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Azy
September 8th, 2015, 09:09 AM
I have curly hair. Really curly hair. Super curly hair. Lol you get the point. I love how shiny it looks and how silky smoothe my curls feel. In water it looks like perfect mermaid hair. Which is my dream. But you know what i can't stand? My shrinkage. I hate it!!!! I do everything for my hair to grow healthy and long but no matter what it always looks to be shoulder length. Earlier this year like around may i decided to flat iron it for the first time in 7 years. It was waaaay past my waist straight almost to hip length. I was super shocked! And soooo happy at the same time. So i kept it straight for almost the whole month. Long story short it got heat damaged and i had to cut it back to about mbl (the longest layers) and the shorter ones are about bsl. I'm really disappointed. But I know its my own fault. Nut geezzzzz I have like what 70% to 90% shrinkage? Wtf lol. No matter what style i do it always shrinks up to and above my shoulders. So now i'm seriously considering getting the japanese hair straightening. I know a lot of people on the boards are negativr about ir. But on youtube i'm seeing so many successful people with it. So i called a salon to talk about getting it done. I haven't set the appointment yet though. Maybe i'll get it done for christmas.

Any thoughts or advice?

lapushka
September 8th, 2015, 09:16 AM
If it grows long enough, the shrinkage is less. ;) So if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is. :D

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 09:42 AM
That's what I used to think too. But after 7 years and almost hip length hair stretched with no difference while curly.... I just think its my hair type. Or just the way it is. And the only way I would be able to see the results of my hard work would be through straightening it :( i also don't want to have deal with heat damage again.

LongCurlyTress
September 8th, 2015, 10:08 AM
Azy, I am an almost tbl length curly 3b and what I do to stretch my curls is... I let it dry in a lwb after I detangle and comb through my length. Then I put my hair into a lwb bun with two claw clips, one on either side of the bun. As my hair dries, I take it down every few hours out of the bun and comb through it again and then put it back up into the lwb with a hairstick or two claw clips. This is my method to make my hair dry wavy. Then once it dries, I put a tiny bit of jojoba on the length to smooth out any frizz. I hardly ever wear it down, even after it dries since my hair is so thick and curly it drives me nuts!! But anyways, my hair dries wavier and stretched out this way. Good luck!! :) You can also stretch out your curls by drying it and using the diffuser poking through your length as you pull down the section and stretch it out with your other hand. Hope this makes sense. Then put it in a lwb after it is mostly dry to calm down the frizzies and biggness. ;)

ETA I use my Tangle Teaser to brush through the length as it is drying also, very gently from the ends and continue up the length.

Kina
September 8th, 2015, 10:13 AM
How about a dubi wrap?

restless
September 8th, 2015, 10:27 AM
The decision is all yours and I understand it must be very, very frustrating not seeing any growth after so long. My own wurls are nowhere near yours, but some thoughts just crossed my mind when reading your posts:

Have you tried all the heatless straightening methods there are out there? Id assume even heatless curling methods might actually straighten your curls a little by making them bigger and thus appear longer.

Will braids (with or without paranda), pony tails with several hair ties in a row, etc also shrink up as much or will they at least show some length?

Im no expert in the the Japanese straightening method, but as far as I understand its permanent. So if you do it, your roots will still come in curly and itŽll have to be redone or straightened with heat. The day youre tired of the upkeep and want your curls back, youre gonna stand there with say classic length straight hair and curly roots. I dont mean to be negative or disrespectful, but since you want really long hair (48 inches), I honestly cant see how this would be a good idea...

Good luck with whatever you choose and I hope youŽll be happy with your hair in the end :)

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 10:40 AM
Thanks so much for the replies. Yes I have tried every heatless option. But like I said in the OP it justshrinks up. No matter what. I've always loved and longed for super long hair my whole life
Ever since I was a child. I always remember my mom's ankle length 1c hair. Loved playing in it sooo much! Thats what gave me the long hair fever. (I cried when she cut it into a pixie...) So from then on I decided to grow my hair super long. I was like 5 then
Restless if i get tired of the straight hair i can just get a curly perm done over it since the chemical they both use is the same one. Its not a spur of the moment decision. I've been researching it all year.

lapushka
September 8th, 2015, 10:53 AM
Normally, if you get past a certain point, the shrinkage should be less, but you must have tight tight curls then if it doesn't weigh down even at hip. My advice? Grow beyond hip to see if it makes a difference. Meanwhile, you have the best of both worlds, stretched/wet longer and dry nice and short(er).

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 11:22 AM
I decided to write a post because even though the shrinkage thing just wounds my soul. I do love my hair alot. So i'm going to be really sad to see it gone. @lapushka thats the hilarious/ridiculous thing! I have loose curles. 3b in the back and 3c in the front! They just really love eachother and so want to curl up as much as they can and stick to eachother. But ladies. I think thats just my type of hair.... crazy... I was looking through old family pics and came across 2 pics of my sister and i. We were the same height and our hair was the same length (tbl) however... in the 1st pic both our hair was in pigtail braids. Mine not touching my shoulders and hers hip length.... The 2nd pic is of us at my uncle's wedding where we both were flower girls and had our hair done in the same style to match. Curling iron barrel curls. Our hair shows the same tbl length in that one. And yes the 2 photos were dated months apart.

