When I was 17... *Hair Edition*

[QueenAmaka]

Wow this takes me back... When I was 17 I was dying my hair with permanent hair color every other month and using my curling iron every single morning . I rarely covered my hair at night. By graduation from high school my hair was this orangish red color and the bad thing is I just knew I was cute LOL

I am sooo glad I found LHCF

 

[PJaye]

When I was 17, my hair was primarily styled in what I now know to be called braid-outs. Every two or three weeks, I would wash my hair with whatever drugstore shampoo that looked interesting and condition it with that Wella conditioner in the big tub (I really thought I was doing something with that stuff); after which it was braided into 4 granny braids so that it could dry. Once my hair dried, I used a straightening comb (the type that needed to be placed over an open flame on the stove) to straighten it using that white Dax hair grease (I’m dying laughing as I type this).

Next, I would braid my hair into about 6 or 7 cornrows after applying some Pink Oil Moisturizer to each section, and place a pink foam curler at the end of each braid. I would allow the braids to “set” for at least 12 hours because the longer they sat, the wrigglier the hair would be come. I would unbraid and apply a smidge more Pink Oil Moisturizer to my hairline, then style, fluff and go; I would re-braid every night and re-style each morning. Every blue moon, I would forgo the braiding and simply wear it straightened, but, I preferred the braided-wriggly styles because they weren’t heavily impacted by the rain or humidity.

For some reason, my hair grew from just below SL to MBL doing this, but you could fry a pound of chicken on my greasy forehead.

 

[miss.phi]

when I was 17 (last year) I started experimenting with my hair . Now that I'm 18 I have truly grown wiser and gave the experimenting up. I began my HHJ on my 18th .

 

[UrbainChic]

when I was 17 I had hair that was relaxed with some pretty scary split ends. I did a few at home cuts I tried to hide from my mom by keeping my hair up, but my hair never went shorter than BSL with my max at WL. I think i retained much of my length because I had to wait until Jr high to get a relaxer ( under strict supervision of my mother) and I didn't do much to my hair, it was always in a sloppy bun, always covered in pink oil ( ironically i never thought to focus on the ends, so my top half would look a bit greasy, and my ends were crispy looking).

I didn't need to comb or detangle much, finger combing would suffice and I only got relaxers about 3 times a year and washed and roller set every 2 weeks.

During the summer I would forfeit the roller set and just wash and go, but I hated the way my hair would not really curl, but was not really straight either. I tried a lot to get my hair to curl in the summer and it just was not happening. I also hated the split ends, if I would brush my hair I'd have little hairs about as long as eyelashes ALL OVER the place. Gross.

I started having curl envy, and missing my curly hair, and being sure i could make it look just fine on my own, which set the stage for big chop # 1 the following year in college.

 

[divachyk]

When I was 17, I was playing basketball, wore ponytails a lot, sweated a lot, washed very infrequently and DC never, overlapped my re-touchs and did everything wrong and my hair loved it!

 

[bimtheduck]

When I was 17 I was about to go off to college and thought short hair would make me look older and sophisticated so I copped off my BSB length hair to a short chin length bob. I was using a flat iron 3-5 times a week and went through cans of oil sheen like nobody's business. I very rarely DCedso my hair was dry buy greasy. Eww

 

[yaya24]

When I was 17 -- I wore the heck out of micro braids

 

[Katherina]

Hmmm...

When I was 17 I wore twists, braidouts (now they have a name, lol ), and pressed hair.

I washed and conditioned with herbal essences shampoo and conditioner, and put Hot Six oil on my hair.

Sounds decent, but my hair remained the same length (SL) bc of brush- and heat-abuse. I would let it dry in its shrunken 4a state, then styled.

At 17.5, I cut it to a layered NL (couldn't even get it all into a ponytail). I cut it because I was tired of ratty, breaking ends. I wore only pressed hair until it grew out (to the exact same SL as before, !).

 

[RainyDaze]

When I was 17, I had just graduated from highschool and was relaxed. I remember getting a relaxer when I was about 12 yrs old by one of my cousins and for some reason I decided to let the relaxer grow out or 'transition". By the time I started high school I was completely natural. I used to let my hair air dry and then I would use a straightening comb and/or curling iron. My hair was frizzy and puffy at times, so one day I decided to try something different by adding gel to my hair while it was wet and letting it dry naturally. Well, the next day when I went to school everyone thought I gotten a Jheri curl. No one believed me when I told them that I did not have a Jheri curl. After that, I started relaxing my hair again. In addition, at 17, I was also experimenting with my hair color. I loved Sun In (I'm probably telling my age), the hair lightener in a spray bottle, and Jazzing.

