Share your SetBack Story's and what you did to overcome it...

[Nicole1976]

Most of us are on some sort of Hair-Length challenge and are trying very hard not to run into any SetBacks.

Please share your stories along with what you did to bounce back

 

[Nicole1976]

Bump! I know somebody's got one we all need to hear

 

[dlewis]

In Oct '05 I put a black rinse on my hair and my hair started to shed badly. So, in November of '05 I started using protein treatments. Well I used 2 treatments and didn't research how to do them properly, and at that point my hair started to shed and to come out. It was dry, brittle, and looked awful.

I learned that I'd rather be gray and have all my hair. Protein treatments and me don't get along. There had to be another way.

I September '06 and went to my hair dresser and she proceeded to cut 3" of my hair and cut the rest into a funny looking style. I had to go to another hair dresser for her to straighten it out and she had to cut 2 more inches.

I learned that I'd rather do my own hair and maintain what I have grown rather than trust someone who told me that I had to find some else to do my hair once I grew it out.

 

[charmtreese]

In November 06, I was sooo happy...I had just started retaining length and my hair was trying to reach beyond SL. I was 4 weeks post or so and decided to try an ACV rinse to curb some shedding. Well, I cant remember my exact mixture of ACV and water...but I do remember getting the mixture from a ACV rinse thread I had read. To make a short story even shorter... that ACV rinse matted the mess out of my hair. Nothing could get them knots out. I used everything I had. I lost a whole sandwhich baggie worth of hair and about a years worth of progress went down the drain. It was just awful!!! However, I pulled myself together and started back carrying for the ultra thin hair I had left. Im still recovering from this episode and to this day I will never, ever, ever try ACV again in my hair. ever!!! Never!!! (okay yall get the point)

 

[Lovelylocs]

Back in 2004, I was armpit length and my hair was in tip top shape. I mean perfect elasticity and everything. The hairdresser and everyone at the Dominican salon I used to go to would clap after the hairdresser finished blowing out my hair. Everyone would tell me over and over how beautiful my hair was. I got greedy and wanted unbelievable shine and color and ended up w/dry hair!

I got a rinse and used a lot of protein to get it back into shape.

Oh well, my hair brastrap now and on it's way to midback. It's really healthy too. It's on it's way back to that tip top shape. This time I am going to remember that my hair isnt invencible and I'm going to be more careful. BUT, I WILL GET THAT UNBELIEVABLE SHINE DANG IT! This time I'll just try to find a safer way to achieve it.

 

[Aveena]

I will bookmark this thread as inspiration. I'm still working on overcoming a set back. Hopefully, by April next year I will have a victory report.

 

[Nicole1976]

In November 06, I was sooo happy...I had just started retaining length and my hair was trying to reach beyond SL. I was 4 weeks post or so and decided to try an ACV rinse to curb some shedding. Well, I cant remember my exact mixture of ACV and water...but I do remember getting the mixture from a ACV rinse thread I had read. To make a short story even shorter... that ACV rinse matted the mess out of my hair. Nothing could get them knots out. I used everything I had. I lost a whole sandwhich baggie worth of hair and about a years worth of progress went down the drain. It was just awful!!! However, I pulled myself together and started back carrying for the ultra thin hair I had left. Im still recovering from this episode and to this day I will never, ever, ever try ACV again in my hair. ever!!! Never!!! (okay yall get the point)

Dang that's awful! erplexed

I'm so sorry that happend to you...

ACV rinse??? Is that a type of conditioner and oil?

 

[zzirvingj]

I am taking notes!

*scribbles on a piece of paper..."rinse + proteins = no hair"

 

[Cayenne0622]

My hair was perfectly healthy and in a short cut. It grew out into a chin length bob and all hell broke loose. No fault of mine but my hair started shedding horribly. That's a long story that has been posted in several threads. That's what led me to LHCF. My hair was still healthy even though it was shedding. It got very unhealthy after I tried dayum near every hair practice people were swearing by on LHCF. The underprocessed/texlaxed relaxers, prescribed Nizoral shampoo was extremely drying, and the non-stop changes and trials of different products all contributed to my hair breaking!! AND..the shedding didn't stop. So, now I'm still in recovery mode. I have a bathroom full of products that I probably won't use because I've simplified my regimen. I don't have the answer to how to stop breakage because I'm still dealing with it to a certain degree. But I relax my hair every 8 weeks, I deep condition and use lots of moisture every week, and I'm down to using Nexxus products for the most part.

