What will long natural hair be like?

[Honey Vibe]

I'm sure this has been discussed a million times but I never caught a word of it.

What will long natural hair be like?

I've never seen any pictures of it [below shoulders], although I've seen discussions on line. When I ask what it will be like, I mean does it become more and more difficult to care for? Does it eventually lay down, or stay an afro? Do the locs stay separate, or do they begin to twine together?

It seems like all the pictures I see are relaxed or 3c [and above] hair. Is there any inspiration for us 4a/b natural sistahs? /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Guest]

When I think of how long natural hair will look , (b/c I'm relaxed, I don't know anything about how to care for natural hair), I think of little Rudy Huxtable on the Cosby show.... remember when they used to let her hair down it was so pretty and full. It was longer than shoulder length. Hmmm, I wonder what ever happened to her?

 

[Armyqt]

Caramela (good to 'see' you here) /images/graemlins/smile.gif

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I think of little Rudy Huxtable on the Cosby show.... remember when they used to let her hair down it was so pretty and full. It was longer than shoulder length. Hmmm, I wonder what ever happened to her?

[/ QUOTE ]

She actually still does some work here and there. I sa her on Clebrity Fear Factor a few weeks ago. She won! She's still a darling, and tough too! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[msladymam]

Good question Honey Vibe. I'm not sure, I'm waiting to see what mine will look like when it gets some length. There is a woman on my job who is natural and when she wears her fro out it lays down. I'm assuming its due to the length (past her shoulders).

 

[summer]

rudy's hair was always cute, but i think it was warm pressed or something...my 4a natural hair was definitely still kinky and coily. i could only see the length if i pressed it or twisted it. when i twisted it, it looked like wavy ropes. very nice. it leaves you with a lot of style options.

 

[hairfanatic]

My aunt has natural waist length hair and when she wears it natural (no pressing) it looks like Chaka Kahn's hair.

 

[Vintagecoilylocks]

Hi,

I think given the variety of natural hair it would be impossible to tell you an exact discription. I had a caucasion roommate once who had 4a med hair. She had to use steam rollers then twist it down tight and wear it up all day at work so it would lay like Diana Ross's natural style. It did not curl just frizz and puff. There is a web sight on yahoo that is all about woman with long afro frizzy hair. Some beautiful inspiring photo's. But some I have to tell you are rated R. For some reason the long afro type hair is viewed as exotic and alluring and I'm afraid has been type cast with the photography world. I did see a nice shot of a singer named Liseaux in Black sohisticates. It was natural and long, below waist if pulled. Also a shot of Denny Mendez when she won the Miss Italy pageant. She has 4abc med hair and it was then past her waist. Very pretty. I know we don't see enough long natural hair on the web or in the media. I do believe there is more than we get to see out there. Mine is 3c4a fine and just passing my waist. Depending on what I do will determine the look. After washing and putting it into two or four braids when it drys if I take out the braids, it hangs down in a semi controlled sort of frizzy straight fashion with the ends curling about pencil size on the last 5 - 6 inches. But I really like the look of french and dutch braids. The braids give weight to my fine 3c4a texture and look really nice down or in a bun. Keep growing and I think you will be presently surprised how your hair will look.

 

[Sindeee]

To get a look women with long NATURAL hair please log on to Nappturality. There you can get an idea of how to style long natural hair. So long are the days of Rudy Huxtable hair because these sisters can show you how it's done!

There's a sister by the name of Dreamy Brown, She has X-tra thick and long beautiful natural hair. There are a lot of other women their with LNH as well i.e. Got2bme, Poetrynmoshin, Van, Toya, Divine Spirals, 2twisted, Brownskinlady and others.

This is a great site that I'm proud to say I'm a member!

Enjoy,

Sindeee

 

[sweetcocoa]

Kaytlynswoolocks, I can't wait till I get some length. Your hair sounds beautiful. What's your regime? Thanks

 

[Faith]

My is a little past top of my bra strap and it doesn't lay flat at all..I think I'm 5zzzz so...
I don't think it will ever lay down...ever. I don't really have any problems caring for it though. I "divide and conquer" when I'm dealing with it so it's easier. Basically, I've been doing the same things since it was a twa.

