I finally made it to Classic!! (Pics!)

[RapunzelKat]

Well, I haven't posted in... gosh, forever! But after over two years of LHC hair care, I've finally arrived at classic, and I wanted to share. :D When I started a little over two years ago, I was already at "can I call this classic yet?" but I've had to trim so much due to old damage (mostly from the tangle problems I was having) that it took me this long to finally be able to say I'm officially there.

Ok, I'm going to ramble about my hair just a little... Please feel free to scroll right on down to the pictures if you're not up for the whole novel. ;) I've been letting my hair grow since about 2005, but I only got serious about it after I joined LHC a little over two years ago. I wanted to post on my two-year anniversary in November, but I knew I was due for a trim in December and I wanted to make sure I was still solidly at classic after that one. When I joined, I was having so much trouble with tangles I'd nearly given up on my hair. It's fine and on the thin side (2.5" pony... 2" if I'm being honest and squeeze down on the tape measure as tight as possible :p). When I joined, it was so bad it took almost two hours to detangle after a wash, and I would end up with a big, depressing pile of hair at the end. I literally could not French braid it because of the tangles, and I couldn't even hardly get it into a regular bun because it was so difficult to comb it back. I was pretty much wearing it in a single English braid all the time.

I've learned a LOT about hair care from here, and my hair has never been healthier! I have a pretty good routine, which I'll update on my profile, but it's in transit right now... after my last couple of trims my hair seems to be getting weighed down by the oils and stuff I'm using, so I'm experimenting. :) I'm still no expert at styling, but I'm getting better. (I can actually do a French braid without creating impossible tangles, woohoo!) And it only takes me about five minutes to detangle after a wash!

I definitely have learned that regular trims are vital for my hair to grow - I'm planning to continue trimming every two to three months this year, so I'll largely be maintaining rather than growing. My ends are thicker than they were when I started, but they're still very thin as you can see in the bottom pic, so I want to concentrate on maintaining their condition and thickening them up. Hopefully I'll gain a few inches, though!

Here's a pic of my hair shortly after I joined:
(Sorry, I've never gotten good at hair selfies, but you can pretty much see that it was just a bit above classic at this point)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8859&d=1390450817

And here's one from a few days ago:
(My hands are at classic in this one)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=8860&d=1390450852

[Jesabel]

Wow beautiful hair :D

[hypersensitive]

Looks great!

[0xalis]

Woooow <3 Very inspirational post! My hair is fine and tangle-y too, and I'm just worrying about getting to TBL with a decent hemline :p Your hemline looks awesome, not thin at all IMO, especially for classic length! ♥

[divinedobbie]

Wow gorgeous hair I'm so jelly!! ;P.

Do you mind if I ask how many inches you are now? I'm 6 cm ( 2.3 inch) if I squeeze really really really tight, but if I measure normally (depending how I measure) I get between 6.5 and 7 cm (2.5-2.8 in) so I'm always sad about my hair thickness :(. Even though I've been super interested in hair care for the past two years, I didn't really do anything about getting my hair healthy until about a year ago and I stopped all dyes, heat, chemicals but I still washed daily with sulfates and cones and all other taboo stuff (mostly I just didn't know it was bad) but now I've gotten to 3 days between washes and I use organic shampoos and conditioners so hopefully I'll grow longer and thicker. Anyway, did you notice your hair got thicker after joining LHC and taking better care of it?

[Selkie-]

Congratulations - you have stunning hair. Well done you. :)

[MeowScat]

I see others typed, "wow" and that's exactly what I said out loud when I saw your pic. Your hair is freakin' gorgeous!

I started re-growing mine about the same time you did and I'm just reaching Classic, but you look almost Fingertip Length! Mine gets weighed down by most oils, too. Bleh. Looks like our hairtype is almost the same. I can only hope that mine will look like yours!

[joflakes]

Your hair it gorgeous! Well done. =)

[Cristina84]

wowwwww!!!! :)
BEAUTIFUL!!

