Shea Growth And Retention Regimen 2019

[SunySydeofLyfe]

My hair just soaks up Shea Butter, I seal every night and baggy. When it’s time to seal again the Shea is all soaked in! Love the feel of my braids! Shea to stay!

 

[Jade Feria]

I'm so late, but you know I'm in! I'll see what photos I can gather.

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

If you've failed or had some set-backs, don't give up. My hair is at a length that I have never seen it before. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about my own hair. Nope!

Never give up on yourself or your hair.​

Shea butter is not only protecting my hair, it has solved hair problems that I just recently discovered.

• Shea butter keeps my hair from unraveling, so all those hairs stay on my head instead of wrapping around the ends of my braid causing tangling and breakage. All that has stopped!
• Shea butter lubricates my hair strands so even if I get tangles, they come apart with minimum friction and/or breakage.

Little changes applied conscientiously, and consistently can pay dividends in 2019!
​

I realize why they call it a journey because there's twists and turns on the way to discovering your next step. It's exciting to discover something new isn't it? I am so passionate about the journey I've taken my neices(both natural) under my wing so they can have long luxurious hair too. People think my neices hair is a wig because it's so thick long and pretty now. B4 me she had broken off dry hair now it looks like a curly unit. *pats self on back*

My skin is the biggest shocker. It's so soft and blemish free. From head to toe(thanks to exfoliating and queen shea)

 

[PlanetCybertron]

I posted this in the Hip length and beyond challange, but since I’ll be in here a lot more I figured I can cross post. Here’s what my regimen will be looking like:

View media item 130027View media item 130025
And I’ve been doing two French braids or these, which I call Falecia braids:
(Excuse my face. I’m not feeling to well today)
via Imgflip Meme Generator
It’s not noted in my regimen, but I moisturize my hair with water, or rose water, and seal with my butter mixture I bought. Which I absolutely love.

 

[PlanetCybertron]

So far I’ve been consistently using a butter of choice in and on my hair. While I love Shea Butter, I did want to try others.

I bought a mixture of Cupuaçu, Cacao, and MuruMuru Butter, and bought another bag of Cupuaçu Butter to whip up. It’s about 8oz so that’s plenty for me.

I like this Butter (Cupuaçu) for its healing properties. Not just my hair, but also my face. It’s helped tremendously with my acne scars and preventing further acne breakouts. All of the expensive, medicated stuff I’ve bought throughout the years, don’t compare to this Butter. Proactive, Neutrogena, Clinique, etc. what years of manufactured products couldn’t do, this Butter has been fixing in a matter of weeks. So yay!

As for my hair, it’s been amazing at pre-pooing. I always had troubles finger detangling on dry hair, mostly due to tangles that were too gnarly to get at either with my fingers or a comb. So far the butter mixture of all three mentioned above helps tremendously with removing shed hairs and separating/detangling my hair in sections. I would usually just do all of my detangling in the shower, but I’d always leave behind tangles that a comb couldn’t catch, and while I find detangling to be a lot faster in the shower, under running water, it’s fairly well known how fragile wet hair can be, espeacially with fine hair such as mine. So I’ve been slowly getting over my fears of touching my hair dry, for fear of breakage, but it’s proving to be so much better at tangle reduction, as well as mitigating breakage from said tangles, and with the help of Butter, and gentle, separating I think I’ll finally get to Classic Length easily.

But the MOST beneficial thing I’ve noted so far is the change in my porosity. It’s always been through the roof, and being relaxed it’s even more so. I’ve always thought that was something I’d have to deal with and work around, but this Butter mixture is bringing my porosity down to an acceptable level. It’s allowed me to stretch my wash days, and in turn reduce mechanical damage. I don’t think I’ll ever fully escape accidentally snapping a hair or two, but that’s solely just from the force exerted on my hair from my hands, and it’s usually 1-4 hairs. My hair holds moisture a lot better, and after washing, it doesn’t suck up moisture immediately, and drys at a slower pace. Yay!

