Dear Retention, Please Don't Do Me Like This!!! ((PICS!!))

[Sianna]

Don't you know how much I LOVE YOU??!!

Okay ladies, I hope you all don't mind if I bother you for a bit of encouragement right now. I've been natural for almost seven months and up until now my hair has been growing/retaining just beautifully. However, last month or so I started having a problem with SSK's. I think it was because I was wearing my hair in a puff all the time. The hair was loose and I kept playing in it. This of course meant I had to keep fluffing it back out because I'd messed up the shape. Long story short, it was too much manipulation. So, I decided to go back to WNG's.

Now most people will say that this encourages SSK's too, but for me it doesn't. I use Eco styler gel for mine and the slight crunchiness it adds actually has been keeping my hair from tangling as much.

Anyway, the reason I am feeling less than optimistic about my hair right now is because when I measured it today, it... did not meet my retention expectation for this month. I know I broke some hairs due to the SSK's but I didn't think it was enough to mess up my retention!

So now I've decided to keep my hair stretched, as well as gelled down, like so...

Not the prettiest or most creative style, but I'm on a mission right now! My hair is only long enough to make the tiniest of ponytails, but I figured the added stress of one of those ouchless bands wasn't going to do me any favors right now. I pulled the hair back, tucked the ends under and hid it beneath the clip.

Hopefully if I keep my hair like this for a while I'll be able to retain more length.

Advice and words of encouragement are welcome and would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I know it wasn't necessary for me to post the pic of the WNG, but I like sharing pics!

 

[Mystic]

Do not have any advice to be give but I have to say, your hair is VERY beautiful! I love the rich dark wavy texture of your hair especially how it looks in the bun.

 

[Yoshi3329]

ZOMG! I love your waves!

I would definitely agree with you with putting away your ends. That's what I'd do, maybe even a light protein treatment. My hair loves light protein treatments.

 

[BlaqBella]

I'm going through the same thing..try not to think about too much. I'm may start rollersetting once a week and wear an updo through the week. And not do another length check until next March.

 

[SimJam]

I think that styles (the buns) are cute. u could try some hair accessories to spice them up

do whatever u feel is necessary for ur hair, its looking great so far.

 

[Nonie]

All I can say is if it takes a setback for you to wear your hair so beautifully then let's call another party and invite some more!

No seriously, I don't keep tabs on growth rate or retention so that's a department I'd be all thumbs about, but you do know that people do tell of having different growth rates at different times of the year, so maybe you just had a slow growth rate.

Y'all take this thing way too seriously, setting goals and noticing when there's a discrepancy in predicted results. Someone would think hair was the be all and end all. Your hair will grow w/o you fussing/stressing over every little thing. Have fun!

 

[Bigmommah]

***HUGS***

No advice as my hair is texlaxed, but I wanted to give you some support.

 

[Sianna]

...Y'all take this thing way too seriously, setting goals and noticing when there's a discrepancy in predicted results. Someone would think hair was the be all and end all. Your hair will grow w/o you fussing/stressing over every little thing. Have fun!

:blush3::blush3::blush3: You're probably right Nonie, maybe I shouldn't put so much pressure on my hair. It's just that my hair has been so short for soooo many years and I'd begun to doubt its ability to achieve anything beyond 4 inches of length! So now that I'm natural, I kinda expected retention to be a little easier, so a setback like this is a bit discouraging.

I'm going to try not to worry about it too much though. I'll continue wearing this protective style, keep it conditioned and moisturized and hope for the best.

Thanks for all your input ladies!

 

[Fhrizzball]

you can use hairtoys and whatnot to spice up your bun. That or add some twists or braids to the front. Your waves are gorgeous. Congrats on your bun because I was never that skilled enough to manage a bun at that length. And clawclips like those always seem to either break or lay weird when I try them so I always end up readjusting. Your wash and go is so cute as well though.

