Stuck at a length

[FemmeFatale]

Do you ever feel like your hair is meant just be at a certain length? I've been trying to get to BSL for a while now and it just seems like my hair just wants to stay at APL. I wear protective styles 95% of the time (installs) and my hair is healthy and thick but it just doesn't want to get past that length. I get my ends dusted every 3-6 months and my hair grows a lot so I know that isn't the issue. I keep my hair levels balanced w/ Joico and ORS conditioners and I get a touchup every 3 months. I just don't get it.

 

[Lilmama1011]

Yeah, I feel like I'm stuck at shoulder length but I found out why! It was because I trimmed every time I got a relaxer and obsessed over blunt ends, so my progress I was actually chopping off every 6 weeks

 

[longhairdreaming]

I too am stuck...stuck in SL purgatory. Always an inch or so away from APL but never there. Though I wear my hair in low maintenance and protective styles I'm going to put in some kinky twists for a couple months to see if it helps. I also am going to use Njoy's sulphur mix and see if that helps at all. It's just so frustrating.

 

[Urban]

I'm stuck at bsl. For me, it's because my ends tangle up and there is nothing I can do but cut them. I need to figure out how to stop the tangling. I keep my hair stretched in protective styles like braids or twists. Sometimes buns. I'm not too sure what to do anymore.

I'm natural by the way.

 

[CarLiTa]

Let's not talk about how my hair was stuck at APL for a good year and a half a good 9 inches. Vanished because of tangled followed by deep trims every 3-4 months.

I'm also natural. I've realized that twists and twistouts aren't good for growing my hair out. My hair is fine and tangles very very easily. Wash and go styles are the devil, and then my hair can't handle all the manipulation from twist outs.

What helps is keeping my hair stretched. Doing flexi rods helps get my hair very smooth and straight, and other than putting them in, they are low-manipulation. That's what I'm going for to get my hair to waist length. I'm now around BSL.

 

[Marand13]

It seemed like it took forever and a day the first time I made it to BSL. But when I look back in all reality I was actually right where I should have been.

This time around it seemed like time flew between APL & BSL. IDK.

I think for me the first time, since I never had hair that long it just didn't seem like it would ever happen, until it finally did. And the second time, I think I learned not to watch and obsess over it as much.

 

[FemmeFatale]

I don't know I just feel like my hair has a cycle or something, because I just don't get it. At the rate that my hair grows underneath the installs I should be damn near WL..My ends are always protected and I make sure to treat them very delicately when taking down my installs.

 

[FemmeFatale]

Hmm I'll try to incorporate something different to the routine. Hiding my hair is what got me out of the SL rut and I gave my nape a good break from all the tension from buns and ponytails.

 

[Poohbear]

Yes, all the time, and I hate thinking about it. My hair is still APL. I want mid-back length. I just don't understand why it won't grow or retain growth to that length. I'm starting to think that my hair grows to a certain length and then sheds, and the cycle continues throughout all my hair strands.

 

[Rufigirl]

Let's not talk about how my hair was stuck at APL for a good year and a half a good 9 inches. Vanished because of tangled followed by deep trims every 3-4 months.

I'm also natural. I've realized that twists and twistouts aren't good for growing my hair out. My hair is fine and tangles very very easily. Wash and go styles are the devil, and then my hair can't handle all the manipulation from twist outs.

What helps is keeping my hair stretched. Doing flexi rods helps get my hair very smooth and straight, and other than putting them in, they are low-manipulation. That's what I'm going for to get my hair to waist length. I'm now around BSL.

I feel you my hair does not like being out of a protective style, i am able to grow my hair to a SL (ever since it was me) then i will lose all that length in just 2 weeks of wearing my hair out in winter a week is enough

 

[chantall214]

6/7/12

I seem to be stuck here with my nape touching bsl but those damn layers are killing my buzz. And I know my hair as a whole should be longer by now. It's probably hard to tell where the hair actually rests in this picture because of the jacket, but it gives a good idea of what I mean though.

 

[rririla]

Let's not talk about how my hair was stuck at APL for a good year and a half a good 9 inches. Vanished because of tangled followed by deep trims every 3-4 months.

I'm also natural. I've realized that twists and twistouts aren't good for growing my hair out. My hair is fine and tangles very very easily. Wash and go styles are the devil, and then my hair can't handle all the manipulation from twist outs.

What helps is keeping my hair stretched. Doing flexi rods helps get my hair very smooth and straight, and other than putting them in, they are low-manipulation. That's what I'm going for to get my hair to waist length. I'm now around BSL.

