Comeback 2012 Challenge

Hello ladies! This challenge is for anyone who experienced a setback in 2011, whether it's breakage, thinning edges, thin ends, SHS trims, etc. The point of this challenge is to use the setback as a way to assess your future growth and progress. And by December 2012, you will have a detailed tracking of your progress and encouragement in you healthy hair journey!


Rules:
1) Tell us about your setback, big or small.
2) How do you plan to recover? (ie, new regimen, PSing, no heat, baby ends, etc)
3) What is your comeback goal? (does not have to be a length goal...can be thickness, edges, etc)
4) Post a picture of your setback or simply post a starting picture.
5) Every 3months, take a picture to document your progress. For those who are hiding their hair, you don't have to post the picture, but check-in with us on how things are going.
6) For those coming back from a length setback (or for anyone also interested), keep track of how many inches you've obtained either on a monthly or quarterly basis. On December 2012, tally your total inches, tell us what you've learned about your hair, and celebrate your growth!!!
7) No trims for 2012 (you may search and destroy split ends only)
8) Encourage each other and give helpful tips!

Let's do this ladies! (Thank this post to join!)

1) Went in for a relaxer touchup in December and walked out with a 2in "trim". I just wanted the ends evened out because my right side grows longer than the left, but my ends were perfectly healthy. A trim turned into a cut. I was 2in from my waist before the trim, now i'm 4in away.
2) I plan to recover by 100% PSing, mostly buns, 6month relaxer stretch, not deviating from my staple products: Joico shampoo and conditioner, AO GPB protein conditioner 1x/month, Argan Oil and NTM silk touch leave-in
3) Comeback goal is total length retention while keeping my ends healthy so I can go one year without a trim. Also, to become a complete self-trimmer.
4) Picture: I couldn't get the picture sizes exactly even, but the line indicates where my waist is. Picture on the left is 2weeks before my touchup and trim. Right picture is after the trim.

I'm joining this challenge. I cut five inches last week my hair is so broken off my hair has never been shorter than APL now it's SL due to me straightenig my 3a hair weekly. Even though I would always DC for a hour with premium products and use a heat protectant my hair has suffered. And i have a big whole on the left side i'm just a hot a** mess. I have only flat ironed twice since November. My comeback length would be BSL but that may be unrealistic so APL is good. I'm bunning 99% this year and no heat until my anniversay in July. How do i post pics?

I'm sorry to hear about ur setback mscece1, but I'm sure this year will bring beautiful growth and thickness! You'll be back to APL and beyond in no time. If you click "go advanced" at the bottom of the reply box, there will be a "manage attachment" button where you can upload pics from your computer. hope that helps!

yes it does thanks girl. BTW you hair is absolutely gorgeous.

mscece1 said:

I'm joining this challenge. I cut five inches last week my hair is so broken off my hair has never been shorter than APL now it's SL due to me straightenig my 3a hair weekly. Even though I would always DC for a hour with premium products and use a heat protectant my hair has suffered. And i have a big whole on the left side i'm just a hot a** mess. I have only flat ironed twice since November. My comeback length would be BSL but that may be unrealistic so APL is good. I'm bunning 99% this year and no heat until my anniversay in July. How do i post pics?

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This is exactly my deal. I'm using NO HEAT this year. I'm gon' keep wiggin' it so I don't succumb to the urge of seeing myself with (flat-ironed) straight hair. I cut off the straight stringy ends last week and I'm babying them back to health. Heat damage is no joke.

Theres still some heat damage left on the ends but im not cutting any more.

Plus it's really thin now from all the straighening

This will be my only challenge for 2012. I've failed miserably at all my 2011 challenges.

here are my stats:

1) Tell us about your setback, big or small.
My setback was fairly recent (like the last 2 weeks or so). I started the year off with my "v" at bsl but I was transitioning. I chopped my relaxed ends in March which put me at shoulder length. I got my hair colored in March and got the roots touched up every three months. All was going really well and I was set to at least be grazing BSL again by the end of December. I started to see little broken hairs around mid-December-not many but enough to make me take notice. I started doing protein at every wash and I guess that was overkill. My hair started feeling terrible and when I'd do my "unofficial shower length check" it seemed like my hair was shorter but I tried not to panic. I went to get my color retouched and flat ironed on 12/30 and I was so distraught over much progress I'd lost as well as how thin my hair was. I ended up cutting off about 2.5-3 inches and will probably have to cut more later.

