I was at neck length in Jan 2009 and I battled with it till August 2009. I wanted healthy hair first before length!
Then starting in August 2009, I aimed for longer hair and I reached full shoulder length March 2010.
**I stretched my relaxer, 4 months at a time
** Washed my hair once a week/ Deep conditioned once a week....
** When my hair was freshly relaxed I did rollersets.
** When the new growth started kicking in I air dried and did A LOT of braid outs.
** I barely ever used the flat iron.
I also refrained from trimming (I dusted here and there but nothing noticeable).
Now it's July 2010 and I'm at collarbone length. Hopefully APL before the end of the year.