Regret going natural, regret shaving my hair

Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

It is going to be a year now in April since I shaved my hair off and there has hardly been any growth whatsoever.

I shaved it completely down and this is the length it is at

This is the length you would expect to see after about 3-4 months max, for others it's like 2-3. In no way is this normal hair length for nearly a year since shaving.

I don't put it in weaves or anything tight that can break it off either it's only recently I put it in braids. Before that I would have it out and wear wigs sometimes for special occasions or when I go clubbing.

It's making me seriously miserable and before anyone says anything about my regime when I was in Nigeria using petrolatum creams and not taking care of my hair, knowing nothing about how to maintain it my hair grew faster than this when I shaved it. Because this is the second time now

It's making me really upset with myself as when I have braids in they're always falling out and I look **** and unkempt when I'm not wearing a wig and the wigs got really annoying after a while

I wish I had stuck with my relaxed damaged hair at least I had good weaves in and my hair looked nice.

PinkSunshine77 · Mar 17, 2014

deleted, not a fan of being ignored.

MicheePrings · Mar 17, 2014

Sorry to hear your regret. Maybe it would be best to go back to what was working for you. You tried something new and I didn't work out...oh well. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I remember what it felt like for me when I transitioned and cut off 12 inches of relaxed hair, there was certainly a tinge of regret but not enough to make me consider relaxers again. You have to find that out on our own terms. Learning to retain length with natural hair has it's own challenges, and there is certainly a learning curve. So don't beat yourself up if you haven't learned it in a year.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

Prettymetty · Mar 17, 2014

A lot of factors influence growth:age, hormones, metabolism, diet, alcohol, etc. What are you doing differently?

PatTodd · Mar 17, 2014

MicheePrings said:
Sorry to hear your regret. Maybe it would be best to go back to what was working for you. You tried something new and I didn't work out...oh well. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I remember what it felt like for me when I transitioned and cut off 12 inches of relaxed hair, there was certainly a tinge of regret but not enough to make me consider relaxers again. You have to find that out on our own terms. Learning to retain length with natural hair has it's own challenges, and there is certainly a learning curve. So don't beat yourself up if you haven't learned it in a year.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

Sorry you are going through this.

I agree with the bolded above. I know some boards vilify hair "grease" but I use them and my hair thrives. You have to find what works for you. Do you still cover your hair with silk or satin at night while sleeping?

faithVA · Mar 17, 2014

Stephanay said:
It is going to be a year now in April since I shaved my hair off and there has hardly been any growth whatsoever.

I shaved it completely down and this is the length it is at

View attachment 250631

View attachment 250633

This is the length you would expect to see after about 3-4 months max, for others it's like 2-3. In no way is this normal hair length for nearly a year since shaving.

I don't put it in weaves or anything tight that can break it off either it's only recently I put it in braids. Before that I would have it out and wear wigs sometimes for special occasions or when I go clubbing.

It's making me seriously miserable and before anyone says anything about my regime when I was in Nigeria using petrolatum creams and not taking care of my hair, knowing nothing about how to maintain it my hair grew faster than this when I shaved it. Because this is the second time now

It's making me really upset with myself as when I have braids in they're always falling out and I look **** and unkempt when I'm not wearing a wig and the wigs got really annoying after a while

I wish I had stuck with my relaxed damaged hair at least I had good weaves in and my hair looked nice.

It has been 1.5 years and my hair is just reaching ear length. Your hair is probably growing but breaking off at the ends because it is so curly. If you need to use grease do so. Or try braid sprays, glycerin sprays.

How does your hair feel? It looks a little dry but not sure. Don't let your hair dry without product. Dilute your shampoos.

It is definitely frustrating. Nothing wrong with relaxing or texlaxing if you think it will work for you.

Find what works for you and do it.

havilland · Mar 17, 2014

faithVA said:
It has been 1.5 years and my hair is just reaching ear length. Your hair is probably growing but breaking off at the ends because it is so curly. If you need to use grease do so. Or try braid sprays, glycerin sprays.

How does your hair feel? It looks a little dry but not sure. Don't let your hair dry without product. Dilute your shampoos.

It is definitely frustrating. Nothing wrong with relaxing or texlaxing if you think it will work for you.

