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Hip–Tailbone Length (HL–TBL) 2014 Challenge!

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Soooooo... my hair decided to dread near the middle right side of my head. :( Nothing too serious but enough for me to end my stretch. I made an appointment for a touch-up on Monday; I don't want to tempt anything and go through a 3rd setback. Even though I didn't get to stretch to 5 months, I got to 4.5 – my longest stretch yet. I'll keep trying to go for 5 AGAIN in the future but as for right now, I'll start fresh and restart this attempt later. I'm thinking that when I reach around the 4 month mark, I should coat my hair from root to tip in oil to create a barrier before washing. If anyone has any tips for stretching, please let me know. I'd really like to try to get relaxers 2x-3x/year and even though I can get to 4 months post with no problems, I always have difficulty going beyond that. :sad:
 
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Almost 16 weeks post & then relaxer time. Most likely wont do an update pic since I did one in February. I plan to just rebraid it up afterwards.
 
Setback yet again. I'm so fed up with this crap. I had 4.5 months of new growth and all that is chopped off. I'm speechless. I pretty much know now that my stylist and I have to part ways. I feel like the biggest failure because this is my 3rd setback and I'm the one that started this challenge with high hopes. I should be near HL or so by now but mistakes are keeping me away from my goal. I keep messing up but I think my stylist shares the blame on this one. I'm so discouraged and as much as I want to hold on to my hair, I'll be damned if I walk around with thin ends for length. Today was just a bad day in general but I'll just stay on topic.

Went to my stylist – I'll admit, my roots weren't detangled but it didn't have to end up like this, I'll get to that though – and she proceeds to rip through the back of my hair with her fine-tooth comb. As she is progressing, she asks me if I got braids done in a kind of snide way and I tell her no. She's pulling and picking and being reckless so I tell her I can detangle any knots; she lets me do one or two but basically tells me she'll handle it for the rest – guess I was taking too long. She split my hair in half to start basing and uses her fine tooth comb to detangle the ends, I tell her that I can detangle and again she refuses by saying she just needed to get through the ends. I told her that she could have let me use my wide tooth comb but my statement goes over her head. It's time to relax and she chooses to do it differently, she relaxed the bottom half then smoothed and continued to relax the top then smoothed. In my head – not speaking up enough is one of the mistakes I made throughout this whole ordeal – I'm thinking, "Why on earth is she smoothing the bottom first?" After repeating this to the top, at this point I knew my scalp would feel horrible all while she's overlapping my hair. I tell her I'm burning and she tries to smooth everything out quickly and rinses but lets me know she's putting vinegar on my scalp to prevent any burning. My eyes are wide but she assures me it'll be okay. She puts the vinegar and after that, my hair basically knots up. (My hair doesn't like any kitchen remedies except maybe oil.) She tells me there's a big knot in the middle of my hair, puts conditioner and rips through my hair to get it out – not even giving the conditioner any time to work. After ripping the knot out, she gives me a steam treatment (without her boss knowing so she won't charge extra) and that softens my hair up. After all of this, at the end of the blowdry, I see at least 2 inches worth of ratty ends to cut. My hair is back to around BSB after being at WL.

Even though my roots weren't detangled, I've gone to her before and this has never happened. I think her putting the vinegar – which was caused by her using a totally different technique – knotted my hair up. I feel like I take 4 steps forward just to take 3 back and I'm getting more and more discouraged. I think after this, it's a wake up call though. I definitely need to find a technique to tame and soften my roots before I touch-up and I need to part ways with my stylist. There's more bad outweighing the good and I've been thinking of self-relaxing anyway. My stylist overprocesses, is way too rough, detangles with fine-tooth combs/paddle brushes, has a major preference for loosely curled hair/mixed people/light skin, is employed by a salon that charges way too much, can't really cut, uses a relaxer (Mizani) I don't like – among other bad qualities that have only gotten worse and outshone the good over time.

