Organicallyanna's Winter Hair Growth Challenge 2019/20

[giraff]

Is anyone else on the forum doing Organicallyanna's Winter Hair Growth Challenge? It would be cool to share some thoughts, and of course our progress here :)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bGWIDIBBYo&t=101s

[lapushka]

I don't tend to do challenges like this anymore, but it sounds like a great idea if you're still actively growing out your hair! :thumbsup:

Good luck! :D

[giraff]

I don't tend to do challenges like this anymore, but it sounds like a great idea if you're still actively growing out your hair! :thumbsup:

Good luck! :D

Thank you! Randomly finding her channel and this challenge is what got me back to LHC and really wanting to grow my hair long :)

[M-I]

I'm doing it! I found her channel a while ago but this is the first challenge I'm participating in.

[giraff]

I'm doing it! I found her channel a while ago but this is the first challenge I'm participating in.

YES! :joy:

Cool! Have you done a rinse yet? I haven't gotten around to buy apple cider vinegar yet. The last time I bought it, it stood in my fridge for two years and I only used it once..

[AmberWillow]

This sounds interesting, is it a routine to be followed? I'll look it up now...

Edit: count me in :D I think I'll do apple cider rinse once every 2 weeks though, as my hair is dry. I might alternate between that and a green tea rinse, actually. I don't do rinses as often as I used to, so this is a good challenge.

[giraff]

This sounds interesting, is it a routine to be followed? I'll look it up now...

Edit: count me in :D I think I'll do apple cider rinse once every 2 weeks though, as my hair is dry. I might alternate between that and a green tea rinse, actually. I don't do rinses as often as I used to, so this is a good challenge.

Nice!! I think she'll change up the rinses from month to month, so acv is only month 1. Haven't got around to doing it yet, but I've completed the inversion method for month 1, and prescribed myself a capillary schedule.

[amiraaah]

I’m doing it too :cheer: i love her challenges :)

[giraff]

I’m doing it too :cheer: i love her challenges :)

Hurray! I thought I was alone here for a minute. Have you done the previous ones? What were your results?

[amiraaah]

I have done one of the previous ones. My hair usually grows roughly 1.25 cm per month but when i did the challenge it grew about 1.5 (not a lot but still),It helped me in the microtrimming. I will not be doing the ACV rinse though. It doesn’t work well with my hair. I prefer the rosemary and the rice water rinses, they are amazing!

[Panthera]

I'd like to try but I'm not a big fan of scalp massaging. My scalp gets very oily when I massage it, I'd have to wash my hair more often. :hmm:

[itskate]

I tried the inversion scalp massage technique last night, fully expecting it to push my hair into "too greasy" territory but I actually think it helped redistribute the oil away from just sitting directly on my roots! Today is day four hair and it doesn't even look that bad (up). I'll be washing tonight and am excited to try the ACV rinse.

[giraff]

I'd like to try but I'm not a big fan of scalp massaging. My scalp gets very oily when I massage it, I'd have to wash my hair more often. :hmm:

Yeah.. I also have to wash my hair more often during the inversion phase, but not every day. I only use a teeny bit of oil. And then I might wear my hair in braids or something to cover on day 3 and 4. It's only a week of the month, so I thought I'd give it a go :)

[giraff]

I tried the inversion scalp massage technique last night, fully expecting it to push my hair into "too greasy" territory but I actually think it helped redistribute the oil away from just sitting directly on my roots! Today is day four hair and it doesn't even look that bad (up). I'll be washing tonight and am excited to try the ACV rinse.

Exactly! Brushing through my hair seems to help a bit. I didn't think my hair looked suuper greasy when I did the scalp massage, but I can certainly sense a difference now that I'm not doing it! Day three yesterday, and my hair still felt newly washed!

[Panthera]

Yeah.. I also have to wash my hair more often during the inversion phase, but not every day. I only use a teeny bit of oil. And then I might wear my hair in braids or something to cover on day 3 and 4. It's only a week of the month, so I thought I'd give it a go :)

Oh right, I thought it had to be done every single day during the challenge! :lol: I can handle 7 days of greasy hair per month. I think I'll try the challenge. I'm not measuring my hair until february but I wanted to try something new and challenge myself to take better care of my hair. :) I'm not familiar with the capillary thing, I need to do some research.

[Arciela]

I could give this a try! Scalp massages are always good for my hair :D I'll just have to wash it more I suppose >.>

[giraff]

Oh right, I thought it had to be done every single day during the challenge! :lol: I can handle 7 days of greasy hair per month. I think I'll try the challenge. I'm not measuring my hair until february but I wanted to try something new and challenge myself to take better care of my hair. :) I'm not familiar with the capillary thing, I need to do some research.

