Hip–Tailbone Length (HL–TBL) 2015-2016 Challenge!

[Lucia]

LOL - I think he's ok no limping of the wrist. He is just meticulous about his appearance.
But I am with you - not sure if I would want a man who "primps" (ol' school word) more than I.

I am hanging in here thank you for your thoughtfulness by asking @Lucia. I'm trying to get this hair game on steroids for a September goal - and I'm taking everything but the kitchen sink. That's why I popped in this thread (uninvited and certainly don't belong with my somewhere between SL and APL hair) to see if I could pick up some tips. I'm trying to decide between a sew-in or braids for next week. What do you think?

@ilong

Sewin weaves
Sew ins are good for hiding hair and keeping it out of reach
Cons you can't possibly moisturize enough while its up in the sew in also the matting tangles thinner and dryer hair overall if you wear them too much back to back also theirs the stress on the hair follicles or hairline due to the weight of the weave and thread.
In the other hand with ones real hair this doesn't happen.

Wigs
I suggest a wig that looks like your hair or something you like that way you can hide your hair safely. Everyday when you get home you can see and feel the condition of your hair and wash co wash condition DC more often to avoid dryness. Look up Ulovemegz and blackgirlwithrealhair on YouTube they use wigs to hide their hair safely.

Braids
If their not too small or kept in too long can be ok to hide hair
Cons same as with sew in weaves but the big thing is severe dryness with braids because people almost always use fake hair the fake hair braided into your hair soaks up all the moisturizers and oils you put in and hardly anything gets in your real hair. Results dry breaking off hair. Which is why I don't recommend it for long term even if you take down DC and re braid monthly.
Hers the bottom line even though it's appears that with weaves and braids people see more progress they don't often retain that progress sometime people take their hair down and half of it falls out due to dryness and epic matting.

I've been there so I personally know how hard it is to keep hair health under sew in and braids.
Go to my fotki page for some ideas.
If the journal ever gets back up and running I have lots of info here too.
HTH

 

[Lucia]

@ilong Awwww thank you!!!!

Oh and it seems like my entire house is hair conscious now. I keep one set of products in every bathroom to keep them rascals out of my stuff. Sad part is they have portion control issues. Like why you ain't got but a pinch of hair and you use an entire bottle of conditioner after 2 uses??!!! Lawd Jesus help me with these chirrin! lol

@lulu97

You know it's your fault, right!

 

[ilong]

@Lucia all of the pros and cons you described are the reasons I've put off either PS (sew-in/braids0 I've been in wigs for a couple of years now and although my hair is healthier and longer than it was I'm looking for a change. I never wear straight hair weaves or wigs - I do the curly hair. And I am good at dunkin' the head in water every morning and slapping conditioner on it (weaves and wigs). Makes a big difference. Believe it or not I get compliments on Sally (my wig) daily and it is a BSS 24.99 special. I've had her 5 months now and she'sstill looking good. I shampoo and condition her every week and dab some grapeseed oil on her. She loves grapeseed oil. .
I think I will try the sew in and make sure I maintain her well. As you stated braids suck the moisture, conditioner, oil and everything right out of your natural hair so I don't think I will rock those.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

I said bye bye to my honey blonde highlights and natural dusty dark brown color. I'm a jet black chick now.

Eta: these super huge pics getting on my nerves but not enough to care about resizing and making them smaller lol

 

[BostonMaria]

Just stopping by to say hello to everyone!

 

[SmilingElephant]

Hey ppls!

I've been super busy, in fact I'm busy right now. I have my own handmade jewelry line that I'm working on. I've also had bad fibromyalgia flare ups lately so it's been really tough to the point that now I've decided to work for myself (godspeed). Just thought I'd peep in

I haven't been doing too much to my hair, just the usual co wash, oil, leave in and gel...DC weekly. And putting my hair in a bun or curly pony tail.

