Help please !

[kjm777]

Hi everyone,

I am quite new to LHC, have already got some great advice but I need some extra encouragement as I get quite anxious about my hair. Approx 4 years ago after a salon disaster that fried my shoulder length curly hair I had to have it cut very short and it looked terrible. Then for the next 4 years I got stuck in cycle of bad haircuts, I was trying to get my hair how it used to be but it was one step forward 2 steps back. I have now got a chin length bob, which I just tie back as it just does not behave. My goal is to get some length in my hair before I go for another trim. Basically I need to go without a trim for approx 10 Months, I have already managed 2, yes this is a miracle for me! I am finding it hard to go without a trim when I have been a compulsive haircutter for so long which was triggered by my original disaster of a cut. I guess I would like to hear from people who have had similar experiences and have managed to stay away from the hairdresser whilst growing out a bad cut and still had hair that is in great condition when they have reached their goal.

[Johannah]

OH YES ME ME *raises hand* :waving:

I never could resist going to the hairdresser! I started growing out APL hair with bleach and heavy layers when I joined this forum back in 2011. I HATED HEATED HATED those layers!! It was really hard to not cut it because hair doesn't grow equally, and after a while it looks... weird. Especially with layers, and for you, especially with a bob.

Wearing my hair up in a short braid/ponytail/bun really helped me, though that was a challenge with those layers! Also I tried to ignore the length and started experimenting with different washing methods and products to see what works best for my hair: SLS, cones, no SLS or cones, CO, CWC, just WC, serums, oils, leave in conditioners, pre-poo treatments, stretching out washes... It's a fun way to do something with your hair but without the cutting! AND your hair will be healthier when you find things you like, which motivates you to keep on growing!

When my hair was long enough to wear it up in a bun, I tried different styles. Another thing to keep myself busy with my hair without cutting. And stalking etsy shops is a fun thing to do as well. Though I couldn't use most of those toys, I could make a wish list for the future and it motivated me!

Which also helped me was watching youtube videos from long haired people and watching pictures on tumblr. I made an account and reblogged all those gorgeous hair pictures and I thought: some day, this will be me! And right now, my hair is even longer than most of those pictures!

Hope this helped! :blossom:

ETA: I must say after a while I needed to start cutting to get rid of those layers, but I went without cutting for a long period of time!

[diddiedaisy]

I'm very scissor happy, but I cut my own hair. I wear mine up everyday, and try to look at the back as least as possible. Back in January I said no trims until I get to apl. But 3-4 inches worth of chops later.....well surprise surprise I'm still not at apl lol

The only thing I can suggest is self discipline, and if you can manage to pin it up, keep it up.

In fact I'm going to remove my scissors from my dressing area right now!!!

[hanne jensen]

Stay away from the hairdressers. Use the money on hairtoys instead. Join the No Trimming thread for advice and support. Use the money allocated for hairdresser visits for something else, it doesn't matter what. Know that your hair grows a tiny bit every day. Your long hair journey will take forever if your growth is lying on the floor.

[LongCurlyTress]

Hi kjm777!!!
As you can see from my signature pic, that was my hair in March, 2011!! Yes, it is an extreme challenge to grow out curly hair, mine is 3b also! But... if I can do it so can you! I have alot of suggestions that I can offer you. The first one is to stay away from hair stylists since they usually do not know what to do with our hair! When you say you tie your hair back do you use a claw clip for a french twist with bangs? That is a great hairstyle for this early stage of growing your hair. Can you post a pic of your hair now? If you can not trim for at least 6 more months, that will give you 3 inches (average hair growth is 1/2 inch a month) to work with and you will be more encouraged. Hang in there! This is the hardest stage you are at now, so just don't give in to cutting it!!! Watch youtube videos on growing your hair long, drink lots of water and eat alot of protein! Good luck!! Benign neglect is how most of us have successfully grown our short hair out. Mine has now grown too hovering around hip length and the temptation to trim/even off the hemline is always there!! I give the dog a bath and groom him and trim his facial hair when I am feeling the need to pic up scissors. Stay busy and in 6 months you will notice a great difference in how you can style your hair with the extra length. Don't cut it!! And don't even go into a hair salon! Just say no to cutting your hair!! :magic

