Last nite...

[MrsHouston]

I decided to do whatever the hell I want with my hair!!!

Ive been bunning for almost 3 years. And while I have seen progress I'm just sick of it. Yes I know that trimming my hair every month has kept it at this length forever. But it's like a compulsion or something w/ me. While I'm trying to keep scissors away from my head this year, I'm still not happy with it.

I see girls with their hair down and they look so good, but I never wear mine out because I'm afraid of damage.

So yesterday when I took my hair down and noticed 20 broken hairs on the sink, (yes i count ) Here I was thinking I was down to almost none. I looked at the floor, and apparently thats where all the breakage has been hiding. So I said f### it!!! If it's going to break it's going to break so I might as well do what I want with it. I deep condition, avoid heat and it's still breaking!!

I've decided to wash and either crimp or straighten with a curling iron once a week. I'm crimped today and have received 3 compliments thus far.

If it grows anymore good. If not then oh well. I have pretty thick hair about 2in from armpit. Nice length I guess.

So my hair journey is offically over. I'm going to start enjoying my hair. And who knows, I'm digging Posh spices hair cut. Maybe for the summer???

My friend said EVERYONE'S hair breaks. And that'll I still see growth despite styling it. We shall see...

Please don't give up your hair journey. Maybe have a balance between protective styling and wearing your hair out. Say like a treat once a month.

Also broken hairs are not "that" bad considering the amount of strands we have upon our heads (only God knows, but 20 out of thousands of strands is not a bad thing.

You probably just need to enjoy your hair more often, that just give up on the journey. 3 years is a loooooooooootttttt of work to just let it go down the drain.

If you're just looking for something "new" to do, bored with burning try a different hair style, maybe layers as opposed to one blunt length.

Hope this helps (...and you better not "just" give up either

 

[Hidden_Angel]

Please don't give up your hair journey. Maybe have a balance between protective styling and wearing your hair out. Say like a treat once a month.

Also broken hairs are not "that" bad considering the amount of strands we have upon our heads (only God knows, but 20 out of thousands of strands is not a bad thing.

You probably just need to enjoy your hair more often, that just give up on the journey. 3 years is a loooooooooootttttt of work to just let it go down the drain.

If you're just looking for something "new" to do, bored with burning try a different hair style, maybe layers as opposed to one blunt length.

Hope this helps (...and you better not "just" give up either

i soo agree

 

[MrsHouston]

Have you considered switching from a no-lye relaxer to a lye relaxer? That may be part of your problem.

Regardless, I agree with the ladies that you should stay on a healthy hair regimen regardless of how often you bun, etc. There is a healthier way to do heat weekly so I would do a search or PM some of the ladies who do heat & wear their hair down often. Sylver wears her hair down EVERY day, and her hair is long and beautiful so it can definitely be done.

Good luck!

That's true. Try Sylver regime. She uses heat about once or twice a month and enjoys her hair down everyday.

 

[MrsHouston]

but didn't she have long hair when she was younger? and whats her hair texture?

When she started her journey on "this board" it wasn't long, I think about shoulder length. However, she has had amazing growth in a short time period.

Some peope wear buns, but comb or manipulate their hair alot...Some wear it down, but with little or no manipulation. Little or no manipulation is what I think works for Sylver. Check out her fotki.

 

[MrsHouston]

Gotcha.

OP: what if you compromised and made sure to pin/baggy your hair as soon as you got home and/or on days when you'd be in most of the day? Or what if you committed to deep conditioning religously and moistuirizing daily if you're wearing it down?

I evade that guilty feeling by making deals with myself...like, if I'm going to wear my hair down the next day, I'm sure to moisturize it well the night before. And that evening after, I pin it up as soon as I walk in the door and I moisturize the ends before bed. This way, I'm not stressing about damge because I'm protecting it and babying it each chance I get.

Just a thought...

Jotting down notes.

Thanks!

 

[pistachio]

Yeah, I've had my share of "f"-it days too, but I remeber back my days as a kid, and how I was getting handfuls of hair balls out of my brush and combs! Now, if I see 20 strands I freak out, but remember, it's normal to lose 80-100 strands a day. When you divide it out, that's only a fraction of a fracton of a fraction of all your hair. So in the end, you'll be alright

 

[sylver2]

but didn't she have long hair when she was younger? and whats her hair texture?

hi, yup I did have long hair as a child, ...but.. so did many of my classmates and their friends. A lot of them don't have long hair anymore.. so that kind of nixes the "u had long hair when u were a child, so u are going to have long hair as an adult" argument...lol.
Until I came to this board my hair never reached the length that it did when I was a child. During my teen years I was natural and didnt kno how to care for it. I'm a 4a-b type. My hair was thick, bushy dry frizzy looking.
I relaxed it when I was about 17. It was shoulder length.
It broke all off and fell out when I was 22. I cut it all off and started over.
I wish it was so easy that I would naturally just have long hair because I had it when I was a kid..but nah..it didn't work like that..haha. I had to work hard and it took a lot of patience, crying, more patience and more crying.
I came to this board and leanrned a lot of tips from the ladies here. Because of them I finally learned what worked for my hair.
It is the longest its ever been ever in my life. I am in shock, but I did work for it, it didn't come naturally..lol.

