2 years on the LHC & 1 year growing out virgin!

[Ylva]

Today is my 2-year anniversary on the LHC, and in two days, it’ll be my 1-year anniversary of growing out bleach! To celebrate that, I thought to tell a little bit about my hair history and hair journey so far.

The post might contain hair photos that are not for the faint of heart. ;)

---

I don’t come from the worst background haircare-wise. My mother is a former longhair who has sported an ever-shorter pixie/buzzcut for the past 50+ years (since she was 15). She told me very early on not to rub my hair with a towel and used deliciously scented detangling sprays on my long hair, braiding it for me even though as a tomboy, I was more comfortable with my hair loose and found braids irritating. Of course, with me spending a lot of time outdoors with the neighbour boy, climbing trees and exploring the forests and hills, I came back home with some terrible tangles on a daily basis.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40568&d=1583757819

Eventually, I got sick of the painful brushing and decided I wanted my hair cut. I guess my mom thought that bangs naturally went together with a bob (in Finnish, this particular style is called ’polka hair’). My braid was cut off by a hairdresser, and it hung on our wall for many years to come. My mother still has that braid somewhere. I had this same style for a good few years to come. It was handy and I enjoyed it (because I was able to just ignore my hair) until I began to think it looked really stupid on me.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36684&d=1556577695
I sported the bob for many years until I, for some reason, let my hair grow longer again. At 13, I had my only properly short haircut ever. In the photo, you also see my old dog Tinka. :heart: I was dyeing my hair black with box dye at this time.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39320&d=1575834993

Soon after cutting my hair I got really into 80s rock, so obviously I needed my hair long again. And big. Big was easier to achieve in that moment. Naturally, I got a perm. I teased the living crap out of it, and kept box-dyeing my hair black. :rip: My hair inspiration at this time was no other than Blackie Lawless (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/36/a9/3f36a9a99fac50c5ad57e136ccef6823.jpg).

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

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40125&d=1580997887

And then I bleached it.

Multiple times.

:rip: intensifies

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36659&d=1556397911


Miraculously, a lot of hair was still attached to my head.


(Post continues below!)

[Ylva]

For a while after my worst/best 80s phase, I still kept my hair a bleached mess, but eventually, my life became absolute hell and I got in such a bad state mentally that I isolated myself from practically everything and everyone for a good 2-3 years straight. During that time, I think I had one trip to the hairdresser to get some highlights, but other than that, this was when my hair grew out properly again. The year is 2009-2012 here, and the final photo in this lot is from 2014.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39232&d=1575211958

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40783&d=1585742646

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40790&d=1585743833

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39351&d=1576093902

From 2014 onwards, I continued getting the occasional highlights and I did bleach my hair at home a couple of times as well, letting huge roots grow in again because I was too busy gaming for half a year straight to have any interest at all in how I looked. At one point, I also decided I wanted to grow out my virgin hair smoothly and went to the hairdresser’s, asking to get my bleached lenghts dyed close to my virgin colour (medium/dark blonde), but… you see how that went, I guess.

Don’t ask for ”close to your natural colour”, people. It never works out.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40794&d=1585743871

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40793&d=1585743862

So I had brown hair, and it called for some sweet bleach.


(Post continues below!)

[Ylva]

In the fall of 2017, I had bleached my hair once again in an attempt to go platinum blonde – professionally, this time round. It wasn’t quite there yet and I knew I needed another round of bleach, still. I was feeling very frustrated over the condition of my hair and made the decision to educate myself on haircare. It’s a very ”me” thing – this experience of making a decision that I know will be a pretty defining factor in my life. It’s kinda difficult to explain, but such happens to me about once every two years. I became completely obsessed about haircare and nerded on it pretty much all day every day. I went from somewhat of a noob to a relative expert in a matter of weeks. This was also the time when I consciously decided to grow out my hair for the first time ever, and it was quite an easy start since my hair was already between hip and BCL at this time.

