Is a HHJ a never ending one?

[GettingKinky]

Has anyone actually reached their goals and are now just on cruise control?

When I stated my HHJ a little over a year ago I just wanted APL hair. I didn't even think it was possible for me and I thought I would be ecstatic if I ever got it. Now I've reached APL and I'm working on BSL, but I can already tell that won't be enough. I need (yes, need ) MBL or WL. And then I'll need to grow out my bonelaxed ends, and who knows I may even transition to natural. That will take me at least another 2-3 years and maybe 5 or more if I go natural. It just seems like I will always be waiting for the hair I want and never be satisfied.

I need inspiration from ladies who have reached their goal and are just on cruise control. Is there such a thing or is hair a never ending journey?

 

[Whimsy]

Well, even if you stop having length or texture goals, you're going to still have to maintain a healthy hair lifestyle. So, it never ends. Even if we all grew our hair to ankle length, we couldn't just stop treating our hair well, or it'd slowly break all the way back up to the nape!
Be prepared to treat your hair well for the rest of your life

 

[CodeRed]

As long as they keep making new products/product lines, it really does seem never ending :/ For a lot of people, they've found "it" (staples, practices, etc.) then some new product line/hair guru/bandwagon comes along, gets them off track, setbacks and years later they're on a new hair journey. Or they think they're doing something good for their hair (i.e. my hair LOVES direct heat/protein every day! It's so shiny all the time!) and over time, after it's too late, they realized their hair just LOOKED good instead of actually being healthy.

 

[Mande30]

I look at it this way. For me a HHJ is like working out, a lifetime commitment.
Letting up is not an option.

 

[GettingKinky]

Well, even if you stop having length or texture goals, you're going to still have to maintain a healthy hair lifestyle. So, it never ends. Even if we all grew our hair to ankle length, we couldn't just stop treating our hair well, or it'd slowly break all the way back up to the nape!
Be prepared to treat your hair well for the rest of your life

I'm prepared to treat my hair well and maintain it for the rest of my life, but I want to stop wanting more from my hair. I want to be satisfied and stop being obsessed with my hair. This constant goal chasing is driving me crazy.

 

[HoneyA]

I'm prepared to treat my hair well and maintain it for the rest of my life, but I want to stop wanting more from my hair. I want to be satisfied and stop being obsessed with my hair. This constant goal chasing is driving me crazy.

I think I understand what you mean. When I first got here I just wanted BSL hair. BSL came and then I wanted MBL. I got to WL though without really thinking about it. One day I got up and realised I was WL. Once my transition started, however I wanted HL hair.

The thing is that once you take care of your hair, in theory (and in practice) it should grow and retain length so there is no need to obsess about it really. Sometimes you blink and you are past goal and onto some other length. I found that I stopped obsessing when I hit MBL and had other stuff going on in my life to distract me. I still took care of my hair but I was distracted by whatever else was going on.

 

[Mistycat]

I think that's why it's important to keep a simple regimen so you won't feel like you're on a journey or doing too much. Just enjoy your hair at every step.

 

[HoneyA]

Agreed Mistycat it really does help to keep the regimen as simple as possible as trite as that sounds.

 

[JaszG]

I've thought about this before too. I was able to reach my goals, and then I decided to chop it and transition to natural. There are just so many possibilities with our hair. Its such a beautiful thing to see! Now that I'm transitioning my regimen has changed. I've completely cut out heat, and I reached WL with it. Granted my ends weren't as full as I wanted, so I cut it from WL several times before I decided to transition. Its an on going process. I don't think I'll ever be done with my HHJ.

 

[Seamonster]

Hair is really strange; it is a part of fashion, like make-up, nail polish, and clothing. Then it is a part of the body that changes as we age. So even if one isn't on a growth journey, they might be on a health journey, or need to update their hair style because of baby, wedding, age, etc.

Although I am in growth challenges, I make it fun by picking out hairstyles I want to wear at every length. Right now I am growing out my bangs so I can wear my long awaited perfect curly A-line bob. As I age, just having thick healthy hair requires a concerted effort.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

I stopped joining length challenges because I felt like I was stressing out about it too much. I'm still working on growing my hair longer, but I try to focus more on maintaining my regimen and protecting my ends and not constantly checking for growth. My regimen is pretty simple so I don't have to think about my hair too much.

 

[Channy31]

I consider it a long term / never ending thing, although a very dynmaic journey which always changes.

The starting state, goal state and ways to reach the goal state are always changing, so you could say a hair journey is made up of multiple sub goal hair journeys.

Random example:
18-20: Grow relaxed APL hair
20-25: tranisiton
25-30: Enjoy natural hair
30-35: Mantain waist length hair


Although, it is long term it will constantly change

 

[Angel of the North]

I look at it this way. For me a HHJ is like working out, a lifetime commitment.
Letting up is not an option.

^^^ All of the above

I think that's why it's important to keep a simple regimen so you won't feel like you're on a journey or doing too much. Just enjoy your hair at every step.

I totally agree. I want to simplify my regimen and cut down wash day time somewhere between running down my product stash and before getting to MBL, I want to maintain healthy hair practices, but I don't want my wash day to feel like a chore or something that takes up too much of my time.

