Tips for me to get length

[Shalay11]

So sept 20 I will be 3 years natural and my hair length is pitiful.. I thought by this time I would atleast be apl... :-( I've been you tubing my journey via YouTube and following forums since the beginning and know what I should be doing to grow and maintain hair but it's not enough I guess...

Please give me some advice or what am I doing wrong.. For the last year and half I've been protective styling ,, two strand twist up for two weeks shampoo condition and co washes when doing those and using oils not grease.... For the last year I've been doing braids like kinky twist and sew ins which I keep in for 6 weeks - 3 months ....

For example sew in I have now I spray real hair with mixture of -- suave conditioner or infusium, water , monistate ( this is something new) and tea tree essential oil every 3 days and shampoo , deep condition monthly in sew in...

Every time I take a style down I shampoo and do deep condition/ 2 min reconstructor and sometimes hot oil treatment ...I thought maybe I didn't trim ends enough ( was doing 1 inch trim yearly) so I up that to twice a year ...

I died my hair last summer which I regret now and can see new growth so maybe I'm having problem retaining ...

I use satin scarf when wearing real hair out and sleep on silk pillow case daily and started taking vitamins daily I've taken biotin on and off for 3 years....
This is way to long but please anyone give me some advice...





Big chop





10 months natural





Sometime in 2nd year


Last few months

 

[FoxxyLocs]

How sure your hair feel? Is it dry? Are you seeing knots or split ends?

Maybe you should increase your deep conditioning? What do you DC with? My hair is very dry and I have to DC at least every 2 weeks.

Also sealing my end with something really heavy crisco, vaseline, or grease helped cut back on knots when I wear twists or braids.

Do you use heat?

Sent from my HTC Evo

 

[Shalay11]

How sure your hair feel? Is it dry? Are you seeing knots or split ends?

Maybe you should increase your deep conditioning? What do you DC with? My hair is very dry and I have to DC at least every 2 weeks.

Also sealing my end with something really heavy crisco, vaseline, or grease helped cut back on knots when I wear twists or braids.

Do you use heat?

Sent from my HTC Evo

My hair feels fine right now in sew in... But hair is normally dry.. When it's out (rarely is) I use scurl or cantu/ Shea butter , castor oil ... I like castor oil because my hair likes the thick oils and stays moisturizer longer...my hair use to love elasta qp deep condition the old thick kind but they don't sale it now and I haven't use the new version it's not as thick .... I've been using different ones trying to find something I like... I'm using the orange organic stimulator right now I use to use that back when I big chopped its ok but not my elasta qp I loved...

I don't use heat unless I'm trimming I blow dry it out to see progress and trim.., like twice a year

 

[Lynnerie]

You should search NJoy's sulfur mix and stay consistent with it. That should help jump start your hair growth. Also, make sure you are getting nutrients through food not just pill-popping. I drink a protein shake everyday and eat lots of fish, chicken, and veggies.


Also, how are your ends? If you get a lot of splits and knots that could be causing low retention.

 

[Shalay11]

You should search NJoy's sulfur mix and stay consistent with it. That should help jump start your hair growth. Also, make sure you are getting nutrients through food not just pill-popping. I drink a protein shake everyday and eat lots of fish, chicken, and veggies.

Also, how are your ends? If you get a lot of splits and knots that could be causing low retention.

My ends always look raggedy to me even when I trim moisturize and seal ..But maybe that's just the way my 4c brown/sandy red hair looks like..

 

[mnemosyne]

Are you losing a lot of hair when you take the twists out? The twists you have in your picture look small for fine hair that tangles often. Do the ends knot or twist on themselves?

 

[Lute]

Sometimes I noticed, it's not always about product but technique on how you handle your hair from the moment you style it to washing it...and detangling it.

How long do you keep your sew ins?

Do you do a full head weave?

What kind of combs do you use, when you take down your hair?

Could you describe in detail how you take down your weave and detangle, please?

Also have you thought about using aphogee protein treatment every 6 weeks.

 

[westNDNbeauty]

I think there are a combination of things that may be affecting your progress. Initially looking at your regimen, I was wondering when do you DC? You should DC regularly (2-3 times a month). Also be very particular in the deep conditioner you choose. It may take some time to find one which really moisturizes your hair.

