Twelve (!) Year LHC Anniversary - Growing to Hip... twice!

[Laur]

So my profile says I joined LHC on May 3, 2004 - that's a long freaking time ago! So I went digging around and found pictures of my growth process that I thought I'd share. It's been fun (and frustrating) to think about how long I've been growing. (And how long my hair would be right now if I hadn't chopped it off in 2011.)

Here's my growing story in pictures!


http://i.imgur.com/kgyUduR.jpg

My very first length pics, taken with an ancient digital camera (or my mom). I was in college when these were taken, and was on the "cheap and easy" hair growth plan.

http://i.imgur.com/oYXXQ93l.jpg

A picture from a hair meetup in San Antonio in 2007. This is the only "arty" hair pic I think I've ever taken.

http://i.imgur.com/eX4HgVKl.jpg

I'm not sure why I'm sitting in my fireplace. This was from December 2008.

http://i.imgur.com/6ueSi1Vl.jpg

August 2010. I think this was supposed to be a "hair type" shot - my hair doesn't look manipulated at all in this picture, and you can see how much a difference "treating it like it's curly" can make in some of the earlier pictures.

http://i.imgur.com/gkeX7qol.jpg

February 2011. Approximately six months before I had a manic episode and cut off all my hair in a fit of frenzy for change and control.

I don't have any pictures of the cut itself, but it *was* really cute. But it was a huge pain in the butt, because I had to style and diffuse it every day so it'd look nice, and while that was fun for awhile... eventually it got pretty old.

[Laur]

May 2012 - four years ago. This is bun waves (with a cat cameo). My hair was just barely long enough to put into a cinnabun with a stick.

http://i.imgur.com/Bnze7MVl.jpg

April 2013 - a year of growth and care later, and it's definitely longer. (Still bun waves in this picture.)

http://i.imgur.com/XHDw8Qgl.jpg

November 2013 - very curly in this picture. This is gelled, plopped, and then diffused.

http://i.imgur.com/sSF4guOl.jpg

July 2014 - Bridesmaid hair - I did this myself. It's inspired by Margaery Tyrell's hair in Game of Thrones.

http://i.imgur.com/rYGLDNKl.jpg

September 2014 - My hair is *not* thick, it just looks like it is because of the texture. Look at my skinny little braid!

http://i.imgur.com/wnByE4bl.jpg

November 2014 - random good hair day after sleeping on wet hair.

http://i.imgur.com/Xyf7nBYl.jpg

December 2014. What do I do? Cut my hair again. This time had layers added, because the stylist at the salon said it would look nice, and she was right. I loved it for about a month, and then hated how it looked if I didn't spend a ton of time styling it. Will not go back to the same stylist, because she said she wouldn't cut off any length when she layered it, and I lost about 6".

http://i.imgur.com/dnD7tyKl.jpg

April 2015 - my hair looks exceptionally thick and healthy in this picture. What I didn't realize was that I was going through a ton of stress, and that it would all shed out three months later. This is just prior to my last job change. The cat's name is Max.

http://i.imgur.com/30ZdrrOl.jpg

July 2015 - in the middle of The Great Shed of 2015 - you can see how much of the ends has thinned out. The layers end about waist, which is where the majority of the taper starts. I was really discouraged about this picture.

http://i.imgur.com/ZRk5rWyl.jpg

February 2016 - my most recent length shot. I'm committed to no trims in 2016. This was after a wash, SMT, coconut oil, and then air dried. I just got lucky and it came out amazing! Of course, this picture was taken at like 11pm, so I went to bed and then just combed out all the curls the next day and put it back up in a bun.

http://i.imgur.com/vyQMC1Yl.jpg

I've gained about 2" of length since that picture was taken, but I don't have a good picture of it since I never wear it down. I'm trying to protect my scraggly ends for the rest of the year so I can trim back (maybe to TBL) in January. I'm growing for Classic... I think? We'll see how I feel when I get there! This is now the longest my hair has ever been, and it only took me 12 years to get there.

If I've learned anything in these intervening 12 years, it's that trims are your enemy. I trimmed my hair a lot at the beginning, because it was really damaged, and my growth was really slow. So I'm committed to not trimming now, for at least a year if I can hold out that long (my ends are very tangly right now, so I may trim in July if I think the damage is spreading). Growing out layers is no fun, so I won't be doing that again either.

My routine is CWC 3x a week (my hair is very fine and oily) - 1st C is Fructis Pure Clean, and then Griffin Remedy Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner (Sulfate and Silicone free). I use coconut oil frequently, do a lot of SMT's (my hair loves and craves moisture), and try to clarify about once a month.

Anyway - I'm super happy to still be hanging around LHC and growing out my hair! Happy 12 year hairiversary to me! What a long strange trip it's been!

[kittengirl]

Ok, your hair journey is really inspiring to me! I chopped off BSL hair in 2013 because I felt I needed something new after my baby was born that didn't remind me of birth and postpartum depression, and have regretted it since. And I mean chopped....went to a pixie. Now I'm APL and growing! I'm also going through a major stress and health shed. So seeing your beautiful hair and how far it's come and thickened back up gives me a lot of hope!! Thanks for posting it!

