growth aid: HiGHly hIGHLY highly HIGhlLY recommend:: sewINs!!

okay yall.

my name is tanya. lol and i am THE LAST person on this earth that anyone would ever expect to get a weave. ive been sooo anti weave my whole life. ive always had thick healthy lengthy hair (check the fotki)... and would always be questioned on whether my hair was real or not. i use to do hair modeling during college and my stylist had put pieces in my hair and i felt soo nauseous. mainly because the weave was in my face (bangs)........ so yes... eventually i got color damage. MAJOR color damage and had to cut my hair.. to a length ive never seen b4.. and it NEVER grew back (also bcuz my stlylists kept trimming my ends).... it had been almost 14months that i was stuck @ NL b4 i was introduced to LONG HAIR CARE FORUM in march 2008.

as a newbie. i tried everything that i saw, knowing that everything doesnt work for everyone... but i just couldnt get a regimen down pact. so because i was transitioning at the time.. i was considering getting a sew in for the fact that i was reading alot about protective styling.. n cuz my hair was soo thick & short there wasnt much i could do.

than in april 2008.. the ATLANTA LHCF members had a lunch meeting @ cheesecake factory and we went around the table talking abt eachothers hair... there was this One young lady.. whose hair was sooo beautiful (everyones was) that when she had told me it was a weave!?! LAAaWwDdD! i could not believe it. it just lookd soOo natural. it was gorgeous... from there on i knew i was going to try it and specifically go to her stylist. so i actually did it (got the good hair.. had to look perfect).. and went to get a sew in (kept my own hair in front and my owns bangs in my face so i wouldnt even notice the weave nor feel sick).......and yall...... when i tell you my hair looked like MY HAIR! it lookd like MY HAIR!.. soOo natural looking (check the fotki)..... i went 3 weeks @ school before anyone noticed i had weave.. and the only reason why they noticed is cuz they played in my hair cuz it was just so pretty. my own boyfriend didnt notice until he played in my hair.

then i took the hair out 4 weeks later and ALREADY noticed amazing growth. from that day on.. ive had 3 sew ins total... giving my scalp/hair two weeks break inbetween and ive had unbelievable growth.. (check siggy and fotki) updated photos will be in the fotki soon but my siggy has my most recent pic. so my siggy runs 3.5 months... and that is MORe gROWTH ive seen since i cut my hair in jan 2007. so yes, i AM HAPPY! im finally full SL. and i feel that sew-ins ARE a growth aid that EVERYONE can do and will work. as long as you go to someone who knows what theyre doing... as long as you keep your braids and edges moisturized. YOUR HAIR WILL LOOK AMAZING!!

i love you LHCF!!!!!!!!!!! hope this helps girlls!!
xoxo

p.s. if your in the atlanta area.. the salon i go to is 3 girls & a needle. they do an AMAZING JOB! let them know i sent yoU!

tanya

Thats definitely great progress!

u got lots of growth

girl--sew-ins definitely help me retain length

gettin one this week for back to school

your hair looks great. how do you moisturize your braids and what do you use?

Wow!!! Amazing growth.

I'm planning on getting a full head weave with just a little of my own hair out in front. What type/kind of hair did you used? TIA

You aint never lied! I got one for my birthday and my hair grew leaps and bounds. Congrats on the growth. It looks amazing!

This is great! You have made some darn good progress. I've been thinking a lot lately about getting a full head weave. Hmmmm.....

I'm in a sew-in right now. I hope I get as much growth as you did. I plan to be weaved up at least until the end of the year. Your progress is amazing!!!! You grow girl!

Yep, I'm in a sewin right now to try and retain every micro-inch of growth I got going on.

Thanks you guys!!!

carmelma: with the sew in you can feel the braids and parts just by lifting the tracks... so i would just use doogro vitaminE to grease my scalp prolly 1-2x week.... or spray on some leave in conditioner on the braids as well.... thats how id keep it moisturized. but u can use anything you'd like. any hair moisturizer that works for your hair. and i washd my hair once a week with an applicator bottle.... using watered down shampoo. and thats abt it.

jry2lnghair: I used remi goddess the first time... from then on used remi saga.... goddess is really good though. both are great! wouldnt get any other!

