Wispe's 4th Year Anniversary Thread!

[wispe]

In which I pop up out of nowhere to celebrate four years with you all! (: I'm only a few inches longer than when I started, but has it even been a journey so far.

I joined LHC in 2016 with BSL length, layered, bleached, pastel pink hair. Since then I've grown out layers, grown out all the bleach, grown to hip, henna'ed, big chopped to about chin, benign neglected/hiatus'ed, and grown back to waist. I grew to the longest my hair has ever been. I learned how to braid and how to do buns for the first time in my life, accumulated a sizeable hair toy collection (and still growing... hhaha). I'm on track for hip again at the end of the year. After that, who knows? I've got my eye on mid-thigh but that'll be years yet, if my hair will even grow to that length, but there's only one way to find out.

I've tried so many things in my 4 years already, but I am ultimately lazy and am currently at the benign neglect stage : protective updos, WCC, reum or oil on the ends after washing, and infrequent trimming (currently in the no-trim challenge until 2021 hits).

A brief photo montage of where I started to recently:

1st Year : August 2016, March 2017, July 2017. Bleached ends were very thinned out. Self microtrimming every few months, started a hair instagram, did a 30 day hairstyle challenge, learned all the braids (that I will one day have to compile into an actual LHC album... y'all who're here my first year probably remember all the braids), mainly stayed pastel pink but occasionally purple, growing out my natural hair.
https://i.imgur.com/bTQ0UGK.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/vHY0bI5.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/9gZMQAK.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/GEBNc2u.jpg?1

2nd Year: Did a second 30 day hairstyle challenge, continued to wear all the braids. Henna gloss to try and save my extremely damaged bleached ends, then big chop in Nov 2017 when that failed, then short styles to hide some awkward regrowth (which ended up as 99% accent braided ponytails, because my hair was too short to reliably bun for a good long while), two small self trims, one salon trim to straighten out the slightly inverted bob I started with
https://i.imgur.com/hVdSK95.jpg https://i.imgur.com/6nceSJI.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/1l3Ufuc.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/TvYzukr.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/Nhd0BZI.jpg https://i.imgur.com/yEk0ul7.jpg?1

3rd and 4th years to be continued in the next post:

[wispe]

contd ...

3rd year: braided buns/updos and benign neglect. pink hair underneath. Wore it down more than I should have in the 2nd half of the year. Two small self trims about 6 months apart.
https://i.imgur.com/98GgVR6.jpg https://i.imgur.com/1FZBpgX.jpg?1

4th Year: still benign neglecting it, mainly wearing it down but recently getting back into protective styling, split dye'd it in November, hit waist length in June, one microtrim, one largerish self trim, now no-trimming until 'til 2021
https://i.imgur.com/a5gGvWt.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/owlC7Mp.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/xu9fABm.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/q3r9pt1.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/CEfjxPR.jpg?1/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/YWDmmrD.jpg?2 https://i.imgur.com/g2Ih2Lr.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/VJlWSgR.jpg?1

So yeah. That's where I'm at for now. Looking forward to future years lurking and learning and growing alongside you all (:

[shelomit]

Congrats! What lovely photos. You sure do braid beautifully and inventively :D

[GrowlingCupcake]

I always love how your colours meld with the styles, and toys.

[Elliandra]

Congrats wispe!! :happydance: It's great to see your hair journey like that and you did such a good job learning all the braids and now the buns!!

[Mariekeeee14]

I love all the colours! Congrats on all the milestones:flower:

[squirrrel]

Wow. That’s quite the journey you have had. Some really pretty styles and colours as well. Looking forward to seeing where you grow to in future.

[Lady Stardust]

Congratulations on your anniversary wispe! I always love to see your hair, the colours and the texture.

Your braiding skills are amazing. I remember a spectacular style you did, I think on your sister? but maybe on yourself, a combination of waterfall braids and lace or French braids I think? You’re very talented.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Happy hairiversary! You have done so many things with your hair, but with all the LHC care and attention it is certainly flourishing! I love the pink you have through it, and every time I see it i stop to admire, i bet you get many compliments on your beautiful and healthy hair :)

[Ylva]

Congrats! Your hair looks very unique, which is something I always appreciate.

[Lisa Long4Life]

Congrats Wispe, I think we have been here a similar length of time and I remember seeing some of your journey on here and on IG.
I agree about learning and trying new things with the help of this forum :D I love your colours.

[Bat]

happy 4 years! it is starting to look really long now!

[Iyashikei]

Congrats! Love the colored hair.

[lapushka]

Congratulations, wispe. I'm glad to see you back! :D

I think the pink looks lovely in your hair! :inlove:

[Mademoiselle]

Your hair has changed a lot!! You have a beautifull thick and shine hair <3 Congratulations!

[Zesty]

Lovely colors and styles! It would certainly be fun to see your hair at mid thigh. :) I always love to see your unique head of hair around here!

