I moisturize and seal every night. My hair is usually in two loose braids and covered with a big scarf. All of my hair has to be covered before I go to sleep. If my hair is straight I do cross wraps and cover with a scarf.....sometimes I'll band it if I want it more stretched out the next day.
shrinkage?
Flower,
Shrinkage is something many naturals struggle with. I see your inspiring lenght photo and I'm blown away. You stretch you hair down to your tail bone but even unstreteched it hangs long.
I feel like my hair shrinks to 50% of it's stretched length.
Do you think your shrinkage lessened as it got longer?
Is there hope that going from shoulder/APL to MBL the length will lessen the shrinkage??
I scour the boards quite a bit but i wonder if most tips are best suited to particular hair types (natural/relaxed, type 4's vs type 3, those that need protein vs those that need moisture. am i just destined to spend a fortune looking for what my hair likes??
can i just order what you have?
I'm wondering if anyone sleeps in a bun. If no, why not? Maybe that's why my hair is uneven and has been stuck at below bra claspfor the past four years. I was wondering if I should braid it each night, which would be fine if I didn't have to work. Then, too, I don't oil my hair or ends daily.
I know what I need to do, but I'm just not really "into hair" like some other members are.
I don't expect to hit WL until close to the end of this year. Also, I'm 5' 9.5" tall so my back is a bit long. This has an affect on how long it takes to reach your goal also. For me, it's looking as though it is going to take 3 yrs to go from SL to WL. 
Apparently i've got to research "banding." i don't know where i've been but i know nothing about this and i've now heard Pokahontas and Cichelle (among others, but those are the 2 i remember) mention that they're doing it. what does it do? what it is about? i'm off to do a search. i'll be back if (when) i have specific questions.
My regi changes according to what I think my hair needs or the style I want to achieve post wash. But the basic regi for the times I dont flat iron: Cowash hair in four sections, do an oil rinse with castor oil, then add conditioner on top of the castor oil, and detangle with the denman. Leave the conditioner and castor oil on for about an hour under conditioning cap and heat, rinse. Towel dry. Add shea butter and kinky curly knot today and put it in twists or plats overnight for a twistout or braidout in the morning. If im flat ironing, I basically do the same washing technique, but I use sabino moisture block instead of the knot today. Blow dry my hair, then flat iron with a chi. I dust and trim when I feel the need to. I also try to keep my protein and moisture in balance according to how my hair feels before I wash it...thats it.
I'm not at all WL yet, and I know that you are asking the waist length ladies, but I did start here at LHCF at SL and I have worn my hair as short as about 4 or 5 inch back in the day.. I'm now MBL. My hair seems to grow in spurts. It jumped from SL to APL in about 3 1/2 months. APL to BSL was slow going that took about 10 months, maybe a bit more. I was graising MBL in June of '08. I have gained length since then, but I'm still MBL. So again, slow going.
Everyone's hair grows at different rates, and can stall at different milestones. As long as you practice good haircare you will get to the length you want, and learn your hair's growth pattern along the way. You've done a great job so far, be patient and keep doing what you're doing. When your hair tells you that you need to make an adjustment, you know what to do.
Sorry for butting in, I'm backing out now.
ETA: Hey Chicoro, and Iris. I was wondering when you two would come in here and post your reggies.
Great thread!
My regimen is pretty simple. It has varied over the years, but not in the basics. I wash my hair 2-3 times a week, air dry it and then put it in a bun or other updo. My products are shampoo (usually shampoo bars), conditioner, and occasionally I will use coconut oil sparingly. I can replace the conditioner if I do a heavy oiling pre-shampoo. But I rarely do that anymore.
I've discovered that banding works well for me to keep tangles away. When I band, I simply wash, band the hair in four sections and then let it air dry. If I am in a hurry, I will sit under a bonnet dryer for about an hour to speed up the drying. When I take the bands out, I brush my hair and put it up in an updo. It doesn't make my hair straight, but it's the closest I get since I don't use any other form of heat.
