APL by Dec 2010!!!

[Ijanei]

i feel like I am still getting no where I hope to reach apl by august (crosses fingers)

 

[grow]

so i have been on a no heat kick since december, and i have been streching my relaxers AND cowashing frequently... sounds like a good plan right, UUUUMMMMMM NO. I guess im just not one of those that can get away with not relaxing and not using heat and keeping wet. If i dont cowash my hair is still tangled and breaks at the decremation line. the streching is giving me great growth but since i havent been using heat, detangling is horrendous. So i think im going to have to up my relaxers to once every 6 weeks,, I know I know. or at least start back up with the heat, because i really want to make apl. I have bought BT and am getting great growth but i lose more detangling then anything. When I think about it, the only time i really retained any hair was when my hair was straight, either right after a relaxer or after it has been blow dried. I gained almost 2 inches when i had my hair straight for two months straight. I guess I gotta dust off that blow dryer.

that's a familiar debate, Indarican, and i really empathize with you.
have you seen this thread? : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=419442

there's alot of information on detangling efficiently on there.
i'm no expert by any means, but i've been experimenting with this and also with oil rinses.
this thread helped me to understand that technique : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=150965

and another thing i'm experimenting is NOT COMBING MY HAIR SO MUCH.
this fotki helpd me to understand how to do it:
http://members.fotki.com/sylver2/about/

i'm stretching, too and also haven't used heat since the end of last year.
please don't give up on trying because i'm sure it's all about learning the right balance, the right techniques, and using the right products.
my last texlax was going on 15 weeks ago and now i only comb/detangle my hair once every 10-14 days (like Sylver2's fotki shows), BUT i cowash AND oil rinse regularly.
if you feel better with straighter hair more often, i can really understand that, because i do too, but if you want to lay off the heat and chemicals, know that YOU CAN DO IT!

hhj ladies!

 

[grow]

i feel like I am still getting no where I hope to reach apl by august (crosses fingers)

i was feeling like that at the beginning of the week, too, Ijanei!

it can seem very frustrating, but they tell me that our hair grows even when we're not watching it!
(now i'm learning to stop checking it every 28 minutes..!)

you've got time before your deadline....august is a good 3 (plus) months away. don't stress over it. remember that we've got that "summer growth spurt" coming our way!

hhg ladies!

 

[Ijanei]

i was feeling like that at the beginning of the week, too, Ijanei!

it can seem very frustrating, but they tell me that our hair grows even when we're not watching it!
(now i'm learning to stop checking it every 28 minutes..!)

you've got time before your deadline....august is a good 3 (plus) months away. don't stress over it. remember that we've got that "summer growth spurt" coming our way!

hhg ladies!

Thanks girl, I feel like if I don't make it by the end of this year then my hair has reached it's destined length . And yessss hopefully we can get somewhere SOME TIME THIS YEAR . if not I'm gonna chop it all off 1-1-2011 and start over.

 

[LaidBak]

There is no way I am meeting this goal this year. My hair is trashed and I still can't figure out why. I need to take about 2 inches off my ends because they are thinning very badly. That will put me back at SL.
*sigh* maybe next year.

 

[Ijanei]

There is no way I am meeting this goal this year. My hair is trashed and I still can't figure out why. I need to take about 2 inches off my ends because they are thinning very badly. That will put me back at SL.
*sigh* maybe next year.

It's only april, if u did happen to cut back to SL you still could make it to APL by the end of the year if you take EXTRA GOOD care of your hair.

 

[grow]

Thanks girl, I feel like if I don't make it by the end of this year then my hair has reached it's destined length . And yessss hopefully we can get somewhere SOME TIME THIS YEAR . if not I'm gonna chop it all off 1-1-2011 and start over.

oh, right....now i AM thinking about this thing they call "terminal length".

LADIES, PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS ON THAT...

as far as i know, imho, our "terminal length" is always alot longer than we think....maybe because many of us have never been there before.

i've read where they say black people's hair grows just as fast as caucasian people's hair....the only difference is RETENTION.

but i'm no expert so let's hear what others have to say...

(whenever i start thinking my hair isn't growing&has reached its terminal length, it always surprises me with a lil more growth....)

don't cut or give up, just retain is what i think works...

 

[LaidBak]

It's only april, if u did happen to cut back to SL you still could make it to APL by the end of the year if you take EXTRA GOOD care of your hair.

I'm tall. SL to APL is 6 inches. And I still haven't figured out why my hair is trashed. I gotta fix that before I can make any real progress.

