if you didnt make your goal this year?

[youwillrise]

youwillrise, That sounds very scary. I'm happy that you're feeling better!

it was extremely scary. i had an h.pylori infection...h.pylori feeds on iron, so it was pretty much sucking it out of my body. i had to do a 2 week round of antibiotics (8 pills a day!) and after that i started iron infusions (iv) twice a week for several weeks. i was literally always tired, had major panic attacks (i do have a history of panic attacks, but these were different), it was hard for me to even get out of bed. im definitely thankful to be feeling better.


once i started feeling better, i was back on my hair game with intensity! lol.

 

[kupenda]

I was originally on my way to APL this year. But I BCd in March because I couldn't get a handle on my shedding. I had lost more than half my usual thickness. Ponytails were sooooo thin. Now I'm rocking a TWA and my shedding has decreased a lot. This coming year I'm going to stay on top of my moisture and protein balance and as soon as my hair is long enough, I'm hiding it in a sew in it doing braid extensions. Something low maintenance that will keep my hands out of it

 

[MzSwift]

For me I would say not wearing my wigs (My #1 PS) consistently for majority of the year. I did alot more manipulating my hair this year. although I have discovered that I love two strand flat-twists will be going back to my trusty wigs soon.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch Q using LHCF

Totally this!
I've met my advertised goal but not my personal goal (bottom rib length). Had I stuck with my wigs, I would have made it.

I've gotten some length now and didn't want to PS as much.
I'm going back to wigs in the cold and mini braids in the summer (for daily WNG purposes). Even in my wigs, I wet my hair daily. I need to purchase more wigs since I'm getting tired of the short ones.

 

[MeowMix]

it was extremely scary. i had an h.pylori infection...h.pylori feeds on iron, so it was pretty much sucking it out of my body. i had to do a 2 week round of antibiotics (8 pills a day!) and after that i started iron infusions (iv) twice a week for several weeks. i was literally always tired, had major panic attacks (i do have a history of panic attacks, but these were different), it was hard for me to even get out of bed. im definitely thankful to be feeling better.


once i started feeling better, i was back on my hair game with intensity! lol.

Hi youwillrise. I'm so glad you are bouncing back. You've been so much fun in the t/b/b challenge I never would have known that you were having a hard time.

 

[HairNinja]

I didn't make my goal this year because:

1. I did not wash/deep condition my hair enough every 3-4 days
2. Did not take my supplements.
3. Did not eat right not enough protein, veggies, fruit.
4. Did not use my sulfur mix.
5. Did not use a re-constructor once a month
6. Did not exercise
7. stress

I will continue my wig/ crown and glory regimens and do all of the above to get to armpit by July next year. My grown rate is extremely slow to about 2.5 - 3 inches a year with small trims.

 

[TwoSnapsUp]

My hair grows. That's not my problem. My problem is that I can't retain length. I keep having to cut off split ends and I'm sick of it. No matter what protective style I wear(mostly have my hair pinned up in a twist) I keep getting split ends. I don't want to wear any wigs or braids. I have about an inch of new growth in most areas, but just had to cut an inch worth of split ends. My hair is rarely down. When I'm home it's always under a satin scarf or bonnet. I stopped blowing my hair and started air drying. I've been on this journey since April. WTF am I doing wrong?

I don't look good it twist/braid outs. My hair is too short to rock a bun, it feels tight or like it's pulling. I'm close to throwing in the towel. I want my shoulder length hair back.

My plan:
KISS, keep using what always worked for me: ORS olive oil, NTM leave in, and will continue using green magic (sulfur). Wave neavou and ORS on my new growth has made my hair manageable at two months post.

If I'm still the same length in 5 months, I'm going back to the dominican salon and to using heat.

 

[greenandchic]

Why I didn't make my goal of WL:

• Naturally slow hair growth.
• NOT dusting enough at first.
• NOT using a comb to detangle = shed hair creatings knots and locks.
• Not DCing enough.
• Low iron.

 

[Aireen]

I had a setback when I was using a bit too much protein and not taking care of my hair as I should, I was kind of busy/stressed/depressed so I went a long time without combing my hair. It was in a matted bun for 3+ weeks and instead combing it out on wash day, I washed my matted hair and used a protein treatment on top. My hair turned into a massive dreadlock so of course I had a setback. After I cut the damage, I went on scissor-happy sprees because "I didn't want long hair anymore." <- LOL should've kept my hair the way it was after the major cut post-setback because I'd be on my way back to WL instead of being on my way to MBL.

Right now I'm sticking to my regimen and really caring for it with moisture only during stretches. It's growing back better than before.

