Natural ladies: how long til the long lengths??

lesedi · Mar 6, 2011

I have recently BC'd (2 weeks ago) and as much as I love my new do', I'm interested to know how long it took for most of the natural ladies to hit the long lengths... (apl/bsl/mbl/wsl etc)...
I'm keen for inspiration, I want to see all the nice hairstyles i'll be able to do soon. Please post pics if you can!
Loving my cute lil 4a twa!

lesedi · Mar 6, 2011

bumping desperately

sungtongs · Mar 6, 2011

i mean. you hair is still growing at it's normal rate. so at 1/2 inch-1inch a month...at 7 months (flat ironed) my hair is collar-bone length.
it's not gonna show length for a minute unstretched if that's what you're asking...especially 4a.

leiah · Mar 6, 2011

I'm 2 months shy of my 2 year BC anniversary and I'll be full BSL at that point

lesedi · Mar 6, 2011

I get that my hair-growh rate will remain the same but i have noticed that i'm having to dust more often nowadays. I definitely wasn't talking about unstretched lengths. This may sound like a stupid question but I guess i need inspiration.

~~HoneyComb~~ · Mar 6, 2011

If you're talking BSL and longer it depends on how much hair you are starting with (did you BC down to a couple inches or do you have a considerable amount of length after your BC).

If you BC down to a couple inches, to get BSL or longer could take anywhere from 2-3 years. Of course if your hair is longer after your BC (and considering what your growth rate is) you could get the length you want sooner.

Enjoy your shorter length, be patient, it will grow--also, unless you plan on wearing it straight mostly, even if it gets to BSL or longer, shrinkage will always make it look shorter than what it is :yep:

lesedi · Mar 6, 2011

leiah said:
I'm 2 months shy of my 2 year BC anniversary and I'll be full BSL at that point

so inspiring!
are you protective styling? whats your hair type and regimen?

lesedi · Mar 6, 2011

i have about 2inches of hair right now...which i love! but im getting kind of bored of seeing the same look on myself every day.... I think i'm going to put some braid extensions in for a change.

~~HoneyComb~~ · Mar 6, 2011

lesedi said:
i have about 2inches of hair right now...which i love! but im getting kind of bored of seeing the same look on myself every day.... I think i'm going to put some braid extensions in for a change.

Growing it out from 2" is going to seem as though it takes forever, but trust me, the longer the hair gets the more work--enjoy the ease of your shorter length.

ms-gg · Mar 6, 2011

IMO, the best way to get an idea is to stalk fotki albums of other folks. My favorite journey is http://www.roshini.net (go to photo journal at the top and click on year 2002 and 2003 to start and I promise you will never get bored :grin:

) I stalked her album when I first went natural and got a good idea of how it would take for my hair to get longer based off of hers. Honestly, yes this may be bad bad bad advice lol because growing rates vary, you have to factor in retention and over trimming the hair and things like that... but for the most part, everyone grows around .5 inches a month (remember this is an average so yours can be less or more than this number) and your job is to retain that length. With time and patience and if it is in the stars for you, you will get there :yep:

.

leiah · Mar 6, 2011

lesedi said:
so inspiring!
are you protective styling? whats your hair type and regimen?

I have been protective styling on and off - not consistently.
I have 3A hair which I realize is very different from most people on this board, but when I BCed it was down to 1-2 inches

I think the key to the length and health of my hair has been absolutely no heat- not even blowdrying, and finger detangling only. I cowash daily and shampoo once a week. I juust started playing around with protein and stuff within the last month when I joined the board. I don't know that it's necessary or that I will continue.

Freespirit02 · Mar 6, 2011

~~HoneyComb~~ said:
If you're talking BSL and longer it depends on how much hair you are starting with (did you BC down to a couple inches or do you have a considerable amount of length after your BC).

If you BC down to a couple inches, to get BSL or longer could take anywhere from 2-3 years. Of course if your hair is longer after your BC (and considering what your growth rate is) you could get the length you want sooner.

Enjoy your shorter length, be patient, it will grow--also, unless you plan on wearing it straight mostly, even if it gets to BSL or longer, shrinkage will always make it look shorter than what it is

To add to this..it also depends on height. I'm would reach bsl (with all things considered equal) at my height of 5'7 than a woman who is 6'2. So height comes into play.

