Will we ever enjoy our hair???????????????????????

[Junebug D]

Re: Will we ever enjoy our hair???????????????????

I enjoy mine! Maybe for me it's just because I used to hate my hair so much before I went natural. It was no fun at all, it constantly looked bad, and I thought it was totally unmanageable. Now that I've fallen in love with my hair, and looked at so many people's photo albums, I love to try the various styles and invent my own. I want it to grow (sometimes!

) and stay healthy, but I'm more concerned with not letting my hair stress me out anymore. So I don't get caught up in too many regimens and such. I just take as good care of it as I can while remembering that it's just hair. I'm not going to bend over backwards for hair, lol. Not anymore.

 

[Dutchess]

Re: Will we ever enjoy our hair???????????????????

Anything that you want to grow has to be cared for and nurtured. Some people may not need as much nurturing and others, however, you have to be flexible enough to go through trial and error. You will find that some things suggested here work and some may not. They don't all have to be expensive products to work effectively. I enjoy my hair and everything that goes with keeping it healthy, ie, washing my hair 2-3 times a week, self-retouches, doing deep conditionings, using moisturizing and everything. This is one way that I pamper myself - self maintenance. Don't think of properly taking care of your hair as a burden or chore, think of it the way you would when you get a manicure, pedicure, facial, massage and things like that. Have fun with it.

 

[BronzeBrown]

Re: Will we ever enjoy our hair???????????????????

I completely know what you're saying, Honeydrop. I think that's one of the main benefits I've experienced by just letting my hair grow out w/out chemicals. My focus is on using the best smelling, yet effective, products, keeping everything simple and just enjoying the soft, easy-to-style hair that results. I've really begun to love my hair in the past couple of years, and although I have length goals, I'm very much enjoying the process of attaining them.

 

[honeycomb719]

I feel ya honeydrop

 

[Tru_Mind]

Honeydrop, I'm just starting to enjoy my hair! Now, I love the way it looks and feels, but I'm still not completely finished with the growing-in process. However, I believe that I will be soon. I believe that you just have to learn ***YOUR*** hair whether it's natural or straightened. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jainygirl]

Thanks for bumping this post Honeycomb. This is exactly how I feel today /images/graemlins/frown.gif I'm to the point where i'm thinking, when does it end?? And this is from a person whose regimen overall is really simple -- I shampoo and blowdry ever 2 weeks and wear my hair in a bun or ponytail daily. I just hate obsessing over my hair and constantly doing things to prevent breakage (protective styling, no little heat, etc.)

My ENTIRE routine revolves around preventing breakage and none of it is geared towards me actually looking good. I dont get nearly as much enjoyment out of my hair as i should. I almost never wear my hair down in public (i'm talking MAYBE once every 6 months y'all) and barely ever when i'm at home. I'm so tired of the monotony right now. I know i'll feel different in a few days but right now i'd be lying if i said otherwise. Other than that i love my hair...i just wish i could enjoy it more without worrying about a possible snag or potential split end. -- jainygirl

 

[Honey Vibe]

I understand how you feel, Honeydrop. We should rejoice over our hair more.

Interesting posts...

 

[Poohbear]

when u do so much to your hair, of course you will feel like you are doing too much work or eventually feel discouraged. I think the key to enjoying hair is to leave it alone...what I mean by this is to not worry about doing lot of things (like taking certain vitamins, eating certain foods, using certain products, etc.) to your hair just to make it grow. I had this problem when I first joined this forum. I thought using more products and doing more to your hair will help it grow. But what may work for one may not work for another. When you do have to fool with your hair, have fun with it. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Jenai]

I completely understand you Honeydrop. We should just learn to enjoy our hair at times.

 

[sheba2000]

I really really feel you on this honey drop /images/graemlins/cry3.gif. And I can relate to what jainy girl said too. I've had problems with breakage since the day before forever and I always leave my hair in a bun or braided so it can get longer. I've been coming to this site for a year (around the time I got my highlights, I went searching cuz I was worried about more breakage) and I can probably count on one hand the amount of people who even KNOW I have highlights, and they look so pretty when my hair is down! My own brother was shocked when he saw my color a few weeks ago when I got a touch up. I'm really sick and tired of having to be so careful all the time. I'd love to get some kemi oyl and flat iron my hair smooth like I used to, but I'm so scared of heat that I just leave my hair be. Truthfully though, I feel like if I put in the work now, just let it grow and work on the health, in a few months I can enjoy it more when the fruits of my labor start to show...so I'm not giving up yet and you shouldn't either!!! /images/graemlins/up.gif

sheba

 

[Ayeshia]

im enjoying mines right now because its braided up. /images/graemlins/smile.gif naw but seriously since I went natural, my hair doesnt take up as much time as it used to when I was releaxed. My styling time now is like 2-3 minutes every day.

 

[Ipanema]

Well, it looks like I was enjoying my hair last year, but this year it's just some junk growing out of my head that I have to deal with. A lot of times, I just want to wear it out without worrying about whether it's going to dry out or break off. Or worrying about the right products to put on it, and if it's moisturizing enough or if it's too much protein. I'm contemplating just dying it black & keeping it short.