As for my scalp, oh boy. Where do I begin? So far it’s been about two weeks since starting fully with using butters, but my scalp sensitivity has been getting under control more and more, and from what my measuring tape tells me I’ve already hit a full inch of growth, putting me at nearly 35 inches, and 2.5 inches from Classic. Yay! I specifically like Cupuaçu Butter for how light it is and its higher melting point for absorption. Lot less itching, and even after coming from the gym, I can wash the next day without scalp irritation from sweat.

I’ll post up another length picture at the end of this month to compare length shots, but so far these are all the short terms goals I’ve hit, and in such little time! I have not forgotten about Queen Shea. I’ll will be stocking up on a little and using it more towards my ends since they need something a bit more heavier.

 

[sarumoki]

Weired Fact: Humans can become saponified like Shea butter

Let me explain...

Like Shea fat, human beings can also saponified, too! When human beings 'get soapy', it is referred to as adipocere. Certain specific conditions must be present. Women and children, due to having more fat in their bodies, are more likely to form adipocere than men. From the YouTube video: ADIPOCERE aka CORPSE WAX (Ask a Mortician)

I'm pretty sure this happened in an episode of CSI.

 

[sarumoki]

Today I noticed that my hair doesn't shrink as much as it used to when I leave it out. I think it's because of the Shea butter.

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

Today I noticed that my hair doesn't shrink as much as it used to when I leave it out. I think it's because of the Shea butter.

Are you natural? Mine doesn't either. I'm wondering if the thickness of the shea mix weighs the hair down in some weird way. Do you have fine strands? Is your density on the finer side of normal>?

 

[Chicoro]

Today I noticed that my hair doesn't shrink as much as it used to when I leave it out. I think it's because of the Shea butter.

I bet your hair looked pretty,too! I wish this were me!


If you don't have any glycerin type products in the hair, then Shea butter can really elongate the hair. I use Scurl , which is glycerin based, so my hair draws up. But, that's a conscious choice that I have made.

Once, I ran out of Scurl and I used water and Shea butter to do my hair. It was elongated, but hard.

The best elongating combination seems to be hair conditioner that is glycerin free and Shea butter. The conditioner can be a rinse out conditioner or a leave in conditioner.

 

[caribeandiva]

For my hair, I have learned that I need to keep my moisture levels high: All.The.Time!

I try not to ever let my hair get 'thirsty', anymore and now keep it hydrated.

Same. That’s been the biggest breakthrough for me.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Don't slack on your Shea application this weekend. I just applied a fresh coating....don't let me jump on this thang by myself!

 

[blazingbeauty]

General Q: How do you guys strike a balance between manipulating your hair to care for it, and leaving it alone. For instance I try to M&S max 2x a week, and I wash my hair generally every 2 weeks (more often when necessary) - to reduce as much breakage as I can. But I’ve noticed many on here manipulate their hair more often with great results. How much breakage is too much breakage (not including shed hairs)? Please ‘splain

 

[blazingbeauty]

Don't slack on your Shea application this weekend. I just applied a fresh coating....don't let me jump on this thang by myself!

Whyyy thhhoo?

 

[sunflora]

General Q: How do you guys strike a balance between manipulating your hair to care for it, and leaving it alone. For instance I try to M&S max 2x a week, and I wash my hair generally every 2 weeks (more often when necessary) - to reduce as much breakage as I can. But I’ve noticed many on here manipulate their hair more often with great results. How much breakage is too much breakage (not including shed hairs)? Please ‘splain

I think everyone is different. I manipulate my hair almost every day, but I don't m&s everyday because that will cause me damage, personally. I would see a lot of broken hairs. When I manipulate, I oil my hands lightly, undo my braids, apply oil and/or shea butter lightly simply by pressing my hair between the palms of my hands and sliding down, then rebraid . No brushing, no spritzing. Only if it feels dry do I add something like water or even a bit of a leave-in cream, but it seems to stay pretty supple for the majority of the week. I wash every 5 days - washing is what I consider my moisturizing day, because I wash off all of the oil and allow water to penetrate my hair, then seal it all back in again.

