2024 - SL/APL Challenge/Support Thread

[faithVA]

Post the following to join in

What length are you now?

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?

Starting Pic (Post by 12/31/2023):

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Please check in 1x a month to help keep the thread active.


Plan to post your reveal pic by 12/30/2024. You can post earlier if you reach your goal any time in between.

Post as many hair pics as you like because you know we love pics


Important Picture Dates
December 30, 2023 Starting pic
April 2024 First length check update
August 2024 Second length check update
December 30, 2024 Final Reveal

 

[Evallusion]

What length are you now?
My hair is a broken mess. All over the place but I wouldn’t say SL.

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?
I’ll take whatever I can get. SL would be amazing but APL would be a dream.

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?
DIY twists and braids for all of 2024. I have been all over YouTube. I am deeeeeetermined to handle my own mane with no outside interference.

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?

I will be the big 40 in Dec of 2024. I’d like to unleash a BAA!! And I’d also maybe like to visit a hair salon that specializes in natural hair for the first time ever.

 

[CoiledOrchids]

here's my pics. These are from today. I got a trim and silk press

• my current length is SL
• my goal for 2024 is APL
• my plan is to have a simple regimen using knotless braids all 2024. No heat.
• I'm not sure how I'll celebrate

 

[ckisland]

What length are you now?
Full SL

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?
Full APL

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?
Shampoo and deep condition weekly
Rollerset with Flexirods and mousse
Or
Blow dry and flatiron every 6-8 weeks

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?
Have my hair done at a salon

Starting Pic (Post by 12/31/2023):

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

Post the following to join in

What length are you now?

Whatever this length is. For some reason, I really can't tell lol

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?

To keep the hair on my head lol

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?

To hopefully still do my mini braids, albeit a little larger. These micros be getting me lol I got a minute before my thickness comes back. I think I might get my first trim in 2 or 3 years next year. Idk I'm scared lol

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?

I honestly don't know. I'm trying to change up how I usually reward myself.

Starting Pic (Post by 12/31/2023):

I guess I can insert my mini braids picture since I really don't wear my hair any other way.

==================================================================
Please check in 1x a month to help keep the thread active.


Plan to post your reveal pic by 12/30/2024. You can post earlier if you reach your goal any time in between.

Post as many hair pics as you like because you know we love pics


Important Picture Dates
December 30, 2023 Starting pic
April 2024 First length check update
August 2024 Second length check update
December 30, 2024 Final Reveal

 

[keranikki]

What length are you now?
-I’m mostly SL.

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?
-APL

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?
-I plan to wear my hair in mini-braids under a wig for the whole year. I will continue to microtrim, but I don’t know if I want to trim in braids.

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?
-I’m undecided

 

[faithVA]

What length are you now? NL

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)? SL

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal? Stay Consistent and Keep it Simple.
I will cleanse, condition and style every 4 to 7 days.
I will do my own trims every 4 months.
I will use K18 once a month and maybe try Olaplex 8.

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?
I will buy some hair bling for my new bun.

Starting Pic (Post by 12/31/2023):

 

[Tangles]

What length are you now?
I'm gonna call it lite SL
What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)?
APL
What's your plan/regime to reach your goal?
I will be installing another set of extension braids.
I will try to maintain them by keeping them moisturized.
Rinse and repeat with the braid installs throughout the year.
How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal?
I will celebrate by no longer adding braid hair and wear my hair in mini twists.

Starting Pic (Post by 12/31/2023):

 

[faithVA]

Since I straightened my hair I decided to try a flat twist out so I can do wear them more as my hair grows out. I flat twisted it with a little Trepadora Papaya and then bantu knotted the ends. I'm satisfied with it fir my first attempt.

 

[GettingKinky]

I’m just going to lurk. I have given up on having SL curly hair. My shrinkage doesn’t want to allow it.


@faithVA your flat twist out looks AMAZING. I love it!!!

 

[faithVA]

I’m just going to lurk. I have given up on having SL curly hair. My shrinkage doesn’t want to allow it.


@faithVA your flat twist out looks AMAZING. I love it!!!

Thank you. You are super kind. I did enjoy letting my hair out for a day. It rained and everything but it held up.

When I get a super-bun, I'm naming her after you since you saved her life.

Even if you don't join, maybe post a pic every 6 months just so we can see your hair.

 

[Blessedwithabundance14]

What length are you now? The bottom layers when stretched are just grazing APL. Most hair is between SL and APL.

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)? Full APL

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal? Wash/deep-condition every two weeks and twists hair and pin up in updos. Get hair flat ironed and ends trimmed every 3 months and dust every wash day.

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal? By taking photos and feeling myself! Wear my hair our more and really enjoy it.

 

[Evallusion]

Happy New Year beautiful ladies!!!

I put in some DIY marley twists in my hair...and lets just say, thank God its hat season! I know what I did wrong so my next attempt will be better. These babies are staying in until February though becauuuuuse yeah... . I will keep oiling and moisturizing once a week.

