Raise your hand if you are 100% black with long hair!

[AfroKink]

I don't have long hair, but I'll post anyways. I'm Afro-Caribbean. As such I may be mixed with all kinds of things. I've heard of a great great who was white, and a great great great on the other side who was Indian. Going back to 1832 that's all I've found (doing the family tree).

What is your current length?
longest layer is between collerbone and armpit length

How long has it been that length?
a few months i guess

What is the longest length you had as a child?
I didn't really pay attention to my hair as a child. From what I remember, it grazed shoulder length and I could wear it in a small pony tail. Supposedly it was long and thick when I was really little, then the chemicals came


as an adult?
This is the longest. I can put my hair in a pony tail again for the first time since I was 9.


What do you contribute to your length/retention?
I decided to go natural 5 years ago. And I found the hair boards 2 years ago. Found out I was doing EVERYTHING wrong.
-no conditioner... for probably 8 years, I didn't know it was necessary and didnt use it
-combing when dry... mom told me that combing when wet breaks your hair
- small tooth comb on 4b/cnapp hair
- pink moisturizer
- over manipulation...

I changed all of that. And now my hair is happy. I don't do anything out of the ordinary, I comb/brush when damp, conditioner wash, moisturize, and keep my hair braided or twisted.

Lys

 

[AfroKink]

well OP... i am "black" since my parents, my grandparents, hell even my great-grandparents are "black." and yet people do not take my hair journey nor my advice seriously, because i LOOK "mixed." erplexed

black is skin color, not race. i have African heritage, so if that counts for anything, great.

Do you have light brown/beige eyes? If so you'd fit right in with my dad's side of the family. You're black to me

Lys

 

[didirose]

Wow, what a read! I understand you even though I don't fit your criteria. I'm just trying to figure out why people get so easily offended. My guess is that they may feel credit to their healthy hair practices will be replaced with genetics. I hope this would not be completely true. Besides that, I respect how direct you are in communicating the responses you want. I'm pretty sure we all know that if I was a blond 1a white South African you probably are not looking for a response from me.

Like the personal ad.

And that's exactly my point! I did not have good hair care as a child. I did not have long hair as a child. I don't have any other races in my immediate family. And I want to know who else is in that boat with me! I really don't know what else to say to those that didn't understand that this thread didn't have ANYTHING to do solely with race but just who I am. Maybe I should have done it like this:

"SBF looking for other SBF's who didn't had long hair when they were a child, have no other races in their immediate family, but who currently have long hair. I like long conditioning treatments on the weekend, hot oil pre-washes, daily moisturizing sessions, and relaxing with a tall glass of water and vitamins in the evenings. Hit me up if your interested."

 

[FlawedBeauty]

whateva!! im not all black but my hair might as well be, pssshhh thats right im hoppin up in here lol!

 

[DivinelyNappy]

well OP... i am "black" since my parents, my grandparents, hell even my great-grandparents are "black." and yet people do not take my hair journey nor my advice seriously, because i LOOK "mixed." erplexed

black is skin color, not race. i have African heritage, so if that counts for anything, great.

Aww that's kinda sad that people wouldn't take your advice seriously just because you look mixed. A lot of the stuff we talk about here I see on the "white" hair care forums also...I take advice from ANYONE with long hair..Japanese, Indian, Black, White, because I won't know if it will/won't work for me until I try it. Well your hair is beautiful just the same (yes, I lurk your album! ). Light skin or not!

 

[DivinelyNappy]

whateva!! im not all black but my hair might as well be, pssshhh thats right im hoppin up in here lol!

OMG, please don't make me laugh in this library....

 

[ThickHair]

Nappy hair 4b but I always had long hair past mid back. Nappy 4b family back to great grandparents on all sides.

 

[ladylibra]

Do you have light brown/beige eyes? If so you'd fit right in with my dad's side of the family. You're black to me

Lys

nope. my eyes are like black marble. i just have Native American features and light brown skin. but thanks for accepting me as black!

 

[Mook's hair]

*starts to raise hand*

*puts hand down*

Darn my mother for taking care of my hair as a child! *shakes fist*

ROFL!!!!
Ain't that some mess!!! Ha!!! That one cracked me up!
Big ol grin on my face!

To the OP. I'm really enjoying this thread. I'm off to look at your album when I get through reading all the posts. I wish I had some info to offer here but I don't fall into the category you are requesting so I'm chillin in the shadows.

I wish you luck - finding the answers you are seeking. You are in the right place I will send you a message in fotki land... Off I go...