I'm trying to see the good in this but it's difficult. I like that my ends feel blunt but I have to start all over to gain back at least 3 inches that have been cut. I hate how much faith I put into her and even though I lost a bit of it over time, I feel like I ultimately lost all of it today. I feel like she treated my hair with contempt, didn't listen/did her own thing, seemed frustrated after I've been a loyal client and this is her job, and basically tried to not let me know the full extent of the damage the knot was causing by telling me one thing one minute and another the next. Ugh even when it was time to cut and I wanted to trim the nape that she scraped through with her comb, she didn't want to trim it. I'm definitely not going back to her, she lost two loyal clients. I have to figure out my next move though, self-relaxing scares me and finding a new hairdresser is a headache.
 
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:bighug: @Aireen,

Come take a seat here in Hair Rehab with me.

It's time to relax and she chooses to do it differently, she relaxed the bottom half then smoothed and continued to relax the top then smoothed. In my head – not speaking up enough is one of the mistakes I made throughout this whole ordeal – I'm thinking, "Why on earth is she smoothing the bottom first?" After repeating this to the top, at this point I knew my scalp would feel horrible all while she's overlapping my hair. I tell her I'm burning and she tries to smooth everything out quickly and rinses but lets me know she's putting vinegar on my scalp to prevent any burning.
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I don't condone acts of swift and blinding violence (usually) but in this case I would totally understand.
 
Aireen. :sad:

I'm sorry this happened to you! :bighug:

I'm not clear on why she didn't want to trim, if you wanted to.

I think you should explore DIY relaxing and trimming, so you're in control of the method and products from start to finish. I understand stand your fear, but there's tons of information and tutorials on how to get it done without causing damage or setbacks.

I have never heard of vinegar following a relaxer. I've heard of an antiseptic on the scalp, such as sea breeze, but not vinegar :nono:

If you don't feel self relaxing and/or trimming is feasible...start approaching ladies with healthy relaxed hair (preferably long) that you see out and about. Find out who does their hair after giving them compliments on their lovely locks.

I have a feeling that this setback is a set up for a serious comeback! :yep: :hug2:

When I'm not in my Speak and Spell, I'll find links to videos about the half and half self relaxing method etc.

Sent from my Speak & Spell using LHCF
 
Ladies, @cocosweet & @MileHighDiva, thank you so much for your support! 3rd time is the charm, maybe? I'm really disappointed but something is telling me to cool off and let it go, it'll grow back. I should say that she did trim but not the nape where she tore up... so when I got home, I trimmed it myself and I am going to see retention no matter what. The 1st & 2nd setback were my fault but this one could've been totally prevented. I've never heard of using vinegar with shampoo for the scalp right after a touch up and my hair isn't about that kitchen chemist life – tried and always regretted or felt underwhelmed. I am definitely contemplating just self-relaxing because I can choose the products, when I do it, trim my way, save money – WINWINWIN all around. I can't go back to this stylist, her standards have tanked and I can't take this "Loose curls are so lovely!~" crap. All hair is lovely once healthy, I truly believe that.

Writing all of this and reading both of your replies have put me at ease. I'll still push forward, I can't give up just because of obstacles, everything is a lesson.

EDIT: Already trimmed, @pre_medicalrulz. It was at least good 2-2.5 inches of see-through ends. I could see where the knot she ripped through caused the damage, which was in the middle. It was best to cut, it didn't look salvageable, we cut about .5 inch at time.

EDIT #2: That's how we found this stylist, @MileHighDiva by asking around and complimenting ladies with nice hair. I'll definitely keep that in mind but it's been a while since I've seen healthy relaxed hair in this city.

EDIT #3: Forgot to add, my stylist smooths with a fine tooth comb so it causes tons of scalp irritation if not done last. She's not the quickest at applying relaxer either.
 
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MileHighDiva said:
Aireen. :sad:

I'm sorry this happened to you! :bighug:

I'm not clear on why she didn't want to trim, if you wanted to.

I think you should explore DIY relaxing and trimming, so you're in control of the method and products from start to finish. I understand stand your fear, but there's tons of information and tutorials on how to get it done without causing damage or setbacks.

I have never heard of vinegar following a relaxer. I've heard of an antiseptic on the scalp, such as sea breeze, but not vinegar :nono:

If you don't feel self relaxing and/or trimming is feasible...start approaching ladies with healthy relaxed hair (preferably long) that you see out and about. Find out who does their hair after giving them compliments on their lovely locks.

