SHOULDER LENGTH 2011 CHALLENGE!

^^^thanks! I'm FINALLY starting to see some progress. Protective styling/no manipulation and TLC really work, but I swear its boring as all get out/tedious as heck, lol.
 
Imani said:
do you think it was the sew ins that did it? Crown and nape seem to be trouble spots for a lot of people. I'd continue to lay off chemicals and also braids/sew ins for a while. And try out some of the different scalp treatments floating around the boards. My favorites are Bee Mine Serum and also Afroveda shikaikai.

Have u ever considered going natural?
Click to expand...

Ya know, not that I think the sew ins did the actual initial damage...but I definitely know they didn't help and may have just prolonged the issue- so yes I will DEFINITELY take your advice on laying off the sew-ins. Girl I've been studying this darn forum for the past 12 hours like I'm about to take a test! So far I'm intrigued by the Alter Ego Garlic Conditioner, JBCO, Megatek (which I actually already have in my product stash-just never used), and MN. Bee Mine Serum & Afroveda shikaikai?? Haven't heard of it but here I go w/ my continuing research! I definitely need to get a serious regimine together so I can get some more thickness. I'd love to retain the length if not longer...but again...right now that's not the biggest issue so that'll have to wait. Thanks SO much!
As for the natural--I tried it for 3 years awhile back ago. I'm not completely opposed to it, but I love the styling options that I (had) with healthy relaxed hair a little more. Having to straighten my natural hair often didn't seem smart either since I work out 5x a week and would have to wash & revert all the time. Maybe stretching and texlax?

So err, um...I'm not sure if I'd still be a candidate for this challenge but I'm changing my goal to a FULL SBL, not just SBL by the end of 2011. lol In other words...WHEN I finally get to SBL- I won't count it until I have a full head of healthy hair! :perplexed:perplexed
 
newnyer said:
OK- got my hair relaxed. It is so fine and thin right now that length seems to be the last thing I need to worry about. I'm definitely a little past CBL, only a little bit to go from SBL. (Yay for me, right?) BUT all that is for nothing if I look damn near bald at the top of my head! :( I'm doing some lurking right now in other threads and considering using MegaTek and buying Neosporin AF as part of a regimen to get try and get my hair a little thicker. Just when I thought I was close to a great goal--something throws a monkey wrench in my plans. Woa is me.
Click to expand...

newnyer

Sorry to hear about your current problems. I wore sew in weaves for a couple of years and I have to say I did notice that they do tend to thin the hair a little. (It wasn't so bad that it caused me concern, I just accepted it as part and parcel).. :nono: I used to wash my hair twice a week with the weave in too. I moved to making my own weave tracks attached to those "clippy things" I found that this worked better as I could move the tracks about, take my weave out at night, wash it in the morning etc.... Just an idea.

Anyway lady - I see you're thinking about Neosporin for MN? I found that really old MN thread on Friday night and just couldn't stop reading!:drunk: I bought some Daktarin (UK equivalent) on Sat, and I'm in... There are too many good reports not to give it a try and it was waay easier to get hold of than Megatek.

Have you made your mind up over the Neosporin yet?
 
Checkin in for February and not much happening. I had planned on putting in kinky twist extensions but have been very busy. I'm also still working on my regimen and it seems to be getting a little better. So even though I don't notice any growth, I may at least have a regimen by summers end.

Today I tried an abbreviated version of what I usually do
I deep conditioned with hair mayonaisse on semi-wet hair for 1.5 hrs
I shampooed with diluted shampoo
I conditioned with TW conditioner for 20 minutes
I applied my leave in mix (TW mist bodifier, paul mitchell knock-off, s-curl, aloe vera, sunflower oil)
I applied mango butter and two strand twisted in larger braids vs the mini-twists
I sat under the heat cap for 30 minutes

My hair actually maintained moisture the entire time I was styling my hair which has never happened before. So I am going to try a twist out tomorrow. If this turns out well I may refrain from putting in the extensions. I need to have a good hairstyle though to take my mind off of my hair growing.

Upon re-evaluating my hair tonight, it appears more likely that I will reach SL around June or July vs. April. I will count it as SL when my crown reaches SL. I may need to put it up just to take my mind off of it.
 
I need to do a nice blow out myself for a length check. For some reason, the longer my hair gets, the more scared I am to wear it out :ohwell:

So far I am at 11' pretty much all around and maybe 8-9" in the back area. So of course, at the beginning of May I need to be at my 13" length check in and at least 11" in the back.

So my hair looks layered but I am STILL measuring my hair from the crown! I will not cheat! I will not cheat :blah:
 
faithVA said:
Beautiful hair, it looks very thick. From the pics it looks like you may already be SL. How close are you?
Click to expand...

Thanks. Its an illusion tho, my hair is not thick, lol. It just doesn't have any product on it, as soon as some oils hits it, it will not look thick anymore.

I could possibly claim it at this point just barely judging by my pics. But I will wait til April when I straighten again for my one yr progress check. Hopefully by then it will be no questions sl.