As I went about my mission to get my hair in better condition, I made a variety of changes to my haircare routine which wasn’t that horrible in the first place (wash entire length every time, condition – sometimes twice, squeeze out water and air dry. Probably why I had semi-decent-looking hair through all of those chemical treatments!). I finally got over the thought of my hair being somehow dirty and disgusting if I didn’t wash the entire length every time, and started shampooing my scalp and roots only. I went silicone-free for a while so I would see exactly how bad my hair was, and experimented with some sulfate-mild and sulfate free shampoos.

Thanks to Olaplex treatments and my other haircare efforts, my hair actually wasn’t half bad as of early 2018! I had chemically treated lengths, but overall, my hair was pretty healthy, even though my ends hadn’t been trimmed in months.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=32990&d=1534022862

Yet, despite all of my efforts and all the knowledge I had gained, I still wanted to go platinum. I did just that, and I loved the colour, but my ends disintegrated some months later. Turns out, even my Iron Mane(TM) can be bleached one too many times.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=34218&d=1543410151

---

I mostly learned things on YouTube, but eventually, as a result of googling something haircare-related, I stumbled upon the LHC. I joined that very day. I was still bleaching my hair and continued to do so pretty much exactly one year into my membership.

So we arrive at early 2019. I was having very contradictory feelings about my hair. I loved the platinum blonde colour and felt I wouldn’t be considered attractive without it. I was very much ”hiding behind my hair”; it was one of those phases in my life that I was temporarily ignoring who I truly am, pretending that I could actually bother to put effort into my looks. I was maintaining an image of sorts, driven by insecurity.* At the same time, my hair was driving me nuts because the colour never turned out as pristine as I would’ve liked. It always looked too yellow to me. So I finally bit the bullet and decided to start growing out my virgin colour – for good this time! I also had my hair chopped up to solid hip.
*I am NOT saying that everyone who alters their hair colour is insecure, but I was.

In the summer of 2019, I made a complete 180 in my lifestyle. Even though the change was positive and healthy, and I ended up losing 10 kg in two months time, it was a big shock to my body and I triggered telogen effluvium. Over the course of four months, I lost a big chunk of my hair. I went through so many emotions regarding hair loss – from fear and desperation to acceptance and irritation. My ends got noticeably thinner, but I decided to grow onwards anyway without any big cuts.

And at long last, we reach the present day.

Maybe from here on, it will finally be smooth sailing. My hair is doing better than ever before, and so is the rest of me. I’m very much looking forward to growing more virgin hair and seeing exactly how low-maintenance my hair can become, but for now, my routine is as follows:
- Possible pre-poo with oil and/or conditioner
- Shampoo scalp and roots, shampoo varies but usually sulfate-y
- Condition twice with the second one being coney
- Two leave-ins: a creamy one + an oily one
- Clarify about once every two weeks
I tend to wash every other day with no intention of trying to stretch it out intentionally. I just wash my hair when I feel like it; sometimes I’ll go a week without washing if I simply can’t bother. Luckily, my scalp is very tolerant, despite getting oily very fast!

Finally, I’d like to thank you all for being so awesome, and express how grateful and lucky I am to get be a part of this community!

:blossom:

[Ylva]

Here is a comparison photo of my hair on the day of my last bleach, and a year later.

https://i.ibb.co/FD19j1m/oneyear.jpg

[Stray_mind]

Congratulations on two years! Wow what a journey huh. Your hair looks beautiful and i think you are on the right track. Your natural hair looks shiny and healthy and beautiful. Can't wait to see it grow out more. :crush: :flower:

[Simpscone]

Congratulations on 2 years on LHC and 1 year growing out natural, Ylva! What a journey it's been, it definitely seems like you're on the right track now and I can't wait to see your natural colour growing out even more!

Am I right in thinking you normally wear your hair in a braid daily? How long are you aiming to grow to?