[USER][/USER]CarLiTa^^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE!!!!! It sounds like we have the same problem, fine tangly hair....so do you use your flexi rods on wet hair? and how are you getting ''smooth and straight'' sets from them, do you use a setting lotion or sitting under a dryer?...I know I sound super thirsty right now but I am really interested in doing this....Just want to know the basics before I go wasting my time....LOL....TIA!!!

 

[ScorpioLove]

i've been stuck between apl and bsl for a long time. and it was because of matted hair that kept occurring. my fine strands just love to stick together and make dreads. I gained thickness but barely any length over the past year and a half.

my solution is to detangle more often and I stopped my attempt at transitioning and i made my texlaxed hair straighter. ten years from now when I'm a mom or something, i could just BC or remain relaxed.. depends.

But it is easier for my hair to have progress for now if I keep it straight.

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

FemmeFatale

Are your installs sew-in's?
How long have you been at your current length?
I can't tell on my cell if you're relaxed or natural (it doesn't show siggys or profile pics).

From July 2010 to April 2011, I remained at APL until I made a drastic change.....

 

[Evolving78]

are you natural or relaxed because you stated you get touch ups every three months. your hair is growing, but why are you waiting so long to trim/dust and how much are you taking off?

 

[Quest4healthyhair]

Same thing is happening to me. I make it to APL and never past that. I get a trim and I'm above APL. Not sure what to do.

 

[FemmeFatale]

are you natural or relaxed because you stated you get touch ups every three months. your hair is growing, but why are you waiting so long to trim/dust and how much are you taking off?

I'm relaxed and I get a touch up every 12 weeks. I trim it that often because I figure that it's braided up most of the time the ends shouldn't need dusting that often. I only takes .25" off

 

[LightEyedMami]

Thats how i feel right now just plain STUCK, but i have decided to not measure so much. As they say "a watched pot never boils", so i will continue to deep condition and moisterize, and drink lots of water, also i have made some changes lately that have seemed to help alot and hopefully measuring every few months (instead of every 2 weeks)...By december i will be at or past BSL... I BETTER be, thats only 2 inches away for me, so if i dont something is up erplexed

 

[ScorpioLove]

@FemmeFatale

Are your installs sew-in's?
How long have you been at your current length?
I can't tell on my cell if you're relaxed or natural (it doesn't show siggys or profile pics).

From July 2010 to April 2011, I remained at APL until I made a drastic change.....

what did you do? if you don't mind me asking.. You have some really great progress. I'm made changes to my reggie and I hope it pays off

 

[Poohbear]

Let's not talk about how my hair was stuck at APL for a good year and a half a good 9 inches. Vanished because of tangled followed by deep trims every 3-4 months.

I'm also natural. I've realized that twists and twistouts aren't good for growing my hair out. My hair is fine and tangles very very easily. Wash and go styles are the devil, and then my hair can't handle all the manipulation from twist outs.

What helps is keeping my hair stretched. Doing flexi rods helps get my hair very smooth and straight, and other than putting them in, they are low-manipulation. That's what I'm going for to get my hair to waist length. I'm now around BSL.

I think the bolded may be my problem too. I try to ignore it and embrace the natural hair styles thinking in my mind that they are better for my hair than using heat, but I've been going back and forth with this for years!!! I know when I had relaxed hair, I never had single strand knots, matted hair, nor splits. I'm thinking all that twisting for twistouts and letting my hair shrink up is what causes knots. Also wash n gos cause knots from my hair strands curling around each other tying a knot. Then these knots cause splits among my hair strands from friction, and then the splits cause matted hair.

I find that my hair does better when my ends are smoothed out, whether it's straightened from a flat iron or curled from a roller/rod. If I don't feel like straightening my hair, I may need to start just leaving my hair in curls from either rollers or flexirods like you.

CarLiTa - do you have any comparison pics? and do you have any pics of your hair in flexirods before and after?

 

[RegaLady]

Let's not talk about how my hair was stuck at APL for a good year and a half a good 9 inches. Vanished because of tangled followed by deep trims every 3-4 months.

I'm also natural. I've realized that twists and twistouts aren't good for growing my hair out. My hair is fine and tangles very very easily. Wash and go styles are the devil, and then my hair can't handle all the manipulation from twist outs.

