What started you on your hair journey?

[purpledove]

My hair journey began with my baby daughter. She just turned 18 months old and had long outgrown the Johnson baby hair products. They were drying out her hair, making it hard and course. I wasn’t proficient at braiding so I was at a lost on what to use or how to groom her hair. I went online to search for products for AA childrens’ hair. It lead me to the Wild Growth site. That lead me to Cathy Howse and finally here. I had long given up on my own hair. It was dry, brittle and broken. My hair was below shoulder length during my college days but that was around 10 years ago. I had practiced so many unhealthy habits that my hair was no longer than chin length and stayed there for years. I had taken to wearing wigs and never thought my hair would be healthy again. The first day on this site, I stayed glued to it. I thought I would try the WGO on my hair before I tried it out on my daughter. Being so young I wanted to test it on my hair before I put anything in hers. The WGO left my hair moist and soft. I started to formulate a regimen for my hair. Now here I am 7 months later with flowing hair that is healthier than it was during my college days. Oh by the way, my daughter’s hair has taken off too. Thanks ladies of LHCF.

 

[Recherché.Beauty]

Well I was tired of walking around with hair that was not pretty, I was once one of those girls who wore weave and hardly had any edges,then I discovered this last year and I started trying to take care of my hair...my hair has grown a lot since this board.I'm still on the journey for healthy hair, I'm working on it. So Thank you all, I don't know where my hair would be without you.

 

[plove]

i would grow my hair to SL
then i would cut it all off (for no good reason)
a few months ago my hair grew
past the point where i cut it all off
but i became ill from my prag
and it fell out
so i cut it all off
nw i am at the point where
i just want to see how long it can grow
no happy cutting for me

 

[HoneyDew]

In Nov 2004 I realized I was tired of wearing braids and had just started looking into weaves as an option.

I left my 1st weave in too long and my hair got so matted and tangled in one section that I have to cut it off to about 2 inches!! I have 7-8 inches everywhere and then 2 inches in one big spot. It was horrible and I was crying about it.

That was it!!!! That was in May of 2005 - the last straw. Now when you look at that spot no one would ever know that it happened.

 

[freedom]

My sister actually started me. I'm not sure what started her but she actually has locs that are BSL. she started back in 2001,cut them in 2003 and have let them grow out ever since but when I saw how fast and healthy here hair was growing I decided maybe I should do something to my then fried and colored head of mess. she has certainly been my encouragement.

 

[andreab]

I got tired of wearing my hair up in a ponytail. I knew I could get the hairstyles I wanted if I took better care of my hair.

 

[Lucie]

I wanted to start on a hair journey, because I knew I always had the ability to grow long hair and just needed guidance. I would cut my hair like Halle, grow it past my shoulders, chop it off, grow it past my shoulders again and just cut it again. My hair has always been thick and I know with the help of you ladies, I can achive BSL and beyond

 

[Lucie]

Oops, achieve

 

[simplycee]

My hair was apl length and I cut it into a chin length bob for no good reason. In Oct 2003 I decided to grow my hair out. I started researchng hair vits after seeing a ad in a hair care magazine. My research brought me to LHCF in Nov 2003 and I was at all the ladies with bsl or longer hair. I lurked for about 2 months before I decided to join. My journey began in Jan 2004 with my a little past shoulder legnth hair.

 

[Cien]

(long story)...but I'll give yawl the cliffnotes version.

Got my first and leave weave last March---a glue in. Stylist quit without informing me. I tried to remove weave myself with conditioner (after the majority of it had loosened after 2 weeks or so). Self weave removal left me with thin edges and overall thin hair period.

Didn't do anything but mope and wear my hair pull back in a ponytail for a coupla months. Was visiting another non-hair message board one day. They were talking about MSM---for overall health, not hair. I had never heard of MSM, so I googled it. Ran across a link to LHCF. Didn't know hair care boards for women of color existed!!!!

So I guess the official time my hair care journey started was last summer. I bought the Shamboosie book after reading about it in the book ordering area. Since then, I've been lurking, reading and taking notes from this board-and my hair has made a huge turn around! Much thicker--and my edges are almost back to normal! I came out of lurk mode and officially joined this month.

 

[queen92]

My hair was a mess. Tried to go natural with color and did not know what to do. Grease was my moisturizer. In January 2005 decided to relax. Stylist cut off a lot of hair, but it needed to be done. I finally joined LHCF and started to take my hair seriously. Learned so much on what not to do to my hair.

Prior to this, I always wore weaves or braids for maintenace. When I got the extensions I would relax then put the extensions in on the same day. I thought that would help me retain the "fresh" look.

Got tired of my hair growing and breaking. It was a neverending battle.

Now, I'm just waiting for next month for my year update.

