2025/2026 - Journey to SL/APL/BSL Challenge

[faithVA]

Year in review/2026 intro

I'm still a bit under the weather but I did manage to wash, blow dry, and flat iron my hair got the end of year length check. Not much changed, probably because my health to a nose dive the last quarter of the year. My mini haircut in the fall didn't help either as my hair is growing back in its lopsided way (the left getting longer than the right)

I feel my hair looked the best in the summer (06/25) but I unfortunately don't know exactly what I was doing to get it to that point. That's why for 2026 I'm going to be much more diligent about writing my routine and products down this year. The only thing I know got sure that I stopped doing was pre-pooing with oil. Maybe I need to get back to that.

For 2026, I'm going to again shoot for full APL.. I'm taking out back old school with techniques and styling. Lately I've noticed my scalp responds better to cleansing with sulfates on my shampoo and deep conditioners with some mild silicone. I also am back to doing LOC due to the colder weather. My styles will be lots of buns and rolls/twists. Wigs really are doing a number on my hairline, so they're out for a while.



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Hair is so interesting and yours definitely has its own personality. So from March to June, your left side grew out to match the right side. Then it grew past the right side. It looks like your right side decided to try to catch up.

Maybe that is just your growth pattern. Maybe you have a left, right growth pattern?

I know it doesn't look noticeable, but you definitely have some growth and retention. And your best growth is probably from Spring to Fall. Its possible your best days are before you.