1 Year Anniversary - major improvement!

[Elizabeth E]

Hi All!
I am VERY excited to share with you the first year of growing my hair! I would honestly not have believed that my hair could get so much longer and thicker in a year if I hadn't seen it myself. That shows you what a little TLC can do!
To start with, my hair grew very slowly when I was a kid; it wasn't until I was 6 that my mum could make a decent ponytail on me. Throughout primary school, my hair always hovered between APL and MBL, even though my mum trimmed only a little off every six months (I've had actual salon trims only twice in my life so far, which is not something I'd like to repeat). I have always been intrigued by long hair, and after some misadventures with wigs and extensions, I decided to grow my own hair out. Pre-LHC, I used to spend hours every day trying different styles, I heat-straightened it twice a week and I would brush through my wet hair up to three times while washing it. Looking at my hair, I think I am still in the process of gaining back the thickness I lost from all that wet brushing.
For the first three months, I still wore my hair down every day, though I quit all the styling and started oiling the ends. In the next three month period, I found LHC, learned the importance of updos, and gradually started wearing my hair up more often until I got into a routine of wearing it up day and night. I can honestly say that wearing my hair in buns all the time has made the single biggest difference, plus it makes it easier to forget about your hair!
From month 6 on, I simply refined my routine: I started washing once a week instead of twice, started micro-trims and S&D, as well as gentle detangling with a comb instead of using brushes. So here is a comparison between my hair before and after a year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1g31PeM6zc
I prefer videos since it's easier to demonstrate the increase in thickness, plus there's no cheating with photoshop, ha ha!
If I'd kept the 5cm I trimmed off through the course of the year, I would probably have been at hip-length by now. Well, I'll get there anyway in the next three months or so.
Thank you all for being such an inspiration - I can't wait to see where my hair will be in another year ;)

[EmeraldSkies]

Wow your hair looks a lot thicker and longer after 1 year! Good job Elizabeth! :D

[lapushka]

Yes I agree, good job!

You did great. And yes TLC & also benign neglect (one doesn't exclude the other IMO), it works. :flower:

Happy anniversary.

[lithostoic]

Congrats on your progress!

[Lady Stardust]

Your hair looks like it’s very happy with your routine :)

[spitfire511]

Very lovely!! Congrats on your anniversary!

[Elizabeth E]

Wow your hair looks a lot thicker and longer after 1 year! Good job Elizabeth! :D


Yes I agree, good job!

You did great. And yes TLC & also benign neglect (one doesn't exclude the other IMO), it works. :flower:

Happy anniversary.


Congrats on your progress!

Aw, thank you!


Your hair looks like it’s very happy with your routine :)

Yes, my hair feels much happier than before. I think it's about time I give it a name!


Very lovely!! Congrats on your anniversary!

Thanks, spitfire511 :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow, what a difference a year of LHC care can make! Well done you, and congratulations! :D

[Yozhik]

Impressive progress - well done! :flower:
I admire your wave pattern and thickness.

[MusicalSpoons]

Wow! Congratulations on such a huge improvement :applause: I'm looking forward to seeing how it will look for your 2 year anniversary :cheer:

[ursaV]

Your hair quality and growth over just one year is so amazing :bigeyes: congratulations, keep on growinggg!
Also do you mind if I steal your video idea? I always take a million length pics because I feel like my chin is an inch lower or higher than it should be or the angle is just wrong and I'm faking my growth, so I just wind up getting frustrated and not posting anything lol.

[gingerninja]

Wow your hair looks so much healthier and thicker, and happy 1st lhc anniversary all the best wishes for your journey wherever it may take you.

[MotherofPhoenix]

Very nice! Your haor looks longer and thicker.

[Reyn127]

Wow! That IS great progress. What an inspiration!

[elfynity]

Wow Elizabeth E, that is so impressive - the difference is so obvious, thicker, longer - just amazing! Big congratulations on your amazing progress!! 10 points for SA!

[Elizabeth E]

Your hair quality and growth over just one year is so amazing :bigeyes: congratulations, keep on growinggg!
Also do you mind if I steal your video idea? I always take a million length pics because I feel like my chin is an inch lower or higher than it should be or the angle is just wrong and I'm faking my growth, so I just wind up getting frustrated and not posting anything lol.