 

[Phoenix]

My journey started in January 2003 when I became interested in going natural. I did some searching and found nappturality.com. I did the big chop and at that point I was convinced that my hair could only be healthy if it was natural. Someone on nappturality mentioned this site and I checked it out. LHCF helped me realize that my hair could be healthy whether natural, texturized, relaxed, whatever. I've had several setbacks, but since I joined LHCF in March 2003, I've gone from pretty much bald (right after my bc) to 1 inch above armpit.

 

[~Nigeria~]

I started my hair journey because:

1. I was tired of hiding behind braids because of my thin, damaged hair.
2. I was tired of seeing other women with long, beautiful hair wonder if my hair could be like that some day.
3. And LHCF! Seeing so many women achieving their hair goals and going through the same thing I was just motivated me to jump start my journey.

 

[Nanyanika]

My new journey began after being highly disapponited with my texturizer which caused a lot of damage and dryness. after spending over a year transitioning, i still wasn't happy with the condition of my new growth it was seemed very dry, no moisture in strands and even brittle anmd breaking in certain spots of my head after reluctantly puchasing natural mineral supplements my hair feels like babys hair again, i feel like i'm starting over again. from here onwards i will take my diet more seriously as i realise that it was deficency and illness was causing most of my health problems as well as effects my external features i.e skin, hair etc.

 

[amy1234]

I have come to terms that I have always had a thing for hair. During my teens I was one that had all sorts of hair products on my dresser, when my friends would visit I would feel so embarrassed about it because they never had as much products as I did. Oh well, I don't think I will ever get over my hair

 

[beyondcute]

Hmmm. Well the first journey started in the 8th grade. I got my hari done for prom and I wanted to feel like that everyday about my hai. It took me a fel years but I grew my hair out. Then when I got to college I saw all te natural ahir and wanted to experience that so here is my second journey. I got onto the boards when I was in college because I wanted all the tried and true advice I could get my hands on. No one around me could take care of thier hair so no use in asking them. A few internet searches later I found BHM. The rest is all smiles

 

[blazingthru]

I was trying to get some silky shiny flowing hair and so I found a new salon to go to but she chopped me bald BALD I was stunned, Everyone loved me but me I tried to get into it but i hated short hair its a lot of work in my opinion compared to long hair and so I decided to get a Mizani perm and I did and I liked it that was Oct 2005 - three days after I got the perm I decided to look on the website and see what others thought of this perm and find cathy howse website fell in love with the ideal of growing my hair long brought all of her products joined a website to talk about her products and someone on there said I should come to LHCF and I hesitated and decided to join and it just opened my eyes to so many things I never ever knew and so many women with bsl and Wl hair it just blew my mind and right then and there I decided I wanted to go natural I had long admire the natural look but not the work it would take , but being real, for real is what appealed to me the most, I dont wear make up or get nails on. Don't get me wrong I do when I go out but for the most part I don't I do wear a weave from time to time and braids but I wanted to see what the real me looks like, how can I work with it so I been transitioning for a half a year I promised not to put heat on my hair and for about five months I didn't but this last few weeks trying to reach the six months I have trimmed the top of my hair twice and I want to do the big cut so bad but the shock of my natural hair hitting me in the face would be to much I still got to give it some time. but I am going to love being natural I know it now. I can't wait

 

[ayoung]

lifeless thinning relaxed hair is where it started. it would grow--but it was so thin. i couldn't do my own hair---had to depend on my stylist.

then, seeing my godmom's hair thriving from a BC to shoulder lenght hair in beautiful natural styles---i decided to bc. been natural for 3 years.

but the journey continues.....i am seriously thinking about going back to a relaxer. i've learned so much on how to care for relaxed hair. but.....

 

[Nightingale]

I never had any problems with my relaxed hair, it was long and healthy. But suffered from natural/curly hair envy. After considering it for a year, I decided to go natural, and thats where my hair journey began.

 

[Lady_Lioness]

Well honestly...I had found this site by accident...I was searching the web for permanent dyes that wouldn't cause damage...and Bam! I stumbled on this site...I then kept reading and checking out some of the fotki's on here...and I was so impressed...that's pretty much what started me off on my journey.
I wanted the length of all of ladies I've seen.

 

[KiSseS03]

My first journey started last February when I had to cut my damaged shoulder-blade length hair up to above my ears. I hated that cut and from that day on I vowed to grow my hair out healthy and long. I transitioned with braids and protective styles and NO HEAT for 5 months, but decided to relax in the summer. My hair had grown to touch my shoulders in about 7 months and was thick and healthy again.

When I got back to school in September the desire to look cute won out in the battle over healthy stranded, and I started flat-ironing my hair entirely too much. By October my hair started to suffer and that's when I decided to get serious about the hair thing.

