2017 Shoulder Length Challenge

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Decided not to wash this week. I misted my hair with Mane Choice and used Split End Mender on my ends and retwisted in the same flat twist style. I think I will stick with this regimen until the end of August and I'm ready to straighten and trim.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
I finally bought all my joico. Jeez this stuff is expensive. I know it is but I've never bought so many different things at once. I just shampooed, used the reconstructor, rinsed and now sitting with the moisture recovery under a plastic cap. That reconstructor is no joke. My hair was stiff as heck but softened up as soon as I added the moisture recovery. I don't know what the difference is between the reconstructor and the revialuxe but I can't wait to find out.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I finally bought all my joico. Jeez this stuff is expensive. I know it is but I've never bought so many different things at once. I just shampooed, used the reconstructor, rinsed and now sitting with the moisture recovery under a plastic cap. That reconstructor is no joke. My hair was stiff as heck but softened up as soon as I added the moisture recovery. I don't know what the difference is between the reconstructor and the revialuxe but I can't wait to find out.
Can't wait to hear how you like it. If you do like it next time you can try picking it up at Marshalls or TJMaxx. The prices are much better.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
Can't wait to hear how you like it. If you do like it next time you can try picking it up at Marshalls or TJMaxx. The prices are much better.
I actually went there first because I pass TJ Maxx on the way to the beauty supply store near my office. I never see k-pak in there but thought I'd try anyway. Every other kind is there. Even the red one for color which I never see anywhere else but this TJ Maxx but no k-pak. I asked them and the one by my house and they said it sells out fast. So I had to buy from the beauty supply store. :darkcloud:

Oh I also found some silk pillowcases in my drawer that I've never used. I slept on one last night and it was heaven! I need more of these. No more bonnets or scarves for me.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
I have been so lazy with my hair. It was all juicy and goodness earlier this week but because I didn't style for the week I ended up cowashing so I could style everyday. Puffs, braids and one time a little bun. This evening I touched my hair and it is so dry. Too much cowashing. It's so weird how that can happen to your hair. Can anyone remind me why? I don't remember.

Anyway, I just wet my hair and used my leave in and curly curl cream and did a bantu knot set. How many times have I said I can't afford to get lazy with my hair? My hair revolts every single time.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
It looks like the majority of the back is at some stage of shoulder length. The top near the crown reaches the top of my shoulders and the rest is between the top of my shoulders and my shoulder blades. In the shower, I can now see the back of my hair extending down past my neck which is a good sign. My signs are also shoulder length. However my crown is just reaching my nape. That is still pretty good because it was quite short.

As long as I keep taking care of my hair and have no set backs I hope to leave this SL challenge behind in 2017 :yep:
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I finally shampooed tonight. I bought a small bottle of Nexxus shampoo which I like. It lathers well, softens my hair and doesn't strip it. I bought a sample of a Nexxus masque which I left on for 5 minutes. It worked nicely and I was able to easily detangle my hair. After that I have no real regimen. I just throw products on my hair. I started with the As I Am so much moisture. Then I put the One and Only End Serum on my ends. My hair felt like it needed something else so I layers on the Carols Daughter Hair Mimosa and then I twisted it up with the TGIN gel.

I guess one day I may really have a product regimen but for now I'm just using stuff up. I plan to buy some sample bottles of Joico and compare it to the Nexxus. I may try some other salon quality brands. The Nexxus shampoo is much gentler than the TGIN shampoo so I will phase it out.

I'm sticking to the same flat twist style for August and September. I had started getting tired of wearing flat twist earlier this year. Now I'm too lazy to do anything different :ohwell:
 

Evolving78

Well-Known Member
It looks like the majority of the back is at some stage of shoulder length. The top near the crown reaches the top of my shoulders and the rest is between the top of my shoulders and my shoulder blades. In the shower, I can now see the back of my hair extending down past my neck which is a good sign. My signs are also shoulder length. However my crown is just reaching my nape. That is still pretty good because it was quite short.

As long as I keep taking care of my hair and have no set backs I hope to leave this SL challenge behind in 2017 :yep:
Congrat!
 

Miss617

Always left of center
I blow dried my hair the other day but forgot to take pictures. I'm the worst. It's growing though, I can tell.

I started trying to do a different style but my fingers were being stupid and I couldn't get it right. So I did my "usual" style.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I blow dried my hair the other day but forgot to take pictures. I'm the worst. It's growing though, I can tell.

I started trying to do a different style but my fingers were being stupid and I couldn't get it right. So I did my "usual" style.
Yeah you're the worst. (jk). Glad you see progress. We will be looking forward to the pictures when you get them.
 