I have a feeling that this setback is a set up for a serious comeback! :yep: :hug2:

When I'm not in my Speak and Spell, I'll find links to videos about the half and half self relaxing method etc.

Sent from my Speak & Spell using LHCF
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Aireen

I completely agree with MileHighDiva.

The answer it seems to me to preventing stylist tomfoolery now and forever is to fully engage in a diy approach.

I understand if that may seem daunting. I have noted that the ladies on this board who are relaxed tend to go the diy route and it seems to result in long and thick hair without the stylist headaches and forced setbacks.

Please keep us informed with what you choose to do. What happened with your stylist sounds heartbreaking and I was/am rooting for your progress.
 
@Airen :hugs: sorry this happened to you but you will bounce back I've had this happen to me that's when I took full charge of my hair and never looked back. This stylist was just reckless and they justify it bc their goal is to make as much money as they can per person so taking her time and doing things right is not the priority with most stylists. Taking full control of your haircare is the only way to go IMO to have healthy long hair. Stylists are not hair gurus they are hair stylists there to give you a style keep you in a style that's convenient for them to maintain and keep you and your money coming back every month. They are trained to lock clients into services that they think they need to go to a stylist for when you can do all of it better at home Eta I have this I my hairblog SHS stylists are not your friends
 
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@DoDo & @Lucia, thank you for your support. I'm going to look into DIY for sure, the benefits are very promising. I'm 70% sure I want to go through with it, I just need to do extensive research and look into techniques. I know my hair will bounce back but I just have no patience and having to go through this all again is exhausting. I will recover though, these are teachable moments. I'm partially to blame too anyway.

I agree, stylists are not hair gurus. I just put so much faith in her, thinking she was different when all the classic signs were becoming more and more apparent. I'm moving on, this was my wake-up call, I will not give her a chance to do this again. Good luck to her. In 3+ months, I'll go to the BSS to buy supplies. I really think I can do this but I just need to research and take the utmost caution.
 
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PLANS FOR NOW UNTIL NEXT RELAXER:

- Wash my hair with my dandruff shampoo to cleanse scalp and to help heal any irritated areas
- Use protein balancing treatments on my hair to strengthen weak/over-processed areas
- Research into DIY relaxer; need to find a good relaxer, base, technique
- Continue to take supplements, eat healthily, and drink water; strong hair comes from strong nutrition
- Always keep hair detangled and knot free
- Tame roots with oil when dry
- Look into buying a steamer
- Never go back to my hair stylist :lol:

^ These all seem do-able. I'm feeling hopeful, thank you ladies for your support.
 
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Yesterday's hair! :) I did this braidout for a graduation on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised at how long it lasted. I did 2-4 braids at night and let it out in the morning. Only last night did I finally have to do all the braids over again to reset it.
 

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Bought a steamer. I started looking at videos and fell in love with the benefits. Hopefully this helps me out with my new growth!
 
After yesterday, I'm unsure if my hair is overprocessed or if it's just the way the relaxer is on my hair. I remember telling my now ex-stylist to correct an area somewhere in the middle but thought she overlapped waaaaaaayyy more than necessary. Anyway, that's enough, I'm not going to be mad about this situation anymore. I've already decided what I am going to do and I'm not going to keep holding onto this to keep me back. My hair will grow back, I will be more cautious – without doing too much – and it'll be thick like before~ I feel like with each setback, my hair bounces back better than how it was previously. :yep:

Washed my hair yesterday and noticed it felt super dry. Only about 3 inches of the ends felt soft? :perplexed I made sure to scrub my scalp with my fingertips to get at the sore, flaky areas. My hair needed a lot of conditioner just to feel somewhat restored. :sad: I used my Mill Creek Botanicals Biotin Conditioner mixed with Mill Creek Botanicals Keratin Conditioner to restore lost protein. I had to slather this stuff on since every time I applied it to an area, my hair would seem dry again – like it absorbed the product after a very short amount of time? :perplexed Left that mixture on for 15+ minutes then rinsed; applied Infusium 23 Repair & Renew Conditioner after to soften for 10+ minutes then rinsed. Blow-dried and my hair finally feels really soft! :drunk: I feel like I still have work to do so that I can balance my hair but I'm pretty happy with the job I did! I can run my fingers through my hair without breakage and my scalp is no longer itchy. :grin:

