believe I was moisturising every day and not once a week. However, what's weird is just recently when I had braids, I was moisturising every PM with my moisturising spray, oiling my scalp with sulfur mix and I did a couple of indian powder cleanses during the month and when I took my braids down, in some areas my hair was dry as a bone! I couldn't figure it out and I still don't know what contributed to the breakage. Anyhow, I'm going to do LadyP's method, moisturising once a week and she says to really saturate your braids, and then I will wash and deep condition once a week with heat. She says if you do this, you hair should not dry out. I remember back in the day when I had cornroll braids, I did nothing to them except wash once a week and I got some really good growth. I'm going to try it and see how my hair responds. When you wash once a week, you're conditioning too with heat and that should put moisture back in hair that you washed away. Hope this makes sense.

 

[JustGROWwithIt]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Thanks fancypants007, I'll give it a try!

 

[Jewell]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

@faithVA - I won't throw out my biotin but the way I feel now, I don't plan on purchasing anymore for a while. I am beginning to suspect biotin IS NOT necessarily THE active promoter of hair growth, as it is marketed to be. I have religiously taken biotin daily since January (give or take a week). I actually started in October but missed December because of flu/winter virus. My dosage ranged from 1500mcg daily up to 100mg (yes!!!) daily. There has been no increased hair growth rate. With the dosages I've taken over this 6 month period I should have experienced some change in rate - and I have not. My nails (finger and toe) have not grown any more than their normal rate either. The brands I took varied - so I can't attribute the problem to the brand. If biotin was going to increase my hair growth rate, 6 months is sufficient time to see results. My diet is such that it would not hamper the effacy of the biotin and I take supplements (chlorella/spirulina) high in protein - daily without fail. So I believe that "it" (biotin) does not produce the marketed results.

In my opinion, for as many LHCF members who take biotin - our hair growth should be much higher than I have read. If someone has "bonafide proof that biotin and only biotin resulted in increased growth" I would love to hear about it.
I think it is a "big sell" and payoff for companies but the payoff for the consumer is nill.
Beginning July 1 - I will stop taking biotin and start Viviscal. I just purchased a 6 month supply. I will take it (as recommendeded) for 6 months and see if I notice any change in growth rate. The only other change I plan to make is change my protective style from daily wig wearing to a sew in.

Sorry if I highjacked the thread.

I read somewhere that for biotin to be really effective, you have to take a B-complex supplement, which includes other B vitamins that help the metabolism of biotin, and it prevents the acne that can affect some people taking high doses of biotin. I have never had a prob with it, but then again, I have always taken a B-complex vitamin, so for me biotin really works. MSM has to be taken with plenty of water in the diet...it works for me too.

Maybe try a B-complex vitamin along with your biotin before giving up on it completely. I have not heard many people say it absolutely does not work for them, so maybe some pre-cursor to biotin metabolism is missing for your diet or vitamin regimen. Also, those who don't get the crazy growth from biotin often get the increased metabolism it causes.

 

[faithVA]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

^^I take a full supplement of vitamins on a daily basis. My vitamin regimen does include the group of B's. I don't want to up my dose of B-vitamins to get biotin to work. I really don't like mega doses. I think it is best for me to just back off of that one and find something else. I take MSM as well. I don't have any problems with it but I also don't see any increased growth. I may try an external form of biotin, like in a shampoo or something similar.

I really just enjoy not having my face feeling like a big mosquito bite The outbreak from the biotin is really painful.

 

[Jewell]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

faithVA

Maybe that's how I never had the breakouts...I take a low dose of biotin, and have never really exceeded 3000 mcg a day. I have taken between 1000mcg and 3000mcg of biotin a day since 2005. I feel you, I don't like mega doses of ANYTHING. I hate taking pills period, so I take only the RDA of supplements and usually if it says take 6 pills a day, for example, I only take 2 or 3. Hope your breakout subsides quickly! The cystic acne that can result from biotin is painful and troublesome I hear.

fancypants007

Thanks, I thought the pony looked really natural in the store and I was really pleased when I got it home and wore it. It looked even better and more natural, like human hair each time I washed it. The brand is a Pia Best Quality Drawstring. I bought it in 2008 so I don't know if the packaging color has changed, but mine is in a purple, white, and black package. The one I have on in my Fotki is style # TS-300, color F1B/27, so 1B (natural black) mixed with streaks of honey blonde (27).

I hope you can find it! It only cost $10 at my local BSS and this company makes a variety of styles. It is synthetic Kanekalon and Toyo fiber hair.

I was in the original LadyPaniolo challenge from like 2010-2011, and I did it my whole 18-month transition with wigs. IT WORKS. I had no problem retaining, wore my hair in 2 French braids beneath my wigs, saturated them with water mixed with conditioner every 2-3 days and sealed with an oil...grape seed, olive, avocado, mahabhringaraj, Brahmi, etc. I loved the ease of getting up and plopping on a wig when I had to leave the house.

Otherwise, I kept my hair under wraps with a satin scarf. I would be wearing wigs now to grow my hair out super fast, but my SO hates wigs, braids, locs, twists, and weaves. He doesn't like naturally curly hair...he likes it straight. Im like who the heck u been dating all before me?