 

[WyrdWay]

The clip should help! I love those things but I always break them

 

[LivinMyLifeLikeItsGolden]

I don't have much advice because I have decided to weave my hair up and leave it alone because I was getting frustrated dealing with it but, you have GORGEOUS hair and your waves are unreal!!!!

 

[Chocolatelove2010]

You got beautiful hair, and you've done a wonderful job so far. Don't lose hope... change up your style, and it'll grow.

Don't stress because stress is not good for your hair

 

[Curlykale]

I'm not saying this just to encourage you: I absolutely love your bun. The texture of your hair makes it look unique and extremely elegant.

I've been washing and airdrying my hair in braids (taking them off one by one), moisturizing twice a day, sealing with ceramides (half teaspoon of rice bran oil for my whole head) and braiding my hair every night: these are my first 2 weeks without SSK (I counted 3 in total) since reaching shoulder length, thanks to some ladies in this forum. I hope this helps!

Great job anyway!

 

[Sianna]

I'm not saying this just to encourage you: I absolutely love your bun. The texture of your hair makes it look unique and extremely elegant.

I've been washing and airdrying my hair in braids (taking them off one by one), moisturizing twice a day, sealing with ceramides (half teaspoon of rice bran oil for my whole head) and braiding my hair every night: these are my first 2 weeks without SSK (I counted 3 in total) since reaching shoulder length, thanks to some ladies in this forum. I hope this helps!

Great job anyway!

Thanks so much for this! Not only the compliment but also the advice! "Elegant" is not a word I would have associated with my tiny little bun, so I really appreciate that!

As far as the advice, you have given me an idea! I'm not so good with braiding, other than single braids and extensions, but I can do half-decent two strand flat twist! Maybe next time when I pull my hair back into a bun like this, I'll flat twist it all instead of just brushing it back. :scratchch

 

[BostonMaria]

Beautiful waves!!! You have gorgeous hair.

I think that if you alternate between that bun and wash n go's you'll retain more length.

 

[FebeeSigns]

Same problem here. I can't retain length because of splits. Cut off a lot recently and now my hair can't be slicked down into a bun anymore. lol. Your beautiful picture inspired me to try the clip method!

 

[PistolWhip]

Sianna your waves & bun are really cute. You are inspiring me to try to bun.....Thanks

 

[Chevelure618]

I think you are doing very well and I like that clip. It's a good PS and actually looks very regal.

Keep it up!

 

[Priss Pot]

I think your method of hiding your ends should help with you retaining more length. Your hair is very pretty, and I hope that everything works out for you!

 

[Sianna]

Oh wow thank you guys SO MUCH!! I never imagined this style would inspire anyone and really I just posted it because I wasn't sure how to describe it! That and I like sharing pics, but I think I mentioned that already!

Again I really appreciate everyone's input, compliments and advice! It feels really funny to have someone call my hair "beautiful!" I'd never really thought of it that way before. :blush3:

 

[Curlykale]

Thanks so much for this! Not only the compliment but also the advice! "Elegant" is not a word I would have associated with my tiny little bun, so I really appreciate that!

As far as the advice, you have given me an idea! I'm not so good with braiding, other than single braids and extensions, but I can do half-decent two strand flat twist! Maybe next time when I pull my hair back into a bun like this, I'll flat twist it all instead of just brushing it back. :scratchch

Love the idea, although I would show off those brushed back waves!
Another idea could be banding instead of braiding, since doing that at night and when wash/air dry should already help significantly. When your hair has dried or slept in a stretched state you can still bun without knots (I'm doing this. I just braid because I can never find my elastic bands LOL)
A video on banding that I found today:

http://www.youtube.com/user/splinta24#p/u/1/xYKmhCCg8jk

 

[lilsparkle825]

No seriously, I don't keep tabs on growth rate or retention so that's a department I'd be all thumbs about, but you do know that people do tell of having different growth rates at different times of the year, so maybe you just had a slow growth rate.

this is exactly what i was thinking. our hair, by nature, grows faster some months and slower during others. don't freak out about it. another thing....this is why i don't measure every month. i don't need any undue stress about how fast my hair is growing. every three months is good enough for me.

by the way, i love that clip. i too have noticed that keeping my ends hidden and WET has them feeling quite wonderful these days.