 

[Meritamen]

So why do you think has contributed to you not being about to reach your goal?
There a few reasons that compounded on each other resulting in me not obtaining my goal this year. I feel like I am doing the same song and dance from last year because I am still chasing after APL. To matter worse I actually made it to APL for a short time twice but have had to trim both times so have been stuck at grazing for a solid year now.
My troubles began over a year and a half ago after making it to SL and decided to experiment and get rid of my stash. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that my hair doesn't care for mid to high protein treatments like Aphogee 2 Minute. I had to trim a good bit of hair because it became very brittle.
Since then I haven't been as strict with caring for my hair as I was when making it to SL. Not wearing my wigs (my prefered protective style) further hurt my progress.
The main issue is that my hair has been growing pretty slowly because I haven't been caring for myself very well this past year. I know I have to really do better or it won't be just my hair that suffers.

What are you going to do to change it?
Take my vitamins
Work out regularly
Eat more regularly and better foods (green smoothies have been helping with this)
Try to keep my stress down
Wear protective styles at least 5 days per week (w/ wigs)

 

[LightEyedMami]

I didn't make my goal of BSL, because i had quite a few setbacks this year while i "experimented", one setback came from aphoghee 2 minute (for some reason it just stopped working and made my hair brittle ). The second was from not deep conditioning/ baggying enough and my hair became brittle and broke off. and the worst culprit this year was from not trmming, my har instantly stopped breaking when i finally trmmed now i trim every 10-12 weeks... and finally, my hair came out from a sew-in.....now my hair is on track and this year i will stick to what works....wigs and kinky twists, while trimming and Dc'ing 2x a week.

 

[SherylsTresses]

Reason: High blood pressure meds caused weakened strands/breakage
Change: Heavy protein treatment weekly and cowash midweek with light protein conditioner

 

[pookaloo83]

Not dc'ing and not detangling properly.

Also not dusting like I should.

Sent From My Pheauxne

 

[Angel of the North]

I had jumped off the HHJ bandwagon and had been neglecting my hair for the last year or so which obviously gave way to major setbacks. I didn't have a hair goal this year but half expected my hair to get back to BSL by the end of this year. The reasons why this never happened for me were:

1. Laziness when it came to taking care of my hair
2. Busy schedule IRL
3.Not sticking to a regimen
4. Inconsistency with products
5. Too many trims and no dusting
6. Using too much heat unnecessarily
7. Hardly ever PSing
8. Not on the boards
9. Not babying my ends
10. Not drinking enough water (I could go on and on)

The good news is despite all of the above, I expect to be a little over APL after my next touch up and trim. My goal for the end of 2013 is to be MBL, It's doable but not without a little effort and dedication, I will need to counteract all of the listed above and be consistent with it to reach my goal, I will also up my A game by getting involved in a few challenges, I feel when I'm involved in challenges I am more disciplined.

 

[drmuffin]

I didn't have a length goal, I guess just a health goal. I was hoping my hair would have been longer, but it just grows sooooo daaaaaaang slooooooooooow.

I predict by year 4, I'll be finally reaching APL. *whomp whomp*

 

[Just11412]

i knew i wasn't going to make my goal by like july of this year. so i immediately put my hair back in mini braids because i saw the most retention when i wore braids.

i use natural products and i protective style mostly. i don't use heat and i finger comb my hair.

the area that i am severely lacking is my internal health. my diet sucks and water intake is damn near non existent. vitamins... what are those? exercise... dead silence. so if i want my hair to really take off like i want it to i need to up the ante on those things.

 

[PJaye]

This year’s goal dealt with technique and health rather than length – I desperately needed to find a viable, efficient method for detangling my fine, fragile, tangle-prone strands. This has been the bane of my entire HHJ and I’ve been struggling ever since they discontinued my staple detangler, the old version of Elasta QP Creme Conditioning Shampoo. As an added bonus, my hair is still coughing up blood from July's setback.

Some possible solutions from recent experimentation include:

- Saturating my wet hair with oil prior to shampooing to facilitate easier detangling while rinsing
- Adding oil to my shampoo for the reason listed above
- Creating my own slip via raw herbs that contain mucilage
- Using raw herbs and herbal rinses to strengthening my hair (and possibly henna glosses)
- Keeping my hair stretched and straightened for easier detangling

 

[Monaleezza]

I did actually reach my goal length.

But what I also needed to learn this year was how to manage my much longer hair when its not hidden in a weave.

I can't say I achieved that! In fact, instead I would say I was halfway to learning what my hair liked and needed, before I had to hide it again for winter.

Changes to make:
I need to take my vitamins regularly. (I tend to take them twice a week when I remember)

I need to drink more water, I forget that inside out is as key as outside in!

I need to protect my hair at night! I'm much more of a fall-asleep-in-front-the-telly kinda girl! So my scarf living under my pillow is no use.

I need to arrange a wash/heat regime. My hair loved being co-washed, it wasn't so keen on being air dried.

Finally dusting. I guess it wouldn't have done any harm and could have done a load of good!

For now I've chucked it back into a weave and will need to be ready for it come summer.