2) How do you plan to recover? (ie, new regimen, PSing, no heat, baby ends, etc)

Well I already started by trimming; hopefully I won't have to cut any more. I will be in wigs for probably a year unless my hair makes some kind of dramatic improvement before then. I will be concentrating on moisture and staying away from protein unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I only used heat 4x a year before but I will probably only do it once for an end-of-the-year length check. I will be diligent with using my sulfur mix and jbco as well as vitamins. I'll also be incorporating amla and cassia into my regimen to hopefully get some thickness (I'll limit this to about every 2 weeks or so).

3) What is your comeback goal? (does not have to be a length goal...can be thickness, edges, etc)

I want my hair to be thicker. I've never really had super thick hair but it was average before. Lengthwise, I'd like to make it to BSL but I'm not going to get my hopes up because I've been on lhcf since '06 and BSL has eluded me.

4) Post a picture of your setback or simply post a starting picture.


this is my hair on 12/30/11 after my protein disaster (I'll take another pic of how it looks since I cut it)

MsCce1 i think your hair looks great but I know we are all particular about our hair. I can't wait to see your progress!

fivetimestwo I wouldn't give up on bsl at all. This year will be your year as well. U know what went wrong an your on the right track now. I bet you'll be surprised at years end!

Thank you big brown eyes but the ends are so thin now and the left side is shorter i hope it catches up.

I am in!!
1) I just stopped caring for my hair after I bleached it and of course it broke off.
2) I dont really have a regimen, but I plan on working on finishing up products and PSing. I will be in different challenges, one of which is taking care of my ends. so I will have more info on it later. no heat, baby ends, etc)
3) I really just want to take better care of my hair.
4)I need to figure out how to post a picture.
5) I will not be able to post pics but I will let you know how my hair is going.
6) ok
7) ok
8) Please remember that you are worth a few moments of taking care you yourself.

Welcome TrueSugar! I think Psing will definitely be benificial to you. I had some breakage in the back of my hair years ago and it has helped me tremendously! If you don't have a picture to post, that's ok, but here's how: If you click "go advanced" at the bottom of the reply box, there will be a "manage attachment" button where you can upload pics from your computer. I would love to see how much progress your gonna make!

I hate to ask this question but what is PSing?

mscece1 said:

I hate to ask this question but what is PSing?

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I'm sorry! PSing is protective styling, anything that hides/protects your ends or low manipulation styles such as buns, braids, twists, wigs, weaves, etc. Girl, you can ask any question! We all learn everyday from this board

For example, right now, I have my hair in cornrows (no extensions) and I plan to keep them in for 4weeks then redo them. I spray with leave-in conditioner and apply argan oil to the ends nightly. In between redoing them, i'll mainly be wearing buns.

Wow dumb question on my part. I'm PSing too i've been bunning for the past two months.

I'm in!
1) Tell us about your setback, big or small.
I did a poor job of a trim and cut a lot more length then I intended to. Took poor care of myself last year and my hair growth slowed down to a snails pace. Plus, I gave myself protein overload last month so the ends of my hair will have to be trimmed off evenly because they tangle up badly.

2) How do you plan to recover? (ie, new regimen, PSing, no heat, baby ends, etc)
Going back to the basics of babying my hair, protective styling all the time with a wig until May, not using any heat, doing pre-treatmetns overnight with coconut oil, and moisturizing my hair every other day.

3) What is your comeback goal? (does not have to be a length goal...can be thickness, edges, etc)
My goals are to retain as much length as I can, thicken up my hair, and get back to my optimum hair growth rate without the use of growth aids.

Ravengirl, I bet you'll notice a ton of growth by May with the wig PS. Great way to retain! Do you have a starting pic to share with us?

bigbrowneyez said:

@Ravengirl, I bet you'll notice a ton of growth by May with the wig PS. Great way to retain! Do you have a starting pic to share with us?

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I will take some pictures on Saturday when I wash my hair.

1) Tell us about your setback, big or small.

