How is your hair growth progress coming along?
So far so good. I'm actually in love with my hair. I actually fantasize about taking a vacation to spend some time with it. As you know, I wear braids and I do them myself. I am ready for new extensions and new total redo. I would love to pamper it for one week and then take my time doing it up neat enough to give Brandy a ran for her money.
And I think this love for my hair has come with all the education I've gotten and continue to get on it. This forum is definitely a huge catalyst for that. I don't know if it's growing coz I'm checking every day
and you know what they say about a watched pot. I measured it just before coming to the board for the first time and was so thrilled I coulda p-d! I usually redo my hair in front of the TV and so had no idea how much it had grown. I just happened to catch a glimpse in the mirror and was taken aback by the length I saw and just had to measure it so I can tell somebody.
Then I ran around the place looking for a sistah to share my good news. The first person I saw was an Asian girl who looked at my stretched micro section and my beaming face as I hollered in excitement "LOOK!" and in total bewilderment/concern she asked, "What's wrong with it?"
How long is your natural hair now?
It's 9 inches (scalp to ends, ie if I hold it up stretched and measure it) at the top part of my head and it gradually tapers to 7 inches in the back. That's basically how it had been cut when I had a relaxer. That was almost 2 years ago. I braided the relaxed hair when I got some growth and gradually trimmed my hair till I was rid of the processed hair. Because I braid my own hair and constantly redo my braids as my hair grows, I would trim a bit every time I redid it. I continued the trimming even after I got rid of the permed hair because I would see split ends that needed trimming. But I did that only when my hair needed it. I think the culprit was too much heat curling my braids for a curly look.
Have you tried any new products, vitamins, herbs, or oils lately?
This week I bought a hair multi supplement,
Vitol (Time-Released) Great Hair which has 3000 mcg biotin and 600 mg B5. I also bought MSM 1000mg which I take 3 times (3000mg). I was already on a multi which I alternate with Great Hair and was already on Evening Primrose Oil. I am sure I could improve on that regimen so I'm not quite done. I bought Cathy's UBH Dew and Conditioner a month ago and since joining this board (about a couple of weeks ago) I have added L'Oreal Anti-frizz Serum, Lekair Cholesterol and S-Curl; and replaced my Pantene with Creme of Nature shampoo. (I'm actually very proud of how well I'm keeping the PJ demon in me in check.
)
Do you have healthy hair or have you been experiencing breakage?
I haven't noticed breakage, some shedding yes but that doesn't bother me much since I expect it. I think I could use a trim though, as I noticed about 1/4" split in a hair I shed today. Having hair in braids makes trimming less painful, I think. I usually do the trimming myself. Because I redo braids in order, I just trim each one as I get to it and so by the time I'm done, they've all had a dusting. (BTW, I don't wear my braids for short periods at a time. I'm probably the only person I know who wears them 24/7. I am always redoing them one at a time as my hair grows so I take the strain off one section of my hair and attach the extension to new growth. I think this also helps prevent my hair from clumping up. I think my not using heavy leave ins and my rinsing thoroughly also prevent the build-up that leads to clumping at the base of the braid. I also don't use a comb. The only time I do is when I first put the braids in. I haven't experienced any problems with this method and my hair is the longest I've ever had it. I can't wait to see what difference the newfound knowledge makes - especially adding hair supplements!
)
What have you done to change your hair care routine for the better?
The first step in the right direction was to take Brenda's advice
blackwomenrejoice.com and wash my hair more often and condition condition condition since August 2001. I followed her advice and washed it especially whenever it felt dry or started to break. I wasn't really applying any leave-ins to my hair - not until a month ago - but I think the frequent washing (including conditioner-only washes) saved my hair from breaking. Enter Cathy Howse's book and I learned about deep conditioning with heat. It's only been one month or so on her products but I do feel better about my hair after a wash and condition. Before getting L'Oreal serum, I was using John Frieda's serum when my hair was wet and then spraying Dew while it was partly dry (ie damp) and letting it air dry; and I so loved how my hair felt. Now I've replaced JF with L'Oreal and I'm happy with it. Also I now have Lekair Cholesterol and I alternate it with UBH Conditioner using one for each of my two weekly washes as a deep conditioner. I have also added S-Curl to my daily night-time treatment, spraying it on the lower half of my braids to the ends and wrapping them with Saran wrap, then wearing a plastic cap over the rest of my head. In the day, I spray Dew on my hair. And I can say the difference S-curl has made is remarkable. My hair feel so moisturize and yet not sticky or greasy. Because I am so used to having nothing on my hair, I dreaded a heavy feel to it but Dew and S-curl are working perfectly. The only night I don't use S-curl is that before my wash, I instead apply an oil (Paltas) to my braids, one by one. To make sure I don't miss any, I first put them up at the top of my head in a pony using a scrunchy and then pull out one at time. Takes a while but I'm usually so into some TV-show while I do it, that I don't notice. I dip a finger or two in the oil and run them along the braid squeezing it so the oil soaks in. (BTW, I use a squeezing motion too when I shampoo or apply conditioner, and when I rinse my hair which takes forever.) Once I apply the oil, I then wear a plastic cap for the night. I never put anything on my scalp. I have also cut out curling irons. If my hair wasn't almost the same length as my extensions, I'd use it only on the hair piece. But it's too risky now so I don't use it at all.
I haven't done conditioner washes in a while. I did them more often when I didn't apply anything to my hair as I felt my hair needed them more. But then again, at the time, I didn't deep condition my hair with heat either so it didn't feel as moisturized as it does now that I do. So I haven't even thought of condition washes; ie my hair doesn't need them as desperately as it did then. But I am not against doing them. Just haven't done them lately.
I won't be measuring my hair any time soon, and I suggest you don't. That watched pot can be so stubborn. I liked the surprise I got when I saw the 7-9" length I didn't know I had and would like to feel that way again. So I will focus on getting it healthy and strong and as close to looking like Mufasa's (my idol) as possible, and let the length just creep up on me. (Yeah, and pigs might fly
But it's a nice thought, if only I can pull it off. I mean Yvette did it for one year. Waited patiently without checking on progress. So why the heck can't I????)