Jo Ann
September 8th, 2015, 11:23 AM
One thing I've noticed with my hair is that, the more I wear it in braids or buns, the straighter it gets the closer to wash day. Of course, when washed, I have my original texture and waves/wurlies back, but still... :p

Maybe changing your hairstyle to buns/braids/combination would help you? And, after your past experience with straightening your hair, I would suggest research research research! And a really good oil/oil combo. If your Mom's hair was/is similar to yours, how did/does she tame her curlies/wurlies? I'm sure that, with hair as long as she had when you were a child, she has some tips to pass on to you ;)

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 11:24 AM
I just have crazy hair :(

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 11:30 AM
Jo Ann thanks for the advice. My mom has like 1b hair. Very thick, straight and with a little wave to it. Like those shampoo commercial girls. My everyday hair is a braided bun
I also oil my hair at night with lavender castor oil and sometimes evoo. My night time hair is braids too with a shower cap on to save my sheets. Part of the reason i want to straighten it is to be able to wear it down :(

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 11:32 AM
I don't think i can post pics yet. But when i can i will.

gthlvrmx
September 8th, 2015, 12:40 PM
I would let it grow and see it starts being stretched out by it's own weight. Maybe it will take more length because it doesn't weigh much since it's Fine/Medium hair. Is the Japanese Hair Straightening the brazilian blowout? I don't know much about it except that the brazilian blowout is very damaging. At least that's what I read online about it on here, plus something about health warnings, but that's about the brazilian blowout not the Japanese Hair Straightening.

You could grow to your goal length and then mess around with your length from there, straighten it or do what you want to it. I think we have some members with curly hair that grew it long and it looks long. Quixii has knee length hair. It's not as curly as yours, but it's curlier than mine and her hair looks like the curls are stretched out at the top from all the weight. If you have the extra length to play with, you won't have to worry about having to grow your hair longer anymore.

I have shrinkage but I bun my hair. I usually only let my hair down when it's drying from a wash but that's about it.

Azy
September 8th, 2015, 03:12 PM
@gthlvrmx: I don't know much about the Brazilian blow out either but I've also heard that its really damaging as well. It's also not permanent? The Japanese hair straightening is better in that you do it only like once or twice a year depending on your growth rate and then it's only the new growth you "touch up." The Brazilian is like getting a keratin straightening treatment I believe and it wears off after some time. And yeah, my hair strands are fine to medium in size. I'm still not sure if I'll go through with the straightening but by Christmas time I'll know for sure. I'm just giving my hair some more time to grow back out first.

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Being a curly can be really frustrating at times. :)

butter52
September 8th, 2015, 03:17 PM
Have you tried a weave?

Or streighten it but maybe just one a month for the change?

What about normal blow outs? Will it still shrink if you blowdry your hair streched?

meteor
September 8th, 2015, 03:35 PM
How about a dubi wrap?

I think this is excellent advice. I'd also suggest jumbo roller-sets every night on damp hair - done relatively tightly. Every kind of wet-setting that stretches a style should help a bit... for some time. I think it's important to re-do this every night to have some sort of lasting effect every day, but it does wear off, of course, especially if the humidity is high.


Thanks so much for the replies. Yes I have tried every heatless option. But like I said in the OP it justshrinks up. No matter what. I've always loved and longed for super long hair my whole life
Ever since I was a child. I always remember my mom's ankle length 1c hair. Loved playing in it sooo much! Thats what gave me the long hair fever. (I cried when she cut it into a pixie...) So from then on I decided to grow my hair super long. I was like 5 then
Restless if i get tired of the straight hair i can just get a curly perm done over it since the chemical they both use is the same one. Its not a spur of the moment decision. I've been researching it all year.


Jo Ann thanks for the advice. My mom has like 1b hair. Very thick, straight and with a little wave to it. Like those shampoo commercial girls. My everyday hair is a braided bun
I also oil my hair at night with lavender castor oil and sometimes evoo. My night time hair is braids too with a shower cap on to save my sheets. Part of the reason i want to straighten it is to be able to wear it down :(

You know, ultimately, I think, apart from relaxers, flat irons or Japanese or Brazilian chemical straightenings (they are all damaging to some degree, unfortunately).... there really isn't much that can be done to avoid shrinkage - it's just normal for super-curly hair (without "eating up" some length that curl wouldn't even happen). I would try to work on loving and seeing beauty in that awesome curl! :D Just like your mom probably wouldn't be able to shrink up her super-long gorgeous hair with curls like you can (on straight hair curls fall out quickly under that kind of weight or sometimes don't take at all!), there are certain limitations to super-curly hair, as well. Sorry if my approach sounds a bit passive, but I think hair does have the biggest chance of growing to its best potential when left to its own devices and with its own texture. :flower:

chen bao jun
September 8th, 2015, 05:47 PM
I feel ya.

I'm planning on getting mine flat ironed for the first time in 3 years tomorrow--hope I don't get heat damage.

You're not a superduper curly at 3b/3c, but its a funny thing, shrinkage is partly related to curl tightness and partly ---not. I know looser curlies with a whole lot of shrinkage. I'm actually tighter than you at 3c, no 3b here, but I don't have as much shrinkage as you do. though I have enough!! I'm another one that braiding relaxes my hair--if I don't wash it for a week and braid it every night, I have got no curls left (but I don't have 'straight' hair, either. It looks as if I have kinky hair and gave myself a blow-out with a blowdryer).

Will braiding make your hair straighter? It does with some people but not with others.

My aunts and grandmother used to always wear their hair in one single braid down their back, because that was the way you could best see their length.

They lived in the Caribbean also. Actually, that is probably a good part of your problem. the climate. If you came up here, you'd be like me. when I was in Houston earlier this year, I suddenly had 80% -90% shrinkage also, which I never had before. I doubt the dubi or the large curlers will help, because of the humidity down there...

I don't know what to tell you, other than what I tell myself, which is that the curls are pretty and I always get compliments, which is some consolation for taking forever to look like your hair grew just a teensy little eeny weeny bit. I swear, everyone who started LHC at the same time as me very obviously has waist length hair already--and I don't even look like brastrap.

I feel ya.

