Tailbone-ish+ Curls (growth, care, management)

[Teide]

This thread is for naturally curly hair only. Particularly to discuss tailbone length or longer curly hair, how it’s possible, its maintenance, etc., and if you (or anyone you’ve met) has it and what your/her story was; how long it took to become that long, how often to trim…

I’ve seen some ladies with classic length curly hair on some social media apps, but never encountered one in real life.

My situation/story:
My hair length right now is at MBL (mid back length) when stretching it out (it has some severe shrinkage lol) but only reaches bra strap/below shoulder length in its natural state. My goal is to reach classic length or beyond. I started grooming it properly in November when it was underarm length when stretched.

I was told by a curly hairstylist a year ago that I’d never be able to have long hair (I didn’t even specify what length, I just said “long hair”) when, when I was 12, it was twice as long than when I had my appointment. True, my hair texture changed from 100% European to a 1:1 European to African ratio (multiple hair types, I’m biracial), but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.

My hair right now is the healthiest it’s ever been, and I know what routine works for me. I try to wash it once a week and only do it sooner when my scalp is in a bad state and very itchy. I keep it in two braids because they’re easy to take out and I don’t like American hairstyles, and usually the ends are tucked in. I henna my hair occasionally and use natural products most of the time, the only exception being the hair mask I use for untangling it and sometimes the Babaria onion shampoo. I usually use glycerin soap and it works wonders for my hair.

As for trimming, I only cut the split ends/micro-knots when I spot them or during my sporadic Search-and-Destroy or Chop-and-Drop sprees. There’s really no point to cutting hair that doesn’t need to be cut.

I also use olive oil, and sometimes coconut oil or roasted walnut oil. Roasted walnut oil tends to smell like a dirty scalp after a few days so I don’t recommend it for daily use, only pre-shampoo. I’ve also tried homemade ghee (and butter), but again, I only leave it on my hair for a short period of time.

Let me know what your hair routine looks like! Your hair doesn’t have to be tailbone length, but it should be somewhere between MBL and TBL, at least.

[shelomit]

I'm not certain I'm curly enough to give you valuable advice, but I see from your profile that you have some waves/wurls, too, so I'll give it a shot!

My hair has been waist-length or longer for most of my life; I don't have a great sense of how long it took to grow out to that point since all of that happened while I was a kid. Presently it's below the knee. With my texture (2c/3a), the weight pulls out a good deal of texture. I have one lock at the side of my hairline that I keep trimmed to collarbone length or so, and it always forms a ringlet; the bulk of my hair, however, is pretty straight-looking down to the mid-back, at which point it starts wurling again. I also have many, many layers of henna on my hair and each application knocks the texture down a peg for a few months. I applied henna about a week or so ago, and I'd say it took most of my hair from a 3a back down to a 2b. The texture will gradually creep back in over the coming months as the henna wears off ( ;

I don't see any reason to trim while growing out, presuming you're pleased with your current hemline (pleased with the shape of it, I mean, not necessarily the condition). I search-and-destroy when I start noticing enough split ends to bother me (maybe every few months?), but have not had an overall trim in a few years. Getting a hemline I was really pleased with via Faye's method was certainly a factor in not trimming my hair over that period of time. Otherwise I expect I would have trimmed yearly or so and would still be at mid-thigh.

In terms of care, I CO-wash scalp to tips on Sundays and shampoo when I feel like I need it (very rarely these days). I do a rough finger detangle approximately daily, but only do a full detangling with a brush during my weekly wash, after the conditioner has sat on my head for a while and gotten properly slippy. I usually braid my hair after washing and transition to a combination of buns and braids later in the week. If I do want to wear my hair down for a while, though, I let my hair dry for maybe thirty minutes or so after washing, separate and "plop" the locks, and let it dry loose. The texture pops right back in with that kind of treatment. Another trick I use mid-week is to wet down just the very bottom part of my hair, finger-curl it, and let it re-dry. That puts a lot more life into the ends after they have started to relax in the days following a wash.

