Look what I found!!!

[Vanessa22]

I don't know where to begin. To make it short: It was really just what I needed to hear. As silly as this may sound, all of that information was like music to my ears, and every bit of it made sense. Simplicity is the key!

I have complete faith in myself that I won't be too long from my own goals. Thanks Honey for posting this!

P.S. Imagine if Yvette were to join LHCF and find this post of her!

 

[keke]

looooving that pic you have in your sig, there Soslychic. beautiful. I'm gonna read this again cuase i have these products now, well i gotta restock up on'em or maybe its good with what i got now.

 

[LaNecia]

Great post, very thoughtful of you! Thank you!

 

[UmSumayyah]

bump

 

[SherryLove]

Very Helpful info. I am glad you found it.........

 

[happylocks]

Now that I know how to make a bun am using this, but I still use products, I shed less hair in a bun then in braids, and a bun is alot easyer for me to do and to take down, thanks for sharing

 

[Cinnabuns]

This is really good advice. Thanks for posting this information it is really helpful.

 

[AllAboutTheHair]

bump

 

[TBird]

Great article. Seems like she may have the same hair type as I do. I've gotten so excited about growing my hair that maybe I'm doing to much. I need to hold on to the 'less is more' routine and just be patient. Good stuff. Thanks for posting

 

[HoneyRockette]

bumping because I just found it again.

 

[Cinnabuns]

Adding this post to favorites, I really love her advice

 

[auntybe]

This is just what I needed to hear. This is a favorite

 

[RushGirl]

Can someone please tell me how I add this to my favorites.. I read that there is suppose to be something called "extra information"..and then you do the favorites thing.. but I don't see it..

Thanks!

 

[Leonora]

WOW! Thanks Honeyrockette,

Your efforts are appreciated as you can see from all the responses. I'm sure this took quite a bit of time to pull together.

 

[Poohbear]

saved to favorites!

 

[Isis]

I thought I saved this before but I'm sure saving it now.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

My hair has gone from being a little past my shoulders to about four inches from my waist. (And no, for all you wisegals/guys out there, I am not a malformed person whose head is only a few inches from her waist anyway.) Now, granted, it took me a year to do it, but just think...how long was your hair 1 year ago? So, how long do you think it will be 1 year from today, by using the methods you are now? For me, this translated into about 8 inches in one year. And I don't use any potions or high-priced conditioners, etc. I simply follow the advice of a little, common sense pamphlet called the "Hair Care Handbook". Now, I just wash, condition (I've chosen to do it weekly), get my ends trimmed a little when I do my retouches (once a month or else the amount of new growth makes my hair uncontrollable and very poofy), wear my hair up most of the time and sleep on a satin pillowcase. The only thing extra that I do is to put a little conditioner or water on the ends of my hair before I put it up for the night, just to keep them moist. From there it's just a matter of patience. I didn't like wearing my hair up because it seemed to defeat the purpose of having it grow long, so I said I'd do it for a year or until my hair grows to a length that I really like and it's about there. The year will be over on October 31st. Can't wait to be able to wear my hair loose again!

But, fortunately, I'm stubborn. I wouldn't give up on something I really wanted. Also, my hair does grow about 3/4 inch/month, but I tend to trim off around half of that each month. The big thing is to try as hard as you can to protect the ends while being gentle on the scalp. That's when you'll see results!!!

I told you that you probably wouldn't believe me when I said that I hardly put anything on my hair. The hair washing routine is pretty much the same as my daily routine. In between washings I simply put some water or a little of the conditioner that came with the Dark and Lovely perm kit on about the last 2 inches of my hair, then I put my hair in my "up do" and go on about my day. And, remember, I'd mentioned using a satin pillowcase at night. Though, I know that some ladies like to use a satin scarf instead. That's good too, but sometimes I toss and turn a little too much for that to stay on.

