For those wanting long hair...

This combo is certainly a winner to me.

 

havilland
Thanks!
how long did it take you to reach your length now? my reggie is basically the same as yours except i use shampoo (ORS creamy aloe). I should probably start back just doing acv rinses. Im sooo impatient. Do you take any supplements?

 

Because of the heat, I've been really sweating my hair out. Therefore, I braid it in seven braids and then pin it up.

This keeps it from detangling and knotting. I leave it this way for a few days at a time. I only take the braids out if I'm going to the office. Then I put it in a bun so it will look professional.

 

u r so welcome

it took me 5 years. i started out at chewed up neck length and trimmed away damaged hair, as well as used protective styling 12 months at a time for two years of that time to help my hair recover from abuse.

i had 2 major setbacks in 5 years that caused me to have to cut my hair. one was pregnancy....i lost alot of hair about 5 months post delivery. and the second was caused by a growth aid.

i take a prenatal multi vitamin and calcium. (which i took before my hair journey) but so far every other supplement or growth aid i have tried has caused me a setback. so i don't even bother anymore. last growth aid i tried was megatek....because of that i had to cut about 4 inches of hair in 2010....so no more "aids" for me.

my fotki has my journey well documented if you want to take a look.
http://public.fotki.com/havilland/

my hair is fine and fragile. so what works for me is cutting out the chemicals, protective styling like a beast (i wear my hair down for very special occasions only), and deep conditioning at least once a week if not twice.

i try to moisturize and seal regularly but find that deep conditioning is the most important thing for me. OH and also protecting my hair at night. i wear a silk scarf every night. no matter what.

HTH

 

hi,
I'm a newbie here.

How often did you relax your hair to get it to waist length?

One day I wanna go natural, the next day I don't. I go easily go 6 mos then relaxer. I went 9 mos then relaxer. I see how my hair has grown it motivate me.... I wash once a month aphogee then deep conditioner.
if it get itchy I will rinse w conditioner. I blow dry w a heat protective
I use megat texk on edges & scalp. + a hair growth oil on scalp also weekly
protective styling is cornrows under a wig...

 

karenjoe

Wow, I haven't had a relaxer in so long. When I got relaxers, I got them every few months.

I'm extra happy being natural going on five years.

 

thanks, I don't know what to do.
I think maybe my hair would be thicker if I went natural
then I'll have a flash back from the hair pressing days.

 

i used to do long relaxer stretches too. i would go 6-10 months between touch ups. stretching actually helped me prepare to transition.....i am currently 13 months post relaxer. and i felt the same as you about going natural. i thought of pressing comb burns and thick hair grease. yuck!

if you learn to straighten your hair yourself for those times you want to wear it straight OR find a stylist that supports you in your goal of possibly growing out your relaxer, you will find it's not that bad and you can have light fluffy straight hair that is not pressed down with grease.

the pic in my siggy was taken at my stylist. she had just straightened my hair with a pressing comb and a flat iron. the whole process went just fine.

i find i can get my new growth straight at home with just a blow dryer and a flat iron. but i rarely straighten it anymore.

good luck no matter what you decide to do. i def think that stretching relaxers out, even if you decide not to go natural, is a good idea. stretching really protects your length from chemical damage.

 

Tried heat training its not workin at all

 

I want this hair but thicker.....
if she can go 4 to 6 mos.... I can go 8 to 12......

I hope it will be thicker if I do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5615PrPPdZU

 

yep I agree the girl that braid my hair tell me your hair is straight. I think really?

when I strecth I wash blow dry oil my scalp once a month or more that's it
I get it braided.

thanks, Havilland.
I will strecth until I'm natural or cant take it....
at 9 mos the new growth got angry. new growth started grabbing the relaxed hair it
wouldn't let go with out a fight.
took me 2 hrs just to untangle then blow dry.
2 weeks later I bought a relaxer kit....

 

Allandra
I forgot about this thread! I didn't make APL until about May, fell off of the no heat for 6 months (really need it straight at least once every other month to dust it). I'm shooting for BSL/Midback by next Feb/March.

