Grateful for/Not so Grateful for

[lovegymnasts]

Something I always wanted to do...
I don't know how people will take it but...

Things I am grateful to LHCF for:

1. Teaching me how to take care of my hair - it's healthy, it's soft, it's staying on my head
2. Making being natural very easy - I have not had any crisis; why? because...any question I have every had has been answered here

• I learned what to do before I encountered problems or before I could turn a small problem into a big problem;
• I learned what not to do by learning from the mistakes of others
• I learned how to take things in stride
  • ex/ aggressive weave check; I read so many threads about it that when it happened to me, I was blase about it and did not freak; I was wearing a braid-out that became a BAA because of extreme humidity. Castor oil and humidity do not go well together. I went to an office wedding shower for a co-worker/close friend when another co-worker/friend asked me if I had added tracks for thickness and started digging in my hair while I was checking my phone. She took a while to do it, too. I just ignored it till she was done...no biggie. Another friend/former co-worker was just bug eyed. I guess I didn't think anything of it since so many of you have gone through it.

Things I'm not so grateful for

1. There was a point where I was paranoid about every single hair that came out of my head...REALLY!

• I was excessively worried about breakage
  • All the threads about number of hairs lost on wash day
  • People saying they detangled and had no hair in their comb
  • All the threads about people worrying about shedding
  • Thankfully it did not last too long. I finally stopped worrying about it once I realized that the small hairs on my shirt where from my makeup brush. I kept wondering why they were straight? I realized I was being an obsessive goof.

What are you grateful for and not so grateful for?

 

[prisytomboy]

Grateful: I can have healthy hair with some length even if I'm not mixed, I don't have a good/decent grade of hair!!!

Not so grateful: I was becoming a PJ....but I have since been reformed...I have my staples and sticking to them!!!

Good thread OP

 

[Nayeli]

Grateful for: Giving me the tools to have hair hanging down my back.

Not so grateful for: aiding procrastination, making me afraid to comb my hair.

 

[nymane]

Grateful: that I don't have severe breakage anymore & that I know exactly what my hair wants (no more trial and error ).

That the fate of my hair is not in a stylist hands (saves me money!)

Not Grateful: Hmm...I'm grateful for everything when it comes to haircare, there are things about my hair that bug me, but I know I just need to be patient.

 

[teacherjess]

Grateful for : Discovering LHCF. Thanks to the tools, products,encouragement and tips learned here I now have the healthiest and longest relaxed hair I've ever had!!

Not so grateful for: The occasional worry during shedding periods or when I over- manipulate my hair and see strands on my shirt or bathroom counter. Also, I fell asleep without moisturizing and sealing my hair two nights ago after a most tiring and stressful day. This was the first time in almost a year since that happened. I woke the next day, worried, and soaked my strands in moisturizer and just pulled back in a banana clip & prayed! (I'm 7 weeks post and can barely comb through the NG)

 

[NikkiGirl]

Grateful for: Finding LHCF and all I have learned even in my lurking days.

Not so Grateful for: Obsessing over my hair, constantly looking at the back of my head in a mirror, being frustrated when I think I should be further along then realizing I have been at this for like 5 1/2 months. CALM DOWN GIRL. LOL.

 

[southerncitygirl]

grateful for: having hair and lhcf, a friend referred me here
discovering wigs, they make a great protective style
dicovering pre-poos and the benefits of protein treatments
going natural even if it wasn't under the best circumstances and a total fluke

not grateful for:not discovering this site sooner
hmmm, being so darn impatient and acting like i'm bald gosh i have severe hairexia,lol.
not learning how to detangle and retain length sooner, i'd be waist length or longer by now

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Grateful for:
Leaving BHM years ago - and finding sisterhood on LHCF.....main st
Brilliant women here.... There are so many.... PhD's, chemists, and the like. Statistics and the main stream media would tell you differently......

Not so Grateful: For buying into promises of crappy hair products. That is ok... I know what I am doing now... No problem!!!!

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I am thankful for
- the extended family and sisterhood that I may not have known if it weren't for this site.
- the tools/insight of others to make educated decisions concerning my health, my business, and my hair
- the skinny on products and techniques (The good, the bad, and the ugly lol)
- transition/bc support (I still can't believe I took the plunge! I've been suffering from HIH disease ever since. I am falling so in love with my grass)
- learning about crochet braids! This might be my protective style

I am not so thankful for
- feeling in the past that I had to have either bonelaxed or type 3 hair to be considered a pretty head of hair. Ultra kinky, coily, cottony goodness is beautiful too.... just not as widely accepted.

 

[ycj1]

I am thankful for believe it not the newbies that have joined here and made major mistakes with their hair care. Giving me great insight on what not to do.
Very thankful for the pro's also that's been here and has given such valued advice and helpful tips on what to do and not to do concerning hair care natural and relaxed!
Thankful for us as black women that can come together on this site without hating on ea other's hair and bond the way we all have with such positive attitudes on good and bad hair days/hair care.

Not thankful for not finding this board alot sooner than I did! I would've had hair down my back (at least mid back by now).

Got to give a shout out to my girl Justkiya for being so persistent with me using the Mega Tek, growth is coming along extremely well! Never will forget you girl!

 

[beans4reezy]

Grateful for:
-Understanding growth vs. retention
-Giving me the knowledge that yes, I can have long, healthy hair
-The real life examples of the benefits of good hair care(Sylver2, Mdwezi, Toy)
-A network of encouraging hair growers
-Tools and strategies in length retention (PS, Moisture, Stretching, Low/No Heat)

Not Grateful For:
-Breakage/Shedding Paranoia
-Impatience - I want my hair long, like NOW! lol
-PJ'ism

 

[Sondice]

Grateful for: Gaining knowledge and faith that relaxed hair can be healthy and taken care of by ME and that I don't have to depend on stylist, also restoring my faith that my hair will be long again

Not so grateful for: lol the paranoia, like never wearing my hair down cause I'm afarid it will rub against my clothes, if I see like 4-5 broken hairs or long strands w/o the white bulbs my stomach literally drops and I seriously think all my progress is going down the drain, if I flat iron, I feel like I just committed murder or something

 

[Rocky91]

i'm so very grateful for...HAIR, that has managed to stay on my head through all the abuse.
thank you, hair.

 

[LifeafterLHCF]

Im grateful-
building a solid reggie
giving names to the methods is used ie protective styling with wigs
Meeting others who are like me..

Ungrateful-
being paranoid about breakage
being to concerned with others growth..like i may never long hair past my shoulder but its ok..
Oversharing..

 

[Janet']

Grateful: For LHCF helping me build on what I already knew; pointing me in the right direction

Ungrateful: Now, I AM paranoid about hair loss, breakage, retention, etc...but I'll take this over an unhealthy head of hair ANYDAY!!!!

 

[Lynnerie]

Grateful For:

Having the courage to go natural, LHCF,

Ungrateful:
Fear of not reaching my goals and not having the right regimen and styles for my hair.
Knots and split ends and not knowing where they come from.