This post is in response to Pepples but I hoped alot of the girls would see it. My family is "regular black" (Good people but not mixed with any other ethnicity) There is no long hair in my family. My grandmother has worked since the 5th grade and was not worried about hair. She wore wigs from the time I can remember (and she would roll over if I didn't tell you she was cute!) My mother did not have any skill with childrens hair. She wore her own hair short (not on purpose I'm sure--but she permed every two weeks and the curling iron was out every day.) I have had broken, dry, brittle hair all of my life. It did not start to grow until I discoverd that hair care was NOT a curling iron. It is bra-strap now, a little past. My mom is like "get me on that program." (I have her in a weave now). So what I want to say is: yes you can grow your hair even if no-one else in your family has "long" hair. But honesly, it's a big change of lifestyle. I don't know about waistlength unitl I get there, but I think bra-strap is possible for EVERYBODY if you are strict with yourself. Do it.
Can you grow your hair long??
- Thread starter henrilou
- Start date
L.A. Woman
New Member
Henrilou, when you had brittle hair and decided to put the curling iron away, how did you get from there to bra-strap length? What was your regimen to get to the length you are now??
kasey
Active Member
Thanks Henrilou for the words of encouragement.
No one in my family is really skilled at hair care either. The only lesson I got in hair care was from my great grandmonther One time when I was at her house and I was rough combing my hair. She told me that I needed to be more gentle with my hair. But that is the ONLY lesson I got in hair care from ANY family member. Yeah, my mom styled my hair with the hot comb and the curling iron. And, she would always say that my hair texture changed from when I was younger but she never associated the use of the pressing comb and hot curlers with the change. And neither did I, until this spring. I am not sure if my hair is growing, but it is a lot more healthy and a lot closer to the texture I had as a youngun.
No one in my family is really skilled at hair care either. The only lesson I got in hair care was from my great grandmonther One time when I was at her house and I was rough combing my hair. She told me that I needed to be more gentle with my hair. But that is the ONLY lesson I got in hair care from ANY family member. Yeah, my mom styled my hair with the hot comb and the curling iron. And, she would always say that my hair texture changed from when I was younger but she never associated the use of the pressing comb and hot curlers with the change. And neither did I, until this spring. I am not sure if my hair is growing, but it is a lot more healthy and a lot closer to the texture I had as a youngun.
G
Guest
Guest
Thanks, henrilou. Your post is very encouraging. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Hi Henrilou,
Your hair is beautiful!
Have you allways pressed you hair, or did you grow out a perm and start over?
The reason I am asking is because I have 2 inches past shoulder length relaxed hair, and I want to go back to pressing it.
I am contemplating on cutting all the relaxed portions off and starting over. How did you do it, and how often do you press?
Thanks
Tess
Your hair is beautiful!
Have you allways pressed you hair, or did you grow out a perm and start over?
The reason I am asking is because I have 2 inches past shoulder length relaxed hair, and I want to go back to pressing it.
I am contemplating on cutting all the relaxed portions off and starting over. How did you do it, and how often do you press?
Thanks
Tess
Kitkat
Active Member
Thanks, Henrilou, for your encouraging post. Gives hope to those of us trying to get to shoulder length and beyond. This forum taught me that hair care is not a curling iron, like you said. My hair was shoulder length until I was a teenager and took over caring for it from my mother, who had long hair until she cut it into a short style.
Question - from the time that you started really caring for your hair, how long did it take you to get to your current length?
Question - from the time that you started really caring for your hair, how long did it take you to get to your current length?
Like I said. I had dry, brittle hair, that I home-permed. I would go to a stylist as she would tell me," Well your hair is really frizzy on the ends, so I'm gonna run the perm all the way throgh." I was stupid. But it was about neck-lenth and not really that worse off than the girls around me...so... Well one bad perm and it all broke. I was down to 2 inches in one spot in the back of my head. My stuff was tore-up. Well I got a weave. Kept it in faithfully for 3 years.Every time I wouold take it out to get a new one I would BUG OUT at the length. MY stylist said, "Don't be stupid, don't perm and keep weaving. " I listened. My hair grew and grew. I finally took the last weave out last year. I do not perm and I am careful. So I would say, if you are stuck, can't stand to look at your head: weave or braid.
pebbles
New Member
Henrilou,
Thank-you so much for your response to my initial post! I am certainly encouraged. I've always been told that you have to "come from" hair to have hair. Reading your post about the way the women in your family handled their hair made me laugh because you described my family to the letter. I am learning that hair care is something that takes time and effort and not something I can approach casually if I want to see real length on my head. Since mostly everyone I tell that I'm trying to grow my hair out tells me they don't think it's possible for me to have that much length, I don't discuss it anymore. I keep it to myself. If I succeed, great; if I don't, I won't have to hear people tell me they told me so. It's a secret between me and all the sisters on this board who have the same goals to grow their hair as I do. /images/graemlins/wink.gif
Again, thank-you so much for the words of encouragement!
Have a blessed day!!
