Big Trimmers! If I'm frustrated, maybe you are too...

[Tracy]

Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Well - you know the deal. You cut your hair because you need to cut your hair and then you regret it as each inch creeps back.....

My most recent challenges have been getting my hair into a bun. The layers I had cut in are long, and they fall right toward the ends where all the bulk is supposed to be to make a bun. /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif

I also (probably just Murphy's Law since I just cut it in Spetember) just realized that since I colored in April I have just barely gotten 2.5 inches (I could tell by how far the color's grown out). That's UNDER a half inch a month. Sickening. I am the only person on the face of the earth who's hair grows this slowly!!! /images/graemlins/wallbash.gif And of course, I realize it just AFTER I cut off a significant amount of my hair. It's going to take forever for me to get back what I lost - forever and a day. /images/graemlins/mad.gif

I'm also finding that I have major issues with volume now. I'm not complaining....I guess. But when my hair was longer it wasn't NEARLY as big.

And lastly, while I really am perfecting the art of creating bona fide curls on relaxed hair, I am HATING how much SHRINKAGE I get. I straightened my hair for the first time yesterday in AGES and my hair is WELL past my shoulders - sitting squarely in the middle of my shoulder blades. But when I wear it curly it just barely reaches my shoulders at all! When it was longer, it was almost as long curly as it was straight.

All in all, I know I did the right thing by cutting my hair, and I KNOW it's easier to manage now that it falls into palce better without the raggedy ends - but I'm pissed!

I want my hair back! /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif

How are y'all faring?

 

[sengschick]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Well I didn't really big trim, but I am frustrated. You are not alone w/the hair growing @ a snails pace. I feel like I've made progress, but I also feel like I'm treading water. It's frustrating at best. My hair has improved and is very healthy but is it too much to ask for a little length in return for my dedication??? I don't regret my trim b/c my ends feel great and are nice and blunt, but I'm not so sure when dusting time comes around I'm going to be so eager to see those shears /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif.

I know you are taking excellent care of your hair now T, so all you have to do is wait. But if that ain't the hard part I don't know what in the world is!!!! Now let's hold hands and sing, "Ohhh, deep in my heart, I do believe, that we shall overcome some day...." /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[ms_kenesha]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I'm frustrated because I can get the back of my hair into a bunnytail (not a pony) but since I got my hair in layers the top of my hair won't go in it, so I can't wear a phonypony to protect my hair because my hair is in DUMB LAYERS!!!

I think I'm going to get senegalese twists in two weeks. /images/graemlins/wallbash.gif

 

[Ayeshia]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

[ QUOTE ]
I'm frustrated because I can get the back of my hair into a bunnytail (not a pony) but since I got my hair in layers the top of my hair won't go in it, so I can't wear a phonypony to protect my hair because my hair is in DUMB LAYERS!!!

I think I'm going to get senegalese twists in two weeks. /images/graemlins/wallbash.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah as soon as I got my trim I got twists 4 days later. Its been exactly three weeks and Im seeing growth (thank god) but I was thinking it could be slippage too but I cant really tell. /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif Hopefully it is growth.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I wasn't on the challenge but ended up doing a big trim anyway. It is very frustrating. My hair isn't even ALL that short but all I see is bald-head when I look in the mirror.

 

[cutebajangirl]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I am frustrated big time. After having problems with underprocessing I decided to go for the texturized look. From the ears down my hair looks phenomenal.However the front is too stringy and straight. I feel stupid that it took me a year to realize that since the front of my hair is a different texture that maybe just maybe I shouldn't put any relaxer in it at all. So now for the look I want I feel like the best thing to do would be to cut it down to 3 inches and go from there. Unless I want some weird mullet thing going on. All of this now means I have an appt at expensive (/images/graemlins/angry2.gif) Curve's for Thursday and probably will end up getting a weave on Friday. /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

ETA: As for trimming, I didn't trim but I lost 2-3 inches when I took my braids out because of tangling. If it wasn't for the tangle tamer I'd be at ear length.

 

[katie]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Tracy and Sengschick,have you ever tried Surge or any of the popular vits that ladies on this board like for hair growth(think Carlie's thread on best vitamins for hair growth).Maybe those can help you up your growth rate.When I Surge,take my MSM and exercise 3-4 times a week it really ups my growth rate.

 

[Nyambura]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

YES! I feel as if my hair hasn't grown at all - where's that pregancy boost, y'all? lol! My hair is surviving the liar who put *no-lye* in my hair while claiming it was lye /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif - and failed to apply it evenly; she's black but the whole time, each time, she would say "your hair is sooooo curly!" (I guess she d/n recognize that stuff growing out of her scalp as her natural texture and it definitely wasn't curly ... what's up with the self-denial bit?) ::roll eyes::

So after 3 botch-ups (not touch-ups), I switched to someone who actually knew what she was doing -but was scissor-happy. <sigh> She said she needed to trim the ends (I could feel her fingers twitching eagerly behind the chair I sat in) and I made her show me what she thought an inch was - it was 4 inches. I shoulda re-read SuperGirl's NO SHS treatise before I went, 'cause I sure lost some inches...didn't feel different b/c she left my hair a little shorter than it was pre-touchup. Only later, post-touchup, did I realize my hair should have been several inches longer.