 

[halee_J]

When I was 17:

I had bone-laxed MBL hair. But I was treating it so badly. I let the hairdresser do whatever she wanted, as long as it looked good. Marcel-ironing, blowdrying, hardly ever DCing. I was a huge Aaliyah fan so she dyed it blue black with Bigen. Also, my love affair with oil moisturizers, using fine toothed combs, no scarf at night and wearing my hair down every day did not help The only helpful thing was unintentionally stretching my touchups, beacause she always used super and I wanted to delay the as long as possible. My hair was getting thin and was breaking, but I thought that was 'normal'. I wish I knew then what I know now.

 

[melissa-bee]

When I was 17 I used I was natural. I used to wear canerows at the front and an afro puff at the back.
It was a decent size but my friends were saying I should relax my hair. Eventually I did,

 

[KurlyNinja]

At 17, I was was relaxed and a little pass SL. I didnt think my hair was super long, but I thought it was a decent length. Especially compared to others. I went to the stylist every 2 weeks which is the only time water saw my head. In between the stylist I would flat iron my hair almost everyday and spray it with oil sheen all the time. I kept a brush and a comb in my purse at all times and combed/brushed it any chance I got. I never really thought about length much in HS because I had some of the longest hair and it was shiny and bouncy because I went to the Hair Stylist every two weeks. But I had SERIOUS flakes that I just use to comb out because too much water was bad for your hair, right? So glad that part of my life is over. lol. TY LHCF!

 

[J Hazel]

When I was 17 I'd just started college and had a relaxer in my hair for 3 years by that point. My hair started to thin out from the relaxer and was not as healthy as it had previously been, so I eventually went natural.

 

[Imani]

When I was 17, I started flat ironing alot with those old school flat irons (pre ceramic days) and wearing microbraids. My thick relaxed SL blunt cut bob broke off. Stylist cut it into a very layered neck length. And also was introduced to roller setting. Though fairly healthy and nice looking, my hair hasn't gotten back to its original length since (10 yrs) and never managed to ever grow out of being layered.

 

[CaliDiamond]

When I was 17, I cut all of my hair to 2-3 inches long. I wore scarves and extension braids my whole senior year of high school until my hair was long enough to do a high puff. Couldn't nobody tell me nothin when I revealed my poof at the end of the year!!! I was known as "that afrocentric girl" lol. No one else with my hair type (4a/b) was natural at my school so I was definitely the odd, weird black girl.

I am really enjoying these stories. Brings back memories!

 

[Louisex3]

when i was 17, i found this site and started growing my hair
i'm now about 4 months into my journeyy

 

[wavezncurlz]

I was natural at 17. I lived in the Phillipines with high humidity and I swam a lot. I knew relaxers wouldn't do a damn thing in that weather. I wasn't very creative with my hair so it was usually in french braids or a bun. During the dry season, I'd do an occasional rollerset or blowout. It was probably midback/waistlength at the time but no one knew because I rarely wore it out.

Interestingly, being natural wasn't really cool in the late 80s and I definitely marched to my own drummer. I'm "facebook friends with some high school friends now and looking back at my tagged pictures, I realize that my hair is still the same. The only difference is I am using much better products, I have gotten better about creative styling, and I know how to wear it out with twist/braid outs. I guess I was ahead of my time

 

[kandiekj100]

When I was 17, my hair was relaxed, about apl. I had jacked my hair up in middle school (curling iron on hair sprayed hair - can you say frying your hair to death) and by high school I mostly wore low ponytails, so it started to grow out. But I used to get up so early in the morning (5:30 to catch two buses), there was no way I was going to do all that everyday in the morning. So I guess I just lucked out on that front. I also would go months in tetween relaxing, but not b/c i thought it was good for my hair, I just hated the process and was lazy (My mom stopped doing them for me). Every now and again I would do my own french roll, but fave was the half up french roll and the bottom half down. If was trying to be fancy, I'd put candy curls bangs to the side with the half up french roll. But mostly the ponytail.

ETA- How could I forget, I also cut my hair that year, which started my rollercoaster ride of cut and grow, cut and grow. I wanted a cute cut like the other girls in school so I had my hair cut to a chin length bob, with the back shaved. But then I didn't like curling it (lazy), so when I discovered my relaxed hair will curl with water and grease that is how I wore it for a while, until it could fit in a ponytail again.