[JennGalt]

What a journey! Your progress is amazing :) Lovely pix, all of them, but that slight wave in the most recent one stood out; it’s really pretty! And Tinka’s adorable :crush:

[Ylva]

Congratulations on two years! Wow what a journey huh. Your hair looks beautiful and i think you are on the right track. Your natural hair looks shiny and healthy and beautiful. Can't wait to see it grow out more. :crush: :flower:

Thank you so much! :)


Congratulations on 2 years on LHC and 1 year growing out natural, Ylva! What a journey it's been, it definitely seems like you're on the right track now and I can't wait to see your natural colour growing out even more!

Am I right in thinking you normally wear your hair in a braid daily? How long are you aiming to grow to?

Thank you so much! :) I wore my hair in a braid daily up until late 2008. It was at tailbone and had been between hip and BCL for years when I first started wearing buns. These days, I usually throw it up in a bun when I leave the house, but that's because it's faster than braiding. I don't do it for protection because I know from previous experience that my hair is just fine in an English braid, not worn up, even when bleached.

My goal length for now is somewhere around classic - that's where I'll maintain to get rid of a lot of bleach. In the very distant future, I might explore terminal, but at my own terms - I still won't go out of my way to protect my hair from damage because that's just not me. For now, however, I'm not thinking about that. :)


What a journey! Your progress is amazing :) Lovely pix, all of them, but that slight wave in the most recent one stood out; it’s really pretty! And Tinka’s adorable :crush:

Thank you so much! :) Tinka was a very sweet dog. :love:

[SleepyTangles]

Way to go :cheer:
Your hair is pretty at every stage Ylva darling, but I bet it will get even more beautiful in the next few years.
Love Tinka, your doggie looks at you like you are the center of the universe :love:

[Mariekeeee14]

So nice, thanks for sharing and congrats! Onwards! :D

[lapushka]

Loved the hair-history! :)

Plenty of well wishes on your anniversary, Ylva! And almost 1 year bleach free, awesome! :D :cheer:

[Lucy McLucyFace]

Congrats! I'm new around here so it's odd to be congratulating but still.

Very impressive that you maintained all that length while doing so many chemical treatments, most people I've known who went through multiple bleachings had to cut it very short. And your natural colour is quite lovely too, I bet it has a beautiful contrast with your skin!
Have a good journey onward :D

[cestlavie]

What a progress and it looks so great now! Congratulations and well wishes for the rest of your hair journey! :)

[Ylva]

Loved the hair-history! :)

Plenty of well wishes on your anniversary, Ylva! And almost 1 year bleach free, awesome! :D :cheer:

Thank you so much! :)


Congrats! I'm new around here so it's odd to be congratulating but still.

Very impressive that you maintained all that length while doing so many chemical treatments, most people I've known who went through multiple bleachings had to cut it very short. And your natural colour is quite lovely too, I bet it has a beautiful contrast with your skin!
Have a good journey onward :D

Thank you so much! Perfectly okay to congratulate even as a new member! :)

My natural colour doesn't show very well in those photos, but it's like this:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=38788&d=1571314504

Not very much of a contrast with the skin but I do think they go together well. :)


What a progress and it looks so great now! Congratulations and well wishes for the rest of your hair journey! :)

Thank you so much! :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Wow, two years already - and it certainly doesn't seem like a year since you stopped bleaching! Congrats on your anniversaries! Your natural colour suits you wonderfully, and I bet your hair thinks it's in heaven :D

[Ylva]

Wow, two years already - and it certainly doesn't seem like a year since you stopped bleaching! Congrats on your anniversaries! Your natural colour suits you wonderfully, and I bet your hair thinks it's in heaven :D

I know, I swear I just joined!! Thank you so much! :)

[TatsuOni]

Congrats! Thanks for sharing your journey and your hair looks really beautiful now! :)

[lapushka]

I love your natural color, Ylva. I just have to come right out and say it. :o The lighter blonde is nice, don't get me wrong, but there is something about natural, virgin hair that makes it so complimenting to the skin! It took me a *long* time to realize that (for myself too), but there it is.

[Bri-Chan]

Wow congratulations for this 2 years! Your hair has seriously improved since last bleach.

[Joules]

Congrats on the anniversary! Your hair looks fantastic!

