Ladies that are APL and Higher...

[jerseygurl]

Also don't forget your protein treatment especially if you are relaxed. It stops breakage.

 

[camilla]

SINCE I HAVE BEEN CO WASHING AND MOISTURIZING IT HAS GROWN MORE IT DID NOT TAKE LONG FOR ME TO REACH APL
I THINK MY HAIR IS LIKE A PLANT THE MORE WATER(MOISTURE) IT GETS THE MORE IT GROWS

 

[momi]

LOL and it is the DEVIL:mob:.... I agree with another poster who said "that since SL hair rubs against our shoulders in effect causing split ends and breakage" has made this transitional phase the hardest for most. Now SuperModel....I'm right with you and I responded in that other post where 80% of the ladies said that SL to APL was their uphill battle, and I'm asking where are they myself. It's seems like the APL to BSL came out of hiding in this thread and I'm hating on all their beautiful heads; you guy's are my inspiration.

But for me to answer your question it's been a mix of two stumbling blocks. 1. Too much heat on my natural head; I was getting press outs every other week (faithfully). And 2. Since I was getting my beautiful press outs (pics in fotki ) it caused me to constantly wear my hair down, where I saw the never ending breakage on my clothing and especially on my wool over coat...poor coat TORTURED my hair!!

So now I'm using NO heat and constantly up like in the picture's below I read as long as the ends are not touching clothing I should be ok...so I try to switch it up now and again from my bun, because constantly wearing a bun was about to me me go crazy...styles are my thing!

So hopefully it works. And on a side note, I've been nursing my ends back to life!!

Your hair is beautiful

 

[LunadeMiel]

For me it has to do with the distance between SL and APL. It seems like it's taking forever because its about 5 or 6 inches apart whereas from APL to BSL will only be 2 or 3 inches.

This has been my problem also...
although I'm only about 1/2" from it now...

 

[Born Again Natural]

Your hair is beautiful

Awwww thanks sis! So is yours...

 

[SilentRuby]

SL-APL was the hardest hump for me.

My hair would always grow to a full healthy shoulder length but anything longer than that and my hair didn't look so good. I couldn't figure it out until I read that it comes in contact with your clothing.

What turned my hair around and allowed me to cross over SL was moisturizing (don't sleep on wet bunning), protective styling, no trimming, no heat, and little to no manipulation. I worked in a call center at the time, so people were wondering what was up with my head. But when I finally relaxed after 3-4 months, their mouths were wide open in awe

 

[that_1_grrrl]

I just think that SL-APL comes in first because that's the length most of us are!

I also think some claim SL waaaaay to early, but that's another thread....lol

I was about to say the same thing. Although, I am total hypocrite because I claim SL now. Just don't know what else to call hair that has about 595859 lengths, lol.

 

[SimpleKomplexity]

The Flat iron is NOT your friend. What happened to me was I saw that I was one inch to freedom, and I went krazy. I started flat ironing and wearing my hair down like a made woman. I lost a whole 2 inches in 2 weeks. It's a love hate thing. Just be carfeul and stay moisturized

 

[sareca]

Too much cutting.

 

[tiffers]

Well, I couldn't vote in the poll because I was doing everything "right"

Dc'ing two times a week, co washing every day, bunning every day, no heat, moisturizing daily, etc.

My hair just grows slow, I guess. And my stupid ol thyroid doesn't make things better Went through a period when my hair was incredibly dry and brittle, and broke horribly

So yeah, that's why it took me so long. Ladies, get your thyroid checked. Don't wanna lose progress and suffer from unconrollable breakage and super brittle hair like I did. It's no fun. An out of whack thyroid can do things to your body that you never imagined

 

[MAMATO]

My hair has always been a little longer than SL (like 1 or 2 inches) still thick and in good shape all my life. My regimen was:

