APL by Dec 2010!!!

[jamaicalovely]

Your hair has grown soooo much!

I have been gone from this thread for a minute. I need to get back for motivation.
Here is where I am...well kinda...I did a big dusting (not big enough to be called a trim)

Not the best pics but you get the idea.

I think my hair has not grown as much as it did in my first yar of being natural.
I feel like it is taking me forever to get to APL. I hope I can be there by December.
I have done alot of dusting this year, due to SSK.
I think I am gonna be wearing braids (conrnrows) for the better part of the reminder of this year.

 

[Ijanei]

I finally figured out this "bunning" thing...I think I kind of like it

 

[chasturner84]

I finally figured out this "bunning" thing...I think I kind of like it

What exactly did you figure out? What are you doing differently?

 

[newbeginnings2010]

I know this is against LHCF rules, but while my hair is damp and after I've moisturized and sealed, I comb through it every 20 mins or so until it is 90% dry. No tangles and my hair dries completely straight as if I used a blow dryer.

Heeey, I do this too! I wait until my hair is about 50% dry and then I comb through it every 15-20 minutes! Well, I feel better about that now! If you got all of that beautiful length that way, then maybe I have a chance, too!

 

[MissHoney26]

I'm getting rid of heat meaning no blow dryers/ flat irons. Well, I might flat iron my roots when I roller set but that's it. My ends already look better after 3 weeks w/o heat and getting down to the nitty gritty on my dustings I'm not playing around this time!

 

[maghreblover]

Hi everyone! Been a while. Last time I straightened my hair back in March I was nearly APL but not quite there yet. Now I think its time I did a final check out of this challenge, I can say I'm full APL now. By the way, I'm transitioning and I'm 18 months post. I realise my hair looks a HAM in the photo but, oh well. Apologies for the state of that mirror Its clean now, that was last week

 

[Ijanei]

What exactly did you figure out? What are you doing differently?

I never got the wet bunning thing...now I been leaving my hair kind of damp and bunning for the last 3 days. i wet my hair every day. No hair gel needed. But this week now, I'm gonna dye my hair jet black and do a nice trim then keep it pinned up til December. I must trim now because it seems like it's getting worse, I will take a pic to show you what I mean tomorrow. My left side is growing in beautiful and thick but the right is broken, limp, and still stuck at the same length

 

[Ijanei]

Hi everyone! Been a while. Last time I straightened my hair back in March I was nearly APL but not quite there yet. Now I think its time I did a final check out of this challenge, I can say I'm full APL now. By the way, I'm transitioning and I'm 18 months post. I realise my hair looks a HAM in the photo but, oh well. Apologies for the state of that mirror Its clean now, that was last week

wow nice growth and yes u are past apl. congrats

 

[Ijanei]

I have been gone from this thread for a minute. I need to get back for motivation.
Here is where I am...well kinda...I did a big dusting (not big enough to be called a trim)

Not the best pics but you get the idea.

I think my hair has not grown as much as it did in my first yar of being natural.
I feel like it is taking me forever to get to APL. I hope I can be there by December.
I have done alot of dusting this year, due to SSK.
I think I am gonna be wearing braids (conrnrows) for the better part of the reminder of this year.

ur hair is nice and looks real soft. That siggy pic, I'm really liking

 

[chasturner84]

Hi everyone! Been a while. Last time I straightened my hair back in March I was nearly APL but not quite there yet. Now I think its time I did a final check out of this challenge, I can say I'm full APL now. By the way, I'm transitioning and I'm 18 months post. I realise my hair looks a HAM in the photo but, oh well. Apologies for the state of that mirror Its clean now, that was last week

You are definitely full APL and should hop on over to the BSL challenge. How long do you plan to transition?

 

[LushLox]

Wow, maghreblover you've surpassed it and more or less BSB, well done!

