2013 MN Challenge

[jprayze]

Just got my liquid gold oil. That is what I was going to do; alternate them. How do you like the liquid gold oil?

I like it so far. The sulfur smell is not too strong IMO. The weight is medium I guess, not too heavy or light. Feels good when I massage in my scalp. When I take my twists out, I will be curious to see if my growth rate has increased with the addition of liquid gold in my regimen. I am planning to take my twists out this weekend. This weekend makes 5 weeks of twists and almost 7 weeks since a length check, so we should see SOMETHING...

 

[deedoswell]

I like it so far. The sulfur smell is not too strong IMO. The weight is medium I guess, not too heavy or light. Feels good when I massage in my scalp. When I take my twists out, I will be curious to see if my growth rate has increased with the addition of liquid gold in my regimen. I am planning to take my twists out this weekend. This weekend makes 5 weeks of twists and almost 7 weeks since a length check, so we should see SOMETHING...

7 weeks - almost two months!! Girl you will definitely see progress!!! Have you been using the liquid gold for those 7 weeks? I do like that the sulfur smell is not too strong. I just started using it this weekend.

 

[alanaturelle]

I haven't checked in for over a week but I have been faithfully applying my mix. I was just so busy with work. It's quiet right now but who knows for how long, . I went thru my first batch. In the second batch, I added MegaTek because I'm trying to use up my stash. I'm not sure how my hair will like that but I will see. I'm trying not to do a length check but it's really hard and I want to hold off till the first length check in.

ETA: edited to correct,

 

[jprayze]

7 weeks - almost two months!! Girl you will definitely see progress!!! Have you been using the liquid gold for those 7 weeks? I do like that the sulfur smell is not too strong. I just started using it this weekend.

Yes, every other day since the beginning of the year, so I'm planning to take my twists out this weekend and get my hair straightened the following week.

 

[deedoswell]

Yes, every other day since the beginning of the year, so I'm planning to take my twists out this weekend and get my hair straightened the following week.

I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised at how much progress you've made!!!

 

[ESmackum]

Update....

My hair is still cornrowed under a wig. I have been applying MN every other day. Washed my cornrows last night. And I just bought some of the Liquid Gold that yall have been talking about recently. (Man, why didn't I hear about this before now?!?)

 

[Guinan]

I'm still applying my MN. I really like the consistency of this mixture. I wish I would of wrote down the ingredients. I gonna check my posts & see if I told y'all my mixture

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using LHCF

 

[alanaturelle]

I'm still applying my MN. I really like the consistency of this mixture. I wish I would of wrote down the ingredients. I gonna check my posts & see if I told y'all my mixture

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using LHCF

Hopefully, you will find it. It's really annoying when you forget to write down a recipe and it turns out great.

 

[jprayze]

I'm still applying my MN. I really like the consistency of this mixture. I wish I would of wrote down the ingredients. I gonna check my posts & see if I told y'all my mixture

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using LHCF

Yeah I think you told us, so you should be able to find it!

 

[duanita33]

Hi ladies I'm new but definitely want to join in on this challenge hope it's not too late

 

[duanita33]

This is an all year challenge. If you plan to use MN as a growth aid anytime in 2013, please join us here!

We will officially start on January 1, 2013. I am opening the challenge now, so that you can gather your MN and think about how/if you will mix it with something else. Many ladies have found MN at their local dollar tree stores (I haven't ), but I was able to purchase a 6-pack at a great price from Amazon.com.

So if you're in...thank and answer these questions:

[*]What is your current length?
[*]Is this your first time using MN or how long have you used in MN?
[*]How will you use your MN (directly/mixed)?
[*]What frequency will you apply it?
[*]Any other growth aids that you are using?
[*]Anything else you care to add?
[*]Don't forget a starting pic!
Quarterly Check-ins

March 30, 2013
June 30, 2013
September 30, 2013
December 31, 2013

But come back often to share your experiences.

More Info

Previous Challenges:
Miconazole Nitrate (MN) Challenge (May 1 - July 31, 2012) http://www.longhaircareforum.com/sho...d.php?t=616801
Original MN Thread: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=1209

A Few Tips:

[*]Pay attention to your hair/scalp. This may not work for you. If you experience any adverse effects (anything that's not the norm for you...some people have reported headaches, shedding, etc.), then reduce or stop using MN.
[*]Take special care of your ends. Most people experience faster growth, but you don't want to lose it by having to get frequent trims.
[*]You can't focus your growth by putting the MN in a specific area (e.g. nape, edges). No matter where you put it, it seems to grow all over.
[*]If you feel a little self-conscious about purchasing MN, find yourself the darkest pair of sunglasses you can and throw a wig on so no one will know your true identity when you hit the feminine product aisle
[*]4% MN can be found in the 3 day prefilled applicators.
Can't wait to see your lovely growing results!!!

