Oct 1 update: Christmas Stretch Club members, how ya doin???

[Divine Inspiration]

Tomorrow is October 1, and I'm wondering how everyone's coming along. Has anyone fallen off the bandwagon?? Anybody else wanna join? Any new products that make stretching easier? Any products that make stretching harder?? Any success/horror stories???
Share, share, share!!!

I've run into some challenges b/c I wasn't taking my iron consistenly in August so I suffered the consequences in September. I'm back on track now so my shedding should be curtailed in a couple of weeks. I did have some really wonderful hair days this month so I see that as a success. Giovanni Direct & jojoba oil have made my hair ultra soft. I did an ApHOGEE earlier this week that didn't work...I'm not sure why. I had thought about doing away with that all together anyway so I guess that's my cue. I noticed that my hair is definitely growing b/c I'm almost to bra strap WITH shrinkage!! That means I'll be well below bra strap once I get a relaxer so I'm really happy that my goal will be easily achieved within the next 4 or 5 weeks.

Your turn!!

 

[Naijaqueen]

I want to join, just had a touchup a week ago, so I'm only trying to stretch for 12 weeks Can I be down with the Christmas Clique???

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Of course girl!!! You are welcome in our club!!! We have a wide range of stretch times. Some folks are stretching for 10-12 weeks, others are stretching for 15-24 weeks.
What's your strategy for stretching and how much length are hoping for??

 

[vikkisecret]

Stretching along very good! I have a good 1/2 of new growth and I hope to reach three inches toward the end of Decemeber! Armpit length is what I am aiming for since my decided not to grow that much during the summertime..weird I dunno why...Anywhoo probably sometime this weekend I'll do a a deep conditioning treatment for my hair and flat-iron so I can finally post some new pics. I a have been on a cosistent vitamin regimne since last Nov but have been slacking on the MTG....Get back on it girl!!

 

[Keen]

Count me in! I just relaxed two weeks ago. I'm trying to hold out to mid December!

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Count me in! I just relaxed two weeks ago. I'm trying to hold out to mid December!

Welcome to the club mama! What are your stretching strategies & how much length are you looking to gain?

 

[phynestone]

I still have my hair in a sewn-in b/c I don't know what I'm going to do with it when I take it out and I'm just itching to have it re-done.

 

[Millahdoowop]

I'm doing just fine. I have braids in at the current moment, so I'm not in my hair all the time. I won't have to worry about my hair for another five weeks or so.

 

[divinefavor]

I joined in a couple of weeks ago. I am almost 4 months post, I'm hoping that I don't fall off the bandwagon. I'm a little afraid about breakage, although I can't tell if I have any or not. I am thinking about getting tree braids around the end of October. That's if I can make it that long. So far my hair seems to be doing ok. I was thinking about treating my hair with aphogee this weekend.

 

[mommatide]

O.K. YALL GOT ME PUMPED UP, I'M IN. THE LONGEST I HAVE EVER GONE IS 8 WEEKS. I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD OR SHOULD GO ANY FURTHER UNTIL I JOINED THIS BOARD. WITH ALL YOUR INFO AND INSPIRATION, I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT MY HAIR. WITH THAT SAID, I AM SHOOTING FOR A 11/12 WEEK STRETCH THAT WILL LAND ME AROUND THANKSGIVING WISH ME LUCK

 

[Amarech]

Stretch club member checkin in

Any new products that make stretching easier?
I don't think I could commit to this challenge if it were not for Alberto VO5 Soothe and Smooth.
My hair is soft and manageable. All I do is conditioner wash in the morning and shampoo every three days. works like a dream. My sister gave me this really neat hair clip made for thick hair. Its a golden butterfly. My hair is actually longer now even when wet. When it dries up I have a nice full curly puff under the base of the butterfly. Super.


Any products that make stretching harder??
Nope. I have decided to kill all possible temptation to use heat by throwing away my flatiron ( it was broken anyways).


Any success/horror stories???
For the first time since joining LHCF I have no horror stories to tell! My hair is doing what I want it to do. However, I am only 2 months post relaxer so the new growth aint posing a problem yet. At first I was worried what I would do at month 3.5 and 4 but I have decided to get my hair braided by then. Problem solved!

 

[Bmm]

I am still in it to win it. However I am a little upset. I Just washed my hair, and I conditoned in the shower...now I am deep conditioning I seem to have lost a lot of hair. I feel a little bit dicouraged. WTF!!