 

[ItsMeLilLucky]

@Evallusion Happy New Year! That's part of the reason why I never did twist or braid outs I said if I'm spending all this time to put them in, I am not taking them right back out. Same thing with the extensions. I didn't care how raggedy they looked, I did not just spend all this time putting them in just to take them back out.

 

[CoiledOrchids]

happy new year!
just booked my appointment to get my knotless braids on Jan 27th

I got a trim recently. all I need to do is make sure I do my weekly wash and steam treatments before I get my braids.

I also need a good braid spray that won't cause build-up

 

[Lylddlebit]

here's my pics. These are from today. I got a trim and silk press

• my current length is SL
• my goal for 2024 is APL
• my plan is to have a simple regimen using knotless braids all 2024. No heat.
• I'm not sure how I'll celebrate

I can feel the softness and flow through the screen! I love a nice hairstyle. Do you happen to have a photo of your locs before you took them out? I bet those were beautiful too.

 

[Lylddlebit]

What length are you now? The bottom layers when stretched are just grazing APL. Most hair is between SL and APL.

What is your goal for 2024 (SL or APL)? Full APL

What's your plan/regime to reach your goal? Wash/deep-condition every two weeks and twists hair and pin up in updos. Get hair flat ironed and ends trimmed every 3 months and dust every wash day.

How will you celebrate/reward yourself when you reach your goal? By taking photos and feeling myself! Wear my hair our more and really enjoy it.

View attachment 493625

You should be feeling yourself. Precise ends. Flowing hair. That style looks great!

 

[Blessedwithabundance14]

You should be feeling yourself. Precise ends. Flowing hair. That style looks great!

Aww thank you so much! I do love it!

 

[CoiledOrchids]

I can feel the softness and flow through the screen! I love a nice hairstyle. Do you happen to have a photo of your locs before you took them out? I bet those were beautiful too.

yes. My loc journey was cut short because I missed my fro so I combed them out.

here's a few pics of my loc journey, including starter locs done on 2/25/23

 

[B_Phlyy]

I'm here for support and you ladies are looking good.

I also need a good braid spray that won't cause build-up

I honestly have used the African Royale BRX braid spray for 20+ years with no problems.

 

[Lylddlebit]

yes. My loc journey was cut short because I missed my fro so I combed them out.

here's a few pics of my loc journey, including starter locs done on 2/25/23

Thank you very much! Your locs were gorgeous as well!

 

[CoiledOrchids]

Thank you very much! Your locs were gorgeous as well!

thanks @Lylddlebit! At first I wanted to restart my loc journey with microlocs but now i'm not so sure. For now, I kinda just wanna rock my hair in between my knotless braid installations. I got a silk press recently but it didn't last long, despite me using rollers. Now I gotta wash my hair at some point today smh I paid too much for that silk press anyway so I aint even mad, just annoyed.

 

[faithVA]

Welcome to the challenge ladies and thank you for sharing your beautiful hair. I see a lot of women reaching their goals in 2024. Looking forward to sharing your journey.

 

[faithVA]

I finally shampooed my hair today after wearing it straight for almost 2 weeks. This may have been the first time I enjoyed wearing my hair straight, so I may straighten again before it gets to hot and see how that goes.

I bought some BioSilk conditioner to replace my Madison Reed conditioner. And I like it so far. I have plenty of shampoo so won't need to buy any of that for several months.

I think I haven't been using enough leave-in for my hair. What I am going to try for a while is to put leave-in on while still in the shower and then let my hair air dry for a while and then wet my hair and add another layer of leave-in. I will try that for a couple of months.

This weekend though, I will do the 2 layers, add some gel and put in two strand twists and see if they last for 2 weeks.

 

[ckisland]

This first week of 2024 has me trying new things!

Instead of doing my usual wash on Wednesday, I put my hair in 2 dutch braids pulled back into a bun. I realized that after a week my hair isn't dry at all. I wash it again because that's what I've been doing for forever. So I'm going to give washing every 2 weeks a try for the next month or two and will see if that works for me. Hopefully the lower manipulation will have me getting to my goals faster!

 

[faithVA]

Finally put in 2 strands and surprisingly it only took me 90 minutes versus my usual 2 hours. I'm going to try to keep these for 2xweeks and then probably back to flat twist.

 

[GettingKinky]

@faithVA I really like your 2 strand twists

 

[faithVA]

@faithVA I really like your 2 strand twists

Thank you. Will try to enjoy them more this year.

 

[faithVA]

I think double applying leave-in works well for my hair. My twist have made it an entire week and haven't dried out. I will wear them until Sunday and then put in flat twist. I am thinking 2 weeks of two strands and two weeks of flat twist to switch it up. Not sure how long it will be before I can put another style into rotation. Should definitely be able to add in a random puff in the Spring.

 

[ckisland]

My bob's grown out and now I'm in my awkward phase