~~HoneyComb~~ · Mar 6, 2011

loveurself84 said:
To add to this..it also depends on height. I'm would reach bsl (with all things considered equal) at my height of 5'7 than a woman who is 6'2. So height comes into play.

Also torso length, neck length, head length :lol:

.....a lot comes into play :yep:

femmedusiecle · Mar 6, 2011

~~HoneyComb~~ said:
Also torso length, neck length, head length .....a lot comes into play

hehehehehehe

mzteaze · Mar 6, 2011

~~HoneyComb~~ said:
Also torso length, neck length, head length .....a lot comes into play

LOL y'all forgot to add the "gangsta lean".

Seriously, your hair will grow from 2" fairly quickly. I suggest capturing your growth by taking monthly pictures, so that you can compare it as you go.

Iluvsmuhgrass · Mar 6, 2011

Definitely take pictures to document your journey and it wouldn't hurt to keep a "hair diary/journal". I'm always tweaking things and if I don't write down what I do and the steps that I used.. *sigh* Those are the times my hair comes out awesome. :lol:

Not to mention it will help when you're feeling like you're in a slump and not experiencing any growth. :yep:

Rei · Mar 6, 2011

It depends...it might take longer on your growth rate, how well you take care of your particular hair (I say your particular because you may find that a lot of the stuff touted as good and healthy on this site are good for others hair but not that great for yours). It may take a while to find a good natural regimen which may stunt your growth. If you have coarse hair it may be faster because its not as easy to break. if you have fine hair it may take longer depending on how you handle it. Then theres growth rate, etc.

My advice is to just let it do what it does. Don't bother looking at other people's fotkis. All thats going to happen is that if you don't reach 'this length' by 'this year' you're just going to get all disappointed and dissatisfied with your hair (/story of my life)

lushcoils · Mar 6, 2011

You can browse through the one inch a month thread in my siggy to see if you can find some tips to maximize your hair growth to shorten the time to long hair. Lots of ladies have been having success, and many have gotten around 1 inch a month. Hope this helps.

mischka · Mar 6, 2011

I think it took me maybe a year to a year and a half to hit APL. I hope I'll make BSL or at least close to it by the end of the year. By the way I'm 5'9 and I didn't big chop, but by cutting off all my relaxed ends I still had to grow a whole new head of hair so I don't see why that matters.

I know what you were asking and I'm sorry you got more advice than answers... lol.

BostonMaria · Mar 6, 2011

It'll feel like it's not growing fast enough and then one day it's long.

After my BC (5 inches of hair) it took me one year to get to APL. Two years to get to MBL.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

EllePixie · Mar 6, 2011

I BC'ed to an inch of hair in Dec '09, and my hair is beginning to show length (unstretched) now. I can no longer make my hair stand straight up in a big fro (which is a little annoying) and it looks like a chin length bob. I hope to by APL stretched by May.

Carrie A · Mar 6, 2011

With all the variables give yourself 2 years to start seeing length by your definition.

Afrolatina · Mar 6, 2011

lesedi said:
I have recently BC'd (2 weeks ago) and as much as I love my new do', I'm interested to know how long it took for most of the natural ladies to hit the long lengths... (apl/bsl/mbl/wsl etc)...
I'm keen for inspiration, I want to see all the nice hairstyles i'll be able to do soon. Please post pics if you can!
Loving my cute lil 4a twa!

Hi!
I BC'd a total of 3 times, to date.
My last BC I had less than a half to a quarter inch of hair allover my head, the shortest ever, by far.... that was over a year ago and it horribly uneven (some got buzzed and some didn't- don't ask it was a nightmare of a situation lol :nono:

) the longest lengths of my hair are now between shoulder and collarbone length...and girl, everyday i'm wishing and hoping for my hair to grow longer...but i'm happy I can at least put it up now in a clip or elastic instead of that perpetually horrible fro that my hair always shrinks up in- it's not balanced looking and it's not my favorite- at all.