 

[AmilLion]

Well last month, rather than trimming off 1-1.5 inches, she took about 5" and pretty much gave me a bob

 

[Nicole1976]

My hair was perfectly healthy and in a short cut. It grew out into a chin length bob and all hell broke loose. No fault of mine but my hair started shedding horribly. That's a long story that has been posted in several threads. That's what led me to LHCF. My hair was still healthy even though it was shedding. It got very unhealthy after I tried dayum near every hair practice people were swearing by on LHCF. The underprocessed/texlaxed relaxers, prescribed Nizoral shampoo was extremely drying, and the non-stop changes and trials of different products all contributed to my hair breaking!! AND..the shedding didn't stop. So, now I'm still in recovery mode. I have a bathroom full of products that I probably won't use because I've simplified my regimen. I don't have the answer to how to stop breakage because I'm still dealing with it to a certain degree. But I relax my hair every 8 weeks, I deep condition and use lots of moisture every week, and I'm down to using Nexxus products for the most part.

Have you tried any of the MN stuff? I was reading through a MN thread and one of the ladies talked about HOW BAD HER SHEDDING WAS and said she didnt even care about the growth part...she was willing to try whatever to help curb/stop the shedding, she said she tried the suggested MN mixture and it worked wonders for her.

 

[crizzbee]

I am taking notes!

*scribbles on a piece of paper..."rinse + proteins = no hair"

hey ladies! i use the ACV rinse and protien both w/ great results . i have very fragile 4b hair. when using the cider vinegar i only use 2 capfuls and dilute with lots of water maybe around 30-40 ounces - i read a thread on it but i dont know how to link it. as for protiens i use aphogee products both the hard core one and the 2 minute reconstuctor . before LHCF my hair dresser used the hardcore and it stopped breakage immediatley!!!-( my hair did not respond well to color at all)- but u must follow the directions 2 a tee and be sure to intensly moisturize afterwards !!! since learning to care 4 my own hair i dont have much breakage but when i do the 2 minute works just as well and is easy as applying conditioner. sorry so long -hope this helps if u should ever try either treatment. BIG THANKS to all LHCF ladies without whom i wouldn't have this knowledge to share.LOL

 

[remnant]

bump bump bump

 

[deltagyrl]

I starting having issues when I tried to self relax this year. My hair was like, but I didn't listen. I went to my "stylist" and she cut off about 3 inches.
I wanted to smack her soooooooooo bad but I resisted and, instead, gave her a mental a$$ whippin'.

My hair's even, I guess, but I'm no longer self relaxing or stretching past 3 months. I'm also not letting anyone cut my hair again.

 

[Nicole1976]

I starting having issues when I tried to self relax this year. My hair was like, but I didn't listen. I went to my "stylist" and she cut off about 3 inches.
I wanted to smack her soooooooooo bad but I resisted and, instead, gave her a mental a$$ whippin'.

My hair's even, I guess, but I'm no longer self relaxing or stretching past 3 months. I'm also not letting anyone cut my hair again.

Yeah, I stopped doing my own relaxer's too because...I was simply wrecking my hair , and as for hair cuts, GOOD GRIEF...I am almost allergic to Hair Dressers cutting my hair (I HAVE SO MANY BAD EXPERIENCES), from 'Butch' looking hair cuts - to uneven cuts - to what looked like plugs to me

I have gotten to the point where I just ask my hair dresser to make sure it looks even in the back, so she cuts...and I feel like I will still have hair left when she's done

 

[simplycee]

My hair was finally coming along nicely. Full thick almost mid back. Then I got stupid and decided to try to color my hair. Instead of using a rinse I went for something longer lasting - permenant. Big, big BIG mistake. Overtime my ends broke off in just one section of my hair. Not sure why because I maintained my protein and moisture balance.

I got tired of looking at thinning ends (the last 2-3 inches in one section of my hair had broken off). Instead of bunning up and slowly trimming until it was no longer visible I chopped about back to bsl. erplexed When I looked back at the pics AFTER I cut I realized that no one but me saw that area that was boken off. It blended in with the rest of my hair. I was angry with myself but it was a lesson learned. I am working my way back to mid back one protective style at a time.