Yay! I'm not so familiar with the capillary schedule either. Tried to google it, but I think it's basically figuring out what your hair needs the most and base your routine on that.

I'm doing:

Week 1: Hydrating mask(the body shop banana mask) one day, nutrition mask (Elvital Extraordinary oil hair mask) another day
W2: Hydrating + nutrition
W3: Hydrating + nutrition
W4: Hydrating + Reconstruction mask (Aussie 3 min reconstruction mask)

..but I might change it up in the future. Already in the second week, I'm noticing that I might not even need to wash my hair two times per week. Except for in the scalp massage weeks, that is..

[giraff]

I could give this a try! Scalp massages are always good for my hair :D I'll just have to wash it more I suppose >.>

Yes! Come join us! Or just wear it up those days that feel a bit more on the greasy side?

[lapushka]

They actually had a scalp massager at my local discounter today. I left it there. :lol: It was way too rough looking. Not for me. Give me the pads of hands any time!

[giraff]

They actually had a scalp massager at my local discounter today. I left it there. :lol: It was way too rough looking. Not for me. Give me the pads of hands any time!

Well done! Haha. I only use my hands anyways. It's so nice and soothing - I could do it everyday!

[M-I]

YES! :joy:

Cool! Have you done a rinse yet? I haven't gotten around to buy apple cider vinegar yet. The last time I bought it, it stood in my fridge for two years and I only used it once..
Yeah, I did it yesterday but didn't see much of a difference? Never done it before and since I have a deep hatred for acv smell I didn't leave it in for long and conditioned after so maybe I did it wrong.


Yay! I'm not so familiar with the capillary schedule either. Tried to google it, but I think it's basically figuring out what your hair needs the most and base your routine on that.

I'm doing:

Week 1: Hydrating mask(the body shop banana mask) one day, nutrition mask (Elvital Extraordinary oil hair mask) another day
W2: Hydrating + nutrition
W3: Hydrating + nutrition
W4: Hydrating + Reconstruction mask (Aussie 3 min reconstruction mask)

I haven't really figured out the capillary schedule. I guess hydration is humectants (like honey), nourishing is oils, and reconstruction is protein, right?

[giraff]

Yeah, I did it yesterday but didn't see much of a difference? Never done it before and since I have a deep hatred for acv smell I didn't leave it in for long and conditioned after so maybe I did it wrong.


She made a post where she said that she would condition afterwards, but I've also heard other people recommend to leave it in for best result.. They say that the scent disappears when the hair has dried - I can't confirm, since I haven't tried it myself.


I haven't really figured out the capillary schedule. I guess hydration is humectants (like honey), nourishing is oils, and reconstruction is protein, right?

I think that's right! She has some diy videoes that are marked "hydating" masks etc. I couldn't find that much information about it in English, but I found one video by a lady who used store bought masks just based on the titles. Just testing as I go! Seems to be working fine at the moment :)

[itskate]

I did the ACV rinse tonight! Still waiting for my hair to dry, so I can't speak to if the smell goes away...but I am weird and I actually enjoy the smell of it if it's diluted enough like this. It reminds me of the face masks I like to do, it's oddly relaxing like a reminder that I did something good for myself, haha. I don't think I left it on long enough though-- I hate staying in the shower too long and I didn't have much else to do once i finished washing so i rinsed it out after like 3 minutes max. Next time I might shut off the water long enough to really let it sit, I dunno
..or take a bath and let it sit then. Anyway! Time will tell if it's beneficial. I also used a sulphate shampoo for the first time in weeks because I felt like I needed to clarify, maybe it was redundant to do the ACV rinse today then?

[lillabug]

I'm doing it. I love acv rinses gives me great shine and keeps winter itchies away.

[giraff]

I did the ACV rinse tonight! Still waiting for my hair to dry, so I can't speak to if the smell goes away...but I am weird and I actually enjoy the smell of it if it's diluted enough like this. It reminds me of the face masks I like to do, it's oddly relaxing like a reminder that I did something good for myself, haha. I don't think I left it on long enough though-- I hate staying in the shower too long and I didn't have much else to do once i finished washing so i rinsed it out after like 3 minutes max. Next time I might shut off the water long enough to really let it sit, I dunno
..or take a bath and let it sit then. Anyway! Time will tell if it's beneficial. I also used a sulphate shampoo for the first time in weeks because I felt like I needed to clarify, maybe it was redundant to do the ACV rinse today then?

