Lesser of 2 evils...

[pazyamor]

Okay here it is:

I have neck length hair that I'm growing out of dye and a relaxer (I'm not transitioning, just taking a year-long break), and I'm in LHCF Bootcamp. My problem is, my hair is worse off than it was before, I cowash it and moisturize it, everyday just about, but I'm afraid by avoiding direct heat usage (which I only use once a week, and I don't blowdry my hair), I'm doing more damage by having to always bother it, comb through it, pull it back, etc. My question is, does anybody else with short hair have this problem? or if you have long enough hair now, did you struggle with this? Should I just switch back to once-weekly direct heat usage and drop out of Bootcamp, or is there something I could do? Braids are not an option, I have ADHD, and I cannot sit still long enough to get them done, trust me, I've tried.

 

[plastic]

My Experience: When i had ear length length hair, I washed with VO5 Kiwi Clarifying Conditioner and dced once a week and immediately put on a scarf to airdry my hair ... When dried I would flatiron my hair, and wear that style for the entire week until wash day. I hardly used shampoo (maybe once every two months) because I did not want to dry out my hair and because I didn't want my dye fading. I was never much of a comber .. but I would brush my hair to my scalp and put on my scarf at night if my hair was being unruly. I never wore any protective styles getting from ear length to necklength. I didnt always use heat .. sometimes i would do wash n gos... especially when I was nearing shoulderlength. When i got mad close to SL I would wear my hair up in loose ponytails and pigtails.

You could also do a couple braids for a braid out and use that cute headband you have in your siggie and put your hair back and clip up the ends. Wash n Go's arent bad .. you just have to know how to maintain or not maintain them...

 

[RegaLady]

My Experience: When i had ear length length hair, I washed with VO5 Kiwi Clarifying Conditioner and dced once a week and immediately put on a scarf to airdry my hair ... When dried I would flatiron my hair, and wear that style for the entire week until wash day. I hardly used shampoo (maybe once every two months) because I did not want to dry out my hair and because I didn't want my dye fading. I was never much of a comber .. but I would brush my hair to my scalp and put on my scarf at night if my hair was being unruly. I never wore any protective styles getting from ear length to necklength. I didnt always use heat .. sometimes i would do wash n gos... especially when I was nearing shoulderlength. When i got mad close to SL I would wear my hair up in loose ponytails and pigtails.

You could also do a couple braids for a braid out and use that cute headband you have in your siggie and put your hair back and clip up the ends. Wash n Go's arent bad .. you just have to know how to maintain or not maintain them...

OT: YOU had ear length? How long did it take for you to grow it to where it is no? DO you have a relaxer!

 

[plastic]

OT: YOU had ear length? How long did it take for you to grow it to where it is no? DO you have a relaxer!

Yes i have a relaxer. It was ear lobe length in 2006...got to necklength around November 2006 and December 2006 was when I decided to start growing my hair out

 

[Quest4healthyhair]

The double process is what killing your hair, but with all of that I think your still can be healthy. All you have to do is continue to deep condition ,moisturize and trim. You'll get past shoulder length.

 

[ajacks]

I had the same problem when I first decided to grow my hair out. I tried my first 6-month stretch upon joining the forum and it was disasterous. I co-washed, DC'd, moisturized, no heat, etc. but that only made things worse. It was a matted mess.

I lost all of the progress that I made during that time, so I decided to get a good trim and start over again. As of Feb. I have decided to hide my hair with the use of a sew-in for the next year that way I won't have the cumbersome task of dealing with all that new growth.

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

It's going to be hard. IMO, things always get worse before they get better. I joined in february 2008 and in March 2008 I did a progress check and I felt as if my hair was worse. The middle, in the back, felt dry & crunchy and it seemed as if my ends were worse. I was co-washing often, dc with ors replenish pks, sealing with coconut oil, using mn every night, and I didnt use direct heat and I kept protective styles. I would even baggy at night with a good moisturizing spray like s-curl or hawaiin silky. I felt like I did something wrong. That night I continued my routine as usual but instead of just baggying like i normally would, i did a rollerset. I sat under the dryer for about 30 minutes and let it airdry the rest of the way. My hair never felt softer in my entire life! I fell in love all over again. I got so many compliments that next day about the health and condition of my hair. I don't think it was so much my regimen, it was just the way I styled it. I even went to an Aveda salon about 3 weeks later and the stylist said my hair was GREAT! I would just suggest trying different styles, rollersets seem to be the easiest, IMO. You can actually try rollersetting on smaller rollers so that it would blend in better with the new growth you have. Just try it and see, it may be your new style!