i really wanted to be weaved up with sew ins til the end of the year. but in a week im leaving to go abroad for my last semester of school to spain... and i wouldnt be able to take the sew in out on my own... than i considered getting braids and id be there for 4 months.. so i dont think i could keep braids in for that long..n my hair is the middle of transitioning (10months)... and its too thick for me to handle.. so i think im just going to get a relaxer b4 i leave.. and just rollerset, air, and pin up my hair for the four months im there.. im sure with that no heat process i should retain much length as well..... do you guys agree?? ....
if theres any alternative ... any advice anyone could give me.. please do. i have thick hair.. i think my hair type is 4a. if u have time, check my fotki and let me know what u think. i hav much more growth since those pictures.. but its the same texture. i feel bad for going so long with no perm just to go back to one.. but i feel its my safest choice for while im away with no one to go to for hair treatments.. or braids of such.

TIA
tanya

Anyone know any AMAZING spots like that in NY?

Thanks for posting this. I am going to share this w/my friend who is thinking of getting a sew-in.

When you washed your hair did you stand under the shower to rinse etc.. or did you just pour water over the braids to rinse out the poo?

Yea...sew ins are my baby daddy. LOL

Great progress!

sweetsuccess said:

Thanks you guys!!!

carmelma: with the sew in you can feel the braids and parts just by lifting the tracks... so i would just use doogro vitaminE to grease my scalp prolly 1-2x week.... or spray on some leave in conditioner on the braids as well.... thats how id keep it moisturized. but u can use anything you'd like. any hair moisturizer that works for your hair. and i washd my hair once a week with an applicator bottle.... using watered down shampoo. and thats abt it.

jry2lnghair: I used remi goddess the first time... from then on used remi saga.... goddess is really good though. both are great! wouldnt get any other!

i really wanted to be weaved up with sew ins til the end of the year. but in a week im leaving to go abroad for my last semester of school to spain... and i wouldnt be able to take the sew in out on my own... than i considered getting braids and id be there for 4 months.. so i dont think i could keep braids in for that long..n my hair is the middle of transitioning (10months)... and its too thick for me to handle.. so i think im just going to get a relaxer b4 i leave.. and just rollerset, air, and pin up my hair for the four months im there.. im sure with that no heat process i should retain much length as well..... do you guys agree?? ....
if theres any alternative ... any advice anyone could give me.. please do. i have thick hair.. i think my hair type is 4a. if u have time, check my fotki and let me know what u think. i hav much more growth since those pictures.. but its the same texture. i feel bad for going so long with no perm just to go back to one.. but i feel its my safest choice for while im away with no one to go to for hair treatments.. or braids of such.

TIA
tanya

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Thanks for the hook up with the address. I will be home for Christmas break and will definitely be making an appointment.

As far as while you are overseas...I mean, I know a lot of ladies have had problems...but I have never had any problems with braids. ESPECIALLY after I watch Robyn's video on GrowAfroLongHair and learned the proper way to take them out. They have always helped me retain MAJOR length. If you are serious about wanting to transition then I see no reason that oyu shouldn't have braids while overseas. There are tons of African braiders in France (Paris anyway) and there might even be some in Spain. It's really what you would like to do for your hair. If you really aren't committed to going natural then I think relaxing and keeping your hair up and off your shoulders will also help you while you are in the stage between SL and APL. Eitherway, best of luck and thanks for the salon info.

Hey Sweet, did you use any growth aids while you were sewed up? If so, how did you apply?

Girl your hair has made great progress!
I used to look down on weave until my sister grew a pixie cut to about CL in about 1.5 years, and her hair looks great! I have followed suit!

Great growth sweetie! I wish my hair was long enough to get a sew in. Keep up the great work....

Yeah it really worked for me but I have only weaved once this year. So not like me. Maybe I will hook myself up before too long.

Great growth! I love sew-ins too (especially because they don't mess up my edges like braids).

I know you said you want to get a relaxer before you leave but since you've been transitioning for awhile I think you should just stay the course. Taking a sew-in out on your own isn't that difficult, especially if you have a hand mirror. And to help, you could use colored thread instead of black, which will make it easier to see.

Also, you could do half-wigs while your there and just have your hair braided up underneath, which means less manipulation. Oh an depending what part of spain you're going to, there are shops where you can get your hair done (braids or weave).

Anyways, good luck. I hope you figure something out that will work for you!

I used remi goddess the first time... from then on used remi saga.... goddess is really good though. both are great! wouldnt get any other!

