@NCHairDiva Then, there you go!
I could be wrong but here is my assessment of your hair situation:
I don't think the issue is that you didn't 'retain length'. I think you
did keep the length you already had. To be very clear, I am saying that I don't think your hair got shorter. You did not lose any length. Is that correct? The hair stayed at relatively the same length, right?
But, at the same time your hair didn't GAIN any additional length. Meaning, your hair didn't get any longer either.
Yet, you clearly noticed a change in your hair. That change had to do with the thickness and fullness.
My feeling is that your hair has been going through a thickening period. It just simply means that your hair is working and responding positively to the care you are giving it. It is getting thicker and fuller at the current length. Once the hair does that, it then drops in length again and starts to get noticeably longer. This dropping in length period will be when pulling sections of your natural hair down,
will show gains in length.
It's a fairly common growth pattern that I have seen over and over. It happens with my hair as well. It is very hard to see and notice if you are only pulling on a section of your hair to do a length check.
One of the best ways to see this pattern of 'dropping in length', then 'thickening' at that length is to heat straighten the hair and then take a picture of the back of your hair.
In a 'thickening' stage, you will notice in the pictures that the longest part of the hair stays at the same length. BUT, you will be able to other areas getting fuller, like maybe the sides, the center of the hair or the middle. What parts get thicker depends on the hair of the individual.
If your 'length' checks are being done like your photo in your avatar, it is not very likely that you will be able to see the 'thickening' stage. The thickening of hair
IS PROGRESS. One of the best ways
to see 'thickening' progress is to take a length check picture on
heat straightened hair, with the back to the camera. It is virtually impossible to see small areas of thickening when you pull down only sections at a time, on hair that is still in its natural state. It becomes even more complex if one is not aware of the fact that 'thickening' stages occur.
Pulling hair down is a GREAT way to check for progress when your hair is dropping in length, or getting longer and that length gain is noticeable. It is not the best way to see thickening, though. Heat straightening for 'length check' [or thickening check] can be done a minimum of 1x in a 12 month time period, but no more than 2x a year. By heat straightening only a maximum of 2 times per year, you have a better chance to avoid heat damage, whether it be cumulative or immediate. Attention! There is no guaranteed way to avoid heat damage. Every time one puts heat on the hair, one
always runs the risk of having heat damage.
This is why I encourage people to document progress with photos. Ideally, with straight hair, especially when you are trying to determine if your regimen is working for you.
Once you get on track with your regimen, and you know it's working, you can skip the heat straightened hair.
Two (2)final things to add.
- You may want to look through the thread again, specifically posts #304 to #307 to review the suggestions people have provided. I think this will help you to tighten up, tweak and fine tune your current regimen to help super charge it! Notice, I did not suggest to revamp or completely change your regimen. I believe your regimen as a whole, is working.
- Congratulations! Congratulations are in order because your regimen is working. Your hair is progressing because it is thickening. This stage can last anywhere from 3 to 10 months. I hope you embrace the thickening progress and appreciate it because it is just as important as gaining length. It is a critical part of the process in gaining healthy, length.
This pattern repeats in some form or another as the hair continues to thrive and grow. Get ready, a drop in length is coming. Bravo to you! Well done.
