Hip Length 2011!! Let's do this!!

[Ms Lala]

Hello Ladies!

Better late than never...I'm in!

Current Length: WL
Regimen: I keep it real simple...wash once weekly, moisturize and airdry. I baggy nightly.
Plans: Continue current regimen, and relaxer stretches.
Hip Length Date: Anticipating December 2011.

Welcome!!! Your hair is beautiful!

 

[NJoy]

Hey Ladies!!!

Just checking in, my hair is finally feeling like it's old self since my henna treatment. It is still stronger but not as brittle and I think the breakage has stopped. I've been wearing my hair loose more frequently so I'm going to need to trim more and my detangling is taking longer. But overall I'm pretty happy w/my hair. I'm looking for a moisturizer w/no protein, any suggestions? I also had a minor setback w/a pair of clippers and my nape, but I'm not ready to talk about that yet.

'k, I'm a hundred years late, I know but, what happened with the henna? It caused breakage?

I'm prepping to henna tomorrow and am looking forward to it....i think. erplexed

 

[Ms Lala]

'k, I'm a hundred years late, I know but, what happened with the henna? It caused breakage?

I'm prepping to henna tomorrow and am looking forward to it....i think. erplexed

I hennaed back in Dec. I did several strand tests that went well. But when I did the full treatment I used a leave-in which I didn't realize had protein (it was almost the last ingredient though) and my hair went into protein overload. My hair has been extremely sensitive to protein since. I had to cut out all protein for a while. My hair was brittle and breaking until I got my moisture levels back right. I don't think I will ever do a full henna treatment again, I may try a gloss because I still have some left. Just be very careful w/using anything that has protein in it. I've never been protein sensitive before.

 

[mEmYSELFaNDj]

Hey ladies I haven't checked in here in a minute. If you haven't seen my update thread floating around, My Feb 2011 updates are in my siggy. if u find my thread I have more pics and a lot more in my fotki. I'm enjoying my flat ironed hair but after this I plan on going back to the basics and doing back to back installs. I retained the most growth by wearing weaves so I'm going back to that until I reach HL.

 

[NJoy]

I hennaed back in Dec. I did several strand tests that went well. But when I did the full treatment I used a leave-in which I didn't realize had protein (it was almost the last ingredient though) and my hair went into protein overload. My hair has been extremely sensitive to protein since. I had to cut out all protein for a while. My hair was brittle and breaking until I got my moisture levels back right. I don't think I will ever do a full henna treatment again, I may try a gloss because I still have some left. Just be very careful w/using anything that has protein in it. I've never been protein sensitive before.

What did you use in your henna mix?

 

[BostonMaria]

Hello ladies!
I've been wearing my hair curly for about 2 weeks now. I am going to rollerset maybe tonight or tomorrow, but it has to be done. My curly hair shrinks up so badly and I can't keep wetting it every morning cuz it gets annoying LOL

I did an Amla treatment a few days ago. I added honey + avocado oil and it came out nice and creamy. I left it on for about an hour and rinsed, put my hair in a bun.

 

[NikkiGirl]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to check in and say Hi! I haven't been doing much to my hair lately. I have been co-washing maybe once a week if I'm up to it. My hair is growing though and I am not doing much to it. So just gonna keep doing that.

 

[NJoy]

Soooooo... I usually wash my hair in sections and don't know what possessed me to take it all loose and wash it. Was it that I was DC'g with a modified carmel mixed that had me thinking it would be soft and manageable? Was it a moment of temporary insanity? I don't know.

Generally, the treatment went fine. My hair feels good but, uh... yeah, this 29 wks of ng is sticking together like long lost lovers. I've decided not to tug at it or detangle. I oiled it up, pulled it all together and decided to wait and try again this morning after I run out to grab some Porosity Control (don't know how I let myself run out) and a new bottle of Giovanni conditioner, which I hear natural hair loves.

I'm not in a panic or frustrated. I'm just wondering why I'm trying to walk before I learn to crawl. 29 wks post is a lot of ng for a head that's been relaxed most of my life. Why, oh why did I think I could handle it all out?

Was it because I was getting caught up in how my hair was feeling in the shower? Silly me. Silly, silly me. Ah well, I'm off to Sally's, thankful that I didn't henna. Who knows how that would've cemented my hair.

