Apl 2018

[topnotch1010]

That is really good growth. At that rate you will be there by August. Keep it up!

Thank you! As long as I make it by December I won’t be disappointed. I’ve been at this hair growth thing for so long, I don’t wanna set the bar too high and disappoint myself.

 

[topnotch1010]

I had a hair analysis done several years ago. She said my hair is just dry and I needed to moisturize my hair every day. Since my hair is fairly short I keep it in flat twist and spray it every day. That's the best I can do for now. My hair is a little better but it tends to stay on the dry side.

My hair has been breaking from the moment I decided to let it grow out and that has been probably 9 years now. Does it break with henna? Yes. Without henna? Yes. With color? Yes. Without color? Yes. With protein? No protein? Deep Conditioning? And the list goes on.

I'm sure there is some resolution but I'm over trying hard to find it.

Spray everyday and seal I think is the best thing we can do for our hair. No heat, moisturize & seal.

 

[topnotch1010]

Thank you!

And I don't know what the problem is with my ends. I have no problem with my hair growing, but my ends won't let me be great! All my progress goes down the drain because I always seem to have to trim just as much as I grow.

Stop trimming. Split ends won’t travel that far. Try to find a hairstyle that you’re using minimal indirect heat, no direct heat, and you can moisturize/seal daily. How do you wear your hair everyday?

 

[icsonia22]

Ladies I just want to encourage you guys to keep pressing forward. I used to be the poster girl for short broken off hair and it took going natural 3x to finally start to understand what my hair needs. This is what my hair looked like after almost 3 years back in 2014. i didn't understand why my ends were so chewed up and why my hair was always so dry. I chucked it up to having bad hair. Later that year, I colored my already damaged hai. It broke off so I cut it down to a brush cut. I relaxed my twa and that didn't work out as planned. I big chopped again but this time I went completely bald.

This was in November 2015. About a year later, after trying for over 2 years, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child. It was a very exciting time but my natural hair started to become a bit of a hassle. I wanted to give heat training a go. That turned out to be an awful idea. I'm still transitioning out of that and dealing with some breakage from it to this day. This was the first pic I took of my hair on January 1 2018 compared to the pic I took yesterday.

There are a few key things that i'm doing differently now to retain length on my 4b natural hair. My hair grows 4.5 inches a year on average.

1. I keep my hair moisturized with Luster's s curl spray, seal the ends with whipped Shea butter, and tuck them away.
2. I detangle my hair with vegetable oil, Aussie moist and a wide tooth shower comb under running water. Lately I've been dry finger detangling a little bit but I lack the patience to fully finger detangle. The greasiness of whipped Shea butter helps my shed hairs slide out without taking other strands with them. This reduces knots and tangles.
3. I use aphogee 2 step protein treatment every 6 weeks (this is about how often I wash and detangle my hair)
4. I follow that up with tgin honey moisture mask to deep condition
5. I protective style with wigs, mini braids and buns. Once my hair has been moisturized and sealed, I leave it alone.
6. I don't let anyone else touch my hair...if they want to feel it, that's one thing, but no combing or brushing. I haven't been to a salon in years and I'm honestly terrified of them.
7. I don't trim my ends because I'm transitioning out of heat damage anyway. The whipped Shea butter reduces friction on my ends
My regimen isn't fancy. I think it's rather simple. I don't think our hair requires as much stuff as we think it does. Properly moisturizing/sealing, detangling and protective styling works wonders for my hair type. I hope this post is helpful. Happy hair journeys everyone!

 

[faithVA]

Thank you! As long as I make it by December I won’t be disappointed. I’ve been at this hair growth thing for so long, I don’t wanna set the bar too high and disappoint myself.

I understand

 

[Alma Petra]

I had a hair analysis done several years ago. She said my hair is just dry and I needed to moisturize my hair every day. Since my hair is fairly short I keep it in flat twist and spray it every day. That's the best I can do for now. My hair is a little better but it tends to stay on the dry side.

My hair has been breaking from the moment I decided to let it grow out and that has been probably 9 years now. Does it break with henna? Yes. Without henna? Yes. With color? Yes. Without color? Yes. With protein? No protein? Deep Conditioning? And the list goes on.

