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Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 04:31 PM
I rather hesitate to start this thread, to be honest, but every time someone says they like my hair, I think "But they don't see what it's REALLY like." I lost a lot of hair in a shed in 2013 and this has affected my ends terribly and they are so thin now. The thicker hair is growing back, of course, but it will be years before it is thick all the way down. Why am I so worried, you say - but the photos I normally show you are my hair at its best. I wear black shirts for a reason with my hair photos. It makes my thin hair look somewhat decent. Also it is fine in texture, so I feel that you literally see through the hair that is in fact there, so there is more hair than it looks like there is if that makes sense, but it still doesn't make it look any better, that's for sure! If I wear a pale coloured shirt with my loose hair, you can see why I choose to wear black :(

I am cringing at the thought of putting these photos here but feel that I have to be honest about the state of my hair. Does anyone else have the nerve to put their cringeworthy hair photos here? :cry:

Here you go - EEK :couch:

https://i.imgur.com/MIjmSTO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4sn4eWq.jpg

Dendra
September 23rd, 2017, 04:51 PM
Go Sarahlabyrinth, I love you for this! This is exactly what we need to make us all (lol, me!) feel better on a day to day basis. Some realism :) Long hair - or hair of any kind - isn't all peaches and cream and that sort of makes it more admirable that we all keep on going towards our goals. I don't have any photos to hand, though actually some of my 'best' ones would probably pass as other people's worst!

Thank you for having the courage to share your hair in a real light - and by the way, that makes it all the more lovely.

Aredhel
September 23rd, 2017, 04:52 PM
Oh my goodness, I can so relate to this! I wear black in my length shots as well for the exact same reason. I bleached my hair 2-3 years ago, so the bottom half of my hair is still significantly thinner than the rest, not unlike your own. IMO the bleached part of my hair looks like a literal disaster.


*deep breaths*


... so my DH was taking a hairtyping shot for me a few days ago, and he accidentally took one with the flash on, and my hair looked atrocious... like, really rough. You can really see the stringy/thin parts of my hair here (I've turned up the levels and brightness in the picture so you can really see)... granted my hair is post-shower tangled, and uncombed, but still...:scared:

https://i.imgur.com/xeY4U6E.png

Moral of the story... don't bleach your hair, people. :(

Dendra
September 23rd, 2017, 05:02 PM
Thank you, Aredhel. Your hair is still gorgeous, of course, but it does really help to see everyone's not perfect! :flowers:

Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 05:09 PM
Go Sarahlabyrinth, I love you for this! This is exactly what we need to make us all (lol, me!) feel better on a day to day basis. Some realism :) Long hair - or hair of any kind - isn't all peaches and cream and that sort of makes it more admirable that we all keep on going towards our goals. I don't have any photos to hand, though actually some of my 'best' ones would probably pass as other people's worst!

Thank you for having the courage to share your hair in a real light - and by the way, that makes it all the more lovely.

Well, I would prefer my hair not to be so "realistic", lol. At least I can disguise it somewhat by wearing black, and of course it looks fine in a bun, and I virtually never wear it down. If I had to wear it down every day I think I would have to cut it back to the new growth.


Oh my goodness, I can so relate to this! I wear black in my length shots as well for the exact same reason. I bleached my hair 2-3 years ago, so the bottom half of my hair is still significantly thinner than the rest, not unlike your own. IMO the bleached part of my hair looks like a literal disaster.


*deep breaths*


... so my DH was taking a hairtyping shot for me a few days ago, and he accidentally took one with the flash on, and my hair looked atrocious... like, really rough. You can really see the stringy/thin parts of my hair here (I've turned up the levels and brightness in the picture so you can really see)... granted my hair is post-shower tangled, and uncombed, but still...:scared:

https://i.imgur.com/xeY4U6E.png

Moral of the story... don't bleach your hair, people. :(

Yes, I can see what you are talking about, but the gorgeousness of the undamaged hair still stuns the eye and makes it that much less noticeable, in my view. Thank you for being brave and sharing this. Putting photos like these for public viewing takes a great deal of courage! (Gritting teeth).

Jo Ann
September 23rd, 2017, 05:11 PM
I can do this!

My sig pic a couple of months ago:

https://i.imgur.com/RKh2QOZ.jpg

Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 05:21 PM
Jo Ann your hair looks great in both of these photos! You must leave this thread immediately :p

Aredhel
September 23rd, 2017, 05:38 PM
Yes, I can see what you are talking about, but the gorgeousness of the undamaged hair still stuns the eye and makes it that much less noticeable, in my view. Thank you for being brave and sharing this. Putting photos like these for public viewing takes a great deal of courage! (Gritting teeth).

Thank you Sarah - right back at you!!:flowers: You remain one of my biggest hair inspirations, we all have our bad hair days... and unflattering colours/angles/lighting.:(

Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 05:41 PM
Thank you Sarah - right back at you!!:flowers: You remain one of my biggest hair inspirations, we all have our bad hair days... and unflattering colours/angles/lighting.:(

We do, for sure! We just don't put them on here :p It beats me how anyone could see my hair photo and still be inspired.

Jo Ann
September 23rd, 2017, 05:47 PM
Jo Ann your hair looks great in both of these photos! You must leave this thread immediately :p
*sniff*

[kicks rock...stubs toe]

:p

Afanen
September 23rd, 2017, 06:25 PM
https://i.imgur.com/34WODdw.jpg
Pre big chop. It was the longest it's ever been but I had a lot of hair loss from vitamin deficiencies, damage from box dyes and it just had to go :\ the ends were thinner than a pencil in a braid.

Rebeccalaurenxx
September 23rd, 2017, 06:53 PM
OOh ooh do me do me

https://s26.postimg.org/wmyptw4jd/short_hair.jpg

My hair at its shortest.

https://s26.postimg.org/d7ny0sb95/october_2016.jpg

my hair last october. my hair has grown and improved by ten fold.

Jo Ann
September 23rd, 2017, 07:14 PM
Sarahlabyrinth, don't sell yourself short--you are an inspiration to many of us here! And yes, my hair looks like yours in your white shirt picture, on most days.

Aredhel, I've always been a fan of your sig pic--the bun waves at the ends are awesome! I wish my ends looked as thick as yours do in your "worst" picture!

Dendra, A-MEN! I have a feeling many of us will realize that our hair is more "normal" than we think it is, but it's also good to see our hair at it's best--great for inspiration and goal-setting.

Afanen, I can relate! My hair, when I've braided it at night, has gone from "decent" at APL to almost nothing when I tied them off. It's a pain trying to twist-and-turn a small ponytail holder 4-5 times to get it to hold the braid together. Your color is beautiful and you have come so far on the road to wellness--congratulations!

Rebeccalaurenxx, you have come so far in such a short time! Keep up the great work!

Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 07:27 PM
Jo Ann, you would never know it by looking at your photos! :D

spidermom
September 23rd, 2017, 07:29 PM
I once posted a picture where I had frizz for days. Honestly, my hair looked more like a big amorphous cloud than anything. I posted it, and some people commented that they were glad to see I had my bad hair days too and didn't always look like a resident of planet perfect hair. Unfortunately, I can't share it because it was on photobucket.

Sarahlabyrinth
September 23rd, 2017, 07:33 PM
If only there was a planet for perfect hair! Well, growing hair, and long nice hair, does take years! Sadly, it will probably be another 4-5 years for me to regain the thickness I lost.

Jo Ann
September 23rd, 2017, 07:44 PM
Jo Ann, you would never know it by looking at your photos! :D
You are such a Sweetie! The lone curls at the bottom of my sig pic are all from my bottom layer--I'm blaming bad brushing habits for the breakage in the top layer, especially in the back :(

I took off about 2-1/2" this week (bringing my lower layers up just past hip from BCL) and plan to microtrim for a while, as well as some changes in my brushing habits (like using my wide-tooth comb first and using a leave-in conditioner before I detangle and brush) to help coax my top layers to catch up to their longer sisters.

Who KNEW one could find fairy knots in the middle of the back of one's head?? :shocked:

Jo Ann
September 23rd, 2017, 07:46 PM
I once posted a picture where I had frizz for days. Honestly, my hair looked more like a big amorphous cloud than anything. I posted it, and some people commented that they were glad to see I had my bad hair days too and didn't always look like a resident of planet perfect hair. Unfortunately, I can't share it because it was on photobucket.
Spidermom, I recently downloaded my pics from Photobucket and then uploaded them to Imgur--maybe that will work for you?

