How To Care For Tbl Real Hair In Protective Styles

flyygirlll2

Lioness mane
@flyygirlll2 it's true! The growth and retention you had in that time frame is very impressive:clapping:. Well done. You and these knots on my ends have got me seriously contemplating incorporating twists into my styling regimen asap.

Thank you! I practically live in two strand twists. I still battle with ssk's though :(. I'm just making sure to keep my ends as moisturized as possible.
 

Saludable84

Better Late Than Ugly
@Saludable84,
Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it. I'm sorry that you have incurred some knots and dryness. This is why our hair journeys are so valuable: once you gain valuable knowledge, like what you've learned about how to minimize knots, NO ONE can ever take the priceless lesson and hard-won, information away from you!

So during the week, you don't ever re-moisten your bun with water or add oil to it? Congratulations on setting a goal and moving toward it, specifically the heat reduction! Trimming in twists/braids/sections is another important component. It is as if the hair in those separated areas 'bond' together and support one another. It's like braided or twisted sections form little 'hair teams' and the hairs within each team work together to grow!

Continue to speak it into existence. More importantly, continue to see it in your imagination as if it is already in existence and an accomplished fact. That is not silly folly, but 'food' your conscious self will use to help you seek and find the information, people and processes to bring what you tell it is true and see to be true, into your reality. You are not trying to grow your hair to tailbone, you are already there. You are just waiting for it to manifest some time in the near future.

Never. I make sure to get everything in on wash day as my hair is low porosity and with the products I use (creamy leave-in, moisturizer and butter) and use your tip of adding extra butter to the ends (I think yours was pomade but I cannot use pomade), I rarely get dry hair. It is so hard for me to lose moisture.
 

GGsKin

Well-Known Member
Thank you! I practically live in two strand twists. I still battle with ssk's though :(. I'm just making sure to keep my ends as moisturized as possible.

I really think I'm going to be trying some twists out really soon, maybe tonight/tomorrow, at least on the lower half of my hair. The top half is still braided in two.

As for moisture, I just made a moisture mix lotion of aloe, hibiscus, a little KCKT, a little xanthan gum to thicken, a little St Curl Elastic, grapeseed oil and jojoba oil. I smoothed some into my ends. My hair still feels damp but it feels nice so far.

This thread is inspiring. I may twist and then water rinse tomorrow.
 

Amarilles

Well-Known Member
My observations for many tail bone length women with afro-textured hair:
  1. Hair is rarely washed more than 1x per week
  2. Hair is washed in braids or twists or sections(one on one attention is given to either each section and/or each braid in that section). This one may seem obvious and well known. But the difference is that these women don't take all braids/twists out at once and combine the hair on a regular basis. Either they undo the hair and leave it in its own section, or they wash, condition and leave all hair in braids/twists. To detangle and comb out, they do one braid at a time, leaving the rest braided or twisted or sectioned but tend to not combine all the hair together.
    • Note: I overlooked this. I have always washed and conditioned my hair in braids. But after I detangled a section, I would combine it with the other sections. Hence, I would always need to use a comb to detangle it and get it back into sections. With these ladies, fingers are used more than the comb.
    • Also, I realized that I have been damaging my hair NOT at the detangling stage, but before, during my braiding and unbraiding. I pull and snatch my hair apart and the force or tension maximized at the ends of my hair causing tangling and breakage. I have been damaging my hair before I even began the detangling process.
    • For the first time EVER in my hair care process, I did not need to use a comb because I washed, oiled and conditioned my hair in braids. I carefully and gently undid a braid, while leaving the rest braided. I put in my leave in and gently re-braided that one braid. Surprisingly, the unbraiding/leave-in/braiding took a long time even without detangling with a wide, toothed comb.
  3. Hair is sectioned / done in sections-See detail above, point #1.
  4. Hair is stretched before it is styled (bantu knot, banded, heat stretched). Some women let there hair dry in
    • braids or twists
    • bantu knots
    • banded hair
    • put on rollers
    • Some women lightly blow dry
  5. Hair is kept stretched after it is styled (These ladies tend to gather their twists and pin around their heads or combine the twists creating some kind of stretching on the hair.)
  6. Shea butter is often used (protects hair and organic tissue like hair and skin from the break down of proteins on the exposed surface by the environment, specifically protects against the sun.) It may not be used throughout the entire journey, but during significant time frames or points in the journey (transitioning only, washing, sealant, etc)
  7. Extremely low maintenance styles (For me, low maintenance styles are not necessarily protective styles! I define low maintenance styles as those where the hair is manipulated as little as possible.)
    • Some braid or twist hair until it dries and leave it for three days to a week, then undo the hair to wear braid outs or twist outs until the next wash day.
    • Some leave the twists or braids in until the next wash day.
    • Some do up do's
  8. Specific daily hair end regimen (or frequent as in 2 or more times per week, ends given special attention)
    • Even if the entire braid or twist is redone , they tend to have a specific regimen for the ends
    • Ends are wetted or spritzed with water, an oil is added (Water + oil) (Usually castor oil or shea butter).
  9. Protective Styles (For "me" , protective style is determined by what you are doing with the ends of the hair. If the ends are not up and out of the air, I do not consider the style protective.)
    • Ends are twisted up, covered, tucked and/or kept from the air like Wanakee Pugh taught years ago
    • Hair ends or the entire head is kept covered or protected during the day and/or at night
      • Head scarves for night
      • Tucking or hiding hair during the day or night
  10. Trimming
    • Trimming done on a fairly regular basis
    • Trims tend to be done in braided or twisted styles (Unevenness not an issue as most of these women rarely or ever wear heat straightened hair styles)
  11. Time :timer: (2 to 8 year journeys. The average seems to be 5 years.)
That's interesting. From this list, I fail on points 7-11. Although I prefer washing/keeping the hair in twists instead of braids as I do too much damage with braids.

