My hair is actually mocking me right now!

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

OK, I wrote a blog entry about this yesterday, but someone suggested I make a thread instead, so that's what I've decided to do. I just wasn't sure what anyone could do to help since I've been already reading all the info I can and incorporating it, but still failing in my hair goals. But hey, Imma gonna write this and see what happens

OK, I have been on this hair journey since August 2008, so that's nearly 2 years now. I've read every tip I could from growafrohairlong.com, LHCF, and various youtube videos and hair blogs. And I have been babying my hair the best I can, treating it better than I think I ever have before in my life. In August 2008, it was shoulder length. Today, I straighten it in July 2010, it is still shoulder length . Ridiculous! What the heck gives?

I was planning to be APL by December 2009, but damn, that didn't happen. Six months later and still no further in length. This is really depressing me, I'm trying so hard but not getting the results I want . Being APL just seems like pipe dream now, and I just feel so damn unlucky . And I was really counting on having long hair on making me happy, but this isn't happening, grrrr. Why me?

This is more of a rant than anything, I don't really know how anyone can help me. Just needed to let that out, I am mad!

OK, right now, my regimen is:

Cowashing every two days, previously with V05 Elixir Moisture Soak Conditioner, now I'm using Schwarzkopf Gliss.

Moisturising everyday with with Care Free Curl Gold, and sealing with extra virgin olive oil.

Washing once (sometimes twice) weekly with HE Hello Hydration shampoo. Then DC with ORS Replenishing Pak, often adding coconut or olive oil. Sometimes I pre poo with egg and/or honey with olive oil.

I only comb on wash days, being careful to be gentle and detangle all of it well.

I protective style pretty much 99% of the time, either in braids, buns or half wigs.

I only flat iron about once every two months or so.

OK, I have tweaked some of the techniques and products over the 2 years, but I've always made sure to use good LHCF approved products. Really, I thought this regimen would be a sure-fire plan to reaching APL, but obviously it is seriously failing somehow. I have no idea what I need to be changing again either, so this where I'm really stuck. I've even been crying about this at times, it's that bad .

 

[Bublin]

Either your hair growth is retarded for some reason and so a visit to the dr is advisable or your hair is constantly breaking. Do you see lots of broken hairs?

Maybe increase water intake and protien in your diet.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

I was going to also suggest drinking lots of water and increasing proteins as well as fruits and veggies.

I would definitely clarify more often especially if you're using CFG daily to remove any potential build up. Just as a precaution. You don't want the ingredients in that to 'block' any of the other good things you are using in your hair.

I would incorporate a Moisturizing DC'er to 'off-set' the ORS Replenishing Pack(s) with the Eggs, Coconut Oil etc...(which are also proteins). A Good Moisturizing DC to follow up any Protein DC'ing you're currently doing.

You may just be a slow-grower (but a Healthy Grower) so don't get discouraged.

IK this time, my hair is taking forever to recover from my set-back. I can remember 'the day' when my hair would have recovered from this last mishap with no problem. My Hair usually snaps back quickly

Now.....this time....not so much. So, for me, I am having fun, enjoying the journey.

Tryna' treat it not too seriously, because it's hard to see all these lovely heads and you feel like you're just stalled and sitting on the side-lines, but it's all good.

Pray over your hair. Ask for Guidance and to have it revealed to you, if you are missing something in your current routine and KIM.

I can't comment on the V05 or the HE, because I don't use those products (for my co-washers), but Imma 'bout to look up that Schwarzkopf

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Either your hair growth is retarded for some reason and so a visit to the dr is advisable or your hair is constantly breaking. Do you see lots of broken hairs?

Maybe increase water intake and protien in your diet.

To be honest, I always thought my hair seemed to be close enough to the average growth of half and inch a month, as I have been measuring, particularly when I'm in braids and it seems very much so. I forgot to mention that I've also tried growth aids such as Mega Tek, castor oil, massaging the scalp with lavender oil, and taking vitamins (Hair-skin-&-nails pills, MSM, Biotin, B-complex, Zinc, Omega 3 fish oils). It doesn't seem like any of these work though so I probably won't waste anymore money buying them again .

Yes, I do keep seeing broken hairs every now and again, it's really difficult to get them to stop.

Also I am already drinking loads of water and plenty of protein, as I made a concious effort last year to do so, as I am aware of the advice that it helps hair growth and health.

