Growing Past SL...NEVER HAPPENS

[MaryJane3000]

Hi Ladies,

First let me start off by saying that I've been stalking this forum for the fast few months and it has helped my hair TREMENDOUSLY!. I've never had hair growth problems, but I was definately ignorant of how to care for my hair, and now I've finally learned to let go of depending on stylists, who have only suceeded in dragging my hair health down.

I finally decided to become a financial member because I'm at my critical point and honestly I'm kinda nervous. My hair for whatever reason never seems to make it past my shoulders. Now I know that before I didn't take as good care of my hair as I am now, but I still find this task to be daunting. I have fine relaxed hair so I dont like putting too many products on the ends, but does anyone have any advice for me that I should do now that I'm at this point or any stories of encouragement they want to share?

 

[JustKiya]

Protective styling. Keep your hair up (and off your shoulders) until it's at least an inch past your shoulders.

 

[wheezy807]

Co signing protective styling. Weekly deep conditioning, stretching relaxers, nightly scarfing, and daily moisturizing have ALL helped me get past SL. I was one of those people too always stuck at SL (for most of my life) before LHCF, so you definitely can to it! Welcome and Happy Hair Growing!

 

[imaccami]

I would say to comb gently, and just be extra gentle when you're handling your hair.

 

[Reecie]

My best advice is as follows:

• Find a deep conditioner (that works well for you) and deep condition regularly with heat if possible.
• You will Need a leave-in conditioner and moisturizer
• Regular Hot Oil Treatments (with natural oils such as.. Coconut, Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Lay off the direct heat (try rollersets, wet sets, braid outs, twist outs)
• Get a good protein conditioner
• Try a hard protein treatment every 6 -8 weeks (such as Aphoghee 2 step or Nexus Emergencee)
• Dust/trim your ends when necessary.
• LISTEN TO YOUR HAIR.. once you really establish a routine, you will know what your hair wants.

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[MaryJane3000]

ok, thanks y'all! I wear a bonnet when i go to sleep at night and im finding that my hair is starting to snag on it, is there a certain type of head covering yall use that's better? The one I got was just a regular satin bonnet from a korean hair store.

 

[scoobygirl]

How often are you getting your hair relaxed and trimmed? I had fine relaxed hair that was stuck at armpit length for years, but when I got a new hair dresser after I moved I eventually gained another 3-4 inches. The only things I did differently were to stretch my relaxer an extra 2 weeks and trim every 3rd relaxer. Also I have gotten growth spurts by exercising more often.

 

[sweetnlow06]

My problem is I have to stay away from the scissors.

 

[dachsies_rule!]

ok, thanks y'all! I wear a bonnet when i go to sleep at night and im finding that my hair is starting to snag on it, is there a certain type of head covering yall use that's better? The one I got was just a regular satin bonnet from a korean hair store.

I always wear 100% silk scarf (20 x 20 inches) and tie it around my hair at night. I also sleep on a satin pillowcase. You don't want any friction on your hair at night that can break it off.

 

[MaryJane3000]

I used to go every 6 weeks because thats what my hair dresser told me, but now I've been stretching to about 8 weeks. I think my hair was overprocessed. But I also was one of those girls who was told to wash my hair only once or twice a month. Currently, I cowash my hair about twice a week with lutrasilk cholestoral conditioners, i use the aloe vera one because it's also a detangling formula n that works very well for me. Then I deep condition without heat using either doo-groo megathick extreme repair which is a mild protein(I think it's mild, i just know that it has protein listed in the ingredients), and when I use a reconstructor i use the gvp joico k-pak reconstructor from sally's and then i follow with keracare intensive restorative mask. When I was cowashing almost daily I had a moisture overload, so I find that the joico works well to counteract that. I put doo-gro grease on my scalp (the one with the purple label), I have a very dry spot on the top of my head where my crown is, where the hair never grows longer then about 3-4 inches, so I've pretty much given up on it, but the scalp right there is very dry and it soaks grease up like it isn't anything. I also use keracare's essential oils on my hair and redken's real control daily styling leave in. I'm kind of a product junky, I'm still not sure what really works for my hair but I'm still experimenting with different combinations to see what works best.

 

[stixx]

I used to go every 6 weeks because thats what my hair dresser told me, but now I've been stretching to about 8 weeks. I think my hair was overprocessed. But I also was one of those girls who was told to wash my hair only once or twice a month. Currently, I cowash my hair about twice a week with lutrasilk cholestoral conditioners, i use the aloe vera one because it's also a detangling formula n that works very well for me. Then I deep condition without heat using either doo-groo megathick extreme repair which is a mild protein(I think it's mild, i just know that it has protein listed in the ingredients), and when I use a reconstructor i use the gvp joico k-pak reconstructor from sally's and then i follow with keracare intensive restorative mask. When I was cowashing almost daily I had a moisture overload, so I find that the joico works well to counteract that. I put doo-gro grease on my scalp (the one with the purple label), I have a very dry spot on the top of my head where my crown is, where the hair never grows longer then about 3-4 inches, so I've pretty much given up on it, but the scalp right there is very dry and it soaks grease up like it isn't anything. I also use keracare's essential oils on my hair and redken's real control daily styling leave in. I'm kind of a product junky, I'm still not sure what really works for my hair but I'm still experimenting with different combinations to see what works best.

It sounds like you're already practicing a lot of healthy hair care...even that one "dry" spot will get better over time as new growth comes in to replace the damaged hair.

I second what everyone was saying above, if you're only having trouble once you hit SL it's because of your delicate tresses brushing against your clothes. Buns and braidouts, as well as just hiding your hair altogether under wigs and weaves will help tremendously.

