Taking initiative

[Cisselette]

Please allow me to tell a little story about myself:

A little more than a year ago, when I started my hair care journey, I stumbled across Rusticbeauty’s channel, that I’m sure many of you already know. (If not, there you go: http://www.youtube.com/user/rusticbeauty?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/21/_XGm-baNvl4)

I was mesmerized by the health, the thickness and the length of her hair :lovedrool:

Then she made a video that was titled “Taking initiative” in which she basically urged her subscribers to look for their own answers and experiment with their hair in order to successfully attain their hair goals. She said that people kept asking her how she grew her hair so long, to which she responded that the information was easily found on the internet.

I remember getting so mad about that answer that I left an angry comment and immediately unsubscribed.



I thought: “Really!! WHERE exactly do we learn how to grow afro hair this long?! Why can’t she just tell us what to do or what products to use?!” I thought she was being arrogant and unwilling to help.



But then, without even realizing it, I started googling every question I had about my hair since there were no naturals around me that could answer them, and I knew I didn’t want to go back to relaxers. That’s how I discovered LHCF amongst others forums, websites, blogs, youtube channels etc. I used to spend hours everyday reading threads, articles, watching tutorials, reviews and stalking fotkis.

I started bookmarking everything that I found interesting / relevant until I gathered an impressive database about hair. I also tried many tips and products, jumped on every bandwagon, saw great results, had setbacks, retained length, had breakage and so on...

Now, I’m still not an expert but I can say that I’ve learned quite a lot about black hair in general and the one that grows on my head especially. Right now I think I'm on the right track. I’ve learned to listen to what my hair wants and give it what it needs. I just basically take care of it and let it be.


A few months ago, I thought about Rusticbeauty again and finally understood what she meant. I sent her an e-mail to thank her and subscribed back.




So what about you? Given your life experience and/or the reasons that led to LHCF, do you think a woman can truly be inspired by someone else’s success or does it have to come from oneself in order to achieve long-lasting results?

 

[beautyaddict1913]

I know that it comes from my own experiments....The first thing I made when I started my HHJ was a Hair KWL List (What I KNOW about my hair, what I WANT to know, what I have LEARNED)....I've only been on the road for 4 months and there is hardly anything on my W list and I have recently begun research on ayurvedic herbs...I have learned that before I hop on any wagon I had better seek out all resources available to me....I pm members here, I read the EXTENSIVE threads, I look on youtube, I use google, I ask my friends...THEN I come to a reasonable conclusion...you have to be very proactive...If someone gives you a fish you eat for a day, if they teach you to fish you eat for a lifetime. Same goes for haircare...if someone gives you a tip it may work for the moment, if you learn how to seek out answers you can remain on the right track forever....great thread OP.

 

[Cisselette]

Bump! Bump!

 

[westNDNbeauty]

I know that it comes from my own experiments....The first thing I made when I started my HHJ was a Hair KWL List (What I KNOW about my hair, what I WANT to know, what I have LEARNED)....I've only been on the road for 4 months and there is hardly anything on my W list and I have recently begun research on ayurvedic herbs...I have learned that before I hop on any wagon I had better seek out all resources available to me....I pm members here, I read the EXTENSIVE threads, I look on youtube, I use google, I ask my friends...THEN I come to a reasonable conclusion...you have to be very proactive...If someone gives you a fish you eat for a day, if they teach you to fish you eat for a lifetime. Same goes for haircare...if someone gives you a tip it may work for the moment, if you learn how to seek out answers you can remain on the right track forever....great thread OP.

I'm all about teaching a [wo]man to fish! Thats the same reason I created my youtube page. It started with my braid n' curl tutorial. I was getting questioned about my hair, literally, everywhere I went, no matter if they were relaxed or natural, man or woman. So I decided to create a video on it at the suggestion of my cousin. Now, hopefully, I can cut down on the "can you do my hair like yours" requests....and just refer them to the video.

But of course Rustin Beauty is right, there is no one answer for growing hair long. What products and techniques worked for her may not be the same products and techniques that may work for you. It is definitely your business to take the initiative and find out what works best for you.