 

[grow]

when you airdry how do you prevent your hair from getting tangled while drying?

hi Top!
i've been cross wrapping to air dry, so i comb through well, then put the duck clips on and when i take it out, there are no tangles.

a question to you ladies who comb every 15-20 minutes:
how do the ends dry? meaning are they as flat as the rest of the hair?
i've never tried that method but it sounds interesting.

ladies, i just permed and feel like i'm dealing with a disaster.
my regularly used perm was not available so i tried Soft&Beautiful.
it's the only one i found with aloe vera in it and it also came with a pack of oils to add to the perm.
but my hair still came out super duper dry.
it feels like straw and i feel like my progress has been compromised.
i haven't seen so much hair in the sink since before i started my hhj.

 

[Honey Bee]

Maghreblover, you're way past APL! I would say, almost BSL, imo.

Anyways, I have some pics to share. I've been trimming pre-LHCF ends, probably a little less than an inch every month, but I'm putting down the scissors. Maybe half my head is "new hair" and the ends are fine, for now, so I'm confidant I'll make it by December.

November 2009


August 2010 (same shirt)




eta: I didn't flat-iron for the second pic, that might be a flattened braid-out or something

 

[chasturner84]

Maghreblover, you're way past APL! I would say, almost BSL, imo.

Anyways, I have some pics to share. I've been trimming pre-LHCF ends, probably a little less than an inch every month, but I'm putting down the scissors. Maybe half my head is "new hair" and the ends are fine, for now, so I'm confidant I'll make it by December.


eta: I didn't flat-iron for the second pic, that might be a flattened braid-out or something

I'm confident that you're already there. Your ends are looking good!

 

[chasturner84]

hi Top!
i've been cross wrapping to air dry, so i comb though well, then put the duck clips on and when i take it out, there are no tangles.

a question to you ladies who comb every 15-20 minutes:
how do the ends dry? meaning are they as flat as the rest of the hair?
i've never tried that method but it sounds interesting.

ladies, i just permed and feel like i'm dealing with a disaster.
my regularly used perm was not available so i tried Soft&Beautiful.
it's the only one i found with aloe vera in it and it also came with a pack of oils to add to the perm.
but my hair still came out super duper dry.
it feels like straw and i feel like my progress has been compromised.
i haven't seen so much hair in the sink since before i started my hhj.

Heeeeey grow!
I'm one of the ones who comb every 20 or so mins and my ends are always fine and frizz free. I do think it has a lot to do with the products you use like leave ins, oils, etc. I pay particularly good attention to my ends and normally saturate them with a thick leave in and seal with a heavy oil. As I comb through, if my ends try to get frizzy, I add a little more oil and they're fine and just as sleek as the entire length on my hair...not that it would matter because I then bun or flexi rod; but there is comfort in knowing that my hair is straight I've never tried cross wrapping, I don't even know what that is

OMG, I'm sorry to hear about your relaxer incident. Do you think the hair was shed hair or was it breakage? Have you tried to DC again or conditioning overnight? Did you use protein at any point after the relaxer application (like before neutralizing)? Most importantly, was the relaxer lye or no lye?

 

[Ijanei]

Ok Im backing out of the challenge now... everyone is past apl now ...this sucks being a "loner"

my left side is grazing apl but the right side is still only a little past sl. wth? should I just cut it back to sl and start over again?

I'm going to staighten hair this friday so you will see what I'm talking about

 

[LushLox]

Congratulations Honey Bee you've made it Your hair looks lovely!

Ok Im backing out of the challenge now... everyone is past apl now ...this sucks being a "loner"

my left side is grazing apl but the right side is still only a little past sl. wth? should I just cut it back to sl and start over again?

I'm going to staighten hair this friday so you will see what I'm talking about

Yes there are a number of ladies who have made and passed APL and that is wonderful as that's what we're all striving for, but there are quite a few of us that are not there yet, and we've still got a few months until the end of the year.

Don't leave the challenge, this thread is such a good means of support when we feel we aren't getting anywhere, and I think most of us have felt like this at one point in our journey.

 

[Aggie]

Awww Ijanei, don't quit. I am not at APL yet but I am not going to let that discourage me and if you leave, then I'll be a loner in this challenege. I need company, a buddy to stay with me in this.