And, I agree with what others have posted here! We have been where you are and we know how hard it is to want to cut/trim. Just try to be patient and your hair will grow!! :blossom:

[kjm777]

Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated ;

[CJCHair-stylist]

Being a hairdresser myself you can imagine how difficult it was for me to resist the urge to cut. What I do is regular S&Ds as well as bi-monthly micro-trims. My hair is now the longest it has ever been - now passing waist length and the last time I had a major cut was in 2009 which to me is a mammoth achievement. Especially seeing as my hair grows incredibly slowly. It is also in the best condition ever. Regular Henna colouring has also made my hair a whole lot stronger.

[lapushka]

I was scissor-happy for 2 decades. Had classic length as a 10/11 year-old, then got it cut to a page-bob style and from then on it was about 2 decades' worth of bad cuts. I never got beyond BSL for 2 decades. Until I came here in my thirties and read up on some things. That got me beyond BSL eventually (it took a good while), and right now I'm almost TBL. So, it can happen.

Just be patient and don't be tempted to trim. You can go without trims for years, esp. if there's no damage (white dots, splits), and those --if there aren't too many-- you can S&D right out.

Hang in there! Good luck to you!

[maegalcarwen]

Hi kjm777!!!
As you can see from my signature pic, that was my hair in March, 2011!! Yes, it is an extreme challenge to grow out curly hair, mine is 3b also! But... if I can do it so can you! I have alot of suggestions that I can offer you. The first one is to stay away from hair stylists since they usually do not know what to do with our hair! When you say you tie your hair back do you use a claw clip for a french twist with bangs? That is a great hairstyle for this early stage of growing your hair. Can you post a pic of your hair now? If you can not trim for at least 6 more months, that will give you 3 inches (average hair growth is 1/2 inch a month) to work with and you will be more encouraged. Hang in there! This is the hardest stage you are at now, so just don't give in to cutting it!!! Watch youtube videos on growing your hair long, drink lots of water and eat alot of protein! Good luck!! Benign neglect is how most of us have successfully grown our short hair out. Mine has now grown too hovering around hip length and the temptation to trim/even off the hemline is always there!! I give the dog a bath and groom him and trim his facial hair when I am feeling the need to pic up scissors. Stay busy and in 6 months you will notice a great difference in how you can style your hair with the extra length. Don't cut it!! And don't even go into a hair salon! Just say no to cutting your hair!! :magic

And, I agree with what others have posted here! We have been where you are and we know how hard it is to want to cut/trim. Just try to be patient and your hair will grow!! :blossom:

LongCurlyTress, this advice motivated me so much!: ) So you went from neck length to waist in 3 years?:)

[Marbid]

I am a happy scissors girl too! I cant stop trimming my hair. Dont even want to, i love cutting ti too much. But i also want ti long. So i personally dyed my bangs for decoration and also to accurately gauge my monthly growth, and systematically trim 1/4 of the accumulated growth of 2 months.. Thus, i cut, often, and very little.. Hair grows more than what i am trimming.

Really its just a math problem. Just don't cut of more than what you grow. And do it accurately. Its going to be very hard to get a hairdresser to trim 1/4 of an inch, they will think its just ridiculous. Will cut more than what you want and expect you never to notice the difference. And most people wont, until you realize a year later, that you have been stuck at neck length for an entire year. Then wonder why. And assume your hair does not grow even thou it looks very healthy.

Again, i stress......... Its just a math problem... Find a way to be more accurate. And if you cant find some one willing to do the micro trim, then do it yourself.. And if you cant do that either..... Well then you will have to stretch out trims to the point where you have a larger margin of error for trims. You only grow half an inch a month.. 1 inch for two months... Inch and a half for 3 months... 2 inches for 4 months... At this time it would still be hard to trim 1/4... But trimming an inch or so means that you will grow 3 inches in a year.. Most hairdressers can trim an inch. Just do some math.

[Marbid]

Oops.... Duplicate. Mah bad.