I'll have 5 years sans relaxer in April, and while I'm somewhere passed WL (but not HL), I feel like I retain slower than I used to. I definitely do more damage to my hair due to WnGs, and my length draping over my jackets, scarves, etc... I'm thinking that I'll give it another year (2018) and if I don't get significantly closer to TBL then I'll stop being so lazy and go the extra mile.

I really do need someone to find me a tailbone-lengthed youtuber that does WnGs 99% of the time! :lol: I'm so not ready to give them up! :nono:
 

Guinan

Re-Branding
That's interesting. From this list, I fail on points 7-11. Although I prefer washing/keeping the hair in twists instead of braids as I do too much damage with braids.

I'll have 5 years sans relaxer in April, and while I'm somewhere passed WL (but not HL), I feel like I retain slower than I used to. I definitely do more damage to my hair due to WnGs, and my length draping over my jackets, scarves, etc... I'm thinking that I'll give it another year (2018) and if I don't get significantly closer to TBL then I'll stop being so lazy and go the extra mile.

I really do need someone to find me a tailbone-lengthed youtuber that does WnGs 99% of the time! :lol: I'm so not ready to give them up! :nono:

naturallyquinn does predominately wng's.

 

Amarilles

Well-Known Member
LOL @MileHighDiva I see you matchmakin'! :lol::lol:

But actually! It may have been on YouTube that I noticed you (@Chicoro) were somewhere in France early in 2016, or '15? I had asked if you were in Paris and I believe you replied asking me if I was currently there, but I noticed the reply very late and that was that. If you remember that short exchange, that was me. :yep: But if you're indeed ever in the Paris area, don't be shy! The croissant and :coffee: will be on me. :)

@pelohello you heaven sent! I will definitely check this beauty out, thanks sis! :heart3:
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
That's interesting. From this list, I fail on points 7-11. Although I prefer washing/keeping the hair in twists instead of braids as I do too much damage with braids.

I'll have 5 years sans relaxer in April, and while I'm somewhere passed WL (but not HL), I feel like I retain slower than I used to. I definitely do more damage to my hair due to WnGs, and my length draping over my jackets, scarves, etc... I'm thinking that I'll give it another year (2018) and if I don't get significantly closer to TBL then I'll stop being so lazy and go the extra mile.

I really do need someone to find me a tailbone-lengthed youtuber that does WnGs 99% of the time! :lol: I'm so not ready to give them up! :nono:

@Amarilles,
It's not a failure on your part. We all have to do what works for us! The information is meant to be rules to live by. It's just simply what I have observed from those who have successfully gone beyond tailbone and what I plan to implement. Nothing is impossible and it sounds like you are close to your goal, using your preferred style of choice.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
LOL @MileHighDiva I see you matchmakin'! :lol::lol:

But actually! It may have been on YouTube that I noticed you (@Chicoro) were somewhere in France early in 2016, or '15? I had asked if you were in Paris and I believe you replied asking me if I was currently there, but I noticed the reply very late and that was that. If you remember that short exchange, that was me. :yep: But if you're indeed ever in the Paris area, don't be shy! The croissant and :coffee: will be on me. :)

@pelohello you heaven sent! I will definitely check this beauty out, thanks sis! :heart3:

@Amarilles, I'm in Lyon, France! The next time I head up to Paris for a visit there, I'll be ready for that croissant and look forward to meeting with you! I promise to not be shy. Thank you @MileHighDiva!
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
Hey @Chicoro

I know theyre your opinions and observations but you are very much factual in your observations. I noticed it from both and even noticed it in my own patterns even though I'm no where near them I'm length.