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I am so glad you started this thread. I am 9 months post myself, and I don't feel like putting a relaxer on my head until sometimes next summer. So detangling was getting worse every wash, so I went to a BSS last week and bought the same brand of hair and did it myself, the result is SO GREAT. My DH was against it first, but I manage to make sure that the end result really looks like my own hair or even a bit shorter. I cut it to an APL length and my real hair is like 1'' or so to BSL. I ordered a SEDU online so I can blend the front and the back whenever I want to. This flat iron is awesome.

The people who know me keep asking ''So you cut your hair?''. I am like ''Yeah, you know I am too lazy to take care of it and don't feel like spending too much money at the Beauty salons''. The last time I had a weave on my head was like 10 years ago, but I am glad I did. I only used a half of the package so even though it's quite expensive (for the cheapie person I am ), I think it was worth it. I've been told that I can use it a least 2 or 3 times before I get rid of it... fantastic... well spent money

I am soooo glad I learned how to do my own. I change my hairstyle every 2 weeks and I'm retaining length. YAY to me!

That Remi hair is the truth. I have tried all types of hair back in my weave days. For example, www.hisandher.com and www.inhairco.com. While both were excellent, I prefer to get the Remi. And you can use it over and over.

*sighs* I guess after I take down these senegalese twists, I will be that "track star" once again . you can also find me in the "Weave Hall of Fame".......

I have been advocating sewnins for the past year. LOVE THEM

Tanya....!!!

OMG look at that growth girl!

Yeah, I remember when you were at the Atlanta LHCF meetup you had concerns about the weave. I am sooo glad you did it. Your hair is amazing. So, when you get back from Spain you will be APL, huh?

I understand about the weave and braids while overseas. Why don't you consider a wig. There's a girl on BHM and maybe a member here - Alynxx http://members.fotki.com/alynxx/about/

She grew out her hair with wigs. Just a thought. You can get your hair cornrowed up and keep a wig here and there. I'm sure there's someone in Spain that can do weaves or braids though. Don't sleep...white girls get weaves too.

hehe

Wow thanks for this post! I'm planning on using Weave and MT during my school year as my two growth aids! I am not even more confident that this will in fact work!

As for your four months in Spain, I've heard of people doing sew ins for as long as 6-8 months (which is what I'm planning on doing).. would that be damaging to your hair?

Congrats girl!! That's some amazing progress!!

Weaves are the bomb, it's a shame because they get a bad rep, but I'm able to retain so much growth with them. My hair grows the best with weaves, just squrt some Mega-Tek on the scalp, 2 months BAM, 2 inches of growth.

Plus weaves are the most stylish protective style when done right.

I got tremendous growth with sew in weaves as well! I have fine hair, and for years it would weaken and break at my shoulders and never grow beyond my shoulders. I started at shoulder length and made it to APL and beyond easily within a year. While in the braids, I would get it washed and deep conditioned every week at the beauty shop, and spray the braids up under the tracks every night with curl activator (Worlds of Curls or S-Curl for moisture). I wore Envy Remi hair and replaced my weaves every six weeks, with no breaks in between and no relaxers during that time. I loved my sew in and recommend it to all my fine hair ladies whose hair will prosper and thrive when they protect their delicate strands and give them a chance to grow with no manipulation.

wannabelong said:

I'm in a sew-in right now. I hope I get as much growth as you did. I plan to be weaved up at least until the end of the year. Your progress is amazing!!!! You grow girl!

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I plan on doing a hide your hair challenge so I can retain length. I should of been APL by now. I feel my handling my hair has caused so breakage. I plan on doing a sewn in wig. It's basically like a weave except it would be already styled for me.

You are getting good growth. Congrats!

Sew-Ins are definitely my favorite PS. I am getting my next install on Wednesday and plan to have it until Jan( I wear them for 8-10 weeks at at time before having them redone). I had a sew-in from Feb to July of this year and it took me from ear/chin length to neck/shoulder length in less than 6 months. That's way more retention than if I had been handling it myself for 5 months.

ayjacks said:

You are getting good growth. Congrats!

Sew-Ins are definitely my favorite PS. I am getting my next install on Wednesday and plan to have it until Jan( I wear them for 8-10 weeks at at time before having them redone). I had a sew-in from Feb to July of this year and it took me from ear/chin length to neck/shoulder length in less than 6 months. That's way more retention than if I had been handling it myself for 5 months.

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I can see the difference. Keep it up.