+ Hardcore 2019 Length Retention Challenge +

[Lita]

My hair is coming along well,still doing braids & keeping my hair pinned under..Still drenching my lower length with oils,Shea butter & on the very ends blue magic hair grease..

•I use rice water once a week,unless I’m doing henna or protein treatment/no rice water during those times..In the middle of the week,I take a dropper with rice water in it & apply just a little on my edges “Only” and I remoisturized heavily around that area so I don’t have breakage..

Happy Hair Growing!

 

[B_Phlyy]

Been just under a month since I put my mini braids in. Been keeping up with my routine, just adding a little bit extra oil and grease on the ends for protection.

 

[mzteaze]

I'm in. 2019 will be great.

I just realized that I never explained my plan for 2019.

My 2019 Plan
I'm working on a three week cycle:

Week 1: Full henna/Indigo, rice water rinse then moisturizing DC.
Week 2: Hair Oiling, Poo, Rice Water Rinse, DC
Week 3: henna gloss or full henna/Indigo pending on hair growth

Products :
Ouidad Ultra Nourishing Cleansing Oil
Belle Bar Chebe
Henna Sooq Red Raj henna & Indigo
Crece Pelo conditioner
The Mane Choice Ancient Egyptian Conditioner

Habits
- Weekly acupuncture for thinning hair sections
- Regular exercise
- Getting 6-8 hours of sleep
- Eating for overall health
- Stress reduction

 

[blazingbeauty]

(Re-posted from other thread)
My hair is so soft and dark these days. I’m noticing steady improvement, and especially now that I’ve gotten my deep conditioners to work. My wash day is this weekend (protein day w/Aphogee), and I’ll be rocking twists in a low bun again for the next 2 weeks.

I think I can go on autopilot now, but it’s like I have to watch the pot boil to be safe. I’ll take a break from hair stuff for a month or two and see what happens.

 

[ckisland]

Update!
So back in early February (I think), I straightened my hair and gave myself a much needed trim. I cut off 1-1.5 inches. Not what I wanted to have to do, but my ends had so many ssks. Fast forward to today, and I straightened my hair again. This time it was because I knew that my hair was hiding damage in it's natural state. It was. I need to trim again, but I'll keep it to 0.5". My wash n'gos are not working. I'm accepting that. The ssks are just killing my hair.

I used BTNS system on my hair and was able to get my hair straight at 419!!! I always always flatiorn my hair at 450 . My hair isn't as shiny as it can be, but I hope that the anti-reversion aspect of the product makes up for that. I'm planning on keeping my hair straight for a little while. I want to keep up with my ends and not have to do these massive trims all the time!

 

[blazingbeauty]

4 Month Update
Things I’ve been doing consistently:
1. deep conditioning my hair the way it “likes” (dc + oil + heat for 20-30 min) every wash day (instead of skipping it)
2. alternating my protective styles (I made a schedule where I rotate 3 styles), avoiding harsh protective styles (ie no mini twists or braid extensions, no heat)
3. Using only gentle tools including satin scrunchies and my old seamless comb when needed
4. sticking to my normal lo mani. regimen and staple products (wash day every 2 weeks, ps 99% of time, washing in twisted sections, LCB, Aphogee 2 Step every 6-8 wk, mainly finger detangling)

New Additions:
5. Homemade shea butter sealant; began using end of march - absolutely love

Problems to address next 4 months
1. Manipulation in between wash day. Past 2 months I’ve become too concerned with neatness (especially bc of my job). I usually like to leave my hair alone until the end of the week to M&S and restyle, but I’ve been doing this midweek sometimes multiple times a week now as well - mainly with my twists.
Solution:
•Two Strand Twists - take down and wash once a week vs every 2 weeks. They last no longer than a week; Reduce how often I wear them.
• See Number 2 below for my other styles.

2. Hydration that lasts 1 week vs 2 weeks (but I’m counting my blessings) especially in the summer
Experiment/Solution:
• Continue to wear satin bonnet & scarf
every night (purchased quality ones as old ones are becoming rough)
• Start steaming w/handheld steamer before re-moisturizing (equals 2x/month)

Edit:
Solved my style boredom with marley twists

 

[curlvana]

For the rice water, are you guys just boiling rice then taking the water from there? How does this work?

 

[blazingbeauty]

Going into marley twists for 2 months (I’m giving myself one pass as a break from my hair)! I feel like I’m really on a Pamper My Hair Challenge, bc my hair is the softest, most defined, and resilient it has ever been - and I’ve been keeping my hair and ends protected 100% of the time.

I’m just hope this translates into length retention

I’ve been trimming/dusting every 3 months and incorporating a seamless wide tooth comb again after years of finger detangling (about every 6 weeks bc of my protective style rotation). These may be hidden length retention inhibitors

 

[PlanetCybertron]

Been an entire six months since my last update here.

My last photo upload in general, I was 2-2.5 inches from Classic. That was almost a month ago. Thinking about doing a full wash, blow dry, and flat iron session today, or maybe a blowout. We will see.

I currently am not working due to an injury, so now that my short term disability has kicked in, I have a lot of time to nothing, so it’s typically what I do lol. Granted I’ve had a lot more time for deep conditioning, that’s about the only thing I’ve been doing more of.

Current regimen hasn't deviated too much.
Although I have to shampoo and condition almost every other day.

I recently had one of my worst scalp flare ups ever. Mostly due to the change in weather, and it being hot here. So I have no choice but to wash frequently. I don’t mind really. Since it cuts out the extra step of moisturizing, but I do keep up with deep conditioning more. Mostly more protein treatments are needed. I’ve noticed how my longer lengths feel a bit funny.

As far as styling my hair, I don’t really do much braiding at the moment. Mostly just bunning. Since my hair is so layered, I get braid shred easily, and it starts to tangle and stick to other braids, so I’ve just been opting to Bun or damp bun.

My hair in general is doing okay though. Haven’t done any measuring yet, so hopefully I’ll be even closer to Classic, I’m thinking maybe another 2 months and I’ll be there.

 

[I Am Number Four.]

Here's my starting pic! I decided to hold off on protective styling to see if I can keep growing my hair out with wash n'gos. I'm giving myself to the end of the month to see.

Your hair is very pretty!

 

[ckisland]

Your hair is very pretty!

Thank you!!

 

[blazingbeauty]

Did a Aphogee Rx this past wash day - Hair is still overmoisturized and weaker than usual when wet. I’m still trying to figure out how to reduce those fine pieces of breakage I see in my hand when manipulating wet hair (ie finger detangling) and applying product.

Will do another Aphogee Rx next wash day (2 weeks from now). Going to get a new bottle of Aphogee since my other bottle expired. That could be why it’s not working. This time I’m going to let the treatment sit for 10-15 min before blow drying it/applying heat.

 

[Bette Davis Eyes]

Bump

 

[curlvana]

So instead of making my own rice water, I bought some from a brand called Chebe off Amazon. I think it’s totally responsible for my edge and length growth. But the rice water dries my hair out a bit, so I have to balance it out with more moisture.