I am just happy I've found a regimen that is working finally even tho protective styling gets old. My next task will be to learn to get salon flat iron results at home. Something I've failed miserably at in the past but I'm determined to figure it out. Sometimes I wear straight half wigs so I will practice on my leave out hair w different products/techniques. When I reach my goal (apl) I am thinking I will prob straighten once a month in the cooler months.


Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G using Long Hair Care Forum App
 
I too have failed at flat ironing. I think it's because I always have my hair in two stranded twists and then wrapped around itself in a knot and it takes time to really straighten out the deep waves that having my hair in that style causes for so long at a time.

If I didn't have the twists, then maybe I could try flat ironing my hair just to see how much progress I have made and how close I am to full SL!

I want it to be full all the way around. I also want to make sure that my hair ends are still healthy enough to handle a hot comb or flat iron if I wanted to do it maybe twice or 3x a year so right now I am working on:

Length Retention

Maintaining Length (meaning not losing hair any length so I have a setback)

Maintaining Healthy Ends
 
My hair actually straightens fairly easily. My issue is the way it feels. Its not soft and silky like the salon and wont have hardly any elasticity. I use all the same tools and products they do so I figure it must be my technique. I think I need to work on my blow dry technique. I think maybe I was using too much heat during the blow dry making it dry out. Next time I will turn down the heat and focus more on technique and getting good tension.

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G using Long Hair Care Forum App
 
Hey guys

I think I might be shoulder length already guys. Pls excuse my busted home made length t shirt. The first pic is my hair pulled from about an inch above my nape. The second is a frame of ref for u guys.
483d449e-50fa-b4cb.jpg


483d449e-5178-1dcf.jpg



So what do u guys think? My nape is at two and the part in the pic is a little past the 1

Sent from my PC36100 using Long Hair Care Forum App
 
^^ I think you are full NL and you just made SL. I personally like to wait til I am the full length before I claim it.

I am deep conditioning with ORS hair mayo, followed by BFH Banana and Avocado Mask. Will co wash with BFH Ginger Orange Cleansing Con, use Elucence MB con as my leave in.
I am going to oil my scalp with castor oil, moisturize with QB BRBC and seal with EVOO.
 
transitioning? said:
Hey guys

I think I might be shoulder length already guys. Pls excuse my busted home made length t shirt. The first pic is my hair pulled from about an inch above my nape. The second is a frame of ref for u guys.
483d449e-50fa-b4cb.jpg


483d449e-5178-1dcf.jpg



So what do u guys think? My nape is at two and the part in the pic is a little past the 1

Sent from my PC36100 using Long Hair Care Forum App
Click to expand...

No you are not Shoulder Length. If your hair is Shoulder Length, it will be long from the crown or the back of your hair to your shoulders.

You are still Neck Length, sorry :ohwell:
 
^^^okay so you measure from the crown? Can you explain how you do that? Also what do you mean from the back? Do you mean the middle of my head? So the second line on my shirt is shoulder and the first is neck? Sorry for all the questions SL has always confused me.
 
^^^I think u could claim SL if you want to esp since u said the piece pulled out is higher than the nape. plus its probably even longer if it were pressed out
 
ebsalita said:
newnyer

Sorry to hear about your current problems. I wore sew in weaves for a couple of years and I have to say I did notice that they do tend to thin the hair a little. (It wasn't so bad that it caused me concern, I just accepted it as part and parcel).. :nono: I used to wash my hair twice a week with the weave in too. I moved to making my own weave tracks attached to those "clippy things" I found that this worked better as I could move the tracks about, take my weave out at night, wash it in the morning etc.... Just an idea.

Anyway lady - I see you're thinking about Neosporin for MN? I found that really old MN thread on Friday night and just couldn't stop reading!:drunk: I bought some Daktarin (UK equivalent) on Sat, and I'm in... There are too many good reports not to give it a try and it was waay easier to get hold of than Megatek.

Have you made your mind up over the Neosporin yet?
Click to expand...

Yeah, no sew-ins for me for awhile-going to see if I can make it with my own hair for awhile. Got an oversees trip coming up so it'll be hard. :( but I like that clip idea! Kudos! My friend also recommended half wigs....hmmm....
YES girl didn't that Neo thread have you hooked???! I read every page. I already have MT so I MT so I plan to use that in my regimen also. So YES I'm in! I should wait a bit since I have a fresh perm but it is ON and popping this weekend after a quick CVS Pharmacy stop! Lol
 
transitioning? said:
Hey guys

So what do u guys think? My nape is at two and the part in the pic is a little past the 1

Sent from my PC36100 using Long Hair Care Forum App
Click to expand...

Yea I agree with the above post, to me you are just hitting SL, but I'd wait until you straightened it to see if you are a full SL. Congrats on the growth!
 
Bump!

Month 2 is almost done! 10 more months to go, which means 5+ inches of growth still possible! Does everyone have their regimen on point or are you still tweaking it?
 
