Grow It Long Challenge Keep Growing On...

[Leo24Rule]

Hello everyone!
Since I've been away from these boards I've been wearing my hair straight. Some parts are hip or tailbone length. I washed my hair Wednesday night so now I'm rockin the curls. But I have to be honest I don't know what I'm doing. All I put in my hair was a conditioner & coconut oil. I've watched countless naturally curly hair regimen tutorials on YouTube but the girls are using waay too many products. For me, I don't intend on wearing my hair out so I don't care to define my curls or have hold. I just want to moisturize my hair & wear up in protective styles in braids or under wigs for health & growth. Do you have any suggestions ladies?

Btw @Lucia I did trim straight hair damaged hair from hear styling which was less than an inch.

 

[Leo24Rule]

Co washed then clarified 1
Day
Water washed 2 X this week sealed with oil and butter.

Hair Butter in the summer?

 

[Lucia]

Hair Butter in the summer?

You know it's a little heavy now I may have to just use oils, or just leave in conditioner, my twist out came out droopy and stringy at first I layer it on thick, but I fluffed and shook and fluffed and the humidity my hair started looking ok. I haven't had many good twist out results I do better with light products and flat twists. I guess if I'm doing a ps bun I can use a little less butter or aloe vera gel. Butters been good to my hair over winter.

 

[Lucia]

I have a basket of ayurvedic herbs under the sink. As summer is approaching what I'm going to re-incorporate those into my regimen. Do you think I should add to a cheapie conditioner for co-washes? I've never made an oil with them.
Tell me about your cassia amla cooling tea please.

Look up thread I posted curly proverbs method of making the tea letting it cool and straining it then putting it in a spray bottle. I followed what she did to make the teas. I think the Ayurvedic herbs in the conditioner is a good idea I was thinking of doing that too and I want to have the right ones that mix well together. When mixing Ayurveda you don't want more than 3 or 4 different herbs in the same mix cause of their properties.

 

[Lucia]

 

[GrenadianGal]

Ladies time for updates
Pics or no pics, stretched/pulled length check is OK.
just let us know where you're at now and how everything's going hair wise and any passes used regimen changes, inversion etc... If your original sign up time is complete please state if you'll re-up or just cruise on your own no official updates or check ins and check in when you feel like it or just lurk or cheer us on.


Check the first page for trophy updates, those who have posted and/or updated will have trophy updates.

I've been so bad with updating challenges. Ugh. Will post pic at end of June. Hair currently in braided bun. Doing inversions and washing once per week. Taking HSN gummies by natures bounty. Trying to drink more water. Just started uncle Lee bamboo tea and exercising at least 3x per week. Have not used any passes yet.

 

[Lucia]

 

[trclemons]

While on vacation Friday/Saturday, I CW'd with KJ's Natural Raspberry Cocoa & HQ Lime, 80% rinse out of ACV & hotel conditioner. LCOS'd with L = Bee Mine Juicy/Cozy Moment Vanilla Waffle Cone; C = Curly Kinks Satin Roots; O = Keravada Raspberry Vanilla on length & Mielle Organics Mint Almond on scalp & S = S-curl.

Last night & today:

• Pre-poo'd overnight with Ojon Reverse Damage on length, Coconut Oil on ends & AVJ spritz.
• DC'd under heat cap for a little over an hour with ST Afrotastic.
• Shampoo'd with TJ's Tea Tree Tingle, CW'd with HQ Lime, Reconstructed with Garnier & 80% rinse out of ACV & TGIN Replenishing.
• LCOSB'd with L = Aphogee Curlific; C = FUBU Curl Elongator; O = Keravada Raspberry Vanilla on length & Mielle Organics Mint Almond on scalp; S = S-curl; B = Siamese Twists Peach Pracaxi ButterCreme on ends.