Hairkay
September 8th, 2015, 06:02 PM
I'm used to my shrinkage. Yes I'm a bit curious to what it would look like fully stretched out but that's my limit. I had my big sis it blow dried it really silky straight once. I immediately missed the curls, it was too flat, no body. I also have no idea what to do with straight hair. I tied it back in one that day. Now with my hair in its usual state, it'll get plaits/braids, cornrows, twists, flat twists, bantu knots, pony tails, peacock twists(well puff in my case), lwb, wash & go (minus hair creams and gels). With curly the hair bands stay put and I don't need to worry about fastening the end of a plait. The good thing about shrinkage is if I feel to have my hair shorter I just wet it and leave it to shrink to it's maximum limit. I get about 50% shrinkage. When I go out like that, everyone would ask if I just had a hair cut. Another day It'd be in plaits and suddenly longer. It currently looks around APL in plaits and a bit past shoulder length left out. I don't know if it will actually look longer when it grows some more. It may look the same or not. I have seen some with similar hair to mine who's waist length hair looks BSL unstretched so I'm assuming that mine may look the same too.

I kind of like the idea of being a discrete long haired person. It's nobody's business but mine what the actual length of my hair is.

chen bao jun
September 8th, 2015, 06:11 PM
There is a woman I know, she's white but she's married to a black man and has curly headed kids who called curly hair that shrinks a lot 'magic hair'. I thought that was a cute way to think of it. She says she's envious that it can look so different on different days--in the case of mine, at different times of the same day. Unpredictable and fun.

I really did hate my hair straightened, like Hairkay. Not because I hate straight hair--I think all hair types are beautiful, but because it had no life to it, being that it was not in its natural state It was so limp and dead, and in my case, because my hair is so coarse, it felt terribly rough. When its curly it doesn't feel like that--it feels alive and soft.

Of course, I AM getting it straightened tomorrow, I must have forgotten how much I hated it--
I am really curious to see what it will be like at this point though, after 3 years LHC. And if I hate it, I jsut have to wash it when I get back home lol

chen bao jun
September 8th, 2015, 06:18 PM
Oh, BTW, I keep forgetting to say how impressive that you have got to hip!
And how VERY impressive that your mom is at floor.
You might have the genes to get there--it would be interesting to see if THAT length dragged your curls down a bit. It would be an interesting experiment since your hair type is so different from your mom's.

Kina
September 8th, 2015, 06:59 PM
I'm at bcl but my hair looks like its at just waist length, even though I'm not tightly curly. I hate my hair straight, no body, just limp, so I don't bother, but I get the frustration. It is what it is, at least I HAVE hair, yanno?

LongCurlyTress
September 8th, 2015, 09:00 PM
Maybe this book and her website by Teri LaFlesh will help you. I read it and loved it! She is also on youtube.
http://www.tightlycurly.com/welcome

https://www.youtube.com/user/telzeek

chen bao jun
September 8th, 2015, 10:25 PM
I do the tightly curly.
It's nice, I have curls, I don't have frizz with this method. does nothing about the shrinkage though, in fact the opposite, I find the nicer the curls, the more the shrinkage lol

CurlyCap
September 8th, 2015, 11:45 PM
Some hair just stays curly. No amount of wrapping, brushing, braiding, or tricks will straighten it. And it is very hard to get people to understand that. High heat will do it, but as you've learned, it's incredibly damaging.

But you'll find that very long curly hair is rare. Super rare. Far more than long straight hair.

My hair is about an inch from classic, and I was giggling today at bedtime because my 2-strand twist is ...above APL? Sigh. Yep. The curly life.

There ARE ways to show length with curls. I can do amazing things with my hair at near-classic that straighties can't do. The central portions of my hair are amazing volume, but accent braids easily show off the length. I get bored and pull a curl and people realize I'm gonna run out of arm before I run out of curl. In about 2 years, I WILL have Merida hair (the black hair version, of course), with no wig/filler/process required. My hair is out of control unique. Yours will be too.

Really, browse youtube. How many of the curly divas actually make it past hip? With healthy hair? How many at classic? At thigh? Truth be told, I think people with long curly hair actually withdraw from media because there comes a point when people aren't used to seeing curly hair that long and it's easier to not post.

Generally, I'm all "You do you." Cut it, shave it, curl it, dye it. Just make sure you LOVE your hair, because it's attached to your freakin' head. BUT, if your deep-down heart's desire is hip+ length hair, I have to advise against permanent straightening techniques. Over time, the damage builds up. The process is great if you like your hair between APL and BSL, and frequently cut your hair to maintain a style. But for those wanting very long lengths, you'll have to pay the toll eventually. I've just seen it too many times.

I get it. I really do. I come from a family of extremely long, straight, jet black hair. My mom's photos are full of knee and ankle length hair, brushed and oiled to silk-like shine. But I guess I get peace from saying "That's HER hair." And my mom loves me and there are aspects of my hair that are like hers, like my ridiculous growth rate or my hair's weird part. You can see my mom's hair in mine, despite it looking different. I tell myself, "MY hair is just as amazing and my mom couldn't do her hair like mine with all the styling tools in the universe."

So, if you wanna rock straight hair for a year or two...do it. Just know what you're getting into and be prepared to embrace the entirety of it. And if you decide you want to go for very long lengths...well, that's what we here at LHC like to do. We'll help you wait it out.

chen bao jun
September 9th, 2015, 06:02 AM
I was hoping Curly Cap would weigh in.

Here's some information on dewpoint and relative humidity that may help you. It's an article on how to stay curly, but the information should still help. You might do a google search on 'dewpoint and hair' for more information.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/wavy-hair-type-2/the-411-on-dew-points-humectants/

Curly Cap is right (and this is a thing I have struggled with also, trying to get people who are more tightly curly than I am, yet have hair that straightens easily when mine won't to understand)--some hairtypes fight against being straightened. LIterally fight it. It's not the curl pattern tightness. It's the hairtype in some other way that I don't understand. My best guess i s that it has something to do with coarseness and/or porosity. Black hair dressers and my hair used to do battle. They hated my haiir and I hated them. (I remember one once shouting at me that my hair "looks like its 'good hair' but its 'bad'. Really really 'bad'". Oh, how I hate that terminology.) Then I went to Asia and the hair dressers loved me and had no problem with my hair and handled it easily. I think this is because, while I have never met a tightly curly East Asian person (I have met wavy, I have met curly, but never tightly curly) I have met lots and lots with coarse, 'resistant' hair. Which is what I have. Resistant as in resists any processing what soever. Period. Full stop.