[Cg]

Congratulations, Ylva! I agree with lapushka that your natural color is beautiful. It has depth and subtlety.

[squirrrel]

That’s a captivating story. Thank you for sharing it, and all the pictures. I look forward to seeing your continuing progress.

[Tinyponies]

Woo! congrats on two lhc-years and on your lovely hair :heart: :)

[barnet_fair]

So we arrive at early 2019. I was having very contradictory feelings about my hair. I loved the platinum blonde colour and felt I wouldn’t be considered attractive without it. I was very much ”hiding behind my hair”; it was one of those phases in my life that I was temporarily ignoring who I truly am, pretending that I could actually bother to put effort into my looks. I was maintaining an image of sorts, driven by insecurity.* At the same time, my hair was driving me nuts because the colour never turned out as pristine as I would’ve liked. It always looked too yellow to me. So I finally bit the bullet and decided to start growing out my virgin colour – for good this time! I also had my hair chopped up to solid hip.
*I am NOT saying that everyone who alters their hair colour is insecure, but I was.

In the summer of 2019, I made a complete 180 in my lifestyle. Even though the change was positive and healthy, and I ended up losing 10 kg in two months time, it was a big shock to my body and I triggered telogen effluvium. Over the course of four months, I lost a big chunk of my hair. I went through so many emotions regarding hair loss – from fear and desperation to acceptance and irritation. My ends got noticeably thinner, but I decided to grow onwards anyway without any big cuts.



Thanks for telling your story, Ylva. Hold on to this feeling of being true to yourself - you absolutely know it when it's there, but when it's not there, one can just feel lost. Write it down in a journal or a book that you may pick up at a later phase of your life.

[spidermom]

I like the waves in the most recent photo; happy growing!

[Iyashikei]

Congratulations! I'm still quite new but you've been very helpful with my hair already.

[Five of Five]

What a journey! I think that once your hair is all virgin, you will be really glad you had so much fun experimenting and not worrying about damage.

Your natural colour looks very pretty. It's always very difficult to tell from a photograph, but it looks like a lovely bronze colour!

[Ylva]

Congrats! Thanks for sharing your journey and your hair looks really beautiful now! :)

Thank you so much, Tatsu! :)


I love your natural color, Ylva. I just have to come right out and say it. :o The lighter blonde is nice, don't get me wrong, but there is something about natural, virgin hair that makes it so complimenting to the skin! It took me a *long* time to realize that (for myself too), but there it is.

You're too kind!! That's very true - our natural colours tend to always look best with our skin tone.


Wow congratulations for this 2 years! Your hair has seriously improved since last bleach.

Thank you kindly! :)


Congrats on the anniversary! Your hair looks fantastic!

Thank you so much, Joules! :)

[Ylva]

Congratulations, Ylva! I agree with lapushka that your natural color is beautiful. It has depth and subtlety.

Thank you so much! :)


That’s a captivating story. Thank you for sharing it, and all the pictures. I look forward to seeing your continuing progress.

I'm glad you took the time to read it, and thank you so much! :)


Woo! congrats on two lhc-years and on your lovely hair :heart: :)

Thank you so much, Ponies! :heart:


Thanks for telling your story, Ylva. Hold on to this feeling of being true to yourself - you absolutely know it when it's there, but when it's not there, one can just feel lost. Write it down in a journal or a book that you may pick up at a later phase of your life.

Thank you for taking the time to read it! That is a good suggestion - it's easy to get lost in all the societal pressure and expectations that one really cannot remind themselves about that enough.

[Ylva]

I like the waves in the most recent photo; happy growing!

Thank you kindly! :)


Congratulations! I'm still quite new but you've been very helpful with my hair already.

THank you so much! :) I'm so happy to hear I could be of some use!


What a journey! I think that once your hair is all virgin, you will be really glad you had so much fun experimenting and not worrying about damage.

Your natural colour looks very pretty. It's always very difficult to tell from a photograph, but it looks like a lovely bronze colour!