 

[ladylibra]

Aww that's kinda sad that people wouldn't take your advice seriously just because you look mixed. A lot of the stuff we talk about here I see on the "white" hair care forums also...I take advice from ANYONE with long hair..Japanese, Indian, Black, White, because I won't know if it will/won't work for me until I try it. Well your hair is beautiful just the same (yes, I lurk your album! ). Light skin or not!

would you believe people ARGUE with me, saying i'm lying about not being mixed... i read their comments like, "dang, i didn't realize you knew my family tree better than i did..."

but anyway... i have a list somewhere of Fotki members with long hair (longer than mine). yes sonce, you are at the top of the list! i will try to dig them up tomorrow. they are my main inspirations that black hair can grow long with good care. so don't give up hope!

 

[Kurlee]

poor girl. she will prally never ask another question on here

 

[DivinelyNappy]

would you believe people ARGUE with me, saying i'm lying about not being mixed... i read their comments like, "dang, i didn't realize you knew my family tree better than i did..."

but anyway... i have a list somewhere of Fotki members with long hair (longer than mine). yes sonce, you are at the top of the list! i will try to dig them up tomorrow. they are my main inspirations that black hair can grow long with good care. so don't give up hope!

Girl, I too have a list of em but I wouldn't mind checking yours out too! I go through those albums at least once every 3 days-sometimes more than that when I'm in a funk. Like today. It's funny though, I don't think I was too clear in the beginning. I know black women can grow long hair. I was one of them when I was relaxed. My sister is one of them now thanks to all that I have learned over the past 5 years. I was really venting because I just want my hair to grow right this minute, without putting in all this work and without people snickering behind my back saying "she's crazy"! I just took my hair out of braids and I've been getting "is that your real puff" or "You're twists grew!" but not with a look of admiration but with a look of "I know you don't think your hair is going to get any longer than that". Hence, the need for encouragement and motivation to keep it moving.

 

[Dposh167]

i'm full african american (or should i say i fit your 'asking criteria')
I don't have long hair yet, but I will say that my hair is starting to break a record in 10 years.


What is your current length?
slightly past shoulder

How long has it been that length?
about 2 months now


What is the longest length you had as a child?
mid back when i was in elementary...got a perm in 3rd grade, then by 5th grade my hair started to deteriorate (sp?) after that. mostly b/c i was too young and uneducated about hair care to actually take care of relaxed hair. so i chopped it all off to bottom of neck

as an adult?
the current length i'm at now I reached back in high school (6 yrs ago). so later this year i'll be breaking a record


What do you contribute to your length/retention?
moisture moisture moisture
washing more often
taking special care to ends

 

[DivinelyNappy]

poor girl. she will prally never ask another question on here

Right! Thank God I aint never been the one to run from a challenge. Or even challenging people. I still got love for my LHCF bashers-I mean sisters.

 

[Kurlee]

Right! Thank God I aint never been the one to run from a challenge. Or even challenging people. I still got love for my LHCF bashers-I mean sisters.

 

[DayStar]

funny that you'll have a 30+ pages thread with people getting offended when they are confused (or secretly flattered) with another ethicity, stating with pride they are mainly black, yet the first pages of your thread are filled with 'we are all mixed' , there is no such thing as really black

Man you learn something new everyday, apparently i'm mixed

I think the Op was talking about full black as not having direct 'other' ancestry (parents or grand parents); and sorry, most peopole won't consider you mixed if your great great grand mother on your cousins side was indian

Anyway, i have APL, stretched natural hair, i consider that pretty long, consider that i have the hair type that most don't consider can grow long

Until recently, i rarely moisturised , but my hair still grew.

im >>>HERE<<< with you

 

[ChocolateSoda]

Well I never bashed anything or was offended. I'm just opinionated and do love a good debate. As long as free speach provails, people are gonna chime in. This is, after all, the internet. No one follows the rules on the internet. Shoot, people that don't qualify are still chiming in.

 

[DivinelyNappy]

Well I never bashed anything or was offended. I'm just opinionated and do love a good debate. As long as free speach provails, people are gonna chime in. This is, after all, the internet. No one follows the rules on the internet. Shoot, people that don't qualify are still chiming in.

It's cool Chocolate! I feel ya. No one is gonna rain on my parade cause I just got too much sun shining over here. I knew fully well what would happen when I started this thread. I KNEW those one star bandits wouldn't be able to resist! Makes for a good read though don't it?

 

[AvaSpeaks]

I think she is just trying to find out who here is black, not mixed, who had short hair as a child and now has long hair as an adult. Regardless of hair type.

