Original LHCF Gangster's...2002,2003,2004,2005,2006...Come here Plezzz

What did you think about LHCF when you first joined?

it was really fun and a total wealth of knowledge! This place was definately "home".

Did you think having long hair was attainable or did you think LHCF members were crazy and/or mixed (good hair)?

Being biracial and somewhat crazy myself I was drooling for days. And it kind of confirmed my then theory that 100% AA had the "good hair", being strong and pure.

What were some of the failed attempts to grow long hair?

Bandwagons, bad stylists, too much manipulation, it took me forever to realize that my hair does not prosper in protective styling.

When was retention discovered?

The best retention occurred recently, say the last 2 years, when I stopped using shampoos with sulfates!

Are you relaxed, terlaxed, natural or a heat trained natural?

I've been texlaxed, relaxed, natural, now I'm back to texlaxed but thinking about going natural again.

Did you start your journey when you joined? If not, when?

I started one of very many journeys when I joined.

Was Waist Length your original goal?

No

What is your current length?

APL

What was the board like compared to today?

It was great, minimal drama, good advice, great discussions, I made a few good friends back then. I actually had a huge disagreement with someone, I think it was about religion, she was heavily into the bible and me not so much, but it ended very well and I came to call her a good friend!
Cy, I know you're lurking around!

What did you think about LHCF when you first joined? I was just happy to find a place where other black women were sharing tips on how to get long, healthy hair.

Did you think having long hair was attainable or did you think LHCF members were crazy and/or mixed (good hair)? I'd had SL to APL for much of my life so I knew length was attainable. I was driven by the desire for even more length.

What were some of the failed attempts to grow long hair? Too much trimming kept me at the same length for a long time. A few heat related set backs too.

When was retention discovered? When I started wearing my hair in braids I noticed I retained a lot of growth. I was a regular wearer of braid extensions for a few years. That is how I transitioned from relaxed to natural.

Are you relaxed, terlaxed, natural or a heat trained natural? A natural who occasionally colors.

Did you start your journey when you joined? If not, when? Summer of '96.

Was Waist Length your original goal? Yes. Then I gave up and settled for BSL. Got there and wanted more and pushed for MBL. Finally arriving at MBL rekindled my desire for WL.

What is your current length? MBL

What was the board like compared to today? Less arguing. Fewer "gates".

The board was way more active than it is now.

If your join date is 2002-2006, please drop some history and old school knowledge on us.

What did you think about LHCF when you first joined? I was overwhelmed with all the information.

Did you think having long hair was attainable or did you think LHCF members were crazy and/or mixed (good hair)? I thought it was attainable.

What were some of the failed attempts to grow long hair? I haven't really had any failed attempts since being here. I Bced after being here a little over a year. I did have a setback from dye my second year as a natural.

When was retention discovered? I mostly wore protective styles and had been doing this anyway.

Are you relaxed, terlaxed, natural or a heat trained natural? When I came to the board I was relaxed. Did the texlaxed thing for about a year and then went natural.

Did you start your journey when you joined? If not, when? Yes.

Was Waist Length your original goal? No. APL was.

What is your current length? I'm close to BSL now.

What was the board like compared to today? A lot more relaxed heads. The climate was very different though. I miss a lot of the older members who used to post.

10 years this month, wow

My Friend said:

If your join date is 2002-2006, please drop some history and old school knowledge on us.

What did you think about LHCF when you first joined? LOVED it!! I actually was around when this hair board first started--I think my user name was Igglebitties and so I remember folks like Todamor, Niko (the guy who helped with the hair board etc.) it was (is) an awesome place to gain real hair knowledge and a community where you knew that you could trust the information that you received.

Did you think having long hair was attainable or did you think LHCF members were crazy and/or mixed (good hair)? Totally thought it was attainable and actually followed members here from yahoo boards..taking it waaaaay back

What were some of the failed attempts to grow long hair? There were so many (for me, lol)...do you mean on my head or just generally?

