Sooo...How are you feeling about your hair progress right now?

[Bosslady1]

I am really starting to see the texture of my hair and I love it! I also cut off my hair ends because they were getting hard to manage and thinning out. I am back to Full Shoulder length. When I take these braids out, I will post some pics.

2008 looks like it will be a good hair care year.

 

[SweetlyBlessed]

I am on the fence with my progress right now. I mean along with health, you always want to see length. I too feel you on loving the natural texture of my hair that I see. (I keep playing in it .) I think I have found my staple products and concoctions. I don't know if I want to cut off my overprocessed raggedy ends now or wait until I take my braids out. I'm also trying to see what's up with my breakage. My ends are always dry and the baggy method is not for me. I've tried all kinds of products and ways but nothing yet has allowed me to not have hair in my hand after I smooth it along my pony tail. I feel like each time I do it, my ponytail is disappearing. Some of it is APL and some of it is SL. Discouraged just a bit. Can you tell!? erplexed

Ok, enough ranting...carry on!

 

[audacity.]

I can't be sure until I straighten it out later today, but from what I can tell by pulling it, I am pretty satisfied.

I don't think I am at my 12 month goal of BSL which is kinda disappointing.

We will see though.

 

[JustKiya]

I feel aiight.

I'm not as far along as I THOUGHT I would be at my 18 month mark - but then, I've never conciously grown hair before, so I'm just guessing blindly as to where I'll be in the future.

I feel like I'm pretty settled in a regimen - not fully settled on products, but I've got most of my basics inline.

I think the most important thing - and the most valuable - is that I KNOW my hair now. I know when it's happy, I know when I've used something that makes it unhappy, I know when it needs protien and I know when it needs moisture and I know when it just needs to be left the hell alone. With that foundation - everything else will just fall into place....

 

[Dposh167]

the good
-i'm really happy at how easy my stretches are now. I'm going on 13 weeks post, and i'm shooting for an april touch up. no major breakage, no crazy dryness, or tangling issues. I'm enjoying my stretches!

-i'm proud of how well my ends are holding up since my blunt trim in Oct.

the bad
-my hair grows like a snail with a broken leg. Its soooo slow to me.

-my uneven-ness on top drives me crazy. it just seems like that part will never catch up

 

[Nanyanika]

I'm satisfied with the current length of top of bra-strap, however i'm also quite nervous, because my hair is at the point where i always end up hacking it off, due to the ends going rough.

So i'm being sensible and keeping it braided, which has been proven to work for me. My hair has lost thickness, due to a very stressful year 2007. i've started taking my vitamins three weeks ago, so when i remove my weave i expect less shedding and thicker hair. I'm am 100% certain, if i keep up my regimen i will reach my ultimate goal no later than DEC 2008.

 

[gymfreak336]

I am okay with my progress.

I'm gonna copy Poochie and give the good and the bad


GOOD

- I finally got my scalp problem figured out! Took me 4 years to figure it out

- I reached shoulder length in 07 despite many set backs

- My hair is alot fuller. I have maybe an inch of BONE straight ends left to snip off


BAD

- My hair growth as been weird lately. I have been sick and slacking in eating so I can't be too upset.

- I still feel like my ends are bad. I know it will be a gradual process getting rid of the last of my overprocessed ends...Darn that relaxer runoff damage...thats what did it

- I really really want to make apl this year but I am worried I won't make it

- My hair is 3 different textures right now. I thought I was relaxing straight but when wet my hair looks more texlaxed. I have been letting my cousin do it with Mizani mild. Now I don't know what to do? I was trying to go to a stylist for my next relaxer in March but erplexed

 

[Gemini350z]

the bad
-my hair grows like a snail with a broken leg. Its soooo slow to me.

-my uneven-ness on top drives me crazy. it just seems like that part will never catch up

I feel you on these.

I also am dealing with breakage from my overprocessed ends. I think I am just going to trim them off.

I have been getting growth, even my boyfriend has noticed, but me, I cant see it!! I thought it would be longer, it is definately taking its time. Thickness is there but the length, thats another story.