 

[Tara]

That's a good question, I think it really depends on the thickness of the hair.

Also, I consider myself a 4a/b (to go by Andre's system) but I swear my hair texture seems to be changing by the minute, the back is getting wavier as it gets longer and healthier so it's hard to say what the final product will look like once it is below shoulders.

I notice that I have the "flops" now, so I imagine my hair will not puff up and out as much the longer it gets.

Iggles /images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Honey Vibe]

Thanks for all the replies girls! Your answers have set a lot of my questions [and anxiety!] to rest.

hairfanatic, if you have a pic of your aunt, I would love to see it.
msladymam, if your co-worker is willing to show her picture, I'd be glad to see it!

 

[thatscuteright]

Faith, WOW
How long have you been wearing braids? I WANT your growth /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif
What is your regimen.....please spill your "secrets"

 

[Valerie]

Long natural hair will tend to grow like a bush, so it will get bigger and bigger, it will not tend to grow down, until it is blowed dryed straight or pressed.

 

[hairfanatic]

I also think depending on the hair type makes a difference also. Valleygirl's culry pictures are a nice example of what a natural haired woman would look like with long hair.

 

[sweetcocoa]

I agree..it depends on the texture, the cut, what products you use...the longer it gets, the heavier it gets so gravity will naturally takes it course and pull it down. It can't stay 'bushed up' once it gets to a certain length.

 

[just_me]

I think it depends on the hairtype too.

My pressed hair is a couple of inches below my shoulders. My natural hair is a dense collection of frizzy, fine strands, shaped into small crinkly waves. I think there might be some coils in there somewhere. It grows mostly outward and right now most of it rests right at my shoulders when wet with product. I can pick it out into a floppy fro when dry. A big floppy fro. A fro that makes my bf just sit and stare.

LOL! It's also easier to comb wet with conditioners than dry. It's tangled at first, but I take my time starting off at the ends and it becomes very combable after detangling. Dry combing without braiding or twisting first is difficult. It doesn't have as much slip when dry and I end up doing damage if I'm not extra careful.

Other types seem to grow downward and have more slip than mine when dry. I think type 3's are like this.

Oops! Did I even answer the question? I tend to babble at times.

just_me

 

[skegeesmb]

My hair is a natural 3c/4a combination (I think I have some 3b too but I use Andre's modified version from Nc.com). My hair is curly in the back in corkscrew curls, and at the top I'm not really sure what it is yet. It seems like Gloria Ruben's hair. I have a feeling that this hair will cover my curlier hair giving me the appearance of big hair. I can do an semi afro. My hair won't hold the halo shape of the fro at the top and will split down the middle. And I must pick out my hair really well or you will see curls throughout my afro, so no my hair doesn't fro like Angela Davis's hair but it's unique.

At first I was discouraged because my hair was cut like Halle Berry's and during the first two months of growing it out, I couldn't get it to lay down straight for anything. I was tempted to get a texturizer, but I didn't because it would loosen my curls to a 3a in the back, but my hair would completely straighten at the top. So I stuck it out. My hair has about 20% shrinkage on the top, and 30-40% shrinkage in the back. So when my hair is straight it's 4-8 inches long. But when it's wet it's about 2.5-6.5 inches. My hair is growing more down in the back, but grows up and down on the top.

My mom's natural hair before she cut it off had probably 20-30% shrinkage, and I think my hair is following suit. You can look at my pictures on my webpage to see what I'm talking about. All in all, for me natural was a good way to go.

