Waistlength and Beyond – Names + Regimens!

I have to come here for inspiration. I've been trying to reach waist length for the longest and I'm starting to wonder if MBL is my terminal length. I keep making it there and getting breakage and having to cut.

Wow I look back at this and I'm happy I didn't give up. That color and heat really did a number on my hair and I had stopped doing length check when I wrote this. I don't plan to ever color my hair again, and I definitely can't put heat on top of color. A few months later I had reached WL!
 
Thank you for your help...I appreciate all the help I can get. Your hair is gorgeous...This is week 4 and I definitely feel a difference with my hair already. I will check out the wig challenge. Cannot wait to see and achieve progress with my hair.
 
Here's my updated regimen!

HTH Somebody:

Nightly:
- 1 multivitamin
- moisturize ends (maybe every other night depending on how they feel)
- loosely bun or braid or twist and protect hair with bonnet for sleeping

Each Morning:
- Style hair gently (if necessary)

Weekly:
- shampoo with moisturizing conditioner
- deep condition with heat
- moisturize and seal
- gently style hair

Quarterly
- straighten hair with maxiglide
- trim hair
- color hair jet blizzack
- do length check photos

Internal Measures Taken:

- drinking tons of water
- multivitamin daily (this is so hard for me!)
- eat balanced diet
- cardiovascular exercise 3x week

External Measures:

- gently handle hair
- keep hair ends protected
- avoid heat and roughness
- cover hair at night

As far as styling goes:


Winter/Cold Months
-
- weekly wash/dc as stated above
- some kind of bun daily or;
- have cornbraids done (like 8 max, straight back) or;
- two strand twist my hair weekly or;
- straighten my hair for the week (rarely!)

Summer/Warm Months

- wash and dc weekly
- co-wash once or twice during the week
- wash n gos or;
- braidouts (for 2 days) or;
- twist outs (for 2 days)
 
I am mostly wigging it right now.

While in braids

I prepare my hair for braids by washing with Sulphate free shampoo
Using aphogee 2 minute under the steamer
Deep condition with Silk ELements Megasilk and Alter Ego Conditioner for 3 hours under a self heating cap. This is done before braid time!

I keep my braids in 3 weeks out of the month (9 months of the year)
I do not wash them while in braids. I might dab dry shampoo on it but not usually
I grease my scalp once a week while in braids, Might spray moisturizer on it once a week

I leave in for 21 days and then remove for the rest of the month!

Once removing I wash my hair 3 times the least. Add Nexxus Emergencee/Drc-28 use as directed.

Under the steamer with Silk Elements Mega for 30 minutes
Add Leave in's and dry as normal


I have 3 months out of the year where I go wig free. I wash weekly and deep condition weekly using Aphogee 2 minute for my weekly treatment.
 
Here's my updated regimen!

HTH Somebody:

Nightly:
- 1 multivitamin
- moisturize ends (maybe every other night depending on how they feel)
- loosely bun or braid or twist and protect hair with bonnet for sleeping

Each Morning:
- Style hair gently (if necessary)

Weekly:
- shampoo with moisturizing conditioner
- deep condition with heat
- moisturize and seal
- gently style hair

Quarterly
- straighten hair with maxiglide
- trim hair
- color hair jet blizzack
- do length check photos

Internal Measures Taken:

- drinking tons of water
- multivitamin daily (this is so hard for me!)
- eat balanced diet
- cardiovascular exercise 3x week

External Measures:

- gently handle hair
- keep hair ends protected
- avoid heat and roughness
- cover hair at night

As far as styling goes:


Winter/Cold Months
-
- weekly wash/dc as stated above
- some kind of bun daily or;
- have cornbraids done (like 8 max, straight back) or;
- two strand twist my hair weekly or;
- straighten my hair for the week (rarely!)

Summer/Warm Months

- wash and dc weekly
- co-wash once or twice during the week
- wash n gos or;
- braidouts (for 2 days) or;
- twist outs (for 2 days)

Whimsy - you are AWESOME!! thank you for how you did this. it makes everything so easy, simple, clear, precise! very helpful!! Thank you!!!!!
 
Hi Ladies,

I been gone awhile and found some really incouraging info on this thread. My Goal has been renewed to to grow my hair and have it the best it can be. Became discouraged when I went through a huge shedding period. My commitment dropped with so much else going on in my life. However, I decided that I should no longer neglect myself and my hair is where I am starting. I have some layers and thinning to address.