As far as your hair is concerned, give it a small trim and continue on as usual. The shorter hairs have a strange way of catching up with time. And if it's not caught up by December, give it another trim and then start all over again IF your hair is not at APL yet.

Whatever you do, please don't leave me alone...

 

[chasturner84]

Heeey, I do this too! I wait until my hair is about 50% dry and then I comb through it every 15-20 minutes! Well, I feel better about that now! If you got all of that beautiful length that way, then maybe I have a chance, too!

Thanks for the compliment! Girl you know we're not suppose to be combing our hair that much but it def gets the job done and beats the heck out of using heat. .

Ok Im backing out of the challenge now... everyone is past apl now ...this sucks being a "loner"

my left side is grazing apl but the right side is still only a little past sl. wth? should I just cut it back to sl and start over again?

I'm going to staighten hair this friday so you will see what I'm talking about

Nooooo! Don't cut it! Is the hair on the right side damaged? I would just trim that side (if it's damaged) and wait until it catches up with the other side. And I agree with Cream, some of us have passed it but there are still some who are still working really hard to get there. The purpose of this site is for us to encourage and support one another while on our HHJ; you may not think that you are not showing progress, but I'm sure you are. Keep on keeping on and don't leave this challenge!

 

[Ijanei]

Awww Ijanei, don't quit. I am not at APL yet but I am not going to let that discourage me and if you leave, then I'll be a loner in this challenege. I need company, a buddy to stay with me in this.

As far as your hair is concerned, give it a small trim and continue on as usual. The shorter hairs have a strange way of catching up with time. And if it's not caught up by December, give it another trim and then start all over again IF your hair is not at APL yet.

Whatever you do, please don't leave me alone...

Congratulations Honey Bee you've made it Your hair looks lovely!



Yes there are a number of ladies who have made and passed APL and that is wonderful as that's what we're all striving for, but there are quite a few of us that are not there yet, and we've still got a few months until the end of the year.

Don't leave the challenge, this thread is such a good means of support when we feel we aren't getting anywhere, and I think most of us have felt like this at one point in our journey.

Nooooo! Don't cut it! Is the hair on the right side damaged? I would just trim that side (if it's damaged) and wait until it catches up with the other side. And I agree with Cream, some of us have passed it but there are still some who are still working really hard to get there. The purpose of this site is for us to encourage and support one another while on our HHJ; you may not think that you are not showing progress, but I'm sure you are. Keep on keeping on and don't leave this challenge!

Ok Ok...thanks guys....I feel a little bit better ladies, Aggie I'm with you then. Just that side is not doing anything, it's so thin and broke up. Not damaged but broken and extremely thin. Looks like I have only 5 strands that reach past sl on the right side. what is that? Maybe I'm too worried about the growth and health now as to where before I was just not paying it any mind. Now it's like I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING to my hair.

Congrats to all of you who have excellent growth and are doing well.

 

[maghreblover]

You are definitely full APL and should hop on over to the BSL challenge. How long do you plan to transition?

Thanks!!! I think I'm just going to keep transitioning extra long term, I'll probably just trim until the texlaxed ends are gone.

wow nice growth and yes u are past apl. congrats

Wow, maghreblover you've surpassed it and more or less BSB, well done!

Thanks so much Ijanei and Cream Tee!

Maghreblover, you're way past APL! I would say, almost BSL, imo.

Thank you! I think you're APL too!

 

[Krystle~Hime]

I think it's seriously too late to join(let me know if it is not, cause i want to join for the last 4 months), if not, i'm officially lurkin on the sidelines
i'm collarbone length.

 

[grow]

Ok Ok...thanks guys....I feel a little bit better ladies, Aggie I'm with you then. Just that side is not doing anything, it's so thin and broke up. Not damaged but broken and extremely thin. Looks like I have only 5 strands that reach past sl on the right side. what is that? Maybe I'm too worried about the growth and health now as to where before I was just not paying it any mind. Now it's like I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING to my hair.