Stretching has been really good, and textlaxing is proving to be better for me than relaxing stick straight. I have found products that help my on and off again moisture-protien issue. So that is a positive, I am now trying to figure out how to get over this shoulder length hump.

So progress its there but not what I was expecting!!

 

[tiffers]

Right now, I'm loving how my hair looks and feels. It's so healthy and has never looked better

Buuuuuut the growth is just not happening for me. I've been about 2 centimeters from APL for SIX months now! I'm about to have this baby and I've had no pregnancy growth spurt! That's nothing but a myth cause I damn sure haven't seen ANY extra growth

I want APL!!!!!!

 

[zzirvingj]

I'm also going to be a copycat here :

THE GOOD:

-I am pretty satisfied with my length, and pretty optimistic that I will reach "full WL" within a reasonable amount of time.

-I also am pretty settled with a basic regimen that seems to be working well for me that I don't foresee myself changing too much in the near future.

THE BAD:

-I am sooo BORED with my hair! It looks the same every day pretty much :/ And I always get an "itch" to color it (although I NEVER do actually end up coloring it) every spring. Spring is right around the corner, so I am feeling that itch coming on already...LOL

-I have started to discover broken hairs when detangling, and that has never happened before. Since I don't really feel like much has changed with my regimen, I don't know what to do about it just yet (other than my Aphogee treatments). It's starting to disturb me

-I don't know if I'll ever stop setting new "length" goals for myself...so I don't see when I'll be able to start enjoying my hair and wearing it out more in the near future. I feel as though I'll be protecting my hair/wearing buns forever...LOL

*Don't get me wrong, though...OVERALL I am VERY satisfied with my hair and THANKFUL for my progress thus far!

 

[jamiss]

I feel good about my hair. I know it grows about half an inch a month, since I BC'd last June and my hair is about 4 inches. If I keep going the way I am, I should be able to meet my hair goals. I know as it gets longer there will be more tangling, and heaven forbid snapping, but I think I can handle it.

 

[daniemoy]

Besides a small over use of protein that caused dryness set back...I am happy with my hair

 

[foxieroxienyc]

So far I'm extremely pleased with my progress!

The Good:

• I learned to love my own hair for the first time in my life! I'm in my late 20's now and this is a big deal because I never remember a point where I said yeah I LOVE this stuff that grows out of my head.... Well actually I did feel it for the 3 years I had gorgeous dreadlocks. I LOVED my locs... It's good to have that feeling again and just say, yeah I LOVE THIS HEAD OF RAVEN HAIRED FABULOUSNESS! lol No one can't tell me black hair isn't beautiful.
• My hair has really taken off in the last 3 months since joining this site and it's cool to see.
• I really know my hair and have a solid regimen to address whatever it needs when it tells me it needs it.
• Despite the winter my ends are holding up extremely well and I havent had a need to trim or dust or S&D - I've been looking, lol.

The Bad:

• I do notice that the parts of my hair that I left out when I was wearing weaves is a bit shorter in some areas - ie. front section is like I have bangs and is about an inch or so shorter than the rest of the hair around it. There's a section where it's a NOTICABLE difference in length, I'm working to even this out.
• I have fine hair so I have to be careful with combing and such because although it's in great health, I do see breakage from time to time. A few strands here and there, some long (sheds that dont worry me) and clearly breakage - ranging from sometimes 3 inches to tiny pieces. I just dont think it's something that will ever completely stop since my hair is relaxed and fine. But no more GOBBS of hair in brushes or combs when I do my hair. I actually used to think that was normal....nono:

 

[prospurr4]

I thank God that my progress has been steady. I've got a very simple regimen that works for my texlaxed hair, and I'm satisfied with my current length and thickness. Barring any setbacks, I am on track to reach waistlength by Christmas. I've learned to do simple, low-manipulation, protective styles that look great on me, while keeping my hair healthy. I "know" my hair better than I ever have before, and it's such a great feeling to be beyond the trial and error stage of hair care. I really have no complaints.

I just love my hair!

 

[BlueEra]

Well, my hair is growing, I must admit that. But it's not growing as fast as I wish it would. It's still short in my eyes.

