Apl Challenge 2017

I have no idea where I'm at. I am retaining some but no idea how much. I won't know until I straighten next month how much until need to trim.

Originally I was thinking my bad would reach Apl by year end but my nap doesn't appear to be moving at all.

Fortunately I'm too busy and tired to worry about it too much.
 
Did some individual crochet faux dreads over the weekend, didn't like how the looked On me. So I used the hair to create some boho box braids that are curly at the ends, they're better but I still don't love them. But I have spent Money and put in way too much effort to take them out so in these bad boys so they'll be in for the next two months. Half wigs are next on my to try list.
 
I will wash my hair tomorrow. I gotta a paper to work on today. I won't do anything special. Just the usual wash and dc. I haven't colored my hair in months. Don't plan on it until next year in April. I won't really be showing my hair much until my birthday. I'm more interested in gaining length for my bun.
 
So when I pull my hair, the sides are hitting armpit. However, the ends are really see through and thin so have to trim. No use being there with crappy looking hair. Will see where I am when I straighten for the August check in.

The ends in the back were breaking so adding more protein. My hope is beginning of next year I will have the mental ability to cut the relaxed ends. Then of course I will have to join this challenge again. Lol....It will be SL if I cut the ends Jan 1.
 
DST1913 said:
So when I pull my hair, the sides are hitting armpit. However, the ends are really see through and thin so have to trim. No use being there with crappy looking hair. Will see where I am when I straighten for the August check in.

The ends in the back were breaking so adding more protein. My hope is beginning of next year I will have the mental ability to cut the relaxed ends. Then of course I will have to join this challenge again. Lol....It will be SL if I cut the ends Jan 1.
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Well congratulations on at least reaching it. Can you do a small trim and protein now and do it gradually?

I will be in this challenge again next year as well. I will probably host it again for 2018.
 
faithVA said:
Well congratulations on at least reaching it. Can you do a small trim and protein now and do it gradually?

I will be in this challenge again next year as well. I will probably host it again for 2018.
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Thanks but I think its just scraggly ends that reached. Nothing worth a darn.

My original thought was to cut gradually. Then I started liking having length. I will make an assessment in August and see what the deal is. Its hard to determine now with the shrinkage.
 
PhotoGrid_1499982280267.jpg Ok so I am giving an update a month early because I hit a wall and didnt know what to do. I felt like I couldnt assess my ends with the half natural half straight thing so today I straightened my hair and confirmed I had reached APL but it was a raggedy hot mess with chewed up thin ends. So I decided to trim more than normal in hopes of 1. To get more relaxed ends off 2. Make my ends healthy again. I think I only cut an inch and a half maybe but it looks much better. From here on out I'm focused on my ends and upping protein. Im showing pics when I straightened in April and then today. I've resigned to the fact that I will never have thick hair or ends but they do not need to be raggedy
PhotoGrid_1499982620207.jpg PhotoGrid_1499982280267.jpg
 
DST1913 said:
View attachment 405181 Ok so I am giving an update a month early because I hit a wall and didnt know what to do. I felt like I couldnt assess my ends with the half natural half straight thing so today I straightened my hair and confirmed I had reached APL but it was a raggedy hot mess with chewed up thin ends. So I decided to trim more than normal in hopes of 1. To get more relaxed ends off 2. Make my ends healthy again. I think I only cut an inch and a half maybe but it looks much better. From here on out I'm focused on my ends and upping protein. Im showing pics when I straightened in April and then today. I've resigned to the fact that I will never have thick hair or ends but they do not need to be raggedy
View attachment 405179 View attachment 405181
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It looks good and thicker!
 
DST1913 said:
Thanks. For the first time in years I let a stylist cut my hair and also told her to cut what needed to be cut and I didnt even look in the mirror. Ive come a longgg way. Lol
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I haven't done that since I went Angela Bassett "Bernadine" on my hair! lol I had some horrible knots that needed to be cut, so I hacked my hair off and went to the salon to let her finish! Lol
 
DST1913 said:
Also does everyones hair grow super uneven? No matter what I cant get it to all grow at once and I have tp continually cut to make it look decent. Maybe this will change when Im fully natural.
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Most peoples hair grows "uneven". It isn't that it is growing uneven but different hair strands are created at different times so they are in different stages. Continually cutting it to make it even just causes it to grow in more uneven.

Example: Say you have 6 sections of hair and they were "born" in different months. Section 1: January, Section 2: March, Section 3: June, etc. So when section 1 is in a growth stage, Section 2 may be in a thickening stage.

So say in July, Section 1 and section 4 and 6 are in growing stages and Sections 2, 3 and 5 will be i a growing stage in September. So you cut it even and now Sections 2, 3 and 5 are now in a growth stage and the other sections stay still. So now you are back to uneven. However, it's possible if you just let it be, in September the other sections go into their growth cycle and catch up.