So inspired with so many of the ladies who stuck to it and have such beautiful heads of hair now.

My regimine was to use only natural products. I slipped into using store bought for a few years but it was sauve conditioners. So I am recommitting to my old routine:

CW wash only, transitioning from sauve to home made.
All natural oils
Shea Aloe mixed with almond and a fruit oil. After wash and between.
Water spritz morning and evening.
Pre wash protein treatments. Eggs, oil, honey yogurt or milk.
After wash conditioner. fruit or dairy based with oils.
Home made scalp oil. massage daily
Comb only after wash. Keep braided and bunned
Baggy my braids:yep:


Its so good to care for oneself. I don't know how I got away from that. :blush:

I still don't get the putting the picture in thing.

http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd465/vintagecoilylocks/?action=view&current=nikonpix0185.jpg
 
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Hi Ladies,

I been gone awhile and found some really incouraging info on this thread. My Goal has been renewed to to grow my hair and have it the best it can be. Became discouraged when I went through a huge shedding period. My commitment dropped with so much else going on in my life. However, I decided that I should no longer neglect myself and my hair is where I am starting. I have some layers and thinning to address.

So inspired with so many of the ladies who stuck to it and have such beautiful heads of hair now.

My regimine was to use only natural products. I slipped into using store bought for a few years but it was sauve conditioners. So I am recommitting to my old routine:

CW wash only, transitioning from sauve to home made.
All natural oils
Shea Aloe mixed with almond and a fruit oil. After wash and between.
Water spritz morning and evening.
Pre wash protein treatments. Eggs, oil, honey yogurt or milk.
After wash conditioner. fruit or dairy based with oils.
Home made scalp oil. massage daily
Comb only after wash. Keep braided and bunned
Baggy my braids:yep:


Its so good to care for oneself. I don't know how I got away from that. :blush:

I still don't get the putting the picture in thing.

http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd465/vintagecoilylocks/?action=view&current=nikonpix0185.jpg

Thank you for posting your regimen! :)
I'm so glad to have one of the original longhairs back on the site. :yep:
 
I wanted to add my updated regimen...

http://ayannah.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-pastcurrent-hair-regimen.html

Daily:
- Moisturize my hair with Scurl Instant Activator (or any glycerin based product I have around the house) or Rusk Sensories Smoother Leave-in. Both are staples of mine that make my hair soft and easier to detangle.
- I will oil my hair with every now and again. I really used to like Coconut oil, castor oil, and any smell-good oil like African Pride. Those are good oils to use.
- I used serum a lot after I moisturizer. I use L’oreal TextureLine HairMix SublimeShine. I love this stuff.

Daily Hair Style:
- I wear A LOT of buns and braidouts. Buns when my hair isn’t detangled (between week) or when I am getting closer to a relaxer (cause my new growth gets really thick). Braidouts when my hair is thoroughly detangled or when I just blowdried my hair.

Note: If you want long hair in a decent amount of time get used to wear protective and no-heat styles. I rocked buns and braidouts for at least 90% of my hair journey. I rarely use heat. I have also done weaves which are an excellent protective WHEN INSTALLED currently. I have done my own weaves when my hair was shorten. As it got longer, I had it professionally done. Now I don’t think my hair will lay flat enough around a weave but I may try to get one in the future.

Weekly:
- I shampoo and condition once a week. I detangle with a detangling comb (it has double the teeth and works magic).
- If my hair feels dry, I will co-wash (conditioner wash) my hair mid-week or sometimes just run water through my hair. My hair LOVES water.
- I airdry 95% of the time. I'll usually air dry hanging loose for a little while, then moisturize, braid in one or two plaits or bun. I always tie down with a scarf.

Maintenance:
- I relax once every 3 months with a Lye relaxer. I use the HALF/HALF method.
- I do a dusting (less than inch clipping at the ends) after every relaxing and when I use heat. This helps to keep the hair you grow. Avoid being eager for trims too frequently. I am a rebel and I have maybe had two good trims in the last 3 years. When my hair reaches hip-length, I’ll do a big chop back to WSL for a good even cut.
- I do not deep condition with heat. I do deep condition overnight with a plastic cap though and I do this twice a month or so.
 
