Spin-off: Long hair before the board

[Creatividual]

Hi guys!

Please don't dismiss the ladies who had long hair before joing LHCF Some times I get the feeling that people pay less attention to those ladies. Or, feel like they are here to show off or somethng. Some of us just adopted some healthy hair practices at a young age so what you see now is years or (for me) decades of constant deep conditioning, stretching, protective styles, etc.

I wrote this in another post but my damage phase(swimming daily+sun+blowdryer=damaged hair) happened at a young age and I spent nearly 5 year going to the salon weekly to correct the damage. My hair was so damaged it was falling out. But because I was a kid, I never chronicled my hair journey so i dont have any before or after pics to show. I continued to go to the salon until 2006, when I started doing my hair on my own.

But even then, I had learned some healthy hair habits (deep conditioning, wearing hair up, etc.). When I started doing my hair on my own, I picked up some more and my hair flourished in other ways (thickened up, got shinier, etc.).

Just wanted to let people know that not all of us come from good genes. My mom hair never made it past shoulder length, my dad is thinning and my brother is bald. Not one member of my extended family (mother and father's side) has EVER had long hair.

I dont know, just wanted to post on that. Any other ladies feel the same way?

If you were showing off, you CERTAINLY wouldn't be sharing with all us on here all your hair tips! I feel a sense of pride being on here seeing all these beautiful black women with long hair that caucasian and many of our own black people say we can't attain without weaves, extension, etc.

 

[winterinatl]

Hi guys!

Please don't dismiss the ladies who had long hair before joing LHCF Some times I get the feeling that people pay less attention to those ladies. Or, feel like they are here to show off or somethng. Some of us just adopted some healthy hair practices at a young age so what you see now is years or (for me) decades of constant deep conditioning, stretching, protective styles, etc.

I wrote this in another post but my damage phase(swimming daily+sun+blowdryer=damaged hair) happened at a young age and I spent nearly 5 year going to the salon weekly to correct the damage. My hair was so damaged it was falling out. But because I was a kid, I never chronicled my hair journey so i dont have any before or after pics to show. I continued to go to the salon until 2006, when I started doing my hair on my own.

But even then, I had learned some healthy hair habits (deep conditioning, wearing hair up, etc.). When I started doing my hair on my own, I picked up some more and my hair flourished in other ways (thickened up, got shinier, etc.).

Just wanted to let people know that not all of us come from good genes. My mom hair never made it past shoulder length, my dad is thinning and my brother is bald. Not one member of my extended family (mother and father's side) has EVER had long hair.

I dont know, just wanted to post on that. Any other ladies feel the same way?

Yes. My hair was also damaged, fried, and short due to improper care. I had a curly perm and swam twice a day, often neglecting to de-chlorinate and deep condition. Then I got braids to grow it out. They broke my hair off even more and i had to get a cut to about chin length.

I damaged my hair a couple of more times after that, but never to that extent. The last time I spent ten weeks in the rural mountains of Alaska where the water was very very VERY hard. And the air was dry. My shoulder length hair just kept breaking and breaking...and then I found the boards!! I am so glad!

 

[Softresses]

I totally agree with this post Macherie,

I felt a little funny about the statement in the other post. When I started lurking in 2003, My hair was a mess from a stylist experimenting on my hair because it was soft. I was tired of them overprocessing my hair. So I took control of it myself and began to grow it out. My Halle cut length that I started with was not in good condition until I started working on it.

I was to bashful to post pics and felt like my poorly cared for hair (pics) would not help anyone. The lack of pics should not imply that there was no struggle, nor that hard work was not involved.

Softresses

 

[LocksOfLuV]

I don't think they mean it in a bad way. I think people can feel more connected to someone who has turned their hair around.

I guess it is kinda like weightloss. It is great to take advice from someone who has always been skinny, but it feels different to speak with someone who has been exactly where you have been and came out on the other end..healthier, fit, etc.

You get the feeling that they know your "struggle" or have experienced it recently

Either way both are inspirations...just different

Ditto to the millionth power.

 

[Softresses]

Ditto to the millionth power.

I understand what you and Trimbride are saying. The thing is, it just feels like some forget that just because the rags to riches story did not play out in front of all the board members here, the person does not count, because they already had long (or healthy) hair, when the person in question may have accidently stumbled on good hair care methods on thier own and came to the boards to learn more and to share what they know.

Softresses

 

[Radianthealth]

I understand what you and Trimbride are saying. The thing is, it just feels like some forget that just because the rags to riches story did not play out in front of all the board members here, the person does not count, because they already had long (or healthy) hair, when the person in question may have accidently stumbled on good hair care methods on thier own and came to the boards to learn more and to share what they know.

Softresses

I am not saying anyone doesn't count....I take whatever inspiration I can get

 

[senimoni]

I see your point....this can go round and round but basically people are going to relate to who they relate to.

 

[Softresses]

I am not saying anyone doesn't count....I take whatever inspiration I can get

OH no, not you, that was a feeling I have gotten from some of the posts I have read in the past few days.

Softresses

 

[Sistaslick]

Bottom line is we need to give everybody (long, short, or in the middle) a lil respect and a decent chance to inspire us.

I don't have any further retorts to add to this thread.

 

[dlewis]

I have learn so much from "the long hairs" here and I'm grateful. I didn't have long hair when I came and every lady I pm'ed (except two) responded to me and was willing to help. I've never had anyone deny me access to their fotki and several have pm'ed me back asking if I found their advice helpful.