I'm sure there is some resolution but I'm over trying hard to find it.

Oh you've tried everything that we could possibly suggest. But the positive thing is that you are now seeing progress!
Have you ever considered something extreme such as keeping your length marinating all the time in for example DC sealed with a shea oil mix? And keeping your hair under a wrap or even a wig? And once you can bun your hair you can get rid of the wrap and wear your bun out. I bun my hair and I can get away with heaping a lot of leave-in and shea on it.
Since my hair breaks when I comb it (transitioning from an old relaxer then texlaxing) I don't comb it. I finger detangle only and I only do it very infrequently (once every two weeks) to minimize the total amount of breakage and allow the growth to catch up with breakage.
I know you know and probably practice all of this, but I couldn't prevent myself from saying it

 

[faithVA]

Stop trimming. Split ends won’t travel that far. Try to find a hairstyle that you’re using minimal indirect heat, no direct heat, and you can moisturize/seal daily. How do you wear your hair everyday?

We may need to qualify about the trims. Splits can take out your entire head. Instead of trimming 1 inch you may end up having to trim 4.

Maybe do a search and destroy every month and dust your ends every 3 to 4 months

 

[faithVA]

Oh you've tried everything that we could possibly suggest. But the positive thing is that you are now seeing progress!
Have you ever considered something extreme such as keeping your length marinating all the time in for example DC sealed with a shea oil mix? And keeping your hair under a wrap or even a wig? And once you can bun your hair you can get rid of the wrap and wear your bun out. I bun my hair and I can get away with heaping a lot of leave-in and shea on it.
Since my hair breaks when I comb it (transitioning from an old relaxer then texlaxing) I don't comb it. I finger detangle only and I only do it very infrequently (once every two weeks) to minimize the total amount of breakage and allow the growth to catch up with breakage.
I know you know and probably practice all of this, but I couldn't prevent myself from saying it

I appreciate suggestions. So thank you for sharing some with me. I know you can' know my entire history.

So I have a few things that impact what works for me. I am extremely low porosity. My shrinkage is MAJOR. I am in menopause with some heath issues. My hair is graying like crazy. And my scalp is super sensitve. And I refuse to just love my grays.

So when those get combined normal things that work for others don't work for me.

I do want to do the wig thing. I just haven' found one I like. Even with a week I would have to shampoo and do my hair every week because my scalp likes water weekly or my crown starts to dehydrate and thin out.

I'm just a problem child.

I am starting to figure out a few things. I plan to blog about it soon.

 

[Alma Petra]

I appreciate suggestions. So thank you for sharing some with me. I know you can' know my entire history.

So I have a few things that impact what works for me. I am extremely low porosity. My shrinkage is MAJOR. I am in menopause with some heath issues. My hair is graying like crazy. And my scalp is super sensitve. And I refuse to just love my grays.

So when those get combined normal things that work for others don't work for me.

I do want to do the wig thing. I just haven' found one I like. Even with a week I would have to shampoo and do my hair every week because my scalp likes water weekly or my crown starts to dehydrate and thin out.

I'm just a problem child.

I am starting to figure out a few things. I plan to blog about it soon.

Oh I see now.. There are just so many factors to find the perfect balance for..

You know I'm fascinated with the idea of African wraps. If I had the skill, I'd wrap my hair all the time. I'd buy simpler colors for my wraps though. I think I'm going to make this a project for next month. It seems easier to master wraps than wigs. I bought one wig only in my whole life. It was a kinky wig, supposed to look like my natural hair but it looked so fake I never ever put it on.
But once I master wraps I'll keep my hair in marinating braids or bantu knots. It will be a dream come true! Being in stretched sections all the time means that my hair will have very little chance to tangle and washing in these sections will make finger detangling the least traumatic thing ever for my hair. Just thinking about it makes me excited..

I think you should definitely blog about your progress. It will be so inspiring to so many people, all the new discoveries that you make and how they impact your health, breakage and retention. It will be a great read!

