Anyone wanna share your nape successes ?

SelfStyled · Apr 30, 2009

Okey Dokey- I really need some inspiration :look:

. My nape is the slowest growing section on my head. I so badly want it to grow out. I desperately want some "hang time" back there. How can you have long hair if your nape is shorter than the sides and the crown?

For any one out there that has had a nape success can you please share how you did it? What regimen, techniques, growth aids, supplements, etc.

Relaxed, natural, I could care less- a nape success is a nape success darn-it. All success are wanted. If you have pictures even better :yep:

tiffers · Apr 30, 2009

I recovered from a super dry and broken off nape. It was severely dry and overprocessed. I could barely grab my nape hair with my fingers :ohwell:

When I dc (twice a week) I slather lots of conditioner on my nape. I also relax my nape dead last, so it doesn't get a lot of processing time.

But what really helped my nape recover was putting conditioner on it instead of a regular leave in. So my nape was kinda constantly getting deep conditioned. After I massage the conditioner into my nape, I seale it with JBCO. Lately I've been using JBCO mixed with aloe vera juice. I LOVE this mixture! :love:

It's super moisturizing and the aloe not only stretches the JBCO, it also thins it out so it's not super thick.

Anywho, my nape is now SL!!!! :yay:

It's still dry, but no where near where it was

Missi · Apr 30, 2009

Mooks has an awesome way to grow out the nape area.....I tried it and fell off but I will again once i get out of school & start co-washing & wearin head bands.
http://public.fotki.com/Mooks-hair/2008/february---protect-/

locabouthair · Apr 30, 2009

Here's the thread I made about my nape progress. You might have seen it before.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=312231&highlight=

That was December 4 months later I jacked it up again :nono:

But at least i know how to grow it back again :ohwell:

IDareT'sHair · Apr 30, 2009

locabouthair said:
Here's the thread I made about my nape progress. You might have seen it before.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=312231&highlight=

That was December 4 months later I jacked it up again But at least i know how to grow it back again

Thank you for always being so Transparent about your Hair Challenges. You are always such an inspiration for those struggling with challenges and setbacks. Very Forthright in your Struggles. I appreciate it.

locabouthair · Apr 30, 2009

IDareT'sHair said:
Thank you for always being so Transparent about your Hair Challenges. You are always such an inspiration for those struggling with challenges and setbacks. Very Forthright in your Struggles. I appreciate it.

wow. you're very welcome. Thank you for the compliment. :yep:

bedazzled · Apr 30, 2009

Omg June of 08 I lost like tons & tons & tons & tons & tons of hair due to a super relaxer a stylist had talked me into it. I don't know any special techniques I used except for taking vitamins, a few topical aids such as lenzi's request, MN & MTG..but my nape grew nicely even without them. But I did stop relaxing my nape for a good 6 months or so. So I think thats what contributed to me being able to retain length. Here are the before & afters:

Left is June 08, Right is April 09 - so 10 months later

And here is the very lower nape

I know alot of ladies have grown theirs out even more but man..can I just say I am so proud of myself? :weird:

locabouthair · Apr 30, 2009

bedazzled said:
. But I did stop relaxing my nape for a good 6 months or so.

This is key!!!

This worked for me when I grew mine out. My sides were broken off and I stopped relaxing them and they are surely picking up.

You made GREAT progress!!! You should be proud :yep:

Angelicus · Apr 30, 2009

Crap! You ladies rock! I need to be conditioning this mess everyday!

bedazzled · Apr 30, 2009

locabouthair said:
This is key!!!

This worked for me when I grew mine out. My sides were broken off due too and I stopped relaxing them and they are surely picking up.

You made GREAT progress!!! You should be proud

I think I might do that for my sides. The sides of my hair and my front is so short compared to the rest of my hair. It looks like my dog just chewed up my hair...like a half mullet.

But thank you. This is the only accomplishment I've really made so far. I've sucked (been inconsistent) with everything else as far as hair care.

SelfStyled · Apr 30, 2009

OMG- Thank you much for the inspiration Ladies! You Rock!

Tiffers I really like that conditioning idea- my nape is so dry- I am sure it would benefit from this. I have heard so much about JBCO, I have some reg CO and I will seal with that.

Missi - thanks for that link, I have seen that before- ingenious. You are on it with the headbands too, no one would even know.

Loca- my nape looks EXACTLY like your Dec 2008 picture, same length and everything. Thank you for sharing your tips. I am so sorry to hear about your recent setback- what happened mami?

Bedazzled- you have made awesome, awesome progress- Hooray! Now take that same TLC and I am sure the rest of your hair will absolutely flourish.

Thanks again ladies- this is chicken soup for the soul. Grow nape Grow!

tiffers · Apr 30, 2009

bedazzled said:
Here are the before & afters:
Left is June 08, Right is April 09 - so 10 months later

And here is the very lower nape

Wow!!!! You did awesome! Great job!!!!

locabouthair · Apr 30, 2009

SelfStyled said:
Loca- my nape looks EXACTLY like your Dec 2008 picture, same length and everything. Thank you for sharing your tips. I am so sorry to hear about your recent setback- what happened mami?