Thank you for posting your regimen! :)
I'm so glad to have one of the original longhairs back on the site. :yep:

Hi Lady, it is good to be back. I really was suprised anyone remebered me. There are so many new people here and many of them have long hair. What I noticed was really refreshing was so many threads and challenges for waist and beyond.

This is wonderful. I have already joined about three.

Your hair has grown so nicely. I wasn't sure it was you because you change your avatar. Thats ok , what a lovely head of hair you have achieved.
 
Vintagecoilylocks
There's a new Thread for this year TL on and crakin 2011 if you're going for full TL you should check it out

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=513251

thank you Lucia,

I think I have. I was having trouble understanding how to use the thank button to add my name to the list on the first thread. I also still have not fiqured out how to put a photo in the thread and not a link to it.

Still learning my way around the forum. lots of new features.
 
thank you Lucia,

I think I have. I was having trouble understanding how to use the thank button to add my name to the list on the first thread. I also still have not fiqured out how to put a photo in the thread and not a link to it.

Still learning my way around the forum. lots of new features.

Just put the link of your pic in your joining post and your stats.
 
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I'm all happy because I can finally write on this thread LOL When this was created I was grazing BSL.

1. Shampoo 2x a month or if I have product build up. My hair is VERY dry so only a non-sulfate shampoo will do. I am currently using Come Clean by Kinky Curly and I love it.
2. I do an Amla treatment at least once a month. I mix it up with avocado oil and water.
3. Deep condition minimum 1x a week. I use AOHR or any of my favorite Dominican deep conditioners.
4. I normally co-wash and I am now using Tresemme Naturals. LOOOOVE this conditioner. My second favorite is Suave coconut conditioner.
5. I rollerset my hair every week. I will sometimes take a break and let my hair just be curly for 2 weeks, then its back to rollersetting.
6. When I do rollerset, I tend to only flatiron the roots.
7. When my hair is straight I use avocado oil to keep it nice and moisturized. When my hair is curly I only use Avocado butter and my hair curls up nicely. I used to use gels but for some reason they just don't work right anymore.

I protect my hair at night before going to bed in a doobie or by wearing a silk bonnet and I believe this accounts for 90% of the retention. My hair is usually in a ponytail. I do let my hair down and I don't worry about it too much. I go to the salon once a year if that. I do search and destroys, no trims (except in 2010 but I cut my own hair). If you want long hair you'll most likely have to be a DIY'er. That's my dos centavos.

My hair - Jan 2011
picture.php
 
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Ok, well I'll bite. I'm a 4a/3c/4b natural with very tight coils; I have very fine strands but I have a lot of hair. I'm one of the wsl alums of 2010. My reggie is as follows:

Shampooing: I wash my hair once a week, although now that it's longer I'm trying to stretch it to two weeks because it takes forever. I divide my hair into 4-6 braids and shampoo. I use either Nexxus Therappe (primary) or Nioxin #5. I like to switch up my shampoos and conditioners.

Conditioning: Every wash day for me is a dc day. My fave conditioners are Nexxus Humectress (primary), Nioxin #5, Goldwell Kerasilk, Nexxus Humectress Deep Conditioner and Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Hair mask (which acts like a protein conditioner, I use it about once every 2 months). Like with the shampoos I rotate them, only using one at a time though. I apply to the braids, put on a shower cap and let it sit for a couple hours. Occasionally I'll put a towel on my head to increase the heat but most of the time I just let it sit. Then I wash it out.

The rest of my process depends on how I style my hair. My go to style is 2 strand twists. My second is straightening. I rarely do twists out or braid outs because my hair gets so tangled.

If I twist my hair...
Detangling: Working through one section at a time, I apply a dab of Humectress to the hair and then olive oil or some other type of oil. I comb the hair out first with a wide toothed comb or pick. Then (and this is a must for my hair) I use my denman brush to remove all shed hairs. This cuts down on future tangles. Then I twist hair back up again. I do this for all sections. Then I twist hair.

If I straighten...
Detangling: I still move through the hair in sections, but I only use a heat protectant. Right now I'm using Nioxin Bliss Thermal Protector. Once I comb through all the sections, I part my hair down the middle and form two buns, like Princess Leah. I wear my hair like this for a day or two.