 

[faithVA]

Ladies I just want to encourage you guys to keep pressing forward. I used to be the poster girl for short broken off hair and it took going natural 3x to finally start to understand what my hair needs. This is what my hair looked like after almost 3 years back in 2014. View attachment 428807i didn't understand why my ends were so chewed up and why my hair was always so dry. I chucked it up to having bad hair. Later that year, I colored my already damaged hai. It broke off so I cut it down to a brush cut. I relaxed my twa and that didn't work out as planned. I big chopped again but this time I went completely bald.
View attachment 428809
This was in November 2015. About a year later, after trying for over 2 years, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child. It was a very exciting time but my natural hair started to become a bit of a hassle. I wanted to give heat training a go. That turned out to be an awful idea. I'm still transitioning out of that and dealing with some breakage from it to this day. This was the first pic I took of my hair on January 1 2018 compared to the pic I took yesterday. View attachment 428811

There are a few key things that i'm doing differently now to retain length on my 4b natural hair. My hair grows 4.5 inches a year on average.

1. I keep my hair moisturized with Luster's s curl spray, seal the ends with whipped Shea butter, and tuck them away.
2. I detangle my hair with vegetable oil, Aussie moist and a wide tooth shower comb under running water. Lately I've been dry finger detangling a little bit but I lack the patience to fully finger detangle. The greasiness of whipped Shea butter helps my shed hairs slide out without taking other strands with them. This reduces knots and tangles.
3. I use aphogee 2 step protein treatment every 6 weeks (this is about how often I wash and detangle my hair)
4. I follow that up with tgin honey moisture mask to deep condition
5. I protective style with wigs, mini braids and buns. Once my hair has been moisturized and sealed, I leave it alone.
6. I don't let anyone else touch my hair...if they want to feel it, that's one thing, but no combing or brushing. I haven't been to a salon in years and I'm honestly terrified of them.
7. I don't trim my ends because I'm transitioning out of heat damage anyway. The whipped Shea butter reduces friction on my ends
My regimen isn't fancy. I think it's rather simple. I don't think our hair requires as much stuff as we think it does. Properly moisturizing/sealing, detangling and protective styling works wonders for my hair type. I hope this post is helpful. Happy hair journeys everyone!

Thanks for sharing. It is always good to hear about others progress and how they stayed the course during hard times and made it.

 

[Alma Petra]

Ladies I just want to encourage you guys to keep pressing forward. I used to be the poster girl for short broken off hair and it took going natural 3x to finally start to understand what my hair needs. This is what my hair looked like after almost 3 years back in 2014. View attachment 428807i didn't understand why my ends were so chewed up and why my hair was always so dry. I chucked it up to having bad hair. Later that year, I colored my already damaged hai. It broke off so I cut it down to a brush cut. I relaxed my twa and that didn't work out as planned. I big chopped again but this time I went completely bald.
View attachment 428809
This was in November 2015. About a year later, after trying for over 2 years, my husband and I found out that we were expecting our first child. It was a very exciting time but my natural hair started to become a bit of a hassle. I wanted to give heat training a go. That turned out to be an awful idea. I'm still transitioning out of that and dealing with some breakage from it to this day. This was the first pic I took of my hair on January 1 2018 compared to the pic I took yesterday. View attachment 428811

There are a few key things that i'm doing differently now to retain length on my 4b natural hair. My hair grows 4.5 inches a year on average.

1. I keep my hair moisturized with Luster's s curl spray, seal the ends with whipped Shea butter, and tuck them away.
2. I detangle my hair with vegetable oil, Aussie moist and a wide tooth shower comb under running water. Lately I've been dry finger detangling a little bit but I lack the patience to fully finger detangle. The greasiness of whipped Shea butter helps my shed hairs slide out without taking other strands with them. This reduces knots and tangles.
3. I use aphogee 2 step protein treatment every 6 weeks (this is about how often I wash and detangle my hair)
4. I follow that up with tgin honey moisture mask to deep condition
5. I protective style with wigs, mini braids and buns. Once my hair has been moisturized and sealed, I leave it alone.
6. I don't let anyone else touch my hair...if they want to feel it, that's one thing, but no combing or brushing. I haven't been to a salon in years and I'm honestly terrified of them.
7. I don't trim my ends because I'm transitioning out of heat damage anyway. The whipped Shea butter reduces friction on my ends
My regimen isn't fancy. I think it's rather simple. I don't think our hair requires as much stuff as we think it does. Properly moisturizing/sealing, detangling and protective styling works wonders for my hair type. I hope this post is helpful. Happy hair journeys everyone!