It was my third time self relaxing and this time I decide the wash it out in the shower instead of the sink. I dont think I was able to rinse it out all that well. I neutralized for over 40 mins but I didnt see any pink. But by the way it looks (kinda like the before picture I showed) it had to have been something in the relaxer process. Plus I accidentally left it on longer than I should :ohwell:

It sucks because now that my sides are growing my nape is jacked :ohwell:

I can't win.

Im thinking about wearing a half wig for a year cause I'm discouraged :nono:

SelfStyled · Apr 30, 2009

So sorry loca- I know exactly what you mean. I have to keep cutting the sides so that it is even with the back, so I feel like I never make any progress. I totally agree with the back is so hard to make sure you get all the relaxer out. I wash out in the shower too, but after the shower, I look all over my head in front of a mirror to make sure that I don't see any leftover relaxer cream.

I think half wigs might be a good option for you, cause then you could braid up the nape and just let it do it's own thing.

IDareT'sHair · Apr 30, 2009

locabouthair said:
It was my third time self relaxing and this time I decide the wash it out in the shower instead of the sink. I dont think I was able to rinse it out all that well. I neutralized for over 40 mins but I didnt see any pink. But by the way it looks (kinda like the before picture I showed) it had to have been something in the relaxer process. Plus I accidentally left it on longer than I should

It sucks because now that my sides are growing my nape is jacked I can't win.

Im thinking about wearing a half wig for a year cause I'm discouraged

Please Stay Encouraged. It will grow back longer and stronger than ever. And you will have much more knowledge. Even though you are dealing with this, your Honesty is Refreshing.

Besides, your Sincerity will help so many people facing similiar crisis (like myself). Even with All this Valuable Information, sometimes it's good to know that problems still do exist and people do face set-backs in their Journey and Quest for Healthy Hair.

locabouthair · Apr 30, 2009

IDareT'sHair said:
Please Stay Encouraged. It will grow back longer and stronger than ever. And you will have much more knowledge. Even though you are dealing with this, your Honesty is Refreshing.

Besides, your Sincerity will help so many people facing similiar crisis (like myself). Even with All this Valuable Information, sometimes it's good to know that problems still do exist and people do face set-backs in their Journey and Quest for Healthy Hair.

Thanks so much. Girl I aint got no reason to lie :nono:

Sometimes I wonder why I struggle so much with this, maybe it is to help someone else.

IDareT'sHair · Apr 30, 2009

locabouthair said:
Thanks so much. Girl I aint got no reason to lie Sometimes I wonder why I struggle so much with this, maybe it is to help someone else.

Yep.

I've noticed that sometimes when people post, other people are, i'm sure, unintentionally so matter-of-fact with their responses without really realizing that there are alot of hurting women on here dealing with very traumatic hair issues.

So, it's good to see that people can really be transparent and tell what happened to them and how they fixed tried to fix it, and how they messed up, and re-fixed it. That not everybody went to BSL, MBL, or WL Overnight. It is all a process.

No Shame in Your Game -- that's for sure. Keep working on it and I'm sure by the end of the year, it will be a distant memory.

msa · Apr 30, 2009

I've never had problems with my nape retaining length...but it was super dry.

I've learned that you have to make sure that your body wash/soap does not get on your hair while you're washing your body. Same goes for the rest of your hairline. I use pretty gentle soaps but it's still too drying for my hair. Once I became more vigilant about it, my nape stayed moisturized.

civic4800 · May 1, 2009

Last winter(07/08) really ate my nape up and broke it off to the point where I couldn't fit any of that hair into a really low ponytail thus began my search for a solution and I found this site! I haven't relaxed that area since 2/2008 and I also began moisturizing the crap out of that area and it's really coming along. I'm debating whether to relax it this summer since I'm starting to tire of the back of my head poofing up while the rest of my head is straight. Anyway the first pic was taken Feb. 2008, the second w/the shorter braid was 10/2008 and the last were taken about 20 minutes ago.

Kellum · May 1, 2009

msa said:
I've never had problems with my nape retaining length...but it was super dry.

I've learned that you have to make sure that your body wash/soap does not get on your hair while you're washing your body. Same goes for the rest of your hairline. I use pretty gentle soaps but it's still too drying for my hair. Once I became more vigilant about it, my nape stayed moisturized.

ITA, I make sure to pin my hair up after I co-wash so that soap does not get in my hair or nape. Since doing this I don't have a problem with dryness and my hair is thriving.

LaidBak · May 1, 2009

My nape was broken off from poor treatment. I didn't know how to tie my hair up at night, and I wore too tight ponytail elastics. Now I cross wrap every night and I don't use elastics EVER. I use a velcro wrap instead of a scarf so the knot is not sitting at my nape causing friction.
Protective styling back there has helped too. I wear a french twist or fake bun, clip in tracks...anything that is easy on that area. Oh! And I moisturize the area every night--oil, butter, hair lotion, or sometimes a combination of stuff.

SelfStyled · May 1, 2009

Awesome Civic4800! I think the biggest thing that I have learned from this thread is the importance of moisturizing the nape, I mean really getting in there, lol.