Styling: After a day or two my hair has had a chance to dry stretched. I use the diffuser on any parts of the hair that still feel moist. Then I use the comb chasing method to straighten. 2 passes at 360 degrees using a Sedu. This method doesn't currently give me the straightest results, however I hate blowdrying my hair because it's so fine that it noticeably breaks off more. But next time I do straighten I'm going to try blowdrying the roots after I've already straightened the hair and see how that works.

Other lessons learned on the journey:
Patience is the most important ingredient in a healthy hair journey.
Taking accurate length checks helps a lot to see progress, not get discouraged and to stay optimistic.
Stylist do not know how to "trim" hair. I will never let a stylist cut my hair ever again unless I really want a specific cut.
Shed hair is a sign of health. Don't be afraid of that ball of hair that's left after you comb unless it actually has split ends.
For the new naturals, when you get the urge to relax, or for those of you that get the urge to cut 1) remember that your hair won't be any long a year from now because you relaxed/cut it [I don't know why but this mentalilty always worked for me] and 2) put your hair away, wig, weave, braids. You may find out as many people have on this board, that long hair is not for you. But you know, you'll never know if you keep cutting your hair. Give yourself the opportunity to find that out by committing to the long haul and being patient.

So if you made it this far through my post, my apologies for the length but I wanted to be detailed. This is actually a really simple regimen. Hope it helps. And of course, good, good luck with your hair journey.

Thank you so much for your post my regimen is very similar to yours and I wondered if it works, I have been on this journey for so long (7 years) and have chopped a lot to go natural. I am now doing a long term transition and have started using nexxus products and wearing my hair straight. The shrunken Afro was cute but knotty and I prefer long hair as I had long hair as a child. Anyhoo I have been addicted to the chop and now I have realised that I am jeopardising my own journey. your post has really helped me. I hope to post on twenty months time with a success story of my own.
 
Hi, I am new to this site and very perplexed. I've been wearing braids for over 5 yrs and my hair is destroyed. I have finally decided that 2011 is my year of stop being embarrassed and running back to get braids and paying over 200 dollars for something that is destroying my hair. I took my braids out two days ago, and had a hair appt to get rebraided. After looking at my used to be shoulder lenth hair that is paper thin and severely damaged. I went and got a lace wig, which I am nervous about wearing to work tomorrow. I really want a regimen and want my own hair to grow...please help!


when i was natural i wore braids back to back and my hair flourished, it grew from BSL to MBL. I dont think everyone's hair can take getting braids back to back though, my hair is extremley strong so i had no problem. However my aunt tried the same thing with my little cousin and it didnt work because her hair is very fine and thin so it broke off.
when i wore braids i still treated it as if my hair wasnt in braids. Once a week i shampooed my hair, Deep conditioned under a cap for 2+ hours, Rinsed, Applied more conditioner, Rinsed, and i would grease my scalp and use a moisturizer specifically for braids (i cant remembr the name..i think the brand may have been african pride..)
 
I'm all happy because I can finally write on this thread LOL When this was created I was grazing BSL.

1. Shampoo 2x a month or if I have product build up. My hair is VERY dry so only a non-sulfate shampoo will do. I am currently using Come Clean by Kinky Curly and I love it.
2. I do an Amla treatment at least once a month. I mix it up with avocado oil and water.
3. Deep condition minimum 1x a week. I use AOHR or any of my favorite Dominican deep conditioners.
4. I normally co-wash and I am now using Tresemme Naturals. LOOOOVE this conditioner. My second favorite is Suave coconut conditioner.
5. I rollerset my hair every week. I will sometimes take a break and let my hair just be curly for 2 weeks, then its back to rollersetting.
6. When I do rollerset, I tend to only flatiron the roots.
7. When my hair is straight I use avocado oil to keep it nice and moisturized. When my hair is curly I only use Avocado butter and my hair curls up nicely. I used to use gels but for some reason they just don't work right anymore.

I protect my hair at night before going to bed in a doobie or by wearing a silk bonnet and I believe this accounts for 90% of the retention. My hair is usually in a ponytail. I do let my hair down and I don't worry about it too much. I go to the salon once a year if that. I do search and destroys, no trims (except in 2010 but I cut my own hair). If you want long hair you'll most likely have to be a DIY'er. That's my dos centavos.

My hair - Jan 2011
picture.php

Wow!!! You hair is beautiful!!!!
 
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