Up until about 5 wash days ago, I tried to incorporate naptural85 method of smoothing and using smaller sections (6) and while it saved time, over time, it caused dryness, knots and tangles. I recently went back to my 10-12 sections in which I begin sectioning my hair as I apply deep conditioner. I leave that and then detangle based on those sections and put them back. It uses more conditioner and is more time consuming, but when you don't have knots and then have all these knots, you realize the extra time you invest to not have knots is extremely worth the effort.

I bun weekly though, but I never go through my hair after wash day. I've been contemplating going back to doing twists and pulling them up in the back or unraveling them and pulling them up in the back. It was my preferred style when I was relaxed and transitioning.

I've also reduced heat usage (haven't used in a year) and trim in twist as I feel it's not necessary to have even hair if I'm not wearing it straight.

I may not have TBL hair, but I am speaking it into existence.
I don't have TBL either, but I noticed I always have to make more sections as well. My crown is broken down into 2-3 sections alone.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
:wave: Hi @beingofserenity ,
So glad you asked...:jester: It's going to be long...

My observations pertain to hair that is squarely in the 4 range, or hair that looks like mine (3 range) and "acts" and grows like it is type 4 hair. I dislike hair typing but it helps to cut to the chase to get everyone one the same page quickly during a discussion.

My observations for many tail bone length women with afro-textured hair:
  1. Hair is rarely washed more than 1x per week
  2. Hair is washed in braids or twists or sections(one on one attention is given to either each section and/or each braid in that section). This one may seem obvious and well known. But the difference is that these women don't take all braids/twists out at once and combine the hair on a regular basis. Either they undo the hair and leave it in its own section, or they wash, condition and leave all hair in braids/twists. To detangle and comb out, they do one braid at a time, leaving the rest braided or twisted or sectioned but tend to not combine all the hair together.
    • Note: I overlooked this. I have always washed and conditioned my hair in braids. But after I detangled a section, I would combine it with the other sections. Hence, I would always need to use a comb to detangle it and get it back into sections. With these ladies, fingers are used more than the comb.
    • Also, I realized that I have been damaging my hair NOT at the detangling stage, but before, during my braiding and unbraiding. I pull and snatch my hair apart and the force or tension maximized at the ends of my hair causing tangling and breakage. I have been damaging my hair before I even began the detangling process.
    • For the first time EVER in my hair care process, I did not need to use a comb because I washed, oiled and conditioned my hair in braids. I carefully and gently undid a braid, while leaving the rest braided. I put in my leave in and gently re-braided that one braid. Surprisingly, the unbraiding/leave-in/braiding took a long time even without detangling with a wide, toothed comb.
  3. Hair is sectioned / done in sections-See detail above, point #1.
  4. Hair is stretched before it is styled (bantu knot, banded, heat stretched). Some women let there hair dry in
    • braids or twists
    • bantu knots
    • banded hair
    • put on rollers
    • Some women lightly blow dry
  5. Hair is kept stretched after it is styled (These ladies tend to gather their twists and pin around their heads or combine the twists creating some kind of stretching on the hair.)
  6. Shea butter is often used (protects hair and organic tissue like hair and skin from the break down of proteins on the exposed surface by the environment, specifically protects against the sun.) It may not be used throughout the entire journey, but during significant time frames or points in the journey (transitioning only, washing, sealant, etc)
  7. Extremely low maintenance styles (For me, low maintenance styles are not necessarily protective styles! I define low maintenance styles as those where the hair is manipulated as little as possible.)
    • Some braid or twist hair until it dries and leave it for three days to a week, then undo the hair to wear braid outs or twist outs until the next wash day.
    • Some leave the twists or braids in until the next wash day.
    • Some do up do's
  8. Specific daily hair end regimen (or frequent as in 2 or more times per week, ends given special attention)
    • Even if the entire braid or twist is redone , they tend to have a specific regimen for the ends
    • Ends are wetted or spritzed with water, an oil is added (Water + oil) (Usually castor oil or shea butter).
  9. Protective Styles (For "me" , protective style is determined by what you are doing with the ends of the hair. If the ends are not up and out of the air, I do not consider the style protective.)
    • Ends are twisted up, covered, tucked and/or kept from the air like Wanakee Pugh taught years ago
    • Hair ends or the entire head is kept covered or protected during the day and/or at night
      • Head scarves for night
      • Tucking or hiding hair during the day or night
  10. Trimming
    • Trimming done on a fairly regular basis
    • Trims tend to be done in braided or twisted styles (Unevenness not an issue as most of these women rarely or ever wear heat straightened hair styles)
  11. Time :timer: (2 to 8 year journeys. The average seems to be 5 years.)
That's all! It's enough, I know!