One distinction between what my hair seems to like and what most "true" curlies report works that my hair is really intolerant of leave-ins. If I add anything to my hair that I don't rinse out thoroughly, including oils, it separates out into strands rather than locks and becomes quite limp. I think the extra weight of the leave-in might overwhelm it. Perhaps something to try since you're dealing with a mixture of hair types? I do pre-oil my hair before washes since it makes my hair a little softer/easier to detangle in the coming week, but if I'm going to wear it down and textured I skip that step. Even the rinse-out oil seems to encourage my hair to behave like one body rather than dividing into separate locks.

Products: Aussie as my main conditioner, cut with whatever is on sale at the drugstore/Brazilian grocery; fenugreek tea after rinsing (also helps with detangling throughout the week); Suave Clarifying shampoo a couple times a year; cooking oil from my kitchen for pre-poo soaks, but again that seems to make my hair less textured so I wouldn't recommend it for you if you're after maximum curl.

[Teide]

First, I would like to say that your hair is beautiful and that your comment is completely valid! Curly hair is curly hair, no matter the texture or type as long as it’s not straight when not styled. Thank you for your reply to this thread, it’s much appreciated.

I am very glad that you pointed out an intolerance to leave-ins. I feel the same way! But for a different reason. In my case my hair just starts to feel sticky and dirty because of it, with both creams and serums alike. The only exception is Olaplex no. 7, and I would like to try Morccan Oil someday. For this reason I only use natural oils and can’t, for the life of me, understand how and why other curlies use creams, serums, mousses, curl creams, gels, etc., all at once. I can barely stand one synthetic product!!!

As for oils, I need them because they’re the only thing that keeps my curls from tangling around each other because my hair has different thicknesses and types, some hairs being the thickness of 5 other hairs put together hahaha.

I’m not aiming for perfectly defined curls, though, because my hair is already extremely curly, bordering on afro, so it’s much appreciated when henna relaxes my hair (I use Radhe Shyam, best brand in my opinion). I don’t style it at all, and I don’t wet it after my wash because it becomes very poofy and harder to manage. I also finger untangle daily, and more thoroughly do the same in the shower (my hair breaks if I use a brush :’( I wish I could use my boar bristle brushes, sigh…)

Fun fact: I did henndigo today! 1:1 copper henna + indigo and it came out a gorgeous dark chocolate brown.


I hope you have a glorious day, evening, afternoon, or night! And thanks again for commenting :) <3

[longmane]

Here is the wavy and curly thread if you're interested

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=369

[Teide]

Thank you! I made this thread because that one is quite old and I’m focusing on a specific hair length. Have a good day!

[Teide]

I need to correct myself. My hair when stretched is Waist Length and in its natural state it’s Mid Back Length. My apologies!

[luxurioushair]

Hello! I keep my hair in twists most of the time. On the average day it's about 40% its actual length.
If I want it to look like it's "out" I just unravel the twists to make a twist-out, it's quite a nice style.
Of course if your hair is type 3 then it probably arranges itself naturally into waves or curls, so you don't need a "twist-out" lol. My hair has no curl pattern, so twist-outs are what I use to get pretty waves in my hair. You can choose to wear yours out daily, or to wear twists, plaits etc. You have a lot of options.
I consider your hair type to be extremely easy to grow, since you can co-wash it almost everyday and the moisture will make it grow like crazy.
So congrats and keep doing whatever you've been doing! :cheese:

[Teide]

Hi! I never ever co-wash! I’m a bit of a “freak” in the curly hair community, so I’m not really a part of it. Wetting my hair and scalp doesn’t work well for me, and it never did in the past, either. My hair absorbs water a lot (it’s probably very porous?) and it feels a nasty type of damp throughout the day and afterwards, too, because it over-saturates with water if it’s wet too often. I only wash it once a week and apply oil every day or every second day from mids to ends, whenever needed :). I also never moisturise my hair anymore, and it breaks so much less than before. Water makes the hair more elastic and more fragile, so you don’t even feel when it snaps. Now the only hair I lose is shed hair — the kind that falls out naturally. I also don’t see how moisture (water) makes it grow like crazy. It’s not a plant and therefore the root doesn’t need water. If anything, it needs oil (nutrients)! Kind of like our eyelashes. But I’m glad if water makes your hair grow nicely!