[Tini'sNewHair]

O MY GOSH!!!!! STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!! Classic is my all time dream length, I want to get there with a perfect hemline to :) AMEN to trimming! It does so much good to old ends :)

[vanillabones]

Your hair is beautiful and a sure inspiration :D great job congratulations and thank you for showing it to us! My hair is fine thin 2" and the ends get tangles. More frequent trims sounds like the key to such beautiful hair!

[Auburndreaming]

Your hair looks beautiful! Congrats :)

[martyna_22]

Wow. Just... wow. Your hair is amazing!

[jacqueline101]

Your hair is pretty. Well done and wow fits it.

[Wosie]

Very beautiful. :applause I can tell you take great care of your hair, it looks so healthy. I think it already looked great in the first pic, but the second pic was even more astounding. Do you self trim, by the way? I'm just curious as your hemline is notably even and neat. =)

[Night_Kitten]

Wow, gorgeous hair :D
All the time and care definitely paid off, it looks so beautiful :)

[Decemberrose]

That is so beautiful. I don't think your hemline looks thin, it looks good :) You did an amazing job growing it out this long! Congrats :D

[Verdandi]

Wow! That is just so gorgeous! :)

And it gives me hope that one day, my mostly fine hair will be able to gain some serious legth too.

[duchess67]

Wow! so beautiful!

[woodswanderer]

Looks awesome...great pics.:thud:

[Aingeal]

Beautiful! It looks so healthy!

[letibear]

Stunning hair, what an inspiration :)

[spidermom]

Oh how pretty; good growing!

[glittergloss]

Gorgeous hair! Thanks for sharing:)

[lapushka]

That looks absolutely *awesome*! So smooth! (me and my wild hair can't say that :lol:)

[Mindy]

Your hair is stunning!

[Scarlet_Celt]

It looks beautiful! Your hem line shows so much improvement. It just goes to show how much of a difference hair care can make! :)

[Rio040113]

Ahh I hope my hair looks half that amazing at Classic+! :D

[Soltimus]

Congratulations! You've got stunningly hair :D

[RapunzelKat]

Oh my goodness, thank you all so much for your kind comments! :flower:


Wow gorgeous hair I'm so jelly!! ;P.

Do you mind if I ask how many inches you are now? I'm 6 cm ( 2.3 inch) if I squeeze really really really tight, but if I measure normally (depending how I measure) I get between 6.5 and 7 cm (2.5-2.8 in) so I'm always sad about my hair thickness :(. Even though I've been super interested in hair care for the past two years, I didn't really do anything about getting my hair healthy until about a year ago and I stopped all dyes, heat, chemicals but I still washed daily with sulfates and cones and all other taboo stuff (mostly I just didn't know it was bad) but now I've gotten to 3 days between washes and I use organic shampoos and conditioners so hopefully I'll grow longer and thicker. Anyway, did you notice your hair got thicker after joining LHC and taking better care of it?

Well, when I last checked in December, I was still in that 2-2.5" range, but I do have a hard time getting the tape all the way up to the top of my ponytail. (Tape measure challenged, LOL.) I can definitely say that the hair that's grown since I joined LHC *feels* more robust and maybe just a little thicker than it used to. I'm planning to check again in March, and by then all the hair being measured will be "LHC hair," so I'll probably be able to say for sure then if I've gained any thickness. :)


I see others typed, "wow" and that's exactly what I said out loud when I saw your pic. Your hair is freakin' gorgeous!

I started re-growing mine about the same time you did and I'm just reaching Classic, but you look almost Fingertip Length! Mine gets weighed down by most oils, too. Bleh. Looks like our hairtype is almost the same. I can only hope that mine will look like yours!