As for breakage, I think you have to be realistic with your hair and any processes you have had - dye, heat damage, etc. So for me, I do realize that I will have breakage. My breakage decreased when I stopped over-moisturizing my hair and cut down the use of brushes/combs between washes. I do still see perhaps 1-3 broken hairs when rebraiding my hair, but I do expect that from hair that has been dyed and badly heat damaged. If you have all virgin hair, I would attribute any broken hairs to ssks, perhaps.

My experience and technique differs, I think many other people like to moisturize their hair more often than I do, so I would not take my word as gospel. That is simply what works for my hair.

 

[sarumoki]

The best elongating combination seems to be hair conditioner that is glycerin free and Shea butter. The conditioner can be a rinse out conditioner or a leave in conditioner.

That's exactly what I used.

Are you natural? Mine doesn't either. I'm wondering if the thickness of the shea mix weighs the hair down in some weird way. Do you have fine strands? Is your density on the finer side of normal>?

I am natural. A mixture of fine and thick strands, not sure about density.

 

[keranikki]

I'm so late, but you know I'm in! I'll see what photos I can gather.

Hey Jade!!!!

 

[sarumoki]

This is what my hair looks like right now. I don't have a before picture, but pre-Shea it would shrink to half that length. I just measured, it's about four inches at that level of shrinkage.



For comparison, this is its stretched length:



I measured it at approximately 10" in the nape and crown areas, 9" behind my ears, and 6" in the front. Guess which area is getting the most attention from now on?

But anyway, my original point was to show what my shrunken hair looks like post-Shea.

 

[Chicoro]

I spotted a unicorn in plain view, in another thread. She's a Shea Made Unicorn....but you know how modest they can be sometimes....

Let me sprinkle a few treats ... Every body else, PLEASE restrain yourselves and REFRAIN from eating the unicorn treats.

And let me put something to drink out there, too.

And a little bit of incentive, "Hey, Girl!"

Act natural everybody....


"Yoo whooooo!" @ElevatedEnergy

"You whooooooooooo!"

"Are you going to share those Shea Shined Roller Set Curl photos you posted in that [other] thread? Hmmm?"

 

[Chicoro]

This is what my hair looks like right now. I don't have a before picture, but pre-Shea it would shrink to half that length. I just measured, it's about four inches at that level of shrinkage.

View attachment 441355

For comparison, this is its stretched length:

View attachment 441357

"I measured it at approximately 10" in the nape and crown areas, 9" behind my ears, and 6" in the front. Guess which area is getting the most attention from now on?"

But anyway, my original point was to show what my shrunken hair looks like post-Shea.

"I measured it at approximately 10" in the nape and crown areas, 9" behind my ears, and 6" in the front. Guess which area is getting the most attention from now on?"


I like measurements like these. When you have hair growth success, having your measurements makes the victory all the sweeter and REPEATABLE!

 

[Chicoro]

This is what my hair looks like right now. I don't have a before picture, but pre-Shea it would shrink to half that length. I just measured, it's about four inches at that level of shrinkage.

View attachment 441355

For comparison, this is its stretched length:

View attachment 441357

I measured it at approximately 10" in the nape and crown areas, 9" behind my ears, and 6" in the front. Guess which area is getting the most attention from now on?

But anyway, my original point was to show what my shrunken hair looks like post-Shea.

Wooo, you hair is long!

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

I spotted a unicorn in plain view, in another thread. She's a Shea Made Unicorn....but you know how modest they can be sometimes....

Let me sprinkle a few treats ... Every body else, PLEASE restrain yourselves and REFRAIN from eating the unicorn treats.

And let me put something to drink out there, too.

And a little bit of incentive, "Hey, Girl!"

Act natural everybody....


"Yoo whooooo!" @ElevatedEnergy

"You whooooooooooo!"

"Are you going to share those Shea Shined Roller Set Curl photos you posted in that [other] thread? Hmmm?"

Washed & Roller Set today. This is right after removing the rollers:







But I got goals to meet so I seperated the curls, Shea'd it UP & bunned it DOWN!



