Spinoff: How Long Must One Use A (Growth) Product.......

[LocksOfLuV]

Before the reviews are seen as "accurate?" I just wanna know.

What is the length of time that someone should use a product before you can believe them about the claims made? Why?

Or it does it even matter? Will you take their word for it? Or will you never believe a growth product no matter how long one uses it?

 

[StrawberryQueen]

IMO (as someone who doesn'tuse growth accelerants excpts vits), would say take pics and document your hair growth for 6 months (using healthy haircare practices) and then 6 months use of said product (using the same healthy hair care practices) and then compare the photos. You should have your answer right there.

A lot of folks attribute growth to product X, when in reality they only see the growth that would naturally come in that time period, but they're just checking extra hard for it.

Or folks start to take better care of their hair overall, and attribute their hair growth to the product, and not to better haircare practices.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dee-Licious]

To me I say it should take AT LEAST 3 months when dealing with a growth-aid. ALL products take more than one use to give an accurate evaluation. 3 months gives one enough time to see if it's actualy progress or in their head/expectations.

I agree with SQ, document your progress. And it doesn't have anything to do with wanting to be anoymous. You can block out your face. Also, you could just take pics of the back of your hair (a before and an after). SIMPLE.


Hell I don't know anybody here in real life, so I have no way of knowing if they are a liar or not, so proof is nice .

 

[RZILYNT]

Good question....... I would say good documentation from a lot of people showing how long they used the product to get the results that they achieved and pictures.
Of course if it is in a controlled environment that would help too. So many of us are doing so many "other" things differently even if we are using some of the same products. Kinda like what companies do before putting New RX drugs out on the market. Test test test...



My 2 cents

RZ~

 

[cutiebe2]

good to know! I have be using MTG since I started on LHCF so I will stop using growth aids/ strong vits to document my natural growth. I agree that that is the only fair way to prove your growth (unless you have some other form or solid proof)

 

[Cichelle]

There are so many intervening variables that it's hard to know even if one documents. But pics go a long way, especially ones like SQ described. Show your hair growth over a few months without the product and then for a few months with the product. But some people just don't have progress pics to show the "without product" part.

I'm not usually investigating people's growth claims because I don't use growth aids at this point. However, it does occur to me that it takes a minute or two to really know if a product works. This counts even for conditioner and stuff. There have been times when I thought a conditioner was the best I ever used, but in a month or so it all goes wrong.

 

[shynessqueen]

Before the reviews are seen as "accurate?" I just wanna know.

What is the length of time that someone should use a product before you can believe them about the claims made? Why?

Or it does it even matter? Will you take their word for it? Or will you never believe a growth product no matter how long one uses it?

It does not matter to me. I have found what works for me and I'm sticking with it.

C & G will be my way to MBL.

 

[Dee-Licious]

There are so many intervening variables that it's hard to know even if one documents. But pics go a long way, especially ones like SQ described. Show your hair growth over a few months without the product and then for a few months with the product. But some people just don't have progress pics to show the "without product" part.

I'm not usually investigating people's growth claims because I don't use growth aids at this point. However, it does occur to me that it takes a minute or two to really know if a product works. This counts even for conditioner and stuff. There have been times when I thought a conditioner was the best I ever used, but in a month or so it all goes wrong.

so true. Ya'll are right on the documenting of growth without the product. Because like for me, for some reason I'm at 7 weeks but my newgrowth is so out of control I actually have corkscrews in my head... I could damn near BC if i wanted to go natural.

What can I account for my accelearted growth? Nothing. That's what I've been doing since my last relaxer because I've been lazy. Now I might have oiled my scalp once during this stretch, but my accelerated growth just occurred naturally. I wonder if anyone takes this into account with their success stories?

 

[Dee-Licious]

double post

 

[LocksOfLuV]

I say if you don't even have any pics or documentation don't even bother. But I know people really just want to share their progress with other Black women, so I can't hate on that.

You just have to be careful with these types of things...


Bumping.

 

[justsimply]

I would say about 2 months. But progress would have to be monitored during the same season, following the same routine with only one "growth aid" used and showing "with" and "without" progress pic ... you know, like day 1 without, then day 30 without, day 1 with then day 30 with. This is what it will take for me to believe that one thing is contributing to my growth/retention.

