what made you start caring for your hair?

[MeechUK]

Years ago a friend of mine grew her hair from a few inches to mid-back within 2years. When I asked her how she achieved this she said she went to a hairdressers every 2 weeks. I knew my hair could grow because sporting braids helped me to achieve my longest length, but it also thinned my hair. I did a bc 6yrs ago when I got fed up with relaxing which thinned and ruined my hair further, due to over-processing. I started taking care of my hair when I realised that if I didn't I would end up bald!

My hair has improved a lot and continues to thicken, over the past 2 yrs since visiting hair forums and learning new things about haircare. Once I thought that the amount of hair I was losing on a daily basis was normal, I now loose a minute fraction of that amount. I am still experimenting and changing my regime constantly, but my hair is now rewarding me for my efforts.

MeechUK

 

[amorette]

I made the decision to start caring for my hair from to many bad experiences with hairstylist. My hair remained at shoulder lenght for nearly 5 years and when I was told by my last hairstylist that my hair would not grow any longer I was determined to prove her wrong.

Since caring for my own hair I have achieved more growth than ever and my hair in my opinion is healthier too! I contribute the decision to better hair growth to LHCF and all the many ladies that were willing to share their hair care tips and me taking a chance on myself to achieve more growth and healthier hair.

I am happy with my decision.

Lavender, it is almost like being stuck at a weight loss plateau, please share how you broke the plateau and started growing again, what do you attribute it to, and how long is your hair now?

 

[lavnder]

Lavender, it is almost like being stuck at a weight loss plateau, please share how you broke the plateau and started growing again, what do you attribute it to, and how long is your hair now?

Hi Amorette!

I contribute breaking the plateau to less manipulation, stretching my relaxers, taking care of my ends especially and really getting to know my hair instead of relying on a stylist to tell me what I actually needed to care for my hair. I switched my eating habits as well, more fruits, vegetables, H20 and vitamins.

My current length is bra strap, I have not trimmed my hair in 6months and plan on doing one in a few weeks.

I want healthy hair overall and I believe the length will come.

Much success to you!

 

[amorette]

Hi Amorette!

I contribute breaking the plateau to less manipulation, stretching my relaxers, taking care of my ends especially and really getting to know my hair instead of relying on a stylist to tell me what I actually needed to care for my hair. I switched my eating habits as well, more fruits, vegetables, H20 and vitamins.

My current length is bra strap, I have not trimmed my hair in 6months and plan on doing one in a few weeks.

I want healthy hair overall and I believe the length will come.

Much success to you!

wow, good for you! Its hard when you go to an "expert", and they tell you something with such strength of conviction about your hair - and walk away believing your own intuition and refusing to accept her limitation and lack of fatih! I'm glad you had faith, and proved her wrong! how long did it take you to grow to brastrap?

 

[princesmich]

I decided to start taking care of my hair when i realized how thin it was getting and that it was breaking. It was making me look my age, I usually look better and way younger with longer hair.

 

[JLove74]

I started really caring about and taking care of my hair about 3 months ago, when after surgery my hair texture changed, it was shedding like crazy, dry and brittle. It was a self esteem and health more than a vanity issue. I didn't know where to start, so I started doing research online. Found a few sites that were just OK, then I hit the jackpot LHCF. I read up on vitamins and products and went shopping....My hair feels 10 times better, it's stopped shedding, it's moisturized and soft. I'm on my way, ya'll.....

 

[CoCoRica]

I started caring for my hair, because my lazy ass overpriced stylist, didn't care for my hair, it seemed to break off more than ever, she also used cheap products and try to hide it in name brand packaging. She also overbooked like no other. I could have a Sat 9am appt and be out at 6pm and that's early. I wasted my either Sat under her. As Mya (from Girlfriends wld say) Ooooooooooooh Hell NO!

Also I see all these guys walking around with cornrows damn near touching their shoulders and I ask myself why is that he has more hair then me? I said something I'm not doing right. So I stopped relaxing, I currently wig it with my hair cornrowed underneath and I co wash and deep conditon every Sunday.


So I to began a quest for hair health & growth and I found many hairboard dedicated to black hair & hair care and what I love it because, we are real people with real results.

 

[Angelicus]

well, my hair was a mess, and I sort of got tired of hearing, "Yea she is pretty but her hair is a mess."

 

[Tee]

I got tired of having hair at should length and that is it. I know my hair can grow long. It's already long but no one can make me think this is it for me.