HOLLLLLLAAAAA!!!!!

*sorry if the pics are huge*

 

[PlanetCybertron]

General Q: How do you guys strike a balance between manipulating your hair to care for it, and leaving it alone. For instance I try to M&S max 2x a week, and I wash my hair generally every 2 weeks (more often when necessary) - to reduce as much breakage as I can. But I’ve noticed many on here manipulate their hair more often with great results. How much breakage is too much breakage (not including shed hairs)? Please ‘splain

I’d agree with others that have mentioned it being unique for each individual.

Too much breakage for me is more than 10-15 hairs on eaither side of my head within 1-2 days, if I part my hair down the middle.

It’s kind of a process for me, because breakage tends to follow a pattern (for me at least).

Usually it’s due to shedding, which leads to tangles, which leads increased manipulation to detangle, which leads to breakage.

A happy medium I’ve been figuring out is that when moisturizing and sealing does not take care of dryness, I need to wash. I find moisturizing and hydrating to be two different things. Usually when I can notice that, the dryness doesn’t get too out of hand to the point where my hair is taking up absurd amounts of moisture, making it extremely sensitive to even the softest handling.

On a weekly basis I get a few broken hairs. I try to monitor it and 5-7 hairs seems to not disrupt my length retention as well as my already fragile hemline.

Even with the amount of length I have now, I can manipulate my hair frequently mostly due to the fact that leaving my hair alone for weeks at a time actually constitutes tangles. Lots of em. But daily manipulation kind of irritates my hair as well. Every 2-3 days is a good spot for me to be at.

I think it also depends on hair length, how much you shed, and how well your hair responds to moisture, and product selection.

 

[Chicoro]

Hair Feet Journey

~3 inches/ 2 year cycles ~
(3 inches gained all around over 2 years)
​

Got a new hair length goal you are trying to reach? Well, be prepared to pay your dues over a 2 year period.

• To calculate the next hair feet's landing, it seems to take single hair strands about 12 months to make the journey to the next 3 inch goal length. For example, if the majority of your hair is around collarbone, the next destination within 3 inches will likely be armpit. Thus, it will take some strands about 1 year to touchdown their little hair feets at armpit length.

• Then, it will most likely take another 12 months for the bulk of the hair to follow and land its hair feets at the same length.

"But I thought hair grows at 6 inches a year?"

Yes, it can! And, you are very likely to have some hairs that gain 6 inches over a 12 month period. But 'some hairs' do not make the bulk or majority of the hair.

Hence, significant length gains that can be easily seen tend to happen over a 2 year cycle. Nurture those hair feets!

 

[Chicoro]

"We tend to treasure what we measure!"​

How to Measure Your Natural Hair, in Its Natural State to Obtain Starting Measurements

1. Section the hair
   • Nape, crown and front may grow at different rates
   • Section the three areas or create more areas
   • Section same areas on both left and right sides
2. Measure each section from the root to the ends dry and wet
   • WET Measure: Wet each section with a spray bottle full of very warm water. Then measure hair AND RECORD IT!
   • DRY Measure: Place the same wet sections into bantu knots. Then, let them dry over night. Stretch hair out and RECORD IT!

My dry hair measurements tend to be shorter than my wet hair measurements.

These are suggestions. If you have found a way that works for you, please feel free to share.

 

[blazingbeauty]

I think everyone is different. I manipulate my hair almost every day, but I don't m&s everyday because that will cause me damage, personally. I would see a lot of broken hairs. When I manipulate, I oil my hands lightly, undo my braids, apply oil and/or shea butter lightly simply by pressing my hair between the palms of my hands and sliding down, then rebraid . No brushing, no spritzing. Only if it feels dry do I add something like water or even a bit of a leave-in cream, but it seems to stay pretty supple for the majority of the week. I wash every 5 days - washing is what I consider my moisturizing day, because I wash off all of the oil and allow water to penetrate my hair, then seal it all back in again.

