Seems like my growth has stagnated..

[FemmeCreole]

My hair is now shoulder length and has been for about 2 to 3 months now. It seems like since I hit the mark, the growth has seemingly slowed to a halt.

I have not been doing much with my hair lately due to work taking over my life. I co-wash about 3 times a week and I usually just pull my hair back into a puff and go to work. I haven't flat ironed in about a month or more.

I've thought about braiding my hair with kinky twists like I did during my transition phase and post BC. But it takes me a whole day to do that and I just don't have the time anymore.

I'm not sure what to do now ... I want to get to APL by end of the year but it doesn't look that way.

 

[Urban]

How much breakage are you getting? Including when you detangle on wash days.

 

[Blue_Berry]

Hmmmm.... Do you moisturize your hair after you co-wash? I know a lot of people moisturize their hair after using any cleaning agent. Maybe try a different protective style. I don't fully know the direct reason why your not retaining length, but I hope this information helps and someone else can chime in.

 

[FemmeCreole]

I don't get a lot of breakage.... what comes out is mostly shed hair

 

[iri9109]

me too!!!!!!! before i put a rinse on my hair, it was colored, and i could see my roots growing out, so i knew it was growing, but i seemed to be stuck at SL/CBL for a few months...idk if it was breaking off or what, but i felt like i wasn't retaining length...i remember Nonie saying something about shoulders being slanted making it seem like your at SL for a long time...idk if its applicable to me, but that's what i tell myself so i don't get to hair depressed lol...i want to be APL by the end of the year too, i'm about 2 inches away, so it might be possible to make it, but i also need a trim so idk...i'm also thinking about getting kinky twists.

 

[doll-baby]

A lot of people say that SL is the most difficult hump to get over when reaching hair goals. It seems like I have been SL for a long time as well. Are you taking pictures of your hair while straightened to track your progress?

 

[Nonie]

i remember Nonie saying something about shoulders being slanted making it seem like your at SL for a long time...idk if its applicable to me, but that's what i tell myself so i don't get to hair depressed lol...i want to be APL by the end of the year too, i'm about 2 inches away, so it might be possible to make it, but i also need a trim so idk...i'm also thinking about getting kinky twists.

They most certainly do slant. Yours too iri9109 (just been snooping in your album )

 

[FemmeCreole]

according to Nonie's illustration, my hair is CBL/Full SL. doll-baby my hair seemed to be growing quite quickly up until June/July.

 

[hair_rehab]

I feel the same way. I have been taking comparison pics the past few months and I can see a difference in thickness of my hair but I still feel that my length is the same as it was six months ago.

 

[iri9109]

according to Nonie's illustration, my hair is CBL/Full SL. doll-baby my hair seemed to be growing quite quickly up until June/July.

my hair is the same length...but then after i make it to APL BSB is only a few inches away so hopefully we wont be stuck forever...

 

[FemmeCreole]

my hair is the same length...but then after i make it to APL BSB is only a few inches away so hopefully we wont be stuck forever...

hopefully.... once I reach APL I promise I won't complain

 

[MeechUK]

Hi Val,
I think that if you straighten your hair you will be pleasantly surprised. When you see your hair every day you don't notice the growth it's too subtle. If you are not experiencing breakage only shredding there must be some growth!

 

[FemmeCreole]

MeechUK I decided to straighten my hair ... I just finished at 2:30AM.... I must be haunted but this was really bothering me. I think I see a little growth since I last flat ironed but nothing significant

 

[Ijanei]

Val comparison shot since you straightened? I'm sure you have retained something, there is still hope. I feel the same way with stunted growth.

 

[mzteaze]

I agree with taking pictures. Sometimes u just have see it from a different angle.