Now..... It took me about 2 1/2-3 years to get to WL from about 1/4-1/2 inch natural the last time I BC'd (2006) below are some pics of what my hair did look like prior to me being forced to cut (btw shrinkage, for me, has always been a b!tch)...

eta: sorry the pictures suck and I don't have any variety...
I really was not big on taking too many pics of my hair and, even if I couldve, lol I had no one to help me get more accurate length shots

virtuenow · Mar 6, 2011

It depends on how much "trial and error" you go through and how many setbacks you encounter along the way. If you find an effective moisture routine early on, then you should have steady growth and retention. As a 4a/b I believe it may take a little longer to get your moisture in tact and be able to retain those ends. Also if you get your detangling routine at bay, you may begin to show length sooner (so you're not tearing and ripping out your hair). If you have a smooth journey, with minimal slump, you will probably see APL at 2yrs and BSL at 3yrs and MBL-WL at 4-5yrs.

I am 4b and took years to find what it meant to moisturize my strands from the inside out, and hence, setbacks. I would be much furuther along if I had moisture in tact and effective detangling. Learning not to stress your strands-- or yourself for that matter can go a LONG way (pun intended).

mischka · Mar 6, 2011

Now..... It took me about 2 1/2-3 years to get to WL from about 1/4-1/2 inch natural the last time I BC'd (2006) below are some pics of what my hair did look like prior to me being forced to cut (btw shrinkage, for me, has always been a b!tch)...

Can I ask why you were forced to cut from WL?

Afrolatina · Mar 6, 2011

mischka said:
Can I ask why you were forced to cut from WL?

sure... well, a so-called family friend put some sort of unknown chemical in my hair...she claimed my curls lacked definition and she could "fix" it for me... I didn't think anything was wrong with my hair that day (it was rainy and I didn't put any product in besides coconut oil) but because she was associated with "family" I went through with it... as she was doing it she sprayed a couple different types of sprays in my hair (they were not labeled- but I didn't think anything of it) and she dry combed it into my hair...I lost a handful of hair in the combing and that was it for me...

the whole experience was a nightmare...
I got home, my scalp and forehead were burning all the way home and my skin got really tight and red... I went home, immediately washed my hair, and it started to come out in clumps...I had literal patches of hair missing.. I washed several times for the next couple of days, my scalp, fingers, hands, everything was burning.. It got so bad that what was left of my hair, I had to chop and shave in order to stop the burning... I theorized she put some sort of chemical solvent or something in my hair- something odorless... i'm not sure what she used, but I had bad chemical burns allover...

I have not seen her since and frankly want to keep it moving.. she'll get hers...but, it was incredibly rough to deal with emotionally and mentally but i'm happy to say that today, my hair has grown to about shoulder length so I call it a lesson lived and learned...really a big caution to never let anyone touch your hair and I never will again...

mischka · Mar 6, 2011

WOWWWWWWWWWW @ that story... I would have hunted that trick down and smashed a large rock into her skull... that is CRAZY

ResultsMayVary · Mar 6, 2011

it's really different strokes ,different folks.. my siggy is my hair around 2.5 years natural :ohwell:

, but I have seen some ladies with the same amount of time at BSL or MBL..

Afrolatina · Mar 6, 2011

mischka said:
WOWWWWWWWWWW @ that story... I would have hunted that trick down and smashed a large rock into her skull... that is CRAZY

girl I know.... :nono:

I still look back, stunned...
the worst part is there wasn't even much I could do because she was a "family" friend but you know what? I realized because I couldn't just physically beat her down and really there was nothing I could do to get back at her, I just had to let it go.. and god that was a process, in itself...

I pretty much promised myself i'd never let anyone get a hand in my hair again so now it's okay.. hell, having a big old bushy fro is better than no hair at all, lol or so I try to tell myself- this length on 3B/3C hair is kind of a nightmare lol but that's another story...only one good thing did come from this- i've regained a lot of the texture that had gotten flattened before from the handful of times I flat ironed it and dyed it... so it's definitely much healthier, stronger and thicker than before :yep:

and that i'm happy about!

Imani · Mar 6, 2011

I've been pondering the same thing. I just cut off the last of my relaxed ends a few weeks ago. I did not BC, did a 18 month transition with several trims. I am almost SL now. My hair grows at an average to above average rate, and I'm 5"1, so I should make APL straightened by year end.

My regimen is pretty straight, although I'm sure there's still room for improvement; but overall my hair is healthy and moisturized. Just getting really impatient and incredibly bored w/my hair. Right now just wearing plaited up under half wigs. I think I just need a style change, but afraid of doing anything to ruin my progress.

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