Wreckinbelle
September 23rd, 2017, 08:57 PM
I love this thread! I will take dozen of pics of my length before I decide to upload one, but, you're right: The reality is that our hair is not always perfect. I love this!!

Serimel
September 24th, 2017, 12:21 AM
First I will have to praise all the brave souls attending this thread! And despite the cringes you get from those pictures I think each and everyone of you have very beautiful hair. I guess a person is always their own worst critic.

I'm sharing a picture from this year January. Already a few months after belonging to this forum I was looking at my hair in such harsh light and planning a cut to make it look perfect like all the girls hair here. I didn't chop it in the end which I'm glad about. I got only a few centimetres trimmed off in April and now my hair is at longest it has ever been. After I finish the no trimming - second half of 2017, I will slowly start to trim the damage off. Sometimes the perfect images around can drive us to drastic measures.

https://i.imgur.com/sBPbQbN.jpg

Lhc has given me so much and helped me grow and take better care of my hair. People are really nice and all the compliments have made me like my hair more. It's just the little boogeyman inside of me that constantly compares my hair with others and then it starts to feel that it will never be long enough or thick enough or healthy enough. I've learned that I should stop comparing myself to others and if I must compare, to compare only to myself. One day I was looking at my old pics and in less than a year my hair has made such a transformation. Where I am now doesn't matter nearly as much as the direction I'm heading towards. And it might never be "perfect" but even that is okay.. because if I reach the perfection where would I go next? It would be so boring to just sit still and maintain perfect haha :)

Stray_mind
September 24th, 2017, 12:32 AM
Great thread! I'll post a pic soon!

leayellena
September 24th, 2017, 01:53 AM
bun fail -> hat
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28450&d=1502794553
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28364&d=1502097342
taper and breakage
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=27800&d=1499080906

LadyCelestina
September 24th, 2017, 02:02 AM
My bf's new phone is a gold mine of unflattering hairpics.

https://i.imgur.com/ZazQElW.jpg?1

Stray_mind
September 24th, 2017, 02:08 AM
This was my hair at it's worst. It was in my teenage years. The ends were horibly dry and there were tons of breacage.

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn256/angel_corpse_album/1f0c7405-adab-47a0-a564-45eedf766c37_zpsvievq5hu.jpg

LadyCelestina
September 24th, 2017, 02:13 AM
Stray_mind brutal hair & clothes envy on my part :D

Stray_mind
September 24th, 2017, 02:24 AM
Stray_mind brutal hair & clothes envy on my part :D

Hahaha, i was going trough a "phase" on the clothes part... I don't regret it though :D
The style was pretty nice back in the day... It just doesn't feel Right at the current time.

I find your hair really beautiful though, i think the color and curls are fabulous. I love how it glistens in the sun.

Jas
September 24th, 2017, 02:35 AM
Here is my hair at its worst when I first joined LHC - Here's a bigger version you can actually see though. I keep it in my signature to remind myself of how far I've come (and to keep the motivation not to bleach my hair again).

Here it is all separated and brushed out:

http://i65.tinypic.com/2iufiw.jpg

and here it is together - it was just so damaged from years of repeat bleaching.

http://i66.tinypic.com/6oh4yb.jpg

I wish these pics weren't so big lol.

I really admire everyone for posting here and it does make you realise that everyone's hair is not perfect and we all do take flattering angles/try to hide damage.

PixieP
September 24th, 2017, 03:58 AM
I don't have pictures of when my hair is at it's worst. Because that is when I go a week or more without washing, and several days without brushing or detangling, and my hair is moved between a high and a low bun several times a day. It's greasy, ratty, tangled, matted and horrible. Oh the joy of depression and chronic illness :) If I ever have such a period again (hopefully not though), I'll post a picture.

Jo Ann
September 24th, 2017, 10:38 AM
Leayellena, taper is why I don't wear mine in a single braid down the back. I SO envy the ladies that have no visible taper when they wear their hair braided!

WillOTree
September 24th, 2017, 10:58 AM
I love this thread. I feel like I complain all the time but in reality my hair has come so far. I used to dye it black one a month or so, and not just my roots but the whole darn thing. For me the coney products just covered up the damage I was doing. I could barely brush it, it was breaking all over, super dull and stringy, and starting to fall out (I think that one was hormones but exacerbated by everything else I did)https://i.imgur.com/rZdmowr.jpg

lapushka
September 24th, 2017, 11:29 AM
I rather hesitate to start this thread, to be honest, but every time someone says they like my hair, I think "But they don't see what it's REALLY like." I lost a lot of hair in a shed in 2013 and this has affected my ends terribly and they are so thin now. The thicker hair is growing back, of course, but it will be years before it is thick all the way down. Why am I so worried, you say - but the photos I normally show you are my hair at its best. I wear black shirts for a reason with my hair photos. It makes my thin hair look somewhat decent. Also it is fine in texture, so I feel that you literally see through the hair that is in fact there, so there is more hair than it looks like there is if that makes sense, but it still doesn't make it look any better, that's for sure! If I wear a pale coloured shirt with my loose hair, you can see why I choose to wear black :(

I am cringing at the thought of putting these photos here but feel that I have to be honest about the state of my hair. Does anyone else have the nerve to put their cringeworthy hair photos here? :cry:

Here you go - EEK :couch:

https://i.imgur.com/MIjmSTO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4sn4eWq.jpg

Brave! It does look different with a white shirt, but mostly because your hair is so light, I think. I think you *need* a black or colored shirt for it to show up properly. Be that as it may, it looks like it gets thicker at around hip, which is a good thing, and means that it has traveled down quite a bit already.

:thumbsup: :)

Stray_mind
September 24th, 2017, 12:35 PM
It is interesting how our hair changes in certain lightings, especially the difference w/ flash and w/out flash:
With flash the hair looks much shinier and healthier, no frizz, no dry ends. All of it comes clear with flash. (pics from 2016)

http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn256/angel_corpse_album/2016-06-02_133642_zpssvfmox4o.jpg

Beeboo123
September 24th, 2017, 12:58 PM
http://i.imgur.com/j0lLfex.jpg
I was staying at my boyfriend's place quite frequently, and using his shampoo and conditioner, which my hair hated. It made my hair waxy and sticky, and weighed it down and stretched out my waves. It felt really gross

Beeboo123
September 24th, 2017, 01:07 PM
OOh ooh do me do me

https://s26.postimg.org/wmyptw4jd/short_hair.jpg

My hair at its shortest.

https://s26.postimg.org/d7ny0sb95/october_2016.jpg

my hair last october. my hair has grown and improved by ten fold.

Your hair looks so soft and shiny even at your worst! Your worst is probably my best >.<

MusicalSpoons
September 24th, 2017, 01:53 PM
This is a wonderful thread Sarahlabyrinth, thank you for starting it! We definitely all can be simultaneously inspired and discouraged by all the gorgeous hair photos on this site, so it's great to have a place for all those reaistic, day-to-day photos too.

My hair pre-LHC was pretty terrible, but I didn't know how damaged it was because I didn't know any better, and I used to regularly get compliments about the length so there was no reason to think it was anything other than decent-looking *hides face in embarrassment*

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4483/37262961902_17817a2f1d.jpg

My hair at its worst now is when it's very greasy and disgusting because I've not been well enough to wash it (a bit like PixieP, by the sounds of) though thankfully that's not happened for a while :)

Sarahlabyrinth
September 24th, 2017, 03:05 PM
Brave! It does look different with a white shirt, but mostly because your hair is so light, I think. I think you *need* a black or colored shirt for it to show up properly. Be that as it may, it looks like it gets thicker at around hip, which is a good thing, and means that it has traveled down quite a bit already.

:thumbsup: :)

Thank you, Lapushka, yes, you are right, the thickness is travelling down, I remember when the thickness was only at APL, so it is growing - but gee, what a process! I foretell much micro trimming in my future :)

And I hope it's not cheating, to wear a dark colour to show my hair, because otherwise there's really not too much to see, is there?

lithostoic
September 24th, 2017, 03:29 PM
12.20.2015. The day I had my hair cut to CBL and began my growing journey. This is the before shot.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15/q65/21949913_1842619565754787_7919186446450195984_o.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=ffe5fa2f4b4d914eff1f758f5a4ec782&oe=5A3F7DED

Breakage, awkward roots, and all.