I don't dismis what anyone says if it makes sense. And I tired several things and have finally found a regimen that works for me.

I see what you're saying macherieamour.

 

[LocksOfLuV]

I see your point....this can go round and round but basically people are going to relate to who they relate to.

That was my point. I'm not gonna lie about it.

In any aspect of life that I can relate to, I am always gonna feel empathy and more passion for the people like me. And that is life.

I am not saying I don't respect the people who already had long hair at all. Like someone else said, they must have been doing something right. But my heart is where home is for me. And those people who are coming from where I am coming from has a little extra special place in my heart.

That's just how it is, and I don't mean to sound harsh and this isn't directed to anyone in particular but I feel that people don't have idolize one type of group if they don't want to. In the end it's a personal preference and it isn't hurtin' anyone.
PS: I am not saying I don't respect people who already had long hair (since it may come off that way) I was just making an honest point.

 

[macherieamour]

Thanks to everyone who responded! I was really nice to hear everyone's point of view I got a chance to see where a lot of people are coming from!

 

[Divake22]

I thought I always had "long" hair in the past. My hair journey began in 2000 when I moved to Turkey. (Backstory: my hair seemed like it stopped growing in 1997 after my big chop to a bob. I remember there was a time that I hated people commenting on my long hair, so I always had kept it intentionally short. But also, still had no clue about my hair, never washed it regularly, etc..) So when I moved to Turkey, since the water was very harsh and salons very cheap, I went to salons 2x a week. My hair grow to a little past shoulder length. I had nice length until 2004--even when I scaled back from 2x week washing to once (at this point I was 2 yrs post Turkey back in the states).

In spring of 2005, I was inspired by Beyonce beautiful hair color and ended up frying my hair by a white colorist. By time Dec 05, the back of my hair was broken hair and new growth wouldn't even take to heat or a relaxer. I had to cut everything off, like shorter than I had ever had in my life, into a charlize theron hair cut--which ended up really liking. I blindly (pre-LHCF) purchased like $400 worth of phyto products leading up to the Dec 05 chop until I reluctantly decided my hair could not be saved!

I found Cathy Howse in Jan 06 and like her prespective on growing hair. I pretty much remembered that when living in Turkey washing my hair twice a week, my hair needed and wanted that. What was missing was the daily moisturizing. My hair had always been porous/dry and ends ratty before relaxing at the 5 wk point. LHCF filled in the other piece, like how to maintain the ends that I was neglecting, even after reading Howse's book. All this to say is that I never had BSL hair, but thought APL was the zenith in hair performance. This site blew that paradigm to pieces, especially with the great tips and product reviews.

I don't really differeniate between people who always had long hair to those that didn't. Only by hair type, which is why Macherieamour is my hair inspiration!

 

[Divake22]

I thought I always had "long" hair in the past. My hair journey began in 2000 when I moved to Turkey. (Backstory: my hair seemed like it stopped growing in 1997 after my big chop to a bob. I remember there was a time that I hated people commenting on my long hair, so I always had kept it intentionally short. But also, still had no clue about my hair, never washed it regularly, etc..) So when I moved to Turkey, since the water was very harsh and salons very cheap, I went to salons 2x a week. My hair grow to a little past shoulder length. I had nice length until 2004--even when I scaled back from 2x week washing to once (at this point I was 2 yrs post Turkey back in the states).

In spring of 2005, I was inspired by Beyonce beautiful hair color and ended up frying my hair by a white colorist. By time Dec 05, the back of my hair was broken hair and new growth wouldn't even take to heat or a relaxer. I had to cut everything off, like shorter than I had ever had in my life, into a charlize theron hair cut--which ended up really liking. I blindly (pre-LHCF) purchased like $400 worth of phyto products leading up to the Dec 05 chop until I reluctantly decided my hair could not be saved!

I found Cathy Howse in Jan 06 and like her prespective on growing hair. I pretty much remembered that when living in Turkey washing my hair twice a week, my hair needed and wanted that. What was missing was the daily moisturizing. My hair had always been porous/dry and ends ratty before relaxing at the 5 wk point. LHCF filled in the other piece, like how to maintain the ends that I was neglecting, even after reading Howse's book. All this to say is that I never had BSL hair, but thought APL was the zenith in hair performance. This site blew that paradigm to pieces, especially with the great tips and product reviews.

I don't really differeniate between people who always had long hair to those that didn't. Only by hair type, which is why Macherieamour is my hair inspiration!

 

[bablou00]

This is a hair forum and you are going to get all walks of life on here. I think its inspirational no matter where you started. We all pretty much have the same goal in mind or we wouldnt be here. The ladies who started w/ long hair give me hope that one day I might have long hair too. However, I do relate to someone who I see now going through some of the things I am going thru as far as length and hair type. but I dont limit myself because everyone gives wonderful advice. When I show this site off (which is not often) I show the long haired ladies to let people know Im not crazy for stretching, washing a lot, etc... I also show ladies who have pics of short, damaged hair and now have long, thick, beautiful locks to show that it is possible.

 

[bravenewgirl87]

I trust the ladies who had long hair before they joined LHCF. I used to have crazy thick healthy hair beause I have an amazing stylist and braid tech. Since joining my university, I've had some hair mishaps, but LHCF teaches me a lot. Honestly, I think those are sometimes the best members to go to for advice because ya gotta wonder, "how in the heck did you keep your hair looking like that when the rest of the women are looking like who done did it and ran?"