Thank-you so much for your response to my initial post! I am certainly encouraged. I've always been told that you have to "come from" hair to have hair. Reading your post about the way the women in your family handled their hair made me laugh because you described my family to the letter. I am learning that hair care is something that takes time and effort and not something I can approach casually if I want to see real length on my head. Since mostly everyone I tell that I'm trying to grow my hair out tells me they don't think it's possible for me to have that much length, I don't discuss it anymore. I keep it to myself. If I succeed, great; if I don't, I won't have to hear people tell me they told me so. It's a secret between me and all the sisters on this board who have the same goals to grow their hair as I do. /images/graemlins/wink.gif
Again, thank-you so much for the words of encouragement!
Have a blessed day!!
LondonDiva
New Member
Thanks for the start of this thread henilou.
I'm wondering what kind of foolish questions I'm going to get when I reach my goal. "So you don't have Indian, so where are your parents from?"
Two black girls that I know who have long hair always respond to the indian question as if it the ONLY reason for their length. I keep my hair journey to myself now as all people want to as me is why do I want to have all that hair for?
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
I'm wondering what kind of foolish questions I'm going to get when I reach my goal. "So you don't have Indian, so where are your parents from?"
Two black girls that I know who have long hair always respond to the indian question as if it the ONLY reason for their length. I keep my hair journey to myself now as all people want to as me is why do I want to have all that hair for?
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
For anyone who has ever said black hair just doesn't grow, I've always said, if any black woman has ever had a relaxer or dyed their hair, the hair must get monthly touch-ups in order to keep the new growth consistent with the rest of the hair, right? So if you need monthly touch-ups, the hair must be growing. It is just a matter of retaining all the new growth. The hairshaft breaks when hair is not cared for properly, so while new growth is coming out, the older hairs are being broken off because of improper care.This makes it appear as if our hair doesn't grow. So new growth minus broken hairs along the hairshaft, essentially equals no growth at all. Thanks to this forum, we all now know how to use the correct shampoos, conditioners, how to properly brush or comb when necessary, the proper dyes to use if we choose to go that route, what supplements to take along with the correct dosage and the list goes on and on. Yes we are shattering alot of these myths and I can't say it enough, that I am very glad to have found this forum.
Iris
Iris
SherryLove
Active Member
WOW!!! HenriLou,,,This is very inspiring........I hope a lot of ladies read this.....
PrettyBrownEyes
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the encouragement, Henrilou!
G
Guest
Guest
[ QUOTE ]
Henrilou,
Thank-you so much for your response to my initial post! I am certainly encouraged. I've always been told that you have to "come from" hair to have hair. Reading your post about the way the women in your family handled their hair made me laugh because you described my family to the letter. I am learning that hair care is something that takes time and effort and not something I can approach casually if I want to see real length on my head. Since mostly everyone I tell that I'm trying to grow my hair out tells me they don't think it's possible for me to have that much length, I don't discuss it anymore. I keep it to myself. If I succeed, great; if I don't, I won't have to hear people tell me they told me so. It's a secret between me and all the sisters on this board who have the same goals to grow their hair as I do. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Again, thank-you so much for the words of encouragement!
Have a blessed day!!
[/ QUOTE ]
And what is WITH THAT!? The second you express you want to grow your hair longer, people around you, the first thing out of their mouthes: Oh! You can't do that! Your hair won't get THAT long!
Haha! People are such haters! Go for it, Pebbles!
Henrilou,
Thank-you so much for your response to my initial post! I am certainly encouraged. I've always been told that you have to "come from" hair to have hair. Reading your post about the way the women in your family handled their hair made me laugh because you described my family to the letter. I am learning that hair care is something that takes time and effort and not something I can approach casually if I want to see real length on my head. Since mostly everyone I tell that I'm trying to grow my hair out tells me they don't think it's possible for me to have that much length, I don't discuss it anymore. I keep it to myself. If I succeed, great; if I don't, I won't have to hear people tell me they told me so. It's a secret between me and all the sisters on this board who have the same goals to grow their hair as I do. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Again, thank-you so much for the words of encouragement!
Have a blessed day!!
[/ QUOTE ]
And what is WITH THAT!? The second you express you want to grow your hair longer, people around you, the first thing out of their mouthes: Oh! You can't do that! Your hair won't get THAT long!
Haha! People are such haters! Go for it, Pebbles!
G
Guest
Guest
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the start of this thread henilou.
I'm wondering what kind of foolish questions I'm going to get when I reach my goal. "So you don't have Indian, so where are your parents from?"
Two black girls that I know who have long hair always respond to the indian question as if it the ONLY reason for their length. I keep my hair journey to myself now as all people want to as me is why do I want to have all that hair for?
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hello!? Okay! Everyone always assumes black women can't grow long hair and I'm SICK OF IT!
No one ever asks white/latin/asian women "Oh is that your hair?" "Oh, what are you mixed with?" Oh, you must have a lot of Indian in you" etc. etc. etc!
Sick of the bullsh** questions!
Thanks for the start of this thread henilou.
I'm wondering what kind of foolish questions I'm going to get when I reach my goal. "So you don't have Indian, so where are your parents from?"
Two black girls that I know who have long hair always respond to the indian question as if it the ONLY reason for their length. I keep my hair journey to myself now as all people want to as me is why do I want to have all that hair for?