I think my main problem may be retention, though I am stuck on how to solve that

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

I was going to also suggest drinking lots of water and increasing proteins as well as fruits and veggies.

I would definitely clarify more often especially if you're using CFG daily to remove any potential build up. Just as a precaution. You don't want the ingredients in that to 'block' any of the other good things you are using in your hair.

I would incorporate a Moisturizing DC'er to 'off-set' the ORS Replenishing Pack(s) with the Eggs, Coconut Oil etc...(which are also proteins). A Good Moisturizing DC to follow up any Protein DC'ing you're currently doing.

You may just be a slow-grower (but a Healthy Grower) so don't get discouraged.

IK this time, my hair is taking forever to recover from my set-back. I can remember 'the day' when my hair would have recovered from this last mishap with no problem. My Hair usually snaps back quickly

Now.....this time....not so much. So, for me, I am having fun, enjoying the journey.

Tryna' treat it not too seriously, because it's hard to see all these lovely heads and you feel like you're just stalled and sitting on the side-lines, but it's all good.

Pray over your hair. Ask for Guidance and to have it revealed to you, if you are missing something in your current routine and KIM.

I can't comment on the V05 or the HE, because I don't use those products (for my co-washers), but Imma 'bout to look up that Schwarzkopf

Hey, thank you for the tips, I will find a more moisturizing DC to see if that helps. I will also try clarifying more too.

Seeing all the women on here and other sites with APL, BSL, MBL etc hair definitely puts a downer on me, and makes me think I'm just really unlucky and doomed to be SL forever . At this point, I just can't stand looking at my hair anymore, the disappointment, and feel like just hiding in weaves forever or something, so at least then I can sorta kid myself that I have long hair

 

[steffiejoe]

Your regimen looks pretty good. I see you co-wash twice weekly and wash once or twice weekly. Maybe thats to much manipulation for your hair. When I first started my journey I would co-wash several times a week, this proved to be to much manipulation for my hair.
I seem to get the most retention by washing or co-washing once a week.

 

[Myjourney2009]

How often do you cut/trim your hair? Also what was your hair length when you started in Aug 2008 and did you cut it at all in 2008?

 

[luvSLave]

Your regimen looks pretty good. I see you co-wash twice weekly and wash once or twice weekly. Maybe thats to much manipulation for your hair. When I first started my journey I would co-wash several times a week, this proved to be to much manipulation for my hair.
I seem to get the most retention by washing or co-washing once a week.

I was going to say this as well. When I first found LHCF it took a long time for it to register to me that my hair didn't like some of the things that were supposed to be so good for it and the frequent washing/CWing was one of them because of all that manipulation while wet. I also would lose a ton of hair trying to detangle in the shower even though that worked well for so many others.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

How often do you cut/trim your hair? Also what was your hair length when you started in Aug 2008 and did you cut it at all in 2008?

My hair was shoulder length in August 2008. I did a little trim that month, to get rid of damaged ends for the start of my journey and I didn't bother much after that. I was partly worried that I would lose length by trimming too often, and also I'd read in a few places that you don't need to trim too much if you are using protective styles all the time, which I have been doing. Anyway, the next trim I had was in January 2010, and then I had another one yesterday. I'm beginning to think maybe lack of trimming has been detrimental to my progress, as my ends have never really been that even, but I was hoping to sort that out once I got to APL/BSL, which evidently has never happened . See this is where I'm stuck, I really don't know what's wrong and what's right . And how long till I do know? erplexed

 

[sheba1]

It seems to me that maybe you made a list of things that are working for some, but when they continue to cause broken hairs for you, then some tweaking is needed. Thing is, if you're growing at half inch a month but not retaining, at all, then your hair is giving a cry for help when there are broken hairs. You can't do "what works" and keep doing that if it's not working for you.

Maybe cowashing isn't for you. Maybe you're one of those people that needs to shampoo and deep condition twice a week, instead, alternating between protein and moisture. Or maybe you need protein and moisture each time. Or maybe you could try an ayurvedic reggie like the one outlined by candy c here. Or hang around in the ayurvedic support thread here and put together things that will decrease or eliminate breakage for you.

I'm not saying you should try any one thing, for sure; only suggesting that your hair is asking you try something different. And when you give whatever you try next a shot, do it for a month or so. If your hair continues to have issue, then tweak it again. Choose what to do based on how your hair responds. Do a strand test to see whether you're in need of more protein or more moisture. This journey is about as personal as it gets because each step and turn you take are based on your personal results. And if you go down a path that doesn't agree with your hair (i.e. broken hairs, splits, increased shedding, etc) a change is called upon. You take another path.