Maybe some one can lend me some guidance. I have kept my hair up in a bun this whole week, I did it over like once. I have been applying oil and sta sof fro. The oil is in a bottle with skinny stem...I can get it on my scalp with out taking out my bun. I have no idea what went wrong. I did a protien treatment two weeks ago(I have not had one of these in a while) so Im not sure what is going on....I keep hair moisterized too...funny thing is that my roots were dry when I took my bun out

Any advice....

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I am still in it to win it. However I am a little upset. I Just washed my hair, and I conditoned in the shower...Now I am deep contioning. I seem to have lost a lot of hair. I feel a little bit dicouraged. WTF!!

Maybe some one can lend me some guidance. I have kept my hair up in a bun. this whole week. I did it over like once. I have been applying oil and sta sof fro the oil is in a bottle with skinny stem...I can get it on my scalp with out taking out bun. I have no idea what went wrong. I did a protien treatment two weeks ago(I have not of these in a while) so Im not sure what is going on....I keep hair moisterized too...funny thing is that my root were dry when I took my bun out

Any advice....

Hey girl! Glad to see you're still hangin in there...

As far as your loss this week, I had a similiar situation this month. I thought I was doin my hair a favor by not manipulating it and just spritzing and tying it up. Boy was I wrong!!! I had oodles of hair leavin my lil head and there were a number of forces at work. Primarily, my hair MUST be finger combed every day...this no comb for weeks business doesn't cut it. My hair will be tangled mess if I don't at least run my fingers through it. I also needed to clarify and my hair starts to shed/break when I don't clarify. I also needed to take my iron, but that's a whole nother issue all together.

I stopped doing as many buns for this exact reason. I was combin so much hair out when I finally took the bun down that I had to start alternating and stuff. Maybe do a pony one day, down the next, bun the next. Leavin it in a bun for days on end left me with breakage.
I hope this helps...hang in there mama!

 

[Bmm]

Hey girl! Glad to see you're still hangin in there...

As far as your loss this week, I had a similiar situation this month. I thought I was doin my hair a favor by not manipulating it and just spritzing and tying it up. Boy was I wrong!!! I had oodles of hair leavin my lil head and there were a number of forces at work. Primarily, my hair MUST be finger combed every day...this no comb for weeks business doesn't cut it. My hair will be tangled mess if I don't at least run my fingers through it. I also needed to clarify and my hair starts to shed/break when I don't clarify. I also needed to take my iron, but that's a whole nother issue all together.

I stopped doing as many buns for this exact reason. I was combin so much hair out when I finally took the bun down that I had to start alternating and stuff. Maybe do a pony one day, down the next, bun the next. Leavin it in a bun for days on end left me with breakage.
I hope this helps...hang in there mama!

Divine Inspiration,

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I was just like damn Im only 5 weeks post, what the hell is going on. I think you are correct, I need to comb thru to detangle.

 

[Naijaqueen]

Of course girl!!! You are welcome in our club!!! We have a wide range of stretch times. Some folks are stretching for 10-12 weeks, others are stretching for 15-24 weeks.
What's your strategy for stretching and how much length are hoping for??

Thanks, didnt want to feel left out
I'm shooting for 12 weeks, longest I've stretched is 9, I know I can make it easily for 10, but hoping for 12.
I'm trying to get to shoulder length, right now I think I'm almost there, at least it appears that way from my recent fotki pics from when I got my phyto touchup a week ago. I keep my hair in a bun, I baggie at night, and when I'm at home during the day. At night, I use plastic cap with holes in it. I do CW every 4-5days, and use jamaican castor oil and scurl, and sometimes coconut oil. I keep it moisturized, in a bun and leave it alone some days, othr days I might use my steam rollers for body. I only comb in the shower when I wash, and finger comb on other days.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Bmm, I'm here for ya girl...we're here to help each other get through...

Naijaqueen...sounds like you got it all figured out...welcome!

 

[CarLiTa]

Hi ladies! Christmas Stretcher checking in

So far, I will be 5 weeks post on Sunday, but at 4 weeks post, i seemed to have more than the regular 1/2", that's what it feels like. I think 3/4" and i'm very excited about that.