 

[naicendivine]

Hi all, newbie here . Anyways, what's funny is that I've been trying to take care of my hair for a while, I mean like years... and thought I was doing an adequate job of it too. Then I decided to start doing my hair myself (the salon was getting to be too expensive) and found this site back in November when I was looking for a good reccomendation for a home relaxer. Then I started really exploring this site and looking at people's albums and their progress and I suddenly realized my hair hasn't grown no more than 2 inches in damn near 2 years ! There is people who made it from shoulder length to bra strap in that time!!! I don't know what was wrong with me why I thought had been making progress but I went through this downward spiral where I wanted to cut all my hair off since it failed me and wouldn't grow and all types of mess - but I'm glad I didn't and stuck with taking care of my hair cuz thanks to you ladies I went from a few inches below shoulder length to armpit (finally) by March , and it's still growing! Thanks ladies!

 

[Sweet_Ambrosia]

I started caring for my hair, because I was fed up with having shoulder length hair for so many years. I knew it was possible for me to get back the length that I had as a child. So one day I decided to search for info regarding "black hair care", it led me to this site as well as another. Thanks to LHCF and other hair boards, my hair is not only longer its much healthier too.

 

[inthepink]

I always took care of my hair but I started taking "better" care of my hair after college. I guess I had more money to spend on haircare and finally figured out what worked for me. I just remember being in the elevator at college and some of my guy friends commented on the split ends of my bsl hair. I hated that! After that, I made sure to always keep my ends in shape. My hair grew to waist length and stayed that way for a long time.

(Well, till the relaxer disaster.)

I had to start all over. And I'm still working on figuring out what works best for my hair.

 

[caribeandiva]

But I just thought *most* black people grew hair that length and I even considered myself lucky to be at shoulder length

that's funny... cause i thought so too!!

 

[caribeandiva]

she also used cheap products and try to hide it in name brand packaging

hell naw she didn't!! that's funny.

 

[czyfaith77]

A really bad weave. Also, I could always grow hair even before coming here, so I wanted to know how far I could go if I really tried. I learned so much here. I had a bad habit of growing hair out nicely and cutting "Halle" short. Seemed like I would would always cut around or on my birthday. Now I go product shopping on my birthday (shot seems like my birthday come twice a month now.

 

[so1913]

When I first saw the Wanakee Ad back in 1998/1999 or so I think in Essence Magazine. Once I got the information booklet in the mail, I was hooked on the idea of the possibility of having healthy longer hair, the hair I had as a child. I would read it over and over again...amazed by the whole concept. I remember "selling" my mom on the idea so she would let me order with her credit card (I was a senior in high school, no job, and hadn't started my summer internship yet...so if I wanted anything, I had to rely on my parents). It's been non stop ever since.

 

[*ElleB]

When it started breaking uncontrollably after a visit to a stylist to get the relaxer from hell!!!

 

[Kimberly]

I just wanted enough for a decent ponytail. I used to part my hair down the middle and I'd have two little pigtails in the back that weren't even two inches long. I couldn't understand why my hair was not getting any longer. If I was getting a relaxer every six weeks because of new growth, it should be getting longer.

I went on the web to search for anything about growing black hair. I found the hairlady's site and Cathy Howse. I got a silk scarf from the hairlady and Cathy's books and products and eventually I ended up here. It's funny because I came across other boards in my initial search but 2 1/2 years later, this is the only one I come back to. I'm hooked on this site. Now, when I part my hair down the middle and make two ponytails in the back, they are about 8-9 inches long and they just hang and swing and blow in the wind!

I wore my hair down yesterday. After work, I walked over to the dollar store and out of the corner of my eye, I saw my shadow with my hair blowing in the wind behind me and this big silly grin was all over my face. This is the longest my hair has ever been and I don't think I would have achieved this length had it not been for this site and the generosity of information from the members. I was prepping my hair for bed the other night and wanted to cry because me and my hair looked so good! I just kept thinking "wow, I need to post this on LHCF".

 

[princesslocks]

I started looking for better ways of taking care of my hair after having an horrific cutting episode with a hairstylist. After that cut it was downhill. For an entire year I thought products would do the growth job but nothing happened.

One week in Oct 05 I was looking up healthy hair care and stumbled across a hair board that mentioned that another hairboard was down and they couldn't wait to get back on...THAT'S HOW I FOUND LHCF !

I've been HAPPY ever since. I'M VERY GRATEFUL. For the last couple of weeks I've been getting so many compliments on my hair. One of the people that gave the compliment said her hair would not grow and I told her to stretch her relaxers and she said she has to get a relaxer every 6 weeks.

Thanks for all the Knowledge Ladies of LHCF !

