Journey enthusiasm

[Mrstran]

I'm just beginning now with my length at my collar bone, and I must say I'm pretty excited that I'm seeing growth. I don't know what the best part will be! :o I wanted to see if You ladies and gents also share the same enthusiasm every cm of the way. What is/was the best part of your journeys? Watching growth each month? Trying new techniques? The end result?

[Cg]

Welcome, and congratulations on enjoying your journey!

Hard to isolate the best part. Growth is good, but better are improvement in hair health, new styles to try, beautiful hair toys, and this forum!

[lapushka]

Enthusiasm will get you there half of the way. ;) The rest is patience. :D

Good luck on your journey. :)

[Larki]

All of the above for me! I started at about bra-strap/mid-back length, had just reached tailbone length when I cut a few inches to neaten up the ends - now I'm probably more like waist length. I enjoy learning new styles and trying new conditioners/oils/treatments, and imagining what it's going to be like to eventually reach my goal - I've never had hair longer than TBL, so the idea of it is really exciting.

[animetor7]

I get frustrated if I focus too much just on growth and length measurements. So instead, I try to keep myself busy experimenting with hairstyles to keep things interesting as I wait for my hair to reach my next goal. At this point I pretty much have my routine down, but I do fiddle with it a bit, such as trying new shampoo bars, or from a different company, and new types of heavy, coney conditioner. I always have my old favorites to fall back on and general categories of hair care that I like, but within those categories there are lots of options to try. I don't tend to experiment as much with new products as I used to, but a lot of this has to do with the fact that I only wash my hair once a week, so I simply don't go through things as quickly which leaves less room for experimentation.

[akuamoonmaui]

Welcome!

What I've enjoyed about my hair growth has been when you feel it reach different parts of your anatomy. I started at mid shoulder blade and was so excited when I felt my hair at my ribs. Then, at my waist. Now it's been at the top of my tailbone for about a year and I love the way it brushes the top of my hips. (I also like looking at my shadow and seeing where my hair is - but that's me being silly). Another nice thing is I'm pretty happy with the length of my hair, and there is a satisfaction in that. The "I wish my hair was longer" thought is not part of my hair growth process anymore. Although, with this site you always think, "Well..... maybe I'll go classic.....".

Prior to this site I had unhealthy hair care habits that came from media understanding of product use and styling "norms". When I started following the advice of people on this site and saw positive results, that was also reinforcing. Using oils was a big leap for me, but now I can't imagine not oiling my hair. (Still trying to convince daughter to....)

The people on this site are a great inspiration and reinforcement. Anytime you have a weak moment, just post and someone (or lots of someones) will talk you through where you are in your head. It's also nice to read other people are sharing a same challenge when you read a thread that is similar to your situation. The community isn't just limited to on-line. I have met a LHC-er over the course of the years. She lives in WI, and me on Maui - but she and her hubby have vacationed here and we made opportunities to meet.

[Alissalocks]

What I've enjoyed about my hair growth has been when you feel it reach different parts of your anatomy. I started at mid shoulder blade and was so excited when I felt my hair at my ribs. Then, at my waist. Now it's been at the top of my tailbone for about a year and I love the way it brushes the top of my hips. (I also like looking at my shadow and seeing where my hair is - but that's me being silly).

Prior to this site I had unhealthy hair care habits that came from media understanding of product use and styling "norms". When I started following the advice of people on this site and saw positive results, that was also reinforcing. Using oils was a big leap for me, but now I can't imagine not oiling my hair.

The people on this site are a great inspiration and reinforcement.

I am so much the same! I love feeling my hair brushing against my forearms again (I'm BSL and hope to be at waist next Spring). I remember this feeling from my 20s, last time my hair was really long. I can't wait to feel it brushing my tailbone in the shower when I tip my head back to rinse! I still remember how that felt, and that was nearly 15 years ago. I also check out my hair in the mirrors at the dance studio at times, when it's doing something pretty (ooo I didn't know my hair fell backward like that after that move)!

And until LHC, I figured "lather, rinse, repeat" was all there was to know. Ha! CWC treats my hair so much better, and I never used to use oils either. Like akuamoonmaui, I can't imagine not oiling my hair now and I look forward to it (averaging 1-2 overnight oil treatments a week). Tonight I will oil, in fact, since Im not going out the rest of the day, I may just oil up even sooner.