 

[trclemons]

• Pre-poo'd overnight with AVJ spritz & Siamese Twists Pracaxi Peach ButterCreme on ends.
• DC'd with a mix of Vatika Garlic, HH Yucca & Mango Thickening Growth Lotion & Kapri Tone ayurvedic powder under a heat cap for a little over an hour.
• Scrubbed scalp with CC's Natural, CW'd with HQ Lime, Reconstructed with Garnier, rinsed out 80% ACV & TGIN Replenishing Conditioner.
• SLCOB'd with S = Original Moxie Oasis Moisture Gel Serum; L = Aphogee Curlific; C = Kurlee Belle Thirsty Kurls; O = Mielle Organics on scalp & Keravada Raspberry Vanilla on length; B = Siamese Twists Pracaxi Peach ButterCreme on ends.

 

[Aggie]

This morning I prepooed with an avj/pracaxi/pumpkin seed oil combo for 20 minutes ,then Moroccan Natural Oil Weightless Shampoo followed by 15 minutes of Keracare Super Reconstructor and 10 minutes if Keracare 5 in 1 Reconstructor.

My leave in will be Redken Antyis Snap Leave in. I have a combination of butters that I will be using to seal my hair with later.

 

[WeirdoBeauty]

I just finished detangling with my pre-poo condish mix. Im wayyyy to tried from work to finish my hair tonite. I'll try to finish tomorrow after work,if not when ill wash next week then.

 

[Aggie]

I cowashed my hair this morning with Aussie Moist Conditioner before heading out to church.

After church I moisturized my hair with Oyin Hair Dew sealed with a combination of ceramide butters, massaged some hairdrenalin potion on my scalp and inverted for 5 minutes. Now my hair is nice and super soft.

 

[Lucia]

 

[Aggie]

Day 2 of my inversion complete for this month along with scalp massage without oil.

 

[Lucia]

Flashback: Leobodyc5

How long have you been natural? I have been natural as in no relaxer or texturizers all of my life. I do use a permanent hair color 3 times a year.

How often do you wash/conditon/deep conditon your hair? I wash & condition my hair every 4 days since I have a very oily scalp. As for deep conditioning it varies; every other week during warmer months, every week during cooler months.

What is your regimen?

-Pressed: I will prepoo, wash(with a sulfate shampoo) & condition, let it air dry in 2 braids overnight & press with my Maxiglide. Since I moved out to California, I’ll apply a very tiny amount of EVOO to the last 1 or 2 inches of my hair.

–Curly: I’ll prepoo, wash(with my shikakai/amla bar) & condition and always leave a small amount of conditioner in my hair, wear it in 2 braids, puff pony tail or curly fro.

Since you mainly wear your natural hair pressed, what type of tools do you use (flat iron, blow dryer, etc), and what heat protectant have you found works best?


I only use my Maxiglide & Caruso Steam Rollers when it comes to heat appliances. I stop using blow-dryers & curling irons 4 years ago since my hair cannot take dry heat and the tools that I mention are steam styling tools. As for a heat protectant, I have tried a few; CHI, Sabino, & another brand and what I found what that they tend to make my hair feel either greasy, weighed down, or coated with something. I like for my hair to be free-flowing even when it’s curly so most styling products & I don’t get along so I stay on top of my prepoos & deep conditioning. What works for me may not work for someone else, vice-versa.

What products do you use for hair up keep while it is pressed?

Other than adding a very tiny amount of EVOO to my ends, pretty much nothing. My hair stays straight pretty easily unless it gets wet.

A lot of ladies want to know, if your hair is pressed, how do you keep it from reverting after just a day?

I wrap it at night with a satin scarf & go by the weather. If I know it’s going to be humid & rainy, I don’t fight it and just wear it curly. A lot of times, I will get tired of my hair straight & use my Caruso Steam Rollers for a different look since I like big hair.

Any other hair tips to share about pressed hair? How do you keep it healthy and allow it to grow?

I have a very basic & simple hair routine. I also have a healthy diet & regular fitness regimen. My hair has always been long but my problem as an adult became retaining it so I make sure & keep my hair moisturized, no blow dryer or curling irons and just leave it alone sometimes.

