Grow It Long 2024 Challenge!

Whats your 2023 hair goal?

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I washed my hair this morning. Instead of one high bun I did 2 small buns. I think my hair will dry more easily this way, but I’m not sure this is a style I want to wear to work. The spin pins still worked, but I need to get the shorter ones. And I’m going to order more regular ones - I don’t want to worry about losing some and not having replacements.
 
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I know I sound like a broken record, but I love my spin pins. I have yet to see a single broken hair when I use them. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to start using them.

Today is day 13 of my personal bunning challenge and I’ve used spin pins for 11 days. Tomorrow I will do my midweek wash.
 
I’m on day 17 of my personal bunning challenge. I’ve decided to make washing 2x a week part of my challenge as well. Washing/detangling is super quick when it’s only been 3-4 days between washes.

My only tiny concern is that I may be stretching out my curls at the base of my bun. I’m going to inspect my curls after I wash today to see if I see any signs of that.
 
I’m going to make one small tweak to my routine. Normally when I detangle (during the conditioner step on wash day) I first use my wide tooth comb and then follow up with my detangling brush. But now that I’m washing 2x a week I’m only going to use the wide tooth comb for my mid week wash. It will save me some time and be more gentle on my hair.
 
Stuck in cycles and cycles of breakage?


giphy.gif


That's right, Babies, don't you panic.


Apologizing in advance for the blurry pictures, the bad lighting and stuff everywhere.

Picture 1:
March 2024 vs Jan 2024
  • First my blow dry technique improved.
  • My hair drops in length and it is thin and wispy at the newer lengths. If I want a thick full hemline, I just trim it at this length until all the hair catches up.
  • Hair is dry and hard.
  • But it gets fuller and longer from January to March.
Left is MARCH 2024 and Right is JANUARY 2024.
HairComparisonMarch2024vsJanuary2024.png


Picture 2:
June 2024 and March 2024
  • My blow dry technique is improving.
  • The 3 month/quarterly trims are starting to show their effectiveness.
  • As expected, my hair starts to fill in at the newer longer length.
  • The sprouted fenugreek oil seems to be helping with with softening hair and strengthening hair at the same time.
  • Every blow dry day I use Aphogee 2 Step after the next day when I wash hair.
Left is June 2024 and right is March 2024.
HairComparisonJune2024vsMarch2024.png

Picture 3:
June 2024 to Sept 2024
  • Hair continues to gain length.
  • If you use my waist as a reference point you can see that my hair gained about 3-4 inches in length.
  • I was in the United States and washed my hair maybe 2x's but did nothing special.
  • I did the 3 month trim, used Apogee 2 Step next day.
  • The fenugreek sprouted oil and covering my head at night and greasing up ends of braids works.

Left is June 2024 and right is September 2024.
HairComparisonJune2024vsSept2024.png

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Then, my Eureka moment came:

Sept 11th, 2024 : JUST started balling up and protecting the ends of my braids. Velcro, sticky ends and tearing and breaking hair when I unbraid it has decreased 95%.

  • Used coated rubber bands from beauty supply.
  • greased up last 6 inches of hair.
  • Rolled up hair on itself to form miniature fist or bantu knot.
  • Secured the little ball/fist/roll/bantu with the coated rubber band.
  • Result, I no longer have to TEAR apart my braid, no tangles on braid, no constant breakage or hair loss on ends.
  • The velcro, brittle, rough hair has been eliminated on ends.
How the little balled braids look. To clarify, I only ball up the four long braids in the back, not the four shorter ones in front.
Sept11th2024BalledUpEndsStart A.jpgHo






Sept11th2024BalledUpEndsStart B.jpg



Sept11th2024BalledUpEndsStart C.jpg

Danger!

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The length I am at now is where the breakage starts and pops me back up to ABOVE my waist. If my hair continues to gain length and improves thickness at the end of December, then I have SURELY left my 12 year hair breakage cycle.

December 2024 will deny or confirm this.

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Alex, I'll take 'confirm' for the win, for end of December 2024, please!
 