And people here ARE nice. I don't bother even contributing to many forums bc the atmosphere isn't always as supportive. People here are often eager to help, compassionate about hair woes, and understanding of the overall hair obsession we share. The fact that LHC isn't about "buy this uber expensive product, your hair is awful," is what I enjoy. Realistic advice, no "magic cures" and focus on healthy body, which leads to healthy hair.

I do want more growth, but I'm trying to really enjoy each phase too and not be too impatient. I make myself wait to measure only once a month, so I can actually SEE the number increase and feel some sense of accomplishment. Silly, but fun!

[hayheadsbird]

Best bit for me at the moment is realising I can do another up do as I gain a little bit more length. That and the improvements in my hair health as I figure out what works best. It's fun!

[Nique1202]

Styling options are most of the reason I started growing my hair long, so those little milestones are the ones that keep me excited about the process. Even through my setbacks and hardships, finding another style that's within my reach is the BEST feeling for me. Some of the length milestones are really nice on their own (like the first time that your hair touches your lower back when you let it drop, gosh, there is nothing like that feeling) but for me, it's always been "I can do this style that I never could before!" and now it's becoming "oh shoot, my hair's too long now for this style I never got to properly try in the first place". :wigtongue

My top tips, for continued enthusiasm:

-When trying new things, take it slow and don't try any new thing more than three times in a day. It sounds backwards, but trying something new and failing at it many many times in a row is the best way to make yourself hate doing it. That goes for trying a new style, a new way of securing a bun that you're not used to, or really anything hair-related or not in my experience. Everything new takes practice, and experience doesn't come in a single day. Don't wear yourself out and get frustrated if you can't get something perfect immediately. We all started in the same place of no experience, whether we were 5 or 35 when we started growing our hair out. :meditate:

-Give new products and new washing methods a try, but don't feel obligated to stick with them if they make you unhappy in any way. No single product or method will work for everyone on the planet. The most important thing is to have a happy scalp and happy hair. Side note to this: don't feel obligated to break the bank, almost everything in the expensive brands has a cheap brand version that works just as well.

-If you think you might ever want to braid, START PRACTICING EARLY! You can get practice for french and dutch braiding at any time starting around chin length. Starting when the hair is short means that your stamina for braiding will build at the same rate that your hair grows. If you wait too long to start, you'll have to not only build the muscle memory for the motions but also the stamina and muscle strength to get all the way to the ends, and that takes even longer. See my first suggestion about not trying anything more than two or three times in a day, though. :wink:

[hayheadsbird]

Styling options are most of the reason I started growing my hair long, so those little milestones are the ones that keep me excited about the process. Even through my setbacks and hardships, finding another style that's within my reach is the BEST feeling for me. Some of the length milestones are really nice on their own (like the first time that your hair touches your lower back when you let it drop, gosh, there is nothing like that feeling) but for me, it's always been "I can do this style that I never could before!" and now it's becoming "oh shoot, my hair's too long now for this style I never got to properly try in the first place". :wigtongue

My top tips, for continued enthusiasm:

-When trying new things, take it slow and don't try any new thing more than three times in a day. It sounds backwards, but trying something new and failing at it many many times in a row is the best way to make yourself hate doing it. That goes for trying a new style, a new way of securing a bun that you're not used to, or really anything hair-related or not in my experience. Everything new takes practice, and experience doesn't come in a single day. Don't wear yourself out and get frustrated if you can't get something perfect immediately. We all started in the same place of no experience, whether we were 5 or 35 when we started growing our hair out. :meditate:

-Give new products and new washing methods a try, but don't feel obligated to stick with them if they make you unhappy in any way. No single product or method will work for everyone on the planet. The most important thing is to have a happy scalp and happy hair. Side note to this: don't feel obligated to break the bank, almost everything in the expensive brands has a cheap brand version that works just as well.

-If you think you might ever want to braid, START PRACTICING EARLY! You can get practice for french and dutch braiding at any time starting around chin length. Starting when the hair is short means that your stamina for braiding will build at the same rate that your hair grows. If you wait too long to start, you'll have to not only build the muscle memory for the motions but also the stamina and muscle strength to get all the way to the ends, and that takes even longer. See my first suggestion about not trying anything more than two or three times in a day, though. :wink:
Good advice - especially about braiding.
I genuinely used to think everyone learned to do it as a child, like learning to tie shoe laces. Till I started hanging out here, then realised my own daughter had never learned to Dutch or French braid because I had always done it for her!
Braiding opens up so many options for updos 😄