Thank you so much, Five of Five! :) Indeed, I definitely feel ready to move on with my hair and letting it grow out all virgin. I'm done with high-maintenance hair!

My hair definitely has some bronze tones especially in the front, but for the most part, I think it might be a very ashy blonde colour.

[Begemot]

Congrats, Ylva :blossom: :toast: What a fun journey and beautiful progress!

[Katsura]

Congrats Ylva, and happy journey! :):blossom:

[LittleHealthy]

Here is a comparison photo of my hair on the day of my last bleach, and a year later.

https://i.ibb.co/FD19j1m/oneyear.jpg

Congratulations on making such a great impact on your hair over the past 2 years! And for inspiring others! What a great transformation. All the best with growing out the rest of your dye!!

[MusicalSpoons]

I don't have anything particularly original to say because the brain just doesn't want to work, but congratulations and great progress! :cheer: It's been good to share some of the journey with you on various threads but really nice to see it summarised along with the before/after in one place :D

[Ylva]

Congrats, Ylva :blossom: :toast: What a fun journey and beautiful progress!

Thank you so much, Begemot! :)


Congrats Ylva, and happy journey! :):blossom:

Thank you kindly, Katsura! :)


Congratulations on making such a great impact on your hair over the past 2 years! And for inspiring others! What a great transformation. All the best with growing out the rest of your dye!!

Thank you so much for your kind words, LittleHealthy! :)


I don't have anything particularly original to say because the brain just doesn't want to work, but congratulations and great progress! :cheer: It's been good to share some of the journey with you on various threads but really nice to see it summarised along with the before/after in one place :D

I thank you kindly, Spoons! :)

[shelomit]

Congrats on the anniversary! My, you have done a lot of things with your hair over the years ( : Always beautiful!

[Ylva]

Congrats on the anniversary! My, you have done a lot of things with your hair over the years ( : Always beautiful!

Thank you so much, shelomit! :) I have indeed, but I'm glad that's all in the past now!

[shaluwm_agape]

Happy hairiverssary! Your hair honestly looks beautiful now!

[Spikey]

Congrats on two years, your hair looks great! I love when there's a whole-life timeline of pictures in an anniversary post, and you can see the hair evolve and grow over the years, it's so satisfying to watch :cloud9:. Happy growing and good luck for the next two!

[knobbly]

Here is a comparison photo of my hair on the day of my last bleach, and a year later.

https://i.ibb.co/FD19j1m/oneyear.jpg

The difference between these two is jaw-dropping. You don't even have much of a demarcation line, what sorcery is this?!

[CopperButterfly]

Happy hairiversary! Congrats on your progress. Your hair has really improved and just looks so healthy and lovely now. I'm so impressed. Also I didn't realize you joined only about a month after me.

[ynne]

Thank you for sharing your hair journey, it's been very interesting to read! It's different from my experience so it was informative, too. :) (Though my dive into hair care felt very similar! My interests just go from 0 to 100.) I never tried bleaching for more than a few months, but from the little I've heard and seen when others maintain blonde hair, I'm impressed by your hair keeping the length & staying relatively healthy for so long! It had to be difficult/upsetting when your ends started having the issues, though. :/ You hear the horror stories, but...
I mentioned this on another thread, but your hair grows really fast. I bet the next year's comparison will be even more exciting! :)

Oh, I was wondering, now your hair already looks wavier than ever, were you straightening it before, or was it due to the dyes/bleach loosening the texture? :0

[paulownia]

Congratulations om 2 years anniversary;).
Very inspiring journey and amazing hair. You will reach your goal length in no time;)

[pisinoe]

Congratulations, Ylva! I'm excited for your hair journey and what you'll learn and share with us along the way!

[Longlegs]

A very interesting journey indeed. So I'm guessing your profile pic is of the bleached phase at it's lightest? The final photographs that are next to each other show a big difference in the condition of your hair.

[Ylva]

Happy hairiverssary! Your hair honestly looks beautiful now!