What makes it worse is that I am seeing a lot of my friends and relatives who cut their hair to chin length over the summer with SL hair now. It took me over a year to reach SL. And now their hair is longer than mine in a matter of 6-7 months. It's really depressing.

So yeah, I'm glad that it's at least growing...

 

[malibu4590]

I feel really good about my progress. I found my staple products and a solid regimen after a year of trial and error and am satisfied with my growth and retention. I'm scheduled to get a touch-up on March 2nd, which would put me at 13.5 weeks, and I'm excited to finally take some straight hair pics. I normally depict my progress on damp, air-drying hair but that never truly shows how much length is gained. So, to sum it all up...I am happy

 

[Imani]

Good
Its growing. My hair always grows. I rarely have problems with growth. esp if i'm exercising and taking vitamins it grows fairly quickly.

I found someone who can cut hair pretty good. my ends are even now

Its long enough to do a decent braid out or straw set now

ETA: My stress spot in the back actually has some hair there. its thin but at least something is there. last year i was almost bald in that spot.

Found a stylist who is willing to texlax my hair. So i'm excited about that. hopefully perhaps this will allow my hair to retain some of its natural moisture and elasticity.

Bad
But whats the use of all the growth if it just breaks off?? Breakage, breakage, breakage. I've tried everything under the sun and my hair is still stiff, dry, and very porous cut back on protein, been doing deep moisturizing conditioners, and its still dry like straw.

 

[fivetimestwo]

I was feeling okay, but I made myself face the fact that I had some bad ends that had to come off.These "bad ends" were essentially what was left from my highlights almost 2 years ago.

So I am no longer grazing BSL because I had to trim. I put it off as long as I could (I don't think I trimmed at all in '07, just dusting splits as a saw them). I lost about an inch all over and 2" in some places (hey, my hair was never even anyway ).

I do feel better now that my ends aren't so tangled and see through. I'm trying to keep my head up...it'll grow back erplexed

 

[locabouthair]

THE BAD
-I just went to a new stylist and she overprocessed me. I dont think she washed the relaxer out well and 80% of my nape is broken off to the new growth
-Along with my nape my sides are very damaged. Some parts are barely two inches long
-The sides of my hair are ear length and the back is shoulder. Not a good look
-My ends are very thin and I need to cut off three inches
-because of all the damage I can only wear my hair in a updo. So i look like a librarian everyday. I would even dare wearing my hair down you think wth all this protective styling my hair would be down to my butt.
-My hair is sooooooooooooo dry. DC doesnt work for me. I might as well use shampoo and call it a day. Even my mother has started to notice how dry it looks.
-My hair has been breaking for the past 2/3 months. I have yet to figure out why.
-Just got a trim a mnth ago and I need another one.

THE GOOD
-some of the sides are barely two inches but that's more than what was there before
-The nape that is broken off has fuzzy pathes so I know it will grow back and when I wear it up I can hide the damage pretty well. People tell me my hair looks so thick when I wear it up but when it's down it's a whole nother story.
-Although my hair is really damaged, at least I can wear it up, before when my hair was damaged all I could do was wear it slicked back.
-When my hair progresses, it will definitely be a rags to riches story
Overall, my hair is not doing well but it can be so much worse.

Since this post, I cut my hair. I havent made progress with length but since I got the cut, my hair looks a lot better. My nape is still damaged but overall my hair looks better. I can wear it down without feeling ashamed. check out my album for pics...

 

[SunnyDelight]

I haven't started taking progress pictures yet so it is hard to "see" growth. Plus I'm transitioning so the new growth is shrunken. However, I have a regimine, I understand and listen to my hair better and above all, my hair feels sooooooooooo good right now. It's soft, supple and definitely thicker than pre LHCF.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty darned good about my hair progress.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

I'm quite pleased with my hair right now. I'm about 10.5 months post texlaxer, and my hair is doing well. I haven't decided what I really want to do with it, but for now, I'm enjoying it. I gave myself a fairly aggressive trim about 2 weeks ago, and I'm looking forward to hacking off more next month.

I've observed that it's going to be increasingly important for me to keep up my protein treatments as my line of demarcation grows out and I trim more and more off.

I'm completely happy with my length too! I always thought I would be one of those who kept changing my length goals, but I'm about 2" past BSL, and I love this length.