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hello!? Okay! Everyone always assumes black women can't grow long hair and I'm SICK OF IT!
No one ever asks white/latin/asian women "Oh is that your hair?" "Oh, what are you mixed with?" Oh, you must have a lot of Indian in you" etc. etc. etc!
Sick of the bullsh** questions!
G
Guest
Guest
[ QUOTE ]
For anyone who has ever said black hair just doesn't grow, I've always said, if any black woman has ever had a relaxer or dyed their hair, the hair must get monthly touch-ups in order to keep the new growth consistent with the rest of the hair, right? So if you need monthly touch-ups, the hair must be growing. It is just a matter of retaining all the new growth. The hairshaft breaks when hair is not cared for properly, so while new growth is coming out, the older hairs are being broken off because of improper care.This makes it appear as if our hair doesn't grow. So new growth minus broken hairs along the hairshaft, essentially equals no growth at all. Thanks to this forum, we all now know how to use the correct shampoos, conditioners, how to properly brush or comb when necessary, the proper dyes to use if we choose to go that route, what supplements to take along with the correct dosage and the list goes on and on. Yes we are shattering alot of these myths and I can't say it enough, that I am very glad to have found this forum.
Iris
[/ QUOTE ]
AMEN SISTER!
) We'll catch their asses (other race women) yet!
For anyone who has ever said black hair just doesn't grow, I've always said, if any black woman has ever had a relaxer or dyed their hair, the hair must get monthly touch-ups in order to keep the new growth consistent with the rest of the hair, right? So if you need monthly touch-ups, the hair must be growing. It is just a matter of retaining all the new growth. The hairshaft breaks when hair is not cared for properly, so while new growth is coming out, the older hairs are being broken off because of improper care.This makes it appear as if our hair doesn't grow. So new growth minus broken hairs along the hairshaft, essentially equals no growth at all. Thanks to this forum, we all now know how to use the correct shampoos, conditioners, how to properly brush or comb when necessary, the proper dyes to use if we choose to go that route, what supplements to take along with the correct dosage and the list goes on and on. Yes we are shattering alot of these myths and I can't say it enough, that I am very glad to have found this forum.
Iris
[/ QUOTE ]
AMEN SISTER!
Country gal
Well-Known Member
Nessa- Thanks for bumping this thread for us. Just what I needed to read.
Henrilou- Your post was very encourgaing. It reminds me why I am hooked to this board.
Henrilou- Your post was very encourgaing. It reminds me why I am hooked to this board.
levette
Well-Known Member
my misguided husband also thinks that most black women can't grow their hair long. he thinks that i am the exception to the rule which is sad. even though he sees pictures of you'll with long hair, he is under the illusion that we are the Lucky ones. now isn't that sad.
ineedmoney
New Member
it's not that we can't it's just that we are so miseducated about ourselves that we can't work with our hair. i wish more people worried about healthy hair instead of good hair. then i swear black women would be the most envious of all as far as hair is concerened
dontspeakdefeat
Hair Coach
Just the encouragement we all need. Thanks a million!
phynestone
Well-Known Member
I had a similar experience. My hair has never been as long as it currently is simply because my mother was always handling it incorrectly by yanking my hair, using the wrong products and not covering my hair at night. Now that I've finally gotten to college and my hair has been cared for correctly by myself, it is much healthier. A lot of people ask why I just don't go ahead and perm it and honestly, I'm scared. I've seen girls in my dorm apply perms incorrectly and I don't trust the salons in my town. I like it better natural. My hair has never been as healthy or as thick, plus, it grows faster. I think a lot of black women have been misinformed about their hair, which is why it doesn't seem to grow, but it does. If more black women were to learn proper care for their hair then a lot of beauty supply stores would be out of business.
[ QUOTE ]
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hello!? Okay! Everyone always assumes black women can't grow long hair and I'm SICK OF IT!
No one ever asks white/latin/asian women "Oh is that your hair?" "Oh, what are you mixed with?" Oh, you must have a lot of Indian in you" etc. etc. etc!
Sick of the bullsh** questions!
[/ QUOTE ]
I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much. I understand PART of the reason for that question. The truth is, until fairly recently, it just hasn't been seen very often...either in the Western world or in Africa. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't POSSIBLE that women of African decent can't grow hair past X length, but people can only go by what they seen.
IMHO, as more women of African decent DO grow longer hair, the question will be asked less and less.
Nobody asks the latin, indian, asian or white girls why they want their hair down to there.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hello!? Okay! Everyone always assumes black women can't grow long hair and I'm SICK OF IT!
No one ever asks white/latin/asian women "Oh is that your hair?" "Oh, what are you mixed with?" Oh, you must have a lot of Indian in you" etc. etc. etc!
Sick of the bullsh** questions!
[/ QUOTE ]
I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much. I understand PART of the reason for that question. The truth is, until fairly recently, it just hasn't been seen very often...either in the Western world or in Africa. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't POSSIBLE that women of African decent can't grow hair past X length, but people can only go by what they seen.
IMHO, as more women of African decent DO grow longer hair, the question will be asked less and less.
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