Yet another newbie who can't think up an interesting thread title

[Lum]

Been lurking this forum for ages, finally got to resister etc. etc.

Question I have, I've been growing my hair for about 2 years now, after I finally figured out why it seemed stuck at shoulder length (needed to keep on top of those split ends and look after it a bit better). I'm a bit of a late starter with this since I'm in my 30s

I usually get my hairdresser to straighten it, because I'm short of free time lazy and because my partner has problems with her shoulders so I can't get her to do it, I can get a couple of weeks out of a straightening if I'm careful about not getting it wet or messing it up.

Problem I have is I toss and turn a lot when I sleep, I end up tieing it in a sort of upwards ponytail, like a samurai topknot, and that mostly helps unless it comes loose, but the bands leave an obvious kink in the hair which is annoying. I haven't figured out how to do a bun or anything without it falling apart at the slightest knock.

The most recent picture I have of my hair is this one, a bit messy but it was mainly taken to show off that dress :p

http://www.lum.co.uk/temp/GalaxyMaxiDress.jpg

You can see what I mean about the hairband putting a kink in the hair. No front pictures as I prefer not to put my face on the internet.


Goal length: Longer than I'm ever likely to acheive. I'd totally have hair like Marceline's (http://adventuretime.wikia.com/wiki/Marceline) if that was actually achievable IRL.

[morrigan*]

I didn't try it but a lot of people recommend silk or satin pillowcase, or a cap from same material, so your hair won't knot during nights.
If you want to put your hair up during day, you can try using claw clips. I still use them for cinnamon bun at waist.

And i really like your dress, so cool!

[imalonghair]

That is a lovely dress! Your hair looks nice too, I like the straight hemline.

The Vampire Queen's hair is a worthy goal and you can do it as you such a young woman.

There are several on these pages that sport the calve length hair, men and women.

I think you will have to quit straightening and go with your natural before that will happen for you.

When your hair is natural I bet the samarai top knot will not kink it as bad.

I do the hair knot tieing and have no trouble with this.
Fairly recently I saw a method of hair knot tieing that does not tangle my hair as bad as the first way I learned.

It involves twisting a circle in the hair like crotcheting and pulling the hair thru.

The first way was a serious amount of twisting that sometimes led to tangeling.

(ps. actually a good title...:cool:)

[Leeloo]

Have you tried to sleep with a hair bonnet (silly looking but very effective at keeping hair in place when you sleep) or using silk pillow cases?

[Lum]

I did buy a hairnet and tried that. When I woke up in the morning my hair was a mess, the hairnet was gone and I found it a couple of days later between my pillows, no idea how it got there, nor how it went unnoticed when rotating the pillows.

My natural hair isn't really something I can do right now, it's not even nice curls, just a horrible frizzy mess, really not an option for me.

And thanks for the compliments on the dress, I'm rather fond of it, but rarely get to wear it :(

[Lum]

Oh dear, no edit button on this forum, so I get to make a new post every time I want to add stuff. Either that or I'm being dumb and can't see it.

Anyway, imalonghair: do you have a link to that technique. Either that or I guess I could just get one of those giant hair clips. There's one in this house somewhere but it's mostly used to scruff the cat prior to pills, claw trimming etc.

[morrigan*]

You can edit your posts, when you reach 25 post, but posts in introductions doesn't count.

[Lum]

I was wondering why my postcount was still zero, but after all the fun registering decided not to question it :)

Are we supposed to also post a bit about ourselves here, or just talk about the hair? :3

[AnnaB]

Have you considered taking up braiding?

There are so many ways you can braid the hair for different occasions.

I braid french braid mine on both sides and have it like that all day, I never braid them tight so I go to bed like that too.In the morning I just re-braid them again. This also protects the ends from mechanical damage which means I dont need to trim often. Actually I havent had a trim since September 2012.

btw, the dress is really nice! :)

[Lum]

In general I prefer having the hair down and straight, nothing fancy, but I guess braiding it could work to survive overnight. I'm just not very good at it.

I was a bit (ok quite a lot) of a geek growing up, and was raised by a single father. It's only now that I'm in my 30s that I want to start doing things like this. I basically don't have a clue, so far most of my attempts at anything relating to hair have been disastrous - the worst being when I tried hair chalking and just ended up with dry frizzy hair and a blue+purple pillowcase.

[Freya9]

I dont have much in the way of advice, but wow.. I want that dress!! And your hair, it looks so thick and soft.. just beautiful!

[Lum]

Aww, thank you.