 

[HAIRapy]

Some days I feel really good, other days I'm discouraged. I just wish I could feel the hair of others on here with my same texture to see how it SHOULD actually feel. Some days I'm thinking that it's not supposed to feel like this. It also seems that no matter what I do, I cannot get my hair to stop being so dry.

 

[shelly25]

My hair progress is going ok. My hair isn't really dry like it used to be. I still have raggedy ends that I really don't wanna cut off, but I think I'm gonna have to. If I cut the ends off, I'd probably be at chin length (I'm at SL now) and I don't want to be that short. Baggying helps but it doesn't help. I'm at 10 weeks post relaxer and it's going well. Cowashing is definitely helping and I am so glad I started doing that.

 

[janeemat]

I'm pretty pleased with my hair right now. It's rather healthy and is growing. A year ago in January I was neck length and now I'm approaching APL. So that's really good. I'm learning so much about my hair, so I'm enjoying the ride.

 

[Creatividual]

My process is going ok. It could be better but I am getting there.

2007, my hair was healthy but after I joined her in April, Iwas trying so many things and was constantly switching products; you know, jumpin on the latest bandwagons. I was in search of the products that would work harmoniously to increase the health, look, feel, and length of my hair.

In the new year, I added doing scalp massages with Amla Gold hair oil the night be fore my wash days and my hair and NG seem to really like that. In the new year I also tried out the shikakai shampoo bar which I really like but I have found that it causes my hair to build up over time. erplexed So I had to nix it and found another shampoo that I'm liking: JASON sea kelp moisturizing shampoo.

I'm pondering to hold onto my ends till once I'm past BSL n cut it back to BSL or trim now. I don't think I will make BSL by April anymore. I think it will be more like the end of summer but it's all good. It has been a huge learning process. I'm pretty much locked in what products I'm using now (still on the prowl for a good dominican conditioner rinse)-no more bandwagons. I'm hoping to be WL sometime in 2009. And the journey continues!

 

[aloof one]

I'm OK I guess. I want to BC more than anyone has ever wanted to BC. But I don't have the length to feel comfortable.

I gave up hair-typing myself because it really is changing too much as it grows out.

I am still experimenting with products a lot even though I already know whats right for me I keep thinking I'll find something better or just as good.

I cut about 2-3 inches off of my hair in December and now I am getting back toward being close to APL again. I think I have about 2 inches or less to go. I haven't had any problems with split ends since the cut and they look good so far, so I don't plan on trimming for at least another month if I do at all before May.

I saw naturallady's hair after she texturized... and now I want to as soon as I'm natural if not before. I probably wont but I'm considering it again.

 

[sareca]

I'm ready to lose my overprocessed (i.e., straight) ends. I cut off an inch and loved it, but there's another 1.5 inches that needs to be cut before my hair will make ringlets on the ends.

On the upside, I'm on target for making BSL by December even with another inch trim. I think I'll hang on to them until then.

 

[ddean]

I'm pretty happy with my progress...my hair is thicker, healthier and easier to manage...I have a pretty solid regimen and have found my staple products. My biggest complaint is that my hair grows slow...I just started taking biotin, so hopefully that'll speed things up.

 

[Evazhair]

I am very satisfied. I am to the point where I know what works for me.I have isolated the causes of my previous problems and found solutions. This winter has been the proof in the pudding because my hair has continued to do well, and my ends remain healthy. I am so proud of myself. As long as I don't slack, stray from the formula or just start straight rough handling my hair, I am good.

 

[Dayjoy]

I'm not sure.
GOOD
I have learned a lot here
I have all the products I should ever need
My hair is not in bad condition
I can do a lot myself

BAD
I depend on my SHS for my texlax and I don't plan on doing that myself. She is great with haircare but the cutting is making me think about looking elsewhere. After a successful 13 week stretch my progress was all "trimmed" off even though my ends were "not bad." This kind of got me down about my hair.


That's okay. New plan: REFUSE to allow any scissors near my hair and protective styling 90% of the time. I should still reach APL by 12/31/08 with this and my new Biotin. I'm starting to feel pretty good!!