shutterpillar
April 4th, 2013, 09:48 AM
I just realized that today marks one year at LHC for me. I thought it was April 11th, but I was wrong!
When I came to LHC, I had recently dyed my hair red with box dye. In fact, this is what it looked like:
http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/ashmey86/red.jpg
I really was very happy with it and loved the color, but unfortunately it faded to a really weird coppery color over time. And not only that, but it left my hair VERY damaged. Especially since seven months before I dyed it red, I had bleached and dyed purple highlights throughout my hair. Then add my daily bow drying and/or flat ironing LOL. So it was pretty much a hot mess when I got here.
I settled into a routine and immediately began using coconut oil as a deep treatment, which I continue to this day. This past year I have tried a large variety of shampoos, conditioners, oils, and various hair routines. Here is what is currently working for me:
Overnight treatment with coconut oil once per week.
CO when the weather begins to get cold and dry, S&C during the summer months.
Wash every other day.
Always let my hair air dry. I have tried a couple times to blow dry it, and it was just a disaster. Frizz everywhere! :rolleyes: I find a nice breeze or a fan set on low helps speed up the drying time.
Heat-free styling options. I really love this youtube channel, as it has a large variety of ways to get curl and waves without using heat. Some of them I use, some of them I don't just because of the tools she uses (like the most recent one using a pizza box...:confused: LOL.) : http://www.youtube.com/user/beautyklove
Mineral (baby) oil on damp ends.
Sleeping with a Satin Bonnet, which I explained in greater detail in this blog post (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=108914). Though with the trial and error of other members of this forum, I have decided that I will probably need to make my own satin bonnet in the future when my hair gets closer to my goal in order to accommodate for the length.
Brush with a wide tooth comb or Tangle Teezer. I do not normally brush my hair while it is wet.
Wear my hair in protective styles when it is windy outside. Normally it goes up in a Nautilus bun or french braid (because I like the braid waves they give me. :o)
S&D whenever my hair is in need of it.
There are also things I plan to incorporate into my routine, like being better about wearing a hat this summer.
This year has been focused more on getting rid of damage, finding a good routine that works for me, and the overall health of my hair, rather than gaining length. I dyed my hair back to close to it's natural color (maybe 2-3 shades darker to accommodate for fading that will occur) in January with hopes that it will look less two-toned as I grow the dye out, and have cut off about 3-4 inches worth of layers and damage over the course of the year. My most recent cut was in January not long after I dyed, where I took off two inches. Before that I would take off half an inch or less every three months. I can say I am very happy with where my hair is right now, and plan to continue to trim very small amounts until all of my layers are gone. (I am growing out bangs as well, which is a whole other matter entirely. :rolleyes:) OH! And I have gained half an inch of thickness since this time last year! I was at 2.5 inch ponytail circumference, and now I am at 3 inches! :joy:
And now, what we all really check these posts for ;) - the pictures. Obviously not a lot of growth this year - if I had not trimmed, I would be at waist for sure - but I think getting rid of the damage was more important.
I think it is fun to see that my shortest layers, which were at shoulder in last years shot, are now past APL in this years shot. :D And I promise I don't have a huge chunk taken out of my left side of hair... that's just how my wave pattern lays with the layers in it. It's kinda frustrating, but it is what it is. Hopefully they will be mostly gone in a year or two, and I am guessing the bottom wont look as scraggly then.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3615&d=1365090165
When I came to LHC, I had recently dyed my hair red with box dye. In fact, this is what it looked like:
http://i951.photobucket.com/albums/ad351/ashmey86/red.jpg
I really was very happy with it and loved the color, but unfortunately it faded to a really weird coppery color over time. And not only that, but it left my hair VERY damaged. Especially since seven months before I dyed it red, I had bleached and dyed purple highlights throughout my hair. Then add my daily bow drying and/or flat ironing LOL. So it was pretty much a hot mess when I got here.
I settled into a routine and immediately began using coconut oil as a deep treatment, which I continue to this day. This past year I have tried a large variety of shampoos, conditioners, oils, and various hair routines. Here is what is currently working for me:
Overnight treatment with coconut oil once per week.
CO when the weather begins to get cold and dry, S&C during the summer months.
Wash every other day.
Always let my hair air dry. I have tried a couple times to blow dry it, and it was just a disaster. Frizz everywhere! :rolleyes: I find a nice breeze or a fan set on low helps speed up the drying time.
Heat-free styling options. I really love this youtube channel, as it has a large variety of ways to get curl and waves without using heat. Some of them I use, some of them I don't just because of the tools she uses (like the most recent one using a pizza box...:confused: LOL.) : http://www.youtube.com/user/beautyklove
Mineral (baby) oil on damp ends.
Sleeping with a Satin Bonnet, which I explained in greater detail in this blog post (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=108914). Though with the trial and error of other members of this forum, I have decided that I will probably need to make my own satin bonnet in the future when my hair gets closer to my goal in order to accommodate for the length.
Brush with a wide tooth comb or Tangle Teezer. I do not normally brush my hair while it is wet.
Wear my hair in protective styles when it is windy outside. Normally it goes up in a Nautilus bun or french braid (because I like the braid waves they give me. :o)
S&D whenever my hair is in need of it.
There are also things I plan to incorporate into my routine, like being better about wearing a hat this summer.
This year has been focused more on getting rid of damage, finding a good routine that works for me, and the overall health of my hair, rather than gaining length. I dyed my hair back to close to it's natural color (maybe 2-3 shades darker to accommodate for fading that will occur) in January with hopes that it will look less two-toned as I grow the dye out, and have cut off about 3-4 inches worth of layers and damage over the course of the year. My most recent cut was in January not long after I dyed, where I took off two inches. Before that I would take off half an inch or less every three months. I can say I am very happy with where my hair is right now, and plan to continue to trim very small amounts until all of my layers are gone. (I am growing out bangs as well, which is a whole other matter entirely. :rolleyes:) OH! And I have gained half an inch of thickness since this time last year! I was at 2.5 inch ponytail circumference, and now I am at 3 inches! :joy:
And now, what we all really check these posts for ;) - the pictures. Obviously not a lot of growth this year - if I had not trimmed, I would be at waist for sure - but I think getting rid of the damage was more important.
I think it is fun to see that my shortest layers, which were at shoulder in last years shot, are now past APL in this years shot. :D And I promise I don't have a huge chunk taken out of my left side of hair... that's just how my wave pattern lays with the layers in it. It's kinda frustrating, but it is what it is. Hopefully they will be mostly gone in a year or two, and I am guessing the bottom wont look as scraggly then.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3615&d=1365090165