Awesome progress and such an encouraging success story!
I agree with most of your points. I have never had a stylist comb my hair gently, ever. It's continuous breakage from the moment they put the comb in my hair to the moment they put it back down. It's heart breaking. Thank God I now know better!

 

[faithVA]

Oh I see now.. There are just so many factors to find the perfect balance for..

You know I'm fascinated with the idea of African wraps. If I had the skill, I'd wrap my hair all the time. I'd buy simpler colors for my wraps though. I think I'm going to make this a project for next month. It seems easier to master wraps than wigs. I bought one wig only in my whole life. It was a kinky wig, supposed to look like my natural hair but it looked so fake I never ever put it on.
But once I master wraps I'll keep my hair in marinating braids or bantu knots. It will be a dream come true! Being in stretched sections all the time means that my hair will have very little chance to tangle and washing in these sections will make finger detangling the least traumatic thing ever for my hair. Just thinking about it makes me excited..

I think you should definitely blog about your progress. It will be so inspiring to so many people, all the new discoveries that you make and how they impact your health, breakage and retention. It will be a great read!

I agree that mastering wraps should be easier than mastering wigs or finding a wig you like. I have also purchased wigs and did not like them. I have donated quite a few. I was supposed to go wig shopping this spring but haven't gotten around to it.

We just have to stay patient and keep doing what works and make improvements when we can

I used to blog a lot but when they changed the site over, my blog post disappeared with the old sight Now I blog mostly to my own journal and on this site every now and then.

 

[Alma Petra]

I agree that mastering wraps should be easier than mastering wigs or finding a wig you like. I have also purchased wigs and did not like them. I have donated quite a few. I was supposed to go wig shopping this spring but haven't gotten around to it.

We just have to stay patient and keep doing what works and make improvements when we can

I used to blog a lot but when they changed the site over, my blog post disappeared with the old sight Now I blog mostly to my own journal and on this site every now and then.

Oh I can only imagine how it felt to have all the documentation of your journey disappear just like that..

So I went and watched a few YouTube videos and I think I've learned the two most basic head wrap techniques. I'm shocked that they turned out to be this easy. Check out



























I think I'm going to buy a real wrap scarf and a plain black sleep cap to wear under it and see if this will allow me to protective style and still go out in style..

 

[faithVA]

Oh I can only imagine how it felt to have all the documentation of your journey disappear just like that..

So I went and watched a few YouTube videos and I think I've learned the two most basic head wrap techniques. I'm shocked that they turned out to be this easy. Check out


View attachment 428835



View attachment 428833



View attachment 428831




View attachment 428839



View attachment 428837



View attachment 428841



I think I'm going to buy a real wrap scarf and a plain black sleep cap to wear under it and see if this will allow me to protective style and still go out in style..

You go ahead. That is fabulous. I'm sure this is just the beginning of the styles you will master.

 

[Alma Petra]

You go ahead. That is fabulous. I'm sure this is just the beginning of the styles you will master.

Thank you Faith!

 

[Aggie]

Oh I can only imagine how it felt to have all the documentation of your journey disappear just like that..

So I went and watched a few YouTube videos and I think I've learned the two most basic head wrap techniques. I'm shocked that they turned out to be this easy. Check out


View attachment 428835



View attachment 428833



View attachment 428831




View attachment 428839



View attachment 428837



View attachment 428841



I think I'm going to buy a real wrap scarf and a plain black sleep cap to wear under it and see if this will allow me to protective style and still go out in style..

So cute @Alma Petra.

 

[Aggie]

Just finished massaging some Follicle Care CastorArgan Scalp Drops on my scalp. That stuff is wonderfully invigorating. I think I like it but I'll use it a little longer to see how well it works out long term and report back.

I am trying to get back to APL by the middle or end of 2019. I have to continue to trim ALL the demi permanent hair off to get to a complete head of healthy hair all over again. The journey continues!

Thankfully my hair grows pretty fast. I believe that inversions, exercise, lots of water, vitamins, bamboo tea, etc has been helping quite a bit.

