Help...I have no idea what to do next...

[BklynFox]

to retain length.
I did a BC three years ago from unhealthy relaxed SL to completely bald. My hair was growing fast and thick, I was loving it. I feel like the less hair I had the more I took care of it. I co-washed every other day and took vitamins but because I didn't know what to do next I just stopped doing anything.erplexed I used to think I was just lazy but I know now I just don't know how to grow healthy long hair.
Well now I'm ready to try again but again I have no idea where to start. I used to have long thick hair as a child through my teen years but now I just can't figure out what to do to get back to that.
I'm going to cut it down tonight and braid it up for a u part wig I plan on wearing, but what do I do after that?
I'll be grateful for any advice you all can give on effective vitamins, oils,growth aids, bagging, steaming or anything that has worked for you.

 

[NikkiQ]

What is your current regimen? Maybe the ladies can offer you advice based upon what you are currently doing.

 

[Blairx0]

Moving to a protective artless is a great idea. Make sure you take care of your hair underneath by moisturizing!

 

[NappyNelle]

You start by creating a regimen; if you are going the weave route, check out the Hide Your Hair challenge and all of the weave threads. There is also a long thread on the 'Deep Moisture Method' that can help you with ways to maintain your hair under the weave or wig.

What are you currently doing with your hair? What products do you have and use?

 

[BklynFox]

I don't have a solid regimen. I co wash and seal but not nearly as often as I should.
I am not taking any supplements yet I'm in the process of deciding which products to go with.
I read somewhere many people were using megatek or mtg for growth...I didn't want to jump on that bandwagon and accumulate more unused products. I have tons of unused products, you name it i probably have it. I'm just confused on how to use everything together. Has anyone used collagen for pills for hair growth?
@ Nappynelle Thank you I completely forgot about reading through the challenge threads.
I'm going to be doing ALOT of reading this weekend.lol

 

[NikkiQ]

I don't recommend jumping on any bandwagons or adding products just yet lol. How often do you shampoo,DC,protein treat (if needed),trim/dust, etc?

Sent from my Android...Boom.

 

[Lynnerie]

The best thing to do is to keep it simple.

When I think back to when I was a little girl the girls with the longest hair were the ones that got it washed, braided, and then left alone. They may have not always had the best styles but they had hair.

So now that we're all grown I think we have to go back to what we used to do.

1. Everytime you wash your hair you should deep condition it. (This is something I slacked on when I was natural cause I thought co-washing was good enough) I do a protein treatment after I texlax.

2. If you have any split or breaking ends give yourself a trim- You can't retain if your hair is constantly breaking off.

3. Moisturize and seal everyday- If you have dense hair make sure you get in the hard to reach areas.

4. Leave your hair alone- This is the hardest part for me but low manipulation and protective styling do help.

5. Use a growth aid- I use Njoy's sulfur mix and it works wonders. I dont put anything on my scalp except for this mix and I do it every other day.

6. Vitamins- Most of us don't get all our nutrients from our food so take a multivitamin or hair vitamin. I just started on Viviscal but there are some other good ones our there also.

Be patient because hair grows on average 1/2 inch per month and some of us don't get that. Taking pics will help you see your progress. Be consistent.

 

[SimJam]

You seem to be in a similar boat as I WAS.

had thick "long" (APL relaxed) (BSL natural) as a child to late 20s.
BCd down to abt 0.5inch almost 3 years ago (nov 18 will make 3 years) hair grew like weeds the first year (flew to ful SL in no time flat) then got hair happy, coloured and started trying all sorts of DIY spritzes and this n that ...

STAYED at SL for all of my 2nd year when my hair broke off (i keep telling myself it was the colour, really if it was the colour then only the sections that I got coloured wud have broken off, not my whole head lol)

so what was the game changer?
I simplified my reggie and products!!!

I started in January 2012 but only got my simplified product list down pat in April.
I chose the necessities that my hair responds well to:

Moisturizing DC
moisturizing Leave in
Moisturizing refresher
protein Leave in
Protein DC
cleanser

and stuck to
1. cleansing my hair once a week, this could mean rinsing scalp and twists or cleansing and detangling)
2. moisturizing DC every week
3. Protein DC at least every 2 weeks (light)
4. using a moisturizing leave in at least 4 times a week
5. protect my ends (keep them strong and moisturized)
6. eat healthily or take supplements



Ive retained most of what Ive grown since April of this year

 

[BronzyBella]

I feel where you're coming from. I protective style a lot (twists, braids, yarn braids, etc) because I want to stay low-maintenance and not fuss over my hair or stress about retaining length.

My hair is relatively healthy right now. I make sure to wash my hair while in extensions often and use a leave-in afterwards (eg. Giovanni Smooth and Silk or Oyin Handmade Honey Hemp). I also redo the hairline of my braids often to prevent excess build-up or thinning.

I think protective styling like you're doing is a way of retaining length without too much hassle.

I don't over-think my regimen nowadays. I just make sure my hair is always clean and moisturized. I spritz daily w/ a water and conditioner mix or Oyin's Frank Juice.

I'll rock my hair in it's loose state for a couple of weeks at a time and always experience retained growth after a period of protective styling. Maybe when my hair gets a little longer, I'll do braid-outs or twist-outs that I maintain during the work week.

 

[BklynFox]

@ NikkiQ
I've been slipping but my goal is to DC after each wash, shampoo once a week.
How often are you supposed to trim? Also I remember using porosity, do I really need that?
My exposed hair is relaxed all the rest is natural if that matters.

Lynnerie
1.Everytime you wash your hair you should deep condition it. (This is something I slacked on when I was natural cause I thought co-washing was good enough)
Me Too for the same reason. erplexed
There was a member who developed a growth oil that everyone was raving about, do you remember who that was?

SimJam
Thats exactly what happened to me..lol @ got hair happy. I was trying everything from caramel treatments, mayo based mixes, homemade flaxseed gel to criso to seal. Some things worked and some where just more trouble than they were worth.

I think this time I'm going to keep it simple.I'll be digging through all the threads this weekend.
Thank you everybody for your suggestions.

 

[deedoswell]

Great advice from these ladies. Everything I know about how to care for my hair I've learned from LHCF. I just want to add protective styling is what helps me the most and looks like that's what you are planning on starting with. Keep it simple and you will find what works for you.

 

[NikkiQ]

@ NikkiQ
I've been slipping but my goal is to DC after each wash, shampoo once a week.
How often are you supposed to trim? Also I remember using porosity, do I really need that?
My exposed hair is relaxed all the rest is natural if that matters.

A lot of ladies trim maybe twice a year. Once every 6 months just to do maintenance on your ends. Or you can do a light dusting whenever you feel your ends need it. The second you spy any breakage or splits, dust!

How often were you using Roux Porosity? You might want to check out the low and high porosity support threads if you're having a problem with porosity.

So far we know you cowash and you want to shampoo and DC once a week. Now we're getting somewhere! lol How often are you cowashing?

 

[Lynnerie]

There was 1 member that made a sulfur oil and was selling it but that is no more.

Njoy was kind enough to share her mix and she grew her relaxed hair super long. She was past waist I believe and now she's natural.

http://mydivaspot.com/content.php?166-NJoy%92s-Sulfur-Mix-for-Hair-Growth

 

[BklynFox]

Lol..I'm co-washing 3x a week minimum could easily be 5x
That looks like a good mix of oils. Here I go again... but this time I only have to buy two of things on that list.