If you hair is natural, protein is not needed as often as you think. Actually that can cause your hair to break. You should be conscious of using moisture in each step of your regimen. Deep conditioner. Leave-in. Styler. And then seal all the moisture in with an oil.

Also another culprit may be the care and take-down process of your weaves and braids.

See this google search result for "Reasons Why You May Not Be Retaining Length"

 

[Shalay11]

Maybe you ladys are right about the way I handle my hair being the issue. I thought I was ok with that but guess not .. I know when I keep a protective style in for 6 weeks to 3 months there seems to be alot of hair that comes out but I assume its shredded hair but maybe it's breakage... Normally after taking down a sew in I'd spray the braids with detangler spray and take braids down and comb out with large comb.. Lots of hair comes out like a handful and then if I comb while conditioning same thing happens and after if I comb head to style again same thing... Maybe I'm combing to much when taking style out? I know if I detangler hair and put until 4 twisted sections before I do new style , as I'm taking those twist out and run fingers through more little pieces of hair come out... Grrr also i am natural

 

[CurlsBazillion]

I'd have to disagree with not using protein more often than every 6 weeks, not everyone's hair can go without it. My fine strands break with less use of protein. I didn't see my hair stop breaking until I started using a light-medium strength protein (Joico Kpak, henna, AO GPB<3, and Matrix Biolage Strengthening Conditioner) on a weekly basis. I shampoo, protein treatment, then moisturizing DC for hours. When using AO GPB I don't need a protein treatment, so I just DC with the GPB for hours. This and being way more gentle detangling has my hair feeling great so we'll see if it takes me to BSL by the end of the year.

 

[Shalay11]

Hair update-- a small amount growth but expected more after that 3 month sew in...

 

[JulietWhiskey]

I gotta co-sign with CurlsBazillion:

I'm a fine, 4a natural and my hair NEEDS protein in regular rotation to act right: less breakage, more elasticity and curl definition. Plus, protein helps my moisturizing products penetrate deeper and really moisturize. I use Aphogee Green Tea and Keratin Restructerizer.

You can find it at BSS and I use it on damp hair after EVERY DC. I also use a few times a week but I would be careful when first using it since you want to see how your hair reacts and then adjust accordingly.

Internally, are you taking a good multi vitamin? Drinking enough water? Getting enough essential fatty acids (Omega 3s)? Lack of essential nutrients can cause dryness and breakage, too.

I recommend you try co-washing your hair since you're prone to dryness (I use Trader Joe's Tingle Treat Conditioner), a good DC (I love Giovanni Nutrafix), a creamy leave-in (I'm a fan of Giovanni Direct Leave In), a styler/moisturizer (Kinky Curly Custard) and a sealer (Blue Magic Coconut Grease). These are the things that work for me but you may have to do some experimenting to see what works for you!

Good luck and HTH! Once you get your reggie and product staples down, you should be set!

 

[thatscuteright]

Check out this article:

7 Reasons Why Your Hair is Short………… And How to Grow it Longer.

http://blackhairsecrets.wordpress.c...-your-hair-is-shortand-how-to-grow-it-longer/

 

[fancypants007]

I agree that the technique is very important. I have also been on my hair journey for quite awhile and feel like I should have way more hair growth than I do. I started doing the Greenhouse Effect (GHE) in early March I believe, and in early May I stopped combing my hair and started fingercombing. It appears that I have gotten some growth, but I won't know for sure until I relax my hair which is scheduled for next week. I haven't had a touchup since February and I have considerable new growth, but I like it's presence to be seen in length. My hair is fine and no matter what I did, it seemed like my hair ends always would shed. Since fingercombing, I don't see this problem too much. After my touchup I'm going to start doing regular trims and I will continue doing the GHE and fingercombing which I believe are two key reasons why I'm retaining more length. I'm saying all of this to say, maybe it's not so much products but technique. I also have been using Shixxx oil (don't want to use her name because I don't want to offend anyone, been there done that) but her hair oil works for me. It is very penetrating and seems to keep my dry hair moisturised. I know how you feel and we all know that protective styles and keeping hair moisturised are key components to retaining length. Finding products that work and acquiring techniques can be challenging because what works for one may not work for another. I wanted to share what seems to be working for me. Just keep showing TLC and eventually your hair will respond.