ReadingRenee
September 24th, 2017, 04:06 PM
Go Sarahlabyrinth, I love you for this! This is exactly what we need to make us all (lol, me!) feel better on a day to day basis. Some realism :) Long hair - or hair of any kind - isn't all peaches and cream and that sort of makes it more admirable that we all keep on going towards our goals. I don't have any photos to hand, though actually some of my 'best' ones would probably pass as other people's worst!

Thank you for having the courage to share your hair in a real light - and by the way, that makes it all the more lovely.

I just wanted to agree x 100 with this and thanks to everyone who has shared your pictures. I think it is so helpful. I have recently and often cut off all my new growth because of my perceived imperfections so I don't have a current photo to share. But, yes I always try to take my length pics in a dark colored shirt as well.

lapushka
September 24th, 2017, 04:06 PM
I remember that picture vividly, lithostoic. Not that I'd call it "bad" necessarily, but you've come a long way! :thumbsup:

lithostoic
September 24th, 2017, 04:23 PM
Thank you lapushka! My hair is a work in progress but it's gotten so much healthier :)

Corvana
September 24th, 2017, 04:31 PM
You can't tell, because of how I'd styled my hair and then pulled it all forward to look more full, but this was probably my most damaged hair when it was longer:

https://i.imgur.com/ZoQdeLX.jpg

It'd thinned out, and there was breakage (some of which you can see where I'd cropped it on my left [piercing side]), and it was very rough to touch. But I loved the color so much, so I kept it up and didn't take care of it well enough. I'd found my HG deep conditioner back then, but didn't use it as often as I should have, and of course it rubbing on my pillows never helped it either. I'd wake to having the worst knots on the back of my head, and I never brushed gently enough of course so I'd break my hair getting them out.

https://i.imgur.com/YbyM7Sq.jpg

I'd cut it several months later, but continued to bleach and color it. Luckily my laziness caused that to slow and then stop. But if you look in the pink you can see where it's thinner. That's more scalp than missed color. I ended up covering it with the purple because it was easier to hide that way.

pili
September 24th, 2017, 04:34 PM
I'll just bring everyone's attention to my avatar pic. I had that hair up until I was 13. To say I was picked on in school is an understatement.

PixieP
September 24th, 2017, 06:25 PM
Thank you, Lapushka, yes, you are right, the thickness is travelling down, I remember when the thickness was only at APL, so it is growing - but gee, what a process! I foretell much micro trimming in my future :)

And I hope it's not cheating, to wear a dark colour to show my hair, because otherwise there's really not too much to see, is there?

No more cheating than me always trying to take pictures in front of a blue or green background, my colour looks so dull in pictures otherwise, it needs a contrasting colour to look like it actually is :)

Sarahlabyrinth
September 24th, 2017, 06:25 PM
Wow, so many people sharing photos on this thread, I had been expecting that they would be too nervous to. But we're all friends here, right? :D

Aredhel
September 24th, 2017, 06:58 PM
Thank you, Lapushka, yes, you are right, the thickness is travelling down, I remember when the thickness was only at APL, so it is growing - but gee, what a process! I foretell much micro trimming in my future :)

And I hope it's not cheating, to wear a dark colour to show my hair, because otherwise there's really not too much to see, is there?

I don't think it's cheating! Granted, I do the exact same thing for the same reason, but hair pics or not, everyone always shares their best of everything and not the worst. It's natural to want to showcase the best of ourselves! :D


Also amazing photos ladies, thank you for being courageous enough to share your "worst" too - I know this is hypocritical of me and I realize that we perceive our own "flaws" far worse than the rest of the world does, but all of your hair still looks beautiful af to me.:love:

Sarahlabyrinth
September 24th, 2017, 07:01 PM
No more cheating than me always trying to take pictures in front of a blue or green background, my colour looks so dull in pictures otherwise, it needs a contrasting colour to look like it actually is :)

AHA! So that's your trick! :p Just kidding, and your hair always looks such a lovely colour! :)

Wavybrunetteuk
September 24th, 2017, 07:22 PM
https://s26.postimg.org/mhcg8arz9/IMG_6788.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/mhcg8arz9/)

This. Shamefully this is all of my hair in a side braid... all of it. I hope next year when I'm maintaining it will get thicker.

Jo Ann
September 24th, 2017, 08:12 PM
It will, Wavybrunetteuk! It will...it will just take time, patience and baby steps!

[looks at Big Hair Pic...wonders where to get it scanned so it will post here]

CrowningGlory
September 24th, 2017, 08:13 PM
Sarahlabyrinth, I, too, thank you for your courage. I've seen photos of your hair and have thought that if we ever did meet up that I'd have to wear my hair up so you wouldn't see how bad the ends look! I was seriously in awe of your hair and it always looked so healthy down to the ends. Now I know the secret is to wear black (I rarely wear black!) So if we do meet, look for the lady in the black shirt!

Rebeccalaurenxx
September 24th, 2017, 08:16 PM
Your hair looks so soft and shiny even at your worst! Your worst is probably my best >.<

OH hush! Your hair is beautiful! My hair was so not shiney at all in that picture. Very dry and broken, you want shiney then heres a photo from august:
https://s26.postimg.org/fi4lca2ux/august_1.jpg

I feel like with our hair color we need a lot more oils and leave ins to get the shine shine.
However i do think ACV helps loads too. :)

Wavybrunetteuk
September 24th, 2017, 08:49 PM
It will, Wavybrunetteuk! It will...it will just take time, patience and baby steps!

[looks at Big Hair Pic...wonders where to get it scanned so it will post here]

Thank you :) it's just for now I avoid wearing a braid. I hope I can wear one in the future

Sarahlabyrinth
September 24th, 2017, 08:54 PM
Sarahlabyrinth, I, too, thank you for your courage. I've seen photos of your hair and have thought that if we ever did meet up that I'd have to wear my hair up so you wouldn't see how bad the ends look! I was seriously in awe of your hair and it always looked so healthy down to the ends. Now I know the secret is to wear black (I rarely wear black!) So if we do meet, look for the lady in the black shirt!

I will! And... no need to envy my hair:) As you can see, no way is it perfect!!!

Synester
September 24th, 2017, 10:57 PM
Oh boy, it makes me super sad knowing that my hair currently... is "its worst" its ever been. Struggling with lots of hair loss for the past years, breakage ect.
This is my hair at its absolute worst. It needs to be washed and dryed right so its less apparent. if its oily and a few days unwashed. It looks like this. My hair is so fine when it gets weighed down its so much more obvious how thin and balding i am. i wish it would grow back but its not...:[
https://postimg.org/image/5wp2b3bw5/

leayellena
September 25th, 2017, 02:22 AM
some oily Strands and a fail braided infinity or something...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28749&d=1506327481

lucid
September 25th, 2017, 02:34 AM
This is a really important thread, thanks for starting it and to everybody that has been posting pictures.

I kind of wanted to participate with a picture that shows how thickness can look different even when wearing the same clothes and in pics taken seconds apart. But my hair looks nice in both pics, it was just interesting to me that it could look so different. So maybe this is the wrong thread for that.


Wavybrunetteuk, you can wear a braid already, your hair looks nice and healthy, and very cute in a braid. :)

Sarahlabyrinth
September 25th, 2017, 03:21 AM
This is a really important thread, thanks for starting it and to everybody that has been posting pictures.

I kind of wanted to participate with a picture that shows how thickness can look different even when wearing the same clothes and in pics taken seconds apart. But my hair looks nice in both pics, it was just interesting to me that it could look so different. So maybe this is the wrong thread for that.


Wavybrunetteuk, you can wear a braid already, your hair looks nice and healthy, and very cute in a braid. :)

Do show it anyway :)

Beeboo123
September 25th, 2017, 05:08 AM
OH hush! Your hair is beautiful! My hair was so not shiney at all in that picture. Very dry and broken, you want shiney then heres a photo from august:
https://s26.postimg.org/fi4lca2ux/august_1.jpg

I feel like with our hair color we need a lot more oils and leave ins to get the shine shine.
However i do think ACV helps loads too. :)

I LOVE it. What a gorgeous head of hair! You are literally my hair goals

Kaya
September 25th, 2017, 05:18 AM
This is a very inspiring, if that's the right word for it, thread.