Yes, my hair is naturally, phenominally dry. But I've found that, dry or not, it's not necessary to have my hair weighed down with a lot of extra chemicals (of course, the perming puts a lot of chems in the hair just by itself). I'd done the grease/oil thing for years and it had absolutely no benefits for my hair except to keep it greasy, heavy and fairly untouchable. But, remember when I'd stated that I use Cream of Nature shampoo/conditioner combo, well it leaves enough of a coating on my hair to keep it from actually looking dry. My ends, however, need the extra coating of conditioner in order to keep them from splitting. I know it's hard to believe, which is why I guess a lot of women still use grease. But, if you try not using it after just one washing, you'll see what I mean! You just might get hooked on the results!!!

Before using the routine I do now, I tried everything I heard of. Scalp massages, brushing vigorously with round-bristled brush, Vitamin E oil massages, magic hair growth grease, hair vitamins from a natural foods store, eating lots of wheat germ, over trimming the ends, etc. Then, I used to actually stop total strangers in the street, or wherever I found women who had longer hair than mine, and I'd interrogate them as to what products they were using, how often they got trims, etc. Some of whom were very helpful and gave whatever advice they could and some, pretty blatantly, didn't want to tell me anything that would make my hair look as good as theirs. So, believe me, I can relate to desperation.

I'm so glad you've found cheaper products that work for you! And, I see you like Creme of Nature. I haven't found a better detangling conditioner yet that doesn't contain alcohol.

By the way, I had to get substantial advice on trims, myself. It was a big setback putting trims off. But, I was phobic about them, having had so many people take off whatever amount they wanted despite my very specific instructions. Now, I do my own hair, everything from retouches to trims (I wash once a week and perm and trim once every four or five weeks depending on how much newgrowth I have).

Of course, I'm super excited because October 31st is the end of my experimental year! HOOOOORRAAAYYYY!!! I get to wear my hair down and measure to see it's full length!!! In about an hour I'm going to be celebrating!!!

Sorry, I got so carried away telling what my results were and what I did to celebrate that I didn't catch my typos and I didn't answer the hair trimming question. But, here goes... The only reason I'd started getting trims at all was because I'd heard they would make my hair grow faster. I started trimming my hair myself because I'd gotten frustrated with hair care "professionals" who would take off however much hair they felt like cutting at the time. Yes, CUT, not trim. I believe the most I'd had taken off without permission was 3 inches. Well, before the trim, my hair was just barely past my shoulders at the time and it had taken me years to get that, so I was more than a little angry (so angry, in fact, that the beautician was afraid I would tear her shop apart). Believe me, the longer it gets the easier it is to see because you can see all the ends, even the back. No guessing whether or not you've gotten it even. I section my hair, then I comb down each section as flat to my head as I can, then I run two fingers down a section until I'm holding the end amount that I want to trim. I take off about a centimeter (2.54 cm = 1 inch). After each section is trimmed I put the Dark and Lovely conditioner on the ends so that they are immediately being kept moist. I believe the hardest part of keeping my hair up for a year was each day, resisting the temptation to wear it down.
I'm glad you got to see my reply to Susan regarding cornrows. And I'm very much in favor of the use of your naturally grown hair as much as possible when styling, even to the exclusion of the store-bought kind. But, regarding cornrows in general, I believe that as long as you wear a style that requires a minimum of chemicals and heat implements and it keeps your ends safe, it's a good grow-out style. I'm going to keep my hair up until spring. I'm being really cautious about keeping the cold outdoor air and dry indoor heat from causing breakage. But, now that my hair is long, I plan to wear it down for special occasions like Thanksgiving and New Year's and other fun gatherings. For the past year, I'd kept it in a bun, no matter what. I'm going to be careful, but, I plan on having some fun with my hair this year!!!

My hair grows about 3/4 of an inch per month. All told, during the past year I've managed to retain about 9 inches of new growth! I wash my hair once per week (due to time constraints, but I'd rather do it twice per week). Then, I put it in a ponytail while I'm in the shower and let it dry naturally before putting it in a bun. Actually, usually only the ponytail part is completely dry and the rest is still damp when I put it up.

I can relate to your salon horror stories. I've had so many negative experiences with them that I've been doing my own hair for years now.