I used to have a super perm, blow dry on high and then flat iron on about 450 to get'straight' and I never could get 'bone straight'. It would 'revert' very easily also (and people would tell me I was lazy about grooming as a result). I thought my hair was healthy --but it never grew past bra strap, straightened. You might have to choose between actual long hair,which doesn't look long and straight hair that looks long for a bit before it breaks off, as Curly Cap said.

Here on LHC you can fall into the longer the better mentality easily (and those of us with many different hair types and very long hair in our families are vulnerable to this) but I do notice that in real life, someone else with much longer hair can be around me and I can still be the one getting all the attention for the beautiful and unusual curls, which people love (too much sometimes, as in hands out of my hair, please). So don't let lack of apparent length blind you to qualities your hair has.

Next, if you decide you MUST straighten your hair, head over to LongHairCareForum and lurk a bit, they drive me personally crazy with their politics all over the forum (its definitely not just hair information there) but those ladies KNOW how to heat process or chemically process their hair and stay, not at LHC lengths, but at straightened hip or tailbone length and look great and have healthy hair. Besides the politics, I did also find that they could be a bit snarky (some of them, not all) to people with the looser hair types (as in, 'you don't understand our issues and don't belong here') so I myself stayed lurking and you might want to at least start out that way (although it might have changed, it s a while since I've lurked over there). Anything that's not type 4 would count as a 'looser hair type' over there, even if it still is obviously afro curly.

chen bao jun
September 10th, 2015, 09:00 AM
LongCurlyTress, you have beautiful hair.
I got my hair flat ironed. It looks nice, actually, very shiny and so forth. I don't think I would do it often, in fact I know I wouldn't, but its fun for the moment. I think the LHC care and that my hair is healthy made a difference in how it came out.
Flat ironing would be useless in the OP's climate, though.
What's interesting is that I don't have much shrinkage? I was assuming that my hair had grown quite a bit longer and that shrinkage was hiding it, but its only about two or three inches longer than my siggy with natural hair. So it seems that now with LHC care, my hair shrinks a lot when I first wash it, but braiding stretches it out to basically the length it is, in a couple of days, how odd. So now I guess I don't really belong on this thread. I belong on a thread about why has my hair only grown about 7 inches in three years? that seems rather incredibly slow, but I guess at least it did grow some. And its remarkably healthier, so much so that I think I don't really know how it behaves any more. I know how my damaged hair used to behave (that had a lot of shrinkage) but this is a new animal.

I don't know if this makes the OP feel better about having hip length hair or not--I'm definitely somewhat jealous--
But I won't thread jack, later I will make my own thread.

LongCurlyTress
September 10th, 2015, 03:18 PM
Thank you so much chen bao jun!! As a fellow curlygirl, I found a wonderful facebook group page called "Beautiful Girls, with Curly Hair" and this has helped me to accept my hair and its uniqueness and to feel lucky that I have curlyhair throughout my entire hair growing journey since I cut it into a 3b chin length bob to cut off my dyed length that had grown out to chin length. Also, there are so many youtube girls who I love their curly 4 a-c hair and it is your length!! HoneysCurls is one of my favorites!! My 3b hair usually just gets frizzy no matter what products I use so I put it into a bun most of the time. ;( Anyways, HoneysCurls is a fun youtube page and she is just gorgeous and inspiring!! :blossom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJyVwWbTZio&feature=em-uploademail

ETA OP I hope you check out this youtube page also!! Don't worry that your hair shrinks up! That is all part of being a curlygirl!! It's beautiful~ ;) And we are so lucky to be curlygirls!! ;)

Azy
September 10th, 2015, 07:25 PM
Thanks so much for the replies and sorry for the late reply. I totally get everything everyone is sayingbut my hair is crazy lol. Right now i'm in the cinema watching hitman. I came in with curls a little past my shoulders but now they've shrunk up. Sigh. I already do the tightly curly method. But the weather and humidity here is crazy. Either its sooooo freaking hot that you think you're going to spontaneously combust or its raining buckets... Either way my hair looks like shrunken crap. Albeit super shiny shrunken crap. It started off looking so pretty. Sigh... Sometimes i really hate my hair. My bf and i took some pics together and it looks horrid. I'm already short... Why do i have to have short looking hair too... -_- sigh... sorry this post became a rant. I just looked at the pics and thought to myself, "this is why i want to straighten my hair..." Maybe i'll be the first LHCer to achieve long jhs hair. Thanks for the support everyone.

LongCurlyTress
September 10th, 2015, 08:13 PM
Awwww Azy!! I grew up in a very humid climate and absolutely hated my hair so I know how you feel!! Then I moved to California which is like a dry desert for most of the year!! Haven't regretted it one bit!! ;) Just a thought anyways for you!! A friend of mine with waist length very curly hair moved from NYC to California just for her hair since it is so humid, wet and rainy there!! ;) Good luck!!

AutobotsAttack
September 10th, 2015, 09:44 PM
For me I'm dealing with two different hair textures every time my new growth comes in. Personally for me, I've just learned to embrace my shrinkage. My hair is relaxed so when my new growth comes in it shrinks up some of my already existing length, which I think is breakage (lol) but it turns out it's just a ton of shrinkage. I personally just accept myself the way I am, and I'm perfectly fine with my shrinkage :)

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 06:27 AM
Hmm I think last night made my mind up for me. I can't move to California. Its crazy hard for people in other countries to get an american visa lol. Especially young unmarried women. They take your money and then reject you lol. Last night when i got home i looked in the mirror and my hair looked like a mushroom lol. If I have enough left over from paying my law school fees i'll get it done. Costs $1500 here. If i want body or curls i can get some with braid outs and roller sets. Its not like i haven't given the curls a chance. 7 years is enough. I'm over it. Thanks so much for all the kind words.