 

[hothair]

Well, i'll just stick to my most recent set back. So I used MTG my hair grows to creeping past shoulder length (the longest its EVER been), I decide as you do that I need to colour and texlax AND henna! Now that is not a great combination, my hair didn't break infact it didn't seem to give a toss but it did look a hot confused orange mess, so I BC-ed in Feb and I'm well on my way to full shoulder length by Dec Insha Allah (By the Grace of God)

ETA: I got a simple reggie which I stick to which helps me immensely. co-wash 1-2ce a week with ACV and DC once a week. Oil my scalp everyday.

BTW my hair is a protein and ACV junkie, so is my skin

 

[HoneyDew]

I started using a blowdryer with the comb attachment. First time I LOVED how straight my hair got. After a few times of doing that, my hair was chewed up! That was a year ago and I am still trying to get over it.

 

[NYAmicas]

Wanted to highlight my hair even though my mom told me it was a BAD idea. This was before I did any research and came to the hair boards so soon my APL hair was breaking off like crazy. I even have a pic where there's this one section of hair I had braided and put beads on and the rest of my hair is out and significantly shorter. I used to let my friends do whatever they wanted to my hair because I couldnt handle its thickness so I got 2 relaxers almost back to back and some months later got extensions for the first time ever (without washing my hair first) left it in for 2-3 months and then was haphazardly cutting them out of my hair when it was time to take the braids out.
I should have just cut it allbut I refused so it steadily broke off getting shorter and so I started going on Hair Boards and experimenting with different products-embraced moisture and CO-washing, stretching, etc and started seeing results. All the highlighted pieces broke off and good riddance
Now Im approaching Bra Strap but experiencing crazy breakage so I hope I dont have a relapse.

 

[Mamamia]

My set back happened about 2 years ago. I went to a JCPenney Salon for the works (relax, trim, etc.). Well, the girl cut my then shoulder length hair to the top of my ears. I was falling asleep while she was doing it and didn't realize until she began to curl it that I was practically bald (My mom who is half Native tell us not to cut our hair...old myth about losing your honor.)! So I had to diligently grow it back out. I lurked on this site for tips and kept it moisturized. Now it's about armpit length and growing! Everyday is a learning process with my hair and my body and there's always room for improvement. (pics to come soon.)

 

[Junonia]

I am in the process of bouncing back from my setback.

 

[Gryphyn]

My worst set back was when I went crazy last fall and thought I could press my hair straight every week with a hot comb. My nape slowly disintegrated, and within 8 weeks I had a patch of hair that was barely longer than the tip of my finger. I also had a clear demarcation line between my nape and the rest of my hair from where so much of my nape had broken off.

To bounce back, I got an idea from an album to keep my nape in braids 100% of the time. I kept my nape in 3 braids at first, and put my hair up in a puff so they'd be hidden. Eventually it grew out more and I could do 2 braids. My hair finally got back on track and I'm at collarbone length now. I think if I hadn't gone crazy and had that setback, I'd be at APL by now.

 

[ubavka123]

I had a self-relaxer mishap back in October of '05. I overlapped big time in the back and consequently my hair started to break very badly in the back in certain areas. I had major thinning. Before this, my hair was so nice. I had been following LHCF principles to a "t" and I had the hair I wanted and was on my way to reaching more goals.

I bounced back by never self-relaxing again (I am not skilled like that) and by slowly trimming the thinning areas as they grew out. Lengthwise, I have come along a lot slower than I would have, but I am glad that I cut away the thin/damaged hair. In my case, trimming away the thin areas periodically helped me to get over the setback quicker. Of course, I continued doing all the right things for my hair in the meanwhile, but basically, this kind of setback can only be cured with time (and sometimes the scissors).

Now, I am sure that I will be APL with my next touch-up and I am very excited. I could have been APL over a year ago, but, live and learn, as they say.

Time heals all wounds and regrows hair.

 

[Iluvsmuhgrass]

I wore a weave for two months and got massive growth using BT and drinking loads of water with my multi-vits. I took the weave down and my ex helped. He actually cut out chunks of my hair. I was still ok so I detangled and was so happy because stretched my hair was below APL. I proceeded to put conditioner on it and put it in a plastic cap without plaiting it first. When I got up the next day my hair was matted like a dog. I lost four handfuls of hair and ended up cutting off two to four inches. It was so thin I just wanted to cry. I'm in the process of nursing it back to health by using castor oil, deep conditioning, and pampering my ends. I should be back at APL by the end of the year. I'm really close.

 

[InnerSoul]

In July of this year, I self relaxed... but little did I pay attention to the kit. I used ORS no lye.. this particular relaxer does not have a pre treatment application for your already processed hair... well my hair in the crown and then some broke off between the new growth and already chemically treated part. I was sooooo ..