Current length -4 to 5 inches
First time using MN
Mix MN with MT and sulfur 8
Use it every other day
Currently taking biotin 10,000 mcg daily

 

[jprayze]

Welcome duanita33!!!

 

[ladieluv2010]

omg you guys should shun me! I haven't applied since last Thursday night this makes a week! I'm alittle upset about it but im hoping to jump back into the swing of things tonight. It's just that I added tracks to my hair and I don't want the hair to get that ugly nast oily look if you know what I mean?!
One another not sadly in my 31/2 straight weeks of application I been keeping track of my growth and haven't seen any new growth so I'm alittle skeptical if this really works for me or not but I am going to continue on with February hopefully something will happen! : /

 

[NaiyaAi]

Relaxing tomorrow, a week after I originally planned to. Oh well.

Hoping that the MN got me to BSL! *fingers crossed.

 

[aliyah7]

omg you guys should shun me! I haven't applied since last Thursday night this makes a week! I'm alittle upset about it but im hoping to jump back into the swing of things tonight. It's just that I added tracks to my hair and I don't want the hair to get that ugly nast oily look if you know what I mean?!
One another not sadly in my 31/2 straight weeks of application I been keeping track of my growth and haven't seen any new growth so I'm alittle skeptical if this really works for me or not but I am going to continue on with February hopefully something will happen! : /

Don't feel so bad, you're not the only one. I've been real lazy and unmotivated with the MN. It had been about a week and a half since i had applied mine. But I finally washed, DC'd, and applied MN to my scalp last night. Since I'm natural, I had not been able to tell of any new growth, so I figured that was the reason for my de-motivation.
The only time I was able to see how long my hair grew with MN was when I thread-wrapped a very small section in the back 'kitchen' area of my hair in NOV. I took it out in Jan. It was only about 1"-1 1/2" or so of new growth for the two months (I didn't measure it, but It wasn't a lot of growth to me).
This led me to believe that (1) either my hair grows really slow or (2) my hair grows really slow in the back. Now that I'm mentioning this, I think I'll try again with the thread-wrap. This time in another section.

Besides washing DCing my hair. I also did something else last night....I finally cut my permed ends. It was about 3-5 inches of it. I can't believe i did it. It's been 3 years since my last perm and I still had about 3-5" of it left on my ends. This too also led me to believe my hair grew slow. I mean 3 years and still having perm in my hair. WOW!
Although my hair was a past BSL to about MBL it is much shorter now. I don't think I've had it trimmed or cut at all the whole 3 years. I am not a scissor fan at all. I feel really good in a way because now I feel my hair/length is official. I did not really consider the 3-5" of perm to be real length. For one, my ends looked absolutely horrible when i last got my hair done at the shop. And two, because I figured one day they will fall out and my hair would be shorter anyway. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now. It is done.

I feel like right now, today, I'm on a whole new journey with my hair. Starting all over. I plan to continue MN. Probably thread-wrap a section or two to track growth. Hopefully I can get that length back by the end of the year. But this time It'll be real.

One last thing...... I know many of you all have probably heard of Kimmaytube's leave-in conditioner recipe. Well, I finally tried it last night.
I'm new to a lot of this hair care stuff, but i tried it. Much to my surprise though, I did not really care how my hair felt after applying it. The oils were too thick and drowned out the Kinky curly's detangling/defining abilities. My fair felt a little hard/stiff/dryish. Weird.... Anyways, I added a little more KCKT and that did the job. Hair felt pretty nice. Sorry pH, had to go with what my hair liked. My hair is in like 10-12 twists.

Things are coming together though. I now know what I like in my hair when it gets flat-ironed (Doo gro vitilizer; believe it or not). And what It likes when it's kinky (Kimmays leave-in). I will probably substitute those oils. But maybe at a later time.

 

[Froreal3]

Checking in.

I've been applying MN every day straight. I think I will do a length check on/around the 20th. That will be a month from the last time and almost 2 months since I've started. I missed about two days last week, but I don't think that will affect anything since I use it every day.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using LHCF

 

[jprayze]

omg you guys should shun me! I haven't applied since last Thursday night this makes a week! I'm alittle upset about it but im hoping to jump back into the swing of things tonight. It's just that I added tracks to my hair and I don't want the hair to get that ugly nast oily look if you know what I mean?!
One another not sadly in my 31/2 straight weeks of application I been keeping track of my growth and haven't seen any new growth so I'm alittle skeptical if this really works for me or not but I am going to continue on with February hopefully something will happen! : /

Normally how long does it take for you to see new growth?

 

[jprayze]

Froreal3[/USER];17866827]Checking in.