LongCurlyTress
September 11th, 2015, 09:09 AM
Hmm I think last night made my mind up for me. I can't move to California. Its crazy hard for people in other countries to get an american visa lol. Especially young unmarried women. They take your money and then reject you lol. Last night when i got home i looked in the mirror and my hair looked like a mushroom lol. If I have enough left over from paying my law school fees i'll get it done. Costs $1500 here. If i want body or curls i can get some with braid outs and roller sets. Its not like i haven't given the curls a chance. 7 years is enough. I'm over it. Thanks so much for all the kind words.

Wow!! Law school? Congrats on taking on such an incredible goal!! Are you on the NaturallyCurly.com forum? Maybe you will get more ideas and support over there? I am sure you are not alone with the curlygirl shinkage problem. I have it too, but I just put my hair up and forgetaboutit. ;) Hugs!! and good luck in school!! :blossom:

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 10:18 AM
Thanks i'm in my second year. I've read that board extensively. I guess i'll just admire other people's curly hair. Thanks again long curly tress.

chen bao jun
September 11th, 2015, 10:55 AM
It's possible to keep your hair straightened, if that's preference and still have it long.
Things to check--any post on here by MINAKO, who does some sort of keratin straightening and has beautiful long hair. she gives posts in detail about what she does. I think there's a keratin straightening thread.
I repeat, the LongHairCareForum.
From what I know, it s super important to do protein treatments on your ends if you are straightening your hair, something like aphogree two step
and its very important to not straighten the same hair twice. That is, when you do touchups of whatever, you want to hit your new growth only and not re-straighten, which is why some of the most successful people do their chemical straightening themselves. Hairdressers do tend to 'pull through' and its bad for the hair
But I think this is a new thread now.
Good luck.

chen bao jun
September 11th, 2015, 11:29 AM
I just straightened my hair (this is, had it done) it was heat straightening, which of course won't work in your climate--or not for long.
Just thought I'd check in again and compare what I like and dont' like about it

I loike that everybody is complimenting me on it IRL. Of course I know that is becuase its a change and people like change, but its fun to get compliments

My husband is thrilled with it. this is probably because it is more 'glamourous' in terms of society. You know all those models, movie stars etc (or the large majority) have straight or straightened hair. You know the thing they do in the movies, as much a cliche as when the 'plain' secretary takes off her glasses and is gorgeous, where the curly girl gets her hair flat ironed and is suddenly 'glam'.

Turned out I don't have much shrinkage anymore. But every inch counts at a certian length. With curls I look like armpit. With straight hair I look like bra strap, which is definitely 'long hair' out there, so I'm suddenly a 'long hair' as society counts it, while my normal self is kind of 'just getting there.' Plus, straight hair looks longer than curls, I swear. Maybe its the sleekness and the shininess, so that your eyes aren't interrupted. Maybe its something else? But straight hair definitely 'looks' longer.

Suddenly I can wear hair toys, besides the LHC special hair toys. I still need the large size, but not the extra extra large size, KWIM? I can fit barrettes. true, they are large volume barrettes, but I can put my whole ponytail inside them. this is very nice.

Its easy to make buns. The toys just slide right in.

My head fits into things like hats, shower caps, bandeaux, etc. True, I need large size. But I usually just. don't. fit.

I can detangle DRY hair. With a comb. I usually cannot comb my hair.

I can even brush my hair, and swing it around, and look like that-pretty-woman-at-her-dressing-table trope in movies, etc.

Downside

It actually really doesn't look as good as my curls. It jsut doesn't.

I look like every body else.

Every. single. minute I am thinking, can I do such and such or will my hair 'go back'. Is it raining? Horrors. Will this activity make me sweat? Oh, no! I actually never think about hair when I have curls. I mean, if something happens to mess them up, which can happen, I jsut wash my hair afterwards, right?

My hair is actually 'slippery' (I think due to being healthy now, thanks to LHC treatment). Hair toys are sliding out--I'm finding that only my ketylos stay in, of all my hairsticks.. Scarves are sliding off. this is a new thing for me--and I do not like it.

I have a 'bun drop'. This look so cute in movies, but I am not used to it and don't like. I am used to my hair staying up without effort, which is an asset if you wear a lot of updoes and buns. this asset is gone.

I find it soothing to finger detangle my hair. Quick detangling with combing is nice, I guess, but I miss that down time.

Straightening took forever to do (almost two hours with the flat iron), I cannot do it myself (it would take me five or six, due to lack of skill and this much hair) and part of the time, it hurt. Hair pulling. Curly hair isn't jsut wash and go for me, as I have to put in a leave in, and usually braid it afterwards, but its like 1/2 hour as opposed to almost 2 hours, and in my own home, and I like the control of doing my own hair.

My hubby likes my curls too. In fact, men do in general. Unfortunately, a lot of them seem to think I look --how to put this: tousled, not quite groomed, but in a good way, not polished, so 'ready for action' so to speak, which is annoying when they are not your husband, but its not like straight is pretty and curls are ugly, it is more like straight is 'groomed' and 'polished' while curls are 'wild' and 'sexy'. As a friend of mine, who is a conservative mother of six, married for about 25 years and very quiet in personality, keeps hearing from her jealous friends about her curls, "you naturally have 'party hair'". Which is, I strongly suspect, why curls are often not welcome in the workplace. Too sexy. fortunately for me, I don't work (at least not outside the home).

I'd have to have the sale of lifetime on the swapboard, all my Lady Iduns (which are longs), my Ficcare innovations, my handmade faux flexis, most of my LHC toys just do not work with my straight hair.

And I'd have to pay extra attention to hair care if I wnat to keep growing long. Processed hair usually does mean shorter hair, unfortunately. there are exceptions, there are places here with tips (like the thread 'Bottled blond grows long" but they tell you to avoid heat and chemicals here on LHC for a reason. It's not essential. But its easier.

thread jack over.