Hoping to handle this without getting frustrated and just cutting all my hair off. Hopefully the oil has already started helping. Somebody pray for me. This is going to take divine intervention.

 

[BostonMaria]

NJoy how long are you going to stretch? When will you relax your hair again? Just be careful!

I just deep conditioned my hair with some Giovanni Smooth as Silk Protein treatment. Why did I stop using this product? It melts my tangles and feels like silk in my hair. I need to stop being cheap and buy a bottle. I only bought a sample pack at Whole Foods LOL

 

[NJoy]

@NJoy how long are you going to stretch? When will you relax your hair again? Just be careful!

I just deep conditioned my hair with some Giovanni Smooth as Silk Protein treatment. Why did I stop using this product? It melts my tangles and feels like silk in my hair. I need to stop being cheap and buy a bottle. I only bought a sample pack at Whole Foods LOL

Girl, I was supposed to be stretching for 6 months. That came and went. I have no idea which way I'm going. I do love the thickness...uh, when it's under control that is. I may relax next week at 30 wks, push it back to 35 wks or just officially transition. I'm trying to decide as I go along and just continue to stretch until I've decided to do otherwise. Um, this may be a deciding factor now. Just got back from Sally's and am grabbing my tangle teaser and seeing if I can get this stuff under control. It's not crazy tangled, I don't think. It's pretty much just sticking together, which is why I thought laying my cuticles down might be the answer. We shall see. Will I be back relieved or bald? Stay tuned to find out.

(cue the suspense music)

 

[BostonMaria]

(cue the suspense music)

Have you tried rollersetting? When I transitioned I thought I could just co-wash daily and put my hair in a bun, but by month 6 & 7 my two textures were at war with each other! From months 7 through 10 I rollerset my hair once a week because it was the only way for me to hide the two textures and be able to comb my hair.

I say go natural! Join us on this side! So far not having to relax your hair has made it grow! I am one of those people that had many set backs with relaxers. My hair just doesn't like 'em I guess.

 

[NJoy]

Have you tried rollersetting? When I transitioned I thought I could just co-wash daily and put my hair in a bun, but by month 6 & 7 my two textures were at war with each other! From months 7 through 10 I rollerset my hair once a week because it was the only way for me to hide the two textures and be able to comb my hair.

I say go natural! Join us on this side! So far not having to relax your hair has made it grow! I am one of those people that had many set backs with relaxers. My hair just doesn't like 'em I guess.

I can't rollerset to save my life. Well, I can set the rollers but I can't sit under a dryer too long. It gives me a baked-in headache and takes too long.

So anyway, I get in the shower and start working on my hair. It's not the whole head but I can feel some small clumps in the back. I detangled one but, while in the shower, I went to shake the conditioner bottle and somehow grabbed a some of my hair and riiiiiiiip! Oh, I know that rip sound. (Thank God it was a small section.) I had that happen to me early on in the game when I had protein overload. So, I'm suspecting that's the same case now and decided not to try to detangle if I'm suspecting protein overload. (I had a feeling when I was mixing up my DC that I needed to stay away from protein. I was throwing in stuff just to finish it up. Straight trippin. )

Anywho, I'm sitting under a steamer now doing a moisturizing treatment. I'll worry about the tangles later. But while I was in there, I'm like "that's it! I'm not going to be able to handle a whole head full of tangles. Time to texlax". I didn't have any problems growing my hair while texlaxed. I think I texlaxed 2 or 3 times last year before diving head long into this long stretch. I think I may texlax to reach my goal and then consider transitioning later. I gotta crawl before I walk.

But, for now, I've gotta spend time bringing my hair back into balance and eventually detangle. Seems I had a detangling issue like this a little earlier in my stretch. Not fun but, this too shall pass.

 

[~*~ShopAholic~*~]

I'll be 22 wks post on Sunday, and will be doing my T-up. I haven't been doing much but moisturizing with Silken Child and applying grapeseed oil regularly. I was going to go the full 24 wks but we'll see come Sunday. .. LOL

Sent from my Zio

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Just wondering...how many of you ladies are using cassia or henna? I haven't tried it. And I'm afraid to "mix" it up with the whole if it ain't broke thing. However it seems to me that it really strengthens the hair and can help it in growing to these longer lengths while smoothing out the frizz (I like this idea a LOT!). Right now I'm in a ps and will continue for at least 2 months. BUT thinking of doing cassia or henna after that...any thoughts?

