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hopefullocks
October 14th, 2015, 10:40 AM
Hey, everyone! Like so many of LHC's finest, I've been lurking around the forums and am finally introducing myself - and my ridiculous Medusa mop.

Let me start by saying that in-depth haircare is new territory for me. Thanks to reading the LHC forums for about the past year, I have learned quite a bit, so I don't feel as lost as I did (hence my username, HopefulLocks). You all have inadvertently taught me things that my own mother couldn't have been bothered to show me, so thank you all for that.

I guess because I'm a new member, I can't post pics yet, so I'll describe my mess. I'm growing out from a super short cut, complete with heat tools and some chemical coloring, and have been actively growing since August 2014. I figure my hairtype is at least 2b, with a tendency for some 3a curls in the underlayer. Low porosity, fine/medium, ash brown, scalp gets oily but the length and ends can get awfully dry. Currently at shoulder (can you say UNMANAGEABLE) but APL when stretched.
I haven't used dye in over a year (and only a half dozen or so times before that), and I'm staying away from heat tools so I feel good about that. I use Loreal EverPure low sulfate shampoo and a sulfate-free conditioner. I alternate between using that conditioner as a leave-in (usually Suave or V05) and using Garnier's Hydra Recharge leave-in. Products are overwhelming and my hair tends to go limp if I use too much.

My main question, I guess, is what can I anticipate as my hair grows? I've always been a slow grower, especially with my weird texture. It's never been past shoulder, and I'm 30! Will it get crazier or settle down into calm, collected waves? Some days I feel hopeful that I will someday reach my goal of BSL or even waist, but some days it's the opposite.

It is exciting that I can make a bun and wear fun hair accessories. Wearing it up has definitely helped with benign neglect and letting it do its thing, but I am so impatient! Sorry for the long post, and I'm excited to hang out with y'all if you'll have me!

spidermom
October 14th, 2015, 10:56 AM
Natural, air-dried hair (special nod to Goth niece for the makeup):
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/BOONEW.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/spidermom/media/BOONEW.jpg.html)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/November2009.jpg (http://s25.photobucket.com/user/spidermom/media/November2009.jpg.html)
It settles down.

Anje
October 14th, 2015, 11:05 AM
Very wavy and curly hair generally grows out, then down. A lot of curlies (especially those with thicker hair) like it longer specifically because the weight stretches the curls and gets rid of the "triangle head" effect. Layers are often popular if the curls get too weighed down.

I'm glad you can get it up. I think I might actually go insane if I were unable to contain my hair so that it stayed out of my way, so that's a big deal IMO. It also means that when you're having a bad hair day or just not in the mood to deal with it, you can just clip it up and ignore it. It'll be protected, it'll continue to grow, and you can worry about it later. :)

Regarding pictures: You can post them. You just need to use a third-party site for the moment, like Photobucket, Imgur, Flickr, etc. Look for a link to the photo that's surrounded by "[IMG]" tags and paste that in. (It's called BBCode, if you want to look up how to do all kinds of stuff with it.) I've got a link in my signature that also discusses more in-depth specifically how to post pics.

Deborah
October 14th, 2015, 11:18 AM
Welcome! :flower: Don't worry, it will grow. Usually time is all that is required, so just hang in there, treat your hair gently and enjoy the ride. I'm glad you can wear it up already. That makes long hair both fun and comfortable.

littlestarface
October 14th, 2015, 11:45 AM
itll calm down dont worry. it just needs lots of patience and many years but once it gets long itll be more wavy and more controllable .

lapushka
October 14th, 2015, 12:58 PM
My main question, I guess, is what can I anticipate as my hair grows? I've always been a slow grower, especially with my weird texture. It's never been past shoulder, and I'm 30! Will it get crazier or settle down into calm, collected waves? Some days I feel hopeful that I will someday reach my goal of BSL or even waist, but some days it's the opposite.

I was in my thirties when I "discovered" my wavy texture. I'm 43 now, with classic length waves right now. All virgin, no bleach, no dye, no color, no perm. I *love* it. Just give it the patience it needs. Read up on curly girl, and Teri LaFlesh's tightlycurly site is a gem as well. Happy growing!

SparkleToes
October 14th, 2015, 01:06 PM
It will calm down , once it gets long enough to put some weight on it and somewhere for the curls to "go" other than in a lions mane fro! :lol: :love: :disco:

hopefullocks
October 14th, 2015, 01:09 PM
Thank you all for your advice and encouragement! I'm relieved that this just seems to be the abysmal shoulder length stage I've heard so much about. I'm looking forward to seeing what these stubborn curls and waves will do! ;-)

vpatt
October 15th, 2015, 04:56 AM
I bet you are gonna love it as it grows.