*How did this all start?"

[CharUK]

All this information? Where did it all stem from?

I know it's partly trial and error, but still, there must have been something to start it all... Most of my family members are still using the damaging methods of haircare they've used for 30 years.

x

 

[Daughter]

Good question! I know for me I remembered having long hair as a child and I had to look back and try some of the things mum did (and didn't do!). Personally, trial and error

 

[MeccaMedinah]

Good question

 

[ms_kenesha]

I think some people have always used these methods, but didn't think it was anything special...I know a lot of girls I used to ask with long hair said they didn't do anything special to acheive it, but upon digging deeper they were doing things my mom never taught me to do, i.e. stretching relaxers, deep conditioning, using olive oil, always rollersetting & not using heating appliances all the time, wearing their hair in protective styles, etc.

To them this wasn't anything special it was what they had always done, but to me it was a whole new world of haircare.

Other things I think come from "experts" in haircare and their books and techniques.

 

[blkmaryland]

I have to piggyback on Ms_Kenesha......My mother didn't know how to take care of my hair. When I found this forum, it brought back a lot of memories of my girlfriends, whom when we were growing up, always had long hair. Using grease, wrapping their hair at night, dryer roller sets, deep conditioning, sitting under the dryer, wearing ponytails and later on in-life wearing buns, stretching relaxers....the list goes on. The advice on the forum just started to really make sense. I'm not going to say that all the advice has worked but....hey, I have definately noticed a difference in my hair since I started lurking and later officially joined. The knowledge has always been there it's just that some of us needed to be pointed in the right direction!!!!!

 

[CharUK]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Anyone else?

x

 

[Healthb4Length]

when I was growing up my grandma and aunt used to do my hair and I had long hair, when my mother started to do my hair it progressively got shorter and shorter, I had the last straw with my momma touching my hair when I was 18, she put a permanent color in my long thick hair, it all fell out within a month and I had to cut my hair short. I also didn't know no better too, I would "treat myself" to a deep conditioner once a month like the said in all the beauty magazines and get relaxers faithfull every 4-6 weeks. Well after another breakage session, again due to coloring I decided to braid my hair off and on (didn't know about growafrohairlong at this time) my hair really grew and from that point I decided to take better care of my hair and grow it really long and healthy. I will teach my daughter or my son how to properly care for the hair, gotta start when they young. ya know?

 

[candibaby]

My story is about the same as some of the other ladies. My hair was always really long, even when my mother started to relax it (my hair was kept in braids until that point).. it was when I started going to her scissor happy stylist that my hair was chopped off, before now I dont remember ever doing anything special to my hair. I just washed, conditioned, and blow dried. The only difference is that now my hair is healthier and thicker than it was before it was cut off.

 

[jellynote]

My story is about the same as some of the other ladies. My hair was always really long, even when my mother started to relax it (my hair was kept in braids until that point).. it was when I started going to her scissor happy stylist that my hair was chopped off, before now I dont remember ever doing anything special to my hair. I just washed, conditioned, and blow dried. The only difference is that now my hair is healthier and thicker than it was before it was cut off.

my story is the same and to top it off my hair still grew and I was using the curling iron at least 2 times a week and washing my hair every 2 weeks. I've been air drying my hair for years. When I look back at some of my old pictures from maybe say 4 or 5 years ago and I realized I had shoulder lenght hair. The only difference now is I don't use heat that much and I stay away from sccissor happy stylist.

 

[lalabanks]

I had long hair as a child and it looked pretty healthy. This after being on this forum, I knew of one reason. Protective hair styles. As long as I can remember till I was like 12 or 13 I always had braids or plaits in my hair. Then when I got a relaxer at 13 I always wanted to wear it down and then with other things it started breaking off.