 

[amorette]

I just wanted enough for a decent ponytail. I used to part my hair down the middle and I'd have two little pigtails in the back that weren't even two inches long. I couldn't understand why my hair was not getting any longer. If I was getting a relaxer every six weeks because of new growth, it should be getting longer.

I went on the web to search for anything about growing black hair. I found the hairlady's site and Cathy Howse. I got a silk scarf from the hairlady and Cathy's books and products and eventually I ended up here. It's funny because I came across other boards in my initial search but 2 1/2 years later, this is the only one I come back to. I'm hooked on this site. Now, when I part my hair down the middle and make two ponytails in the back, they are about 8-9 inches long and they just hang and swing and blow in the wind!

I wore my hair down yesterday. After work, I walked over to the dollar store and out of the corner of my eye, I saw my shadow with my hair blowing in the wind behind me and this big silly grin was all over my face. This is the longest my hair has ever been and I don't think I would have achieved this length had it not been for this site and the generosity of information from the members. I was prepping my hair for bed the other night and wanted to cry because me and my hair looked so good! I just kept thinking "wow, I need to post this on LHCF".

awwww that's beautiful....congratulations!

 

[SerenityBreeze]

My boyfriend notivved that every time I put my hair down on a pillow, I would leave most of it on the pillow. It was in bits and pieces everywhere.

His mom told me when I was introduced, "She is pretty but he normally likes girls with longer hair"

 

[planodiva]

I started caring for my hair because I'm vain and love high end items. With my Penney's credit card I started buy all kinds of Mizani and Paul Mitchell. And I really did notice a difference.

One day at a friends house a member of LHCF commented on my braid out style "the ladies on my hair forum are always saying how that is such a good style because it keeps your hair moisturized" and I inquired more about the forum because her hair was beautiful.

With better products, patience and "the ladies" I have taking hair growing to another level. Who knew there was a such thing as a heat phobia and who would think as flyy as I am I can rock a bun to perfection daily (well I must admit the wash and go bun is a mess but got to love it)

 

[misspriss]

Micros and a bad perm afterwards messed up my hair, so I left it alone for a while, found this hair board, and unintentionally started transisitoning. It grew to bra strap length and I was like wow, long hair is possible. So I decided to chop, go natural and invest in the health of my hair.

 

[Galleta]

When my hairline starting fading away from getting a relaxer every four weeks. What was I thinking?

 

[OneInAMillion]

After hearing my mom and grandma saying I had to do something about my hair when it looked thin, overprocessed, and just gone in 2004 . I initially came here trying to transition, but I saw all the lovely healthy relaxed heads and realized that double processing did me in. I've wanted long hair forever, but I never imagined how healthy I could get my hair to be in the process.

 

[caribeandiva]

I started caring for my hair because I'm vain and love high end items.

lol... me too

 

[lavnder]

Hey Amorette,


Sorry for the late response,
I really dont track my growth with time, I normally notice after each touch up, which is between 4-6 mths of stretching. I try not to get obsessed with growth,because when your hair doesnt grow as quickly as you would like it to.. you get discouraged..
So I just let it be and embrace whatever the outcome

wow, good for you! Its hard when you go to an "expert", and they tell you something with such strength of conviction about your hair - and walk away believing your own intuition and refusing to accept her limitation and lack of fatih! I'm glad you had faith, and proved her wrong! how long did it take you to grow to brastrap?

 

[amorette]

Hey Amorette,


Sorry for the late response,
I really dont track my growth with time, I normally notice after each touch up, which is between 4-6 mths of stretching. I try not to get obsessed with growth,because when your hair doesnt grow as quickly as you would like it to.. you get discouraged..
So I just let it be and embrace whatever the outcome

good attitude! i need to know my progress so i can tweak things if its not growing at the rate it should. i saw a type 2b freind of mine tonight, and she had her hair cut to her ears 2 years ago - it is hipbone length now! wow

 

[Catina72]

I had figured " you ain't getting any younger lets see how long this baby can get"! Seriously, 2 years ago Jan2004 I decided to let my natural short boy cut (used the 1 guard clippers) grow because my son HATED it. But I did seriously rock that style for about 1 year. My hubby ( who knew me since high school) also wanted my hair to be longer like back in the day. I started "taking care" of my hair, overprocessing(home relaxers every 4 wks!), african braiding (where'd my edges go ). I was struggling! So in March I decided to start a google search about black hair and came across info here and there. I think I'm getting it together now that I've got all of you to help and a regimen that I'm gonna stick with to achieve a head full of healthy hair. I'm addicted really .

 

[caribeandiva]

aww Cantina, don't worry we got your back!