I usually find something other to do in the bathroom when I wait for hair stuff to work. Shave, wash my face, do a face mask.. But I get ya, I don't like just staying in the shower/bathroom doing nothing either..

No idea! I guess ACV has some other properties as well as clarifying? Adding shine? I don't know. Let me know if you try it another time without clarifying!



I'm doing it. I love acv rinses gives me great shine and keeps winter itchies away.

Nice! Have you done any of the previous ones?

[Ylva]

No idea! I guess ACV has some other properties as well as clarifying? Adding shine? I don't know. Let me know if you try it another time without clarifying!

It's acidic, so it closes the hair cuticle, resulting in lesser porosity and therefore more shine.

[Siv]

Ah, I think she has a great personality, but... I don't personally believe in most of the "increase your growth" things she posts :/ I'm all for diet at exercise, and not for inversions and essential oils.. Have fun though :D

[giraff]

Ah, I think she has a great personality, but... I don't personally believe in most of the "increase your growth" things she posts :/ I'm all for diet at exercise, and not for inversions and essential oils.. Have fun though :D

I'm not so sure either, but you never know if you never try, right? :) Personally, I've tried inversions and some weird youtube stuff before (as a teenager - the cinnamon and olive oil in your hair while doing inversions-kind of stuff), and I kinda think it worked?? But I never measured my growth before and after, so I really don't know.

[Ylva]

Ah, I think she has a great personality, but... I don't personally believe in most of the "increase your growth" things she posts :/ I'm all for diet at exercise, and not for inversions and essential oils.. Have fun though :D

Same, except that I have good experiences of inversion massages. I get a half cm growth spurt as long as I don't do it too often. Perhaps quarterly is good for me.

[Siv]

I'm not so sure either, but you never know if you never try, right? :) Personally, I've tried inversions and some weird youtube stuff before (as a teenager - the cinnamon and olive oil in your hair while doing inversions-kind of stuff), and I kinda think it worked?? But I never measured my growth before and after, so I really don't know.


Same, except that I have good experiences of inversion massages. I get a half cm growth spurt as long as I don't do it too often. Perhaps quarterly is good for me.

Yeah I tried dandruff shampoo as a growth method a couple of years ago, and it seemed to work, but I was never sure so... As long as its fun experimenting, I think anyone who's enjoying it should go for it!

For me personally, with OrganicallyAnna I've seen that some of the stuff she posts is blatantly false - like coconut oil containing protein - and I certainly don't dislike her for being misinformed, especially since that's a really common misconception. She also does things like in the capillary schedule, having "nourishing" and "hydrating" treatments on separate days - which is fine, I just personally don't think it's optimal. I think you should do it on the same day. BUT, to each their own! Her haircare is just not for me.

Didn't mean to be a party pooper, just nuancing a bit :)

[giraff]

Yeah I tried dandruff shampoo as a growth method a couple of years ago, and it seemed to work, but I was never sure so... As long as its fun experimenting, I think anyone who's enjoying it should go for it!

For me personally, with OrganicallyAnna I've seen that some of the stuff she posts is blatantly false - like coconut oil containing protein - and I certainly don't dislike her for being misinformed, especially since that's a really common misconception. She also does things like in the capillary schedule, having "nourishing" and "hydrating" treatments on separate days - which is fine, I just personally don't think it's optimal. I think you should do it on the same day. BUT, to each their own! Her haircare is just not for me.

Didn't mean to be a party pooper, just nuancing a bit :)

Please do! I don't mind. Huh, I never even thought about that with coconut oil, but you made me Google it! Interesting!

Following this challenge is just to mix things up a bit for me, and to get inspiration. But I try to take it with a grain of salt as well. It's fun to experiment!

[M-I]

To me it's just a fun challenge, someone else decides what treatment routine I do for a couple months and I can do it together with other people. It easily gets boring when you grow out your hair, so this is a way to mix it up :) If the inversion method actually works it's just a bonus! And I might find new favorite products, routines and techniques along the way.

[giraff]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVJ5OBJ1f8

New video!

[giraff]

So, I did my first acv rinse (ever!) just now. I noticed my hair instantaneously became..tacky? I did a 1:3 ratio, and left it in for 5 minutes before I rinsed it out. I conditioned before the rinse, because I thought that would be more effective.

[amiraaah]

So, I did my first acv rinse (ever!) just now. I noticed my hair instantaneously became..tacky? I did a 1:3 ratio, and left it in for 5 minutes before I rinsed it out. I conditioned before the rinse, because I thought that would be more effective.