Find what works for you and do it.

i agree..... Faith is right. do what WORKS for you. key word is "works".

i can understand why you are discouraged. i would be too.

i remember watching Kimmaytube on youtube back in the day talk about how when she went natural she went a long time with no real retention to show for it. this is my greatest fear about going natural :nono:

sending you a big hug! :grouphug:

HanaKuroi · Mar 17, 2014

Did you ever go to the dermatologist?

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Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

HanaKuroi said:
Did you ever go to the dermatologist? Sent from my iPad using LHCF

Here in the UK you have to get a referral from your doctor for that and my doctor didn't send me to one

Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

faithVA said:
It has been 1.5 years and my hair is just reaching ear length. Your hair is probably growing but breaking off at the ends because it is so curly. If you need to use grease do so. Or try braid sprays, glycerin sprays. How does your hair feel? It looks a little dry but not sure. Don't let your hair dry without product. Dilute your shampoos. It is definitely frustrating. Nothing wrong with relaxing or texlaxing if you think it will work for you. Find what works for you and do it.

My hair is always dry. I will say that the natural products I'm using for my hair is a lot better but I really do think something changed in my hair or health for of to be like that. Even if I start using greAse it won't grow if anything it will get worse

Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

PatTodd said:
Sorry you are going through this. I agree with the bolded above. I know some boards vilify hair "grease" but I use them and my hair thrives. You have to find what works for you. Do you still cover your hair with silk or satin at night while sleeping?

It's in braids now so I usually just tie it up but that isn't the cause of why my hair is refusing to grow

Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

faithVA said:
It has been 1.5 years and my hair is just reaching ear length. Your hair is probably growing but breaking off at the ends because it is so curly. If you need to use grease do so. Or try braid sprays, glycerin sprays. How does your hair feel? It looks a little dry but not sure. Don't let your hair dry without product. Dilute your shampoos. It is definitely frustrating. Nothing wrong with relaxing or texlaxing if you think it will work for you. Find what works for you and do it.

It's nothing to do with my shampoos of products they're all naturAl With no harsh chemicals

Stephanay · Mar 17, 2014

Prettymetty said:
A lot of factors influence growth:age, hormones, metabolism, diet, alcohol, etc. What are you doing differently?

I'm 19 I have a good metAbloism but I will say my diet could be better but having said that when I had a really poor diet my hair was still growing before

faithVA · Mar 17, 2014

Stephanay said:
My hair is always dry. I will say that the natural products I'm using for my hair is a lot better but I really do think something changed in my hair or health for of to be like that. Even if I start using greAse it won't grow if anything it will get worse

Try prepooing with oil for an hour before you shampoo and dilute your shampoo and maybe shampoo every other week if you are doing it weekly. Try using one of the glycerin products (s-curl, sta-sof fro). My hair seems to really need humectants. And since your hair is short, do a water rinse every 3 days or so to give your scalp some additional moisture.

Even if your hair is growing slowly, you want to retain as much of that as you can.

faithVA · Mar 17, 2014

Stephanay said:
It's nothing to do with my shampoos of products they're all naturAl With no harsh chemicals

All my shampoos are natural as well but they still dry my hair out. If your hair and scalp don't produce a lot of oil, the natural shampoos will still dry your hair out. Even if your hair doesn't feel stripped, the shampoo can still dry it out.

Froreal3 · Mar 17, 2014

I felt the pain in your post. Sorry it's not working out for you this time. What are you doing differently than what you did the first time you shaved? What was your growth rate the first time you shaved? I'm asking because you may need to go back to the products and regimen you had before when you saw results. Also, is your hair dryer in your new place (assuming you moved since you're not in Nigeria anymore)? Have you checked the type of water you have?

Froreal3 · Mar 17, 2014

faithVA said:
All my shampoos are natural as well but they still dry my hair out. If your hair and scalp don't produce a lot of oil, the natural shampoos will still dry your hair out. Even if your hair doesn't feel stripped, the shampoo can still dry it out.

Yes. I agree w/this. Regardless of how "natural," using a shampoo each week would not do my hair right. Try cowashing every week, and shampooing once a month.

What is your regimen and the specific products/techniques? You never did say. Maybe we can pinpoint something since your health doesn't seem like that much of a factor. Do you know your hair properties? Density, thickness, and porosity?