Between the first hairdresser, who apparently wants to be the ONLY black woman with long hair, and the second, Mrs. Edward Scissorhands, my hair is exactly where yours is, Trace (but it's been a while since I've re-touched).
So, yep, like you, my hair suffered from chemical abuse. /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif

It felt good to get those gripes out but it'll feel better when they returned to be repressed memories... /images/graemlins/wallbash.gif

 

[Lindy]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Well, I'm not a big trimmer, but YES, I'm frustrated!! I seem to be stuck... just shy of bra-strap length... and it's driving me craaazzy!! /images/graemlins/whyme.gif I now have SOME strands that are at brastrap length, but I want to be FULLY (ALL strands laying in the middle of the brastrap) not this teasing little "just barely brushing the top of the strap" stuff!! /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif

I sometimes think that this is an unattainable goal, cuz I feel like my stylist is gonna sabotage me by keeping the back of my hair (where I can't watch him to see how much he's trimming!!)above bra-strap... /images/graemlins/look.gif

This is becoming an obsession.. /images/graemlins/spinning.gif

 

[Dare~to~Dream]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I can take tons of supplements and spray Surge twice a day [though when I first started using Surge I got lots of growth] and it still seems as if I get less 1/4 inch of growth every month. I'm following the Cathy Howse method so I'm not trimming my hair at this time but it just grows too slow /images/graemlins/frown.gif.

 

[Poohbear]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

[ QUOTE ]
And lastly, while I really am perfecting the art of creating bona fide curls on relaxed hair, I am HATING how much SHRINKAGE I get. I straightened my hair for the first time yesterday in AGES and my hair is WELL past my shoulders - sitting squarely in the middle of my shoulder blades. But when I wear it curly it just barely reaches my shoulders at all! When it was longer, it was almost as long curly as it was straight.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can relate to ya' on this /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif

 

[simplycee]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Well I reached my goal of bra strap (in the back) only to trim a couple weeks later. Now depending on how straight my hair is it seems that I'm so close but so far away. I can see the new growth but it doesn't seem to make my hair "look" any longer.

I've decided to go back to braids for a month or two to keep my sanity. At least when I was in braids I didn't feel the need to check out my hair in the mirror every five seconds.

The good thing is I have managed to remain faithful to the bun challenge. I can see the difference in my ends. I have invested in hair sticks, jaw clips, hair slides and bun wraps to keep my bun interesting. I'm hoping to see the difference when I complete Den1's no measuring challenge.

 

[Tracy]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Ooo! Ooo! Comrades! LOL!

Well I'm not happy you guys are grumbling like me, but at least we're all grumbling together.

Katie - almost nothing affects my growth rate. Not Surge. Not really vits either (although I must admit Biotin helps a little) I just don't feel like swallowing pills like a Cancer patient anymore. /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif

Do you guys ever start to feel that this hair growth thing is just not worth it? I mean, I feel like I spend all my time taking care of my hair only to make some progress and then have to cut it all off again. I know part of it is definitely my fault, but still... :::::sulk::::: ::::out:::::

 

[inthepink]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Don't give up Tracy. Hair is going to grow anyway so why not have healthy growing hair?

I am frustrated with my hair simply b/c I do not like wearing it down curly yet. My face is thin and having short hair does not flatter it. I know my hair is growing but I don't think I'll really be comfortable wearing it down for another 10 months. I've been wearing a ponytail/bun for over a year and a half and I'm sick of it. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[skegeesmb]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I just cut my hair last weekend. I cut an inch average, but when I measured the shortest hairs were cut an inch, and the longer tail was almost two inches.

So now I'm not even at braclasp anymore, I am the same length I was July 12, but now it's all the same length (no tail like my picture had)in a u-shaped cut.

So now I'm in the braclasp 2005 boat. I'll probably make it by March/April next year. I have to do one more cut. It's going to probably be another inch, but then my hair will be blunt cut.

 

[sengschick]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I swear that some days my hair is btwn my shoulder blades but 10 seconds later it's been at the same length forever. I try to stay encouraged by appreciating the thickness and the fact my pony tail is huge b/c my struggling front and sides are getting longer and stronger. But my progress pics are a source of frustration, b/c I don't see much progress. I'm not giving in though b/c somethings gotta give. But I must admit I've been here before then I decide to 'enjoy my hair' I get to doing all sorts of stuff and then what's next? Breakage, damage and decreasing length /images/graemlins/ohwell.gif. We can all do this, we can, we can.

@Katie-- Surge may help, but it's not worth it to me. I hate the wet roots and when I rollerset (and have straight hair) I'm just creating more drama w/two textures or b/c I have to pull and brush my hair back to get it to stay straight @ the root. What I need is a good dose of patience.