I'm happy to report that I haven't used heat since November 24, 2005 and that I am transitioning once and for all to natural, as of Oct. 7, 2005 . LHCF keeps me inspired, accountable and entertained too!

 

[macherieamour]

I saw carmelhonee's fotki and salivated for weeks over it. I printed it out and posted it on my cube at work. I lurked on LHFC for months then bit the bullet and started doing my hair myself

 

[Ambitious1013]

I was looking through old photo albums in August 2005 and noticed I had the same hair style for the past eight years. My hair has always been cut short like the Halle Berry style. After looking through the pictures, I decided that I needed something new. So now I am growing my hair and I am so thankful that I found LHCF!!! My hair is growing nicely and it's so healthy!

 

[baglady215]

This is a great thread!

Two years ago, I decided to treat myself to a relaxer and trim at the hairdresser. I was always a self-relaxer, but I was going on a business trip and I wanted to look really nice. I also had been in and out of micro braids for the previous few years so I really needed a break. My hair turned out so great that day (well, it better had for $90). She used a CHI iron, and I had never seen one. Anyway, after I had my hair done, I really didn't know how to maintain it. I went searching online and found a site called Black Hair Care Talk, and then I found LHCF. I've been hair obsessed ever since.

 

[bubblebtm2]

I started because i got tired of my bf complaining about the constant cutting of MY hair. He obviously likes long hair. But the part that pissed me off most was him sayin that I couldn't get long hair because of the women in my family. Little did he know that their hair is short because they want it that way. My mom once had APL hair, but now she's natural and like to keep her hair short. So I started growing my hair out, so that I can shot him up. It's funny because he hasn't seen the length of my hair since last May. As a matter of fact no one else has recently either. I usually had it in braids, cornrows or weaves last year. My plan is to be BSL by our wedding next year and shock him and his family. This year I plan on stayin out of braids and weave as much as possible and just focus on givin my hair some TLC. So hopefully, I'll see more progress this year.

He has dreads and is constantly sayin that his hair is longer than mine. He's interested in growing them longer, so I got him on the moisturize your hair daily and surge band wagon....thanks to U GUYS!!

 

[Poohbear]

What begin my journey to long hair...

I cut my long hair to neck length near the end of 2003 and was searching the internet for ways to grow my hair back out faster...

In April of 2004, I came across LHCF. My interest in hair increased greatly.

Then after seeing several inspirational natural hair albums, it made me want to go natural.

So that's how my journey began.

 

[glamazon386]

I got tired of having damaged chin length hair and wanted the length I had as a child back. Everytime it would grow out to shoulder length something would happen and the back would start breaking off and I'd have to cut it and start over. In Spring 03 after a bad breakage and cutting episode from some braids I started looking into hair care and originally found NP.com. Then over the summer I started picking up books about hair and learned how to take care of my hair. I just found LHCF last summer but I've learned a lot since I've been here. My hair's doing great and I haven't looked back since.

 

[Miss_Jetsetter]

I wanted to start on a hair journey, because I knew I always had the ability to grow long hair and just needed guidance. I would cut my hair like Halle, grow it past my shoulders, chop it off, grow it past my shoulders again and just cut it again. My hair has always been thick and I know with the help of you ladies, I can achive BSL and beyond

This pretty much sums up my reason for being here.

In additon, I had some really BAD breakage from color and was desperate for a solution.

 

[blueabyss333]

I was always obsessed with my hair. After having a tiring year of stress which caused my hair to break off terribly and even caused a few greys, I decided to cut my own ponytail off. It was my "cutting of my locs." I felt like I just wanted to be released from all the emotional tormoil* I had went through. So my stylist ended up giving me a great cut that I loved.

I was always cutting my hair about every other year once it grew the base of my neck. Each time I vowed to everyone that I promised to grow my hair out. This last BC 2 years ago, I wanted my hair to grow back quickly and long. I wanted long, shiney, healthy hair. I knew that I could grow my hair long b/c I had a lot as a child. I started searching the internet for advice and found BHM, Cathy Howse, LHCF, and some other hair sites. The only site I stuck with was LHCF.

 

[carameldiva]

Well when i started this job back in 2002- i saw so many beautiful black women with shrunken fros and BAA (Big Ass Afros) and the health and style were calling me- i just couldn't stop staring. So i bc'ed, i didn't know what to expect and i went from shoulder length relaxed hair to about an inch or so of natural hair. Initially i wanted to improve the appearance so i put one of those kits in for like 5 mins and when it grew out i never did that again. Now i am a color and product whore only(instead of always beinf fried, dyed and laid to the side weekly). But anywho- i already thick hair and now it is even thicker-it is much healthier and it gives me character- i love all of my coils even when they don't act right. It'll be 3 years in June since i bc'ed and i am never going back to that creamy crack( i was no good at self-relaxing, i loved color too much and my stress spot could never be repaired by a stylist)