Edit: Forgot some form of protein is used whether be in a commercial product, treatment or DIY. Frequency depends on the head of hair.

I'm quoting myself because I just watched this video. If you listen carefully, she does pretty much every thing I wrote out above. Also, I mentioned that no matter one's height, tail bone is around 28 inches on everyone. If you have 30 inches, you are solidly at tailbone or beyond. Her hair is 27 to 29 inches.

 

BeautifulRoots

Well-Known Member
:lachen:Lolololol. More recently I asked myself "Can I grow my hair to hip length?" When I started my hair journey the goal was waist length. Now that I've been hovering at waist length for nearly 2 years, I haven't progressed past that.

I've been thinking about what you were saying about finding different methods for your hair when you're trying to reach new length milestones. (In another thread, forgetting which one at the moment). I'm still in the gathering info stage, but hoping I can get my hair past WL for the first time ever.
 
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blazingbeauty

Well-Known Member
:wave: Hi @beingofserenity ,
So glad you asked...:jester: It's going to be long...

My observations pertain to hair that is squarely in the 4 range, or hair that looks like mine (3 range) and "acts" and grows like it is type 4 hair. I dislike hair typing but it helps to cut to the chase to get everyone one the same page quickly during a discussion.

My observations for many tail bone length women with afro-textured hair:
  1. Hair is rarely washed more than 1x per week
  2. Hair is washed in braids or twists or sections(one on one attention is given to either each section and/or each braid in that section). This one may seem obvious and well known. But the difference is that these women don't take all braids/twists out at once and combine the hair on a regular basis. Either they undo the hair and leave it in its own section, or they wash, condition and leave all hair in braids/twists. To detangle and comb out, they do one braid at a time, leaving the rest braided or twisted or sectioned but tend to not combine all the hair together.
    • Note: I overlooked this. I have always washed and conditioned my hair in braids. But after I detangled a section, I would combine it with the other sections. Hence, I would always need to use a comb to detangle it and get it back into sections. With these ladies, fingers are used more than the comb.
    • Also, I realized that I have been damaging my hair NOT at the detangling stage, but before, during my braiding and unbraiding. I pull and snatch my hair apart and the force or tension maximized at the ends of my hair causing tangling and breakage. I have been damaging my hair before I even began the detangling process.
    • For the first time EVER in my hair care process, I did not need to use a comb because I washed, oiled and conditioned my hair in braids. I carefully and gently undid a braid, while leaving the rest braided. I put in my leave in and gently re-braided that one braid. Surprisingly, the unbraiding/leave-in/braiding took a long time even without detangling with a wide, toothed comb.
  3. Hair is sectioned / done in sections-See detail above, point #1.
  4. Hair is stretched before it is styled (bantu knot, banded, heat stretched). Some women let there hair dry in
    • braids or twists
    • bantu knots
    • banded hair
    • put on rollers
    • Some women lightly blow dry
  5. Hair is kept stretched after it is styled (These ladies tend to gather their twists and pin around their heads or combine the twists creating some kind of stretching on the hair.)
  6. Shea butter is often used (protects hair and organic tissue like hair and skin from the break down of proteins on the exposed surface by the environment, specifically protects against the sun.) It may not be used throughout the entire journey, but during significant time frames or points in the journey (transitioning only, washing, sealant, etc)
  7. Extremely low maintenance styles (For me, low maintenance styles are not necessarily protective styles! I define low maintenance styles as those where the hair is manipulated as little as possible.)
    • Some braid or twist hair until it dries and leave it for three days to a week, then undo the hair to wear braid outs or twist outs until the next wash day.
    • Some leave the twists or braids in until the next wash day.
    • Some do up do's
  8. Specific daily hair end regimen (or frequent as in 2 or more times per week, ends given special attention)
    • Even if the entire braid or twist is redone , they tend to have a specific regimen for the ends
    • Ends are wetted or spritzed with water, an oil is added (Water + oil) (Usually castor oil or shea butter).
  9. Protective Styles (For "me" , protective style is determined by what you are doing with the ends of the hair. If the ends are not up and out of the air, I do not consider the style protective.)
    • Ends are twisted up, covered, tucked and/or kept from the air like Wanakee Pugh taught years ago
    • Hair ends or the entire head is kept covered or protected during the day and/or at night
      • Head scarves for night
      • Tucking or hiding hair during the day or night
  10. Trimming
    • Trimming done on a fairly regular basis
    • Trims tend to be done in braided or twisted styles (Unevenness not an issue as most of these women rarely or ever wear heat straightened hair styles)
  11. Time :timer: (2 to 8 year journeys. The average seems to be 5 years.)
That's all! It's enough, I know!