I feel like it's gotten even longer bc I feel a weight difference. I'm tempted to straighten it, but this Florida weather has been so stupid...so never mind lol

 

[Lucia]

@lulu97
gorgeous curls color looks good

@SmilingElephant Hey
glad to see you are back. Congrats on the jewelry
have you checked out articles and youtube testimonies on treating fibromyalgia naturally with foods? Take some time and look it up I saw some people reverse many ailments with changes in diet. HTH

 

[SmilingElephant]

@lulu97
gorgeous curls color looks good

@SmilingElephant Hey
glad to see you are back. Congrats on the jewelry
have you checked out articles and youtube testimonies on treating fibromyalgia naturally with foods? Take some time and look it up I saw some people reverse many ailments with changes in diet. HTH

Yeah, I've actually discovered that if I have too much sugar (like sugar in my coffee, cookies, a cupcake....I want a cupcake )...or too much caffeine, it triggers the pain.

I recently just had to quit my job bc it was way too stressful and was triggering symptoms in both my fibromyalgia and mental health issues. However I just got a new pt job today I'm also going to try and incorporate at magnesium malate supplement in my diet. I have magnesium oil spray that I spray on my feet and it takes the edge off the pain.

But taking care of my hair has, and always has, been very therapeutic for me, I think that's what keeps it healthy is that I LOVE to care for it and stuff.

 

[SmilingElephant]

I don't understand why it's nearly impossible to post pics from my phone. I miss the app, seriously.

Anyway....I straightened my hair for my 6 months trim. And, my hair is so disappointing. I trimmed and it's mostly at MBL now. I peeved at myself.

My ends were HORRIBLE!!!

I think it's due to me using a paddle brush for detangling and wear a curly ponytail ALL the time instead of in a nice and secure bun.

Idk if I'll even reach my goal this year anymore. It's like 6 months went by and nothing happened!! The only change I saw was that my nape met up with my crown...which means my crown must have really broken off

Oh well, such is life.

Back to the old drawing board.

 

[SmilingElephant]

Figured it out

 

[YaniraNaturally]

Anyway....I straightened my hair for my 6 months trim. And, my hair is so disappointing. I trimmed and it's mostly at MBL now. I peeved at myself.

My ends were HORRIBLE!!!

I think it's due to me using a paddle brush for detangling and wear a curly ponytail ALL the time instead of in a nice and secure bun.

Idk if I'll even reach my goal this year anymore. It's like 6 months went by and nothing happened!! The only change I saw was that my nape met up with my crown...which means my crown must have really broken off

Well at least you know what the problem is and how to fix it!

 

[SmilingElephant]

So today's hairstyle... I'm so surprised I'm still able to do a french braid! I haven't done one in years!

 

[Aireen]

Hey ladies! Time for a major update! You don't need to provide pictures if you don't have any but let us all know how your hair is doing, how's the journey to HL/TBL so far, highs, lows, etc.

@Beachy @BeautifulFlower @bebezazueta @cocosweet @curlycrocheter @davisbr88 @Dee Raven @DoDo @Duchess007 @girlonfire @IllustriousOne @ILuvCurls @KinksAndInk @LaFemmeNaturelle @LaVgirl @Lucia @lulu97 @ManeStreet @marta9227 @mayoo @melahnee @MileHighDiva @MsKinkycurl @mssoconfused @Napp @Naturelie @pre_medicalrulz @prettydarkthing @SmilingElephant @YaniraNaturally

 

[davisbr88]

My update:

I just realized that my line is all crooked... oops.
Anywho, this was taken about a week ago and I have about 1.5" from WL. I was hoping to only be about 1" away from WL at this point, but I will take it. I think I will still meet my w'hip length goal for the end of the year.

 

[Aireen]

UPDATE: Hey y'all. I can say with confidence that I FINALLY got over the MBL hump. Ugh, MBL and SL – I would say – are the hardest humps to get over in terms of hair growth milestones. I thought WL would feel long but it doesn't, it feels like medium length hair that is on its way to being long, if that makes any sense.

I've been taking Viviscal and New Nordic Hair Volume along with a multi-vitamin and biotin – I suspect this cocktail has been helping my hair growth. Now I'm not 100% sure but I've been trimming every 3 weeks and it always leaves me at MBL then suddenly, I'm back at WL again. Maybe the vitamin cocktail is providing me with adequate nutrition? I don't know but it seems to be working.