 

[AudraChanell]

I guess this question is for those who do a lot of protective styling or air dry?? I always wear my hair out and the way I want it 90% of the time /images/graemlins/smile.gif Luckily for me I JUST LOVE roller wraps and I dont really care for flat ironed or hot curled styles. I am a firm beleiver in whatever you do to get there you will have to continue to stay there. So doing ME 70-90% of the time is the only way I intend to get where I want to be in this journey /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Jenai]

I just hate wearing it up ALL THE TIME. I cannot enjoy having it out because I worry about the ends too much. Plus, when I do decide to wear it down, it always catches on my shirt and breaks off or gets comepletely pulled out by the roots -does anyone else's hair do this?

 

[belleza]

Thanks to this forum, I finally do enjoy my hair. I feel like a queen when I'm annointing my hair with creamy butters, and giving myself hot oil treatments. It is really pleasurable.

I have finally come to peace with my hair which has been a struggle.

Now I understand that what I am now doing, is what I should have been doing all along. In my personal research I've learned that the ancestors of the slaves in their native Africa would do similar things. The cultivation and care of hair was part of their culture. This is a journey of self discovery, and I'm having so much fun.

 

[Jenai]

Thanks for that post Belleza. So we are contiuing with ancient traditions, huh? /images/graemlins/king.gif

 

[Carlie]

Whether I wear my hair up or down, I am still enjoying my hair. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[model_chick717]

I enjoy my hair all the time! I'm not quite as "extreme" as some people here on LCHF--but to each is own (not knocking anyone else). /images/graemlins/wink.gif I make sure to keep in the back of my mind that it is just hair--and thus shouldn't be causing any major stress OR work in my everyday life...haha

 

[KinksnCurlz]

i enjoy my hair every single day... well, except today b/c i got caught in the rain rocking a braid out /images/graemlins/shocked.gif LOLOL
other than that, i am one of the many who have a very simple regimen, no vits (except multivitamin) and yes, i do wear my hair up in a bun about 90% of the time. Y? b/c my hair has never prospered as much as it has this past year and as long as it continues to thrive, i will continue rocking my protective style /images/graemlins/up.gif

 

[sengschick]

I enjoy the whole ritual of hair, from shampooing to styling. I think my up-do's are cute and my buns are ornate, so they aren't a negative for me and never make me feel old maid-ish. I love experimenting w/the pin curls, twist-outs, braid-outs, wash n' go's, etc. If they don't workout it's fine, it's all temporary /images/graemlins/wink.gif. When it comes to wearing my hair down... I'm not ready b/c I have hair esteem issues. /images/graemlins/rofl.gif I have a vision of how I want my hair to look when it's down (in terms of length) and I'm certainly not there yet /images/graemlins/nono.gif, so I'm hiding more so than I'm being contained or restrained from what I really want to do.

 

[skegeesmb]

I enjoy my hair a lot. I just don't like my hair brushing up against my sweaters all the time. When I go out or somewhere I wear it down.


At restaraunts though I don't wear my hair down because I end up almost eating my hair and pushing it out the way so it doesn't land in my food. It's not fun.

 

[Faith]

Not all of us. Some (like myself) have found a great place on this hair journey where everything is going very well. Some are still trying to discover what works for their hair and until they do will continue to try new things. I think it's a place you come to in your mind where you accept what you can and can't change. I came to accept that my hair will grow at its own pace and to not bother buying "hair" vitamins and to just take vitamins for my health and health alone. Don't get me wrong I have also tried many products and after many years have found a GREAT combo and now I'm at peace with my hair. We know eachother. Many are still in the getting to know eachother stage...lol. In time it does change (or should change...imo)...it's a journey /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Edited to add...the MAIN reason I wear my up 99.9% of the time is because I don't like combing my hair...there I said it... /images/graemlins/look.gif

 

[dannie]

Enjoyment is a state of mind. I should be in a crisis right now, but I really don't care.

I relaxed again for the 4th time in 2 months because my hair won't take my self-relaxing w/ lye. My hair is still healthy because the relaxer didn't take anyway. I used TCB last Thursday. The next day my hair started to break from the demaracation point. Not badly, about 3-4 hairs each comb out. Too many for me.

Usually I would have spazed out. But I said screw it. I'll keep it in a bun and won't comb it out until I have time to deal w/ it. There are so many breakage treatments here, I'm 100% I can stop it. But I'm not going to lose sleep over it anymore.

 

[carletta]

[ QUOTE ]
after reading soooo many posts about others regimens and what they do to try to get their hair to grow, it made me think that we, as in black women, will never be able to enjoy our hair.

it just seems like we have to do so much to make sure it grows without breaking. like taking so many vitamins (some peoples lists are astronomical to me), and eating particular foods that we would normally never eat or spending so much money on products, all to achieve long hair, that it doesnt seem like we can never just let our hair down and relax.

its like working 4 jobs and never getting to spend a penny of the money you make.

so i guess i just wanted to know if anyone else felt this way. it just seems so discouraging because i dont feel like doing so much all the time <img src="http://st1m.longhaircareforum.com/images/smilies/cry3.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://st1m.longhaircareforum.com/images/smilies/cry3.gif" alt="" />

[/ QUOTE ]

AMEN !

 

[Sridevi]

I figured out long ago that healthy hair was more of a priority than having super long hair. My hair was always below my shoulders until I started transitioning. It is currently the shortest it has ever been. I'm strongly considering keeping it above shoulder because it seems to be less of a hassle and I am low-maintenance by nature. I certainly would not want to invest a lot of time caring for super-long hair just to wear it up all the time.