Thank you so much, shaluwm_agape! :)


Congrats on two years, your hair looks great! I love when there's a whole-life timeline of pictures in an anniversary post, and you can see the hair evolve and grow over the years, it's so satisfying to watch :cloud9:. Happy growing and good luck for the next two!

I thank you kindly, Spikey! :) Glad you enjoyed the post!


The difference between these two is jaw-dropping. You don't even have much of a demarcation line, what sorcery is this?!

Thank you! :o I did get highlights put in at 5 months of growing out virgin, but I don't really "count" that as failing the growing out process because the highlights were for the sole purpose of making the journey more enjoyable.

[Ylva]

Happy hairiversary! Congrats on your progress. Your hair has really improved and just looks so healthy and lovely now. I'm so impressed. Also I didn't realize you joined only about a month after me.

Thank you so much, CopperButterfly! :)


Thank you for sharing your hair journey, it's been very interesting to read! It's different from my experience so it was informative, too. :) (Though my dive into hair care felt very similar! My interests just go from 0 to 100.) I never tried bleaching for more than a few months, but from the little I've heard and seen when others maintain blonde hair, I'm impressed by your hair keeping the length & staying relatively healthy for so long! It had to be difficult/upsetting when your ends started having the issues, though. :/ You hear the horror stories, but...
I mentioned this on another thread, but your hair grows really fast. I bet the next year's comparison will be even more exciting! :)

Oh, I was wondering, now your hair already looks wavier than ever, were you straightening it before, or was it due to the dyes/bleach loosening the texture? :0

I'm glad you enjoyed the post! For some reason, my hair is able to withstand a lot of chemical processing, but it does become rather high-maintenance, and I've grown pretty sick of that. It even took, I think, 4 chemical treatments for my ends to disintegrate. Thank you for your kind words! :)

I never straightened my hair but I did brush it a lot, and in the 1-year comparison photo, it was blowdried straight by my hairdresser. However, my waves have indeed become a lot more pronounced in recent times! I'm looking forward to what becomes of my texture as more virgin hair grows in. :)


Congratulations om 2 years anniversary;).
Very inspiring journey and amazing hair. You will reach your goal length in no time;)

Thank you so much, paulownia! :)


Congratulations, Ylva! I'm excited for your hair journey and what you'll learn and share with us along the way!

Thank you kindly, pisinoe! :)

[Ylva]

A very interesting journey indeed. So I'm guessing your profile pic is of the bleached phase at it's lightest? The final photographs that are next to each other show a big difference in the condition of your hair.

Yep, my avatar is from when I was getting my roots done every 6 weeks. Thank you, my hair is quite tolerable right now. :)

[Ylva]

I found an even better picture for comparison!

This is my hair one year ago BEFORE the trim, and now. :D There was obviously a bleach border there, and my length retention is much better with these ends. Sadly, you can also see how much thickness I lost to TE, but that will all grow back eventually. :)

https://i.ibb.co/St2dFs3/oneyearr.jpg

[Siv]

Oh I totally missed this thread. It was such a great read! And congrats on your anniversaries!! (It reminds me that I have one coming up in April, I should go dig out some baby pictures...)

[LittleHealthy]

I found an even better picture for comparison!

This is my hair one year ago BEFORE the trim, and now. :D There was obviously a bleach border there, and my length retention is much better with these ends. Sadly, you can also see how much thickness I lost to TE, but that will all grow back eventually. :)

https://i.ibb.co/St2dFs3/oneyearr.jpg

All I can say is umm WOW about the ends in your first photo! Do you know how long it'd been since a trim in that photo? I have dye in my ends and wonder if mine will get to this degree of thinness? It's amazing you were able to care for them so well! I think I've already mentioned it but your transformation and hair story is just amazing!!

[Ylva]

All I can say is umm WOW about the ends in your first photo! Do you know how long it'd been since a trim in that photo? I have dye in my ends and wonder if mine will get to this degree of thinness? It's amazing you were able to care for them so well! I think I've already mentioned it but your transformation and hair story is just amazing!!