Where can we catch up with ya??

• Fotki: http://public.fotki.com/leobody/
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/LeobodyC5

Source:
http://www.afroniquelyu.com/legendary-leobodyc5/

PS: I can't find her YouTube or fotki anymore I think she's taken it down or The companies took it down. Fotki went pay only so a lot of members have not subscribed.

This ones still up
http://leobody.blogspot.com/2011/09/just-hair.html
And Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/Leobody

 

[Lucia]

What to expect on your way to tailbone length by Kandycurls

BY: KANDYCURLS 8.20.14


http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlr...hat-to-expect-on-your-way-to-tailbone-length/


Work with Your Damage
The first challenge I had to overcome with my journey to tailbone length is heat damage. When I first went natural, I had heat damage in the front bang sections of my hair, which is one of the worst places you can have it in my opinion. To overcome this challenge, I had to avoid doing wash and go’s but if I did, I would modify the straight sections by twisting them so they would blend with the rest of my hair. This was probably the biggest challenge I’ve had in my hair journey, but by the time I got use to working around it, it had grown out and I was free to style as I pleased.



Long Hair Has Less Shape
When I first went totally natural and decided to ditch heat styling, my hair was obviously a lot shorter in its curly state and I loved it. It was bouncy and I liked the way it fell, but as my hair grew, how it fell started to change and so did my go-to styles. It was just kind of there…hanging. Whereas when it was shorter, it looked more styled and had more layers, shape, and body. Eventually, I adjusted to it and cut a few more layers so that I could get that same effect as my shorter curly hair.



Sometimes Curls Disappear (And How to Bring them Back)
After a while my curls just seemed to have disappeared somehow. There was hardly any definition no matter how much defining I did or how much product I used. After letting it go for a while, I decided to do something I did early in my hair journey, a protein treatment, and it worked. My curls were back and super defined. Many women wonder whether natural hair needs proteins, and the answer is yes, but not as much as chemically-treated hair.



Master the Wash and Go
I know I’m not the only one who had challenges with their wash and go’s at one point or another, and I surely won’t be the last. But in my early days of going natural, I just didn’t know how to maintain my wash and go’s for more than two days. I was extremely picky and thought I was doing something wrong. I decided to go to the holy-grail for natural hair education—YouTube—and learned how other people maintained their wash and go’s. Eventually, I discovered what worked best for me and the rest is history.



Avoid Single Strand Knots
Single strand knots are the bane of my existence and I used to get them a lot. It wasn’t until I learned of the reason they were occurring—lack of moisture—that I was able to remedy the situation.

Source: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlr...hat-to-expect-on-your-way-to-tailbone-length/

 

[Lucia]

5 Reasons you aren't retaining length

Source:
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/kinky-hair-type-4a/5-reasons-you-arent-gaining-length/

Growing longer hair should be pretty simple for every woman- right? I mean, the hair just grows out of our heads. It’s not like we have to look at our scalps on a daily basis and say “Yo follicle! Handle your business!” So why is it that some of us can never seem to grow our hair to the length that we desire? Many women are surprised to discover that the answer to that question isn’t found in taking hair pills or hunting for a new hair product.

Growing longer hair is simply about allowing our hair to grow more than we are damaging it.


It’s actually that simple.

So if you’re having trouble gaining length, you may want to look a little closer at your hair care regimen. Maybe there are specific things that you are doing to cause damage and counteract your hair’s growth. Here are 4 reasons you may not be gaining length:

1. You’re over-manipulating and under protective styling
I constantly get questions about whether women can get away with not protective styling and still achieve length. The fact is that curlier hair is more delicate (and finer) than straight hair. Because of this, you need to protect it from frequent manipulation. Sure, you can try your luck with infrequent protective styling- but more manipulation equals more hair damage, which equals more breakage. And more breakage will always counteract attempts to gain length.