I bleached the front part of my hair around July 2010. Initially I loved the Cinnamon color. Then a month or two later I started to notice the severely damaged ends. I moisturize/seal, deep condition/protein treat it but nothing seems to help.

2) How do you plan to recover? (ie, new regimen, PSing, no heat, baby ends, etc)

So far I have been gradually trimming away the splits. I will deep condition my hair about once a week and baby my ends like crazy. To do this I will moisturize/seal twice daily and also baggy my ends 3x a week.

3) What is your comeback goal? (does not have to be a length goal...can be thickness, edges, etc

My goal is to trim away all of my bleached hair. I have grown about 4-5inches of hair since this disaster. By Dec 2012 I want the front part of my hair to be a healthy SL, no splits and no more bleached hair. NADA.

mscece1 said:

Theres still some heat damage left on the ends but im not cutting any more.

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I like how you captured the water coming from the shower. It looks like tinsel. Love your hair by the way.

Thank you BlackBird77. Since im not putting any heat on my hair i do my length checks in the shower. Once it starts drying i get shrinkage.

This is the exact challenge that I need. I'll update later this week with answers to all the questions. #iknowi'mwrong #buti'msoexcited

Welcome assiyrabomb! I know you can reach your goals for healthy, long thick hair! Don't trim more than you need to!

Welcome andromeda, awaiting your update! :-D

1) To me my set back was huge only because I was almost full SL and then now im SL in some spaces and my hair is thin.
2) How do you plan to recover? I have a new regimen using the correct products and listening to my hair. I neglected my hair at times and I certainly paid for it.
3) What is your comeback goal? Thickness and APL by Dec 2012

Im so in!! Recovering from Major dye damaged I endured in September 2010! 1) So 2011 it was complete breakage, and getting my thickness back...now that the color is basically growing now Im on to my old length and above. The avatar is the color, right on the day I got it colored. I went lighter then I did the year before and I paid for it dearly

2) I plan to Psing and growth aids sulfur mix
3) Comeback goal is MBL goal by September 2012
4) Post a picture 11/06/11
5) Will do will post a Pic in February since the last picture I have is from Novemeber
6)
Dont know if I keep up with inches but Ill measure by pics and length goals
7) No trims for 2012 (you may search and destroy split ends only)
8) Encourage each other and give helpful tips!

@NewHairWOWeave, I think you can reach APL this year! what products are you using now?

lawyer2be371, sorry about the damage from your dye job, but MBL is in your reach!

Rules:
1) Tell us about your setback, big or small.
- moved overseas in 2010 to a place where the water was terrible. Went from CBL to EL. Came back to the states last year and a scissor happy stylist gave my crazy short layers all over (I probably needed it). Spent the summer destroying the back of my hair with fake bunning (thought I was helping).
2) How do you plan to recover? (ie, new regimen, PSing, no heat, baby ends, etc)
Going back to what worked for me in 2009. I went from NL to CBL in 6 months (I have a long neck). No more product experimenting, and being consistent with what works.

3) What is your comeback goal? (does not have to be a length goal...can be thickness, edges, etc) Grow out the layers, grow out the broken patch in the back, and eventually get to APL.

4) Post a picture of your setback or simply post a starting picture.
Jan2010 is when my hair was longest. Sept 2010 back to high NL (wet pic). July 2011 is when I realized my buns were tearing my hair up. Dec 2011 was my last progress pic. Hoping to get back to CBL by June. Once I get to CBL I will probably trim to even things up.

7) No trims for 2012 (you may search and destroy split ends only) Nope, I gotta trim to get these layers and my ends evened out.

bigbrowneyez said:

@NewHairWOWeave, I think you can reach APL this year! what products are you using now?

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CON Moisture Poo and Condish
WEN Sweet Almond Mint
ORS Olive Oil Creme
Hot Six Oil
Affirm Relaxer

these are my staples for now. I'm trying to find another daily moisturizer (have my eyes on Mizani scouffle) and get Motions CPR (mild protein) & Coconut Oil.

LaidBak, girl you make great progress from July til December. Your hair is coming along very nicely.

mscece1 said:

LaidBak, girl you make great progress from July til December. Your hair is coming along very nicely.

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Aww, thanks!