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@Chicoro your careful observations and analysis have led to amazing progress. Your hair is growing by leaps and bounds. This is inspiring me to bite the bullet and learn how to trim my own hair.

I’m sure you’ve shared this before, but can you remind me of your trimming technique.

Also your waist is so tiny, you’ve got it all brains, body and hair.
 
GettingKinky said:
@Chicoro your careful observations and analysis have led to amazing progress. Your hair is growing by leaps and bounds. This is inspiring me to bite the bullet and learn how to trim my own hair.

I’m sure you’ve shared this before, but can you remind me of your trimming technique.

Also your waist is so tiny, you’ve got it all brains, body and hair.
Click to expand...
Baby, you are so sweet! I appreciate you. Thank you for the generous compliments as they are greatly appreciated, too.

I think a video is much better.

The most important thing is to trim the SAME way every time. You want to cut off as little as possible AT FIRST.
  • Get some hair scissors that are sharp, good quality and only used for hair.
  • I've seen your blown out hair. Blow hair out.
  • Part your hair in the middle from hairline to the nape going from front of head, to the back of the head.
  • Part the hair vertical: Go back to the top of head and part just behind the ear (from top of head to just behind ear. You should have to small and thin sections on the front and left side of hair. I trim that area apart from my length in the back.
  • Then gather the hair in the back. Keep those front sections apart from the back.
  • For the back:
  • I pretend like I am going to put my hair in a low ponytail, at the nape. I secure the ponytail with a knee hi.Don't use a a clip, use something like a rubber band, knee hi, ribbon, string. No claws or clips.
  • Then slide your hand down the pony without disturbing the part holding it.
  • Lift the ends of the ponytail over your held and ensure your fingers are holding the hair firmly.. With your grip unrelenting, you can turn the hair to the side and snip A LITTLE across until the part still exposed in your fingers looks even. Start with an amount you think is not going to make a difference. Do not put a part in the middle of the top of the head for trimming the back. Pull the hair back like I have it with the front pieces out.
  • Do not do the Fey Method! Do not put hair into two ponytails!
I use this process sort of. She pulls the rubber band down and trims under the rubberband. I leave the ponytail anchored at the root at the nape. Instead of pulling the rubber band down, I slide my FINGERS down to the end of the pony and gripping so it does not move the hair, I trim.

I do not then brush my hair into a high pony and trim nor do I brush my hair over my head toward my face and trim. That's how I butchered my hair before. I just do a simple three cuts: Trim the front left, trim front right. trim a small amount off the back.


The girl uses one rubber band. Use two. Keep one at the nape of the hair holding the pony. Then add another rubber band and slide it down the pony unit you get to wear you want to trim and trim under the rubber band. I don't do the rubber band on the ends to trim. I keep the hair flat between my fingers. It gives me a straighter, blunt result!






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    Jul112012PonyShorts
    thing to keep the ponytail at the nape circular like a tie or a rubber band or a kneehi.


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Simulated ponytail







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I meant to do a low bun today, but I ended up doing a back of my head bun. I don’t like it as much as a high bun.

Maybe I will try the low bun on the weekend. I think with a low bun I need a side part or something to create interest at the front of my hair/head.
 
I have started using TikTok for style inspo. I bookmark low manipulation styles I want to try, and then attempt to do them on myself. My first attempt has me section my hair into three and then use additional hair to twist and tuck my hair away in the braiding hair. I like this as its helping me use up old packs of braiding hair I had leftover, and I am not relying on stylists to maintain my hair which is good for its health. The short strand breakage is finally slowing down, and I hope I get my hair scissors soon for a much needed trim to get rid of damage
 
After I wash today I will have completed 4 full weeks of washing twice a week and exclusively wearing spin pin buns.

I’m going to do this for at least 2 more months.

This week I did my mid week wash on Tuesday and by Friday my hair needed moisture/hydration again. I need to figure out my process for that. Maybe I can finally find a use for my Ecoslay Sangria hair refresher. I bought it to use with my wash n gos, but I never did because it was too much work, but it may be perfect for buns the main ingredient is aloe, but it has a lot of other goodies in it. It been in my refrigerator for a long time. I hope it’s still good - it’s close to 2 years old

Posting here makes me think through my plans for my hair, and leads me to take better care of it.
 