Congrats to all of you who have excellent growth and are doing well.

Ijanei sweets, i agree with all of the lovely supporting words these wonderful ladies have written!
DO NOT LEAVE US NOW!
i was just writing on another thread (forget which one) that i have a side that's growing more than the other too!
i was advised to just dust and give the other side time to catch up.
in this thread i think i missed a page, but believe i saw someone quoted you as saying you've found a way to bun.
THAT'S GREAT NEWS!
ESPECIALLY with the waiting game because with bunning, it does not matter what the overall lengths are...who can see that in a bun?
when i used to wear my hair out, ladies would advise to do curly styles if the lengths are uneven as this too, masks the different lengths. there are also french twists, which are very pretty.
there are just so many options available to you for you not to give up on your hair.
4 months is alot of time to stay disciplined and on a good reggie.
doing that, i am sure you will be surprised at how much your hair can change for the better!

 

[grow]

Heeeeey grow!
I'm one of the ones who comb every 20 or so mins and my ends are always fine and frizz free. I do think it has a lot to do with the products you use like leave ins, oils, etc. I pay particularly good attention to my ends and normally saturate them with a thick leave in and seal with a heavy oil. As I comb through, if my ends try to get frizzy, I add a little more oil and they're fine and just as sleek as the entire length on my hair...not that it would matter because I then bun or flexi rod; but there is comfort in knowing that my hair is straight I've never tried cross wrapping, I don't even know what that is

OMG, I'm sorry to hear about your relaxer incident. Do you think the hair was shed hair or was it breakage? Have you tried to DC again or conditioning overnight? Did you use protein at any point after the relaxer application (like before neutralizing)? Most importantly, was the relaxer lye or no lye?

thank you so much, Chas, for your compassion for my relaxer disaster!
i had stopped using the comb for days before the perm and had only been finger detangling, so you're right, it might have been a bit of shedding, but the rips i heard were surely breakage.
my realxer was no-lye: Soft and Beautiful, although it was the first time i tried it. (they didn't have my usual.)
and yes, i did a protein mid-step before my neut poo which was Redken Extreme Deep Fuel.
it's great for the ceramides (lasts 8 washes), but i added Keratin Amino Acids to it thinking my daily cowashing might have lessened the protetin in my hair. i think this lead to protein overload and have been doing overnight deep conditioning on dry hair every single night since my perm. i also have been advised to chelate in case there are any mineral deposits left in there (though the neut poo was not pink when i finished) which i will do today, and i will keep dc'ing until my hair stops feeling like a broomstick.
i think i'm protein sensitive.

on a much lighter note, if my hair survives this disaster, and i can get a comb through it, i will try that combing thing you all mentioned!
as for the cross wrapping, i learned about it here:
http://www.long-healthy-hair-advisor.com/how-to-wrap-black-hair.html
they show it on dry hair, but the same thing can be done fresh out of the shower and it's what has gotten my hair straight since i stopped using heat in late 2009.

 

[Ijanei]

Grow and Chas, you guys are making me want to get a relaxer. (sorry to hear about your disaster grow, I'm sure you will fix it and be right back on track in no time)

Here are the pics of the extremely split and short ends of my hair I was telling you guys about. No good, I know. So now any suggestions besides the buns? Anything I should apply to this? Maybe it's breaking because of the transition, ya' think?

^^ there was nothing to the back ends. WTH? That's only on the right side, the left side is full. Oh and the nape area, pay that no mind I had a few conditioners and other things in

On to my pleasant images after that disaster here is my wet buns. There are on different days, it's easier to do now that I am starting this new semester. I just hope all this wetting my hair isnt in vain. I'm loving the buns though. I use no stuffing or socks or anything, I'm happy it's full enough to do it. That goes to the "no heat" routine I'm on now. I'm sure if I used heat, it would look real thin. (yes I love my lil chop stick thingy)

 

[grow]

IJanei, CONGRATULATIONS LADY!