I've had about 2 inches of new growth since I stopped relaxing my hair at the end of November, but my nape area is seriously lacking in the growth department. This is really frustrating because my nape is usually the first area to grow. So I have added Biotin to my regime in a effort to get things moving a little quicker. I doubt that I will be full SL by December, as my hair is in layers but will be happy with making partial SL.
 
^^^u just reminded me, I need to take my vitamins. I have been slacking. I take a multi, biotin, and folic acid.

2 inches in 3 months is great progress!
 
I'm still tweaking my regimen! i have started cowashing 2x a week, along with shampooing 1x a week!

I am just now getting breakage under control! I have fine hair and I havent trimmed in a year! I have some splits and I realize that my hair grew faster with trims!

So I dont know how to trim my hair but I will dust my ends once a montth! Taking 1/4 off! I still want to make SL! I'm also transitioning!
 
Imani said:
Bump!

Month 2 is almost done! 10 more months to go, which means 5+ inches of growth still possible! Does everyone have their regimen on point or are you still tweaking it?
Click to expand...

Yep,yep... I cant even see myself with 5+ more inches. Lol. Kinda sad, but my hair has never been much longer than it is now. Anyhoots, still tweaking my regi. I relaxed 2 weekends ago and enjoyed wearing it out last week. I bought a new half wig last weekend .. Miko by Vanessa.
a6898b82-5f33-2432.jpg

I will be wearing her and my homemade half wig on weekends :-)
I'm back to bunning mon-Friday. I wash and dc 1x a week, but can't wait for it to warm up a bit so I can try cowashing again. This past weekend I dced & air dried. I ended up wearing my wig on Sat and Sunday, with my hair parted in 2, twisted & pinned up under... So Monday I used my steam rollers to revive my hair, & been rocking a messy bun.
a6898b82-69a9-c1ce.jpg

I think I like this method bc it gives my thin hair body and makes my bun look fuller. Plus, my hair does not like to be combed when wet, so I prefer to air dry then steam set than roller set my wet hair.
Steam heat is good, right?
 
^^^I like steam rollers too (well I used to when I was relaxed, haven't really found a use for them as a natural) and yes I believe it is good for your hair.

Is that the wig in the first pic? Nice! And you bun looks really pretty too.

If I actually get five more inches, it will be more hair than I've ever had as well. I'm not gonna lie, I am confident it can get that long, but there is a twinge of doubt where I'm like, ok, I'll believe it when i see it:lol:
 
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@Imani 5 inches??? WOW I wish:look::look: I WISH :look::look:. If I get 4 inches I would be more than happy :) I know my hair grows 0.5 inches on avereage so far but I doubt if that is consistent every month. I guess I have just come to accept that patience is the main ingredient to growing long healthy hair:yep::yep:. I think I will be full SL come mid year. i need 2 more inches i think. i will do a length check end of march when I relax.

@ZeeontheGrow you looks so pretty in that wig and your hair is silky and beautiful. Here :guiness:is some magic hair portion just for you to get 5 inches or more come end year :)

@ksly4ever congrats on your growth if i got that i would claim SL :)

any ladies claiming SL this month??
 
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^^^If I stay on top of my game, I think I could get five inches by year end. Most of my hair grows at a decent rate except for one little shady area.
 
I think I am becoming obsessed with LHCF and hair in general, and love looking at progress pics. At the moment I don't have anymore breakage and I seem to be retaining the length that I have, so I'm happy with that. Good luck to all those hoping to make SL :)
 
Imani said:
Bump!
Does everyone have their regimen on point or are you still tweaking it?
Click to expand...

Still working on my regimen. I'm not sure I can even call it tweaking. I have some techniques that I like but I don't even have 1 product that I can say is a staple. And I have so much junk that I refuse to buy anything else. So now I'm doing a lot of mixing. :perplexed
 
^^^I mix products as well. I have about 4 different conditioners that I mix together. I have found a staple moisturizer tho for now, Bee Mine Luscious.
 
I have decided on a regimen I am going to work with at least for March so I can have a base.

Shampoo (dilute shampoo with water) - any shampoo
Condition (apply conditioner before rinsing out shampoo) and rinse - Roux Porosity Control
Deep Condition - Kenra MC (going to pick up a bottle this weekend)
Leave in (aloe vera, Taliaah mist bodifier, Care Free Curl, Paul Mitchell knock off) mix
Style

I will prepoo if necessary (have mini twists)

I will try this out for the next few weeks and modify if needed. This will at least give me something to start with.
 
Hmm.. My last post didn't go through for some reason. :-/

@ Imani, yes I'm wearing Miko in the first pic -- thank u. Have u tried the steam rollers since u've gone natural? I wanted to try them on my lil sister's blow dried natural hair. Her hair is so thick and I thought it might make it a lil more manageable for her and my mom.
@ Rossy, thanks! I'll def need some magic to gain and RETAIN 5 inches lol. I'll stick to what's been working for me and hope I make it there, but like Imani, "I'll believe it when I see it" :-)
 
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