 

[B_Phlyy]

Today marks 11 years natural for me. I wish I had way more hair than I do but considering all the setbacks I've had, things could be a lot worse.

Here's a 6 month progress pic. I've been doing my same regimen. I feel my hair seems to be on a cycle of thicken then lengthen. I wish it would do both at the same time.



Though it's hard to see in the pic (I need to just pick one shirt and wear it all the time) I'm probably a good 3 inches from APL. I may make it by September or October but as long as it's in 2018, I'll be happy.

 

[faithVA]

Today marks 11 years natural for me. I wish I had way more hair than I do but considering all the setbacks I've had, things could be a lot worse.

Here's a 6 month progress pic. I've been doing my same regimen. I feel my hair seems to be on a cycle of thicken then lengthen. I wish it would do both at the same time.

View attachment 428847

Though it's hard to see in the pic (I need to just pick one shirt and wear it all the time) I'm probably a good 3 inches from APL. I may make it by September or October but as long as it's in 2018, I'll be happy.

We must be journey sisters. It has been a long road but we are still moving forward. You are right, it could be worse.

Congratulations on the thickening. You are going to appreciate that thickness and eveness when you reach APL. Your hair is going to look so lush and full

It does help to wear the same shirt but as long as we can see where APL is on you anyone will work.

We will be hanging out together until October. I am looking forward to your future updates.

 

[BlessedXs2]

I know it’s kinda late but I’d like to join

Length between cbl and apl in back from lip to everywhere inbetween the front and sides.

Regimen wash and dc weekly moisturize and seal as needed which has been daily since I just BC and try to keep my ends tucked.

What do you need to change to get to apl? I have no clue as I’m just learning my hair. From what I can tell so far I believe I am low porosity. When I wash it never fully seems WET like it did while relaxed and I always have beads of water on my hair. My ends and always super dry and bushy. I’ve been experiencing SSN and a little breakage. Not a ton of either but I want to figure this out early.

Anything else to share? I took too much hair off the top thinking it was my texlaxed hair when it’s just my curl pattern and my back is still to short to do a proper bun. I’ve been wearing 2 French braids but they look sloppy. Everything in my being tells me to protect my ends and binning has always gotten me to my length goals so idk what to do style wise. I’m thinking of box braids or crochet braids but I want to learn my hair as opposed to hide from it. We will see

What month to reach your goals? October for apl and the front I’d be happy to be full sl by December
I’ll post my starting pictures once I take these twist down

 

[faithVA]

I know it’s kinda late but I’d like to join

Length between cbl and apl in back from lip to everywhere inbetween the front and sides.

Regimen wash and dc weekly moisturize and seal as needed which has been daily since I just BC and try to keep my ends tucked.

What do you need to change to get to apl? I have no clue as I’m just learning my hair. From what I can tell so far I believe I am low porosity. When I wash it never fully seems WET like it did while relaxed and I always have beads of water on my hair. My ends and always super dry and bushy. I’ve been experiencing SSN and a little breakage. Not a ton of either but I want to figure this out early.

Anything else to share? I took too much hair off the top thinking it was my texlaxed hair when it’s just my curl pattern and my back is still to short to do a proper bun. I’ve been wearing 2 French braids but they look sloppy. Everything in my being tells me to protect my ends and binning has always gotten me to my length goals so idk what to do style wise. I’m thinking of box braids or crochet braids but I want to learn my hair as opposed to hide from it. We will see

What month to reach your goals? October for apl and the front I’d be happy to be full sl by Decemberu
I’ll post my starting pictures once I take these twist down

Welcome to the challenge. Its ever too late to join.

Looking forward to sharing in your journey and your learning process and seeing your progress.

 

[BlessedXs2]

Welcome to the challenge. Its ever too late to join.

Looking forward to sharing in your journey and your learning process and seeing your progress.

Thank you. Right now I’m just trying to read as much as I can on LoPo hair before I go crazy trying new things .

 

[FemmeCreole]

Are you natural, texlaxed or relaxed?

Natural

 

[FemmeCreole]

Stop trimming. Split ends won’t travel that far. Try to find a hairstyle that you’re using minimal indirect heat, no direct heat, and you can moisturize/seal daily. How do you wear your hair everyday?