you have got some GREAT STYLES going on there and versatility, too!
do not worry about the watering your hair being done in vain because in time, you will notice a definite diffference!
in my experience, it took a while to see and feel, so maybe the hair just takes a while to get used to it.
i'm not transitioning so i don't know exactly which products you need, but in my perm stretches, i learned that glycerine is our friend!
i even bought some pure 100% vegetable glycerine to add to my mixes.
i know alot of people use S-Curl (transitioners and non) and moisturizers of that nature.
you, like me, just joined lhcf this year, so i hear people refer to those ends as "pre lhcf ends", lol!
eventually they will be dusted off, but for now, i call mine the "lead hairs". (a WL lady taught me that term,lol!)
i never go anywhere without m&s'ing those ends, so baby them....it's good practice for the fresh ends you'll have after dusting.
you did really good to take pictures because when you look back at these just 6 months from now, you will be amazed at your progress!
are you in the hide your hair challenge? i'm doing that and it helps me to take my mind off of my pre lhcf ends because it encourages me to keep my hair up and out of the way.
with these great styles you have hun, you don't need to focus on those ends or uneveness.
just focus on that luscious, thick, healthy new hair you are now growing!!!


there's a thread dedicated just to pretty up-do's. i'll see if i can find it for you to help with ideas.
(i don't do much else but bun)
oh, and Thank You for your caring words for my perm disaster!
i have been deep dc'ing every single night and will continue to do so hoping it gets back to "normal" soon!

 

[grow]

here's the link to the pretty up do' styles i was telling you about:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=491758&page=3

happy viewing!

 

[Ijanei]

i have been deep dc'ing every single night and will continue to do so hoping it gets back to "normal" soon!

is that good to do every day? I never really got what Deep Conditioning does for hair. Ive been doing it weekly but it's the same. IMO and thanks grow but um, those ends werent there before, lol that just started this summer AFTER lhcf

Is your hair also thick after your relaxer? So bunning and wetting relaxed hair doesn't break yours out? Thanks for the thread, going to go look now

 

[grow]

well, it took me a few months of trying dc'ing techniques to find HOW i could get it to make my hair feel differently.
after this experimenting, i've found that for me to "feel" a difference, i have to dc on dry hair and leave it under a plastic thermal like cap overnight. (i turn the elastic parts of the plastic cap up and over the edge of a satin bonnet, so no elastic is near my hairline...it also helps keep the warmth inside my "bag").
then when i rinse it off in the morning, i have silk.
i also like to make a good mix these days.
sure, most of my dc's work well alone (especially AO HSR; AO WC; AO IN), but i like to add things like, honey, banana baby food, glycerine, jbco and other oils, ecc...

as far as the perm, my hair is thicker after my perm because i texlax now, but i would not say i have thick hair...it's just a bit thicker than it used to be when i used to bonelax.

in the first 7 days after my perm, no elastic (not even the ones made of stockings) touch my hair.
it's too delicate at that stage, so i do my french twists, and just use decorative hair combs very delicately.

when i DO wet bun, i make sure the hair is damp, not sopping wet.
then i wrap a loose bun because as it dries, it get tighter, so if it's loose, it won't be tight.
i bag FIRST and after my hair has been thrown into the bag, i put the stocking or elastic around my bag, NOT my hair, so the elastic never has contact with my hair and my hair stays protected inside the bag.
it also helps my hair to slide out of the bag because nothing is pulling it or holding it tightly.

then i proceed to cover my bag and decorate the look.
this is the only reason why i prefer buns to french twists because i still have yet to find a way to bag AND french twist.
although french twists work for my immediate post perm days (like now), in the long term, wet bagging saves the entire length of my hair from exposure to elements, drying and damage.
at the end of a long day, my length is still damp and moist.

 

[chasturner84]

Ijanei, I definitely understand your concern for that area of you hair. I tried my hand at transitioning before I join LHCF and experienced the same breakage in the same area. I ended my transition (DON'T DO IT) and went back to relaxing because I couldn't handle the breakage. But what I've learned since being here is that some breakage is going to happen in your transition regardless of how well you take care of you hair. How is your detangling technique?