 

[lilsparkle825]

First off, welcome...

What is the purpose of the grease? Your regimen is very protein heavy but it seems like you do that to counteract the moisture overload.

What are you putting on your hair after you cowash and/or DC? How do you style it?

 

[Platinum]

 

[MaryJane3000]

First off, welcome...

What is the purpose of the grease? Your regimen is very protein heavy but it seems like you do that to counteract the moisture overload.

What are you putting on your hair after you cowash and/or DC? How do you style it?

I use the grease because honestly it's the only thing that provides moisture to my scalp that lasts longer then a few hours. Ive tried oil and my scalp barely feels any different, and my problem area at the crown just laughs at it. I just bought a deep conditioner called real control intense renewal and its by redken, and it's protein free so I'm going to start using that. But I always just rollerset my hair. I use mane and tail detangler, and motions setting lotion and the real control leave in after I take the rollers out i just pick em out a lil bit and then I'll wrap it and wear it like that for a few days until I wash it again. I think I may have used direct heat on my hair once this year. I learned a while ago that direct heat like curling irons is the worst thing I can do to my hair. I dont even own a flat iron for that reason.

Is there something else I should be putting on my scalp? I see a lot of posts about people using castor oil but all the ones I see at Sally's are heavy in petroleum and I dont think that's what you ladies are talking about.

 

[MaryJane3000]

I always wear 100% silk scarf (20 x 20 inches) and tie it around my hair at night. I also sleep on a satin pillowcase. You don't want any friction on your hair at night that can break it off.

Thanks, I'll go out tomorrow and get those. Where did you get your silk scarf from?

 

[Nice Lady]

My best advice is as follows:

• Find a deep conditioner (that works well for you) and deep condition regularly with heat if possible.
• You will Need a leave-in conditioner and moisturizer
• Regular Hot Oil Treatments (with natural oils such as.. Coconut, Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Lay off the direct heat (try rollersets, wet sets, braid outs, twist outs)
• Get a good protein conditioner
• Try a hard protein treatment every 6 -8 weeks (such as Aphoghee 2 step or Nexus Emergencee)
• Dust/trim your ends when necessary.
• LISTEN TO YOUR HAIR.. once you really establish a routine, you will know what your hair wants.

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She basically gave it to you in a nutshell. I would add diet and exercise(increase your protein/low-fat intake--beans, walnuts/almonds(10 per day or so), fish, etc.).

 

[dachsies_rule!]

Thanks, I'll go out tomorrow and get those. Where did you get your silk scarf from?

I get them from www.dnystore.com. They have beautiful patterns.

 

[exubah]

Try Jamaican Black Castor Oil (JBCO) which is VERY moisturizing and you can grease the scalp with it....it also contains no petroleum. Check out www.sams247.com

 

[MizzBrown]

The problem is the SCISSORS.

Stop letting your stylist trim your hair.

Getting trims every 6-8 weeks is too much IMO. And i bet that the exact amount of hair that you grow in that 6-8 weeks is the EXACT amt that she trims/cuts off when you go see her.

Which is why many black women get stuck at a certain length. Hair growth can't keep up with the constant scissor action.

Tell her NOT to trim your hair. Get it trimmed every few months or as needed and WATCH her as she trims it to make sure she isnt cutting off your progress.

 

[Duff]

you've gotten a lot of great info. I would stretch your relaxers and lay off heat.

 

[hairdrama:{]

Welcome to the board JusMarieJolie,

I must say your hair story is very similar to mine. Up until 2yrs ago my hair would not grow past SL. I used to get my hair professionally relaxed every 6 weeks; I would then heat-style it at home weekly ‘till the next relaxer. I would never deep condition my hair and never knew about silk wraps to protect it at night.

Long story short, I keep pictures as a visual testimony for whoever tells me “my hair doesn’t grow”, I have girls of whatever hair type 4a, 3b, 3c, 4b, 2b…………you name it, telling me “my hair doesn’t grow”. You will learn valuable information here thank to all the knowledgeable ladies on this board, yet you’ll get frustrated at times, but your hair will grow, best advice I can give you: be patient, stay consistent, sit down and watch. I’ll stick around to check your 1st year progress pictures at full APL .

 

[lilsparkle825]

I use the grease because honestly it's the only thing that provides moisture to my scalp that lasts longer then a few hours. Ive tried oil and my scalp barely feels any different, and my problem area at the crown just laughs at it. I just bought a deep conditioner called real control intense renewal and its by redken, and it's protein free so I'm going to start using that. But I always just rollerset my hair. I use mane and tail detangler, and motions setting lotion and the real control leave in after I take the rollers out i just pick em out a lil bit and then I'll wrap it and wear it like that for a few days until I wash it again. I think I may have used direct heat on my hair once this year. I learned a while ago that direct heat like curling irons is the worst thing I can do to my hair. I dont even own a flat iron for that reason.

Is there something else I should be putting on my scalp? I see a lot of posts about people using castor oil but all the ones I see at Sally's are heavy in petroleum and I dont think that's what you ladies are talking about.

I stopped greasing my scalp once I realized it wasn't really doing anything for me except getting on my hair and weighing it down. I used to have dandruff, but once I started cowashing frequently, it just disappeared. IMO, it is much more important to make sure your ends are moisturized. However, if it is something you want to pursue, I got my castor oil from the pharmacy section at Wal-Mart; I have also seen it at The Vitamin Shoppe, Whole Foods, places like that....and then of course there is JBCO, which is supposed to be better than regular castor oil.