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 02:15 PM
@chen bao jun thanks for the info. I already do protein treatments (once a month) and i have already checked out the longhaircareforum. I'm glad you're enjoying your hair. I tried uploading a siggy pic so that you all can see my hair but i'm not sure if i did it right but i guess we'll see when i post this comment.

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 02:37 PM
lol failed. Here's another try at the sig pic. And yes that is a coconut tree in the background (cliche i know XD)

Kina
September 11th, 2015, 02:41 PM
lol failed. Here's another try at the sig pic. And yes that is a coconut tree in the background (cliche i know XD)

your hair is stunning.

meteor
September 11th, 2015, 02:51 PM
^ Azy, wow, your hair is stunning! :applause Your curls are incredible, by the way! Such perfect definition! Lovely! :crush:

LongCurlyTress
September 11th, 2015, 02:51 PM
Yes!!! Your hair IS stunning!! Wow!!! Love it!! :agape:

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 02:54 PM
:oops: thanks ladies

lapushka
September 11th, 2015, 03:00 PM
Yes, it's pretty, and I think it's a nice length as well!

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 03:29 PM
Thanks lapushka. It was still kind of damp from washing. While wet it looks apl but once dry shoulder length.

Groovy Granny
September 11th, 2015, 04:14 PM
lol failed. Here's another try at the sig pic. And yes that is a coconut tree in the background (cliche i know XD)

Beautiful :thumbsup:

Colochita
September 11th, 2015, 04:55 PM
While I have no advice on fighting shrinkage, might I ask what salon is offering to do your hair, Azy? I have the same problem and have been considering it too.

I'm in the Caribbean as well but I don't know of anywhere that does Japanese straightening. Feel free to PM me!

Hairkay
September 11th, 2015, 05:28 PM
Those curls are cute Azy. Mine looks the same length as yours when damp or plaited/braided though my hair is MBL stretched. Since you're studying law, I'm guessing that your studies keep you in Barbados most of the time. I'm aware that there is a uni campus school of law there.

missrandie
September 11th, 2015, 06:52 PM
Holy epic curls, Batman!

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 07:57 PM
@Colochita it's Hair by Giovanni Salon. I'm in Trinidad though.

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 07:59 PM
Yes there is one but there are quite a few in my country Trinidad as well. Thanks for the compliment!

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 08:00 PM
Thank you missrandie :oops:

Azy
September 11th, 2015, 08:14 PM
Thank you :)

Azy
September 12th, 2015, 10:43 AM
Changed the sig pic to show the length stretched. I'm short so its almost waist length on me.

chen bao jun
September 12th, 2015, 12:37 PM
Azy, I would have almost thought that was me if I didn't know it wasn't. We are seriously hair twins. That's how my hair looks when just washed (my siggy is a little further on in the week( So I feel a little embarrassed to say I think your hair is gorgeous. it feels like complimenting myself.
You have got maybe slightly more shrinkage than me but its not that much more. It's interesting how different people perceive things differently. I think we are actually very close to the same length also, though you are longer. Unfortunately for me, I'm short but veerrrryyy long waisted and I am just nowhere near waist at all.
I certainly hope you find a solution that makes you happy, especially in your climate, I really believe that our hair may be behaving differently because I'm in the midAtlantic US and its not like Trinidad. My grandma spent some time in Trinidad--around 1910, lol. she said it was a beautiful place to be back then. She was a Bajan but moved to another part of the Caribbean where both my mom and I were born.

lapushka
September 12th, 2015, 01:51 PM
Thanks lapushka. It was still kind of damp from washing. While wet it looks apl but once dry shoulder length.

Judging from your sig picture you have shrinkage from about BSL to shoulder/APL, which is... not that bad! Really! :)

Azy
September 12th, 2015, 02:30 PM
Azy, I would have almost thought that was me if I didn't know it wasn't. We are seriously hair twins. That's how my hair looks when just washed (my siggy is a little further on in the week( So I feel a little embarrassed to say I think your hair is gorgeous. it feels like complimenting myself.
You have got maybe slightly more shrinkage than me but its not that much more. It's interesting how different people perceive things differently. I think we are actually very close to the same length also, though you are longer. Unfortunately for me, I'm short but veerrrryyy long waisted and I am just nowhere near waist at all.
I certainly hope you find a solution that makes you happy, especially in your climate, I really believe that our hair may be behaving differently because I'm in the midAtlantic US and its not like Trinidad. My grandma spent some time in Trinidad--around 1910, lol. she said it was a beautiful place to be back then. She was a Bajan but moved to another part of the Caribbean where both my mom and I were born.

Thank you chen bao jun. Your hair is gorgeous too. I was really depressed about it the other night. Because I put so much hard work into my hair for so long and I'm not seeing the results I'd like to see. My DBF doesn't want me to "kill my curlies" so again I am unsure of what I will do. He says just give it more time lol. (He also took out the pics for me! eheheh) The weather here these days is really whack. Yesterday was boiling hot. I have no ac on the ward that I work on in the hospital, just a fan in my office, and I am sitting there dying in front the fan... sweat dripping down my legs in rivulets. And now today it's storming. So crazy lol. I think I'll just try to grow/trim out the rest of my heat damage and just go from there. Maybe since I'm short (5'1) more time will give me the length I desire. Maybe I'll try a hair supplement too.

Azy
September 12th, 2015, 02:33 PM
Judging from your sig picture you have shrinkage from about BSL to shoulder/APL, which is... not that bad! Really! :)

Haha thanks lapushka. To be honest I think that I would be satisfied if my hair looked like if it were at least BSL. More hang less float. Can't handle my hair defying gravity XD

CurlyCap
September 12th, 2015, 03:29 PM
Gotta chim in and also say that your shrinkage is not that bad for your hairtype! I lose 10-12" inches most days as well. It gets better.

MandyBeth
September 12th, 2015, 07:27 PM
My daughter looks like waist/hip dry. It's a huge, floating, awesome explosion of curls. Wet alone, it's about two inches on the floor. I don't bother stretching her hair out. That's the nature of super curly hair. http://tallncurly.com/2015/01/29/living-curly-life-like-living-beast/ That's about her hair and it's behavior or lack there of.