It's very refreshing to see what might be called the behind-the-scenes, day-to-day norm many of us deal with. Nobody's hair is glamorous all the time. :o I know mine isn't close to that most days! :lol:

This shot is my hair at it's very, very worst. It was a few months after we had moved to England and I didn't realize the hard water was wreaking havoc on my hair. :(

https://i.imgur.com/hYFCfTv.jpg?1

I literally cried when I saw this photo. I had hit more or less solid waist before we left the States and my hair felt and looked fuller and healthier. Then to be faced with this was so disheartening. I've since refrained from taking length shots, just occasionally checking in in the mirror while putting it up in the morning. I decided to focus on simply keeping my hair as healthy as possible against the effects of the hard water and fickle weather here. I know it's growing, albeit slowly. The thickness is catching up with the length, but it's been a slow process.

I'm hoping that once we move back to the States, it will start thriving again in the heat, humidity and normal water of the south east.

ETA: To give some comparison to the above photo, this is what my hair looked like in the States. This still makes me quite sad, seeing what it used to look like, but I'm trying to be optimistic that it will get to that point again.

https://i.imgur.com/ujiFVJL.jpg?1

Although interestingly, a shot taken inside with different lighting shows some thinness to my ends, so how and when a photo is taken matters!

https://i.imgur.com/4Ud5Dmo.jpg?1

lapushka
September 25th, 2017, 06:09 AM
ETA:
Although interestingly, a shot taken inside with different lighting shows some thinness to my ends, so how and when a photo is taken matters!

Most certainly! A little photo-magic can do wonders!

Suze
September 25th, 2017, 07:51 AM
Very powerful thread! Thanks for starting it Sarah! I still see very pretty hair mostly but it brings some context. Trust me I will post some pictures here in the future. That woukd be the pictures I usually delete very fast! :lol:

samanthaa
September 25th, 2017, 07:59 AM
This is a great thread, and a good reminder that a lot of the pictures posted on this forum are pictures of hair at its best. It's easy to get down on yourself when comparing. Thank you, Sarahlabyrinth! Its also quite amazing the difference a black vs. white shirt can have. I never considered that.

I don't have any pictures backlogged but I'll definitely share mine here going forward!

MusicalSpoons
September 25th, 2017, 08:12 AM
Aw man, Kaya I'm so sorry English water and weather has had such an impact on your hair :undecided! I think you're wise to now just focus on keeping it as healthy as possible, in your current location. How long until you move back to the US? (I had a friend move here to England from Germany 3yrs ago, and his first winter he was the most ill he'd been for some years, not helped by the fact that the food really didn't agree with him to start with either! He's still here, although moved to a different part of the country, but at the time of moving he was looking at jobs literally all over the world. It makes me sad when life here is made unnecessarily harder by factors completely beyond our control.)

I don't know what kind of things you've tried to help mitigate the effects of the water, but if you haven't already tried a shower filter, I would definitely recommend doing so. Personally, I don't think it's done much for my hair - although I have always had very hard water so I guess my hair's used to it - but my skin definitely feels the difference!

lucid
September 25th, 2017, 10:46 AM
Do show it anyway :)

Ok :)

(This is, as I've already said, not my hair at it worst, these are length shots, and my hair looks nice in both pictures.) But I wanted to share how thickness can look different even in the same lighting and when wearing the same clothes. These were taken within the same minute.
https://s26.postimg.org/9gxas8zpl/22016295_10159256400550109_443463655_n.jpg https://s26.postimg.org/haxwdn7ih/22014947_10159256400530109_351762299_n.jpg

And I'm using the black shirt trick as well, the dark parts in my hair are actually the shirt showing through :p

Todd
September 25th, 2017, 01:42 PM
And I'm using the black shirt trick as well, the dark parts in my hair are actually the shirt showing through :p

Ha ha I thought I was the only one who knew that trick! A little flash from the camera highlights the hair, and the black shirt fills in the thin areas, where my ends are.

Which reminds me - I owe you all a new pic!

Ligeia Noire
September 25th, 2017, 03:37 PM
Sarah what a wonderful thread you have started here, to bring all of our expectations to more realistic levels, my problem is dryness and frizziness, when I moved to the country I am currently at I had no idea how to deal with such dry weather and hard water, my hair was always frizzy but it got like that all the time, I literally went months without wearing it down because it looked like I stepped out from a cave. These stills show it very well, a lot of breakage or new growth, who knows as my hair breaks very easily so I have a ton of fuzzies everywhere, like a halo, now it is behaving better but yeah it is pretty much always frizzy if it was not braided previously, sometimes it makes it look unhealthy when it is not, drives me nuts


http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28752&d=1506375107

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28753&d=1506375109

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28754&d=1506375111
Sorry for the hugeness and blurriness of the pics as they are screenshots.. video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1KM6-d5QxA

NightSister
October 14th, 2017, 10:53 AM
This is a great thread - we will look back at our pictures and smile when we see how we all improved! How about some awkward-stage bangs? On wash day, no less, the ends rarely look like that -__- I have a long way to go.

http://i68.tinypic.com/2d18xox.jpg

Suze
October 17th, 2017, 08:54 AM
When you want to take a picture of a hairstyle, look at it and are horrified because it looks like you're going bald.

If it weren't for this thread I would've never posted this.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9417/FUV4zw.jpg

Aredhel
October 17th, 2017, 09:11 AM
When you want to take a picture of a hairstyle, look at it and are horrified because it looks like you're going bald.

If it weren't for this thread I would've never posted this.
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/9417/FUV4zw.jpg
Oh goodness, I can so relate to this, lol!! If there's so much as just a bit of extra lighting in the wrong spot or my camera is at the wrong angle, all you can see is SCALP... shudder: I must say though, your hair still looks supremely pretty, and ever so shiny/soft!:crush:

NightSister
October 17th, 2017, 10:22 AM
Suze and Aredhel, I also can relate to this as well - when I french braid I have to be extra careful not to make myself look bald :/

Nightshade
October 17th, 2017, 12:47 PM
and this is why I never comb my hair straight:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Si7FgIf1VesDHlt59CP4jLUjJXwZWQPuXWU2Nc4hkurser4slN N7BaflqNMmP1GEQec9wEuNR6c5ohlGZSx9939EPFtmrfuWgoya ns3osM06-R6VyH-TWXpsAVIHmZju_OT4Jy22paHZ4WDF0H8_PdTi0PcuvnglExx90 O5SYKyIHqv0D4T7Q5Dx1dTSaWKQeljSaE9BltvkMtC2BaGsSxO dyBweRyXveLpz0dfzdzbKMM7DyuduuaCuLBezqbADnRDK26tB4 jSg-4qBYQpGF-F_yTBxHrMI5b8_Au6CL1772QwxRdrp8d_UA3xYf-Fec9w_c_XcBrdjF0yrAPfgGdQ1hajLz2_erx_XnwrKxcLZrmI6 pCNi54x1kodmjjpbDuOAulyFv5wIHE6eEKTTu2xu0TpmXWCN2B 403VjmlAzlU4gvJhQ7iyOzkXzE08IKo2axx_8iU2t9OYKGkyD3 aFVzsaLX0XGc_FNpHopX-Arn_S5f3tSQZ5vAkeK-x8x7nTyjHnqO2U1ZesR-8h-xuvcAJXyZCQ9-Y8yMNHSCnl-pXCPSLMAdXwD0SOEY60w8bPlzCHAHy3FuyePgUPL4YP7R_JxSF kXCQDP7ob4t0BBNZgqGQ7PyhV43GnTFtAcQrT7OpslMF76gjFU AnhNx-4R6-w2-3luNc4Wd=w414-h800-no

vs after a trim, some salve, and damp bunning:


