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CrazyGrace
July 25th, 2014, 09:19 PM
I'm excited about getting to know you. My profile is a little blank because when I created my account, it was late at night, and writing about myself seemed like too much work. I figured I would do it later, but now I can't seem to access it. So, let me tell you about my hair. I don't know all the little numbers and letters and code words here (the other reason I didn't complete the profile), so I'll just spell it all out, and maybe someone will translate.

My hair has never been cut. When I was 13 or 14, I could sit on it if I pulled it straight and tried to do so. Then we moved to the dessert, and due to the very dry climate, I lost several inches, taking it up past waist length. In 2012, I moved to a more humid area, and my hair has started to recover. It is now roughly at the top of my hips when pulled down, maybe a tad below in the longest sections. It is quite curly; I'm not really sure what the proper way to describe it is, but if I let it do it's thing after washing, it will be not much below my shoulder blades, perhaps down around my bra hooks.

Since it fairly prone to both breakage and tangles, I almost never wear my hair loose. Sunday it gets fixed somewhat nicely for church. Monday through Thursday it goes in a quick bun for work. And Friday and Saturday it gets braided. I always brush it morning and evening. Usually one of those is a few quick strokes and the other is more thorough, but it varies as to which. I've been using apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo for almost a year now, and my hair seems to like it. I tried the baking soda thing, but it made my hair very cottony, so I skipped it a couple times, then decided to eliminate it entirely.

Recently, I have been realizing how much breakage my basic bun was causing due to putting a ponytail in the same place most days. I went looking for different hairstyles that didn't require a ponytail tie and pins. I found a few cool ones on youtube and whittled a hairstick from a bit of wood I found in the yard (super fun, I'll probably make more). References to the long hair forum kept cropping up, and it sounded like a cool place, so I went looking and found you. Hello!

I'm hoping that I can learn new ways to wear my hair and keep it protected and learn how to use some of the other tools on the market for holding it in place like the screw things, and the fork things, and the sticks I have the yard just waiting for an x-acto knife and some oil.

Johannah
July 26th, 2014, 03:23 AM
Welcome to this forum! :blossom: Here are some links that might help you:

Hair typing system (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954)
Abbrevations (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=7084)
Bun progression list (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=82713)

Federica
July 26th, 2014, 04:00 AM
Welcome to the community, Crazy Grace!

lapushka
July 26th, 2014, 06:48 AM
I always brush it morning and evening. Usually one of those is a few quick strokes and the other is more thorough, but it varies as to which. I've been using apple cider vinegar instead of shampoo for almost a year now, and my hair seems to like it. I tried the baking soda thing, but it made my hair very cottony, so I skipped it a couple times, then decided to eliminate it entirely.

If you're that curly, you might want to check out the book "Curly girl" by Lorraine Massey. The method described therein is also here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair

Basically, the first thing you do is *never* brush your hair when it's dry. Maybe that's what's causing the breakage. There's a whole thread dedicated on this forum as to why never to brush curls dry (poof). You do, however, according to the method, detangle (comb/brush) in the shower, while your hair is coated in conditioner. Anyway. Lots of reading material for you. :)

Entangled
July 28th, 2014, 02:22 PM
Hi, CrazyGrace! Nice to meet you.
Here's a hairstyle dictionary:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=11763
And a bun and braid thread:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=112682

So you like Shannon Hale? What's your favorite book by her?

Shorty89
July 28th, 2014, 02:45 PM
Welcome! I'd love to see your curls :D

CrazyGrace
July 29th, 2014, 08:48 PM
@Johannah Those are helpful. I will look at the types next time I wash my hair (might be a couple weeks) and post a follow-up.
@lapushka I did try the curly girl thing for a couple months awhile back and it drove me crazy. I don't like to wear my hair down and struggle with putting it up when it is curly. That link and a couple other things I found in the thread make more sense than the things I was reading then, and I'm learning more ways to put it up, so maybe I'll try again sometime. Also, I generally give it about three days of very gentle and careful combing before even attempting to brush it.
@entangled Hmmmmm...... I'm going to say The Princess Academy.
@shorty89 I don't have a willing photographer and am terrible at taking pictures of myself. As soon as I can resolve either one of those things, I would love to share a picture.
@federica Hello! Thank you