 

[Ijanei]

I'm tall. SL to APL is 6 inches. And I still haven't figured out why my hair is trashed. I gotta fix that before I can make any real progress.

oh wow so you dont even know what you did wrong so you can start to fix it. That's not good. when we think we are doing something beneficial it always bites us in the a**. I'm sure it will work out. dont give up hope just yet.

 

[grow]

There is no way I am meeting this goal this year. My hair is trashed and I still can't figure out why. I need to take about 2 inches off my ends because they are thinning very badly. That will put me back at SL.
*sigh* maybe next year.

PLEASE DON'T CUT YOUR HAIR, LAIDBAK!

thin ends is part of the growing process, especially when you have layers.

if my memory is correct, didn't you do a trim not too long ago?
if so, then that's enough, the ends are fresh.

hun, i've got thin ends, too, so after i texlax in may, i'm gonna trim a TINY BIT, but only to keep my ends fresh.
try bunning so you don't have to look at thin ends until you reach your goals darlin'.

 

[Ijanei]

oh, right....now i AM thinking about this thing they call "terminal length".

LADIES, PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS ON THAT...

as far as i know, imho, our "terminal length" is always alot longer than we think....maybe because many of us have never been there before.

i've read where they say black people's hair grows just as fast as caucasian people's hair....the only difference is RETENTION.

but i'm no expert so let's hear what others have to say...

(whenever i start thinking my hair isn't growing&has reached its terminal length, it always surprises me with a lil more growth....)

don't cut or give up, just retain is what i think works...

I read somewhere on wikipedia that our hair actually produces more oil and grows just as fast if not faster than other races. The problem is our hair doesnt grow in straight distributing oil throughout the hair strands to give moisture to the ends like the other races. Our hair grows in waves, curls, coils or whatever you want 2 call it. <---hope i wasnt rambling on and on,

 

[Ijanei]

PLEASE DON'T CUT YOUR HAIR, LAIDBAK!

thin ends is part of the growing process, especially when you have layers.

if my memory is correct, didn't you do a trim not too long ago?
if so, then that's enough, the ends are fresh.

hun, i've got thin ends, too, so after i texlax in may, i'm gonna trim a TINY BIT, but only to keep my ends fresh.
try bunning so you don't have to look at thin ends until you reach your goals darlin'.

Agree* at least do that and see where it gets you in june

 

[topnotch1010]

Hello my lovely APL Challengers!

I just relaxed my hair and I am excited to say that I've made a great deal of progress. In fact, I have really underestimated my hair; I wasn't expecting to see my current length until August. I'm grazing APL and decided to post some progress pics. I even did my FIRST self trim and although it's not the best, I think it came out pretty decent. I have updated my siggy...I can't believe it's been a year since I started my hair journey.

HHG, ladies!

Great progress! Your hair is very beautiful!

 

[topnotch1010]

so i have been on a no heat kick since december, and i have been streching my relaxers AND cowashing frequently... sounds like a good plan right, UUUUMMMMMM NO. I guess im just not one of those that can get away with not relaxing and not using heat and keeping wet. If i dont cowash my hair is still tangled and breaks at the decremation line. the streching is giving me great growth but since i havent been using heat, detangling is horrendous. So i think im going to have to up my relaxers to once every 6 weeks,, I know I know. or at least start back up with the heat, because i really want to make apl. I have bought BT and am getting great growth but i lose more detangling then anything. When I think about it, the only time i really retained any hair was when my hair was straight, either right after a relaxer or after it has been blow dried. I gained almost 2 inches when i had my hair straight for two months straight. I guess I gotta dust off that blow dryer.

This doesn't work for me either so I stopped doing both and I retain just fine. Do whatever is best for you no matter what the popular method is on lhcf.

 

[topnotch1010]

Thanks girl, I feel like if I don't make it by the end of this year then my hair has reached it's destined length . And yessss hopefully we can get somewhere SOME TIME THIS YEAR . if not I'm gonna chop it all off 1-1-2011 and start over.

You will make progress!! Don't worry! I suggest only taking length pics about every 4-6 months. You will see a huge difference vs. taking them every month or two.

oh, right....now i AM thinking about this thing they call "terminal length".

LADIES, PLEASE SHARE YOUR IDEAS ON THAT...

as far as i know, imho, our "terminal length" is always alot longer than we think....maybe because many of us have never been there before.

i've read where they say black people's hair grows just as fast as caucasian people's hair....the only difference is RETENTION.

but i'm no expert so let's hear what others have to say...

(whenever i start thinking my hair isn't growing&has reached its terminal length, it always surprises me with a lil more growth....)

don't cut or give up, just retain is what i think works...

I'm not sure I buy this whole terminal length thing. I think one can grow their hair to ones knees if you take care of it long enough. It takes a long time and a lot of care to get there though.