2. You’re not moisturizing and sealing
Curly, kinky and coily hair CRAVES moisture. Moisture it what’s need for our hair to preserve elasticity. And when hair is deprived of moisture, the result is that not so pleasant “B” word again—Breakage! To gain length (and prevent breakage) you must help your hair maintain its elasticity by making moisturizing and sealing part of your daily hair routine. Hair that does not gain length is simply hair that is breaking faster than it is growing. In the case of curly hair (especially curly, porous hair), you always want to counteract dryness and breakage by moisturizing and sealing.

3. You’re using heat
With the exception of using mild, wet heat to deep condition, dry heat (i.e. from flat irons or blow dryers) should be avoided. Dry heat literally boils moisture out of hair- leading to dryness and ultimately breakage. I know there are women that like to flat-iron or blow dry their hair for the occasional sleek look, but those are two of the fastest ways to damaging your already-prone-to-dryness curly hair. I know it may be hard for some to accept, but to gain length you’re going to have to step away from the heat.

4. You’re not trimming damaged or spit ends
Hair doesn’t need to be put on a frequent trimming schedule. But if you are damaging your hair so much that splits ends and breakage become a common occurrence, then you need to trim your hair regularly to counteract this damage. If you don’t take care of these damaged ends on the spot, or ignore them, you’ll just have damage that will literally start to extend from the tip of your hair and up the hair shaft. In those cases you’ll end up having to do a bigger chop than when there was less damage. And this bigger chop will, once again, make it harder for you to achieve the length you want.

5. Keep Things Low Maintenance
Keep things simple with low maintenance and protective styling. All hair goes through normal wear and tear. But the less stress you put on hair by manipulating it with things like combing and heat styling, the less likely it will incur damage that will cause things like split ends and breakage.

Have you ever had a problem with growing your hair to the length you wanted? What changes did you make in hair regimen to help solve this problem?

This post was written by Dr. Phoenyx Austin for Curly Nikki.

 

[trclemons]

• Pre-poo'd my twists for a little over 30 minutes with Avon Frizz Control under heat & CW'd it out.
• Rinsed out 80% of TGIN Replenishing Conditioner.
• LCO'd with L = Cream & Coco 1000 Flowers & Aphogee Curlific; C = Cozy Moments Banana Coconut; O = Mielle Organics Mint Almond on scalp & Keravada Raspberry Vanilla on length.

 

[Aggie]

My 3rd 5 minute inversion is complete for the month, no massage, no oil.

 

[Aggie]

By the way @Lucia, those are some awesome posts you just added. I love them and know for sure those pesky SSks are the result of a lack of moisturizing and sealing. I do this now more than ever to keep them at bay because a while ago, I had to chop off much of my hair because of them.

 

[B_Phlyy]

My coworker complimented my wash n' go and mentioned she can tell my hair is getting longer.

 

[Aggie]

Day 4 of my inversions are complete for the month. No oil, no massage.

 

[Aggie]

My 5th 5 minute inversion for the month is complete, no oil, no massage.

 

[Lucia]

 

[Lucia]

 

[Lucia]

My 5th 5 minute inversion for the month is complete, no oil, no massage.

Does the inversion work without massaging the scalp? Oil?

 

[Aggie]

Does the inversion work without massaging the scalp? Oil?

Yes but it works better with the scalp oil and massages in my opinion. I just get lazy, tired, and don't feel like going through all that.

I'll probably oil and massage my scalp my last two nights though.

 

[Lucia]

Yes but it works better with the scalp oil and massages in my opinion. I just get lazy, tired, and don't feel like going through all that.

I'll probably oil and massage my scalp my last two nights though.

I'm just asking cause I was like what you mean I don't have to do all this?
You know what I mean.

 

[Aggie]

I'm just asking cause I was like what you mean I don't have to do all this?
You know what I mean.

Yes I absolutely do know what you mean. Many times I really don't want to do the massages, but I know they are very helpful in accomplishing my hair length goals.

 

[Aggie]

Okay tonight I did a 5 minute massage and inversion session but no oil was used. I was too lazy to apply the oil tonight.