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Lokiboo
January 4th, 2018, 11:23 AM
Hi.

I've never had long hair in my entire life. The longest I've had it is MAYBE BSL, and that was before I had one.

My mom was a hairdresser and I've been frying my hair and dying it since I was 7. It's very fine and curly. I would bleach it, blow fry, and I used my straightener every single day. My hair wouldn't touch my shoulders and was breaking off, dry, and frizzy. I could barely fit it into a ponytail. It was like this up until I was 18 or so (when I found this site, actually, and I'm 23 now).

I took some tips off this site, stopped blow frying completely, and only straightened it for special occasions. I stopped shampooing it every single day and only once or twice a week. My hair finally stopped growing and wasn't as fried anymore! Also, the healthier it got, the more my curls relaxed and stopped trying to fight me.

Then, I moved to a big city and got a job at Hooters. One day, the manager told me that he hated my curls and told me to straighten them... so, I went back to using my straightener every day. I would get in trouble if my hair was curly (thank goodness I don't work there anymore). I got another appearance-based job after that, and whatever confidence I built up about my natural hair was completely gone. I used my curling iron and straightener, and began dying it again.

Then, I modeled for a hair studio and they gave me a bob cut with bangs. I went back to not being able to put my hair in a ponytail.

Went through some bad shiz in 2016 and bleached my hair TWICE and dyed it blue over and over, more times than I can count. It's pretty fried now. Stopped bleaching and dying back in July/August, so I've got a gross green colour with bad roots... hoping that maybe one day it'll look like an ombre? Lol.

Quit using shampoo recently and I'm determined to try to grow it out again. Hopefully one day I'll have long hair. :/

TatsuOni
January 4th, 2018, 01:07 PM
Welcome! :) I'm sure that you can grow out healthy long hair :)

Aredhel
January 4th, 2018, 01:44 PM
Welcome to LHC! I'm from Canada too - specifically the Toronto area! :D

I'm pretty furious on your behalf about your former manager... I'm glad to hear you no longer work there though. It's definitely challenging to leave your hair alone after being so dependent on over-processing it for such a long time. It's worth it though, trust me; I'm growing out bleach as well and there is just nothing prettier than our own natural heads of virgin hair that we were born with, IMHO. :D

Sarahlabyrinth
January 4th, 2018, 01:53 PM
Welcome here and happy growing :)

Groovy Granny
January 4th, 2018, 01:55 PM
Welcome ~ wishing you all the best on your hair journey :cheer:

lapushka
January 4th, 2018, 01:58 PM
Hi! :waving: Welcome to the forum, and happy growing! :)

Lokiboo
January 5th, 2018, 01:14 PM
I hope so! :D

Lokiboo
January 5th, 2018, 01:16 PM
Yes it is very hard!

I'm not even 100% sure what my natural colour is anymore, the only time I've ever seen it was my roots. But I agree, virgin hair is the prettiest!

SpiffyWiffy
January 28th, 2018, 07:33 PM
Hello Lokiboo! I too am starting a long hair journey myself. I am pretty much exactly in your same boat. I finally buzzed off all my hair at the scalp after another coloring disaster, and am now growing it out. I am about 4.5 inches long now, but my hair is very healthy and totally virgin. A short cut seems drastic, but ultimately in can really speed up your progress since splits move up the hair strand. Good luck, can't wait to read about your progress!

saorsa
January 29th, 2018, 07:49 AM
Hi from Ontario! :) I just started growing my hair long again. Trying to get used to not straightening it and just let it curl. Good luck! Totally not cool with your old manager telling you to straighten your hair. Sounds like a jerk.

hennalove
January 29th, 2018, 09:11 AM
Welcome saorsa! I'm from Ontario too where the cold weather is playing havoc on my hair.

I'm sorry to hear your manager was so anti-curl to put it nicely. What a horrible experience for you! Stick with LHC and you will have long hair in no time. I lurked for ages and it has paid off in added length, now a solid WL heading to HL. There's a wealth of information here and they are ever so supportive. Oh and I still occasionally straighten but find myself putting my hair up in buns with hair sticks or forks so I think that is helping with the length.

hennalove
January 29th, 2018, 09:13 AM
Welcome Lokiboo! I'm from Ontario too where the cold weather is playing havoc on my hair.

I'm sorry to hear your manager was so anti-curl to put it nicely. What a horrible experience for you! Stick with LHC and you will have long hair in no time. I lurked for ages and it has paid off in added length, now a solid WL heading to HL. There's a wealth of information here and they are ever so supportive.

saorsa
January 29th, 2018, 09:31 AM
Welcome saorsa! I'm from Ontario too where the cold weather is playing havoc on my hair.

Same! My hair and skin are so unhappy. I have to walk everywhere right now...and by the time I get anywhere I look like a mess. Do you have any tips? I'm new Canada! It's only my third winter.

hennalove
January 29th, 2018, 10:09 AM
Saorsa, my first line of defense is oil both for hair and skin as it is being dried out from the cold air plus heating. The same applies to nails; keep them well oiled. I like both jojoba and sweet almond oil because they don't feel greasy. They are great carrier oils for essential oils. For deeper moisturizing, I use coconut oil. While it is very tempting especially since I hate the cold, I also avoid hot showers which can further dry the hair and skin. When outdoors, I keep my hair covered too. HTH

saorsa
January 29th, 2018, 06:26 PM
Saorsa, my first line of defense is oil both for hair and skin as it is being dried out from the cold air plus heating. The same applies to nails; keep them well oiled. I like both jojoba and sweet almond oil because they don't feel greasy. They are great carrier oils for essential oils. For deeper moisturizing, I use coconut oil. While it is very tempting especially since I hate the cold, I also avoid hot showers which can further dry the hair and skin. When outdoors, I keep my hair covered too. HTH

Thanks! I think I need to buy a hat or something. My hooded coat isn't doing much to my hair.