Maybe it’s because of the ratio, maybe give it another try with less acv. For me acv rinses don’t work at all. I prefer rice water or rosemary rinses. They make my hair soft and not sticky .

[lapushka]

Well done! Haha. I only use my hands anyways. It's so nice and soothing - I could do it everyday!

It takes me 10-15 minutes to wash my hair. From shampooing to double conditioning (and leaving each conditioner in 2 minutes, so that's 4 minutes off the time). Says enough, right? ;)

[giraff]

Maybe it’s because of the ratio, maybe give it another try with less acv. For me acv rinses don’t work at all. I prefer rice water or rosemary rinses. They make my hair soft and not sticky .

Could be. It was mostly when my hair was wet, though. The dry sections of my hair do not feel sticky now. 1:3 does sound like a lot of acv. I'll try with less the next time :)


It takes me 10-15 minutes to wash my hair. From shampooing to double conditioning (and leaving each conditioner in 2 minutes, so that's 4 minutes off the time). Says enough, right? ;)

Same for me! It's imporant to ensure that everything gets evenly distributed, right?? ;)

[lapushka]

Same for me! It's imporant to ensure that everything gets evenly distributed, right?? ;)

Yes!!! You as well? OMG, it is so nice to not have to "explain" it to someone. Thick hair is nice to have but it has its disadvantages. Getting shampoo through the hair, for one. LOL It's a chore! :lol:

[Gabrielina]

So, I did my first acv rinse (ever!) just now. I noticed my hair instantaneously became..tacky? I did a 1:3 ratio, and left it in for 5 minutes before I rinsed it out. I conditioned before the rinse, because I thought that would be more effective.

Actually, Anna recommends acv rinse before conditioning, right after (water) rinsing the shampoo. Her routine would be: 1) Shampoo + water rinse, 2) acv rinse (1:3 ratio acv/water), 3) conditioner + COLD water rinse

PS I love her videos. She seems to have a lovely personality and her hair is to die for! :heart:

[giraff]

Actually, Anna recommends acv rinse before conditioning, right after (water) rinsing the shampoo. Her routine would be: 1) Shampoo + water rinse, 2) acv rinse (1:3 ratio acv/water), 3) conditioner + COLD water rinse

PS I love her videos. She seems to have a lovely personality and her hair is to die for! :heart:

I know, but as far as I understood, it was to cover the smell. I don't mind it, and it disappears when it dries.

[itskate]

The ACV rinse made my hair suuuuuuper soft, it's very pleasant to touch right now and yesterday. I noticed the smell lingering the day after only if I held a chunk of my hair and sniffed it, but nothing that anyone else would smell. If you are sensitive about smells like that it might bother you but I don't know how it would react on others' hair. I did it after shampoo and then conditioned with a lavender conditioner when it was mostly rinsed out, which was actually a pretty pleasant combination, very....herb-y? I enjoyed it! Then I did my usual rinse off with cold water (I can't completely wash with cold water, it's way too uncomfortable, but I always do a final rinse with it). I can't speak to anyone else's experience with ACV nor do I really even understand why certain rinses do what they do or what my hair needs, but I will be doing it again! Even after a sulphate shampoo it's super soft, and my hair has been feeling on the dry side for months since switching over to constant sulphate use (I have been getting away from it again, to be fair, but it is softer than usual)

[giraff]

The ACV rinse made my hair suuuuuuper soft, it's very pleasant to touch right now and yesterday. I noticed the smell lingering the day after only if I held a chunk of my hair and sniffed it, but nothing that anyone else would smell. If you are sensitive about smells like that it might bother you but I don't know how it would react on others' hair. I did it after shampoo and then conditioned with a lavender conditioner when it was mostly rinsed out, which was actually a pretty pleasant combination, very....herb-y? I enjoyed it! Then I did my usual rinse off with cold water (I can't completely wash with cold water, it's way too uncomfortable, but I always do a final rinse with it). I can't speak to anyone else's experience with ACV nor do I really even understand why certain rinses do what they do or what my hair needs, but I will be doing it again! Even after a sulphate shampoo it's super soft, and my hair has been feeling on the dry side for months since switching over to constant sulphate use (I have been getting away from it again, to be fair, but it is softer than usual)

How lovely! My hair is also very soft the day after, but yesterday after the wash, it felt a bit dryer than usual..

