Tips for maintaining length.

[Karonica]

Please feel free to add some tips for those of us who want to maintain our length. Currently, the back of my hair is about an inch away from surpassing the top of my bra-strap *dancing*, and I need advice on how to maintain this length! I haven't had hair this long in a while, and I don't want to do anything to screw myself up before the end of the summer challenge. Please help me! I'm afraid I'll do something stupid.

 

[NYCITY]

1. Moisturize! Moisturize!
2. Wear protective styles!
3. Use a good Protein Conditioner!
4. Keep Scalp clean!
5. Try not wrap hair too often!

 

[sweetcocoa]

I plan to keep on rinsing or shampooing(depending on my hair)daily and do the protective styles all summer. I even want the ends damp before I tuck them in. No heat or rollers what so ever(except for my roller set for my class reunion...this will be hard to do...but I will try...)Just steaming treatments with a hot wet towel when I deep condition. I am very determined to reach my goal by the end of the summer.

 

[Karonica]

So rollersets aren't healthy for hair? What if you airdried your hair with the rollersets? I am going to try a wetset tonight. The kind that leaves curls that you don't have to wrap everynight.

I got a trim on this past Saturday, and I must admit that though I was sad to see some length go (wasn't more than an inch, I don't think), I am glad I did it. Now, my hair looks thicker and less scraggly at the ends. And the hair is starting to curl better when I wear it wet. I may just start getting trims every 4-6 months now, so that I can avoid any setbacks from breakage at the ends (which would later result in more trimming).

 

[sweetcocoa]

No I feel they are...what I was saying is I'm not doing ANY heat...not even for rollersets...which are the only way I do them. I don't have the patience or the time to wait all day for my hair to dry on rollers. It's hard enough under a dryer.

 

[Karonica]

Okay, I gotcha. Thanks!

I wouldn't be surprised if my wetset takes 3 days to dry without any heat. Grief.

 

[Kaela]

For those of you that rinse daily and airdry how do you avoid your ends getting that crunchy balled up look?

 

[NAY007]

always be gentle with your hair, oil and moisturize it, always deep condition, wash on a regular basis, don't wear your hair in the same protective style day in day out (it can lead to breakage).

 

[Lucia]

[ QUOTE ]
1. Moisturize! Moisturize!
2. Wear protective styles!
3. Use a good Protein Conditioner!
4. Keep Scalp clean!
5. Try not wrap hair too often!

[/ QUOTE ]
I couldn't have said it better myself.
6. Conditioner rinses every other day in hot weather-shampoo when need at least 1x week. Airdry=

Heat=

 

[Karonica]

For me, when I rinse and airdry, I don't mind how the ends turn out, just as long as there is some kinda wave pattern throughout the hair. My ends tend to curl up anyway, so this isn't much of a problem for me.

Maybe you can try pinning up your hair after rinsing it, so that it dries without curling up too much, if that's what you mean.

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

Hi NYCITY,

Could you please tell me why you should avoid wrapping your hair too often?

Thanks.

 

[NYCITY]

PrettyBrownEyes
I think if u wrap ur hair too often it will just can ur end to get thinner. Although i do wrap my hair, some nights I just put it in a bun, maybe after 3-4 days

 

[Paris Belle]

PrettyBrown Eyes-wrapping can thin your hair out if you do it too much..

In addition to what everyone else said, I would add to make sure when you condition your hair to put A LOT on your ends because it is the oldest part of the hair (I would say the last 3" need the most conditioner)..I began doing this for the past month and I've noticed a huge difference..

Stay away from scissor-happy stylists..I don't think anyone said this one..

 

[Emmi]

for me...

an insane amount of water
zero heat
hair soak everyday
wash every 3 days
not too many products
keep ends nice and tidy

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

Thanks NYCITY and CarmenRose, I'll cut back on the wrapping.

 

[Kitkat]

[ QUOTE ]
In addition to what everyone else said, I would add to make sure when you condition your hair to put A LOT on your ends because it is the oldest part of the hair (I would say the last 3" need the most conditioner)..I began doing this for the past month and I've noticed a huge difference..

Stay away from scissor-happy stylists..I don't think anyone said this one..

[/ QUOTE ]

I never thought of concentrating conditioner on the ends of my hair. Thanks for a good tip, CarmenRose. I'm gonna have to try this one out.

Supergirl swears by avoiding scissor happy stylists - I think it's in her signature!