Thanks Nonie for that picture. I have seemingly been stuck at full SL status for what seems like forever. Right now my hair is growing out sideways but it's getting fuller and fuller. I hope the next push will resume downward.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

I think some people have to do more things once they get to a certain point in growth. Many people at SL and APL complain about this. I tried buns but I got too much shed hair, breakage, etc. Now I wear my hair up 100% of the time. I wear twists in up-dos. I am now BSL but for. For a Long time I thought I was BSB because my back is long...but I am only 5'4"....

Ultimately your hair should be up more....also you must keep up trims....if your hair is down (whether you wear it in twists or not) your hair is rubbing and you can start getting small splits....over time, with no regular trims....you can get SSK's and larger splits.....also moisturize moisturize! I baggy my hair 3-4 times/ week and re-apply HE LTR to my ends every few days, to prevent splits even more.....once your hair gets to CBL or SL....diligence is key. It's tempting to wear your hair out more but If you are going for long lengths you'll have to keep it up more.... Instead of buns I use hair combs and clips more.....hope this helps...

 

[FemmeCreole]

Val comparison shot since you straightened? I'm sure you have retained something, there is still hope. I feel the same way with stunted growth.

Ijanei let me find an old one to compare to last night's effort


Ok this was taken in June

Early July

Last night... I think this pic looks the same as the July pic

But this one looks like there is growth

 

[bibs]

I definitely see a difference. You're almost there so don't get too discouraged! I've heard apl was one of the hardest goals to reach. I'm currently shoulder length and theres 6 inches between there and apl for me that's a year if I don't have anymore setbacks.

Sent from my ADR6350 using ADR6350

 

[FemmeCreole]

I definitely see a difference. You're almost there so don't get too discouraged! I've heard apl was one of the hardest goals to reach. I'm currently shoulder length and theres 6 inches between there and apl for me that's a year if I don't have anymore setbacks.

Sent from my ADR6350 using ADR6350

thanks... APL just seems such a long way off

 

[Blue_Berry]

Val I know how you feel. For me my worst length to get to was EL to Full SL. It took me almost 2 years to reach SL. I have a very long neck and low shoulders, but I gotten to my first length goal. I see some progress in your pic, but it will take sometime to reach APL. Just keep doing whatever that keep your hair growing. @naturalgyrl5199 is right. Keep your hair off your shoulders as much as you can. It will reach Apl.

 

[jerseygurl]

Hang in there Val, you'll get there. And your hair definitely grew!

 

[Guitarhero]

That happens to just about everyone every now and then. You can up your intake of protein and vitamins (through foods) and massage your scalps nightly. It's just a phase you will pass through.

 

[southerncitygirl]

Val
sl, apl, and bsl are humps that many have a hard time getting past...first mine was apl and i'm bsl , i hope it won't be an issue where i get stuck. maybe co-washing is not for you cause its too much manipulation? i didn't like it cause my scalp didn't feel clean, i prefer a no or low sulfate poo and i pre-poo before. do you wash in plaits? or do protein treatments. do you think the puff is causing breakage by pulling it back and wearing it out? maybe you could do braid/twistouts to stretch it a bit. hth

 

[VirGoViXxEn]

its taking me forever to get to APL as well. Im going to keep pushing tho. I do bantu knot outs and flext sets all the time. I am currently 4 months post. I only have shed hairs and no breakage so im just going to keep continuing what im doing. Im stretching 6 to 7 months so im hoping for a suprise. I only use heat once a month and when i do i dont see anything significant in length. I also have been dusting every 6 to 8 weeks so im wondering if i should do those more sparingly to retain lenth but i just HATE thin ends. #sigh!

 

[FemmeCreole]

Last time I dusted was in March. I know I have to do that again but I'm not seeing that much difference in length so I'm holding off.

The co-washing makes my hair feel good though... I do shampoo and DC once a week but I haven't done a protein treatment in months. I usually wear my hair up. Even when it's straight I wear it down for probably 1 or 2 days and then up for the rest of the time. I don't see a lot of breakage. It's mostly shed hair but maybe I should cut back on the manipulation like southerncitygirl says... it's just that when I work out I have to wash my hair.