[Panthera]

Acv is supposed to close the hair cuticles so it's best to use it after the conditioner. At least if you have trouble moisturizing your hair. Hair absorbs moisture and products best when the cuticle is open. Warm water should open the cuticle and cool water close it. I don't know how much acv really closes the cuticles, I always use a leave in so in theory acv rinse might not be very good for me. I've tried it twice and didn't see any difference in my hair. Maybe a more consistent use might do something or maybe it just doesn't affect naturally low porosity hair.:hmm:

I personally don't believe in "external" growth methods, genes and nutrition are the most important things in my opinion. Hair doesn't grow faster if you use a product x but it might feel like it's growing faster if the hair is in better condition and doesn't split and break. Challenges like this can be a good way to have some routines, help to take better care of your hair and experimenting and learning new things can be very fun and exciting. :)

If there's someone here who is new to haircare, oiling, deep treatments etc, keep in mind moisturizing your hair too much can lead to buildup and over-moisturized flat and limp hair, especially if you're not using sulfates. Try not to overdo it and clarify your hair if it starts feeling slimy and nasty. But how much is too much, it's a trial and error kind of thing you will learn while experimenting. Been there done that. :D
(sorry for the off topic things)

[giraff]

Acv is supposed to close the hair cuticles so it's best to use it after the conditioner. At least if you have trouble moisturizing your hair. Hair absorbs moisture and products best when the cuticle is open. Warm water should open the cuticle and cool water close it. I don't know how much acv really closes the cuticles, I always use a leave in so in theory acv rinse might not be very good for me. I've tried it twice and didn't see any difference in my hair. Maybe a more consistent use might do something or maybe it just doesn't affect naturally low porosity hair.:hmm:

I personally don't believe in "external" growth methods, genes and nutrition are the most important things in my opinion. Hair doesn't grow faster if you use a product x but it might feel like it's growing faster if the hair is in better condition and doesn't split and break. Challenges like this can be a good way to have some routines, help to take better care of your hair and experimenting and learning new things can be very fun and exciting. :)

If there's someone here who is new to haircare, oiling, deep treatments etc, keep in mind moisturizing your hair too much can lead to buildup and over-moisturized flat and limp hair, especially if you're not using sulfates. Try not to overdo it and clarify your hair if it starts feeling slimy and nasty. But how much is too much, it's a trial and error kind of thing you will learn while experimenting. Been there done that. :D
(sorry for the off topic things)

Thanks for chiming in! ;) Yeah, it's a fun challenge when you're getting into hair care (again). And thanks for the heads up! Personally, I haven't been moisturizing my hair enough the last year, so I'm overcompensating now. Even with using argan oil daily, I've never had build-up. But to each their own! It's just about getting to know what your hair needs, in the end.

On the acv: I think I also have low porosity hair. I'm not seeing a massive difference after one time's use, but I still think I'll give it another go. Makes sense that it should go after the conditioner!

[M-I]

I guess I'll try it after conditioner as well :) I felt it made my hair a bit dry, but it seems to have reduced my dandruff so I can see how it could be benefitting.

[Stray_mind]

I don't do these challenges since i don't tape measure my hair ever, but good luck to everyone who is participating!

[AmberWillow]

I did a cowash yesterday, as my hair wasn't due for a wash but looked gross, and did the apple cider vingear rinse afterwards. Hair feels nice! :)

[Panthera]

I did a scalp treatment, washed the oil off with herbs and did an acv-rinse, I had the smelliest wash day ever. :lol: My hair doesn't like coconut oil so I used avocado oil instead and also used castor oil, ginger oil and peppermint oil. I've never combined different oils together so it was very interesting. I had no idea how much to use them so I just poured random amounts of everything and created a very smelly liquid which actually helped a lot with my flu symptoms I was having, my stuffy nose got so runny. :lol: My hair actually does feel a bit more... slippery maybe or just less frizzy.

[giraff]

I did a scalp treatment, washed the oil off with herbs and did an acv-rinse, I had the smelliest wash day ever.

Hah, I can imagine!

I did a scalp treatment before my wash, and then a reconstruction mask. I'm really happy with the Roots scalp mask I bought from Lush. I don't have to use a lot each time, so I think it will last a while. There's only a small dent in it after three times. I heard others got about 6-7 uses out of it, how much to they use?!

I haven't smelled anything from my bathroom or hair from the acv rinse I did earlier today, but I noticed the smell in the shower today.. Don't know where it came from.. We've used the shower since then. Was the acv still left in my hair "awakened" by getting wet? I have no idea.

[giraff]

How are we all doing? I’m going into my second inversion week tomorrow because I started a week early. Have been able to keep up with the masks so far, and my hair feels happy for it! Have only done the rinse once, though.

[giraff]

I slacked with the inversion method and rinses for the last half of the challenge, but in the end, I wound up with 2,5 cm / 1 inch growth. Did anyone else stick with the challenge?