1 Year of LHC :)

[divinedobbie]

Hey everyone,

I'm a little late considering my 1 year anniversary was on Jan 9th but I wanted to celebrate anyway! I've been growing out bleach, razor and heat damage for three years and joined LHC a year ago to learn how to really "rehab" my hair since I'd been pining over getting my long hair back. Over the last year I've learned so much from everyone here and would like to thank you guys for the amazing advice and changes I've made.

Although I haven't gained any length because of the vigorous trimming to get rid of damage, my hair is in much better condition. Currently dealing with the after effects of a major shed, growing out henna, and no trim 2015!!

Here's some important changes I've made in the past year thanks to LHC:
1. Sulfate free. This has turned my (hair) life around.
2. Not piling my hair on top of my head and smushing it around while washing in scalding hot water, and then proceeding to rip through with a plastic fine tooth comb. **I'll give you some time to cringe**
3. Silk pillowcase & seamless combs

Some things I tried and learned it was ok that they didn't work for me:
1. co-washing
2. stretching washes
3. protective styles (did it religiously for 8 months and was miserable, now I wear my hair up in moderation)
4. Oils, all of them

Some things I'm currently experimenting with:
1. caffeine and monistat
2. cones vs no cones (having been cone free for the past year)
3. blow dryer using only the cold setting

And without further ado, the pictures.

January 2014:
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab33/divinedobbie/fe015e42-e3eb-4c74-87ee-0d489bbc57ba_zpsb903ae92.jpg (http://s847.photobucket.com/user/divinedobbie/media/fe015e42-e3eb-4c74-87ee-0d489bbc57ba_zpsb903ae92.jpg.html)

January 2015:
http://i847.photobucket.com/albums/ab33/divinedobbie/4425d352-9df1-46e5-ad7b-019a26511d13_zpsbdfc7d6b.jpg (http://s847.photobucket.com/user/divinedobbie/media/4425d352-9df1-46e5-ad7b-019a26511d13_zpsbdfc7d6b.jpg.html)

[Clarkie]

Wow! Your hair looks soooo much better and I think you HAVE gained length! Those side bits that weren't even APL are now pretty much even with your hemline. It's great that you have found what works well for you. Congratulations!:applause

[Lavenderhaze]

Wow, that is quite an improvement in the condition of your hair.
It's really amazing how much hair can improve taking better care of it, isn't it?

[FallingDarkness]

WOW! Your hair is now so stunning, and it's definitely looking long. Great progress, your hair is shinier and thicker than it was a year ago!
So glad you found something that works for you :)

[rags]

Wow, that is such a HUGE difference in your hair! It's beautiful! Happy hairverssary!

[hannabiss]

It does look a bit longer. And much better condition! Great progress.

[Five of Five]

I have to agree with everyone else here - it looks in amazing condition now and is longer and thicker, too!

How do you get it so silky without oils?

[Belle Paix]

It's amazing how much better that looks, well done & congrats!!

[Flowerness]

That is such a beautiful transformation! Your hair looks so soft and touchable! (Did going sulfate free do that? Just curious, because... wow!)

[swearnsue]

Your hair is beautiful! Everything about your hair has improved so much, the color, texture, shape and length! Good work.

[Kome]

Your hair is looking much happier. Congrats! So shiney. O__O

[longNred]

Huge difference! It looks amazing!

[chipssalsa]

Your hais looks great!

[Chocowalnut]

I said wow out loud- am that impressed.

[Hotrox]

What a testament to the LHC hair care advice, the improvement to your hair is amazing.
I hope you are happy with your progress and we can see it get even longer :)

[hanne jensen]

You have gained length. You have grown from beginning of BSL to almost anatomical waist.

Your hair is in so much better condition! It's completely different from last year. Congratulations!

[squirrrel]

Definitely loving your 'one year on' update photo... Your hair is gorgeous! :)

[Begemot]

Your progress is amazing!! Congrats :)

[purplevickie]

Beautiful hair! Do you think going sulphate free made a big difference? I have been tempted as I find milder shampoos much better for my hair, but I haven't found one I like yet - any recommendations would be appreciated!

[Johannah]

Beautiful! Your hemline is so much thicker now! Congrats!

[veryhairyfairy]

It looks wonderful, and it's definitely grown a good bit! I love how different the two pictures are, it goes to show what a little TLC can do! :thumbsup:

[divinedobbie]

Thank you everyone for the kind words! :) :flower: I owe it all to LHC.

As for the people who've been wondering what and whether it's the sulfate free routine that's made my hair so shiny/silky - I honestly have no idea. I don't do anything special to my hair - hardly do deep treatments (in fact I did my first protein treatment a few weeks ago out of boredom), no oiling, no BBB, I don't S&D, hardly wear my hair up, I clarify when I remember, alternate between cones and no cones (when I took this picture, I hadn't been using any cones). The only permanent change I made was the ones I mentioned in my original post which was not using any sulfates since last January (except for clarifying once a month or so), not being so rough when I washed and manipulated my hair, and a silk pillowcase.

As for recommendations for products, I've been really happy with L'oreal EverCreme Sulfate free shampoo (I use the gold bottle one but there's different lines) and I've been using this for about 5 months now. I've also tried Aubreys and Burt's bee shampoos (all sulfate free). A cone free conditioner I really like is Tressemme naturals (I've been through bottles of both the volumizing and moisturizing one and like both equally) but my ultimate favourite conditioner at the moment is L'oreal Total Repair Extreme Conditioner with Lak 1000 + ceramides (I do think it has cones although none of the ingredients end in -cone, I suspect parafinnum liquidum is a cone - anyone want to clarify this?). YMMV though!

ETA: So I googled it and parafinum liquidum is just a fancy name for mineral oil. Makes sense because mineral oil was the one and only oil my hair seemed to tolerate, although I never had the patience to keep using it. So I guess "technically" my hair does get oils occasionally whenever I decide to use the L'oreal conditioner. Which reminds me I really need to get some more, I've been out of it for at least a month and I really did love it.

[Angela_Rose]

Wow, what a dramatic transformation! Your hair is beautiful. Happy anniversary!

[Rushli]

Congrats on the anniversary and your hair looks great! looks like you have learned a lot! I have been on here 1 year as well and am amazed by everything I heave learned, tried, and figured out what actually works for me!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow! And wow! again:) What a difference in health, thickness and length too! I just want to reach into the photo and stroke that silky hair.:) (Not intending to be creepy - but it just looks so good!)

[Angela_Rose]

Wow! And wow! again:) What a difference in health, thickness and length too! I just want to reach into the photo and stroke that silky hair.:) (Not intending to be creepy - but it just looks so good!)

LHC: The Few, the Proud, the Vaguely Creepy.