I told him I'm not a white girl so he MIGHT see me in a wig, Marley twists, or some braids here and there, and he would just have to deal with it temporarily if he wanted me to get to my next big goal of classic length. All he did was give me the side-eye.

Matter of fact, I'm contemplating buying a wig next week and braiding my hair underneath in Celie's until fall. But really with all my hair, it is too hot to wear wigs right now on top of what is already a blanket of hair. I couldn't wear them April-Sept of each year I transitioned, so I might be better off waiting til fall to break out the wigs again. I'm already planning my wig purchases, though. It became an addiction for me at one point.

 

[Mskraizy]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

llan thank you. That's one of the main reasons I got hipped to yarn as well. Ughh the shedded strands that braiding hair would put me through....



fancypants007 thanks! There are plenty of tutorials on youtube. I learned how to do them by watching BlackOnyx77 and BeautifulBrwnBabyDol mainly. They have pretty good tutorials. As for brand I always used the Red Heart Acrylic Yarn. They say if you use wool yarn it can lock your hair up but acrylic yarn won't.


I am also about to jump on the Wig Bandwagon. Frankly because I keep my hair covered up in hats and scarves already, I rarely EVER see my hair these days, so I figured...why not just get a wig and look fairly *cute*...?



I want to get a really good one though. I've never worn a wig in my life, never did sew-ins or crochet braids or whathaveyou. It was always a braided style if I ever used weave and these days, it's not even weave...it's YARN!



I just feel like the wig is gonna look so FAKE or...I dunno. I'm doing my research right now about finding a nice one. Apparently trying to find a nice wig that won't make me look so....drawn on...is gonna run me way more than I anticipated. Like $200 more. But I'm willing to drop a pretty penny for something I'll be wearing for like...the next 6 months. lol Maybe even longer.



I was looking on bestlacewigs.com and feel like I may get this one...

Get it pretty long, like 20 inches or so cause I wanna be waist length already!!

Any wig wearers in here? My main thing is that thing taking out my edges. My edges are pretty thick as it is and I'd like to keep them that way but I do plan on wearing this wig for a WHILE and I mean everyday on a constant basis, like people-will-probably-start-thinking-that-I've-relaxed-my-hair everyday. lol What do you guys think? Is bestlacewigs.com any good? I seen a couple video reviews for this wig and so far....I'm sold to spend the two-hundred and something dollars for it. Though I never EVER thought I would....​

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

faithVA

Maybe that's how I never had the breakouts...I take a low dose of biotin, and have never really exceeded 3000 mcg a day. I have taken between 1000mcg and 3000mcg of biotin a day since 2005. I feel you, I don't like mega doses of ANYTHING. I hate taking pills period, so I take only the RDA of supplements and usually if it says take 6 pills a day, for example, I only take 2 or 3. Hope your breakout subsides quickly! The cystic acne that can result from biotin is painful and troublesome I hear.

fancypants007

Thanks, I thought the pony looked really natural in the store and I was really pleased when I got it home and wore it. It looked even better and more natural, like human hair each time I washed it. The brand is a Pia Best Quality Drawstring. I bought it in 2008 so I don't know if the packaging color has changed, but mine is in a purple, white, and black package. The one I have on in my Fotki is style # TS-300, color F1B/27, so 1B (natural black) mixed with streaks of honey blonde (27).

I hope you can find it! It only cost $10 at my local BSS and this company makes a variety of styles. It is synthetic Kanekalon and Toyo fiber hair.

I was in the original LadyPaniolo challenge from like 2010-2011, and I did it my whole 18-month transition with wigs. IT WORKS. I had no problem retaining, wore my hair in 2 French braids beneath my wigs, saturated them with water mixed with conditioner every 2-3 days and sealed with an oil...grape seed, olive, avocado, mahabhringaraj, Brahmi, etc. I loved the ease of getting up and plopping on a wig when I had to leave the house.

Otherwise, I kept my hair under wraps with a satin scarf. I would be wearing wigs now to grow my hair out super fast, but my SO hates wigs, braids, locs, twists, and weaves. He doesn't like naturally curly hair...he likes it straight. Im like who the heck u been dating all before me?

I told him I'm not a white girl so he MIGHT see me in a wig, Marley twists, or some braids here and there, and he would just have to deal with it temporarily if he wanted me to get to my next big goal of classic length. All he did was give me the side-eye.

Matter of fact, I'm contemplating buying a wig next week and braiding my hair underneath in Celie's until fall. But really with all my hair, it is too hot to wear wigs right now on top of what is already a blanket of hair. I couldn't wear them April-Sept of each year I transitioned, so I might be better off waiting til fall to break out the wigs again. I'm already planning my wig purchases, though. It became an addiction for me at one point.

Jewell, thanks for sharing and I will definitely be checking it out.

