Naturals: Is this good growth?

[Choklatekiss79]

I hope this makes sense......Here goes

On April 6, it will be 1 year since I stopped relaxing my hair. My hair is measuring 4 inches now, with April 6 (my one relaxer free anniversary) about 2-3 weeks away. I didn't actually chop until August 22, which means on April 6 I will still have another 4.5 months to go until my official nappiversary.

Should I just accept 4 inches to be my typical annual growth rate (without growth aids) or could it be that my hair will possibly grow faster with a full year of no chemicals all? Anyone experience faster growth after their chop?

 

[ladylibra]

you BC'd in August... how long was your hair when you BC'd? cuz from August to March is 7 months, so you should've had 3.5 inches of growth.

also, did you do any trimming? i was very scissor-happy my first year... i might have set myself back an entire year (5-6 inches) with all the cutting i did. now that i've found i can go a whole year without trimming and only have to take off half an inch when i do trim... it's on!!!

 

[~~HoneyComb~~]

I'd say it's pretty good growth, but I'd say wait until August and measure again. How much hair did you have when you did the BC? I'd measure again in August then subtract what you had at the time of the BC to get an idea of what to expect as far as growth. Congratulations on being almost one year relaxer free!!!

 

[Choklatekiss79]

Thanks ladylibra, honecomb! Such beautiful heads of natural hair btw!

Well, when I chopped, my hair was really short, maybe 1-1.5 inches. I have pics, but they're in my camera, and I'm at work. I was planning to transition for a year, but after 4 months, I started noticing breakage, so I chopped.

Yes, I did have one good trim during the holidays (about 4 months after I chopped) to totally rid myself of all straight/relaxed ends. I was thinking that maybe since I'm completely natural now, I may be able to see a little more growth in the coming year. ??? Looks like I averaged about 1/3 inch per month this year with the trim factored in. Sounds kinda slow to me.

 

[purity28]

You ladies have some beautiful hair

 

[JustKiya]

It's well within average growth.
I was bald in May 2006 (virtually, as I bleached my hair and HAD to cut all that mess off), and I have 6 inches (give or take) of hair now. That's barely 1/4 inch a month *sigh* so a 1/3 of an inch a month is looking REAL good to me......

 

[ladylibra]

I'd say it's pretty good growth, but I'd say wait until August and measure again. How much hair did you have when you did the BC? I'd measure again in August then subtract what you had at the time of the BC to get an idea of what to expect as far as growth. Congratulations on being almost one year relaxer free!!!

IA, that's what i'd do. still sounds like pretty good growth to me. also, do you know when/if you experience growth spurts? a lot of people have them over the summer, but i have mine in fall. i've noticed i see the most growth around my birthday... odd but true. if yours is in summer, you might think your hair is growing slow right now, but by August you might be pleasantly surprised to find you gained a few more inches.

 

[Choklatekiss79]

Thanks justkiya, ladylibra..

I think I'm just ready to have some serious length. I have SUPER shrinkage, and I honestly think that day to day management of my (4a/b, 3c nape to ear) hair would be a LOT easier once I can get all into 4-6 large braids everynight. It would keep my hair stretched constantly so that it can't curl up on itself. Right now, it's takes about 20 braids to do that and a lot of manipulation. I've learned that allowing my hair to dry loose (aka: the wash and go) is a HUGE no no for me. I hear a lot people say that the longer their natural hair gets the harder it is. I think my hair is the opposite.

Looks like I'll probably go into 24-7 protective mode (with 2 free passes for my b-day and my SO's b-day) until my nappiversary to make sure I retain all that I get between now and then. I typically get my growth spurt around spring/summer.

Thanks Ladies.

 

[JustKiya]

Thanks justkiya, ladylibra..

I think I'm just ready to have some serious length. I have SUPER shrinkage, and I honestly think that day to day management of my (4a/b, 3c nape to ear) hair would be a LOT easier once I can get all into 4-6 large braids everynight. It would keep my hair stretched constantly so that it can't curl up on itself. Right now, it's takes about 20 braids to do that and a lot of manipulation. I've learned that allowing my hair to dry loose (aka: the wash and go) is a HUGE no no for me. I hear a lot people say that the longer their natural hair gets the harder it is. I think my hair is the opposite.

Looks like I'll probably go into 24-7 protective mode (with 2 free passes for my b-day and my SO's b-day) until my nappiversary to make sure I retain all that I get between now and then. I typically get my growth spurt around spring/summer.

Thanks Ladies.

*nod* I am right THERE with you sis!!! I'm keeping my hair in two strands twists for a year JUST for this very same reason - I'm hoping by the time the year is out, I'll have the length needed to be able to pull off just 4 braids - I'm at 8-12, now.
I've started washing/DC'ing it in fat twists (which manage to 'shrink' out of themselves ) to help keep it stretched as well.
My growth spurt is in the summer too - good luck to you!

 

[mscocoface]

This is good growth. The issue is to keep a healthy mindset about all of this you are going to see ladies with some crazy growth and then others who are on the other end of the spectrum as well as those in between.

Since you are now getting to know your natural hair it is telling you things like right now that is the growth you obtain regardless of the norms or the not so norms.