@Tracy: "taking pills like a cancer patient" /images/graemlins/lachen70.gif
So true, so true. I poppin' four pills a day for length, strength or some something they claim. I swear I have flourescent urine. /images/graemlins/perplexed.gif

 

[Tracy]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

[ QUOTE ]
Don't give up Tracy. Hair is going to grow anyway so why not have healthy growing hair?

I am frustrated with my hair simply b/c I do not like wearing it down curly yet. My face is thin and having short hair does not flatter it. I know my hair is growing but I don't think I'll really be comfortable wearing it down for another 10 months. I've been wearing a ponytail/bun for over a year and a half and I'm sick of it. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

You are so right HL (in fact, that reasoning is what started me growing my hair in the first place - Thanks Wanakee! LOL!).

I 'll bet you ARE sick of wearing a bun!! You've been dedicated for a loooongg time, and "gave up" FAR more hair than I. If you can do it, I can too. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[webby]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

This was me last year. I did a huge cut (have a 10 inch ponytail as proof). Afterwards, I just kept getting it cut off, until I ended up with a short pixie. It took about a year and a half to get it all even, in a perfect Bob, but there is actually a bright side...

Because my hair was shorter, it was easier to manage. This made it much easier to perfect my roller set skills and eventually my blow drying skills. I got so good at both that the only thing that I really miss about a salon is the time that I save by having someone else do it. Also, I miss the lack of interuptions that occur as soon as I get ready to put in the first roller...the phone, the door, the pets **sigh**.

 

[inthepink]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Ske - I bet your hair is still beautiful! Did you decided not to transition anymore? Either way, you have beautiful hair and I can certainly understand not wanting to go through that again. Can't wait to see new pictures.

 

[skegeesmb]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

[ QUOTE ]
Ske - I bet your hair is still beautiful! Did you decided not to transition anymore? Either way, you have beautiful hair and I can certainly understand not wanting to go through that again. Can't wait to see new pictures.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah hairlove. I just retexturized again. I will go natural though, but I just want this waistlength goal first. As long as I am up north transitioning won't be as frustrating.

 

[dannie]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Thank you for bumping this thread so I can vent. I cut off about 1 1/2 on Tuesday nite, because I decided I want blunt hair. I was recovering from my almost 3in trim combined between Aug and Sep to compensate for a thin spot in the back of my hair. It was growing back and I was 1 1/2 from bs, but even hair is more impressive and looks better IMO. So I got SH, and even though my hair is super thick, and completly even like never before, I feel like it's been this length forever. Well, because it has. I feel like giving up.

Luckily, my hair seems to grow pretty fast, so hopefully I'll be offically bra-strap, with thick even hair by late Spring 05'. I started taking my B vits again, they really help w/ my growth.

I'm tired of this already. I've start growing out shoulder length hair in Jan 03' and here I am mid-shoulder blades 2yrs later. I keep reminding myself about how thick and even it is, but screw that, give me bra-strap!!!!

On the up side. I have a ton of new growth, so hopefully when I get a "prof" touch up in Dec, I'll be closer to bra-strap then I think, because I have a ton of shrinkage.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[melodee]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I just got another trim (about an inch or a little more), about a month and a half after my first big( 3/4-1inch) trim. Up until this point I was only dusting or cutting off 1/4 to 1/2 inch. And I'm feeling bad!!!
I was all set to have it done, because my old faded highlighted ends were dry and breaking, even after the first trim. And my hair is trying to grow out of layers, so there was a long tail in the back and it was kind of uneven. But it looks really short, like I'm set back a yeat or so. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it seems short to me. I refuse to measure again, thinking of joining the no measure challenge, but I was at 24", then about 23", and now I'm sure I'm at 22" or maybe even less. It IS even and the ends look thicker though. I'm going into braids or twists by Thanksgiving.

 

[simplycee]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

I just got a trim yesterday! I got my mom to trim for me and this trim gave me the blunt cut I've wanted but I feel like I cut all my progress. I'm on the no measuring challenge and my friend has my tape measure so I can't tell exactly how long my hair is now. Oh well, I've decided to braid my hair next week so at least I won't stress over it too much.

 

[cdfrank]

Re: Big Trimmers! If I\'m frustrated, maybe you are too...

Tracy, Thanks for mentioning the "Big Trimmer" support group - this is the type of commiserating (sp?) that I need right now. I was hoping to be brastrap by Dec 31st. I even bought, hair/nail pills right around Halloween. I had to begin taking children's chewable vitamins instead of my multivitamin to compensate for this new pill I have to swallow.

You all have made me laugh and brightened my day, though: "we shall overcome", "all I see is bald head", "wierd mullet thing going on", "Edward Scissorhands", "swallowing pills like a cancer patient".

I love this crew! Together, we can see this thing through without giving up. Luckily, I am a librarian because I definitely have the bun thing working. But when I get my length back - watch out there now!