 

[Sianna]

Love the idea, although I would show off those brushed back waves!
Another idea could be banding instead of braiding, since doing that at night and when wash/air dry should already help significantly. When your hair has dried or slept in a stretched state you can still bun without knots (I'm doing this. I just braid because I can never find my elastic bands LOL)
A video on banding that I found today:

http://www.youtube.com/user/splinta24#p/u/1/xYKmhCCg8jk

Yeah, I guess I could try banding too! I hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the vid! Her hair is very pretty!

this is exactly what i was thinking. our hair, by nature, grows faster some months and slower during others. don't freak out about it. another thing....this is why i don't measure every month. i don't need any undue stress about how fast my hair is growing. every three months is good enough for me.

by the way, i love that clip. i too have noticed that keeping my ends hidden and WET has them feeling quite wonderful these days.

Thanks!!

You know, a couple months or so ago, I'd wondered if maybe my hair was going through a summer growth spurt but somewhere along the line I forgot about the idea. I guess I just wanted to believe my hair would always grow half an inch per month. Ah well, I'll try to keep my ends tucked away for a while and hopefully I'll be able to do some decent twists or small box braids within the next few months or so.

 

[halee_J]

I'm not saying this just to encourage you: I absolutely love your bun. The texture of your hair makes it look unique and extremely elegant.

I agree, that bun looks beautiful. we live and learn. At least know you know what not to do. You've made great progress since your BC, your hair is lovely

 

[FroFab]

I think you are growing your hair beautifully. In your previous sig pics I don't think your fro was as full as it is now and correct me if I'm wrong but that pulled back style wasn't achievable either. I think that style alone would be proof enough that you are growing and retaining. As far as ssks I don't know what to tell you cause I'm almost bsl and have them BUT that should also let you know that SSKs don't stop you from retaining length. In the time from APL to where I am now, I've S&Ded a number of times and have done 2 trims this year (both about .5-1") and I still have alot of hair. Don't be discouraged...your hair is growing girl!

 

[Sianna]

Thanks Halee and FroFab!!

And FroFab, you're right, my hair does seem fuller now than it did a few months. I also wasn't able to pull it back like this, so indeed it has grown.

I've tried to grow my hair many times before and failed. I guess I just get myself all worked up because I don't want this attempt to end like my previous endeavors.

I really appreciate the encouragement ladies!

 

[divachyk]

You're beautiful. Your hair is beautiful. Um, forgive me but, tell me the problem again? xoxoxo!

 

[Kindheart]

love those waves what do you use to keep em so nicely moisturized?
I think your hair hair will defintley grow longer

 

[Janet']

We all start from somewhere...You will be amazed when you look back at this thread six months from now! HHG!

 

[Sianna]

You're beautiful. Your hair is beautiful. Um, forgive me but, tell me the problem again? xoxoxo!

:blush3: :blush3: Hitting the "Thanks" button just wasn't going to cut it!

love those waves what do you use to keep em so nicely moisturized?

Since doing this style requires me to shellac my hair down with gel, I don't really moisturize it while I'm wearing it like this. Instead, I DC before doing the style and will either wash it out after 3-4 days, DC and do it again. OR I will simply wet the hair enough so that I can manipulate it, use the residual gel that's still in my hair and wear a WNG for a few more days. This way I get more wear out of the gel. I know it's cheap, but this economy ain't no joke right now!

I keep my WNG's moisturized with either plain water and glycerin, or Sta Sof Fro. AKA "Da Juice!!"

I've been DC'ing twice a week.