Miss617

Always left of center
Yeah you're the worst. (jk). Glad you see progress. We will be looking forward to the pictures when you get them.

I know LOL. It's even worse because I told myself I should take pics but I was rushing because I was getting ready to go to a concert. I plan to straighten at the end of the month, so I'll take some pictures then.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
I took a progress pic this morning of my bangs. I managed to assemble decent comparison pics but my face looks rough! Lol Ignore please. From left to right is January, May (I think a month after I had trimmed my bangs for a second time) and this morning.

Instasize_0811234819.jpg

I hate trimming but I can't lie that it works. Usually when my bangs grow out they are super thin on the ends without trimming. I've managed to avoid that problem this time around. I'm aiming for chin length in the front by end of year. If my front gets there then that means the back will have hopefully reached SL.

I have been stretching my hair in 2 braids before styling and this morning after I air dried I blow dried on cool to smooth it out a little more. I was tired so I scraped it back into a ponytail and it's not looking as struggle like as it was looking a few months ago. I'm happy with my little progress.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I took a progress pic this morning of my bangs. I managed to assemble decent comparison pics but my face looks rough! Lol Ignore please. From left to right is January, May (I think a month after I had trimmed my bangs for a second time) and this morning.

View attachment 407665

I hate trimming but I can't lie that it works. Usually when my bangs grow out they are super thin on the ends without trimming. I've managed to avoid that problem this time around. I'm aiming for chin length in the front by end of year. If my front gets there then that means the back will have hopefully reached SL.

I have been stretching my hair in 2 braids before styling and this morning after I air dried I blow dried on cool to smooth it out a little more. I was tired so I scraped it back into a ponytail and it's not looking as struggle like as it was looking a few months ago. I'm happy with my little progress.

You are making great progress. I can definitely see you making chin length with your bangs in the front.

You can put your hair in two braids to stretch? Are you natural or relaxed? I wish I could do 2 braids. I think to get a half-way decent stretch I would need 6.
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
You are making great progress. I can definitely see you making chin length with your bangs in the front.

You can put your hair in two braids to stretch? Are you natural or relaxed? I wish I could do 2 braids. I think to get a half-way decent stretch I would need 6.
Thanks! I'm natural. 2 Cornrows I mean. 2 loose braids would never work for me either and probably wouldn't even stay braided lol
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Even though my hair is getting easier to twist up and I can do it much faster, sometimes I still don't want to do it. But since my hair is too short to bun and I can't go to work looking super crazy I have to make it happen.

I had a lazy hair day. I shampooed once with CR Ginger Rinse. I used the generic Nexxus Humectress and probably only left it on for 3 minutes. I put on a layer of CD Hair Mimosa and put it in 4 flat twist. Didn't feel like fooling with it then since I wanted to get down to breakfast. Looked at my head at 8 pm and realized, shoot I still need to do my hair. So I threw on some AIA So Much Moisture and TGIN gel and put it in my usual flat twist style.

Sticking to the same style does take some of the aggravation out of styling. Sometimes I try to come out with a style on the fly and it doesn't work out so I have to spend more time fixing it.

I may henna Thursday and then retwist.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
I've done well at diverting my attention from my hair. I copied the hair pictures from my phone to my laptop and I last took pictures in May. That's very good for me. I usually have pictures every month. And the may pictures were of my wng attempt. So m last pictures of any length were in April. So hopefully I will notice some difference comparing pictures 4 months apart. And then even more progress with 4 months to December.
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
When I get closer to APL I think what I want to do is get box braids on my own hair. I want to wear them for 4 weeks, wash every two weeks. Take a break for two weeks and repeat. Not sure how long my hair needs to before my box braids are wearable though.

I have so many ideas and so little motivation for implementing any of them. :lol:
 

faithVA

Well-Known Member
Making some progress. Everything is inching along. I think my nape is lonely and is just waiting for the rest of the hair to catch up. So hopefully everything will catch up by December and the nape can start growing. I don't know how my left side got longer than my right when a year ago it was the other way around.



BackA2AP2.jpg BackA2AP4.jpg BangA2AP1.jpg LeftA2AP2.jpg RightA2AP2.jpg
 

LdyKamz

Well-Known Member
Thanks KammyGirl. So what's the issue with the Joico?
I don't really like it. I like the reconstructor but can't tell the difference between that and the new revitaluxe. They seem the same to me. The intense hydrator makes me laugh. It has no slip and my hair doesn't feel any different after I deep condition. I even clarified once thinking that was the issue. I used it again tonight and added a little of the joico moisture recovery and it was heaven. But that's thanks to the moisture recovery. I think I'll stick to that line and leave kpak alone. Now I think I'll try some things from design essentials. Let me go to their website and see what I want.
 
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