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KcV5NOOIHbL69wPsPUheJfU0eWw1-jYXQlBxzTYVaV3cctI7j-d4dxPSiW6-Zd9i4vpmmWeAtXprApwT8Fufq-yPvw0sOTnzpBgBHQ8HFHnck1d2gcHqaS1px5rnlB2Y-VNSG8ehcfKyiirvQKhF9ABNLHErWH88UgTGMCtujXq7CSM-CgwjkEEJVY_sdxvqlybDyJyaxewG2SVLi3m4D7iVPJx4_Ppllz wxioPC6ivW44cHuqmnwpCSwRCDFr7cM7CwrSFytsv4xK-Vf5vuq-3tazP4Y_C3BGBimS_A9s2BW94irPdBg1p7tOHDO0NYldeNnVqv 9OSt_UEK1YTRUl2Y0fQeiz3ZJf8vr0DKAAHiXj3uSlqQ6VU86n jWuU4hq5gpHP_AYG-nHYO34ue0jqsqsZUm0jvnNFAgJww5t9xu-SB9r2ie4tUr3KG_rOCJDghtFxq2YREk3Enz8BwfEyHubsNcKZr rV8KsaLDtRQ74w-dt8tD5K6pNrFGRclVdrlGwTpU62YV5cjlf-UE3j-Vo5sUL8Kb4dSooU5TWf7H7BT_qBBz7H0OeJrDqMGfibe7zTuUm WkY6HYtgaal-uuztK4sSg6RJq1mrA4ce1OdxWQNxs_s7gULLEr7bzZb5M_pRqt sHzyYYYUrm4YMMrShtJyqLQsv6qpOm=w537-h800-no


pretrim:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/RsJtM5gFTZ-4Yf2rnmoMvSjmxgC6cGtb_1Gz6DDPUKXrwVf-UgUmXOARf8CSEXYXUgdu4sFrwBDViC-P5UKrtkpNLlJKpACsoPxk7ptnYkiD1KoBu_4cC9u45TQVOozdA 2yV8IAveJ86LtL1H-08ENmJ4f3xjCfMySFmAmqC6RUj5B6j5tiqgoMTul0TQMGGMt7U Sfk9Y4jNiAlEMsXKjsLX_elvO8Q6H2fnDy2zWpIaja-Y3LldRMbMyf3kpt_NMI8ZMpznShSbJs8bC5Q5N_N24q2Vxqkki Phwkd43ranY21MQyP4qQkDtcC0brycX8vC7osOkwZUJwrJyG9e 2YCTXP_lYIfKnh_j8dyJA1s2eL0g9gBiDvMKXgyW6LjxxJYTEy UANDrVbmVxFKOD4m-ruq4AGfZVb_UEmz89XfyjGCte_EWFHTaLJHTqYGEKMXuqoZBKV C-0nPpBuN0Ccm6LxeeS98apAShQyiwP_3vH92xF04Qf4bc1Ty1p4 xViUoyP5YzfxrxBLCGVGgfpZnIqkDt2LFTpkAOIYFKRx-xhVCUHRzKeX8KkRGWMMmiYJ51ghoAd_7p8GTr9RKz5Bmhj2oPz 3OEVMDP1roC01g0x_BJN8hfg7fafzmaUo2fVEbz7FJaOKSRKbg 5LBsHTmo5RX-eM2Lf86A59-=w310-h640-no

Trim, salve, damp bunning x2:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/j1AYiPM_3O9Lf4P2ynjp5ILmAyi6jrjPnuHlT8CcVSxmfiwImp dCFXYYEXIe7RwFsENu3aHXLtI_sGUYdzPKxfKq-HGHsyQTwWnhtvCqTNJqrMa-aa_hSnxu0fYlTC0QRlz9IxsqLdkvUoZVveyS00cYZkPGHzmkvd 20neO2LdA0Bh1InvukwY5ytGcQ3-g9yVyKb0nFXTIA847u2qAIoPkBmXPvRkmOE8INmvF3pS0wRlmJ D2T6BDQZCL53GBB_UrYElZmB5HE-TPqoNzseq4RQfK1xD2ldhCY2wkKnBSsy6qA6zai-hdkeqaoAxQKZDjAcldZI8BXmsivz-g2FcNVQnY1_gxmLNYxLlJBU3TQSI1nZy3GOwSmD8U6jXoMpACG dk52gImQp0egh6WsThdHT1AhvRLObEzHHGyinyCXwyDvr8XED2 8dTxGGztOYoBDN-KeZ275JVkT4tz0Zy160AeJgr74bbMpw3J5gYRMw679AB7AL1L4 O0aqPzA_lhbjBSiJ441PIbGaLp9qKbhQFSEpsYJdtC2Yr6vz6b FnhvvBKKlp78rMNBnQQQVB7e-NRdTX2CCHQzgqPyLOpslaRB-QX7FcWzBsm0sZjrbrUY6GcPYcEwdoLw1K9_MQhRuxPq4YU6A7b zULPGiFe9wNZQCh53TZR-fyMX=w525-h808-no


tl:dr- I should never take pictures of my hair after I comb it straight XD The trims don't really help, it's just that I only comb it like that just before I trim :)

AspenSong
October 17th, 2017, 12:51 PM
Thin ends....scalp cleavage, I live them daily. Here's a recent sad length pic and then an older pic of a classic scalp cleavage issue of mine.

http://i63.tinypic.com/k12h4x.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/2mdrq7r.jpg

vega
October 17th, 2017, 06:54 PM
I really admire the courage on here , the moment my hair is looking at its worst I go to a stylist , and yes at times I may loose length but healthy hair has always been my priority

sumidha
October 17th, 2017, 08:34 PM
Omg AspenSong I have an awkward natural part in that exact same spot!

Stubborn awkward natural part twinsies! :D

Synester
October 17th, 2017, 10:07 PM
Aspen, I have awful scalp cleavage as well! very thin hair too so it looks even worse. I feel your pain, your hair is so long and pretty though <3

lunasea
October 18th, 2017, 07:58 AM
Thank you all for posting these pictures. I thought I was alone. I have ends that magically disappear when I wear white and Aspensong's exact part but on the other side.

Suze
October 18th, 2017, 08:34 AM
Oh goodness, I can so relate to this, lol!! If there's so much as just a bit of extra lighting in the wrong spot or my camera is at the wrong angle, all you can see is SCALP... shudder: I must say though, your hair still looks supremely pretty, and ever so shiny/soft!:crush:
Coming back to this thread, seeing my picture makes me shudder. It doesn't look like this when I look in the mirror though. But helps to know I'm not alone in this! Thank you so much for your compliment Aredhel, you're so sweet.


Suze and Aredhel, I also can relate to this as well - when I french braid I have to be extra careful not to make myself look bald :/
When I french braid I'm generally fine but when I do a diagonal one it is pretty much a boobytrap! Is way easier on clean hair though, but then I have so many frizzies and it doesn't stay that well because my hair is so slippery. :lol:

AspenSong
October 18th, 2017, 09:05 AM
Omg AspenSong I have an awkward natural part in that exact same spot!

Stubborn awkward natural part twinsies! :D

It's weird! It's only there at times, and I'm sure I don't realize it's there - like when I took that photo, most of the time. And part of why I rarely wear ficcares, is it seems like no matter where I put it in, the bottom part always is pulling in a weird way and flashing scalp. It's just inevitable with my hair. I always brush over the hair on my head after I bun it, if I haven't washed in a couple days, to try to get rid of all the scalp peeks. lol.


Aspen, I have awful scalp cleavage as well! very thin hair too so it looks even worse. I feel your pain, your hair is so long and pretty though <3
Thank you, so you're kind! It's hard having fine, thin hair!

PixieP
October 18th, 2017, 09:40 AM
And so we hit the "a week without washing or even brushing much because I just don't have the energy".

My roots are super greasy and start to do their own thing; they will not lie flat, and the hair separate into different little pieces (and gives me insane scalp cleavages that is impossible to hide, when I bun it my hair kinda bends away from that "hole" so it's still visible). My length is either a matted together piece because it's been in a bun, or if I shake it out a bit it's piecey and eww. And these pictures are taken two days ago and I still haven't washed it, so it looks even worse now. Unfortunatlry this is mostly the default-setting for my hair for long periods of time. Washing it just takes too many spoons that I don't have, or my body is already in so much pain that I can't deal with leaning upside-down into the shower to wash it (my skin is water-allergic, so I cannot shower without a lot of pain and discomfort).

https://i.imgur.com/31TgAQ3.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/kIF7YHo.jpg?1

It's very rare for my hair to look as glam as it does in my signature (I still don't know what happened that day, my hair was just amazing). Most of the time it's a frizzy, greasy tangled mess. The only reason it's not super frizzy in these pictures is because I've bought a new leave in conditioner that I tried out the other day, to stop my hair from dying completly.

diddiedaisy
October 18th, 2017, 10:24 AM
This is a good thread to remind us all that most people’s hair is not perfect, it’s difficult to remember sometimes on this site.

My hair also disappears on a white background, I wonder if all blonde hair is like that? I’ve just chopped because of that reason. One day I will learn my lesson!!!

furnival
October 18th, 2017, 12:45 PM
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=24990&d=1477299915
This is what happens to my hair if I wear it down and don't constantly detangle. When this pic was taken I had worn it down for about three days. It just forms dreadlocks of its own accord. Now my hair is classic length I'm sure you can imagine what an absolute pain in the bum it is! I'm constantly sitting around trying to work out the latest incipient dreads and leaving clumps of shed hair everywhere. I'm not sure I was meant for long hair but I remember fondly the fifteen-or-so years I had dreadlocks and didn't have to do anything to my hair... ��

Dendra
October 18th, 2017, 01:14 PM
Still loving this thread! Thank you all for sharing your pictures.