You will have the results you desire once you find and stick to a reggie that produces results for you. Find the reggie that doesn't cause broken hairs. Even when you see a shed hair, make sure it's long and you can find the bulb at the end showing you that it came out of your scalp. If all you have is long shed hairs in your brush when you deshed once a week then you will have to reach your results. Because now you're not losing progress.

ETA: If lack of trimming is a concern for you, I'd recommend search and destroys as a method to stay trimmed up without taking away length.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Maybe you need to cut back on the manipulation. Co-washing every 2 days seems like a lot AND you moisturize with a glycerin based product AND you do frequent DCs? Do you think maybe your hair is over moisturized? My relaxed hair def can't take the frequent co-washing anymore. In the beginning, I could co-wash 3 times a week. Now I can't because my hair gets overly moisturized although I do protein treatments twice a month. Has there ever been a time when you didn't co-wash every 2 days and instead only washed once a week?

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Maybe you need to cut back on the manipulation. Co-washing every 2 days seems like a lot AND you moisturize with a glycerin based product AND you do frequent DCs? Do you think maybe your hair is over moisturized? My relaxed hair def can't take the frequent co-washing anymore. In the beginning, I could co-wash 3 times a week. Now I can't because my hair gets overly moisturized although I do protein treatments twice a month. Has there ever been a time when you didn't co-wash every 2 days and instead only washed once a week?

When I started my journey, I used to shampoo and DC once weekly, and then cowash once weekly on a different day between main wash days. I have since increased cowashing to everyday or every other day, in an attempt to increase growth from cleansing the scalp more. Maybe I will cut down on that again then.

 

[frizzy]

^ sheba1's post says a lot of what I am thinking. The regimen you have now is not working for you. So to cut to the chase:

How would you rate the overall health of your now?
Are your strands weak and dull looking?
How do you wear/style your hair on a daily basis or during the week?

If I were to give you a regimen based on what you've said in this post, it would look a little something like this:

1. Start fresh with a clarifying wash. (ORS Creamy Aloe) Wash 1x per week.
2. Use a protein treatment of choice. (Duo Tex, eggs, mayo, Aphogee 2 Minute)
3. Deep condition with heat, add oil to DC. (Preferably w/ steam, but at least with heat cap or a plastic cap under a hooded dryer)
4. Add leave-in conditioner to wet hair. (Mane n Tail conditoner, Giovanni conditioners, Suave naturals conditioner or VO5 moisture conditoners)

I suggest no-cone products, omitting Co-washing (for now) adding ceramides to your routine and plant proteins (oat, wheat, hemp) for moisture retention and pliability of your hair. Coconut oil is good for helping to retain the protein level in our hair strand. Castor oil is a great sealant over your leave-in.

You may need to clear the pores of you scalp. Things I like are Rosemary EO (please do your homework with essential oils, they are very potent, always add to a carrier oil before applying!) Sulpher based products (Boundless Tresses or Bee Mine products) Jojoba oil is know to clean/clear the pores of our skin, too.

Try to use products that are as natural as possible and your goal should be to maintain a protein and moisture balance for your hair. Mane n Tail is a balanced conditioner that can be used as leave-in, that's my reason for suggesting it. It's perfectly fine to wash more than 1x per week, but if you do always DC after.

Here are some LHCF links that might be helpful:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=255441
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=462088&highlight=ceramide

HTH

 

[arosieworld]

When you bun your hair how do you bun it? I lost a lot of my ends when that was my PS when I was natural. Personally I feel bunning hurt my retention, while my hair does grow fast it wasn't noticeable with buns so somehow it must have been breaking. Add honey to your DC it really helps me with retention and the flexibility of my strands. Good luck HTH

 

[AFashionSlave]

I dunno, your routine seems a little complicated to me. Try simplifying it. When I simplified my routine, my hair flourished. Maybe a simple pre-poo (olive oil is great) Shampoo hair and just focus on the roots, then condition. I also added in Aphogee Keratin and Green Tea Restructurizer before styling and my hair is really healthy and strong. Maybe you should ditch the flat iron and roller set your hair instead.

...and remember, it's just hair. It will grow back!