I don't remember how long it had been since a trim but those ends had been bleached maybe 4 times. So it was no wonder they were in that state. :D I chopped them off and these current ends are holding up much better. Thank you kindly! :)

[Ylva]

Oh I totally missed this thread. It was such a great read! And congrats on your anniversaries!! (It reminds me that I have one coming up in April, I should go dig out some baby pictures...)

Thank you, and thank you for taking the time to read my little thread! Yeees, do that!!

[paulownia]

I have to say that your pictures gave me certainly food for thought :p. When I look at my pics from about a year ago my hair is also almost the same length. Of course in your case it's really just a hard work for length retention. And it's a reason to be proud and can be considered a progress. In my case it's just this regrettable disease of trimming hair too often for no particular reason:rolleyes:
Anyway it feels better to think that I'm not the only one who is at the same length after a year. Poor excuse I know;)
Hope this year I will be able to gain some length. My own hair anniversary is coming up in April, I start collecting pictures too:agree:

[Ylva]

I have to say that your pictures gave me certainly food for thought :p. When I look at my pics from about a year ago my hair is also almost the same length. Of course in your case it's really just a hard work for length retention. And it's a reason to be proud and can be considered a progress. In my case it's just this regrettable disease of trimming hair too often for no particular reason:rolleyes:
Anyway it feels better to think that I'm not the only one who is at the same length after a year. Poor excuse I know;)
Hope this year I will be able to gain some length. My own hair anniversary is coming up in April, I start collecting pictures too:agree:

I was basically staying between hip and BCL because I simply didn't care about my hair. I just went to the hairdresser's like twice a year, she would hold up about 5 cm of hair and ask me if it was okay that she took away that amount, I would say sure... And it would go on like that for years and years. In the past couple of years, it's been a matter of growing out more or less bad chemical damage, and now I seem to be in a place where my ends are retaining thickness well enough to grow a bit. However, I'm planning to park my hair between TBL and classic for a while and maintain there.

Have you participated in the no-trimming challenges before? If you did the half-year ones and decided that, for example, you would only trim 1 or 2 cm between them, you'd be bound to gain length.

Looking forward to your anniversary post!

[paulownia]

Have you participated in the no-trimming challenges before? If you did the half-year ones and decided that, for example, you would only trim 1 or 2 cm between them, you'd be bound to gain length.

Looking forward to your anniversary post!
Yes, I tried to join those challenges but I failed 2 times. I could hold my urge to trim for max 2 months no longer.
It's very hard to explain because I really want my hair long but I have a very hard time leaving it alone to grow...
I'm in the no-trimming challenge for first halv of 2020. I managed until now. The feeling is comparable to the nicotine deprivation after quitting smoking:rolleyes:

[desisparkles]

Those are some epic pics Ylva. What an exciting journey your hairs have been on!!! Looking straight fab where you are at right now; congratulations on making it to this length!

[Ylva]

Yes, I tried to join those challenges but I failed 2 times. I could hold my urge to trim for max 2 months no longer.
It's very hard to explain because I really want my hair long but I have a very hard time leaving it alone to grow...
I'm in the no-trimming challenge for first halv of 2020. I managed until now. The feeling is comparable to the nicotine deprivation after quitting smoking:rolleyes:

Dang, that's a tricky situation then! Good luck on the growth anyways! :)


Those are some epic pics Ylva. What an exciting journey your hairs have been on!!! Looking straight fab where you are at right now; congratulations on making it to this length!

Thank you so much, desisparkles!!

[Estrid]

Congrats Ylva! your hair has gotten so long and pretty :o

Ever since you said you virgin hair colour is similar to mine I've been curious to see how it will look :p

[Ylva]

Congrats Ylva! your hair has gotten so long and pretty :o

Ever since you said you virgin hair colour is similar to mine I've been curious to see how it will look :p

Thank you, Estrid! :o

Ha, yeah! I do think yours is a bit warmer, though. Mine seems to be growing in as ashy as hair can be without being grey!