As for breakage, I think you have to be realistic with your hair and any processes you have had - dye, heat damage, etc. So for me, I do realize that I will have breakage. My breakage decreased when I stopped over-moisturizing my hair and cut down the use of brushes/combs between washes. I do still see perhaps 1-3 broken hairs when rebraiding my hair, but I do expect that from hair that has been dyed and badly heat damaged. If you have all virgin hair, I would attribute any broken hairs to ssks, perhaps.

My experience and technique differs, I think many other people like to moisturize their hair more often than I do, so I would not take my word as gospel. That is simply what works for my hair.

I completely agree about being realistic about your hair’s history and working with it/around it. I know I have damage from practices that sped up the weathering process, so not chemical damage but maybe being too rough etc. I may have forgotten, but my hair hasn’t bc it can’t regenerate lol. I too would get too much damage from moisturizing everyday, at least with my technique now. The product building up would increase stress on my admittedly fine strands, and the application process would seal the deal - at least I think that’s what would happen over time.

 

[blazingbeauty]

I’d agree with others that have mentioned it being unique for each individual.

Too much breakage for me is more than 10-15 hairs on eaither side of my head within 1-2 days, if I part my hair down the middle.

It’s kind of a process for me, because breakage tends to follow a pattern (for me at least).

Usually it’s due to shedding, which leads to tangles, which leads increased manipulation to detangle, which leads to breakage.

A happy medium I’ve been figuring out is that when moisturizing and sealing does not take care of dryness, I need to wash. I find moisturizing and hydrating to be two different things. Usually when I can notice that, the dryness doesn’t get too out of hand to the point where my hair is taking up absurd amounts of moisture, making it extremely sensitive to even the softest handling.

On a weekly basis I get a few broken hairs. I try to monitor it and 5-7 hairs seems to not disrupt my length retention as well as my already fragile hemline.

Even with the amount of length I have now, I can manipulate my hair frequently mostly due to the fact that leaving my hair alone for weeks at a time actually constitutes tangles. Lots of em. But daily manipulation kind of irritates my hair as well. Every 2-3 days is a good spot for me to be at.

I think it also depends on hair length, how much you shed, and how well your hair responds to moisture, and product selection.

This is absolutely so helpful, and I think highlights the intuition I’m trying to develop with my own hair. Right now, I have been weighing the pros and cons of washing weekly. My hair stays softer/conditioned (especially with Shea Butter) when I wash weekly, but I think I get the same amount of breakage I would get if I washed every 2 weeks (plus I’m lazy and just like to let my hair be with these wash days). It’s like how gentle can I be (maybe Protein Treatments even more often)/maybe I’m jumping the gun an my hair is actually doing just fine. Either way, thank you for this response!

 

[icsonia22]

I just found a gorgeous naija Shea unicorn on Instagram. If you care to drool for yourself, here is the link to her page. She's grazing tail bone length and I read in her comments that she uses her own Shea butter mix.

https://instagram.com/sosodarl?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1wvwhq68uh2zb

 

[Chicoro]

I just found a gorgeous naija Shea unicorn on Instagram. If you care to drool for yourself, here is the link to her page. She's grazing tail bone length and I read in her comments that she uses her own Shea butter mix.

https://instagram.com/sosodarl?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=1wvwhq68uh2zb

Yes! Her routine and products look very similar to the routine and products in this thread.

 

[Chicoro]

Before, I used to say that I can recognize a person who is using Shea butter based upon the thickness and the length of their hair. Now, I realize I need to add one more thing: the darkness or blackness of the hair.

Shea Butter Grown Hair tends to be:

1. Unusually thick!
2. Unusually long!
3. Unusually dark/black?

 

[Chicoro]

My hair growth spurt is right on time. I was scheduled to 'see one' in December. In January, I can see that my hair has grown a little bit. It looks like a lot more hairs are thickening at the longer length I gained a few months back. I'll take it!

I'm expecting growths spurts in February and April. So, I'll probably do a thorough, visual length check around the first or second week in May!

It feels good when you put actions consciously in place and they start and continue to pay off. It's a nice feeling of empowerment.