As I've said, I've been trimming more often so my ends are better, but I'm still not 100% satisfied. I'm going to stop for now for several reasons – first being to see better results with the vitamins I mentioned; second, I'm getting very anxious to just progress to my end goal, trimming is going to stall that a bit; third, I'm starting to feel like I'm not getting the desired shape I want for my ends due to experimenting too much with different DIY dusting methods. My solution will be to just leave my hair alone for a bit and if I really need to, I'll have my mother dust the very ends; she can also talk me out of being scissor happy. At HL or TBL, I'm thinking of going to a hairdresser at the mall near me to get a proper cut (along with a wash and style) for $60 – this is just an idea... not sure about it yet.

Lastly, I think I've found the best conditioner I've ever tried to date, Dove Advanced Hair Series Pure Care Dry Oil Conditioner. It's protein free, has coconut oil as the 3rd ingredient, makes my hair smell great, makes my blow-dried style last long, gives me sleek results, is super creamy and easy to apply, makes my hair go from dry and desert feeling to supple and soft – I could go on but basically I love it right now more than any other product.

No pics. I think I lost interest in taking pics of my hair lol. It's such a hassle to get a good shot. I'll definitely post them for the end of the year update though.

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

Nothing new here. Still braided up and hiding under a wig. Will be doing this the rest of the year. Sigh

@Aireen I hope you change your mind about posting pics. We miss seeing your shiny locks!

 

[Aireen]

I'm awake super early so I thought I'd steam my hair using my favourite mask, haven't done it in a while and my hair is breaking off a bit ever since my last relaxer so hopefully this helps. Excited for how my hair will feel when I'm done.

 

[Beachy]

Mid Year Update:
Still doing my weekly DC sessions with heat and wash and go buns which are my staple. I have recently learned a valuable lesson...and that is to stick with my beloved KCCC and Ecostyler (no matter what Sally's has on sale!!!!

I did do my first blow dry of the year a couple of weeks ago so I could do a cornrow updo. It was cute but did not break the monotony for me like it usually does. I have been having a lot of days where I really regret not enjoy my hair more when it was shorter and actually feeling limited because of the length of my hair. I have wanted to cut and color my hair for over a year now, drastic like shaving off both side and dying it green!

This color!!!

This shape but keeping more length

Unfortunately because I am not independently wealthy and would be immediately escorted from my office on Monday morning....I will just have to keep daydreaming (and playing lotto lol) So for now I just keep letting it grow. Some days it feels longer and heavier some days not so much. I would like to straighten it but with the virtual monsoon we have been having on the east coast it would be colossal waste of time. So the bun life it is.

Sorry no pics ....just have not been that interested in pics of my hair lately.

ETA: I guess the hair color and style pic didn't upload from the mobile app....I will try to upload them when I get to my computer.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

My update:

I deep condition twice a week. (Only wash with shampoo once a week though) Put my hair in 2 big braids for a day or 2, wear a fluffy braidout one day, then a mega bun the next. Wash, rinse, repeat. Hair pics can be seen somewhere upthread.

I saw family that I havent seen in a long time over these last few weeks. My hair has been a major topic in a good way. I've been asked if my hair was real, what do I use in it, how do I get it curly, how did I get it to grow so long and it's straight up been groped and molested. lol I've popped and swatted a few hands along the way. Only person with a weird response was an older in-law who told me my hair was too wide and proceeded to try and flatten it She was one of the victims to get popped. lol


I'm really loving my hair Ladies.

 

[Lisa]

This happened today.

I went to the beauty supply store mainly for the soap bc my skin has been breaking out in stress/PMS pimples.

But I went to Whole Foods and got the Beautiful Curls leave in conditioner and the curl refresher spray. I used the spray on my hair before pineappling for bed tonite using one of the plastic coil scrunched which I'm SO happy I bought!! No more punching scalp squeezing headbands to pineapple at nite! Lol

The products smell really good and fruit juicy

View attachment 296757

I also am awaiting an order from Au Rebelle Naturals...aka Anu Naturals and I guess they were, at one point called Freedom Naturals.

Okay...I am officially on a no buy now lol!! I just needed to restock my leave-in stash.

@SmilingElephant how did you like the Anu Naturals? Do you have a review?