When was retention discovered? From the Wanakee Pamphlet and then I remember that was when the light bulb went off for many of us like "oooh"

Are you relaxed, terlaxed, natural or a heat trained natural? Natural

Did you start your journey when you joined? If not, when? Yes

Was Waist Length your original goal? No, it was shoulder length, and I've surpassed that and cut many times.

What is your current length? I recently had a fade, (last year) and then re-cut my hair so its about 4-5 inches around.

What was the board like compared to today?

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Not sure, I am literally just getting reacquainted. However, I do notice that in the hair community there seems to be a misconception about "hair typing". Back when I was on these boards it literally was a way to understand your hair type so that maybe you could find/understand what products would (hopefully) work for you. This was before Youtube and people feeling more forthcoming about posting their pics on the internet.

Supergirl said:

10 years this month, wow

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Wow!!!!!!!

Love this thread!

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KhandiB said:

These four women and Lonei were My first Hair Idols

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OMG yes! And JenniferMD, babygurl, mskibibi... just to name a few Lol..

I've been here since 2005 and it never ceases to amaze me how much this board had brought to my life. Such great hair and life advice, dear real life friends and thousands of dollars spent on products! LOL!

?????

I was on here back in the day. I don't remember the year exactly and it is definitely a long time ago, and it is different than it was before. As people have said, more active. That's why I came back, because I knew I'd get all the info I needed right here for my commitment to growing long, healthy hair.

PatTodd said:

I've been here since 2005 and it never ceases to amaze me how much this board had brought to my life. Such great hair and life advice, dear real life friends and thousands of dollars spent on products! LOL!

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Yeah the hair stuff is only a small part of it. The general encouragement to improve yourself/your situation is invaluable. The support system is great.

I've been here too long to be as baldheaded as I am now lol

Napp said:

I've been here too long to be as baldheaded as I am now lol

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Me too, I should have had way more hair,but since I took a detour I ran into a rock. Now I'm back on track. Trial and error.

I started in 2005 and have not looked back. I was on a mission seeking for a formula to grow afro hair and thats how i located this board. My hair went from neck length to arm pit length. The extremes to gro hair went from Silicon mix to Monistat 7. I came for hair, but received so much more. I have learned so much new lingo, (Kanye Shrugg), recepies, nutrition how to make pie crust, waist trainers, education, Christian counseling, dating, marriage advice, motherless daughters, consolation, latest fashions, purchased my flat iron and hooded hair dryer from the board, financial side hustle advice, travel tips,and in 2009 I started a hair meet up in Detriot area etc.....

What did you think about LHCF when you first joined?
I was thankful for the information, but I felt overwhelmed by all the threads and all of the information.

Did you think having long hair was attainable or did you think LHCF members were crazy and/or mixed (good hair)?
I knew it was attainable. I knew there had to be a way.

What were some of the failed attempts to grow long hair?
I wouldn't even say that I attempted before. I relied on stylists too much. I got unnecessary trims because I thought I was supposed to. Even after I realized that I wasn't supposed to and I didn't have to, I kept going to a scissor happy stylist and giving her the benefit of the doubt. I thought that simply stating "I don't want a trim this time" would be respected.

When was retention discovered?
When I stopped going to my regular stylist and started going to a Dominican Salon. At the Dominican Salon they didn't pressure me to get trims. They didn't mention trims at all. They just did what I asked and not what they wanted to do. Eventually I stopped going to salons altogether.

Are you relaxed, texlaxed, natural or a heat trained natural?
Natural.

Did you start your journey when you joined? If not, when?
I'd say I really started my journey in 2007. That's when I stopped going to the stylist that I had been going to for years, and I switched to a Dominican salon. That's when I started doing my own hair at home and going to the salon only for relaxers. And by the end of that year I was not going to any salons at all because I decided to stop relaxing my hair.

Was Waist Length your original goal?
I knew I wanted my hair somewhere between MBL and WL.

What is your current length?
MBL

What was the board like compared to today?
A lot more active, like others have said.