Question/Request:
Anybody else hit a length plateau, discovered what it was, then grew your hair past that plateu? Anyone interested in sharing their experience? Was the answer so simple, but so HARD to discover initially?
I will answer. I have hit a few of them
- Before proper hair care, I couldn't reach BSL. I could maintain thick healthy and blunt APL, even if I wasn't taking great care of it. However, even when I tried extra healthy products and practices, I couldn't get to thick and healthy BSL. Sometimes, a few stands were scrapping BSL or just past BSB, but never leveling out at that bra strap length. The cause was mechanical damage. I detangled from the ends up, with a head full of conditioner. I was also very gentle with my takedowns, but I would still pull through a knot or tangle to undermine my growth retention. That method was the equivalent of taking my time to rip out my hair lol
. It was not efficient detangling. So. I revised that by backing up and slowly removing that specific knot or tangle, then raking the tool through smoothly, rather than pulling a detangling tool through a tangled section. Since I wore braids back-to-back for many years, I thought I was supposed to lose a handful of hair with my braids takedowns. My hair was pretty full, so it didn't look bad after I styled it. However, I was losing about 2-3x* more hair than necessary because of improper detangling. Once I started detangling properly, I hit BSL within 6 months. I immediately cut it off due to bad ends then it it right back to thick and healthy BSL within the next 6 months followed by MBL shortly after that.
- Once I got to MBL, I could get close to WSL but became stagnant again. I would get close to WSL but almost always cut back on MBL to keep my ends full. I wasn't necessarily aiming for the next milestone since MBL was my goal length, but it was strange that every time I cut, it was necessary to cut back to MBL to get rid of bad ends. The main problem I had was SSKs. In the past my fake hairstyle of choice was braids. I didn't care for weaves or wigs, but I found a nice wig on clearance and wore it regularly back to back for 6 months(on the weekends I would wash it, restyle it, then wear it all week). The press that immediately followed that was when I hit WSL for the first time. Not hovering over it and then cutting back to MBL like I had many times before, but clearly past WSL, and when I cut it, it was still at WSL. WSL was longer than my goal of MBL (that I maintained for years) but I did like it and I wanted to find a way to get my SSKs under control, so I wouldn't have to cut so much hair off during trims. So, I decided to upgrade my products (that is when I started using the Shu Uemura Remedy line which was a staple for years before it was discontinued in 2018 and replaced with the Ultimate Reset line) and I decided to learn how to do salon quality trims at home instead of trimming each twist, cutting the hemline only, and the "search and destroy" trims that I was doing. I also decided to trim every season instead of 1-2 times a year. The regular trims and hair treatment investments helped me to get ahead of the damage.
Here are the three trim practices that I used then and still use now for results capable of mirroring salon cuts.
1) I always begin my trims by using this method to get rid of spit ends first. Take note of how easy it is to feel SSKs or see spits in this method. It is great.
2) Then I pull my hair outward, in sections to trim. I pull the back pull outward and trim horizontally. I pull the top upward and trim horizontally. The pull the sides and middle straight out and trim vertically.
The way TierraJ is cutting her hair is very similar to the way I pull my sections outward, upward, and straight out to trim them all over. See segment 6:40-9:05
3) Last, I will trim my hemline if it is still uneven or If I want more precision. However, most of the time, I can skip this step because the two cuts above will make it fall relatively even without split ends and knots. Sometimes I have DH complete my hemline trim sometimes I complete it myself. I do it in different ways so no video.
My hair reached WSL and my Hip
When I added fancy tools like Revair, my hair went on to TBL and classic. I don't credit those tools or particular products. By that point, I had many years of practice and learned, to get it right. So I was trimming for maintenance, not because of damage(this is of course outside of a setback which I usually don't experience regularly). Classic has been my limit (and sometimes I cut that back to MBL for convenience). Hair beyond the butt gets slammed in car doors, stuck in couch seams, zipped in jeans, etc. It is beautiful and I will rock it for a little while but usually end up cutting it because of the limitations, and extra maintenance it requires to remain enjoyable and not shift into burden and style limitation territory.
Gentle handling, quality products(not necessarily expensive), and learning the nuances of your hair work really well. Fancy tools allow you to pay a premium for convenience. I am glad I wrote this out because it is just a reminder that I reached my goals with simple stuff and I like the extras but they aren't required.
ETA: Edited for clarity. I didn't realize it would trigger questions.