You are sooo right about not wearing wigs now. It's just so hot and with all your hair it probably would be hotter. I know what you mean about wearing wigs. My husband did not like me wearing them, but he didn't realize I was on a mission. I like wearing buns and braids now. I'm still using the hot buns hair accessory which I love, (I had to doctor it up sewing satin around it and I removed the small clasp and sewed on a bigger one. I wear high and low buns and I love it). I will soon be putting my hair in braids which will carry me to October. But I also purchased the Maneclip a few months ago and I have it in my hair now. Someone said they put a drawstring pony in it and it worked beautifully. Are you gearing up for check in progress pic next week? I'm looking forward to all the updates. I have to make sure that I get my husband to take a pic, so I can update soon as I get in on Monday. Can't wait!

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

llan thank you. That's one of the main reasons I got hipped to yarn as well. Ughh the shedded strands that braiding hair would put me through....



fancypants007 thanks! There are plenty of tutorials on youtube. I learned how to do them by watching BlackOnyx77 and BeautifulBrwnBabyDol mainly. They have pretty good tutorials. As for brand I always used the Red Heart Acrylic Yarn. They say if you use wool yarn it can lock your hair up but acrylic yarn won't.


I am also about to jump on the Wig Bandwagon. Frankly because I keep my hair covered up in hats and scarves already, I rarely EVER see my hair these days, so I figured...why not just get a wig and look fairly *cute*...?



I want to get a really good one though. I've never worn a wig in my life, never did sew-ins or crochet braids or whathaveyou. It was always a braided style if I ever used weave and these days, it's not even weave...it's YARN!



I just feel like the wig is gonna look so FAKE or...I dunno. I'm doing my research right now about finding a nice one. Apparently trying to find a nice wig that won't make me look so....drawn on...is gonna run me way more than I anticipated. Like $200 more. But I'm willing to drop a pretty penny for something I'll be wearing for like...the next 6 months. lol Maybe even longer.



I was looking on bestlacewigs.com and feel like I may get this one...

Get it pretty long, like 20 inches or so cause I wanna be waist length already!!

Any wig wearers in here? My main thing is that thing taking out my edges. My edges are pretty thick as it is and I'd like to keep them that way but I do plan on wearing this wig for a WHILE and I mean everyday on a constant basis, like people-will-probably-start-thinking-that-I've-relaxed-my-hair everyday. lol What do you guys think? Is bestlacewigs.com any good? I seen a couple video reviews for this wig and so far....I'm sold to spend the two-hundred and something dollars for it. Though I never EVER thought I would....​

Thanks for sharing I have to check those tutorials and that yarn. Now is it complicated or difficult to take down?

 

[OriginalCrownandGlory]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Mskraizy I am a wig wearer. I had a bestlacewig unit that I recently had to retire. It was my go to wig. I wore that wig almost every day in 2012. I don't glue my wigs on so my edges were not affected. I purchased the glueless wig and I had bangs cut. I also own a glamour house of hair "Jennifer" unit which I pin down with no more than 4 bobby pins. I have another wig I purchased from a chinese vendor which I sewed in an elastic band so I wouldn't have to glue it. I own one more wig from rpg show that I doubt I'd ever wear.


Everyone.... hello ladies I hope all is well. These past two weeks have been hectic and I have not been on point with my efforts. But things are beginning to return back to normal so I am looking forward to being as consistent as I was prior to my interruption

 

[ilong]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

@Jewell - thanks for the reply. Yes I know about the B-complex intake with biotin. Until March I was taking a separate B-complex supplement and after I finished the bottle I did not purchase anymore because two of my other supplements have high contents of b-vitamins. I also use rice bran syrup (a sweetner) rich in b -vitamins. I think I am just one of those people that biotin doesn't benefit. (I subscribe to the saying "just because it works for someone else doesn't mean it will work for me")

On another note - I must thank you for your post upthread where you mentioned the various oils. It helped me to finally go to the local Indian grocer to re-purchase amla and bhringaraj oils. At the grocer I saw mahabhringraj oil and remembered your mentioning it - so I purchased it. Unfortunately they did not have the parachute amla oil so I had to purchase the Dabur brand (mineral oil and all )

By the way are you or anyone reading this post using the shikakai shampoo bar ? I found a bar by Swastik at the grocer and picked that up also.

 

[fancypants007]

Re: 12 inches in 12 months - 2013

Mskraizy I am a wig wearer. I had a bestlacewig unit that I recently had to retire. It was my go to wig. I wore that wig almost every day in 2012. I don't glue my wigs on so my edges were not affected. I purchased the glueless wig and I had bangs cut. I also own a glamour house of hair "Jennifer" unit which I pin down with no more than 4 bobby pins. I have another wig I purchased from a chinese vendor which I sewed in an elastic band so I wouldn't have to glue it. I own one more wig from rpg show that I doubt I'd ever wear.


Everyone.... hello ladies I hope all is well. These past two weeks have been hectic and I have not been on point with my efforts. But things are beginning to return back to normal so I am looking forward to being as consistent as I was prior to my interruption

Thanks for checking in and a new day is coming. I'm a little nervous because of the check in coming very soon (end of this month) but I think after that, there's a new day coming, well at least for the next 2 months. Just put yourself back on track and stay focus to get those extra inches.