 

[Mahalialee4]

I have to tell you that your long natural hair will surprise you. I know mine is full of little shockwave surprises. To start: when healthy when my hair is supershort, like about an inch long, it is curly and and crinkly and wavy and very dark. when it is healthy and about ear length it is thick and curly and full of body and bounce. At the nape of the neck it is pouffe there it is! At top of shoulder length, it did not have much curl, but was frizzy and for me hard to know what I wanted to do with it. Plus it looked totally shapeless and the ends are shooting out at a different rate so it looks choppy. Once it passed the shoulders, it started to get fuller and the ends are growing in more evently.I always kept it well moisturized and conditioned and a couple of times I dusted the ends. Currently I have been using the Crown and Glory Method while at the same time trying to develop some type of hair care product that would work for my long hair once I got there. Currently the length is a little past the top of bra strap where it fastens at the back. the sides are past armpit length. The front is going onto my chest. The in between braid routine that I am using now really shows the total thickness and length and I am quite shocked at the character of my hair at this length. I still do not use any chemicals or any heat on my hair. Once it hits waist length I am going to try a roller set. that should be exciting. In the meantime I will do wraps and rolls,pin it up with those plastic hair pins and wrap with my silk scarf because I do not have to hardly brush or comb, just condition and moisturize the ends every second day and it stays as straight as if it were pressed or had a relaxer. Of course when I wash it, the shrinkage brings me back to reality. I was going to try to Baka relaxer and chickened out. Thought I will just do my own thing and it seems to be working. I still plan to keep getting it thicker and longer, and manipulating it as little as possible. I am taking a break from braiding for a month. You know where my hair was and I feel like a miracle is happening here. At Christmas time I will measure it. Bonjour.

 

[sweetcocoa]

Skeegesmb...that's exactly how the top of my hair is. The sides and back are perfect corkscrew curls...the top is more wavy and tends to frizz...it so frustrating I am tempted to relax (every so often). That's when I wetset on rollers till the 'urge' goes away. I'm always glad I changed my mind.

 

[babyblue]

Long natural hair can be very surprising. I know with me my hair grows downwards and im 4a/b. I read somwhere that the longer hair grows, the more weight it has and that the weight pulls it down. Which is why some people who have long curly hair, when they cut their hair short a few inches it "poofs" up fro like which is due to less weight. In my case the longer my hair grows strangely the kinks and naps get coilier (pencil size) and my hair shrinks less. i guess it all depends on the individual but i also think it could be due to the hair products such as gels and conditoners used and frequent heat use which tends to "loosens" the texture a bit over time.

blue /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Faith]

Re: What will long natural hair be like?-Tamala

Hi Tamala,
I have been wearing braids for 3 straight years since I chopped it all off to go natural. I started with 1/2" of hair. Over this time I have been perfecting my regimen. And at the present time my regimen is:
Hot Oil Treatment: coconut oil
Shampoo: Better Braids shampoo spray...1x a week
Moisturize: my water/glycerin mix
Oil: WGO, kemi oyl and my oil mix (too long to list).
And that's it. I plan on sporting braids until end of June. But you know I have been saying I'll take it out for a break for a long time now so let me say tentatively June 2003 I will take it out..lol.
HTH /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Silkylocks]

You guys' posts are so inspiring! As my hair gets longer, I see also that the weight of it helps it to lay down a little more than normal. The parts that are frizzy now are from chemical damage. Most of it is crinkly waves ending in pencil size ringlets. I suppose the hardest thing about growing my hair out and styling it are my bangs. Once they grow a few inches longer I'll be able to do more with it. Overall, I'm glad I've given up heat styling and I really look forward to where my hair will be in a couple of years.

Mahalialee, how long have you been growing your hair in its natural state? It sounds like it's very healthy and long!

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Mahalialee4]