 

[NJoy]

Whew! Safe! My hair feels good and is thoroughly detangled and in 8 bantu knots. I went out and got some Taliah Waajid Detangler and took my time, section by section.

First of all, I had my hair in 6 Celie braids before I DC'd last night and didn't bother to comb thru it before washing. Note to self: When too tired to do anything to your hair at night, put on a scarf and take it to bed. Don't get fancy.

I still think I'm going to texlax next week tho. This was too much work. erplexed

 

[kami11213]

Happy things turned out well with your hair NJoy... I know those tangles when stretching are horrible! I'm over a year post and the matting is ridiculous. I keep my hair braided under a wig because it's just easier that way. Not sure when I'll relax again I just don't feel the desire right now.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

anyone? (to henna cassia) would love to know.

 

[PeculiarDaye]

Hey Ladies,

I don't remember what I did before I trimmed last year so Ive got to ask...
Should I wash and then Trim or trim after I wash?
Because Im trimming tonight
​

 

[BostonMaria]

Just wondering...how many of you ladies are using cassia or henna? I haven't tried it. And I'm afraid to "mix" it up with the whole if it ain't broke thing. However it seems to me that it really strengthens the hair and can help it in growing to these longer lengths while smoothing out the frizz (I like this idea a LOT!). Right now I'm in a ps and will continue for at least 2 months. BUT thinking of doing cassia or henna after that...any thoughts?

I used to henna back in 2007-2009 but I found it to be extremely drying to my hair. I was using it to strengthen my hair, but I found that Amla powder did the same thing so I'm using the amla instead. Amla powder is much more moisturizing.

I say try it and see how it feels. My only recommendation is to avoid using lemon juice and use hot water (I put red tea bags in my hot water) instead.

 

[kami11213]

Hey Ladies,

I don't remember what I did before I trimmed last year so Ive got to ask...
Should I wash and then Trim or trim after I wash?
Because Im trimming tonight
​

I always wash then trim

 

[Lucia]

anyone? (to henna cassia) would love to know.

I used henna before now I use cassia it does strengthen the hair I 2nd not using lemon juice too it will be to drying. Make sure to use a moisture DC after and you'll be fine. The Ayurvedic powders do the same without the dryness. I never have dryness issues with henna or cassia since I stopped using lemon in the mix just use plain hot water or tea let it set overnight before you use it that gives it time to develop I guess. Hth

 

[luckiestdestiny]

Thanks so much Boston Maria and Lucia. Perhaps I'll try this when I take down my ps. I was worried about the drying effects, but I'll try what you say Lucia in reference to no lemon juice.

 

[Dee Raven]

Thanks so much Boston Maria and Lucia. Perhaps I'll try this when I take down my ps. I was worried about the drying effects, but I'll try what you say Lucia in reference to no lemon juice.

I did a henna gloss (I think that's what it's called) a month ago and it was amazing. I mixed the henna with regular old lipton tea in the morning, then before I put it on I mixed in conditioner until it was to the right consistency. Left it on over night then washed it out. My hair came out so nice. It felt thicker, it didn't tangle as much, it was super soft. Just loved it. I've done it before without the conditioner and it made my hair really dry so I highly recommend it. Also, I didn't shampoo until the next week. I think that helped to.

So as for my update, my lead hairs are grazing hip. Yay. But I still haven't trimmed. Like I said before I'm going to try to hold out until June so that I'm at hip and have some additional length that I can trim off but we'll see. One thing I've learned is that search and destroy is NOT for me. Every time I look at my hair I find some splits. It's super frustrating and it's been causing me to be really obsessive and pessimistic about my hair. Before I didn't even think about it and was quite content.

 

[BostonMaria]

I did a henna gloss (I think that's what it's called) a month ago and it was amazing. I mixed the henna with regular old lipton tea in the morning, then before I put it on I mixed in conditioner until it was to the right consistency. Left it on over night then washed it out. My hair came out so nice. It felt thicker, it didn't tangle as much, it was super soft. Just loved it. I've done it before without the conditioner and it made my hair really dry so I highly recommend it. Also, I didn't shampoo until the next week. I think that helped to.