Suze despite the scalp cleavage your hair is still a dream :cloud9:

Synester
October 18th, 2017, 03:40 PM
Wanted to put a side by side comparison of my Good Hair day (washed and styled) Vs my Bad (Greasy 3 days unwashed, super tangled)
https://s1.postimg.org/10wkj4qyob/22635034_10209519705980784_526944306_n.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/10wkj4qyob/)

Isobibbel
October 19th, 2017, 07:46 PM
when i started growing out my hair i was getting the hang of shaving the side of my head, went too far up and had to grow out the section i accidentally shaved off leading to two years like this.
https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1795491_10202343778488528_176300187_n.jpg?oh=16071 315612901f64e590c1d5eca07cb&oe=5A808E1B

Rebeccalaurenxx
October 19th, 2017, 07:59 PM
<img>https://s1.postimg.org/20bs75we7j/IMG_5305.png </img>

my hair today :( my scalp cleavage is terrible

lapushka
October 20th, 2017, 04:20 AM
Yeah, scalp cleavage. I get it too if I'm not careful, especially on a Friday or Saturday, so the days right before a wash. I just need to "juge" up my hair a bit more.

Suze
October 24th, 2017, 07:07 AM
Still loving this thread! Thank you all for sharing your pictures.

Suze despite the scalp cleavage your hair is still a dream :cloud9:

Thank you so much! :heartbeat (if you really mean me)

PixieP, that must be so hard. Being allergic like that. I think your hair still looks amazing btw. :o

Suze
October 24th, 2017, 07:09 AM
Yeah, scalp cleavage. I get it too if I'm not careful, especially on a Friday or Saturday, so the days right before a wash. I just need to "juge" up my hair a bit more.

Makes me feel a bit better if even iii haired ladies have this issue. :o I have to be careful too closer to washday but usually if I brush it in the right direction I'm fine. :)

Cherriezzzzz
October 24th, 2017, 02:03 PM
http://i.imgur.com/j0lLfex.jpg
I was staying at my boyfriend's place quite frequently, and using his shampoo and conditioner, which my hair hated. It made my hair waxy and sticky, and weighed it down and stretched out my waves. It felt really gross

I dont know if this will be a compliment? I kinda like your hair in this pic!! Am I crazy>!>? It reminds me of christina aguilera's hair at one point. (Maybe during her "Dirty" album.)

Rockin' Gramma
October 24th, 2017, 02:05 PM
when i started growing out my hair i was getting the hang of shaving the side of my head, went too far up and had to grow out the section i accidentally shaved off leading to two years like this.

Oh my word, that's my self-trimming the-scissors-slipped nightmare. I admire whatever you had to do to get through those two years!

Cherriezzzzz
October 24th, 2017, 02:08 PM
Thin ends....scalp cleavage, I live them daily. Here's a recent sad length pic and then an older pic of a classic scalp cleavage issue of mine.

http://i63.tinypic.com/k12h4x.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/2mdrq7r.jpg

I GET THIS AT THE SIDES OF MY HEAD! And I have suuuuuper thick hair! I don't get it! I love your hair by the way :)

SCALP CLEAVAGE LADIES!?!? I've never laughed so hard in my life! Fantastic way of wording these little buggers!

Hailwidis
October 24th, 2017, 02:16 PM
Thank you so much for this thread, Sarahlabyrinth. I had stopped visiting the forum because I'm going through a horrible shed and couldn't face talking about it, let alone posting my monthly length pictures or whatnot. I felt so inadequate. It's good to take a step back and put things into perspective. I may share pictures here soon. I should get my butt over to the great shed thread, too.

Sarahlabyrinth
October 24th, 2017, 02:22 PM
Thank you so much for this thread, Sarahlabyrinth. I had stopped visiting the forum because I'm going through a horrible shed and couldn't face talking about it, let alone posting my monthly length pictures or whatnot. I felt so inadequate. It's good to take a step back and put things into perspective. I may share pictures here soon. I should get my butt over to the great shed thread, too.

You're welcome! We all like to share our "best" hair photos but "best" isn't an everyday state for hair. So I thought seeing the worst in hair would help to balance out all the need-to-have-perfect-hair-at-all-times feeling, and show that everyone has flaws....

I hope your shedding stops, it's so horrible and such a scary panicky feeling. Here's to lots of new growth and fresh new hair for you, and I hope you feel better soon :flowers:

Jo Ann
October 24th, 2017, 07:30 PM
This Big Hair picture was taken 16 years ago. That is my Youngest Dear Son objecting to being put on a pony:

https://i.imgur.com/L31b0lq.jpg

Here's the link--silly thing isn't coming up for me:

https://imgur.com/a/egaGH

Beeboo123
October 25th, 2017, 02:58 AM
Cross-posting from another thread... I had completely forgotten how terrible my hair used to look! Selective memory, I guess...

*gulps* I’m a little embarrassed to post these, but here goes...

http://i.imgur.com/ZzclPvf.jpg
Oct 2015. Not the best quality photo, but you can see how much breakage I had around my nape... It was frightful! I had a 6 inch chop in December from BSL to SL that year to get rid of the taper.

http://i.imgur.com/wClv1ea.jpg
May 2016. Just before I got another 6 inch chop from MBL to APL. Got another chop from WL to BSL at the end of 2016, then left my hair alone until the next photo was taken.

http://i.imgur.com/VeBsqMw.jpg
Sep 2017. Couple of weeks before the “trim” I just got which I have been complaining about, haha.

My hair just grows funny at uneven rates, so I need cuts to keep it in check, and I can’t put it up because my hair just disagrees with it. This is something I learned after my chop in 2016, and my hair definitely looked better after I stopped braiding and bunning.

(My hair does grow really, really fast.)

Beeboo123
October 25th, 2017, 03:22 AM
I dont know if this will be a compliment? I kinda like your hair in this pic!! Am I crazy>!>? It reminds me of christina aguilera's hair at one point. (Maybe during her "Dirty" album.)

Hahaha! Now that you’ve mentioned it, I do see the resemblance. Maybe you kinda like it because you only see it, and do not have to touch it. It was soooooo sticky and left a residue on my fingers. I wonder what was in that shampoo and conditioner

Dendra
October 25th, 2017, 03:48 AM
Beeboo, thank you for those photos. I'm dealing with an uneven hemline just like the one in your second photo, and your third photo is giving me hope :flower:

Jo Ann that's a really cute picture :)

leayellena
October 25th, 2017, 04:32 AM
greasy, wet from braiding and my ever first dutch braid.
today
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=28885&d=1508927311

Beeboo123
October 25th, 2017, 05:09 AM
Dendra, if I can grow it out from that horrible lopsided upside-down Christmas tree in the first photo (it grew out like that from a one-length bob, believe it or not), I’m sure you can grow yours out too. Patience!

Jo Ann
October 25th, 2017, 11:17 AM
Jo Ann that's a really cute picture :)
Thank you, Dendra! I needed the cuteness of my Youngest Dear Son to take away from my Big Hair :)

It's OK--I asked him if he minded my posting that pic of him online, without obscuring his face. He told me "It's OK, Mom. Nobody I know goes to the same sites you do, so I won't be recognized." :confused:

Jo Ann
October 25th, 2017, 11:21 AM
...My hair just grows funny at uneven rates, so I need cuts to keep it in check, and I can’t put it up because my hair just disagrees with it. This is something I learned after my chop in 2016, and my hair definitely looked better after I stopped braiding and bunning.

(My hair does grow really, really fast.)
I've found that, when left alone, hair does grow in a natural V-shape.

I also see that, if we do have a race to see who reaches TBL first, I'll have my work cut out for me--your hair DOES grow that fast! :shocked:

Beeboo123
October 25th, 2017, 11:29 AM
I've found that, when left alone, hair does grow in a natural V-shape.

I also see that, if we do have a race to see who reaches TBL first, I'll have my work cut out for me--your hair DOES grow that fast! :shocked:

I’m going to have to find a measuring tape so we can make our race official.

Your hair looks SO different compared to 16 years ago. I would never have guessed from that picture how wurly your hair actually is! Your son is really adorable, btw. Did his hair darken much as he got older?