I doubt that going natural is going to make your hair grow at the same rate and the same time all over your head. However, wearing your hair in a natural state can cause it to look like its the same length.

If you can tuck your hair away instead of cutting it and maybe even it out when you reach a major goal.
 
DST1913 said:
Also does everyones hair grow super uneven? No matter what I cant get it to all grow at once and I have tp continually cut to make it look decent. Maybe this will change when Im fully natural.
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My hair grows naturally in layers. So I trim in sections, or I trim each small/thin section I flat iron.

You would have to cut your hair to match your shortest layer to make it all even.
FYI
i just watched a video and this male stylist demonstrated a good reason to stay on top of trims, and what to actually cut.
 
faithVA said:
Most peoples hair grows "uneven". It isn't that it is growing uneven but different hair strands are created at different times so they are in different stages. Continually cutting it to make it even just causes it to grow in more uneven.

Example: Say you have 6 sections of hair and they were "born" in different months. Section 1: January, Section 2: March, Section 3: June, etc. So when section 1 is in a growth stage, Section 2 may be in a thickening stage.

So say in July, Section 1 and section 4 and 6 are in growing stages and Sections 2, 3 and 5 will be i a growing stage in September. So you cut it even and now Sections 2, 3 and 5 are now in a growth stage and the other sections stay still. So now you are back to uneven. However, it's possible if you just let it be, in September the other sections go into their growth cycle and catch up.

I doubt that going natural is going to make your hair grow at the same rate and the same time all over your head. However, wearing your hair in a natural state can cause it to look like its the same length.

If you can tuck your hair away instead of cutting it and maybe even it out when you reach a major goal.
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Thanks for the detailed description. Now that I feel enough has been cut I will begin to tuck ends for the rest of the year. I am going to try to hide my hair until December and not straighten until that final checkpoint.
 
shortdub78 said:
My hair grows naturally in layers. So I trim in sections, or I trim each small/thin section I flat iron.

You would have to cut your hair to match your shortest layer to make it all even.
FYI
i just watched a video and this male stylist demonstrated a good reason to stay on top of trims, and what to actually cut.
Click to expand...
Are you able to share the video?
 
I wish I had more to post in this thread but there isn't much going on with my hair. I took my twist out and moisturized with the Mane Choice spray. I tried to straighten out my crazy parts in the back but failed. It may look a little better but it still looks crazy.

I have swimming tomorrow and Wednesday and probably Thursday so I will probably wash Thursday night.

I'm definitely going to keep wearing this same style until my Triathlon is over in August.

Nothing else really to report. Maybe I will be more fun during the last 4 months of the year.
 
shortdub78 said:
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Ok he has cracking me up! "Dont love your split ends cause your split ends dont love you":lachen:

One thing though which he said that I think a lot of new transitioners dont realize is oil is not a moisturizer. When I started transitioning I didnt realize this and its something thats not clear to newbies. We just read about LOC and how we need all these oils but its never crystal clear why, so we think its moisturizing. Just the other day mom said her hair was dry so she put some coconut oil in it. I think its a very common misconception.
 
Took down the braids after having them in for two weeks. They really did some damage to my hair. I have so many split ends that I did not have before. I've been S&D for the past two days. I'm so frustrated, never ever will I ever wear extensions again, if you see me in this thread or anywhere else on this board talking about putting in extensions e-slap me please.
 
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PerfectlyFlawed said:
This thread is kind of quiet. How is everyone doing? Any successes? Failures? New product and/or technique discoveries?
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I haven't been doing too much to my hair. The water here is so rough. It tangled my hair raised my cuticles. I had to use French perm stabilizer to correct it. It's too hot to do anything to my hair, so it's pinned up in a turban.
 
PerfectlyFlawed said:
This thread is kind of quiet. How is everyone doing? Any successes? Failures? New product and/or technique discoveries?
Click to expand...

I'm in box braids so my hair life is pretty boring. Just spraying and oiling often. In other news, I purchased a wooden comb... can't wait for it you arrive and try it on my girls.
 
I don't have any news. I take it down, shampoo and put it back in 5he same flat twist style.

We have a check in at the end of August so maybe that will drum up some excitement.
 
No news for me since I cut my hair to get rid of some more of the permed ends. I made an appt next month for a weave install. I've never in my life had a weave so this will be interesting. I feel like if I dont see my hair then I cant be frustrated with it and not reaching my goal.
 
shortdub78 said:
I haven't been doing too much to my hair. The water here is so rough. It tangled my hair raised my cuticles. I had to use French perm stabilizer to correct it. It's too hot to do anything to my hair, so it's pinned up in a turban.
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How can you tell if your cuticles are raised? What is french perm stabilizer? Thats a new one for me.
 
DST1913 said:
How can you tell if your cuticles are raised? What is french perm stabilizer? Thats a new one for me.
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My hair was rough and wasn't smooth. Very frizzy. French perm stabilizer is used for chemical services, or detangling. It is very acidic. Has a ph level of 2.5?
 
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