What helps is keeping my hair stretched. Doing flexi rods helps get my hair very smooth and straight, and other than putting them in, they are low-manipulation. That's what I'm going for to get my hair to waist length. I'm now around BSL.

This sounded like me for the last 6 months. I twisted my natural hair like crazy and it didn't seem to retain well. Since bunning, I have been making great progress!

 

[HolisticHoney]

I'm natural also and I found that twisting is just not my style. They shrink up too much and are an open door for single strand knots. Same with a wash and go.

My go to style are braids and braid outs. I find that braid my hair stretches it more at the roots and the ends.

I also do regular henna treatments so this stretches my hair also and prevents my ends from curling up on themselves.

OP, sometimes you have to change your routine if you current routine is not showing any progress. Maybe installs just aren't what your hair needs to retain length.
How long to you wear your sew-ins?

 

[tenderheaded]

I'm gonna put this out there - a hair guru states that her hair grows 5-6 inches per year, she doesn't cut, and yet she states her hair remains 15-18 inches long because of her growth cycle, which is 3 years.

Can a "growth cycle" be the cause of being stuck?????

 

[beautyintheyes]

I'm gonna put this out there - a hair guru states that her hair grows 5-6 inches per year, she doesn't cut, and yet she states her hair remains 15-18 inches long because of her growth cycle, which is 3 years.

Can a "growth cycle" be the cause of being stuck?????

No because every hair is in different points in the hair cycles at different times ... If that wasn't the case all our hair would grow at the same time and fall out at the same time

 

[yaya24]

pre_medicalrulz

Please share your drastic change that helped you get over your hair length rut.

 

[CarLiTa]

Poohbear, rririla, here are pix of my hair in flexi rods.





ETA: pix removed


This one is my very first flexi rod earlier this year. That is why I am cheesing I don't use setting lotion. I've only used the ecostyler olive oil gel along with a teeny amount of shea moisture (I don't really like that product) and my own butter mix.
I think I dried this one under the dryer, but I actually prefer the results when I airdry overnight. My hair feels suuuuuper soft. It's still soft with the dryer, but there's a bit of hardness to it, maybe because the gel is hardening too? Dunno.



This one is a few days later. I was in a dance group and this is before one of our performances. I really like how big my hair got. It also had a lot of movement there.

Hope this is helpful! I'm going to try to stay diligent about doing the flexi rods more often. Fine natural hair has its own set of challenges.

 

[CarLiTa]

What's been infuriating is that I think my hair has a really good growth rate. It sucks that every 3 months or so, I'm trimming a good inch of hair Sometimes I've thought about going back to relaxing because it was much easier to grow my hair out back then. My natural hair requires a lot of effort. I just can't do what other can.

I got a trim at the salon yesterday and when I got home, I trimmed a little bit more. Some strands in a particular area still looked like they needed to go I wanna start on the right foot and keep scraggly ends at bay. I will not be stuck at BSL. No way no how.

 

[CarLiTa]

[USER][/USER]CarLiTa^^^^^THIS RIGHT HERE!!!!! It sounds like we have the same problem, fine tangly hair....so do you use your flexi rods on wet hair? and how are you getting ''smooth and straight'' sets from them, do you use a setting lotion or sitting under a dryer?...I know I sound super thirsty right now but I am really interested in doing this....Just want to know the basics before I go wasting my time....LOL....TIA!!!

Oh, and yes, I use them on wet hair. The hair gets super smooth except at my crown, which is generally frizzier regardless. I've thought about starting the flexi rods there to not give the crown the chance to dry in its usual frizzy state, but haven't tried that yet.

 

[Poohbear]

Thanks CarLiTa for sharing your pics. Yes, it was helpful. The next time I wash my hair, I may try setting my hair with flexirods. I have the gray colored ones. That's interesting that you use Ecostyler Olive Oil Gel to set your curls. I have a big tub of that gel too and will try it with my hair to see how it turns out.

 

[LoveCraze]

Oh, and yes, I use them on wet hair. The hair gets super smooth except at my crown, which is generally frizzier regardless. I've thought about starting the flexi rods there to not give the crown the chance to dry in its usual frizzy state, but haven't tried that yet.

I haven't tried this out yet myself, but I heard that if you place your hair in ponytails first and then flexi-rod the ends, this should help stretch your roots and prevent it from frizzing. Maybe you can try that at your crown.
I need to get into using my flexi-rods more. I don't know what my current length is because I haven't checked. I was less than an inch from APL at last look about 3 mths ago. But I think my hair is on the slow grow bus.