I am still disgusted with myself from that experience.. I also think I left it on too long, but what did I learn from this? Never use a relaxer kit that does not have a pre relaxer treatment in with it. But I even learned on this forum that if you don't have a prerelaxer treatmt.. to just use a conditioner to apply to your already processed hair.

*See my journal entry "setbacks" to read my destruction hair horror story! I am still recovering from this.. all my hard work and efforts just gone in a matter of a short time. It takes awhile for my hair to retain length but it sure doesn't take any time to destroy the length

I will be getting synthetic braids for awhile so that I don't have to keep looking at my hair issues

 

[localhost]

My setback happened in 2003 when I decided to stretch for longer than 12 weeks ( I think I went to 20 weeks ), and I was on the no manipulation, no combing bandwagon. My hair was sooooo tangled and matted, and I basically ended up ripping a lot of it out.

Never again will I stretch longer than 12 weeks, and I will comb it more often.

 

[prospurr4]

I have been a self-relaxer for many years. Well, in December 2005 (before I found hairboards), I decided that the back of my hair was "resistant," and I needed to let the relaxer marinade on that section a little longer.....like 15 minutes longer, for a total of 30 minutes! (My total process--application and smoothing--takes only 15 minutes.) To make matters worse, I had even pulled the relaxer down the length of my hair to the ends, with no protective barrier (conditioner, oil, etc.) on my ends. When I finally rinsed the relaxer out, the nape was basically gone, and I had breakage throughout the back section...pieces as long as 3-4" long had just broken off. After the damage, my hair was barely shoulder length.

As a result, I began to regularly moisturize that section and stopped using all direct heat. Six months later, I found hairboards and now my hair is thick, healthy and brastrap. I still self-relax (texlax) and have a much better understanding of what I am doing now. My nape is growing back nicely as well.

 

[Nicole1976]

I have been a self-relaxer for many years. Well, in December 2005 (before I found hairboards), I decided that the back of my hair was "resistant," and I needed to let the relaxer marinade on that section a little longer.....like 15 minutes longer, for a total of 30 minutes! (My total process--application and smoothing--takes only 15 minutes.) To make matters worse, I had even pulled the relaxer down the length of my hair to the ends, with no protective barrier (conditioner, oil, etc.) on my ends. When I finally rinsed the relaxer out, the nape was basically gone, and I had breakage throughout the back section...pieces as long as 3-4" long had just broken off. After the damage, my hair was barely shoulder length.

As a result, I began to regularly moisturize that section and stopped using all direct heat. Six months later, I found hairboards and now my hair is thick, healthy and brastrap. I still self-relax (texlax) and have a much better understanding of what I am doing now. My nape is growing back nicely as well.

You should have a fotki!!!

 

[prospurr4]

You should have a fotki!!!

Ya know, I actually have a fotki under construction. I started taking pictures after I found this site, and I plan to have a presentable fotki by Jan. 2008. I didn't take pictures of that setback, though, and I really wish that I had.

 

[meia]

i'm currently riding through a setback! my two problems, currently, are knots and tangles and losing my hair texture and they were KILLING ME! Although I don't think i'm quite out of the darkness, YET, i'm getting there. I've resolved that from now on for at least 3 days each week, i'm going to wear my hair in box braids pulled back on my head with a heap of either moisturizing pomade or straight oil. How this seems to be helping me currently? Well it makes my hair a lot lower manipulation than it was! I had a strange obsession with wearing my hair out almost everyday and it was just too much- too much hair was being lost and it was getting really ridiculous so i've started this up instead with no problems.

Now with incorporating this into my weekly routine, its gotten much easier. The manageability of my hair has gotten better although I miss out a bit on the volume end of things and even if I sleep with no scarf or cap it seems to still hold its shape and kind of gets disheveled more as the days go on which I think is incredibly sexy. All of this with no knots or tangles? Who would have thought?!

Another problem that i've found myself having is with my texture loosening up. I think what I might do (because i'm natural and theres really no other place to go but down from here, lol) is attempt a "mini" natural transition. I made a thread on here once about it...I think i'm going transition out this hair (no chopping until I get to a certain length to retain my original natural texture. I've heard from other naturals that this does tend to happen because of what we subject the hair to so i'm desperate to overcome this without use of chemicals.

My next issue to tackle are my split ends but thats for another day....