Jo Ann
October 25th, 2017, 01:00 PM
It was Youngest Dear Son's second birthday. I wasn't using conditioner at the time (just whatever shampoo was in the shower), growing out layers (three years since my last hair cut), past my post-partum shed and I had Christmas tree splits (three or more splits on one strand) galore at the ends of my hair. All that "volume" was natural and I had brushed and brushed my hair to get it to "behave." I used to try to dry it straight (wearing it in a peacock twist, for example, when it was wet to try to control the BOOM! and waves). I'm happy to say now I know better how to take care of my beastie :)

YDS's hair has darkened as he got older--it's now a medium(ish) blonde and as straight as straight can be! After he graduates next year (so soon??), he's thinking about letting it grow out. He's in JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers Training Course) and has to keep it short for the class.

Jo Ann
November 12th, 2017, 07:08 PM
From the "Why I Don't Wear Bangs/Fringe" category...

They flip:

https://i.imgur.com/PNzfBVG.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/YHaLGRV.jpg

Or they curl:

https://i.imgur.com/yWQ0Fal.jpg?1

Begemot
October 6th, 2019, 02:36 AM
Maybe it's a good thing I can't find very good hair photos prior 2010. It was a mess. I had no nape hair because it broke off. I had breakage all over my hair. It was so burned and dehydrated that it would clump together 24/7, seconds after brushing the strands would be sticking to each other and causing tangles.

This one I took after I had already been growing dye and heat damage out for years. It's still pretty brutal. So dry and matted, still uneven, dehydrated and clumping. I'll try to contribute with more recent picture sooner or later.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38528&d=1568548517

Jas
October 6th, 2019, 07:05 AM
Thank you Lady Stardust for finding this thread for me - I wanted to post in here as I was feeling a bit rubbish about my ends and got my husband to take "better" pics - then realised other people probably feel similarly and only see my "best" pictures. I know I compare my hair to other gorgeous heads of hair and I really shouldn't.

Here is my hair before (left) I got my husband to smooth it out and give the ends a bit of a brush. You can see how thin the ends are getting, that half of them are different lengths (despite a trim not too long ago!) and it's getting see through near the bottom. I see that and worry I'm getting close to terminal/that it doesn't look good. On the right is it brushed so the ends are fluffier and look thicker and much less see through.

https://i.ibb.co/smdL2Jg/72-Oct-2019-before-and-after-brush.jpg (https://ibb.co/X2rmbkW)

I'll also leave a picture here of before I joined LHC of how visibly damaged my hair used to be with bleach - it shows how bad it used to be and how much looking after hair can help it recover.

https://i.ibb.co/8642w7k/2-Jan-2017.jpg (https://ibb.co/gzFw8RY)

I'm always most critical of my own hair - when I see other people's hair I just think how gorgeous it looks, I don't look for the flaws like I do in my own hair!

lapushka
October 6th, 2019, 07:10 AM
Jas, if that is the worst you can do... you should see my ends (granted they are layered), but still... I don't think it's bad at all!

Begemot
October 6th, 2019, 07:15 AM
Your hair looks wonderful, Jas! Especially considering that you have been growing out bleach damage. So smooth and shiny :)

Ylva
October 6th, 2019, 07:35 AM
In case your bleached terminal is close, Jas, you can at least rest assured that your actual terminal length is something longer than that, and can look forward longer lengths in the future. :)

Here are some vanishing ends against two different backgrounds - I'd argue they look better against the grey where they actually properly vanish. :lol: I've since cut them off.

https://i.ibb.co/k2pxkW8/vanishing2.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/zhB8D3n/vanishing.jpg

And here's the reason why I don't appreciate "bun waves"...

https://i.ibb.co/HpvWzxP/bunwaves.jpg

And here is the result of my mom misunderstanding my request to "spread out my hair". :rollin: Not the most flattering way for hair to lay!

https://i.ibb.co/kD7KnnW/lol.jpg

And of course I've got this one from times of yore:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34138&d=1542660224

Jas
October 6th, 2019, 08:00 AM
Thank you for the support guys <3 Lapushka - I've seen your hair so many times and I love it, your taper looks so natural (even if it is layered) and how I'd like my fairy tail ends to be if I can't get blunt ends! Your natural texture is so nice too - the curse of straight hair is you can see every bit of uneven-ness/taper.

Begemot - thank you! I'd love to see your hair, I don't think I've ever seen it. I keep telling myself growing out the bleach will make it a lot healthier - in the interests of full disclosure growing out the dye hasn't made my hair any thicker at all at the base though as I expected! I still get the temptation to dye but currently the urge to find out how long I can get it is the stronger urge.

Ylva your hair is simply gorgeous, I love the colour too. My word that last picture surprised me lol! Very opposite to your current hair! RE the vanishing ends - I wonder how mine would look against a white background, that might make it disappear even more. I'll try it at some point and post in here. Isn't it funny how different days/outfits/movements can make a difference to hair pictures? The slightest change can make such a big difference.

blackgothicdoll
October 6th, 2019, 08:52 AM
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34138&d=1542660224

It's so bad and still so good at the same time haha! I love the grunge look, I also love how your hair is literally the complete opposite now.

I do have a contribution, but it's bad bad. I may dig it out later today.

lapushka
October 6th, 2019, 09:21 AM
Thank you for the support guys <3 Lapushka - I've seen your hair so many times and I love it, your taper looks so natural (even if it is layered) and how I'd like my fairy tail ends to be if I can't get blunt ends! Your natural texture is so nice too - the curse of straight hair is you can see every bit of uneven-ness/taper.

Thank you so much, Jas! :) And that is very true! (bolded)

MusicalSpoons
October 6th, 2019, 12:49 PM
Haha, I often think I could do a photo essay about wrangling ends into submission :lol:

Anyway, some submissions that have made me think of this thread:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48854069192_ed579dcc7e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SHN)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48854069092_471c64b811_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SG5)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48853517713_09d5bb4c4b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23Mx)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48853517563_4ba7f847cb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23JX)

Pic 1 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SHN) Pic 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SG5) Pic 3 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23Mx) Pic 4 (wet) (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23JX)

Ylva
October 6th, 2019, 01:43 PM
Ylva your hair is simply gorgeous, I love the colour too. My word that last picture surprised me lol! Very opposite to your current hair! RE the vanishing ends - I wonder how mine would look against a white background, that might make it disappear even more. I'll try it at some point and post in here. Isn't it funny how different days/outfits/movements can make a difference to hair pictures? The slightest change can make such a big difference.

Thank you so much, Jas! Your hair is actually an inspiration to me to grow out my bleached bits. I also love how you've grown to classic with a whole bunch of bleach left in your lengths.

Haha yeah, I am 14-15 in the last pic. I was very much into 80s rock then.


It's so bad and still so good at the same time haha! I love the grunge look, I also love how your hair is literally the complete opposite now.

Thank you, haha! I suppose the contrast between my old hair and current hair is one of those things that show how much of an 'all or nothing' person I am. I dyed my hair black for a few years, then went platinum... But the only sustainable colours have been my natural colour and highlights. I also think those looked the best on me. So I guess I've learned since I'm headed towards that again. :D

Nox_Inber
October 6th, 2019, 07:43 PM
My grey hair color disaster was pretty bad. I went from grey and silver with gunmetal blue and green to an awful muddy mess after washing once. I got it all redyed to dark brown the next day, I didn't even want to leave the house because I was so embarrassed. I really hated the dingy yellow on me, and that was the last time my hair has ever been bleached. Those bleached lengths are long gone thankfully :D


Before
https://i.imgur.com/zm1HwdKl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Vdr9P9tl.jpg
After
https://i.imgur.com/vZY7COGl.jpg

Tinyponies
October 6th, 2019, 08:48 PM
Nox I get it, but omg my late teen/ early twenties self would have loved to have that hair!

Nox_Inber
October 6th, 2019, 10:28 PM
Nox I get it, but omg my late teen/ early twenties self would have loved to have that hair!

I loved how it looked before washing, the mixture of cool metal colors was really awesome to me. But the yellow after picture...I was not expecting to see that when my hair dried, it was like one of those bad dreams lol! I definitely appreciate the sentiment though :) I was excited when I put blue on yellow and got straight up green hair instead of blue, but a lot of people consider that a negative :D I think we all want what we can't have haha.