[summergame]

Congratz on you! Keep up the beautiful growing Laur! :)

[Pinni]

You have very nice pattern and your hair looks great. Thank you for sharing. 12 years is a long time, congrats!:cake:

[lapis_lazuli]

Wow, 12 years!!! :cake: Amazing journey and beautiful hair! :D

[meteor]

Wow, happy 12th hairversary, Laur! :joy: :cake: Your hair is so versatile :applause , such gorgeous curls and whirls! :crush:

[Groovy Granny]

We have the same hair type...in humid weather or when those curls are encouraged...watch out lol
I think most of us have trims/cuts/stylist regrets; we get through with a little help from our LHC friends :wink:
Your journey was inspiring; thanks for sharing (lol at the fireplace pic comment)!
Congrats ~ it looks great :thumbsup:

[lithostoic]

Yay! Love your progress, happy early 12 years c:

[Laur]

Thank you everyone! (I laughed at the fireplace too, Groovy Granny - I must have had SOME reason I was taking a picture there, but I can't remember that long ago!)

[lapushka]

Amazing "recovery" after your cut. I love your wavy texture, Laur! So pretty. And amazing growth so far. Well done. :D

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow, what a journey - happy 12th hairiversary and your hair looks very happy! I love your curls ;)

[papayatree]

Amazing how much 12 years makes a difference on a person. I can't wait until your next picture!

[Platzhalter]

Twelve years... that's definitely quite a long time, so happy hairniversery :)

[Llama]

I enjoyed seeing your journey :) Your hair is looking much longer and thicker...and such pretty curls!

[Ophidian]

Happy anniversary! :cake:

Your hair is lovely, and it's inspiring to see all the ways that you have found to play with those waves!

[Laur]

I'll be honest, the waves make me crazy half the time. While there is some amount of control I have over them, especially if I handle them right, for the most part they do what they want, when they want. Sometimes my hair is very straight. Other times it's almost curly throughout. The worst times is when it's half and half. I just have learned to take pictures on good hair days, and wrap it in a bun the rest of the time.

(It likes to escape from buns too, and compresses a lot, so I have teeny weeny buns that fall out all the time.)

The damage I had to grow out when I first joined LHC was from *perming* my hair, not straightening it. I used to get it permed with wide rods, so that it would be uniformly and predictably curly all the time. It was super cute, but expensive to maintain, and cost $300 even just at shoulder blade length hair.

[Anya15]

I'll be honest, the waves make me crazy half the time. While there is some amount of control I have over them, especially if I handle them right, for the most part they do what they want, when they want. Sometimes my hair is very straight. Other times it's almost curly throughout. The worst times is when it's half and half. I just have learned to take pictures on good hair days, and wrap it in a bun the rest of the time.

(It likes to escape from buns too, and compresses a lot, so I have teeny weeny buns that fall out all the time.)

The damage I had to grow out when I first joined LHC was from *perming* my hair, not straightening it. I used to get it permed with wide rods, so that it would be uniformly and predictably curly all the time. It was super cute, but expensive to maintain, and cost $300 even just at shoulder blade length hair.

Oh...Laur... I just LOVE your hair :crush: It is so pretty, the colour is gorgeous and the texture is just wow :love:
Your hair journey is so inspiring!

I agree with you about the waves...Mine are different every day depending on the weather, what I've done with it (braided/bunned/left loose), how many days it has been since wash day, and sometimes the waves just defy all possible logic and do whatever they want! I have grown to love my waves but it's still a struggle sometimes...

[Daydreamer.]

Wow, 12 years? You're the oldest member I've seen thus far. Your hair is very beautiful! I really like your waves! Oh, and congratulations on your 12 years here!!

[MariaPon]

Wow you hair is glorious! Life goals right there :D
Happy 12 year anniversary, do show more pictures! Wonder if your waves have any more "states"? :)

[Horrorpops]

Such gorgeous hair and such a journey! Loved this thanks for sharing :o

[gossamer]

I love your curls! Happy 12th anniversary!
(also, as someone who is constantly looking for neutral backgrounds for decent hair photos, I totally get the fireplace shot. I've definitely done stranger.)

[Medievalmaniac]

Happy hair anniversary! You're such an inspiration, having gone through this whole journey not once, but twice! Thank you for all the wonderful photos and for sharing your story with us. :flower:

[Laur]

Wonder if your waves have any more "states"? :)

They do actually! I very rarely have two hair days the same! Last night I went to bed with wet hair, and woke up with half my hair curly and half of it sort of stringy looking. (I don't usually take pictures when it gets stringy looking, because I don't like it). Since my hair isn't very thick, it's a struggle sometimes!

[Laur]

(also, as someone who is constantly looking for neutral backgrounds for decent hair photos, I totally get the fireplace shot. I've definitely done stranger.)

Yeah, that was from when we lived in a tiny apartment, so it was probably the most neutral background I could get. I hate trying to take my own pictures in the bathroom mirror, but since they're often taken when my husband is asleep, that's just kind of what I ended up with. I need to figure out a good "hair photo" location in my yard for taking length pics!

[Laur]

Here's another photo I found, from a night when we went to the Symphony. I successfully did a crown lace rope braid on my own head, but my hair compacts so much that you can barely see it. It was pretty though, and very comfy to wear. (also I hate the hair wedgies, but I know they're normal if you don't have disney princess hair)

http://i.imgur.com/FWiTQE0l.jpg

[Ophidian]

I'll be honest, the waves make me crazy half the time. While there is some amount of control I have over them, especially if I handle them right, for the most part they do what they want, when they want.


This is me too! Wavy hair is so bratty. :D

[Sarahm]

Omg, more than a decade on the LHC! Wow, I hope this is what my future looks like :D