Calling all ex shoulder length ladies...

[Jas123]

You MUST keep yur hair up and off the shoulders. I wore buns and French rolls constantly. Pay special attention to your ends by keeping them moisturized.

co-signing with nicki...after my last relaxer i'm officially apl and what helped me was wearing my hair up everyday...keeping my ends moisturized & oiled... also DCing every week

 

[EMJazzy]

What's a peacock twist?

I'm at shoulder length now and I'm trying to get over the hump. I don't really do protective styles so I've been planning on wearing my wash-n-go (my hair shrinks up above my shoulders) or rollersetting on smaller rollers and wearing it curly (once again, my hair shrinks up above my shoulders).

This is my game plan for now. I've have to report back to let you know how it goes.

I'm wearing my hair the same way....hopefully by the end of my ticker I will have surpassed my first goal. I just have to remain consistent.

 

[Miss*Tress]

What's a peacock twist?

I'm at shoulder length now and I'm trying to get over the hump. I don't really do protective styles so I've been planning on wearing my wash-n-go (my hair shrinks up above my shoulders) or rollersetting on smaller rollers and wearing it curly (once again, my hair shrinks up above my shoulders).

This is my game plan for now. I've have to report back to let you know how it goes.

Peacock twists are like French twists but with the ends left out. They're much less stressful than buns and ponytails on shoulder length hair because you don't have to brush the front smooth or tug to gather all the hair into one, i.e. less manipulation.

The Hair Zing site has a video on how to do the style. You can then attach it with a clip (as in the attachment below), hair stick, comb, or good hair day pins.

 

[20perlz]

Thanks ladies for all the good advice. Some of you were saying braids got you past SL, do you mean braids with added hair (ie micro braids or french braids etc)? I also see that a lot of ladies wear roller sets, how is that protective if your hair is still rubbing your clothes? I love roller sets nowadays but I don't wear them often because I didn't consider them to be "protective". If I can wear roller sets everyday I will (maybe I should wait until I'm past SL ).

sweetcoco

I thought the same thing so I changed up my rollersets and I now wear them everyday pinning them up in sort of a messy updo look. I randomly twist the front pieces and pin up the back. I separate the curls but don't comb them. I moisturize and pin curl at night. It lasts about 4 days with daily moisturizing but could go as long as a week if you are careful not to moisturize heavily. This style has done wonders for me with growth. (I know no pics...sorry, but think about the lady in the movie Gladiator...sort of old world glam). (I get compliments on it a lot ). HTH.

 

[kbfluff]

Wearing my hair in braids is what got me past SL way back in the day.

Yes, this is what helped me. It WILL seem like forever though because there are so many levels to get past.... your neck, especially if it is long like mine. Then the part alittle past your neck, then u gotta get to your collarbone, then past your collar bone.
Taking pictures helped also. I would refer to my pictures when I thought that my hair was staying in the same place. When I compared the progress pics...it would inspire me to keep going.
FYI: this is my first year of actual hair care and having goals in regards to my hair. I'm proud to say that I can actually see myself getting to APL right before Christmas. Then next year on to midback in Dec 08!! (Courtesy of the rigid C & G challenge)

Just remember...don't give up! Keep your hair moisturized and if u are really CRAZY SERIOUS, like I was, and still am...try cornrows. It's the easiest and least manipulative style that will bring out your cheekbones and facial features. HHG!!

 

[gymfreak336]

Thanks Ladies....Good thread. I needed this info.

 

[Blossssom]

You may have to wait a while, Coco.

It took forever to get past the "hump".

I think what happens is if you trim or cut your hair on a regular basis and then decide you want to go past shoulder length, the hair "sits there" waiting to see if you are going to trim or cut again.

And you wait, and you wait, and you wait until it figures out you're not trimming/cutting and then you finally get past the hump.

I had to wait a while. It's almost like the hair isn't even growing, but it is.

Just wait

 

[youwillrise]

while i'm trying to get past the shoulder length "hump"
i'm going to try my best to not really worry too much about it
my goal is to not even LOOK at my hair too often
and then hopefully be surprised at what i see.

keeping my hair protected and moisturized
i think will definitely be key in all of this.

GO GO GADGET HAIR GROWTH!

 

[IMFOCSD]

You may have to wait a while, Coco.

It took forever to get past the "hump".

I think what happens is if you trim or cut your hair on a regular basis and then decide you want to go past shoulder length, the hair "sits there" waiting to see if you are going to trim or cut again.

And you wait, and you wait, and you wait until it figures out you're not trimming/cutting and then you finally get past the hump.

I had to wait a while. It's almost like the hair isn't even growing, but it is.