I'm too excited for my steamer! :grin: I have a feeling once it arrives, conditioning will be even better! I've wanted one for so long but always put it off. Hopefully it'll arrive next week. :lol: I bought some more products and oils to use with it so I am hoping for maximum retention. No more buying of anything after this because my stash is ridiculous. :nono: Except maybe a Bonbon Cheveux Hard Candy Satin Bonnet for when I can't steam, they're too cute. :grin:
 
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Put too much coconut oil in my hair so it's weighed down until my next wash. -____-; At least it's soft, not breaking, and smells nice so I'll be wearing a bun for when I go out. I may do this intentionally actually since I barely have any breakage. Also, my steamer is coming like today or tomorrow?! SO EXCITED! I CAN'T WAIT TO DOUSE MY HAIR IN CONDITIONER AND OIL AND LET THE STEAM DO SOME MAGIC. :D

EDIT: So after tracking... looks like I missed the attempt at delivery today since it was just before I woke up. Guess I'll wake up early tomorrow just in case. :sad:
 
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Well I did a strand-pull check today because I've been too busy to straighten my hair and my curls have been on their very best behavior. And I'm happy to say that I've gotten about 1.5 inches since the February trim. So I'm feeling more optimistic about the final results in December.

How are you ladies doing?
 
MY STEAMER HAS ARRIVEDDDDDDD! :D :D So excited! I was actually supposed to get it yesterday but I missed the early morning delivery by like 40 minutes. I'm so surprised with how fast it came. No customs charges either. Yessssssssssss~
 
Decided to use my steamer today to test it out. Couldn't wait the 3 days until my wash day. It works! Set up was easy! Hopefully I like my results! :grin:
 
16 weeks post & my ponytail reaches WL. It would be nice to be grazing HL at the time of my relaxer, but I'm sure that's wishful thinking.


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MileHighDiva said:
@Aireen

Did the steamer meet your expectations? Did it give you an hairgasm? :giggle:

Sent from my Speak & Spell using LHCF
Click to expand...

I did like it, @MileHighDiva! I'm gonna try out a better conditioner next time but my hair feels very soft and thick! I feel like this will really help amp up my routine. My steamer was powerful in my opinion and I can see it helping with added moisture. I'll do another "update" when I use it with a better conditioner. :drunk:
 
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I decided to just maintain whip length. I never like my ends once I pass my current length. I've been mulling over it & it's a bitter sweet decision but I think I'm done. I'm just going to trim regularly every 8 weeks. My hair feels great & is in excellent condition. I really couldn't be happier. I probably need about 2 inches for hip length but I don't think I even want it anymore. I don't know if I want the hassle of maintaining anymore hair. I really wouldn't mind cutting it to a long bob.

I have a family reunion in Alabama in July. It's going to be sooooo hot. I might get braids.
 
I'm going to wash my hair again today! So excited to use my steamer again, also bought some apricot oil so I'll be sealing my DC with that and using the steamer to have all the goodness soak in. :) I love that I finally bought this thing!
 
I'll be popping in here from time to time checking in with you Ladies. I joined this challenge last year but never really updated. I'm going on a personal one year challenge and one of my hair goals is to get my hair back to hip length by next July. I'm going to start back getting my hair pressed at the salon every 3 months so I'll come back and post a length check after my next salon visit which will probably be around Sept.

Oh and my regimen has not changed since I initially joined. Still washing/steaming and roller setting every 2 weeks. Product wise, I now use mostly Giovanni with the exception of a few styling products.
 
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LADIES! We have 6 months to go until the end of the challenge. Please update with pictures or some type of message if you can. My picture update will be within this month.
 
Aireen said:
LADIES! We have 6 months to go until the end of the challenge. Please update with pictures or some type of message if you can. My picture update will be within this month.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, let's have some photos please. I'll try to take some and post this month as well.
 
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