To Silkylocks

My Hair History From February 1999-March 2002
February 1999, (seriously damaged &amp; breaking!)
4" bang and side temple area, 7" sides , 10" (top scattered areas
longest strands). Back length of hair was at the MIDDLE of the neck.
I began a series of Radical Recovery Treatments (personal
copyrighted 1999-2000)) : With these treatments and a complete
attitude change and hair regimen my hair went from that length to
8"(bangs) and starting at the hairline- 17" back to 20"- back (V)
or (7 "below shoulders at the back August 1, 2001. I took
photographs to visually map my progress. Then to 10" below shoulders
at the back. 4" past shoulders at the sides, and past collar bone
length from the temple area by December 31, 2001. Hair thickness has
increased dramatically, color has deepened, ends are fantastic and
the overall texture is phenominal. Measurements taken since: Full and
precise measurements were taken according to layers on February 23,
2002, to give the most accurate reflection of the overall growth of
my hair. Bangs: that were originally a problem area: 11"(now thick
and good texture) last trimmed August 2000 approx. 1 "; Sides
(temple) 11.5 "a major problem area, especially on the right side
where measured, acquired major thickness.Top of head above the bangs:
11.4"Area previously most damaged for longest period of time (5") now
10" long and thriving. Back of ear 10.5 " stretches to armpit length
when pulled to front and 4.5" past shoulders when pulled out to the
side.Longest strands from bottom of neck measure 13". Starting at the
front hairline to longest part (V) area in the back overall length
22.5". Major goal -grow out all layers. Grow into a curved "V" shape.
Marks 3 years growth. Feb. 99-Feb.2002. Measurement: March 7-2002 the
longest sections of hair at back touching top of bra strap when
gently stretched. The area behind the right ear, section showed
increase in growth of 3" this year. (front beauty spot-2-3/4" past
spot) and touches the armpit crease in front. Random measurement. I
have accumulated satisfactory growth in all areas. I intend to grow
out my layers to one overall length of 35 inches. In the process of
growing out sharply uneven layers of hair, I have accumulated to date
(Feb.22-2002)- 7=4.5=5=4=6- total of 26.5 inches of growth. The
AVERAGE OF GROWTH OVER 3 YEARS= 26.5/5=5.3" per year average. The
rate of growth based on the actual current length measured from front
of hairline to longest length of 22.5/3=6.8" growth per year. A
little above average. That means I can hope to gain the average 6"
per year. In one year that will add up to (22.5=6=28.5; in two
year=34.5" total length. AMAZINGLY, the biggest challenge for me was
to accumulate length from the middle of the neck to the shoulder
(4"), to grow it past shoulder length to reach 13 " past the shoulder
at its longest point! In 3 years that equals 17", which was an
average of 17/3=5.6"per year. All in all I really cannot complain.
The intense therapy saved my hair and in spite of everything it grew
about average. 5.3-5.6 vs 6"!
Current length as stated in above post. Bonjour.

 

[Silkylocks]

Re: To Silkylocks

Thanks, that was very informative. I don't keep very close track of the amount I grow each month, but I should start to be more precise. You also gave some great info in your 365 day regime post. I hope to use as many raw products on my hair as possible. Thanks again! /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Honey Vibe]

Re: To Silkylocks

Mahalialee, I have noticed that women who have long natural hair that I admire get the average 5-6 in. per year, when I do the math. That is very encouraging! At first I thought "their hair grows fast, and mine just grows slow". Because over the last year, I definitely counted 6 inches of growth total, but my hair still looks like a TWA. Somewhat discouraging, but now I understand the process better. /images/graemlins/ooo.gif /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[sweetcocoa]

Silkylocks....I'm also at the point you are...trying to grow out my bangs so my natural curls will hang better in that area. I'm gonna take Adrienne's suggestion and coat my bangs with vaseline when I wear my hair in a bun and helpfully the dryness and frizziness that seems to be keeping me from accumulating any length in the front will lessen.

 

[happylocks]

I love natural hair, going to the nappy site, just makes me so happy, I forget about how beautiful natural hair is,

, I think it can be difficult, not because it is natural but long, long hair is hair to care for, it is possible, and can be done, wish you all the best, stay natural

 

[KinkyCurly]

As my hair has gotten longer, I find it is harder to deal with. I find that I have to be more diligent with it. It is difficult to style when I am in a hurry. I have to keep it in twists and braids more than I used to. When I wear it out, It still has a lot of shrinkage, but since it is a little longer, it hangs better. My hair is mostly 4a/4b. It is currently about 20 inches I think (I have had to change my measurements now that I know we measure from the scalp).

 

[SVT]

Dang, happylocks. You dug deep into the archives for this one.