I don't deep condition, either for protein or moisture. I use henna. I don't trim and wont unless there is damage that cannot be remedied any other way.
Hmm, I think that's all.
I'm not at all WL yet, and I know that you are asking the waist length ladies, but I did start here at LHCF at SL and I have worn my hair as short as about 4 or 5 inch back in the day.. I'm now MBL. My hair seems to grow in spurts. It jumped from SL to APL in about 3 1/2 months. APL to BSL was slow going that took about 10 months, maybe a bit more. I was graising MBL in June of '08. I have gained length since then, but I'm still MBL. So again, slow going.
Everyone's hair grows at different rates, and can stall at different milestones. As long as you practice good haircare you will get to the length you want, and learn your hair's growth pattern along the way. You've done a great job so far, be patient and keep doing what you're doing. When your hair tells you that you need to make an adjustment, you know what to do.
Sorry for butting in, I'm backing out now.
ETA: Hey Chicoro, and Iris. I was wondering when you two would come in here and post your reggies.
Don't remember if I answered this, but my hair was a little above BSL when I joined LHCF. My hair was super short in 1994, but that was a while ago
Since then my hair grew down to BSL but never longer and sometimes broke off to a shorter length...until I started to really take good care of my hair.
I'm not at all WL yet, and I know that you are asking the waist length ladies, but I did start here at LHCF at SL and I have worn my hair as short as about 4 or 5 inch back in the day.. I'm now MBL. My hair seems to grow in spurts. It jumped from SL to APL in about 3 1/2 months. APL to BSL was slow going that took about 10 months, maybe a bit more. I was graising MBL in June of '08. I have gained length since then, but I'm still MBL. So again, slow going.
Everyone's hair grows at different rates, and can stall at different milestones. As long as you practice good haircare you will get to the length you want, and learn your hair's growth pattern along the way. You've done a great job so far, be patient and keep doing what you're doing. When your hair tells you that you need to make an adjustment, you know what to do.
Sorry for butting in, I'm backing out now.
ETA: Hey Chicoro, and Iris. I was wondering when you two would come in here and post your reggies.
instead of cutting this time with the stuff i learned here i nurtured and stretched. I discovered no combing, leave ins & stretching which has lead my hair to be the lonegest its ever been in my life. no one else in my family has hair past SL.
Hey yall
Im relaxed bone straight no lye. Touchup twice a year. 4a/b hair coarse.
I wear braidouts 50% and striaght hair 50% of the time
Shampoo every 2 weeks.
I don't comb my hair except only on wash day. wide tooth thru wet conditioner filled hair.
overnite deep conditions once a month
i don't do protective styles and wear my hair out every single day.
trims twice a year and dustings in between
staple products right now-ntm silk touch which i use as a moisturizer on my dry hair.
Rusk smoother which is my main con leave in. ntm deep conditioning treatment, P&N mask and jojoba oil. use Sabino for flat ironing and john frieda frizz ease for blowdrying
jojoba oil on my ends.
i rub ntm silk touch thru hair every nite then immediately put satin scarf on. Hair comes out sleek, smooth.
probably use direct heat once a month or once every two months
No one in my family has hair past SL. My mom had thick hair but it was never long.
when i joined my hair was around APL.
In 1995 i had cut it all off due to damage. As short as Fantasias hair with a shaved back. I started growing it out in 96 which was a nightmare(shudders). I wish i knew thn what i kno now. would have been pleasant.
I was shoulderlength by summer 97. APL 98 and basically thts the longest i ever really been. In 99 hair got damaged again and cut it to NL. Then went to a stylist who kept it that way the nex 2 years.
I joined lhcf in 04 with hair damaged once again
It does have its slow growth period. I was stuck at MBL forEVER b4 finally reaching WL..and im still not FULL WL. nowhere near.
thanks Flowerhair.