You have to let your mind be okay with this, remember you have only been dealing with your natural hair for a year and before that you may not even remember it as natural and with length.

Most of us on the natural route have had to make this mental shift so just determine to become knowledgeable about natural hair, and then let your hair talk to you about what it wants, needs, hates, etc.

Its a new relationship and it will have its ups and downs, happy times and sheer frustration.

If you learn that, it is in my opinion 85% of the lesson learned with regards to natural hair.

 

[Choklatekiss79]

OMG JustKiya! It's so frustrating. Like you, even my twists shrink and will unravel if I do them to big and wet them. LOL But as long as my hair is twisted or braided at night and while it dries, I retain moisture and my kinks are happy. I may even have to extend my protective phase until the end of the year so that I can potentially reach my goal even sooner. The problem is, I'm not really of a fan of how I look with twists. I've seen some fierce twists, but I don't think mine look that great on me. lol Yours look very full and plump.

 

[Choklatekiss79]

Thanks mscocoface. You're totally right. I was just starting to wonder if maybe I was loosing some growth becuase I really haven't done protective styles all that much. The wng causes lots of tanges and knots, so I cut that out. Now I wash d/c twice weekly and dry my hair in braids. Take them out and wear it like that until its time to wash again. I just started this about three weeks ago and so far so good.

I have to admit that I thought I'd have a better handle on this by now. The fact that I work out 4-5 times per week makes this even more of a challenge. I guess twists may just be the route I need to take for now.

This is good growth. The issue is to keep a healthy mindset about all of this you are going to see ladies with some crazy growth and then others who are on the other end of the spectrum as well as those in between.

Since you are now getting to know your natural hair it is telling you things like right now that is the growth you obtain regardless of the norms or the not so norms.

You have to let your mind be okay with this, remember you have only been dealing with your natural hair for a year and before that you may not even remember it as natural and with length.

Most of us on the natural route have had to make this mental shift so just determine to become knowledgeable about natural hair, and then let your hair talk to you about what it wants, needs, hates, etc.

Its a new relationship and it will have its ups and downs, happy times and sheer frustration.

If you learn that, it is in my opinion 85% of the lesson learned with regards to natural hair.

 

[JustKiya]

OMG JustKiya! It's so frustrating. Like you, even my twists shrink and will unravel if I do them to big and wet them. LOL But as long as my hair is twisted or braided at night and while it dries, I retain moisture and my kinks are happy. I may even have to extend my protective phase until the end of the year so that I can potentially reach my goal even sooner. The problem is, I'm not really of a fan of how I look with twists. I've seen some fierce twists, but I don't think mine look that great on me. lol Yours look very full and plump.

I seriously considered making a video (just to amuse myself) of my hair shrinking out of the twists (like those time laspe blooming flower videos), but didn't feel like going through the effort.

Thank you!!!!! Funnily enough though, I don't really like the way my twists look 'loose' - I cut off APL dreads, so my hair looks REALLY short, and I have a REALLY big head. So, instead, I put them up, somehow - I find that you can do some pretty cute/stylish styles with TST with a couple of bobbypins/hairclips or a flat twist or two....... my usually 'weekly' style is four flat twists made of two strand twists - two on the back of my head, an angled part in the front, and flat twists on either side of it. It's nice, as I can more or less ignore my hair during the week, but I can still access my scalp for massages/treatments...

 

[loolalooh]

It sounds like good growth to me. I'm kind of in that ballpark (last relaxer: March 26, 2007). My 1-year-relaxer-free anniversary is next week and I'm nowhere near the "average" 6 inches a year. IMO, anywhere between 4-6 inches a year is pretty good growth.

 

[hopeful]

I think your growth is good too. Also, I think you may be able to expect more over time. My slowest growing area (my nape) is starting to pick up after two years of no relaxers. I was shocked because I just assumed it would always be slow growing (little more than 1/4 inch per month) and I accepted that. Most of my hair grows close to or a little more than 1/2 inch per month. Goodness, if all my hair grew at 1/2 inch per month I would be thrilled--my fingers are crossed.

 

[ladylibra]

I hear a lot people say that the longer their natural hair gets the harder it is. I think my hair is the opposite.

oh i disagree. it takes more time, but it's not harder. i think the hardest is the "in-between" length that you're at right now. not short enough to treat like a TWA, but not long enough to pull back into a ponytail or put in a few big braids/twists.

your hair is long enough for braid extensions... if your hair does well with that. if not, you could get someone to cornrow your hair up into a ponytail and sport some phony ponies/buns. i did that a few times when i was at your length. shoot i still do it sometimes today when i don't feel like dealing with my hair. sometimes it helps to take a break, as long as you're taking care of your hair while it's braided up it will save you some stress.

 

[Choklatekiss79]

Thanks again Ladies! I so want to hug all of you right now. lol There's nothing like having a support system that TRULY understands your struggle.

I'll just chlll, be patient, suck it up and rock twists for a while. I put some semi fat twists in my hair last night. I'll probably wear my hair like this for the next month or two. I'll wash my hair and DC in the twists twice per week and touch them up as needed. That should definitely cut back on tangles and save me the angst of wondering what the heck to do with my hair after I work out. When I can finally get to the point where I can do a puff or 4-6 large braids each night, I'll be satisfied...for a little while.