I just found an article and was going to post a new thread but i think i wanna post it here, it could help some of us trying to increase our growth for the next weeks/months, so here goes: (this was taken from an Indian website, BTW)

Taking care naturally :

1. Do you want to have beautiful long hair, but cannot because of problems like dandruff, split-ends, greying etc which compel you to cut your hair? Well, here are some easy home recipes for good growth of hair. So get going to have hassle free bouncy hair!
2. Wash and clean a bunch of Methi leaves in water. Without adding water, add black pepper, a few drops of lemon and salt to taste and boil. Churn this in a mixer or juicer and drink this concoction. Drinking this regularly will increase hair growth.
3. Eat pieces of coconut or if you get cough because of coconut, have jaggery instead. Also include coconut in your daily food like dals, vegetables, etc.
4. Half an hour before washing your hair, rub coconut milk onto your scalp. This will also make your hair shinier.
5. Just as you massage oil, massage raw milk in your hair. Wash off after an hour.
6. Cashewnuts are very nutritious and good for your skin and also enhance hair growth.
7. CROSS THAT ONE OUTGrandma's advice still holds true. At night before going to sleep, give your hair a hundred strokes with a brush. This increases the blood circulation in the scalp and promotes hair growth. However brush your hair gently for vigorous stroking will cause breakage. THIS IS A GOOD ONE Drink coconut water atleast twice a week. It is good for your skin, digestive system and really a miracle ingredient for your hair.
8. Heat olive oil and massage into hair and then take steam. By doing this regularly you will get rid of split-ends.
9. Make a paste of jaggery, curd, and Multanni mitti and apply on scalp an hour before shampooing to get rid of dandruff. Take this treatment once in 15 days.

----
When i read this, i was like wow! YES! some of it really is true. Last autumn/winter, i had a growth spurt and those were the days when I had coconut juice (unsweetened, hate the one with added sugar) nearly everyday, or at least twice a week. and this time, i think i got more growth b/c i've been eating a lot of raw almonds *yum theyr'e SO GOOD!!) Winn-Dixie sells them, and raw cashews too... my two favorites. I ran out of nuts at the beginning of the week and i've been craving for some. Gotta restock. I'll get some coco juice too.

I wanna try some of the stuff they posted here.
---
So anyway, so far, i'm doing good. This week i cowashed 2x and i'm washing today (Saturday) i think the cowashing helped because i've had practice from 3 to 7 everyday this week and that caused my hair to really dry out from sweating. I recieved my almond and rosemary oil and i'm going to use them on my scalp to keep it moisturized. I'm using my spray mixture on my ends and i do the baggie at night. I also keep my hair in a bun or at least with the ends covered, lately. I take my multivitamin more often, although i didnt on thursday and friday but i will get back on track. I'm going to do some yoga now, about 3x a week, because i'm really stressed out and i need to relax. in 3 days, i only had 10 hours of sleep total and my scalp felt really tight, so i massaged it, although i still have a headache. I plan to sleep well this weekend to recuperate, although i have craploads of stuff to do. No big issues with stretching yet... except shedding, but i'm working on that.

 

[Bmm]

Thanks for the info Carlita.

I just want to add that last night after I rinsed out deep conditioner ,I applied the sta sof fro. I used it as a leave in. Anyway, this morning my hair feels like I am am 2 weeks post instead of 5 weeks. my edges, and kitchen area are so smooth and soft. I did dry it in a ponty tail...so that may have help lay my edges down all aroung but my hair dried with a nice sheen too.

I still am a little disturbed by the amount of hair I lost ...damn.

okay where are all the other stretchers??? I know you ladies did not leave us hanging...come on motivate me dammit!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tenderheaded]

Count me in! I just relaxed 9/28/05. I will relax again on 12/28/05. I'm using WGO, carrot oil, Lotion# 9 and Blue Magic when the going gets rough. I CO once a wk and reg wash once a wk.

Profectiv's Breakfree and MegaMoisture help keep me from ripping out my hair!




4a/4B
Surge 14, Woogie Cream, Lotion#9
Aphogee treatment, poo,reconstructor, keratin & green tea
Profectiv relaxer, breakfree, megamoisture
Loreal Mermade, WGO

 

[shoelover1972]

I'm only just over 5wks post touch-up so there is nothing to report back from me. I'm now using MTG & doing the baggie so I hope to achieve 2-3inches by the time this challenge ends

Bmm - I'm sorry to hear about your 'hairloss'. As DI said it was probably because you did not comb / detangle with fingers. Also, if you have not combed out for say 3 days you are just losing what you would have lost evryday but x 3days so it looks like alot. This is what happends of course when you wear braids.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Welcome Tenderheaded!!! Glad to have ya girl!!!

Carlita...I LOVE the info girl...I need to get all over the coconut milk & the juice!! I never even thought about the juice...I might have to try it especially since it's good for the digestive system.