Edit: Forgot some form of protein is used whether be in a commercial product, treatment or DIY. Frequency depends on the head of hair.

@Chicoro
I remember reading this and being so grateful that you posted this and feeling encouraged so thank you!

What do you think would cause a person to not retain length on a regimen like this/what do you think the hidden or subtle causes of stagnant retention might be?
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
@Chicoro
I remember reading this and being so grateful that you posted this and feeling encouraged so thank you!

What do you think would cause a person to not retain length on a regimen like this/what do you think the hidden or subtle causes of stagnant retention might be?

Have you implemented this process and not had any progress?

Your questions are direct and clear. But the answer is not. There are a myriad of reasons why someone has stagnated length. Assuming there is no health issue, most times it's user error! Meaning the person is doing or not doing something to damage their hair. The hard part is to identify what it is. That is why I am a huge advocate of documenting your processes in writing and with photos.
 

FoxxyLocs

Well-Known Member
I'm back at TBL now. The only difference in my regimen is that I don't wear protective styles. I do low maintenance styles so that I only style my hair every 1-2 weeks, but after I passed MBL I found that my ends were more damaged after a long stint in twists or braids. Probably because I wasn't consistent with buttering the ends and I got a lot of SSKs.

But low maintenance braid outs and twist outs worked very well for me. Right now I'm doing weekly wash and gos. A little rougher on my ends but I don't mind bc I'm not really trying to gain anymore length.
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I'm back at TBL now. The only difference in my regimen is that I don't wear protective styles. I do low maintenance styles so that I only style my hair every 1-2 weeks, but after I passed MBL I found that my ends were more damaged after a long stint in twists or braids. Probably because I wasn't consistent with buttering the ends and I got a lot of SSKs.

But low maintenance braid outs and twist outs worked very well for me. Right now I'm doing weekly wash and gos. A little rougher on my ends but I don't mind bc I'm not really trying to gain anymore length.


11 out of the 12 steps is 91.6 % adherence to the process. That's what only about 8% standard deviation from the process. For drug trials and fatalities that's a high percent. But, Girl, for a hair process, that's some incredible, minimum standard deviation.






So, we still good!
 

Chicoro

5 Year Shea Anniversary: Started Dec 16th, 2016!
I'm back at TBL now. The only difference in my regimen is that I don't wear protective styles. I do low maintenance styles so that I only style my hair every 1-2 weeks, but after I passed MBL I found that my ends were more damaged after a long stint in twists or braids. Probably because I wasn't consistent with buttering the ends and I got a lot of SSKs.

But low maintenance braid outs and twist outs worked very well for me. Right now I'm doing weekly wash and gos. A little rougher on my ends but I don't mind bc I'm not really trying to gain anymore length.

Congratulations on your accomplishment!


I have never been at healthy, thick, even, full tailbone length. With Shea butter and the implemetation of the aforementioned process I detailed above, I am on my way. I lacked the health and thickness. I had the scraggly length.
 

BeautifulRoots

Well-Known Member
Have you implemented this process and not had any progress?

Your questions are direct and clear. But the answer is not. There are a myriad of reasons why someone has stagnated length. Assuming there is no health issue, most times it's user error! Meaning the person is doing or not doing something to damage their hair. The hard part is to identify what it is. That is why I am a huge advocate of documenting your processes in writing and with photos.
This is what I dont do, unfortunately. My length checks are the few times per year I flat iron or blow dry and I'm like "look my hair grew!" How often would you suggest documenting and taking photos?
 

blazingbeauty

Well-Known Member
Have you implemented this process and not had any progress?

Your questions are direct and clear. But the answer is not. There are a myriad of reasons why someone has stagnated length. Assuming there is no health issue, most times it's user error! Meaning the person is doing or not doing something to damage their hair. The hard part is to identify what it is. That is why I am a huge advocate of documenting your processes in writing and with photos.

I’d have to say that my hair was visibly retaining for a long time employing even just some of the tips (like protective styling, low manipulation, washing in sections). I’ve relatively recently (last 2 years) just hit some kind of plateau, so I’m in the process reevaluating my reggie and fighting the urge to BC. The Shea Butter challenge has encouraged me not give up though :).

You are right about documenting. I keep a detailed hair journal, but photos would have kept me honest.
 
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