It's a simple question. You know if your are mixed or not and deep down, we know what this sister means so if you fit the criteria, then just answer the question. And if you don't fit the criteria, then don't answer the question.

Nuff' said

 

[JustKiya]

this thread.

And, was mildly shocked to realize I can't answer. Got me over here doubting my blackness!!

I have no doubt that you can - we've just forgotten HOW.

 

[nycutiepie]

Good Post!

Caribbean Black family tree
black momma, black poppa, black grandmama, black grandpoppa and black great grans
What is your current length? Relaxed APL/maybe a little longer
How long has it been that length? APL since last touch-up. It grew back this length after cutting off stringy breaking ends that had to go.
What is the longest length you had as a child? Short (Neck/ Collarbone)
An adult? Current Length
What do you contribute to your length/retention? No combing and the cut to remove the stringy breaking ends

HTH!

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

Errr.... I can't answer.

But I look forward to reading anyways

 

[DivinelyNappy]

this thread.
And, was mildly shocked to realize I can't answer. Got me over here doubting my blackness!!

Sorry bout that!

 

[Mystic]

Well said! I understand where the OP is coming from but this puts it right into perspective - good job!

I'm 100% black. 100% African from Nigeria, to be exact. By black, I do not mean black by the generous American/One Drop Rule definition. I mean black.No admixture whether immediate or distant (and I know all of my ancestors back to six generations ago, with no reason to think that before then (pre-colonialism) any admixture could have occurred). Black enough?

21 inches and MBL to WL, depending on which area you pull.
For the past several months. I've been keeping it at this length with 1/2" cuts monthly.
Apparently, I had quite thick natural hair as a child (don't remember). However, when my mother relaxed it, it all broke off and never exceeded neck length (5" at the longest, about 1/2" at the back due to severe, perpetual breagkage).
Until I went natural 4 years ago, I was relaxed and my hair never exceeded neck length.
Going natural, having a good regimen, not letting anyone fill my head with nonsense about what 'black hair' can or cannot do (and boy did people try).

MESSAGE TO EVERYONE STRUGGLING WITH STEREOTYPES OF BLACK HAIR: You cannot know what your hair capable of until you have mastered a good regimen and given things time. If your regimen is fantastic and four years have gone by and you're still neck length, then ok--now we can talk about losing all hope. Until then, letting the idea that 100% African hair cannot grow bother you is ridiculous. Speculating about genes when you have not yet done your part is pointless. All my life, I was told that I simply had hair that did not grow and I believed it. But when I went natural, I decided to just let my hair grow and see what it could do. I didn't even set any goals. Just took good care of it for the first time in my life, and let it show me what it was capable of. Almost two feet later, it's still growing. Stop the madness, do your part, and just let your hair show you what it is capable of.

 

[SleepyJean]

Contrary to most, I like this thread. IMO, even after being on lhcf for almost a year, I still believe people with diverse pedigrees can grow their hair faster, because their growth rate is naturally faster than people who mostly have African or Carribean ancestry.

Too bad, I can't post. My hair isn't long at all.

 

[HighlyFavored1]

I am full african-american according to the criteria you have mentioned. I think this post could be really encouraging, especially for lurkers who may still be doubting or thinking this board is full of a certain type of hair.


What is your current length? Inching Past APL

How long has it been that length? It has been inching for a few months now

What is the longest length you had as a child? At some point in my childhood my hair was longer than this, but throughout most of high school my hair was a few inches past shoulder length, and then was about at shoulder length until I joined LHCF.

as an adult? This is the longest

What do you contribute to your length/retention? Laying off the heat, texlaxing, deep conditioning, learning more about moisture, and stretching (not long though, just from 6 weeks to 8-9 weeks).

 

[Kimberly]

I think this thread is really encouraging, too

I consider myself to be 100% black but I won't answer out of respect to the OP and her intentions for this thread.

Great thread, though.

 

[PinkPeony]

Contrary to most, I like this thread. IMO, even after being on lhcf for almost a year, I still believe people with diverse pedigrees can grow their hair faster, because their growth rate is naturally faster than people who mostly have African or Carribean ancestry.

Too bad, I can't post. My hair isn't long at all.

Lol I wish my hair grows less then 1cm a month.

 

[sonce]

Lol I wish my hair grows less then 1cm a month.

There must be some maternity or paternity fraud against whichever of your parents is white. Everyone knows true biracials can shave their head today and have waist length hair again next month.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

There must be some maternity or paternity fraud against whomever of your parents is white. Everyone knows true biracials can shave their head today and have waist length hair again next month.

SMH at this thread and some of these answers