[Bri-Chan]

Congratulations! Your hair has improved a lot! And I love the colors, all the colors you had.

[bparnell75]

Wispe, I have always enjoyed your posts and your pink hair. Your videos have also been a blessing to our community. Thank you for showing us your journey. More to come I hope. Congrats!

[Cg]

Congratulations on four colourful years, wispe. You've done a lot of experimenting! Love to see you back, and love to see the pics.

[SleepyTangles]

So gorgeous!!!! Love love love the different color placements and braids :inlove:
Congratulations on the anniversary!

[MusicalSpoons]

Oh wow! :thud: That really is quite the journey; I love your natural colour and having the pink as well is extra cool :inlove: Congratulations on 4 years! :cheer:

[embee]

Your hair is so much fun! I always smile when I see your posts and pictures. Congrats on 4 years. :)

[Hailwidis]

Congrats wispe! Your updos are inspiring. :blossom:

[wispe]

Long response post; splitting into multiple parts due to length / pt1


Congratulations on your anniversary wispe! I always love to see your hair, the colours and the texture.

Your braiding skills are amazing. I remember a spectacular style you did, I think on your sister? but maybe on yourself, a combination of waterfall braids and lace or French braids I think? You’re very talented.
Thank you! Braiding was a major motivator for me when I first joined (I could only do english and dutch braids on myself before LHC). I've done a handful of waterfall braids on myself and my sisters. Never loose on me since my hair slips out. But I've done a lot of lace braids. Basically any bun I did probably had a lace braid. Maybe one of these?
https://i.imgur.com/zC9levg.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/iBBaDOo.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/fEEhhQd.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/H3FbgGE.jpg?1 https://i.imgur.com/sZTXzrx.jpg?1


Wow. That’s quite the journey you have had. Some really pretty styles and colours as well. Looking forward to seeing where you grow to in future.
It's been quite the ride! I'm looking forward to sharing the future (:


I love all the colours! Congrats on all the milestones:flower:
TY


Congrats wispe!! :happydance: It's great to see your hair journey like that and you did such a good job learning all the braids and now the buns!!
I always hope it'll be a little inspiring! It was frustrating sometimes and I really leaned on LHC to get me through it. The braids helped! And this time around, the buns too (:


I always love how your colours meld with the styles, and toys.
Thank you! The colors make the style that much more fun and swirly (:


Congrats! What lovely photos. You sure do braid beautifully and inventively :D
I've had a blast learning them all! Thanks!

[wispe]

Long response post; splitting into multiple parts due to length / pt2




Congratulations, wispe. I'm glad to see you back! :D

I think the pink looks lovely in your hair! :inlove:
TY (:


Congrats! Love the colored hair.
Thanks!


happy 4 years! it is starting to look really long now!
It's starting to feel long again! When I first reached waist before my big chop it was just starting to feel long (once it starts brushing against my elbows seems to be the turning point for me). I really missed that after my big chop - but it's so much better the second time around. Somehow now that it's thicker it feels/looks longer than it did to me at this length a few years ago.


Congrats Wispe, I think we have been here a similar length of time and I remember seeing some of your journey on here and on IG.
I agree about learning and trying new things with the help of this forum :D I love your colours.
I definitely wouldn't have learned nearly as much if I hadn't found LHC and had everyone's encouragement!


Congrats! Your hair looks very unique, which is something I always appreciate.
Thank you (:


Happy hairiversary! You have done so many things with your hair, but with all the LHC care and attention it is certainly flourishing! I love the pink you have through it, and every time I see it i stop to admire, i bet you get many compliments on your beautiful and healthy hair :)
These days I only see a small handful of people IRL so I have to fish for compliments online LOL But joking aside, my hair definitely wouldn't be as healthy as it is now without LHC. I probably would have broken it all off and gotten frustrated trying to grow it out healthy without the styles I found here (: So it all worked out! These days I could probably pay it a little more attention, it's humid and I haven't bothered to figure out a better routine for that yet. I've just been putting it up and pretending it's fine haha

[wispe]

Long response post; splitting into multiple parts due to length / pt3


Congrats wispe! Your updos are inspiring. :blossom:
Ty! <3


Your hair is so much fun! I always smile when I see your posts and pictures. Congrats on 4 years. :)
Thanks! I'm glad when I hear my journey can bring joy to others as well (:


Oh wow! :thud: That really is quite the journey; I love your natural colour and having the pink as well is extra cool :inlove: Congratulations on 4 years! :cheer:
It's been quite the ride! Thanks (:


So gorgeous!!!! Love love love the different color placements and braids :inlove:
Congratulations on the anniversary!
I always liked how having the color variation makes updos fun! TY


Congratulations on four colourful years, wispe. You've done a lot of experimenting! Love to see you back, and love to see the pics.
Sure have - probably not done yet B) I've missed being around to share more with LHC, sharing is always fun.