I see how twist-outs would look pretty on your hair. I know what you mean by no curl patterns; some of my hair on top has like a zig zag shape but no real “pattern”, it’s just random.

As for wearing it out daily, it gets tangled like crazy because of the different curl types so that’s a no-go for me, and anything other than two classic braids is too complicated :p. My hair isn’t as easy to grow as it seems, but I try my best. Not a lot of people understand the struggle of being mixed and that in my case it comes with multiple types of hair and textures which are often incompatible with each other. I can’t take care of my hair in any standard way because of that.

Have a wonderful day!

[shelomit]

Hi! I never ever co-wash! I’m a bit of a “freak” in the curly hair community, so I’m not really a part of it. Wetting my hair and scalp doesn’t work well for me, and it never did in the past, either. My hair absorbs water a lot (it’s probably very porous?) and it feels a nasty type of damp throughout the day and afterwards, too, because it over-saturates with water if it’s wet too often. I only wash it once a week and apply oil every day or every second day from mids to ends, whenever needed :). I also never moisturise my hair anymore, and it breaks so much less than before. Water makes the hair more elastic and more fragile, so you don’t even feel when it snaps. Now the only hair I lose is shed hair — the kind that falls out naturally. I also don’t see how moisture (water) makes it grow like crazy. It’s not a plant and therefore the root doesn’t need water. If anything, it needs oil (nutrients)! Kind of like our eyelashes. But I’m glad if water makes your hair grow nicely!

I see how twist-outs would look pretty on your hair. I know what you mean by no curl patterns; some of my hair on top has like a zig zag shape but no real “pattern”, it’s just random.

As for wearing it out daily, it gets tangled like crazy because of the different curl types so that’s a no-go for me, and anything other than two classic braids is too complicated :p. My hair isn’t as easy to grow as it seems, but I try my best. Not a lot of people understand the struggle of being mixed and that in my case it comes with multiple types of hair and textures which are often incompatible with each other. I can’t take care of my hair in any standard way because of that.

Have a wonderful day!

Hmmm. Given the oversaturated feeling while/after washing, some protein might help to counteract the sensitivity to moisture and bring your hair to more of a happy medium.

[Teide]

My hair is just fine during and after a wash! Just not if It’s constantly wet because then the masks don’t work. Therefore I cannot co-wash “almost every day” like suggested. I’ve done protein treatments but so far I only liked one that’s discontinued. I really like doing flaxseed gel masks, though. My hair feels extremely smooth and soft afterwards, possibly because some of the protein, although according to Google the proteins are too big to penetrate the hair shaft, so I don’t know what to say. Either way, my hair reacts just fine to water as long as I’m not wetting it all the time! So washing it once a week or at most every 4 days works perfectly :P

[Teide]

I forgot to mention that I don’t use conditioner to untangle, for that I use hair masks. I only condition my hair at the end of my wash to soften it, but it’s not slippery or thick enough to untangle my hair.

[spirals]

I have something in between 2c and 3a; it's definitely more spirally than wavy. It's at tailbone, fairly thick, and about a third of the hairs are coarse. They also tend to be straighter. It's just a mixed bag, really. I have layers not to take out weight which they do, but more for the shape I want. I tend to wash once a week because I don't like doing it. I condition wash condition and I just use regular SLS shampoo because it's really my scalp that needs washing. I detangle before (tend to brush out near the end of the week) and my final rinse is upside down to get those roots up; my hair is very heavy. While in the shower I scrunch in some kind of curl cream, then mousse. It's very wet when I do to distribute the product. Major squish. I put in a microfiber towel for a while and then airdry or diffuse.
I am really lazy about styling. I just wear it down, misting with water to refresh or maybe using some kind of spray. Toward the end of the week I might do a bun. At night it's in a ginormous scrunchie on top of my head. It's like that a few days, then I finger detangle as it is getting more and more straight and decide what to do with it. I work at home so many days I don't even have to look decent. I should do masks and such but I am lazy about it. Cut once a year, I guess. S&D occasionally. Mostly I just leave it alone, hanging there haha. I wear it loose 90% of the time.