Now I'm seeing a lot of progress (for me), but now I'm washing frequently 2-3X a week, deep conditioning each time, baggying, not using direct heat, taking vitamins, moisturizing at least 2X daily. These are things I've never done in the past. So I can't contribute the retention and growth to any 1 thing right now.

 

[lana]

Hmm, this topic just made me think about how everyone jumped on Surge way back when...remember that? Then MTG came along and everyone jumped on that too....

How come we never hear from any original surge users? If it worked that well why aren't they still using it?

Surge burned my scalp and neck (not too severly, but enough to cause pain) and I learned my lesson. I let my hair grow the natural way.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

Ideally, 3 months of 'regular growth' pics + 3 months of growth on the product.

 

[B_Phlyy]

I'd say about 2 months and definitely provide pictures. I started using a growth aide in February, and I have pics before I started and plan on taking pics in a few days since I've stopped using the product to see if I've made progress. Nothing else in my regimen changed (I don't take vitamins nor was I using any other growth product), so I can honestly say anything that happened was due to the use of the product.

 

[RubyWoo]

Great topic! Honestly, I really think it depends on how one chooses to use a product that will dictate how long a product should be used to determine if the product is worth it's name. I agree with alot of the ladies here that there should pics documented w/o growth aids and pics documented w/a growth aid(s). Ideally, 3-6 months is sufficient if one is looking to use a growth aid to accelerate their hair growth.

However, personally I'm looking for short term results because I would use a growth aid to fill in my right temple (resulting from 'too tight' braid damage last year). In that case, I just want to see 30 days/month and pics done on a weekly basis. I don't plan to use it on long term basis so I don't expect to see long term results. It's pretty straight forward where I'll see an area with very little hair before and then significant growth or possibly completly filled in where there is clearly a difference in the pics.

There are exceptions where I'll accept a before and after pic based on a shorter period of time as sufficient. In addition, it would also appear to me that the growth isn't 'normal'(imo) growth based on the pics, the time and the poster's own words.

I purchased some BT for this purpose and I definitely plan to document my progress on a weekly basis.

 

[foxy kc]

I think 3 months of using the growth aid should be enough....but that growth aid should be the only thing that has changed with your hair care/vitamin routine. e.g if you flat iron everyday without a heat protectant and don't take vitamins prior to using the growth aid, you should continue to flat iron daily without a heat protectant and not take vitamins while using the growth aid............. this is the only way I think you can actually attribute any progress to the growth aid.

And of course pictures of when you first began and then after the 3 month period.....it would also help if you had pictures of growth prior to the growth aid.

It would also help to know your hair....what time of year do you have growth sputs, shedding etc. Because what you may think is the result of a growth aid, may actually be the time of year that you normally will have a growth spurt.

 

[PinkPeony]

IMO (as someone who doesn'tuse growth accelerants excpts vits), would say take pics and document your hair growth for 6 months (using healthy haircare practices) and then 6 months use of said product (using the same healthy hair care practices) and then compare the photos. You should have your answer right there.

A lot of folks attribute growth to product X, when in reality they only see the growth that would naturally come in that time period, but they're just checking extra hard for it.

Or folks start to take better care of their hair overall, and attribute their hair growth to the product, and not to better haircare practices.

Just my 2 cents.

I agree with everything you said Strawberry.

 

[PinkPeony]

so true. Ya'll are right on the documenting of growth without the product. Because like for me, for some reason I'm at 7 weeks but my newgrowth is so out of control I actually have corkscrews in my head... I could damn near BC if i wanted to go natural.

What can I account for my accelearted growth? Nothing. That's what I've been doing since my last relaxer because I've been lazy. Now I might have oiled my scalp once during this stretch, but my accelerated growth just occurred naturally. I wonder if anyone takes this into account with their success stories?

My thoughts exactly

 

[Snoopy83]

IMO (as someone who doesn'tuse growth accelerants excpts vits), would say take pics and document your hair growth for 6 months (using healthy haircare practices) and then 6 months use of said product (using the same healthy hair care practices) and then compare the photos. You should have your answer right there.

A lot of folks attribute growth to product X, when in reality they only see the growth that would naturally come in that time period, but they're just checking extra hard for it.

Or folks start to take better care of their hair overall, and attribute their hair growth to the product, and not to better haircare practices.

Just my 2 cents.

When you put it that way that makes sense.