I'm sure the longer my hair gets the more care I will need to take with it and the longer it will take me to take care of it. I want to prepare myself before I get there.

 

[Ogoma]

I understand where you are coming from. I haven't reached the point where I want to stop growing, but I am at a length where I can quickly hide a bad hair day so I am now on cruise control. I find I no longer have the desire to try a lot of products or the interest to do the most. My regimen is simple and fits seamlessly into my life. It is my new normal.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

I understand where you are coming from. I haven't reached the point where I want to stop growing, but I am at a length where I can quickly hide a bad hair day so I am now on cruise control. I find I no longer have the desire to try a lot of products or the interest to do the most. My regimen is simple and fits seamlessly into my life. It is my new normal.

This is me, as well. Still on a journey to longer lengths. But it's much simpler/easier now...

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

I reached my goal...I went on cruise control....now I'm still detangling a matted mess from last weeks wash day. SMH I'm a prime example that there is no such thing as cruise control if you want to keep and maintain your length. LOL

 

[greenandchic]

For me, a HHJ is like a weight loss journey - you don't go back to eating crap and stop exercising once you reach your goal weight. You'll just go back to were you started from. Diet is and exercise (to me) is a lifestyle, not a temporary fix. The same is true with my HHJ. If I got back to unhealthy hair care practices, my hair will go back to where it was when I started.

 

[GettingKinky]

I reached my goal...I went on cruise control....now I'm still detangling a matted mess from last weeks wash day. SMH I'm a prime example that there is no such thing as cruise control if you want to keep and maintain your length. LOL

pre_medicalrulz what happened to get your hair so tangled?

 

[GettingKinky]

For me, a HHJ is like a weight loss journey - you don't go back to eating crap and stop exercising once you reach your goal weight. You'll just go back to were you started from. Diet is and exercise (to me) is a lifestyle, not a temporary fix. The same is true with my HHJ. If I got back to unhealthy hair care practices, my hair will go back to where it was when I started.

greenandchic I get what your saying, but to keep with your analogy I feel like I keep changing my goal weight. I don't want to go back to eating like crap, but I want to get to a place where I can just maintain vs always trying to lose weight.

 

[greenandchic]

greenandchic I get what your saying, but to keep with your analogy I feel like I keep changing my goal weight. I don't want to go back to eating like crap, but I want to get to a place where I can just maintain vs always trying to lose weight.

I get what you're saying too but for me, because I gain weight so easily, being 100% conscious is something I have to do. I hope I will be able to relax with my hair more. LOL

 

[AlliCat]

IMO a Hair growth journey has an end (when you reach your goal obviously). As for a healthy hair journey.. that never ends.. even when you reach your length goal, to keep the hair in the same state requires at least the bare minimum maintenance (conditioning, using leave ins, heat protectant etc).

Think of it like losing weight, once you hit your weight goal you have to keep it up otherwise you'll gain the weight back if you go back to the old habits.

 

[pre_medicalrulz]

pre_medicalrulz what happened to get your hair so tangled?

I went 4 weeks w/o washing my hair from being on 'cruise control'
Lol
BTW Its still matted. I stopped trying until I have energy. Dont know when that'll be.

 

[koolkittychick]

I'm prepared to treat my hair well and maintain it for the rest of my life, but I want to stop wanting more from my hair. I want to be satisfied and stop being obsessed with my hair. This constant goal chasing is driving me crazy.

I totally get what you mean there. I originally thought that BSL would be my goal, but the closer I get to it, and the more I immerse myself into my journey, the more I realize that I want longer lengths than brastrap.

In January I decided I was going for WL; now I want to go for (W)Hip length, because I am currently obsessed with being able to do intricate braided bun styles, and you need a lot of hair for that. Hopefully that will be my limit, as the thought of dealing with that much hair, even relaxed, frightens me (just a little!).

I think that you just need to examine your hair goals versus your life goals/responsibilities, and make a decision based on the two. If I had kids or an extremely time-consuming career, for example, that would play a major role in how long I let my hair grow. And don't forget to enjoy your hair along the way; a HHJ is much less of a drag if you take the time to play with the fruits of your labor every now and then.

Good luck on your journey, and don't forget to stop and stroke your tresses as you smell the flowers.

 

[Jewell]

I definitely feel like it is. I mean, once you learn good and healthy hair habits, it's like you cant go back to the ignorance of not knowing before. And all the ladies (and men) on other sites I see with classic, mid-thigh, fingertip length, and knee length hair or even longer all attest to the fact that hair growing, healthy hair that is--is a LIFELONG journey that only ceases when you stop wanting long, healthy hair or cut it. And even without the length, who DOESNT want healthy hair, no matter how short or long it is? This is why the hair care industry rakes in BILLIONS each yr. If ppl didnt care, or settled for raggedy, unhealthy hair, they would be put out of business!

Personally, I've been going nearly 15 yrs with hh practices, and Im prepared for it to be a lifelong journey. Hair is my hobby, and to me, the journey is fun.

 

[Ogoma]

I reached my goal...I went on cruise control....now I'm still detangling a matted mess from last weeks wash day. SMH I'm a prime example that there is no such thing as cruise control if you want to keep and maintain your length. LOL

So far my hair is good on cruise control. Maybe you need to redefine your cruise control.