I think your curls look fantastic!

Azy
September 13th, 2015, 07:33 AM
My daughter looks like waist/hip dry. It's a huge, floating, awesome explosion of curls. Wet alone, it's about two inches on the floor. I don't bother stretching her hair out. That's the nature of super curly hair. http://tallncurly.com/2015/01/29/living-curly-life-like-living-beast/ That's about her hair and it's behavior or lack there of.

I think your curls look fantastic!

Haha thanks. Love the comic by the way. Really funny but super factual XD

Hairkay
September 13th, 2015, 07:51 AM
Yes there is one but there are quite a few in my country Trinidad as well. Thanks for the compliment!

I've been there. It's hot and I liked walking in the rain.

MandyBeth
September 13th, 2015, 05:56 PM
Haha thanks. Love the comic by the way. Really funny but super factual XD

Yup, we love the comic here. Minion has hair that will not do the Maltese as the comic says. No thank you. Well, only not that polite about it. I guess chemical straightener might work, but honestly I doubt how well it'd work and it's not worth the damage mentally to her to get into the idea her hair must do the Maltese. So I, with my Maltese agreeable hair, had to learn to love the Beast also. But when 12+ inches is the shrinkage, to have visibly long hair takes the extreme lengths. And getting there takes years with a good growth rate and taking good care of your hair. Or you're going to aggravate the hair beyond it's ability to grow that long, and it snaps off. Which becomes a self defeating prophecy.

Plus her hair still does more floating and side to side. That's it's nature. She's got very tight ringlets - coffee stirrer is her average - and each rotation stacks up or even overlaps the prior round. So I think the floating may be something to get used to.

Hairkay
September 15th, 2015, 06:44 AM
I've been looking at this video today. It's making me smile. Notice the shrinkage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca-5V9vDpFU

chen bao jun
September 15th, 2015, 09:35 AM
Yup, we love the comic here. Minion has hair that will not do the Maltese as the comic says. No thank you. Well, only not that polite about it. I guess chemical straightener might work, but honestly I doubt how well it'd work and it's not worth the damage mentally to her to get into the idea her hair must do the Maltese. So I, with my Maltese agreeable hair, had to learn to love the Beast also. But when 12+ inches is the shrinkage, to have visibly long hair takes the extreme lengths. And getting there takes years with a good growth rate and taking good care of your hair. Or you're going to aggravate the hair beyond it's ability to grow that long, and it snaps off. Which becomes a self defeating prophecy.

Plus her hair still does more floating and side to side. That's it's nature. She's got very tight ringlets - coffee stirrer is her average - and each rotation stacks up or even overlaps the prior round. So I think the floating may be something to get used to.

wow coffee stirrer average and floor length--that is really amazing. And encouraging. Coffee stirrer really is very tightly curly indeed which automatically means a certain amount of fragility. Impressive.

MandyBeth
September 15th, 2015, 11:14 PM
Keep in mind, minion is tiny and as an adult is likely to be only around 5' or so. So floor length now is more like knee on most people.

Also, she's got an insane growth rate. A full inch monthly is her average. Plus while the spiral is tight, I think it helps look longer, each rotation doesn't take as much hair. Then since she's got actual spirals vs the 4 level zig zag, I have to think the sharp, angular bends in the 4 texture (like my husband has) is more fragile than the spirals. I don't know if the sharp bend is just a point that's easier to break or if the layers on each strand have a harder time on the sharp bends, thus potentially weakening the hair. And that's all anecdotal so what do I actually know.

And her hair is basically always up, isn't heat treated and has no chemical treatments. So yes, that does help. The ends are protected from themselves 90% of the time, so they're not so snap prone. If she headbangs for a few hours with loose hair, about a week later, I'll have to cut off 2-3" usually because the ends are just trashed. But somethings are worth the hair cut.

starshade
September 15th, 2015, 11:29 PM
You have amazingly pretty curls! My hair is less curly and suffers far less shrinkage, but the curls have gotten somewhat stretched out since I started using henna regularly. So you could look into that if you're interested. Although I think it doesn't always work that way for everyone! Still I love henna for the way it conditions and strengthens my hair.

chen bao jun
September 17th, 2015, 08:15 PM
Keep in mind, minion is tiny and as an adult is likely to be only around 5' or so. So floor length now is more like knee on most people.

Also, she's got an insane growth rate. A full inch monthly is her average. Plus while the spiral is tight, I think it helps look longer, each rotation doesn't take as much hair. Then since she's got actual spirals vs the 4 level zig zag, I have to think the sharp, angular bends in the 4 texture (like my husband has) is more fragile than the spirals. I don't know if the sharp bend is just a point that's easier to break or if the layers on each strand have a harder time on the sharp bends, thus potentially weakening the hair. And that's all anecdotal so what do I actually know.

And her hair is basically always up, isn't heat treated and has no chemical treatments. So yes, that does help. The ends are protected from themselves 90% of the time, so they're not so snap prone. If she headbangs for a few hours with loose hair, about a week later, I'll have to cut off 2-3" usually because the ends are just trashed. But somethings are worth the hair cut.

Yeah--but knee is amazing for tightly curly.

I no longer think there is such a thing as 'zigzag'. I used to think so, until my sister in law with the zigzags, one of the tightest tightly curlies I know, discovered Maximum Hydration and turned out to have perfect spirals. She didn't change from being a tight tightly curly at all, but her little spirals just look so amazing. I now think that its a lack of moisture. I think really tight tightly curly is harder to moisturize properly, even than just regular tightly curly--or even regular curly for that matter (curly is just hard to moisturize period).

Her hair does sound fragile though if she always needs a haircut after having it loose (even with head banging). Maybe because its so long. My hair is almost always up (well, I made a deal with my husband and I do Sundays and dates down) and I don't need a haircut after the loose hair, just a bit more careful detangling and maybe a teensy bit more S & D.