I forgot to say on non-wash days I keep it in the scrunchie and put on a somewhat porous bonnet so the shower steam can get in and start to reset the curls. Also, since I work at home I can run a humidifier in that room all day if I want. My skin likes that. Hair does, too, but can get a bit frizzy.

[Teide]

Your routine sounds quite similar to mine, and your hair is gorgeous so I don’t think I’m on the wrong path, then. Do you use oils in your hair or just the gel or mousse?

[spirals]

Oh, thank you! I rarely put oil on but I have a glycerin/oil spray I use once in a while. I pick products with oils in them. I am a fan of Tresemme Flawless Curls mousse. It has avocado oil in it. There is a 6 oz can and a 15 oz can. I try to pick up the big can when it's like $8 or $9 because it's always the better deal. I don't have a favorite curl cream but I do like the ones geared toward coily hair because they have things like shea butter and coconut oil and such. I am not opposed to silicones, by the way. Bring 'em on 'cause this is cotton candy on my head.

[baanoo]

My hair is a bit of a chameleon- mix of 2s and 3s, very fine, very floaty, loves to make fairy knots. I’m between tailbone and classic.

I wonder, too, if you would benefit from a little protein - my hair does well when I use a protein-heavy conditioner on the ends about half of the time.

Because of the truly epic tangling potential, I don’t always let my texture out completely and unlike most of my curly/wurly/wavy friends, never detangle wet.

[Teide]

Girl, I felt that “epic tangling potential” to the core, and I’m laughing out loud right now hahaha. Never heard it like that, but I love it. I also don’t let my texture show completely. I’d rather suppress the curls and keep the length by keeping my hair in two braids and making the curls looser.

I’m truly going to try some protein treatments, but just on my ends like you said, since it doesn’t work well on the rest. Your hair sounds exactly like mine, and I also don’t untangle my hair when wet. Not with a brush, at least. I untangle with my fingers when it’s dry and with oil, and when I’m in the shower I untangle with a mask, also with my fingers, and very gently.

As for fairy knots, I think I found the solution. They’re inevitable, but I find that untangling with my fingers and cutting any knots as soon as I spot them keeps my hair in the best possible shape, as well as keeping them somewhat oily. I also barely have any split ends, since I cut them as soon as I see them. I could be going about my day, but as soon as I see one I pull out my scissors, reducing the formation of bigger knots around them.


Thank you for your advice, I took it to heart :)

[Teide]

Oh, that sounds great! I’m more of a natural girlie so I only use natural oils, but I love glycerin soap bars as a shampoo because they clean and leave it shiny and smooth, all at the same time.

Have a fantastic day!

[spirals]

Mine tangles so easily.

[Teide]

It’s the price we must all pay for having goddess hair! :lol:

[spirals]

Yes it is! I also get fairy knots and I can't for the life of me figure out how a hair does that. The only explanation is fairies.

[Teide]

Hahaha. Maybe! I think that micro-knots happen when you get a knot in your hair, and sometimes by pulling out the hairs out of it when you untangle it, one hair forms a knot around itself. So the best way to prevent those fairy knots is to prevent knots altogether! That’s why I keep my hair in two braids religiously.

[Fiore]

Adding into the loop :)
Now I am tailbonish and curly (3a? After pregnancy and hair growth my texture changed a.little.bit).
I do a sles free shampoo on a weekly basis and lately I am also combing dry hair before going to bed, always wearing updos and braids , and avoiding creamy leave ins...I was getting insane fighting against tangles. the curly hair routine carried out in the past 5 years is not working anymore 😭

[Teide]

I’m looking forward to having 25 posts. Your hair looks gorgeous in your picture! Can’t wait to be able to click on it and see it better

[Fiore]

Thank you Teide...
I have been offline for a while and I need to update my profile pic and information...at the moment my hair is not as curly as it was in the profile picture, it is much longer though :)

[Teide]

I look forward to it! :)

[Teide]

Bu the way, how many years did it take for your hair to become this long?

