bringing it back from the dead

[henrilou]

I am slowly bringing my hair back from the dead (had not been faithful w/vitamins, I had tried to layer my hair on the sides (oh god...)and I was wearing it down too often) Also I had gone to a snotty stylist about a year 1/2 ago and she ripped my hair during comb out, so badly that my hair at the nape broke off. She said I must be wrapping wrong--but funny because it's grown back now (past shoulders)and I still wrap it...Anybody in the same boat? Any stories to tell? It's nice to know that other people struggle too...

 

[UmSumayyah]

I had a major setback from an overlapping episode in November. I cut about 1.5-2 inches off my hair because it was breaking so badly. It was breaking again but I did an emergencee treatment and moisturized it after and it seems to have helped. Time will tell, though.
Even if I have to chop another 2 inches, I recently learned how to do my own touch-ups so overlapping won't be a problem in the future. I've discovered that my hair grows at a reasonable rate, and keeping the ends protected and sleeping on satin really helps me retain the length.
Onward and upward! (downward, in this case)

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

I had a setback over the summer where when I took my braids out and wash my hair it tangled so badley in the back that I had to cut some tangles out. One area in the back of my head wound up much shorter than the rest of my hair.

It is growing back quite nicely though.

 

[Armyqt]

I had a setback in August of last year and had to trim 4 inches off. Since then I've given up the blowdryer and curling iron entirely. i've actually blowdried twice since then. Once is November and once in Januay. I've since gained back those 4 inches and I'm trying to hold on to them for dear life. But in December when i got my retouch the stylist put the relaxer all the way to the ends of my hair and I suffered overprocessing. I've been trimming lightly since then and keeping my ends protected.

Since Nov-Dec 03 I'm back on track and faithfullu taking my vitamins and caring for my hair. My nextrelaxer will be next week and I'm cared and excited at the same time to see how much progress I've made.

 

[nita4]

My only set back is breakage from trying to extend my relaxer, but it was my fault and stupid. Instead of NOT using any heat - I wanted to maintain my look by pressing or blow drying my roots. I know now and should have known then to stick my pony tail on and go. Vanity

 

[Karonica]

I'm always having setbacks. I may be hacking my hair tonight, and I actually look forward to it.

 

[JenJen2721]

I'm in setback city right now, somewhere between Surge/stretching out relaxers/trying to straighten new growth, my hair has broken terribly in certain spots. Contemplating a TWA...

 

[Tonya]

Jen Jen How bad is it? What do u think is most responsible for the breakage? HOw much length do you currently have? Are u trying to go natural?+

I had a set back last year and the year before. When I first found the hair boards I was not smart enough to know not to try everything that I saw. While I was gaining length my hair was very thin. Some of it (alot of it) was from a bad color treatment but I think I messed with my hair tooo much and it broke thinned out terribly. Currently I am growing out my last cut that was nearly shaved in the back so that I could start over. I have not relaxed since Octber 22, 2003 and I am trying to decide if I am going to give up on trnasitioning when I take these braids out in a few weeks for a wedding or if I am going to continue on my chemical free journey. I am really undecided. I ahve been using surge, braid spray adn s curl on my braids as well as washing one a week. It has barely been one month adn I already have a LARGE amount of new growth I am very curious to see my progress when I take them down.

 

[chewy]

I took my braids down Tuesday after 3 weeks of wearing them and, MY GOD, THE GROWTH! I wanted to flat iron it and wear it down Thursday so I went to my kitchen-tician. After straightening it, the back was deep into shoulder blade length but it looked as if those Quiznos rats had eaten my ends for lunch! She cut off almost an inch of ragedy, uneven and split ends to make my hair look good. (Where's that crying graemlin when you need it) I didn't like it but gurls, it was worth it! So barring a miracle, I won't meet my goal at the beginning of June and that's my setback. When I eventually do though, my hair won't have many split ends, will be even and look good!

 

[JenJen2721]

[ QUOTE ]
Jen Jen How bad is it? What do u think is most responsible for the breakage? HOw much length do you currently have? Are u trying to go natural?+


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I'll try to tell you without

, in several spots my hair broke off at the demarcation line...mostly in the back.. I haven't had a relaxer in about 3 months so I have a good amount of new growth. So I have 7-8 inches of hair in certain spots, but then just new growth in others. I'm currently camoflaging it by wearing my hair up in a bun. When I complain to my husband about it, he says what are you talking about? You have plenty of hair!...but then I had to lift up the hair and show him the breakage in the back. So, I don't know... I was planning to go natural eventually, but not right away. If my hairdresser tells me she'll need to cut a lot of my hair, then I've decided that I'd rather have a TWA than short relaxed hair.

I think Surge really disagreed with my hair. I think what it did was make the new growth really strong and caused it to break off from the weaker relaxed hair.

If my hair can be salvaged in it's relaxed state there will be no more Surge for me.