 

[iamtan]

Your not going to see a significant amount of growth until 5 months. Assuming that your hair grow at the standard rate it will take you at least 5 or more month to see serious growth.

Sent from my VM670 using VM670

 

[Nonie]

OP, I don't know if you've read my posts about trimming. For 30 years+ I always believed shoulder length was my terminal length. My hair was longest at SL and never more than that. It took introducing dusting to my regimen so that I take away the start of damage that chips away at my ends before it has a chance to, that I saw my hair grow beyond just the nape touching shoulders to most of my hair being at collarbone. When I talk of dusting and how often *I* do it, folks clutch their pearls in horror. LOL But I am not stuck at SL. I am the most careless person when it comes to haircare because I don't moisturize, I don't seal, I don't PS. Yet, I was at 3 inches in 2007 and now I stretch a twist at my nape and it reaches my shoulder blade. My secret: regular dusting. If you haven't seen my posts with my argument why this is usually the missing link in folks stuck at SL, then you should.

You see, some people will argue that they seal, PS and are still at SL. But you forget. Hair at SL has been around for a while. Even with PSing, you're dealing with hair that has seen better days. The ends are slowly wearing away and taking with them your retention. Had you snipped the very ends regularly, you'd have been having solid ends that will not rip off taking away some of the healthier parts with them.

You say you don't see any breakage. Well, you won't. When ends are wearing away, it's at such a small scale that it goes unnoticed and the only thing you'll see is no retention.

Think about it, if your hair is growing all the time, why else would you be stuck at SL if it wasn't because of your ends tearing away? Now if you're a regular trimmer--like I know @mzteaze is--then either you wait too long to dust...so that the damage is gone a little farther than you cut off and therefore continues to wreck havoc; or you are making progress that is just hard to see coz of the slant of your shoulders. So perhaps you could start by stretching your hair sideways. Like from the corner of the nape, instead of pulling it down...pull it sideways to see where it hits your shoulder.... In time it will hit the end of your shoulder. So when you stretch it straight down some months later, you'll see you're so close to APL if not there.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

^^^Amen Nonie!

I am a regular duster but I try to get that 8-10 week trim if I can...I go to a lady at a supercuts-like spot here in town and I just stretch it with cold blow-dry, and let her trim it a bit...After I did this from Sept 2010 to Now, My hair thrived! And I went every 8 weeks....she only charges me $13.00....I used to be obsessed with leaving the length but its hard to take care of weak (albiet long) ends....Its just better to trim them, and leave the hair off the shoulders....!

 

[Nonie]

^^^Amen @Nonie!

I am a regular duster but I try to get that 8-10 week trim if I can...I go to a lady at a supercuts-like spot here in town and I just stretch it with cold blow-dry, and let her trim it a bit...After I did this from Sept 2010 to Now, My hair thrived! And I went every 8 weeks....she only charges me $13.00....I used to be obsessed with leaving the length but its hard to take care of weak (albiet long) ends....Its just better to trim them, and leave the hair off the shoulders....!

@naturalgyrl5199 I could kiss you I've tried to preach this sermon ad nauseum and met most with skepticism and opposition. I think you're the first person who not only buys into this totally but also doesn't think 8 weeks is crazy. Today will be my fifth trim since Jan 2011 and I am beyond excited. I'm redoing my twists so I can dust on freshly done twists that and I'm actually loving how good my ends feel. If I were going by "how ends feel" I'd not dust today. But I love that they never feel bad...coz I don't give them chance to. Dealing with my hair is always such fun coz twists unravel with ease and ends never knot up. Can you tell I'm in love with dusting?

 

[ebsalita]

Nonie, naturalgyrl5199 provided some fantastic advice, I had been feeling a little like Val and put it down to my own impatience. Good point about dusting. I'm going to have a little dust next weekend - I haven't done it in 2 months.


I agree, getting to APL from SL isn't easy, but I'm trying, really determined to do the right thing by my hair and get there.