 

[indarican]

that's a familiar debate, Indarican, and i really empathize with you.
have you seen this thread? : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=419442

there's alot of information on detangling efficiently on there.
i'm no expert by any means, but i've been experimenting with this and also with oil rinses.
this thread helped me to understand that technique : http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=150965

and another thing i'm experimenting is NOT COMBING MY HAIR SO MUCH.
this fotki helpd me to understand how to do it:
http://members.fotki.com/sylver2/about/

i'm stretching, too and also haven't used heat since the end of last year.
please don't give up on trying because i'm sure it's all about learning the right balance, the right techniques, and using the right products.
my last texlax was going on 15 weeks ago and now i only comb/detangle my hair once every 10-14 days (like Sylver2's fotki shows), BUT i cowash AND oil rinse regularly.
if you feel better with straighter hair more often, i can really understand that, because i do too, but if you want to lay off the heat and chemicals, know that YOU CAN DO IT!

hhj ladies!

I will definetly give the oil rinses a shot before I relax again.
Thank you!!!!

 

[LaidBak]

PLEASE DON'T CUT YOUR HAIR, LAIDBAK!

thin ends is part of the growing process, especially when you have layers.

if my memory is correct, didn't you do a trim not too long ago?
if so, then that's enough, the ends are fresh.

hun, i've got thin ends, too, so after i texlax in may, i'm gonna trim a TINY BIT, but only to keep my ends fresh.
try bunning so you don't have to look at thin ends until you reach your goals darlin'.

But I don't have layers.
I have trimmed 3 times since moving here (in November). Well, 4 if you count the bangs that I HAD to cut because of excessive breakage. The thing is, the entire 12 months prior to moving here (Turkey) I was able to maintain even, healthy ends. I rarely use heat (1ce a week) and I bun 90% of the time. I just don't get it. I thought it was hard water so I got a softener. I thought it was protein overload so I refocused on moisture. Today my hair is soft, but its still breaking. It still comes out in the comb with just the lightest touch. Arrgh! I am so frustrated.

The next step is for me to change my relaxer. I was trying to transition to texlaxed by using Mizani mild. I know that some of my breakage is about 4-5 inches down the shaft. I think my hair is breaking at the bonelaxed/texlaxed line of demarcation. So I am going back to bonelaxed. I'll be back in the states for vacation in two weeks. So I'm gonna get a full head corrective and have the stylist cut whatever needs to be cut. Even if that takes me back to ear length. *sigh* I can't stand having scraggly looking hair.

 

[indarican]

But I don't have layers.
I have trimmed 3 times since moving here (in November). Well, 4 if you count the bangs that I HAD to cut because of excessive breakage. The thing is, the entire 12 months prior to moving here (Turkey) I was able to maintain even, healthy ends. I rarely use heat (1ce a week) and I bun 90% of the time. I just don't get it. I thought it was hard water so I got a softener. I thought it was protein overload so I refocused on moisture. Today my hair is soft, but its still breaking. It still comes out in the comb with just the lightest touch. Arrgh! I am so frustrated.

The next step is for me to change my relaxer. I was trying to transition to texlaxed by using Mizani mild. I know that some of my breakage is about 4-5 inches down the shaft. I think my hair is breaking at the bonelaxed/texlaxed line of demarcation. So I am going back to bonelaxed. I'll be back in the states for vacation in two weeks. So I'm gonna get a full head corrective and have the stylist cut whatever needs to be cut. Even if that takes me back to ear length. *sigh* I can't stand having scraggly looking hair.

Girl dont give up, I know its frustrating but stick with it. you will see results.

 

[grow]

But I don't have layers.
I have trimmed 3 times since moving here (in November). Well, 4 if you count the bangs that I HAD to cut because of excessive breakage. The thing is, the entire 12 months prior to moving here (Turkey) I was able to maintain even, healthy ends. I rarely use heat (1ce a week) and I bun 90% of the time. I just don't get it. I thought it was hard water so I got a softener. I thought it was protein overload so I refocused on moisture. Today my hair is soft, but its still breaking. It still comes out in the comb with just the lightest touch. Arrgh! I am so frustrated.