 

[Mjon912]

I had a set backin Aug, flat ironed my damp hair 2 days in a row while on vacation, I lost alot of hair so I've been dusting every wash and did a few trims to get rid of damaged thin ends...I won't ever do that again

 

[sofash]

I havent mastered the art of retaining length during wash days and i just realized that i always use too much product

 

[brittle_hair]

- Didn't moisturize enough
- Didn't take my vitamins
- Not consistent with exercise

 

[felic1]

PJaye.... Your hair is coughing up blood? That is funny!!!!!!!!

 

[chocolat79]

1) I moved to a new climate late last year and wasn't taking care of my hair like I should have been with the change.
2) I didn't get my hair trimmed on it's regular schedule so when (a few months later) I actually did get it trimmed, the aforementioned issues came up and caused my stylist to have to trim about 2-3" off. Currently, I'm slightly longer than I was before the trim.
3) I'm an extremely slow grower.
4) Irregular with my supplements

I plan on REALLY focusing on my ends and my stylist said that I have been doing a good job with that , so instead of APL by the end of 2012, it'll probably be more like summer 2013. Oh well, it's longer than it's ever been as an adult, so I'll keep plugging along.

 

[KaramelDiva1978]

I really didn't have a goal this year until I relaxed in June after being natural for 2 years. After I relaxed I felt so excited about my new straightened tresses I just wanted them healthy and longer. My avatar pic was the result of that first relaxer session and I have now passed APL (which was the goal I set in June) and am itching to get to BSL/MBL (my 2013 goal).

 

[NaiyaAi]

There are tons of reasons why I didn't reach BSL this year.

1.) Not sticking to my regimen. Periods of actively taking good care of my hair followed by periods of laziness.
2.) Not protecting my ends.
3.) Not taking care of my new growth.
4.) Still haven't figured out the whole protein/moisture balance of my hair.
5.) Poor diet. =/

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I didn't make my goal of BSL this year because....
-I rush when detangling in the shower and I didn't moisturize daily.

What I will do to make BSL this year...
-Detangle while out the shower watching a movie or yt video
-Cowash more, moisturize more, use AOGPB weekly, use a moisturizing DC mid week.
-bun bun bun, faux bun, real bun, whatever bun my heart desires. Plus I want to baggy my bun a few times a week during the day under a marley braid bun or phony pony.

Doing less did work for me but only for maintaining my length at APL but I need to go back to being on a crazy strict regimen to get past APL.

 

[cocomama]

I got a major cut a few months ago so...yeah not this year I want full bsl by jan or feb of 2013 and wl by dec 2013.

 

[coyacoy]

I started out with high hopes this year to reach full. Apl but unfortunately did not. Reasons:
Wasn't trimming often enough
Was not using protein regularly enough
Using some hair care practices that weren't suitable for my hair type

Single best thing I did was get the komaza care hair analysis - helped me to realize what i should not be doing such as baggying, henna'ing weekly and overnight dc'ing

Now hoping to reach that full Apl in 2013 by:
Dusting monthly
Mild protein dc every wash - heavy once a month
Henna monthly
More frequent ps'ing (out of sheer laziness lol)

From an appreciative inquiry standpoint.....I learned quite a lot this year from working with my own hair....prior to Jan 2012 I had been under wigs like all day everyday ...the only exception was bedtime....so that said I had to spend quite a bit of time this year just really learning and understanding my day to day hair which resulted in a lot of trial and error and cutting off essentially all of my 2012 growth

 

[baddison]

I let my beautician cut it off. All in the name for even ends. It grew back in the same way. Lesson learned.

^^^THIS^^^

I was sooo close to my goal of BSL, but the ends weren't even. So I started cutting. Before I knew it, I had cut a good 2 to 3 inches!! Now that its months later, the hair is growing back the same exact uneven way...what a waste of good progress...*sigh*. Next year will be my GOAL year!!

 

[bride91501]

When I BC'd 2.5 yrs ago, I set a personal goal of MBL or WL hair by Dec of this year. Crazy, I know, but my hair grows at a good rate when I'm consistent with my regimen, and I was a focused beast for the last 2 yrs.

Until this summer. I let "mommy" and life distractions derail me a bit. My biggest issue has been that I stopped working out 3 months ago. My hair growth slowed to a snail's pace I also wore my hair out more during the last 3 months than I ever did, which = more manipulation, which = less retention

I'm recommitted now though. I'm back in my monthly PS under my wig, and my 5x week workouts will resume on Monday I'm doing my first length check in months at the end of December...wish me luck!

 

[B_Phlyy]

I won't know for sure if I did or didn't reach my goal until my salon visit next month, but my gut feeling is I didn't make it. I got into a real funk with my hair after I became depressed and stressed with life and school. Even though my hair was in a protective style, I didn't take care of it and it definitely suffered.

So I actually wouldn't change anything I did with my hair regimen or products, I would just stay consistent with them all the way through.