GettingKinky said:
After I wash today I will have completed 4 full weeks of washing twice a week and exclusively wearing spin pin buns.
Click to expand...
I'm not a part of this challenge but I like to read thread updates from time to time. Your posts about spin pins have me so curious about them. I googled a video on how to use them after reading your posts lol. I am not currently wearing my hair in buns but it's nice to know there is another alternative to doing them than the old way I used to (which was just a ponytail holder and maybe a bobby pin or two). Question for you: Do you ever get little pieces of broken hairs or shed hairs once you remove the spin pin from the bun?
 
Dare~to~Dream said:
I'm not a part of this challenge but I like to read thread updates from time to time. Your posts about spin pins have me so curious about them. I googled a video on how to use them after reading your posts lol. I am not currently wearing my hair in buns but it's nice to know there is another alternative to doing them than the old way I used to (which was just a ponytail holder and maybe a bobby pin or two). Question for you: Do you ever get little pieces of broken hairs or shed hairs once you remove the spin pin from the bun?
Click to expand...
I haven’t seen a single broken hair using the spin pins. And since I’m not using a ponytail holder I don’t have any hair that gets snagged in the holder.

Before this I was using a puff cuff to wear ponytails and I rarely had a broken hair but sometimes a few hairs get caught in the hinge of the puff cuff.
 
GettingKinky said:
I haven’t seen a single broken hair using the spin pins. And since I’m not using a ponytail holder I don’t have any hair that gets snagged in the holder.

Before this I was using a puff cuff to wear ponytails and I rarely had a broken hair but sometimes a few hairs get caught in the hinge of the puff cuff.
Click to expand...
Oh this so good to hear! I think I will get some just to have in my arsenal for when I want to do a quick style; thanks.

I have heard of puff cuffs before but decided I wasn't interested in them for my hair.
 
Dare~to~Dream said:
Oh this so good to hear! I think I will get some just to have in my arsenal for when I want to do a quick style; thanks.

I have heard of puff cuffs before but decided I wasn't interested in them for my hair.
Click to expand...
I really like the puff cuff. I find them less damaging than hair elastics and it’s much easier to get my hair into the cuff than into an elastic. I have a bunch of different sizes and multiples of each size just in case I lose one.
 
GettingKinky said:
I was on another hair forum looking at pictures of buns. Some of them are so elaborate looking and the hair toys are amazing. I need a LOT more hair if I want to do some of them. And then I’ll buy the toys.
Click to expand...
Wait there's another forum? Inbox me the name please.
 
GettingKinky said:
I was on another hair forum looking at pictures of buns. Some of them are so elaborate looking and the hair toys are amazing. I need a LOT more hair if I want to do some of them. And then I’ll buy the toys.
Click to expand...
I think I know the forum, and I have had hair envy, because even at my longest, my hair could never do the things they do
 
VarieYvette said:
I have started using TikTok for style inspo. I bookmark low manipulation styles I want to try, and then attempt to do them on myself. My first attempt has me section my hair into three and then use additional hair to twist and tuck my hair away in the braiding hair. I like this as its helping me use up old packs of braiding hair I had leftover, and I am not relying on stylists to maintain my hair which is good for its health. The short strand breakage is finally slowing down, and I hope I get my hair scissors soon for a much needed trim to get rid of damage
Click to expand...
Ooo, can we see the inspiration style, please?
 
GettingKinky said:
I was on another hair forum looking at pictures of buns. Some of them are so elaborate looking and the hair toys are amazing. I need a LOT more hair if I want to do some of them. And then I’ll buy the toys.
Click to expand...
ItsMeLilLucky said:
Wait there's another forum? Inbox me the name please.
Click to expand...
VarieYvette said:
I think I know the forum, and I have had hair envy, because even at my longest, my hair could never do the things they do
Click to expand...

Can somebody get me the link, too, please? If it is against the rules to post the link, can I get a private message, please?
 
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