The next step is for me to change my relaxer. I was trying to transition to texlaxed by using Mizani mild. I know that some of my breakage is about 4-5 inches down the shaft. I think my hair is breaking at the bonelaxed/texlaxed line of demarcation. So I am going back to bonelaxed. I'll be back in the states for vacation in two weeks. So I'm gonna get a full head corrective and have the stylist cut whatever needs to be cut. Even if that takes me back to ear length. *sigh* I can't stand having scraggly looking hair.

that is so distressing and i'm sorry to hear it's been so difficult.
when i first moved to europe, it must have taken years for my hair to adjust, so with that, maybe the only thing that can help is tenacity and patience.

i had "cut down" on the heat i was using last year, too, but i still had breakage, so i've stopped using heat completely. if i want it flat, i wrap it or rollerset for curls.

i've had problems with that line of demarcation, as well because i too, had always relaxed bone straight. my first textlax was this jan.14, so now i've got 3 textures to deal with.

it's not easy, but since i cannot stand seeing my hair in my comb, my sink, my brush...everywhere but on my head, i've started "learning" how to smooth it down and style it with my hands.

our hands can feel when it's pulling our delicate hairs (the 3 textures) where the combs and brushes cannot.
that's where we can stop, apply cream rinse/leave in/water and or oils, and baby that part of our hair to stop it from breaking off.

i know this method sounds tiresome and tedious but since i've started, it's gotten alot easier and faster to do.
it also beats the alternative by a longshot.

don't give up on your hair, there must be a method that will work.

 

[UGQueen]

im sooo in!

 

[xyra]

So I will be taking my hair out of two strand twists next week and will not be using heat for the remainder of the year. I remember being in braids for 1 1/2 years and went from SL to BSL. I have been unable to locate the woman who did my braids then, and the other braiders I have gone to were a disaster so I will be doing bunned up braid outs/twist outs instead. Hopefully I will be able to retain some length and speed up my growth to 1/2" per month. My growth rate is soooooo slow.

I just received my order of Boundless Tresses so I will be using that every other day on my scalp as well. I have been slacking on the exercise, water intake, and daily vitamins so I will definitely need to start cracking down more. My first semester of nursing school will be over in 10 days (so excited!) and I will be getting a 5 week break before the summer semester starts. That means lots of time to reestablish my regimen.

 

[myhair84]

haven't been on here in a while, but I have still kept up my reggie, with the dc once a week and shampooing as needed. i will get my hair flat ironed next week instead of dec when i planned. i fear that i have some crazy looking ends . it looks like my hair is past my neck and reaching my shoulders, we will see theo. i will post pics, don't really have any pics to compare them to, but will post them nonetheless.

 

[grow]

hi ladies, again many thanks for your help in feeling better about reaching these hair goals!

i was going to wait and post pics once i had "gotten somewhere", but i need help in deciding what to do, so here goes.

i had planned to texlax in may hoping to have my ends at APL by then.
my last texlax was in jan.2010, so i'm 15 wks post.

should i go ahead and perm in may or do you think it could be disappointing, given my deadline.
would it be better to wait to perm until june, giving my ends more time to reach APL (we're only talking ends here....my bangs will take forever!) or should i just go for it and perm in may?



here, i'm straight out of the shower, but i'm trying to keep the ng from bouncing back up...

 

[4evershika]

Honestly you look pretty darn close right now!!

But I think if you can hold out, then wait the extra month.

 

[Salsarisma]

Hey grow. Wait it out with me! I'm almost 19 weeks post and I'm not relaxing till June. We can be suprised together!

 

[GreenD]

Hi all, I've updated my routine some by adding some silica, hair, nail and skin vitamins, cod liver oil, MSM and by applying aloe vera to my scalp once a week. I'm so excited I can't wait to make APL!!

Whoo-hooo!!!

 

[Charz]

I've added Redken Extreme Line to my regimen!!!

 

[davisbr88]

What are you doing for growth?
Protective Styles - French braids, half-wigs
MN growth aid
*Trying biotin next month*
Low manipulation

What are you not going to do?
No direct heat (except on August 22, 2010 - the one-year mark of my transition)
No cutting

What length are you now?
Between CBL and APL

 

[WaistLengthDreams]

hi ladies, again many thanks for your help in feeling better about reaching these hair goals!

i was going to wait and post pics once i had "gotten somewhere", but i need help in deciding what to do, so here goes.

i had planned to texlax in may hoping to have my ends at APL by then.
my last texlax was in jan.2010, so i'm 15 wks post.

should i go ahead and perm in may or do you think it could be disappointing, given my deadline.
would it be better to wait to perm until june, giving my ends more time to reach APL (we're only talking ends here....my bangs will take forever!) or should i just go for it and perm in may?

here, i'm straight out of the shower, but i'm trying to keep the ng from bouncing back up...

I say, wait it out until June (or at least the end of May) ... for my own selfish reasons, I suppose. That's when I'm trying to stretch until and it would be great to have a stretching buddy. I'll be 12 weeks post on monday and I'm trying to at least make it until 16 weeks post. The stretches are tough but they are so worth it!!!

 

[Platinum]

I have a few strands that are about 2-3 from APL. Too bad most of my hair is still SL.