Here's the dress: http://blackmilkclothing.com/collections/dresses/products/galaxy-blue-maxi-dress
Careful though, once you start wearing Black Milk it gets addictive and then they will take all your money.

Surprised people are saying my hair looks good though. It's a mess in that photo and all I really wash it with is a Lush shampoo bar and conditioner, prior to blow dry and straightening. Pretty sure that shampoo has SLS in it too. Also really hard to keep it straight as there's always some that frizzes right up.

[spidermom]

And the more you heat-style, the more frizzy fly-aways you will get. Guaranteed.

[Lum]

And the more you heat-style, the more frizzy fly-aways you will get. Guaranteed.

So the question is, how to break that cycle, as even a shower without any products is enough to turn all my hair into something between an afro and a bird's nest.

At least the straightening only gets done once a fortnight. I'm fairly good at keeping it dry during the rest of my showers.

[humble_knight]

I was wondering why my postcount was still zero, but after all the fun registering decided not to question it :)

Are we supposed to also post a bit about ourselves here, or just talk about the hair? :3


People chew the cud about whatever they want :thumbsup:

[DeePeeGee]

Hello. I'm new to this forum; but, I just wanted to reply to your concern about how to keep your hair straight for as long as possible. I know how I used to do it. Its a unique way I guess. To start, I would place my hair (when it was shorter than now) in a ponytail. I would take small sections and pull it around my head in a wrapping motion and secure each section with bobby pins to the tips. Trick is, not to attempt to hold too much hair in each section because the bobby pin ridges would show on the hair. Since I originate from down "South" of the US, I will use something familiar to me to explain like -- a hurricane! Imagine your head as the center eye of the hurricane and your hair as the windy winds -- winding around the center. Get it? Hope so. Or maybe like a daisy. Each section being a petal on your head and if you wrap each petal clockwise (or counter clockwise) around your head. After all your hair is secure to your head, cover it in a net or silk cloth (or anything you would find more comfortable). It will allow you to toss and turn in bed without messing anything up. In the morning, remove it all (section by section) and it should remain as straight as you originally pinned it. It may be a chore at first (as it was for me); but, I later realized it was worth it. After releasing my hair, I would just brush it through and start my day. I would even shower in the mornings and "release" my hair AFTER I dried off. Quite convenient! Sorry this reply is so long. Just hope it works for you. Its worth a try at least once don't you think? Of course the more your hair you have, the longer the process to pin. Please know, I have thick hair, too. It became easier each time I would do it. My hair is naturally wavy so I would straighten my hair regularly and use this "hurricane" sleeping method to maintain the straightening style longer. Less heat on my hair allowed me to keep it healthy longer. Hope I can read someday...that my process worked for you. Hope so! Thanks, DeePeeGee

[Skade]

Welcome Lum. :flowers: What a pretty picture and thanks for sharing the link with the dress, its so pretty!

[Lum]

Hi DeePeeGee.

I'm struggling to parse that. Any chance of posting a picture? :)

[Lum]

Haven't posted in years, so I guess I'm still a newbie, but hair growth update... :)

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14292402_1836412523312124_7635947945642842470_n.jp g?oh=02775f39b508aed1b3fbf35e07906799&oe=587B3144

[lapushka]

Welcome Lum, and waist length already. Very nice! :thumbsup:

[OhSuzi]

So I've heard wrapping you hair in silk scarf can work, or a hair net or a silky mob cap like from the 18th c - failing that if you don't mind looking a fool - silk pants on your head - seriously. Also a simple loose plait should keep it out the way & at least give you an all over wave rather than 1 kink. to keep it off your neck, tip your head upside down & do a french plait & then either plait all the way or turn it into a top knot - again you could use an 80's scrunchie as its less mean on your hair than an elastic. -Try not to tie it up in the same place all the time - or you will weaken your hair.

[Garnetgem]

Hello and welcome! Croeso :)

[Miata]

I can't believe it's i density! Nothing wrong with that of course, it just looks more abundant, particularly considering you've had it straightened. Great progress anyway, and the colour is lush :toast:

[Lum]

There's a good chance I measured it wrong. Need to update all that anyway.

That's my natural colour, but I still want to go dark purple. Thinking of using directions violet and not bleaching.

[x3leesa]

Hi welcome to LHC and I love your dress :crush:
Glad I stumbled upon this thread because I usually braid mine everynight but I have a rather wavy natural texture that I like (and when I brush thru it it's actually pretty straight more like an 1b instead of a 1c/2a when I don't touch it while air-drying) but the braids always give me those braidy waves and sometimes I want it straighter!