I wore crochet locs with my hair cornrowed underneath for 6 months. I'd remove, DC then redo every 6 to 8 weeks. I didn't use heat at all during that time. My growth was awesome, but the ends were a mess. So I got a trim in January, she cut an inch to an inch and a half. I got the crochet locs again. After 4 weeks, I took them down. I had grown almost an inch during that time. So Friday I went back to stylist for a treatment. I noticed the ends looked bad but I figured they were not too bad. Anyways, my stylist trimmed again.

What do y'all think about trimming every 6 to 8 weeks? I think that's excessive.

 

[faithVA]

I wore crochet locs with my hair cornrowed underneath for 6 months. I'd remove, DC then redo every 6 to 8 weeks. I didn't use heat at all during that time. My growth was awesome, but the ends were a mess. So I got a trim in January, she cut an inch to an inch and a half. I got the crochet locs again. After 4 weeks, I took them down. I had grown almost an inch during that time. So Friday I went back to stylist for a treatment. I noticed the ends looked bad but I figured they were not too bad. Anyways, my stylist trimmed again.

What do y'all think about trimming every 6 to 8 weeks? I think that's excessive.

It sounds like you need to find a better way to care for your hair while in the locs. It sounds lke they are drying out even though they are protected.

 

[BlessedXs2]

Here’s my starting picture
So Sunday I clarified did aphogee 2 min and dc with tgin dc with heat for about 20 minuets and left it on a couple hours (lazy) then I added my leave ins I used kckt which gave me awesome slip 1st time using it. The back half I used SM curl enhancing smoothie with Shea butter. They do not mix well left white balls. The top half I used Cantu Shea butter with the Shea butter mix. Went back under the dryer for 5 minuets with a shower cap to try and open my cuticles to accept the products. Left on a lil while then let hair air dry for about 30 minuets and did a flat twist out. My ends are so bushy and dry still. I’m at a lost of what to do next. I feel like I should get my moisture from my dc but I’m not sure what to buy next. I big chopped only 18 days ago. I wonder is this scab hair if that’s a real thing. Is my hair just getting used to bring natural? How do I get my ends smoother and softer or is this it! I’m sending out SOS I’ll definitely reach my goals this year if I can only keep my ends intact.

 

[topnotch1010]

I wore crochet locs with my hair cornrowed underneath for 6 months. I'd remove, DC then redo every 6 to 8 weeks. I didn't use heat at all during that time. My growth was awesome, but the ends were a mess. So I got a trim in January, she cut an inch to an inch and a half. I got the crochet locs again. After 4 weeks, I took them down. I had grown almost an inch during that time. So Friday I went back to stylist for a treatment. I noticed the ends looked bad but I figured they were not too bad. Anyways, my stylist trimmed again.

What do y'all think about trimming every 6 to 8 weeks? I think that's excessive.

I think it’s a excessive too! If you’re not wearing your hair out and straight, I wouldn’t trim it at all! I agree with Faith VA, the locs may be drying your hair out but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Splits really don’t go that far and you’ll never fully get rid of them anyway.

 

[faithVA]

I think it’s a excessive too! If you’re not wearing your hair out and straight, I wouldn’t trim it at all! I agree with Faith VA, the locs may be drying your hair out but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Splits really don’t go that far and you’ll never fully get rid of them anyway.

What is your source for the statement "Splits really don't go that far"?

 

[faithVA]

Before shampooing I pulled out the measuring tape and measured some sections quickly. I will measure when I blow dry to get a more accurate read but the measurements confirmed what I was thinking. My nape is beyond struggling and not growing or retaining as well as the rest of my hair. All of my hair has struggled over the past 4 years but my nape is very obvious.

With the quick measurement, my nape is between 6". My crown which was horrible is around 7.5". I have some sections around 8. The front of my hair is between 8.5 and 9. Most of my hair is between 7.5 and 9 inches. But my nape is just not happy no matter what I do for it

I will measure all of the sections when I take my update pictures and then track it every 4 months to see how I am doing.

 

[gforceroy]

I will post an update next time I take my braids out!

I get my hair braided every 3 weeks into a beehive now with a net (has been helping with breakage around hairline) so my wigs lay flat.