Just wait

Never thought of it this way. :scratchch I really don't trim that often...wait let me think....I trimmed my hair twice in a month, you are right.

Thats it no more trims for a while and my hair is on a daily co-wash, daily moisture, protective style diet...and if I mess up...

 

[Blossssom]

Exactly.

I don't recall the poster's name, but she said hair builds up a memory.

Once you train your hair to behave a certain way; once your hair becomes FAMILIAR with anything, it sticks to that and expects certain techniques and things to be done to it.

So if your hair is used to being trimmed, it's "waiting" for the next trim. There is nothing you can do until the hair (it's like it has a brain) figures out that you want it to grow.

It takes time to break the memory habit... just wait. I did and I'm glad I did

It will happen. You're "there" (long hair), but your hair isn't because it's used to something else. It has to be re-trained.

 

[locabouthair]

im trying to get over the SL hump too but im confident that keeping my hair up, eating well, and daily moisture is the key. We can do it!

Your hair looks very healthy and full.

ETA: Scurl is a good moisturizer and I use wave nouveau lotion and i seal with castor oil daily.

 

[angaliquew]

I'm praying I can get to APL with the help of wearing kinky twist but it just seeming like once your hair hits shoulder length it grows slower although I know that can be true.

 

[dillard]

... you might be stuck at shoulder length because you're not babying your ends. I got past it from curling them under, but I should have started protective styling, etc. if I wanted to keep them, which is what I am doing now. Just don't let your hair touch your shoulders while you are shoulder length. Your hair IS growing, you just won't retain it if your hair is rubbing off on your clothes. After about 6 months or so after reaching shoulder length (and keeping your hair off your shoulders) you should be a few inches (typically 3 if you have average growth) past shoulder length, and it should be fine after that but you should still protect the ends when you can. I think thats the reason my ends were gone, is because Im past SL but I didn't protect them until now. I expect to be APL this year now that I know better.

thanx for the bolded. it's always good to have a timeline. now i can atleast tell myself that i need to keep these ends up over the winter and that by Spring (March) I should be str8 I love wearing my hair down and I hate protective styling, but I think I can do it for 6 months...

 

[Soliel185]

I love daily co-washes and I do braid/twistouts sometimes. I have been slipping on keeping my hair moisturized. I am going to restart the daily baggy method and try bunning my hair. what are some good hair moisturizers for extremely dry hair? My hair is going to be in a bun at least 4-5 times a week so the moisturizer does not have to be light.

Thanks ladies

I use aloe vera jelly - glycerine, filtered water and some grapefruit extract ( for scent ) as a moisturizer. I then seal this with oil - in the morning a mixture of jojoba, peanut, olive and ginseng miracle with a few drops of SAA, at night I use castor oil. This has allowed me to stretch for the last 19 wks with little or no breakage and I've always had super dry hair. I started at neck length after a short cut and then started using MSM, BT, and Viviscal to speed up my growth while I bunned or wore french twists every day. I got over 1" per month and I'm currently in braids for the winter. HTH!

 

[Diya]

thanx for the bolded. it's always good to have a timeline. now i can atleast tell myself that i need to keep these ends up over the winter and that by Spring (March) I should be str8 I love wearing my hair down and I hate protective styling, but I think I can do it for 6 months...

Yep, you can do it! I also hate protective styling, but I'll do what I have to during the winter so that I can have healthier, more beautiful hair in spring. Plus... there's no way I'm gonna let the harsh midwestern winters mess up my progress!

 

[Soliel185]

I just remembered something else - I started using Lacio Lacio shortly after my disasterous cut. I usually mix it with the NTM silk touch to stretch it out a bit. I have virtually NO split ends, and the combo of this and castor oil ( or adding honey to your DC) makes for incredibly silky soft hair, and kept my ends intact which is something I've never been able to do before.

 

[pazyamor]

How did you get over the SL hump? It seems as though it is taking forever to get past SL. How did you style your hair and what products did you use and how long did it take for you to past SL?

Thanks Ladies

When I let my hair grow down to there (it was mid-back length before my mommy let me cut it), my mother wouldn't let me wear it down unless it was a special occasion. Specially if you live in a cold climate, the combination of applied tension from the cold weather and the wear from your clothes causes horrible breakoff. So, wearing it up is such a big deal. Trust me, it grows out if you just give it time. I shaved off one side of my hair and it is to my neck now!

 

[babydollhair]

To get past shoulder length i wore my hair braided like in a beehive style and wore a lacefront wig over it, got me all the way to past armpit length this year, but then i met the scissor happy stylist-

also i was taking prenatal vitamins while pregnant last year, so taking vitamins and supplements, and a better diet also helped.