On the other hand, with one inch per month growth rate, who cares about an inch or two inch haircut.

Beborani
September 17th, 2015, 09:11 PM
I get about 6 inches shrinkage and I like it as it shortens my hair to more acceptable lengths when I wear it down (nearing classic when stretched). It also masks the thinness of the last third or so of my length to some extent.

Brunette_Barbie
September 17th, 2015, 09:27 PM
I braid my hair into pigtails to reduce shrinkage.

hennalonghair
September 17th, 2015, 10:10 PM
Nothing. I like wearing my hair curly after washing so I usually wear it down for the day because that's how long it takes to dry. The next day I comb it out then brush it & recurl the ends with wet hands.

DollyDagger
September 18th, 2015, 10:22 AM
I deal with it by realizing I just have to grow it longer to compensate. I can elongate mine ( a little ) depending on how I style but then it becomes a trade off volume for length. I kind of like it more voluminous :)
I came across that Nigerian girls video a while back- very awesome looking hair. I do prefer hers styled more voluminously too!

YvetteVarie
September 18th, 2015, 02:31 PM
I try to keep it stretched 90% of the time because if I let my hair really shrink to its full potential, I would be shaving off a hair mat from my head. So I'm almost always in buns and braids. I only wear my hair out if it has been recently relaxed or flat ironed. I do have shrinkage then, but it's minimal and easier to detangle

MandyBeth
September 19th, 2015, 05:34 PM
Yeah--but knee is amazing for tightly curly.

I no longer think there is such a thing as 'zigzag'. I used to think so, until my sister in law with the zigzags, one of the tightest tightly curlies I know, discovered Maximum Hydration and turned out to have perfect spirals. She didn't change from being a tight tightly curly at all, but her little spirals just look so amazing. I now think that its a lack of moisture. I think really tight tightly curly is harder to moisturize properly, even than just regular tightly curly--or even regular curly for that matter (curly is just hard to moisturize period).

Her hair does sound fragile though if she always needs a haircut after having it loose (even with head banging). Maybe because its so long. My hair is almost always up (well, I made a deal with my husband and I do Sundays and dates down) and I don't need a haircut after the loose hair, just a bit more careful detangling and maybe a teensy bit more S & D.

On the other hand, with one inch per month growth rate, who cares about an inch or two inch haircut.

My hubby has the true zig zag going on loose, but he hates his hair loose so yeah, he probably doesn't care enough. Vs minion who honestly does better with daily washing or at least full wetting. If we don't detangle daily, her hair locks up extremely tight. Daily, I can actually do detangling fairly easily because the individual curls don't try to get snuggly with their neighbors that fast.

Her hair is so very seldom loose. She's still a busy, active kid. Loose hair isn't safe for her, it's a major catch risk. Plus, we are still seeing the awful damage from before we had her. I'm pretty sure we've cut off the absolute worse, but I can still see the color differences so I know the ends are showing the neglect. And that crap can be impossibly tangled if you look at it cross eyed. Granted, last concert we could just detangle all but the very ends.

But her hair is moisture and oil loving. I can put cups of oil in her hair at night, and come morning, there's nothing excessive on her hair and her clothes and bedding aren't oily. She's strictly conditioner washed, and I've tried protein at times and yeah. No. It's so hard to get the moisture level back up.

chen bao jun
September 19th, 2015, 06:01 PM
sometime I will stop being lazy and will wash more often, which my hair likes. It really likes to be washed every day and its not a lot of trouble to do so, but I'd rather just bun.
and yeah, it astonishing how my hair eats oil and conditioner. I do put protein on my messed up ends though, maybe once a month. It helps them stay on--wihtout the protein, they would have broken off long ago.

My flat ironing job is still hanging in there-- I think I will make it to Wednesday, which will be two flat ironed weeks--
Then I will wash with joy and most probably won't flat iron for another 3 years or so.

MandyBeth
September 19th, 2015, 07:19 PM
Minion is prone to getting whatever kids get into in her hair yet, even if she's careful. So daily washing is important. Plus her hair loves it and it's easier to deal with. 30 minutes to wash and detangle daily or 3 hours to detangle if we skip a day. I will say Sunday, we usually sit down and do a fairly detailed detangle session just to make sure everything is unknotted and behaving. Plus I can catch any ends that don't stay clumped and trim them.

Her ends just fluff up like hell with protein. We've tried, but it just acts so drying. It's ok on the bulk of her hair, but not the ends. I'm thinking she's still got 17-18" of hair that's too damaged from the dishwashing detergent and there's nothing we can do. I do suspect structural damage as that's the color difference.

It's my Maltese prone hair, but I find it amusing to load her hair up with everything and let it soak up whatever. My hair would riot. Minion doesn't mind as she understands we can take this much care or we have to cut her hair shorter.

gthlvrmx
September 24th, 2015, 01:10 PM
To Azy, have you read about henna? It might not fully take away your curls, but I read that it loosens up curls. After a few applications it seems to do that. Maybe you could look into that.

vpatt
September 24th, 2015, 03:18 PM
I am fascinated by all the curls. I think all your hair is amazing. One of my daughters has curly hair, tho it was only somewhat wavy when she was a child. When she was a teenager curls popped out, lol. Her daughter is 16 and I am waiting to see if she has the same thing. I am envious.

Just wanted to say how awesome I find all your hair.....I do hear from my daughter about some of your issues.

luxurioushair
September 24th, 2015, 03:37 PM
I like it :)

The longer my hair gets, the more useful it's going to be. It's not everyday you want your hair hanging all over, some days are really hot!

Hairkay
September 24th, 2015, 05:26 PM
To Azy, have you read about henna? It might not fully take away your curls, but I read that it loosens up curls. After a few applications it seems to do that. Maybe you could look into that.

That's not guaranteed. I've done henna glosses and if there's been a change it's been very slight. That wasn't my intention of the henna glosses anyway.