Prada, glad to hear you're sailing smooth over there...I'm 10 weeks post and the goin is gettin rough...I think I've had an abnormal amount of growth this month, but I ain't complainin!

 

[CarLiTa]

no problem DivineI... right now i'm doing a pre-poo it has:
Coconut milk, a smashed banana, a teaspoon of almond + rosemary oil, a teaspoon of rosewater and some honey.

I just realized i've had it in my hair for an hour and i need to go shower and wash my hair. I'll come back and tell u guys how my hair feels.

the unsweetened coco juice has less calories (85 calories), about 50 calories less than the sweetened one and tastes better. the sweetened one makes me feel sick to my stomack, yuck.
The winn-dixie almonds are raw, and they're all good, it's a big bag for about $4 in the fruit section, if anyone wants to try them. I dont like it when nuts are fried and oiled, yuck.
Fun desert would be mild cheddar cheese with grapes, it's really good. U ladies should try it

 

[Blossssom]

Do we get $500 on Christmas if we join this Christmas Club? That's how CCs used to work back in the 80s. Heehee!

 

[frankie]

I'm 9 weeks post...usually go 12 weeks anyway, so I'm fine! Going strong, but Homecoming is coming up at the end of October, so I'll probably fall off of the challenge, but we'll see. Buns daily!

 

[Divine Inspiration]

Carlita...where do you purchase the coco juice? I don't remember ever seeing it in stores...help a sista out...I'm goin to Whole Foods in a few minutes, maybe they have some

Blosssom we have wonderful prizes here at the Christmas Stretch Club...you have to wait until Christmas to find out what they are.

Frankie, that's wonderful that you usually go 12 weeks. I've been sayin that after this stretch I'm gonna start goin 10 or 12 weeks. Are you a 4a??

 

[SerenityBreeze]

I would like to join this one if it is not too late.. I have never stretched past two months and two weeks so this is going to be one hell of a challenge for me!! Yall gatta help me to resist the urge to perm..

Vikki Sec - I think we permed at the same time in August so I'll be watchin your posts on how you are taming the growth. So far I have about 3/4 new growth since my last perm.

BMM - Dont forget, your hair sheds at least 70 hairs a day -- that may even be w/o manipulation. So perhaps because your hair was in a bun, it was the daily accumulation.. Does your hair shed anywhere close to that daily average?

 

[Blossssom]

Carlita...where do you purchase the coco juice? I don't remember ever seeing it in stores...help a sista out...I'm goin to Whole Foods in a few minutes, maybe they have some

Blosssom we have wonderful prizes here at the Christmas Stretch Club...you have to wait until Christmas to find out what they are.

Frankie, that's wonderful that you usually go 12 weeks. I've been sayin that after this stretch I'm gonna start goin 10 or 12 weeks. Are you a 4a??

Well, I'm almost at the 8 week mark for a touch-up. I doubt I'll be able to hold out till Christmas.

I still want a prize, though. Ha!

 

[shellzfoshizzle]

I'm in, although I'm a little late. I am afraid of the breakage as well. The longest I've ever stretched was 12 weeks and boy that was rough. I just gave in and got a relaxer, but hopefully with the help of you guys and myself, that won't happen. Currently I am 6 weeks post relaxer.

 

[prettyblac]

Well, I'm hanging in there... I just keep my I on the prize. I went to beautician to get it washed/con and a scalp treatment she cornrowed it with no extensions of course. She was real rough despite my protests so I won't be going back. It's so hard to find a stylist that listens to you if you ask them not to do something they take that as an insult. It's like hey I'm paying YOU not the other way around but I'm hanging I'm getting a press in Nov see you then.

 

[CarLiTa]

sorry it took me a while to reply, Divine. Well I live in Miami, so Coconut Juice is easy to find almost at every grocery store. It's canned and less than a dollar a can, at Presidente. I usually buy 4 at a time. i dont know about Winn-Dixie or Publix, maybe you might find it at the whole foods store.

update on my pre-poo: my hair was really really dry before i applied the pre-shampoo and i'm glad i did it, because it softened up my hair. I washed my hair in sections, but that's where I made the mistake; i should have combed my hair in the shower, because when i was detangling it afterwards, i had small pieces of banana stuck to my strands; i took some of them out and just left the rest it was easier to detangle though, although i still had to be careful. I lost some hair but really not much. I will try it again but this time, I'll put the whole mixture in the blender to soften up the banana so that i dont have residue in my hair