 

[hopeful]

If I were you I would add a moisturizing con to the ORS. Also, ORS is deceptive, used too frequently it can make your hair brittle. I would try using it with a moisturizing con one week, and then the next week just the moisturizing con. Use a creamy leave-in in addition to the carefree curl. Deep condition once a week and cut out the con washes all together for awhile--my hair would shrivle up and die if I co-washed every other day, and that is the case for me relaxed and natural. Frequent co-washing can be way too much for some of us--way too much manipulation.

 

[foxee]

Moisturising everyday with with Care Free Curl Gold, and sealing with extra virgin olive oil.

In addition to what the other ladies suggested, do you think you're using too much CFCG? I got a little carried away in the beginning of the juice challenge and noticed little broken hairs during my second week of use. Now I moisturize as needed using a silver dollar sized amount for my whole head every day or every other day and I'm retaining a whole lot more.

 

[KurlyNinja]

I see that your 10 months post. Do you think the two textures has anything to do with you retaining hair? I also see that you said your hair type is 4a/b. It could be that your natural hair is so much different from your relaxed that its breaking off. How much NG do you have compared to relaxed ends?

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

How would you rate the overall health of your now?
Are your strands weak and dull looking?
How do you wear/style your hair on a daily basis or during the week?

My hair is flat ironed right now, and feels a little dry and brittle, which isn't good I know. I plan on washing tonight or tomorrow anyway. I was just recently in individual braids for two months, but I took them out last week and I'm now wearing ponytails or buns.

When you bun your hair how do you bun it?

I tie my hair into a ponytail first with one hairband, then twist the hair into a bun and tie that with another hairband. Is this a bad method or not, I'm not sure?

In addition to what the other ladies suggested, do you think you're using too much CFCG? I got a little carried away in the beginning of the juice challenge and noticed little broken hairs during my second week of use. Now I moisturize as needed using a silver dollar sized amount for my whole head every day or every other day and I'm retaining a whole lot more.

I dunno, maybe? I usually take a coin sized amount on each quarter section of my hair, rub it in, and then squirt a bit more into my hair to just rub all over to make sure all my hair's covered and moisturised.

I see that your 10 months post. Do you think the two textures has anything to do with you retaining hair? I also see that you said your hair type is 4a/b. It could be that your natural hair is so much different from your relaxed that its breaking off. How much NG do you have compared to relaxed ends?

I'm not too sure. I wasn't retaining much last year when I was relaxing, so I thought maybe the chemicals were making it weaker. Plus, I didn't really like the process of relaxers, and I was curious about my natural hair, so I decided to just transition, see if that would make things any better. I think I have a little more new growth than relaxed hair now. Do you think it could be good idea to just BC now, and would that help with length retention in the future?

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Anyways, thank you for your help people. If anyone has any more advice, that'd be cool, otherwise I'm gonna make note of what's been written here to try and help myself

 

[SelfStyled]

Everyone has such great advice to offer, I swear the people on this board are trained physicians, lol. My 2 cents: Do you exercise? I am a slow grower, but consistent cardio 3-4 times a week, doubles my hair growth. When I slack off exercising my hair growth suffers.

The other thing.....is your water hard where you live? Hard water can wreak havoc on hair growth and retention.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

Everyone has such great advice to offer, I swear the people on this board are trained physicians, lol. My 2 cents: Do you exercise? I am a slow grower, but consistent cardio 3-4 times a week, doubles my hair growth. When I slack off exercising my hair growth suffers.

The other thing.....is your water hard where you live? Hard water can wreak havoc on hair growth and retention.

Erm, I have some moderate exercise, which is walking as much as I can to places, and sometimes dancing around at home to some music. I think maybe I will try to fir in more activities though.

I'm not sure whether I have hard water, will have to check up on that.

 

[Esthi777]

Big Hugs sweetie. I feel your pain. That's my goal right now, retention. When I started lurking on this forum 2 weeks ago, I could daily wipe out a ton of hair from my sink from breakage. When I finally started becoming serious, I threw away my Chi. That's right, I threw it away! I've been taking care of my hair and today, I barely wiped up anything. I'm still trying to figure out what works but I can say that I think the protein/moisture balance is really important and trimming is as well. Definitely stay away from the flat iron. That think is the devil in disguiseevil: It's too early for me to recommend anything but right now I'm loving the aloe vera juice and gel and castor oil. HTH