So as for my update, my lead hairs are grazing hip. Yay. But I still haven't trimmed. Like I said before I'm going to try to hold out until June so that I'm at hip and have some additional length that I can trim off but we'll see. One thing I've learned is that search and destroy is NOT for me. Every time I look at my hair I find some splits. It's super frustrating and it's been causing me to be really obsessive and pessimistic about my hair. Before I didn't even think about it and was quite content.

I can get obsessive compulsive about my ends. The good news is that if you continue with the S&D now you can avoid a huge trim in the future. Take small sections at a time. Sometimes it'll take days for me to finish, but the following month I try again I find less and less split ends.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[NJoy]

I did a henna gloss (I think that's what it's called) a month ago and it was amazing. I mixed the henna with regular old lipton tea in the morning, then before I put it on I mixed in conditioner until it was to the right consistency. Left it on over night then washed it out. My hair came out so nice. It felt thicker, it didn't tangle as much, it was super soft. Just loved it. I've done it before without the conditioner and it made my hair really dry so I highly recommend it. Also, I didn't shampoo until the next week. I think that helped to.

So as for my update, my lead hairs are grazing hip. Yay. But I still haven't trimmed. Like I said before I'm going to try to hold out until June so that I'm at hip and have some additional length that I can trim off but we'll see. One thing I've learned is that search and destroy is NOT for me. Every time I look at my hair I find some splits. It's super frustrating and it's been causing me to be really obsessive and pessimistic about my hair. Before I didn't even think about it and was quite content.

I can get obsessive compulsive about my ends. The good news is that if you continue with the S&D now you can avoid a huge trim in the future. Take small sections at a time. Sometimes it'll take days for me to finish, but the following month I try again I find less and less split ends.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

I'm just way too lazy to do S&D. It takes too much time and is too tedious. I just use the Split ender and call it a day. It also cuts some ends that are not split but, the amount it cuts isn't even noticeable so, I just chalk it up to having fresh ends. I've not had any problems with splits since I've started my hhj.

 

[BostonMaria]

Njoy if you have the split ender, even better. I might buy one of those.

 

[Optimus_Prime]

Just protective styling. From what I saw on my most recent wash day, I'm very confident of making HL this year - probably by August.

 

[NJoy]

Happy things turned out well with your hair NJoy... I know those tangles when stretching are horrible! I'm over a year post and the matting is ridiculous. I keep my hair braided under a wig because it's just easier that way. Not sure when I'll relax again I just don't feel the desire right now.

Well... turning out well is relative. I'm not saying I made it out unscathed. I'm sure I lost some hair. Not as much as I could've if I would've just got frustrated and grabbed the scissors. I'm going to texlax sometime next week so I'll really be able to assess the damage then. But, since my hair is layered and I'm trying tro grow out the layers, I'm not going to worry about it. There's a lot of year left in 2011. Better sooner than later I suppose. I just learned that I'm not ready to handle natural hair yet. My decision on whether to texlax, continue stretching or transition has been made. Dang. Did the answer have to come with such drama?

I was planning 6 months and made it to 7.5. I knew a year was a stretch but, I was gonna try it. I tried. So...How do you handle the matting?

 

[Dee Raven]

I can get obsessive compulsive about my ends. The good news is that if you continue with the S&D now you can avoid a huge trim in the future. Take small sections at a time. Sometimes it'll take days for me to finish, but the following month I try again I find less and less split ends.


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

@BostonMaria , do feel like the s&d has helped you in your progress? And what kind of scissors are you using. I'm worried that maybe my scissors aren't sharp enough and in some way causing more splits.

I'm just way too lazy to do S&D. It takes too much time and is too tedious. I just use the Split ender and call it a day. It also cuts some ends that are not split but, the amount it cuts isn't even noticeable so, I just chalk it up to having fresh ends. I've not had any problems with splits since I've started my hhj.

@NJoy, I'm contemplating purchasing the splitender. How often do you use it to prevent splits?

 

[NJoy]

@NJoy, I'm contemplating purchasing the splitender. How often do you use it to prevent splits?

I've only used it 4 times since I bought it last year. The first 3 times was once a month after I got it. Mainly because I wanted to get my money's worth. I had to stop myself because it wasn't necessary. I think I'm going to use it again after I texlax my hair, just to make sure any breakage doesn't turn into splits. Other than that, I didn't really have a schedule. Just a new toy.