The little handbook I'd mentioned in previous posts, really did a lot to change the way I care for my hair overall. I'm much more gentle with it now. For example, one of the bits of advice the pamphlet gives is that you should never yank a comb through your hair whether it's wet or dry. Well, I thought that was pretty stupid. I mean, how can I get the tangles out of my hair if I don't yank the comb through. But, I tried it (with the help of a detangler) and, though the comb-out took longer, it made so much difference in reducing the number of split ends I had. If I could narrow hair care down to just one piece of advice, I'd say that you really do have to baby the ends of your hair. If they're not taken care of, you won't see much new growth. That's what I like most about the grow-out year. I'm money-conscious and it was so cheap to get long hair. I'm delirously happy because of that too. I had grown up thinking that only the girls who could afford to go to the salon every couple of weeks could have long hair. ANOTHER MYTH BITES THE DUST! HEY! HEY!

My hair has been permed for about 20 years now. I'm back to using what I started out with after having shifted to several other perms and relaxers, Dark and Lovely regular strength. But, the handbook I'm using said that I should not go perm-hopping. That I should choose a reliable, gentle perm and stick with it. And for the past year, that's what I did. Give it a try!

Now my hair is approx. 3 inches from my waist.

I'm 5'3" tall. And, yes, in one year I'd managed to retain more than 8 inches of new growth! And since I'm coming from a past record of only being able to keep about 1 inch, that's why I'm ecstatic!!!

I don't doubt that she grew her hair long, but the math is throwing me off. :scratchch She said her hair grows about 3/4 inch per month, yet she's retained 8-9 inches for the year... even despite trimming almost 1/2 of the 3/4 inch every time she touches up which is every 4-5 weeks.... So let's say she grows 3/4 inches x 12 months= 9 inches. However, every 4-5 weeks she trims 1/2 of the 3/4 inch growth. That puts her back at a net growth of 4.5 inches per year? This sounds like an excellent math problem for MissK. It's a motivating thread nonetheless.

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

I am confused too, Diva!

 

[AJamericanDiva]

I am confused too, Diva!

Glad I ain't the only one!

 

[Poohbear]

When I read it, I disregarded the math because I'm sure she probably didn't keep track of how much she actually grew or retained... she was probably just giving approximations....as long as she was seeing growth/retainage of length, I see it as a great accomplishment.

 

[AJamericanDiva]

When I read it, I disregarded the math because I'm sure she probably didn't keep track of how much she actually grew or retained... she was probably just giving approximations....as long as she was seeing growth/retainage of length, I see it as a great accomplishment.

I see the retention of length as an accomplishment too! Be it 2 inches or even 6... but at the same time, I know how some people like to take info and run with it. When they are not measuring up to this self imposed standard, they get discouraged. Know what I mean?

 

[Poohbear]

I see the retention of length as an accomplishment too! Be it 2 inches or even 6... but at the same time, I know how some people like to take info and run with it. When they are not measuring up to this self imposed standard, they get discouraged. Know what I mean?

Yes! I definitely understand! I know how a lot of us on here can be easily lured into trying whatever they hear is a good way to grow their hair and they'll definitely do it (which I have been guilty of doing! ) and then they'll get discouraged when they don't get the same or better results from doing it!

 

[star]

Thanks HoneyRockett for taking the time to empower us.

 

[joyous]

bump bump bump

 

[MissYocairis]

He AJ. I saw all that too and I was wondering how she was managing to trim every month and still end up with 8 in in 12 months. Then, when you reposted her info I noticed she said she trims off about 1 cm. Isn't that really just "dusting"?

 

[shawniegee]

Thanks so much HoneyRockette I'm glad I found this.

 

[AllAboutTheHair]

Bumping for Ciciely

 

[hairlover]

great thread, thanks.

 

[Mestiza]

Thanks for taking the time to share this w/ us, HoneyRockette!

 

[CandiceC]

Woah this thread is old!



ETA: This was started a few days before I graduated college. Now I feel old.