[Ligeia Noire]

Your progress is truly amazing and probably an inspiration for those that want to stop using dye but need an extra motivator.
I remember when you first joined and I remember thinking you would be letting your natural colour dominate soon.
I think it was that pagan aura about yourself that gave it away.
I am a awfully bias because i am a virgin hair proponent but it truly suits you!
Congratulations.

[Ylva]

Your progress is truly amazing and probably an inspiration for those that want to stop using dye but need an extra motivator.
I remember when you first joined and I remember thinking you would be letting your natural colour dominate soon.
I think it was that pagan aura about yourself that gave it away.
I am a awfully bias because i am a virgin hair proponent but it truly suits you!
Congratulations.

Thank you so much for your kindness, Ligeia Noire.

Your intuition was certainly not wrong. In the end, I'm just not the kind of a person it takes to fuss about looks, so virgin hair suits me a lot better!

[honeybee93]

Oh, Ylva! You are so pretty, you could pull off any hair color and length. Congratulations on your hair progress and journey!! :cheer: Most importantly, I hope you are doing well in heart and spirit :heartbeat I don't know exactly how you felt in the past but I too have experienced periods of self-isolation when life has felt unbearable.

As others have said, your hair looked great at every stage. Thank you for the tip "don't ask for close to your natural color" LOL I learned that, too!! Never again!! But I needed this reminder... I too love bright blonde hair and have always admired yours since I virtually met you here on LHC. Your hair now really looks beautiful and is my dream hair.

Loved seeing all of your photos and reading your thorough account with lots of details. YAY for this big milestone!! Can't wait to see how it progresses. :blossom:

[Elizabeth E]

I have to agree that your hair looked great at every stage, but now it's truly beautiful :thud: Congratulations!

[Hailwidis]

Congratulations, Ylva! What a journey!

[Jas]

Oh wow, what a huge difference before the cut and now! Reminds me of my own pictures actually. I still wince when I see how damaged the ends were but it always makes me feel better about the progress made since then. Definitely keep that before picture!

I've been keeping track of your hair journey - you had quite a similar view to mine, I felt lost without being blonde... I was the blonde one in my family for so many years and growing out the dye definitely wasn't easy the first few years.

I love the waves in your hair too! I keep hoping for some but nothing yet lol.

Your hair is absolutely gorgeous and I'll be keeping an eye out and watching your progress :D

[Ylva]

Oh, Ylva! You are so pretty, you could pull off any hair color and length. Congratulations on your hair progress and journey!! :cheer: Most importantly, I hope you are doing well in heart and spirit :heartbeat I don't know exactly how you felt in the past but I too have experienced periods of self-isolation when life has felt unbearable.

As others have said, your hair looked great at every stage. Thank you for the tip "don't ask for close to your natural color" LOL I learned that, too!! Never again!! But I needed this reminder... I too love bright blonde hair and have always admired yours since I virtually met you here on LHC. Your hair now really looks beautiful and is my dream hair.

Loved seeing all of your photos and reading your thorough account with lots of details. YAY for this big milestone!! Can't wait to see how it progresses. :blossom:

Thank you so much for your kind words, honeybee! :love:

I am a big fan of your hair, personally, and it'll be awesome to follow your progress in the coming months and years!


I have to agree that your hair looked great at every stage, but now it's truly beautiful :thud: Congratulations!

Thank you so much, Elizabeth E! :)


Congratulations, Ylva! What a journey!

Thank you kindly, Hailwidis! :)


Oh wow, what a huge difference before the cut and now! Reminds me of my own pictures actually. I still wince when I see how damaged the ends were but it always makes me feel better about the progress made since then. Definitely keep that before picture!

I've been keeping track of your hair journey - you had quite a similar view to mine, I felt lost without being blonde... I was the blonde one in my family for so many years and growing out the dye definitely wasn't easy the first few years.

I love the waves in your hair too! I keep hoping for some but nothing yet lol.

Your hair is absolutely gorgeous and I'll be keeping an eye out and watching your progress :D

Thank you so much, Jas! :) You yourself have been an inspiration to me. Seeing how you are just plowing on even with bleached ends is very encouraging, and your hair looks magnificent!