LynnieB · May 1, 2009

My nape was whack but I noticed a huge improvement after I began transitioning. It was uneven, very dry, crunchy and prone to tangles. I loaded it up with conditioners, oil and spritzed daily for moisture then either braided or twisted it up whenever I wore my hair loose - no one knew they were there :grin:

.

Nape chronicles in fotki:

http://public.fotki.com/IsItOnlyHair/textureshair-typing-/my-nape-aka-the-pro/

My nape is as long as the rest of my hair now.

Fixing the nape takes some time but if you keep your regimen consistent, it will grow and show improvement.

TaraDyan · May 1, 2009

Yessssssss ... nape success checking in! :wave:

When I was relaxed, stylists used to put super strength relaxers on my hair all the time, including my uber fragile nape. As a result, I had a chewed up, dry, chemically damaged nape that I thought would never grow.

Fast forward to today: my hair is 100% natural and my nape has grown past my shoulders. I attribute the turnaround to simply stopping the ridiculously harsh chemicals, co-washing, heavily moisturizing the area with butters and just generally babying the area. Although it's still shorter than the rest of my hair, it's completely healthy now.

I don't have any before pictures, but I do have an after photo to share.

SelfStyled · May 1, 2009

Amazing Lynnie B-nape success and hair! I love how you call it the "problem child". It's not a problem child anymore, lol. Thank you for sharing.

Tara your nape looks delicious- so moist and healthy looking. I cannot imagine why any stylist would ever put super relaxer on your hair. That is just pure ridiculousness right there. I am sure in time at all your nape will catch up to the rest of your hair.

Platinum · May 1, 2009

I have a nape issue as well. I had lots of breakage in the past from leaving the relaxers too long. I recently learned that my nape is a different texture (4zzz) from the rest of my hair (4a/b) but it's also the most fragile. I found out that my hair loves protein and my nape responds well with Surge 14. I follow up with Worlds of Curls moisturizer spray. I haven't relaxed my nape in 5 months, most of that was "peach fuzz" when I started taking care of it and now some of it is 2 inches long. I need to buy a digicam soon so I can add pics to the nape challenge. :ohwell:

Good luck OP.

SelfStyled · May 1, 2009

Plat- my nape is a completely different texture than the rest of my hair as well. Good for you for figuring out what your nape likes- it sounds like you are making awesome progress too.

loolalooh · May 1, 2009

SelfStyled said:
Okey Dokey- I really need some inspiration. My nape is the slowest growing section on my head. I so badly want it to grow out. I desperately want some "hang time" back there. How can you have long hair if your nape is shorter than the sides and the crown?

For any one out there that has had a nape success can you please share how you did it? What regimen, techniques, growth aids, supplements, etc.

Relaxed, natural, I could care less- a nape success is a nape success darn-it. All success are wanted. If you have pictures even better

I had MAJOR nape issues for years. Then I realized the problem; it was a combination of overprocessing, overlapping, sleeping with the scarf tied in a ball in that area, dryness, etc. So I started babying that nape like crazy and now it's strong and healthy.

My basic regimen was to:
*stretch relaxers (and then I eventually went natural)
*apply relaxer to that area last
*massage the area
*apply extra DC to that area
*moisturize it 2x a day
*switch to bonnets
* etc. - in a nutshell, EXTRA TLC

Here are some pics:

FEBRUARY 2007:

FEBRUARY 2008 (post big chop):

FEBRUARY 2009:

bedazzled · May 1, 2009

Omg Im so glad you ladies are posting pictures of your napes and your reggies. This is such motivation. I'm trying to grow my nape to atleast APL.

gorgeoushair · May 1, 2009

loolalooh said:
I had MAJOR nape issues for years. Then I realized the problem; it was a combination of overprocessing, overlapping, sleeping with the scarf tied in a ball in that area, dryness, etc. So I started babying that nape like crazy and now it's strong and healthy.

My basic regimen was to:
*stretch relaxers (and then I eventually went natural)
*apply relaxer to that area last
*massage the area
*apply extra DC to that area
*moisturize it 2x a day
*switch to bonnets
* etc. - in a nutshell, EXTRA TLC

Here are some pics:

FEBRUARY 2007:

FEBRUARY 2008 (post big chop):

FEBRUARY 2009:

This is how the back of my hair looks. For some reason it always breaks like this and I don't know why. Sometimes the middle back will start thinning. The only thing I can think of is overprocessing. I've been trying to get healthy hair for a long while now....pics like these gives me hope. Thank you for posting these pics and congratulations on your progress :grin:

I am 6 months post and I am keeping that area moisturize w/ Homemade spray mixture or HS 14n1 and applying Glovers Dandruff Treatment(has 5% sulfur) and applying extra condtioner when I DC.

Anyone wanna share your nape successes ?

Well-Known Member

Whisper "bleep boop" to yourself when you're sad.

New Member

Well-Known Member

PJ Rehabilitation Center

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Whisper "bleep boop" to yourself when you're sad.

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

PJ Rehabilitation Center

Well-Known Member

PJ Rehabilitation Center

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Natural again ... this time for good!

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads