3c/4a or 4a Naturals with APL+ Hair: What does your hair look like...

[davisbr88]

... when loaded down with a deep conditioner (not like henna or amla because we all know that causes crazy hang) but just your regular creamy/thick DC. The reason I ask is because I only plan to straighten my hair 3x a year but I DC every week, so I will see my hair weighed down with conditioner a lot more often than I'll see it straight. So, I got to thinking, what does APL+ hair look like with conditioner? Just looking to see if maybe I will be able to tell when my hair is around APL even if I don't straighten for the next few months.
I'm asking for 3c/4a mixed or 4a only because I am a mix, but the back of my hair, which is where the length is is mostly 4a, so I'm just wondering.
I don't know if thickness affects this (I imagine it would) but I have hair on the thinner side. Just want to see some pics anyway!

 

[tricie]

I'm grazing APL, so I figured I'd chime in!
My texture pops when I have a creamy conditioner on it; before that, it's a 'fro with little ringlets!

 

[davisbr88]

tricie: Thanks for responding, but I was wondering about where your hair hangs when it's loaded with conditioner. Do you have any pics?

 

[Uniqzoe]

I would love to see responses to this one.

 

[Janet']

I'm longer than APL now, but attached is a pic when I did my length check and had just claimed APL (I wasn't full).

ETA: Even though it doesn't seem like my hair is loaded with conditioner, it is!

 

[Mrs. Verde]

Loading my hair down with conditioner doesn't really make it hang that much longer. If you stretch your hair (or have someone do it for you) you should be able to tell when you are getting to APL.

 

[Amoreofcurls]

My hair flattens out like crazy, same way it does when loaded with water...I deep condition on dry hair since I have low porosity, and that means my hair takes a while to drink things up, when I steam with the DC my hair begins to shrink up...

This is back when my hair was barely shoulder length...

 

[Chocolatelove2010]

I'm not full APL so I don't claim it.

But you can see in my sig what my hair looks like.

I'll come back when I'm full

 

[UrbainChic]

Mine looks about shoulder length.... basically like a wilted version of my normal fro. I think pulling a ringlet straight is your best bet

 

[chebaby]

conditioner makes my hair wavy and it will hand to my shoulders. it doesnt really stretch and flatten it for me to see length.

 

[davisbr88]

Loading my hair down with conditioner doesn't really make it hang that much longer. If you stretch your hair (or have someone do it for you) you should be able to tell when you are getting to APL.

Oh, I see. Yeah, my hair hangs crazy with conditioner in it, only maybe 2-3 inches shorter than it is when it's straightened. Like my hair hangs down to a little past nape length with conditioner and when straightened, it's shoulder-length. Now that I think about it... I should know when my hair hangs about 2-3 inches above APL... duh moment! Lol.

My hair flattens out like crazy, same way it does when loaded with water...I deep condition on dry hair since I have low porosity, and that means my hair takes a while to drink things up, when I steam with the DC my hair begins to shrink up...

This is back when my hair was barely shoulder length...

My hair looks like that now! Just a little longer. Yay!
We truly are hair twins!

 

[bludaydreamr]

If you don't want to use heat; I would just stretch the hair out. I could tell my hair was getting longer because it started to take longer to twist. For the first couple of years, I only straighten my hair once or twice a year because I was afraid of heat. I'm glad I did because it has allowed me to monitor my progress.

You may be able to tell from the weight of the hair with the conditioner, but the physical appearance didn't really change for me.
The first 2 show my hair full of conditioner. The last is my hair freshly washed, and this picture was from a year ago.

 

[LynnieB]

These are from '08 - haven't taken any soaking wet + conditioner since then. My hair had to be somewhere around bsl(?) stretched at that time.

Soaking wet hair w/conditioner (eta - I used something light and no cone - vo5 I think), no shingling.

Experimenting w/Teri's method aka shingling, so hair is not soaking wet but very damp.

HTH

 

[helixhoney]

I hit APL straight December last year. Here are some pics with me conditioning on dry hair. My hair is low porosity and is 4a.

 

[davisbr88]

Thanks so much for the pics ladies!
Please keep them coming. I am really getting encouraged!

 

[constance]

I'm about 2 inches from WL and my 4a/3c hair is the length of LynnieB's in pic #2 when wet and loaded w. conditioner. I agree with bluedaydreamer--I just stretch a piece in the back for a basic length check w/o heat, and also that you'll notice a difference as you have more length to twist w. your bantu knots.

 

[davisbr88]

Thanks for the responses ladies! Please keep them coming.
I know that I can stretch my hair but I was just wondering if I would notice while DC'ing if I was getting closer. It wasn't really for a formal length check. Just to get an idea of how close I'd be.

 

[Distorted Barbie]

My hair flattens out like crazy, same way it does when loaded with water...I deep condition on dry hair since I have low porosity, and that means my hair takes a while to drink things up, when I steam with the DC my hair begins to shrink up...

This is back when my hair was barely shoulder length...

CUTE!!! Your Hair looks very similar to mine.

 

[lalla]

My hair hangs at my shoulder when wet and drenched with conditioner. When completely shrunk, it is neck length, and Between BSL and MBL when stretched.

 

[SheenaVee]

Sorry I have no recent pics of my hair with conditioner. I am APL now. Check out my siggy. My hair's got gel in it and it's dry, but it's like maybe an inch or two longer than this with conditioner. I used a diffuser and that really helps cut back my shrinkage.

 

[davisbr88]

^^
O
M
G

What kinda gel was that? Miracle gel?!?! Let me know so I can go get some!

 

[SheenaVee]

LOL! Thank you. No miracle, just ole IC Fantasia, clear one.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Sheena284 how long did you transition?

 

[SheenaVee]

LaFemmeNaturelle I transitioned for roughly 8 months.

 

[lilsparkle825]

I'm roughly BSL and my hair is still SL when wet or loaded down with conditioner. In the pic, I have Matrix Conditioning Balm in my hair. There isn't really a difference in the length whether my hair is freshly washed or full of DC, and it shrinks up to NL as it dries. The only way I can get my dry hair to hang to SL without straightening it is via twistouts or braidouts. Diffusing does help some, but I don't do it a lot. The stretch test will be your best friend -- it isn't 100% accurate, but it's a good estimation of your true length.

 

[davisbr88]

Thanks so much ladies! It's fun looking at all the pics.
Please keep them coming!