 

[sylver2]

I decided to do whatever the hell I want with my hair!!!

Ive been bunning for almost 3 years. And while I have seen progress I'm just sick of it. Yes I know that trimming my hair every month has kept it at this length forever. But it's like a compulsion or something w/ me. While I'm trying to keep scissors away from my head this year, I'm still not happy with it.

I see girls with their hair down and they look so good, but I never wear mine out because I'm afraid of damage.

So yesterday when I took my hair down and noticed 20 broken hairs on the sink, (yes i count ) Here I was thinking I was down to almost none. I looked at the floor, and apparently thats where all the breakage has been hiding. So I said f### it!!! If it's going to break it's going to break so I might as well do what I want with it. I deep condition, avoid heat and it's still breaking!!

I've decided to wash and either crimp or straighten with a curling iron once a week. I'm crimped today and have received 3 compliments thus far.

If it grows anymore good. If not then oh well. I have pretty thick hair about 2in from armpit. Nice length I guess.

So my hair journey is offically over. I'm going to start enjoying my hair. And who knows, I'm digging Posh spices hair cut. Maybe for the summer???

My friend said EVERYONE'S hair breaks. And that'll I still see growth despite styling it. We shall see...

ENJOY!! u can still enjoy while practicing a good light regimen))

 

[sylver2]

Thank you! I didn't mean come off and rude or anything...
I was just trying to say that regardless of length or if her hair was younger or older I was just trying say that 4b hair can still act like its a 1a hair.. ya know?

forgive me, I'm slowly makin myself thru the thread and responded to the other answer without further reading, hope i didn't come off as rude
Also when u say 4b hair acts like 1a hair..do u mean right after a touchup??

 

[EMJazzy]

To the original poster have you ever considered going natural?

 

[Hidden_Angel]

forgive me, I'm slowly makin myself thru the thread and responded to the other answer without further reading, hope i didn't come off as rude
Also when u say 4b hair acts like 1a hair..do u mean right after a touchup??

ya basicly....
just kind of like some peoples hair grows faster then others?

see i had APL length hair naturally until i got teasted and picked on about my hair and asked my mom to relax it WELL lets just say that was the last of my hair and most ive seen of it yet! since age 12 i've been in braids/kornrows/and weaves.. I started to grow out but i dyed it a honey brown (my mom was like id be so cute on me, it was but BOY did it take a number on my hair) and had to start over and bascily i was doing the protective styles misus the other stuff... this is was before lhfc, and then my home girl tiffeny whoses on nappytiry.com told me about her lil quest of being natrual and for some all reason i always knew about the deep condtioning/vitamns but didnt know how to apply it and then i found this site!..

I didn't mean to come so off i was just in deep thought and was trying to remember what hair type and stuff you had... was more top of a head thing then anything...

 

[Mars_Reiko]

That's true. Try Sylver regime. She uses heat about once or twice a month and enjoys her hair down everyday.

This is what I've been doing. Ever since I did my blow-out for Thanksgiving I gave up bunning and adopted Sylver's regimen. I use my blow dryer and flat iron 2x a month. In between time I do the cross wrap and tie it up with a scarf. Every couple days I moisturize my ends with mango butter and grease my scalp with Lenzi's Request. My hair has been going great thus far. And I have far less breakage and shedding than when I airdried.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Jotting down notes.

Thanks!

You're welcome!! I think we enjoy the fruits of our labor...we don't have to forego the health of it in the process!

 

[DragonPearl]

To the OP, I can relate.

My hair has been between APL and BSL like FOREVER, I have tried bunning everyday which made me look like a boring old spinster, and I tried braids extensions which made me look like Millie Vanillie. I also tried bagging, but it made my hair mushy and tangly, and now I am done!!! My motto now is ENJOY MY HAIR!!!

I've been enjoying it flatironed since January 1st. Wearing my hair down a la Sylver2 everyday (thanks Sylver, you've got fantastic tutorials!! ) and my hair feels WONDERFUL!!! Then, next week, I will probably wear a twistout all week after wearing twists for 1 day. I will probably wear a French twist on the last day before washing if my hair looks too wild. I am ENJOYING my hair and looking cute!!.

My regimen: deep conditioning at washing time. Protein treatment before flatironing. And not combing or brushing between shampoos. That's it. Simple.

 

[crlsweetie912]

I thought the point was that around shoulder length is the really critical stage for wearing your hair out because it's prone to brushing across your shoulders. Thus bunning and protective styling. Once you get past that critical point where the ends are not directly sitting on top of your clothes you could enjoy wearing your hair out?

I think the key is not to get too fanatical about it. You have a right to enjoy your hair after much hard work. Do whatever feels right. If your "regimen" is doing you more harm (emotionally) than good that make changes and tone it down. I can't wait until I feel "safe" wearing my hair down, but right now, I have been seeing results so I don't want to rock the boat. I hope that the OP finds a happy medium that she can live with!

 

[deltagyrl]

I hear you. Haven't really tried bunning yet (NG issues). I usually rollerset my hair and put the back up in a pretty clip. That's about as protective as I get.