Wispe, I have always enjoyed your posts and your pink hair. Your videos have also been a blessing to our community. Thank you for showing us your journey. More to come I hope. Congrats!
There should be plenty more to come! I keep intending to figure out a good set up and do some better quality demos, maybe one day soon! It wouldn't be the same without sharing the journey with you all.


Congratulations! Your hair has improved a lot! And I love the colors, all the colors you had.
It's come a long way! The colors definitely helped make it fun (:


Lovely colors and styles! It would certainly be fun to see your hair at mid thigh. :) I always love to see your unique head of hair around here!
Gosh I hope. Guess I'll see where it's at in a few years (:


Your hair has changed a lot!! You have a beautifull thick and shine hair <3 Congratulations!
It's gone through quite the transformation! It's not thick at all, just midaverage, but compared to how thinned out it was after bleach, it's much thicker now.

[lithostoic]

I remember when you joined! Congrats

[ynne]

Oh wow, I didn't even know hair could grow that much in just 4 years with so many trims, that's really amazing! And since I'm in a similar position of never really doing buns or braids before growing my hair out this time, you give me hope that it gets easier. :) Did you find the 30 day hairstyle challenges made a big difference for your learning process?
The split color looks lovely, and so do all of the updos, I'm looking forward to what you'll be able to do with it when you gain even more length to work with c:

[Entangled]

I always adore seeing your color and styles, especially with braids. Your hair looks so soft and ethereal. I love it! Thanks for posting, and congratulations!

[wispe]

I remember when you joined! Congrats
TY (:


Oh wow, I didn't even know hair could grow that much in just 4 years with so many trims, that's really amazing! And since I'm in a similar position of never really doing buns or braids before growing my hair out this time, you give me hope that it gets easier. :) Did you find the 30 day hairstyle challenges made a big difference for your learning process?
The split color looks lovely, and so do all of the updos, I'm looking forward to what you'll be able to do with it when you gain even more length to work with c:
I measured my hair religiously the first year and a half and I grew just at/over average (abt 6.5" a year) - but I am short, and my milestones close together, at least between BSL and Hip, so maybe it looks like more growth than it actually is. I did my first 30 day challenge April of 2017 so nearly a year after I joined - I definitely picked up more buns in that month than before (and it's where I learned the orchid bun, which is one of my absolute favorites and I have been so stoked to be long enough for it again - I have to be nearly waist before I can do an orchid). But I'd already picked up a lot of braids prior to that. Mostly I found that doing a 30 day challenge (without repeating hairstyles) meant I had to get comfortable combining techniques into a single hairstyle and planning out partings/parts to the style instead of just doing a single braid (however fancy)- which was definitely fun! So maybe what I learned was more expanding my creativity with styles and less learning new ones. If that makes sense....

And thank you! The split dye was really an impulse decision but it's one of my favorite color placements I've done! I'm excited to see how it looks with even more length too (:

I always adore seeing your color and styles, especially with braids. Your hair looks so soft and ethereal. I love it! Thanks for posting, and congratulations!
Thanks! I'll have to remind myself to document more of the braids I wear - lately if I wear a braid down I leave before the light is ideal, and it's pretty shredded by the time my day is over, so I haven't gotten around to photographing them to share.

[Jo Ann]

Wispe, congratulations on all of your progress--you give poor schlubs like me hope that there is a long-hair future for us!

Love the styles, and love the colors!

[0xalis]

It's so colourful and super shiny!!! Amazing progress :inlove:

[shaluwm_agape]

Congratulations! Your hair is honestly looking stunning

[TatsuOni]

Congrats! Your hair and hair styles are beautiful! :)

[Lady Stardust]

Thank you for posting more photos up wispe! The style I was thinking of is there, where your hair is shorter with a blue ponytail band. I’m not sure how you keep track of what goes where!

All of the styles are lovely.

[wispe]

Wispe, congratulations on all of your progress--you give poor schlubs like me hope that there is a long-hair future for us!

Love the styles, and love the colors!
I never thought I'd have this much patience, but when there's no other way.... (: Thanks


It's so colourful and super shiny!!! Amazing progress :inlove:
<33 thank you


Congratulations! Your hair is honestly looking stunning
TY!


Congrats! Your hair and hair styles are beautiful! :)
I always look up to your styles, so this means a lot coming from you <33


Thank you for posting more photos up wispe! The style I was thinking of is there, where your hair is shorter with a blue ponytail band. I’m not sure how you keep track of what goes where!

All of the styles are lovely.
Oh yeah that and the last one are the same style on me. I do 3 vertical sections, tie the side ones off, and waterfall braid the middle one only. Then braid each side section incorporating a single waterfall strand per stitch on that side. It helps to have a mutlti-mirror set up (I have a mirror on the back of my bathroom door that if I angle just right, I can see the back of my head in the main mirror while I braid.). Sometimes the multiple mirrors helps, like checking to see if I have the right section held or if the parts are straight, but sometimes it's easier to do it by feel. That style is definitely a mirror style.