I don't mind at all - I also have trouble with getting the angle right. Another great thing about videos, is that you can always use an editing program afterwards to save snapshots from the video (when your hair falls perfectly!) as pictures.


Wow Elizabeth E, that is so impressive - the difference is so obvious, thicker, longer - just amazing! Big congratulations on your amazing progress!! 10 points for SA!

Lol, 10 points for SA yes! Though I've still got a loooong way to go, since my goal is knee-length. Seeing my progress over the past year gives me hope that I might just reach that!


Wow! That IS great progress. What an inspiration!

Glad I could be an inspiration. Happy growing!

[lakhesis]

Wow, that is huge progress, congratulations on 1 year! It looks great! :)
plus the idea of taking video instead of the photos is really good to :)

[littlestarface]

why would anyone on a long hair forum do photoshop? That makes no sense at all:confused:

[ravenskey]

Wow, great change Elizabeth E! I think I saw another update by you somewhere and said the same. Your hair is completely :thud: worthy.

littlestarface even though the mods here are great and almost everyone I'd seen here has been genuine, even in the relatively short space of time I've been a member, there have been *some* trolls - not a lot and they were dealt with super quick, but still. I think that's what she's talking about, I may be totally wrong!

[desisparkles]

yay! great progress and looks a lot fuller too!

[Elizabeth E]

Wow, great change Elizabeth E! I think I saw another update by you somewhere and said the same. Your hair is completely :thud: worthy.

littlestarface even though the mods here are great and almost everyone I'd seen here has been genuine, even in the relatively short space of time I've been a member, there have been *some* trolls - not a lot and they were dealt with super quick, but still. I think that's what she's talking about, I may be totally wrong!

Oh, I'm so flattered!
And no, I didn't specifically talk about LHC, but people who generally don't put pictures on social media unless they're photoshopped. I have seen some very obviously edited photos on Pinterest for example, so I was more referring to that.

[Corvana]

Happy anniversary!

[Milady_DeWinter]

That's a huge improvement, congrats! :D :flowers:

[_fred_]

That's so inspirational! And your hair looks gorgeous :blossom:

[Elizabeth E]

Happy anniversary!


That's a huge improvement, congrats! :D :flowers:


That's so inspirational! And your hair looks gorgeous :blossom:

Thank you! :blossom:
Milady_DeWinter, I have been admiring your hair since the day I came here!

[Vacurlylady]

Happy Anniversary! Your hair is beautiful! 💐🌷🌹

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Congratulations! The fullness is very noticeable. Thank you for sharing your special day with us. Continue to enjoy your hair growing journey.

[EssleyBlue]

Lovely growth! I like your balance between loving care and benign neglect. Taking a lesson from you.

[Elizabeth E]

Congratulations! The fullness is very noticeable. Thank you for sharing your special day with us. Continue to enjoy your hair growing journey.

Glad to hear you liked my post - I've been dreaming about this specific post for months. I'd say that the first three months of my hair growing journey were the hardest, but from then on I've only been enjoying it. Enjoy yours too! :flower:

[Arciela]

Amazing improvement!! :flower: I am going to try what you did as well :)

[Five of Five]

Incredible - I wouldn't believe it was the same person if I hadn't been told prior, to be honest. Well done, and thank you for being an inspiration :blossom:

[VenusianMane]

That progress is so amazing and impressive! Congratulations! :heartbeat you have inspired me as well :)

[Starbunny]

Whoa! Your hair looks amazing! Congrats on the growth and the quality!

[Elizabeth E]

Thanks everyone! :flower::flower:

Incredible - I wouldn't believe it was the same person if I hadn't been told prior, to be honest. Well done, and thank you for being an inspiration :blossom:

I often can't believe it either! Sometimes when I take my hair down after having worn it up for a few days, I actually look at it like 'Where did all this hair come from?'
(Oh, and something I think I forgot to add in my first post, is that I am rather short (163cm) so I don't need that much length to go from one milestone to another. Therefore, the growth might look more dramatic on me than on a taller person :lol:)

[Wravyn]

That is some fantastic progress! Very inspiring :toast:
Congratulations and happy anniversary!!