I've been applying MN every day straight. I think I will do a length check on/around the 20th. That will be a month from the last time and almost 2 months since I've started. I missed about two days last week, but I don't think that will affect anything since I use it every day.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using LHCF

Looking forward to seeing your results. Ddi you post your 1 month length check here? I may have missed it.

 

[Froreal3]

Looking forward to seeing your results. Ddi you post your 1 month length check here? I may have missed it.

jprayze

Yes I did. I believe my hair to have been about 8.5 - 9 inches in the spot I normally check (right side). My crown was nearing 8, which is great since it is my trouble spot. The back was about 8. Before things were in the 7-8 range, so I feel like I'm seeing results.

I don't straighten, so its hard to tell. So I'm hoping to see the majority be around 9 inches next time I check. Regardless, I hope to see about 10 inches by mid March. I will assess the entire process by then and decide if I will continue.

I'm trying to reach APL and 10 inches will bring me there in the front

Sent from my SGH-T959 using LHCF

 

[jprayze]

@jprayze

Yes I did. I believe my hair to have been about 8.5 - 9 inches in the spot I normally check (right side). My crown was nearing 8, which is great since it is my trouble spot. The back was about 8. Before things were in the 7-8 range, so I feel like I'm seeing results.

I don't straighten, so its hard to tell. So I'm hoping to see the majority be around 9 inches next time I check. Regardless, I hope to see about 10 inches by mid March. I will assess the entire process by then and decide if I will continue.

I'm trying to reach APL and 10 inches will bring me there in the front

Sent from my SGH-T959 using LHCF

Sounds like a good plan! I think assessment is very important with MN and really anything we do to our hair.

 

[NaiyaAi]

So... I relaxed.

Technically, I made BSL!

But then, I had to trim about an inch so I'm just short.

Whatever. In a few days, I'm going to start MN again and I'm going to be super duper protecting those ends like crazy!

I just woke up, so I'll post pics later.

 

[jprayze]

So... I relaxed.

Technically, I made BSL!

But then, I had to trim about an inch so I'm just short.

Whatever. In a few days, I'm going to start MN again and I'm going to be super duper protecting those ends like crazy!

I just woke up, so I'll post pics later.

Yay!!! Congrats...you will be back in no time!

 

[aliyah7]

Checking in... Started back applying MN mixture about every other day.
Been loving my hair since I cut those ends.
Glad to finally have 1 consistent texture (after 3 years).

I have been also applying a mixture of Kinky Curly Knot Today(KCKT), Infusium 23 & Oil (Castor Oil or Hot oil Six, or jojoba) to my twist and I just love the way my hair feels.

I also thread-wrapped a section of hair to track growth. So far, so Good!

 

[deedoswell]

NVM found my answer!

 

[jprayze]

Checking in... Started back applying MN mixture about every other day.
Been loving my hair since I cut those ends.
Glad to finally have 1 consistent texture (after 3 years).

I have been also applying a mixture of Kinky Curly Knot Today(KCKT), Infusium 23 & Oil (Castor Oil or Hot oil Six, or jojoba) to my twist and I just love the way my hair feels.

I also thread-wrapped a section of hair to track growth. So far, so Good!

Congrats on getting rid of those ends and hope you see good progress!

 

[jprayze]

Not an official length check but I can already tell my hair has grown!

Maybe alternating sulfur with MN is my winning combo.

 

[Jobwright]

I stopped using mn for about a month to see if my hair was growing from the mn or just growing. I have to say, I think it was growing faster with the mn, so I will start using it again this weekend. Does anyone notice greasier hair with mn? Before when I was using, I was wearing braid outs and Bantu knots so the greasiness didn't matter. But now that I am bunning/pinning up, I wonder if my hair will look ok with all the "stuff" on my scalp. I am also trying to cut back on cowashing twice a week since I am 12 weeks into a loooooong transition and don't really want to deal with the two textures but twice a month. So, does anyone experience greasiness if you are washing twice a month?

 

[deedoswell]

I stopped using mn for about a month to see if my hair was growing from the mn or just growing. I have to say, I think it was growing faster with the mn, so I will start using it again this weekend. Does anyone notice greasier hair with mn? Before when I was using, I was wearing braid outs and Bantu knots so the greasiness didn't matter. But now that I am bunning/pinning up, I wonder if my hair will look ok with all the "stuff" on my scalp. I am also trying to cut back on cowashing twice a week since I am 12 weeks into a loooooong transition and don't really want to deal with the two textures but twice a month. So, does anyone experience greasiness if you are washing twice a month?

When I first starting the MN (last year) I used too much oil in my mix and it did make my hair a little too oily. But, I also attributed that to the fact that I have very fine thin hair. With this year's challenge I used less oil and so far it's fine.

 

[jprayze]

12/23/12 to 02/15/13

 

[PureSilver]

Is anyone using the dollar store brand or Rite Aid brand and getting good results?

Please help me decide.