- Pre-poo hair overnight with oils or Shea Butter
- Wash and Condition with Pantene products every 7 days
- Blow-dry on high speed and high heat mainly directed at the roots
not the ends with a paddle brush
- Flat iron on the highest heat 450F
- Rollerset with sponge rollers every single day
- No moisturizers, leaves-in and DC or protein treatment
- Blowdry on high heat (same technique) every single morning (7days /wk) for a straight look with a little bump. I used to comb twice a day, in the morning and before going to bed.
- Trim on relaxer day every 8 weeks
- At night I would rollerset with the sponge rollers, put a stocking cap on my head and go to sleep

After finding LHCF I changed my regimen :

- Pre-poo hair overnight with oils or Shea Butter
- Wash, Deep Condition or Pretein treatment with mostly CON, Aphogee and JOICO products weekly
- Detangle with shower comb either in the shower or out.
- Apply Leave-in (Rusk, Lacio Lacio etc.)
- Airdry or Dry under the hooded dryer until my hair is 80% dry
- Blow-dry on high speed and high heat mainly directed at the roots
not the ends with a paddle brush
- Flat iron on medium heat (350-360F) once or twice a month
- Rollerset with Caruso rollers
- Apply moisturizer every night (a creamy moisturizer mixed with my homemade shea butter mix)
- Cross-wrap, braid or roller set with satin sponge rollers every night
- Put on a 100% genuine silk scarf and go to sleep
- Finger comb in the morning to style and at night to set my hair for the night.
- Relaxer every 12 to 16 weeks
- Trim every 4 to 6 months

Last year I started in Feb 08 with a little bit past SL (1 inch maybe) and was APL by the end of April and begining of May (3 or 4 months later). I am quite tall so I was pleased with the results.

Hope that helps

 

[jaded_faerie]

too much heat
too much cutting

 

[skipper]

i started protecting my ends all the time my hair was always up and at home i was always wearing a scarf or bonnet, i moisturized and combed in sections. lots of dc-ing and NO DIRECT HEAT!!!

once i stopped the direct heat there was a dramatic turn around in my hair the breakage stopped completely so i was actually able to reap the rewards of my hair growth

 

[Anew]

I'm a YAY away from APL, lol... but I think I can still answer the question. The last trim I got was October 08 I believe and that was b/c I needed a small one. Each time after that, when I went to the salon I requested a trim. Thank goodness for my stylist, she flat out said NO, I don't need it, lol... I just always assume the worse when it comes to my hair. I haven't had a trim in 7 months, that's huge for me. The thing that has helped me the most is leaving my hair alone. I may only wash my hair 3 times a month, I keep the ends moisturized and its normally in the style that's in my avatar or pinned up in the back.

These styles are really b/c I'm a lazy person when it comes to my head, I guess that really has helped. I do believe that by my next touch up I will be APL. I plan on doing that in July or August and that would be a 5 to 6 month stretch for me...

 

[plastic]

SL - APL is cake..

BSL - MBL is murder

 

[beans4reezy]

Loving this thread!!

 

[DMJ's Mom]

I've made it to APL and cut it to NL at least 3 times in the past 5 years and I don't see it as being difficult at all. At least one of the three times I was relaxed and blowdrying/flatironing weekly. I will say though that the whole 5 years 90% of the time my hair is either in buns or cornrows and I moisturized almost nightly.

 

[lilsparkle825]

it was my stupid ends...people used to make threads about knots and tangled ends and i would pay them no mind because i didn't think i had that problem. when i straightened in january, trimmed, then straightened again in february and had to trim again, i realized that i wasn't babying my ends. i put my hair up in senegalese twists for a month, then when i took it down, i started sealing and wet bunning more. boom, APL. i'm doing this all the way to BSL!

(oh, and also...my hair loves frequent cowashing. my hair grew like a weed last summer because i was cowashing like every day, and when i stopped during the winter it's like my hair went into hibernation and stopped growing. i'm back to doing it every 1-2 days now.)

 

[Chevelure618]

I think APL to BSL is harder, but I think you have to rollerset and wear it up

 

[tiffers]

None of the above. I stayed up buns, used heat 3x's a year, stretched relaxers, moisturized daily, deep conditioned religiously.... It just took a long time. And it didn't help that my hair grows slower than molasses

 

[luvn_life]

I wore weaves fro SL - APL so I can't reall say. But, I know I don't know what the heck is taking me so long to get to BSL. I'm just gonna try to baby my hair and see what happens.