 

[Paris Belle]

Yes, I think that's where I spotted it, in Supergirls' signature, and it is sooohhh true..I had a heck of time with one stylist who would cut off all of my hard work every 6-8 weeks..My hair actually got shorter with her..

Now I use the

on a bad stylist..

Concentrating the conditioner on the ends was something posted on this board and other sites..Apparently women of other culture's do it a lot..But I always use a lot of conditioner on all of my hair, only now more on the ends..

 

[Toya]

What is the suggestion if hair is too short to be put up...What do you do to it if you are interested in daily rinses..?

 

[Tracy]

Kaela,

Serums on my ends help with the "crunchy, balled up" look. I use much more product when I airdry than when I rollerset for jsut this reason - my ends. A leave in, a serum, a styling creme and a curl enhancing spray.

And DON'T touch! Like, AT ALL....it disturbs your natural curl pattern. I tie a scarf around my edges like a headband and leave my hair alone for an hour and ahlf. I try to to touch it or LET anything touch it. Bare shoulders and a scarf is all it gets.

If you airdry it in a bun it's hard to avoid having your ends "ball up" but they don't have to be crunchy if you choose the right products for your hair. Mine work for me, but some ladies here live and breather S-curl....some like oil. Some people use straight glycerin...

Perhaps that might help you?

 

[elliot]

Tracy,

What is the brand name of the serums that you use? Thanks!
Elliot

 

[Faith]

So Tracy, serums are good for getting the ends to look less frizzy. Like when I flatiron? TIA

 

[Faith]

Bump! Which serum did you use? Thanks

 

[Tracy]

Sorry y'all - I forgot I posted here - does anyone do that?

I am in love with Keracare Silken Seal right now (Faith you might like it for blowdrying and/or flatironing because it supposed to be for that purpose primarily - I just use it to add shine and protect my ends when I wear it curly) it's supposed to be a blowdry serum - so I never bothered with it because I never blowdry - but once I did buy it I found that it's lovely for both defining curls AND smoothing the ends in rollersets. It's a great all purpose serum all around. I don't use it on dry hair because it's too heavy for me for that kind of use, but on wet hair it's off the chain. I'll never go back....

I only hope I can find it for a decent price going forward because the place I purchased it bumped up their price because SOMEONE thought it would be a good idea to let them KNOW that it was underpriced and now they're trippin'! Ahem! Ahem! Ah - BRH - em! LOL!

But it is good and, truthfully, I'll pay what I have to because for me it's a staple.

 

[Karonica]

Gosh, Toya, I have not a clue.

I'm guessing that with the daily rinses, once you're done, you can slick your hair back. Some people may throw in some gel or any other product and leave it at that. I water my hair and scrunch for waves. I may add some moisturizer or activator or shea butter, or nothing at all, depending on what I'm trying to achieve.

I have a tip I've discovered. Avoid combing and brushing hair when it isn't necessary. I'm enjoying the benefits of finger combing (not having to go

when I see a ton of hair in a comb or brush). Also, find a good comb. I wasted my money on that stupid Revostyler, but it did come with the best comb ever! It is wide tooth, and it is unbelievably gentle to my hair. It is the only comb that I've ever used that doesn't take most of my hair out with one stroke.

 

[azul11]

dag now how to get a comb like that w/o having to buy the revostyler?

God bless you all.

 

[Karonica]

Girl, I have yet to find one in stores like it, or else I would seriously rack up on them. I do have another one, since Revostylers are sold in twos, but I don't wanna sell it. Those combs are gems. I'd probably cry for weeks if I lost one.

 

[KinksnCurlz]

[ QUOTE ]
always be gentle with your hair, oil and moisturize it, always deep condition, wash on a regular basis, don't wear your hair in the same protective style day in day out (it can lead to breakage).

[/ QUOTE ]

I never knew this... THANKS. I'm the bun queen myself so now I have to try something else.

 

[keke]

well i have kept up every night moisturizing my hair w/either water in a bottle w/a bit of the s-curl in it, plain ol water from the tap and sometimes warm hot-warm water at that and then put oil in it(hot 6 for right now), wetting it up some and puttin Let's Jam on it, using ORS carrot oil or Breakthru's anti-breakage lotion to stop breakage, and with all of this i have noticed the back of my hair is growing good :^D and its feeling thicker and fuller :^D Me so happy

:d

 

[Sweetyb]

bump

Any other tips for maintaining length?

 

[kjames001]

Faith, I just used John Frieda's Anti-Frizz serum when i airdried my hair 3 dys ago. It actually worked-- no frizz. However, I am a 4a relaxed, but u could give it a try.