Have you visited the TWA support thread?

charmtreese · Mar 17, 2014

Since you're in the UK, have you tried Paltas? The treatment and soft hair oil work well for my hair. These products aren't all natural, but they work well and are inexpensive.

MileHighDiva · Mar 17, 2014

Stephanay said:
Here in the UK you have to get a referral from your doctor for that and my doctor didn't send me to one

Stephanay

Schedule an appointment with your doctor and directly ask him/her for a referral to a dermatologist. Be assertive, but respectful!

I can't wait to read your "comeback" thread!

HappyAtLast · Mar 17, 2014

Have you tried any stimulating essential oil scalp massages? Some are rosemary and peppermint oil. Mix about 15 drops of essential oil in 1-2 ounces of a carrier oil like grape seed oil or olive oil, etc.

You can massage your scalp daily or 3 times weekly.

hope this helps!

january noir · Mar 17, 2014

Could you have a vitamin deficiency namely D?
Have your bloodwork done by your doctor.

Ogoma · Mar 17, 2014

Te UK water is haaaard. I had to clean out my kettle every month because of mineral deposits accumulating and staining the bottom. Had a panic attack the first time I saw it,but was told it was normal.

I would think you need to chelate regularly, which means you need to deep condition regularly to get the moisture back in your hair. I don't see a way around it. Maybe the UK ladies here can provide some insight. I think there is a UK/Europe support thread somewhere on the forum.

temfash · Mar 17, 2014

I had a major problem with hard brittle crunchy hair, what remedied the situation was pre poo oil treatments and oil rinses. I live in London too I was getting to the point of deciding to chop all my hair off till I started the oil rinses. I also chelate regularly with the ORS aloe shampoo

DarkJoy · Mar 17, 2014

You used petrolatum before and your hair stayed on your head. Go back to it. It's really the main thing that keeps my ends on too. Sometimes us Type 4b/c's cant do what the 4as and 3s do which is sticking to oils and butters to seal. Oil for sealing is a joke for my very nappy hair.

I agree with chelating as well. Seems these highly porous coils love to soak in the minerals from hard water, which causes them to snap off too. Chelating once a month might help you lots.

Also, dont forget to keep it covered in a silk or satin scarf at night. I've had set backs before my HHJ just because the pillows snapped off my ends.

greenandchic · Mar 17, 2014

I am so sorry you're going though this. Though my hair was longer, it stayed at the same length for 2+ years. There was only so much protective styles, protein/moisture balance, DC, low manipulation, moisturizing and sealing, etc I could do. I found out I have health issues that made an impact on my hair growth and actually caused some loss. I hope you're about to find out what's going on very soon.

Mjon912 · Mar 17, 2014

Aw I'm sorry you are not happy with your hair. Honestly everything won't work for everyone, if you were able to wear your hair the way you wanted as a relaxed head and now cannot as a natural I'd say go back to relaxing. I wish I could offer a better solution, I hope someone else has an idea in how to help

nerdography · Mar 17, 2014

Try a hard water shampoo, it will help remove the mineral deposits from your hair allowing your moisturizer to penetrate.

Mahogony7 · Mar 17, 2014

I say cowah daily and seal lightly with castor oil. I think it's best to keep the hair moisturized.Try washing every two weeks instead of every week. I like the 2 in 1 conditioner/shampoos because they're moisturizing and they cleanse the scalp. Also after applying the castor oil baggy throughout the night. Good Luck!

natural2008 · Mar 17, 2014

DarkJoy said:
You used petrolatum before and your hair stayed on your head. Go back to it. It's really the main thing that keeps my ends on too. Sometimes us Type 4b/c's cant do what the 4as and 3s do which is sticking to oils and butters to seal. Oil for sealing is a joke for my very nappy hair.

Thanks is not enough. I tried that no grease thing and had a set back last year aaaw man so mad. Should have just did my old school grease. Now I'm still paying for it and I had color on my hair as well uuuugh. Live and learn.

OP- Nothing wrong with hair grease. Good luck missy

.

ManeStreet · Mar 17, 2014

It does look pretty dry. Are you moisturizing & sealing regularly?

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