 

[nucienuce1]

It has taken me a little less then 9 months to go from jaw to apl.

 

[adw425]

After discovering LHCF, I went from top of the neck length to about an inch from APL in 18 months. I do not get major growth, but I was retaining. I hardly used heat and I bunned daily and 18 months later, I still had not gotten to full APL because I believe I stopped regularly trimming my ends about 1/4 inch every two-three months. I went to the salon in October for the first time in 10 years and she trimmed two to three inches and now I am APL.

 

[LovingMe87]

Up until now I could not grow my hair pass SL, but I was doing so many things wrong! I wore my hair down everyday, wrapping my hair in one direction for years, not properly moisturizing or deep conditioning. Since being on LHCF, all of that has changed! I wear my hair down 1-2x on the weekends, moisturize daily, haven't wrapped my hair in 2 yrs and I deep condition at least once per week. Though I think the thing that has helped me the most is stretching&texlaxing because my hair is a lot stronger and not overprocessed as it was before.

ETA: It took about 6 months to get from SL-APL once I started taking care of my hair

 

[Nicole1976]

I was experimenting while getting to APL.

I was still discoveringing what worked for my hair.

I would say this is what made it difficult for me; the act of defining a regimen.

Now I make slight tweaks here and there but nothing drastic.

Good luck getting to APL ladies...I felt like it took forever...but dont give up

 

[Nicole1976]

Up until now I could not grow my hair pass SL, but I was doing so many things wrong! I wore my hair down everyday, wrapping my hair in one direction for years, not properly moisturizing or deep conditioning. Since being on LHCF, all of that has changed! I wear my hair down 1-2x on the weekends, moisturize daily, haven't wrapped my hair in 2 yrs and I deep condition at least once per week. Though I think the thing that has helped me the most is stretching&texlaxing because my hair is a lot stronger and not overprocessed as it was before.

I agree, wrapping your hair in the wrong way can do damage

 

[Mrs.Green]

SINCE I HAVE BEEN CO WASHING AND MOISTURIZING IT HAS GROWN MORE IT DID NOT TAKE LONG FOR ME TO REACH APL
I THINK MY HAIR IS LIKE A PLANT THE MORE WATER(MOISTURE) IT GETS THE MORE IT GROWS

I agree with this~ I got from SL to APL in 6 months and APL to BSL in 6 months. Now I'm dancing at BSL. I got a much needed trim and hope to be MBL in another 6 months.

For me moisture and sealing the ends is the key, wether you wear your hair up in protective styles or down. Your hair grows you just have to protect the ends to keep the length.

 

[Nicole1976]

I agree with this~ I got from SL to APL in 6 months and APL to BSL in 6 months. Now I'm dancing at BSL. I got a much needed trim and hope to be MBL in another 6 months.

For me moisture and sealing the ends is the key, wether you wear your hair up in protective styles or down. Your hair grows you just have to protect the ends to keep the length.

It sounds like your hair grows fast

I think it took me a year to get apl erplexed and I am pretty sure it's gonna be another year to get to BSL

Right now I am perfectly APL , I need to update my picture though, in my picture I am only touching APL. I am now APL all the way across (Blunt APL...YIPPEE)

 

[Mrs.Green]

It sounds like your hair grows fast

I think it took me a year to get apl erplexed and I am pretty sure it's gonna be another year to get to BSL

Right now I am perfectly APL , I need to update my picture though, in my picture I am only touching APL. I am now APL all the way across (Blunt APL...YIPPEE)

Yes my hair does grow fast. But now that I'm at BSL I'm working with catching my layers up so I trimmed and may trim again next touchup in August. So we'll see. If I don't make it to WL by the end of the year it'll be from trims not growth.

 

[LunadeMiel]

Getting to APL was hard because as my hair grew the more knots I got. I would have gotten there sooner if I wasn't cutting off so many knots .

I need to update my siggy because my hair is longer now.