 

[lilsparkle825]

When I was 17, I was going to my aunt's super expensive stylist with her every so often to get my hair done (what she was doing to it IDK) and my hair was shockingly healthy...or at least I thought so at the time. The only thing is I was getting bad hair advice from my aunt, so even after 6 weeks when my NG was manageable and very healthy, I would still get touch-ups. She had me believing that it was the Dark and Lovely that made my hair swang the first time I used that brand but each time I used it after that, I would never get it. I consistently wrapped my hair, and I believe this is when I discovered Chi Silk Infusion, but I'm pretty sure I was using it as a moisturizer like an idiot. I KNOW that I liked the shine it gave me, but using it everyday naturally led to heavy greasy looking hair. Maybe that's what cut down on *some* of the heat damage, since I definitely used the flat iron every other day at the least.

When I was 17 almost 18, I lost all the common sense I had once I got to college and started abusing my hair.

 

[Mad Scientist]

When I was 17, I didn't care very much about my hair. My mom would get angry with me for not taking care of it (putting GREASE on it LOL). I thought grease=moisture and I really didn't like grease so my hair was usually dry. I relaxed when I felt like it lol. I think I went the whole summer after Junior year without a relaxer just because I hated getting them. My mom would get mad and tell me my hair is going to break off if I don't get a relaxer. It always grew though.

 

[MsWowFactor]

When I was 17 I was relaxed and growing my hair out from a previous cut. I started making my own wigs and wearing them when I didn't have a weave or didn't have my hair done.

 

[lalla]

When I was 17, I had BSL hair. I had discovered the C&G website, an ezboard forum for relaxed hair and LHCF one year before and I had cut my hair from SL to ear length to start anew.
I did most of what I do now except I used to spend 70% of my allowance on har care products.

 

[silenttullip]

Wow what kind of allowance were u getting lol

When I was 17, I had BSL hair. I had discovered the C&G website, an ezboard forum for relaxed hair and LHCF one year before and I had cut my hair from SL to ear length to start anew.
I did most of what I do now except I used to spend 70% of my allowance on har care products.

 

[cutiebe2]

when I was 17 I found this board and cut all my heat damaged hair off. I was already natural but I started taking better care of my hair through this board

 

[Quailbird]

Fun thread!
When I was 17, which was only four years ago, I had full BSB-MBL natural hair. I was going to the salon once a month and washed regularly, like two weeks after my salon visit (so the money wouldn't go to waste) and weekly when I wore it curly (I did not and do not like my hair to feel icky and have this thing about stinky hair). I didn't really have the best practices. I washed with anything, loaded my hair with drying gel, pulled it back into tight ponytails (which reeked havoc on my already sensitive edges), skimping on conditioner (sometimes skipping it altogether), and rough, daily detangling. But, because I left my hair alone, wearing it in curly ponytails and buns a lot and wetting it daily (which my godsister told me I shouldn't do because water would make my hair break off per her stylist. I didn't listen because I knew that was the only way that I could comb it- lol who knew), it grew and I retained some length. However, I had some heat damage from getting it flat ironed monthly (which I only know now because my college roommate would comment on my straight ends. I had no idea then that it was heat damage. Just thought it was my hair texture ). Although this is my graduation picture, it was taken a couple of months after my 17th birthday and my hair was curled.
View attachment 94406

 

[starfish79]

When I was 17...I was stretching my relaxer just because I hated going to the salon, not because I knew better, and my hair was MBL.

 

[lalla]

A very small one. I didn't have much (other than hair products) to spend it on.

 

[caribeandiva]

When I was 17 I was relaxed, just discovered Pink oil and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. I was happy the pink stuff made my hair lay down nicely for my ponytails! I was washing my hair once a month, trying to make it to 2 months but failing because my scalp itched like crazy. I never used conditioner only shampoo. I hadn't discovered flatirons yet but my hair still didn't grow. It was dry as heck. Never moisturized.

Man, am I glad those days are over.

 

[GraciousMystique]

When I was 17, I was transitioning to natural hair. I wore cornrolls which I was about once every two months, never moisturized or conditioned my hair. I didn't care too much about hair care, my hair was suffering from serious breakage.

 

[Lita]

17 in the late 80's.I had my hair bleach blond/gold,eye brows too..lol Then I dyed it jet black...washed it every day didn't condition used a lot of grease & whatever I could get my hands on.Only thing i did right (i use to braid it nightly) but i did have my hair out during the day...




Happy Hair Growing!