I actually have a good 4-5" to go before I get to FTL... I have long arms and legs so it's further than it looks! :D


Very beautiful. :applause I can tell you take great care of your hair, it looks so healthy. I think it already looked great in the first pic, but the second pic was even more astounding. Do you self trim, by the way? I'm just curious as your hemline is notably even and neat. =)

Than you! Yes, I do self trim, usually using Feye's method with a slight modification for my slippery hair. It's not always quite so even... I was about half an inch longer on the right side before December's trim LOL. I've generally had pretty good success with Feye's method though, I definitely recommend it if you want to self trim!

Having stick straight hair does make it easier for me of course... ;)

[melusine963]

Wow, what a beautiful hemline!

[Neecola]

Congratulations! Your hair looks like a sheet of silk; just beautiful.

[winship2]

It looks wonderfully healthy! Hope to reach this goal myself in a couple of years-- congratulations and thanks for sharing the inspiring pics!

[PF Graham]

WOW indeed!

LOVE the color also!

[Stiria]

So beautiful! It looks so healthy and shiny and soft and perfect:D

[YamaMaya]

Drowning in a pool of jelly right here, that is beautiful. I still have a long way to go to reach classic, care to share any tips?

[dulce]

Congrats and fabulous hair!

[mariakatija]

You have beautiful hair! Congratulations!

[ashke50]

Beautiful!!

I agree with Neecola, your hair does look like a sheet of silk. Stunning.

[DancingQueen]

Beautiful, congratulations :)

[lunalocks]

Just lovely! Great job. I will be investigating your routine.

[Pamala513]

Wow! Beautiful hair!

[RapunzelKat]

Thank you everyone for the nice comments! :blossom: It's nice to get comments from other long hair enthusiasts. Usually all I get outside of LHC is "wow, it's SO LONG." :D



Congratulations! Your hair looks like a sheet of silk; just beautiful.


Beautiful!!

I agree with Neecola, your hair does look like a sheet of silk. Stunning.

Thank you! Fine hair can be a real pain in the rear sometimes, but when it's cooperative it does have a silky texture. I've actually had strangers come up and "pet" my braid, LOL. :rolleyes:


Drowning in a pool of jelly right here, that is beautiful. I still have a long way to go to reach classic, care to share any tips?

Hmm, let's see... From a practical perspective, patience and gentle hair care really are the big ones! If you're having particular problems you can't figure out on your own, make sure and ask LHC! I've gotten fantastic advice every time I've posted about an issue. Everybody's hair is unique, so fining the right routine can take time.

One thing that definitely has helped me is to make sure and trim when I need it. My ends are fragile, and if I wait until they're damaged I end up losing more length in the long run.

Also, find ways to enjoy your hair the length it is! That probably sounds a little silly, but I find that learning new braids/buns/etc. can really help relieve hair boredom so you don't spend all your time wishing your hair was longer. Also, it's easier to learn new styles when your hair is a bit shorter. (I learned that lesson the hard way, LOL, it's tough to learn a new type of braid in really long hair!)

Hope that helps! :)


Just lovely! Great job. I will be investigating your routine.

I just got my routine updated on my profile - there's not a lot of room on there so let me know if you have questions! :)

[swearnsue]

Very very nice! I'm going to go check your routine!

[Red Rapunzel]

RapunzelKat,

What a shiny sheet of beautiful, healthy hair! Love the well-trimmed, solid hemline. Congratulations! You did it!! Gorgeous!

[Madora]

RapunzelKat, your hair is picture perfect! Congrats on reaching classic! Love your hemline!

[Ambystoma]

:thud: It's so amazingly silky! The end look so neat and tidy too, it's beautiful.

[MrsGuther]

Beautiful hair!! Very nice healthy looking shine, and a great hemline you have!! :D

[cat11]

Wow. Your hair is beautiful and it looks so healthy and shiny and strong!! Congrats and kudos for trimming and making sure you got solid ends!

[Komao]

RapunzelKat, congratulations on reaching classic length. I don't mind you rambling about your hair. I find these kind of stories very inspiring and your hair looks glorious. Thanks for posting. :o

[Patrice]

One word: Amazing. Love it.