I haven't stuck to much religiously, other than keeping my hair moisturized and keeping the protein.moisture balance in check. I have alternated (out of boredom) between airdrying, flat ironing, twistouts, twists, braids, etc.

I'm in my flat iron phase for now, but am upping the protein to deal with it.
Next may be a weave or Senegalese twists.

 

Well, I hope everyone is good and taking good care of their hair.

I had a very special occasion to go to this past Saturday (my last brother got married), and it was a beautiful wedding and reception.

I got up at 5:30am on Saturday and did a ponytail roller set (10 ponytails to be exact), sat under my Pibbs 514 for about an hour and flat ironed my hair (one swipe per section was all I needed) (hadn't flat ironed my own hair in so darn long). Although I didn't wear my hair down, I wanted it straight so I could wear it in a top bun. Gosh, it sure is a challenge getting all of my hair on top of my head to place in a bun, but the day was well worth it, so I didn't mind the challenge at all. My hair is now to my (clears throat) crack. I thought about the forum when I realized where my hair reached as I've read a few members talking about wanting hair to their crack. And no I didn't take any pictures. I'll have pictures taken when I get my hair professionally flat ironed (around Christmas).

So, come on in and tell us how your hair is doing.

 

Thanks for the visual Allandra, LOL! I am steadily making progress. My goal was waist length by mid November, but September and October are "good hair" months for me. Usually, there is low humidity, so I have had my hair straight for almost all of September so far. I still moisturize and protect my ends with water and castor oil mixed with water and I sleep with my end protected in some type of updo. I am considering the cornrowed box braids style for October, but I'm not sure yet.

 

newgrowth15

What are cornrowed box braids?

 

Allandra, I box braid my hair and then cornrow the box braids and tuck the ends into a bun or pin them up. There are pictures in Post #144 of the "Please Share Pics of Your Protective Style" thread that you started back in February. Unfortunately, I do not know how to link to that thread. I moisturize my braids with a whipped shea butter and coconut oil mixture that I got from Naptural85's youtube channel. My hair stays moisturized and my ends stay soft and protected in that style for the entire two weeks that I keep it cornrowed.

 

newgrowth15

Thanks for clarifying.

 

newgrowth15 Allandra
Here's the post.

 

greenandchic, thanks for posting the link. Please tell me how you do it, so I will be able to do it for future posts if ever needed.

 

Im doing quite better.. I have not relaxed since my last relaxer in may.. Im in between transitioning or to continue with relaxing.

 

newgrowth15
No problem! You click on the actual post number and it should open to a new link and you can post that. Hope that helps...

 

Same here! My last relaxer was May 15th. I haven't decided what I want to do yet, but I told myself that if I do decide to get another relaxer that I can't put it in until Feb. By then I'll know for sure whether I want to transition or not.

 

well i am 14 months post texlax....haven't relaxed since last july. it started as a long stretch, but now i am officially transitioning and so far it hasn't been so bad.

learning how to stretch my hair between relaxers prepared me well for this journey.

i am trying some new products to up my moisture game. Curls brand....i tried their Coconut Curlada conditioner and Creme Brulee moisturizer. so far i like to Curlada.

i am not used to my hair being thirsty. i am mostly a protein girl.

 

OK I need help with my reggie. Please recommend products and processes. My hair loves moisture, protein and coconut oil. I've been really lazy with my hair for at least a year and it shows!! I am reaching waist length when my hair is flat ironed. I would love for it to be full waist length when it is curly. I think I'm 3c it's naturally curly/wavy but when it is dry it locks, tangles, knots and is really difficult to manage.

 

havilland

I hope you are enjoying your transition as much as I did. It was really a lot of fun watching my hair do its thing.

Please tell us about the Curls brand stuff you're using. I'd love to hear more about them. Did you purchase those items from Sally BSS?