Tinyponies
October 6th, 2019, 10:45 PM
I loved how it looked before washing, the mixture of cool metal colors was really awesome to me. But the yellow after picture...I was not expecting to see that when my hair dried, it was like one of those bad dreams lol! I definitely appreciate the sentiment though :) I was excited when I put blue on yellow and got straight up green hair instead of blue, but a lot of people consider that a negative :D I think we all want what we can't have haha.
It’s true, but then my spiritual home has always been the late 80s Seattle music scene (think Mother Love Bone) so that fits exactly. I had no internets when I was ~20 and absolutely no idea about hair. I didn’t know how to bleach my own hair but went to a hairdresser once and asked them to bleach the lot and they said impossible... so I did a big streak on myself which worked but it scared me that all the stories would come true and it would fall out so I promptly dyed the lot black, lol :) so I used to just use manic panic flamingo pink on my brown hair haha

Maple
October 7th, 2019, 03:20 AM
My hair was tailbone length in April last year. Then I had an accident with hair curlers that got stuck in my hair and there was no other chance of getting rid of them then to cut them out :( (left picture). I had a professional cut by a hairdresser in September last year (right picture). Lost a lot of length but well, at least it looked way better. Will post a one-year-no-cut before / after pic soon.

https://abload.de/img/schnittwjj7m.jpg (https://abload.de/image.php?img=schnittwjj7m.jpg)

TatsuOni
October 7th, 2019, 07:06 AM
Here's what I dug up.

https://cdn3.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/20190226_175021_5d9b35e8e087c37c6bdcc539.jpg https://cdn2.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/20181121_155901_5d9b35ed2a6b225c91460773.jpg
My hair does not look it's best when it's wet.

https://cdn2.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/70283_1197216469_5d9b371b9606ee7985006f38.jpg
2007. A friend decided to put up my short hair while I brushed my teeth.

https://cdn3.cdnme.se/1263465/9-3/dsc_1045_5d9b37b32a6b225ca56dfe6e.jpg
2008. Don't ask... And yeah I have a lot of weird pics of myself and my hair...

desisparkles
October 7th, 2019, 01:54 PM
Tatsu - OMG, LOL you look like so much fun to be around. Such awesome pics!

lapushka
October 7th, 2019, 02:47 PM
LOL Tatsu. I had a German Shepherd myself, those dogs let you do whatever. ;) :p

Nox_Inber, I actually love the gray on you!

Maple, such an unfortunate accident! :shocked: But it looks amazing in the picture after!

jane_marie
October 7th, 2019, 07:22 PM
For whatever reason I thought that two neglectful days past my wash day would be good time to take a length check photo. The result was this photo of my hair being simultaneously greasy and dry looking.

https://i.imgur.com/NLQC0nO.png?1
Ugh... I need to retone to cover the henna.

desisparkles
October 7th, 2019, 07:35 PM
Haha, I often think I could do a photo essay about wrangling ends into submission :lol:

Anyway, some submissions that have made me think of this thread:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48854069192_ed579dcc7e_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SHN)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48854069092_471c64b811_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SG5)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48853517713_09d5bb4c4b_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23Mx)https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48853517563_4ba7f847cb_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23JX)

Pic 1 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SHN) Pic 2 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr4SG5) Pic 3 (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23Mx) Pic 4 (wet) (https://flic.kr/p/2hr23JX)

can I just say, I LOVE your pj style...

desisparkles
October 7th, 2019, 07:37 PM
Jane Marie I think your color looks great! we are our own worst critics; I can attest to that.

Hexana
October 8th, 2019, 01:31 AM
For whatever reason I thought that two neglectful days past my wash day would be good time to take a length check photo. The result was this photo of my hair being simultaneously greasy and dry looking.

https://i.imgur.com/NLQC0nO.png?1
Ugh... I need to retone to cover the henna.

I think your hair looks so thick and what a hemline!

So I'm going to pitch in my worst hair... Bare with me I had no idea what I was doing. I was using a harsh shampoo, no conditioner, always wearing it down, every end was splitting and the worst thing is I was mad at MY HAIR (not myself and the lack of real care) why it didn't want to grow past this lenght (this was the longest my hair has ever been!). Oh yes and I still remember how "proud" I was at how "big" and fluffy my hair looked here. Yeah I was/am weird ��

I never want to go back to that place and time though...
https://i.ibb.co/vkGJysJ/1920465-991386817555310-4062468035562781112-n.jpg

YvetteVarie
October 8th, 2019, 02:46 AM
This is my hair at it's worst...
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YOM1dUkaQyM/UUr0ae72oXI/AAAAAAAAAMI/JZvkgNq1RII/s320/damage+jan+2012.jpg

I had bleached my hair, and experience severe breakage at the back of my head. I had a chemical tapered cut at this point.

Begemot
October 8th, 2019, 04:25 AM
I think your hair looks so thick and what a hemline!

So I'm going to pitch in my worst hair... Bare with me I had no idea what I was doing. I was using a harsh shampoo, no conditioner, always wearing it down, every end was splitting and the worst thing is I was mad at MY HAIR (not myself and the lack of real care) why it didn't want to grow past this lenght (this was the longest my hair has ever been!). Oh yes and I still remember how "proud" I was at how "big" and fluffy my hair looked here. Yeah I was/am weird ��


I'm (or was) equally weird :D I loved my extremely damaged hair for its volume and poof until I realized it was getting very thin and sad and looked nice only when I styled it.

TatsuOni
October 8th, 2019, 08:03 AM
Tatsu - OMG, LOL you look like so much fun to be around. Such awesome pics!

Thank you! :)


LOL Tatsu. I had a German Shepherd myself, those dogs let you do whatever. ;) :p

She was a mix, but yeah she sure did :laugh:

pisinoe
October 8th, 2019, 08:17 AM
I’ve had waay worse hair days than these (back when my hair was fried from straightening and black dye), but these are some examples for this year:

This one I still had the last straight bits to cut off before I finished transitioning:

https://i.imgur.com/ALHU4a3_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

This is what happens if I put my hair up in a bun a lot (which I can’t stand at BSL anymore because my hair is too heavy, it gives me a headache every time)

https://i.imgur.com/cnp6dnQ_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

The worst it ever looks it’s the day after I try to define my waves CG style... That’s why I prefer to brush and be poofy instead of a hurricane knotty mess.

jane_marie
October 8th, 2019, 09:14 AM
I’ve had waay worse hair days than these (back when my hair was fried from straightening and black dye), but these are some examples for this year:

This one I still had the last straight bits to cut off before I finished transitioning:

https://i.imgur.com/ALHU4a3_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

This is what happens if I put my hair up in a bun a lot (which I can’t stand at BSL anymore because my hair is too heavy, it gives me a headache every time)

https://i.imgur.com/cnp6dnQ_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

The worst it ever looks it’s the day after I try to define my waves CG style... That’s why I prefer to brush and be poofy instead of a hurricane knotty mess.

Oh man, I think your hair is gorgeous even on your "bad days". It's so thick and lustrous. :inlove:

Nox_Inber
October 8th, 2019, 03:01 PM
It’s true, but then my spiritual home has always been the late 80s Seattle music scene (think Mother Love Bone) so that fits exactly. I had no internets when I was ~20 and absolutely no idea about hair. I didn’t know how to bleach my own hair but went to a hairdresser once and asked them to bleach the lot and they said impossible... so I did a big streak on myself which worked but it scared me that all the stories would come true and it would fall out so I promptly dyed the lot black, lol :) so I used to just use manic panic flamingo pink on my brown hair haha
Ahhh, I remember the good ole experimentation days. I'm only 24 right now but I started dyeing my hair around 13-14 where internet access was still fairly limited, then my mom and I learned through trial and error. We did the big streaks in my hair too lol! Also Manic Panic over virgin hair just to see what would happen. It stained my bathtub and everything my hair touched for a month but it didn't change from brown to bright blue...who woulda' guessed :laugh:


Nox_Inber, I actually love the gray on you!
Thank you :o I really wish the gray had actually stayed silver and blue/green. I probably could have fixed the yellowish aftermath into cool pastel/faded colors but I panicked and decided to go all dark afterwards. I had bright colors for years beforehand so I was ready to give up the funky colors for good :)

Ylva
October 8th, 2019, 03:19 PM
Speaking of the experimentation days, I think mine are finally over, too. I simply had to go platinum blonde once more before quitting - hopefully for good (apart from some subtle highlights which I won’t deny myself should I feel like it in the future). That’s 14 years of experimentation just to come to the conclusion that I like my natural colour and shouldn’t stray too far from it. It could have taken much longer, of course, so I guess this isn’t too bad in the end!