 

[Ms. Tiki]

I'm still hanging in there. I finally stopped chopping of my progress. My last trim I cut about an inch off at the longest point. I've given up on fighting my "V". I won't worry about a blunt cut until I hit Classic Length. In my latest length check pic, the top of my shorts is at the top of my crack/TBL. I think I'm about 1.5" away.

My rolls messing up the visual of where my waist and hips are located. lol I think I should be at TBL by Dec and full TBL by April. @divachyk swears I'm a fast grower but I'm not sure about that one. lol

I've scaled back a ton on my regimen b/c my health just won't allow it. My joints hurt too much for me to spend the time that I used to caring for my hair.

 

[divachyk]

Don't be trying to put my name up in this @Ms. Tiki!

 

[Ms. Tiki]

Don't be trying to put my name up in this @Ms. Tiki!

@divachyk Yes ma'am! I absolutely am. hehe

 

[Dee Raven]

My update is that I'm doing pretty good. I haven't cut my hair since February and now I'm in the Don't Cut It Challenge and it is working out GREAT! I really can't believe how well things are going. Thanks @Lucia . My hair is longer than it's ever been, which is about an inch beneath TBL in my longest layer. The top layer is primarily grazing HL, though I noticed a section that is still just below HL. But I'll take it. What's really great is that I'm loving wearing my hair in wngs and it's pretty exciting to see that get longer. Also, I cut back on my deep conditioning (I still do it every week, but only for about five minutes and shockingly, I think that it has been really beneficial for my hair; I don't think it need all that extended conditioning. And I actually see way less breakage than before).

Lastly, I'm working on using up my products. I'm almost through with a shampoo and just finished a leave in conditioner. I've started buying my products at Ulta, and I love that they have a lot of trial sizes. Currently, I'm trying to find a good moisturizing conditioner. I really like that I don't have to cough up 20 - 40 bucks for a product that doesn't work. And I also took 2 products back for the first time last week and there was no hassle getting my refund. I love it.

 

[faithVA]

So today's hairstyle... I'm so surprised I'm still able to do a french braid! I haven't done one in years!

It's very pretty. You did a great job.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

Realized today that I hit a milestone. My hair in it's curly state is BSL. I have officially reached all my original length goals. (BSL curly, hip straight) Guess it's time to make some new ones.

 

[Aireen]

Every time I use an ApHogee product to strengthen my hair, it ends up looking great but feeling sooooo tangly and dried out.

 

[leleepop]

Im in, my reggie's in signature. I wont use heat until fall so I really don't know how long my hair is, but it usually falls to bastrap easily so I know its at least there. I have a 19 month daughter so my post partum shedding has finally pasted, no heat saved me on that. My goal is for it to hang long in a twist and curl or my signature style curly fro. I'm loving my hair now. hhg

 

[Lucia]

I deecided to stop using gel for a while at least not for everyday. See if I can boost growth retention

So here it is my new
All Butta Regimen


Before I started this I clarified my hair and removed any silicones or gels thoroughly I used diluted clarifying shampoo 1 cap to 20oz of water my hair still hated it and I did get some tangleS. De tangling time doubled to 20m ugh!!!


Deep condition weekly or bi weekly
Co wash 1/ week water wash or rinse inbetween if needed
I like daily rinses when warm out I don't co wash daily.

I condition and de tangle usually 10-15m max then rinse squeeze excess water out with my hands no towels no t shirts.

Mist with aloe Vera then
Camille Rose Naturals. CRN leave in hair milk, some my homemade ayurvedic all purpose oil on length and ends a little goes a long way, and then CRN moisture butter or if I will braid or twist twisting butter
Paste or pomade for edges. Air dry for 10m then I wrap my hair with an old soft tee shirt for 10m then let air dry again.

I'm looking into micro fiber towels still. Some products are marketed as micro fiber but there just regular terry cloth towels.

This routine works wether I'm doing a wash n go braid/twist out or ponytail whatever style.

 

[Aireen]

This summer I'm noticing my hair is splitting and is so dry and breaking off like crazy. I know my hair and summer don't exactly get along but I hope this doesn't hinder my progress. So tempted to go to the mall at least before Halloween and get a really good trim but I feel like they'll just chop my hair off.