 

@Gracie

Please tell us about your hair. What products are you using now? Are those products working for you or do you just want to try some new stuff? How are you wearing your hair? I don't wear my curly/wavy hair out because if I did it would be very difficult to manage and get very tangled. We can't be lazy with our hair because it needs to be taken care of to thrive (just like our bodies and mind).

I'm natural, and my (flat ironed hair) comes past my tail bone (ok, it comes to my crack ). My curly hair shrinks quite a bit (doesn't even come to my waist, as shrinkage is a beast - see pic in my avi). I'm 3c with a bit of 4a going towards the back.

 

I think Cantu Shea butter leave in has officially been added to my regimen. I love the way it makes my hair feel/look! I don't even want to try to find anything better.

 

i tried the Curls brand products made for Target ---

Curls Coconut Curlada conditioner - it is a light moisturizing conditioner that works great for me as a rinse out conditioner or as a leave in. i left some in and my curls really popped, but it's heavy so i rinsed some out if you use too much it will take your hair forever to dry.

Curls Creme Brulee leave in - is better on dry hair to moisturize second day hair. it didn't help me detangle. and my hair did not feel very moisturized when i used it to air dry. when i used it to reactivate second day hair it was much better. i think it would be ok on flat ironed hair if you only used a drop at night to moisturize ends or something like that. it doesn't soak the hair with wetness.
my DS is natural and i have been using it on him now. it works well, but i like the kimmaytube leave in better.......

both products have a sweet and sticky kind of tropical smell. the smell is not strong and fades as it dries.

the price was good. about $10 for products with decent ingredients not full of mineral oil and propelyne glycol as filler. if you have long hair i would try another conditioner because the bottles are small. my hair is BSL and i use 8 tablespoons of conditioner to deep condition my whole head, so 8 ounce or 16 ounce bottles are not enough to me.

Used solely a conditioner you will use too much of the Curlada. if you use either product as a leave in or rinse out, you will be fine.

 

Now its official.. I have decided to go natural. Im about 4 month post relaxer so I will transition as long as I can while slowly cutting off the relaxed ends.. I think i will cut off an inch every 3 months.

 

I am natural. My flat ironed hair reaches my waist but if I got a trim it wouldn't. When it is curly it comes to my shoulder and if it is dry it comes to my neck. Depending on who's chart you look at my hair is 3b and 3c in the middle or 3c and 4a in the middle. Usually when I wear it curly I cowash with VO5, detangle, apply coconut oil and then some put it in some type of bun. I usually wash it with shampoo when I plan to flat iron. I use a clarifying shampoo when needed otherwise I use the original CON green (that's right I still have some LOL) I condition with a reconstructor or queen helen cholesterol and I use eggs or duo tex for protein. If I am flat ironing I use a leave in and a heat protectant. That is the base of my reggie. Of course I have some indian powders and oils, SAA, HE hello hydration (does nothing for my hair), castor oil and a bunch of other stuff that I can't remember right now.

I went through a break up and was scared to do anything with my hair because I was afraid that I was going to cut it. I don't know why men make you want to do that. During my lazy/sad year and a half season, I cowashed, put my hair in a pony tail and detangled every so often. That was it

Now that I am back I need to get my hair together. I know this may seem like a bit much but I have to be a vigilant. Saturday I washed it detangled (lost a ton of hair) and cholesterol overnight. My original plan was to do a protein treatment but I couldn't find my duo tex. Early Sunday morning when I rinsed out the conditioner my hair felt hard, even while wet my hair felt dry. So I combed through some porosity control and rinsed it out. It felt a little better. I put in some restruct. cond in and let that sit for about 20mins. It was a bit closer to what my hair normally feels like but not exactly. I let it air dry for the most part, leave in conditioner, heat protect., coconut oil, blow dried the rest of the way and flat ironed. Since then I've been putting in coconut oil and protective styling and it is feeling much much better.

Surprisingly my ends aren't that bad as far as being split but I do have some breakage throughout, nothing noticeable. I'm open to new things if it will help. I don't want to become a product junkie, been there done that. I want the shorter strands to catch up and of course retention is huge. I do have a concern about thinning because it runs on my moms side.