[Fiore]

The last time I got a significant haircut was in early 2019.
I was training for a marathon in order to help a no profit organization with fund rasing...I asked for shoulder lenght, mu hairdresser was quite puzzled ;)

[Hairy-Fairy]

My hair is type 4. I'm not sure a/b/c....a mix probably? My hair, like most, is not one texture throughout. My hair is currently a little past tailbone length.
I cowash once a week with either colloidal oatmeal mixed with water or a homemade deep conditioner that has Shea butter in it.
I keep my hair in medium stretched twists and recycle the parts so I just wash and detangle section by section. I used to use shampoo but it just matted my hair. Any kind of soap did the same thing.
I also do the thing where I just snip knots as I come across them. I however know I'm not getting them all. I have a lot of hair and whenever I tried search and destroy I would be sitting there for hours, get about halfway through and then quit so I stopped LOOKING for knots and now just cut ones I come across on accident.
I keep my hair coated with some oil or butter all the time to add slip and reduce tangling. It also makes it 100% easier when I detangle.
I only finger detangle, usually in the shower, because no matter what comb or brush I use it hurts my scalp and breaks my hair, even if I finger detangle first.
My hair routine is heavily influenced by YouTubers like NaturallyHigh and IndigenousStrandz.

[Dark40]

This thread is for naturally curly hair only. Particularly to discuss tailbone length or longer curly hair, how it’s possible, its maintenance, etc., and if you (or anyone you’ve met) has it and what your/her story was; how long it took to become that long, how often to trim…

I’ve seen some ladies with classic length curly hair on some social media apps, but never encountered one in real life.

My situation/story:
My hair length right now is at MBL (mid back length) when stretching it out (it has some severe shrinkage lol) but only reaches bra strap/below shoulder length in its natural state. My goal is to reach classic length or beyond. I started grooming it properly in November when it was underarm length when stretched.

I was told by a curly hairstylist a year ago that I’d never be able to have long hair (I didn’t even specify what length, I just said “long hair”) when, when I was 12, it was twice as long than when I had my appointment. True, my hair texture changed from 100% European to a 1:1 European to African ratio (multiple hair types, I’m biracial), but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.

My hair right now is the healthiest it’s ever been, and I know what routine works for me. I try to wash it once a week and only do it sooner when my scalp is in a bad state and very itchy. I keep it in two braids because they’re easy to take out and I don’t like American hairstyles, and usually the ends are tucked in. I henna my hair occasionally and use natural products most of the time, the only exception being the hair mask I use for untangling it and sometimes the Babaria onion shampoo. I usually use glycerin soap and it works wonders for my hair.

As for trimming, I only cut the split ends/micro-knots when I spot them or during my sporadic Search-and-Destroy or Chop-and-Drop sprees. There’s really no point to cutting hair that doesn’t need to be cut.

I also use olive oil, and sometimes coconut oil or roasted walnut oil. Roasted walnut oil tends to smell like a dirty scalp after a few days so I don’t recommend it for daily use, only pre-shampoo. I’ve also tried homemade ghee (and butter), but again, I only leave it on my hair for a short period of time.

Let me know what your hair routine looks like! Your hair doesn’t have to be tailbone length, but it should be somewhere between MBL and TBL, at least.

Hi there! Here is my story:
I have a girlfriend that I met in high school that had tailbone length curly hair, and it was the most gorgeous and healthiest hair I had ever seen! She had went through a whole school year after we met with her tailbone length curly hair, and during her graduating year she came to school with it chemically straightened or relaxed! I was in total shock! And, she had it trimmed up to BCL! But it was still gorgeous and very healthy though! Today, I don't know if she still has all of that hair or not. I am hoping so that she still does!

[Teide]

Thank you for your input! I can wholly relate to shampoo matting your hair; the only exception I found is glycerin soap. I’ll definitely check out Naturally High (I’m already following Indigenous Strandz!). Your username is lovely, by the way.

[Teide]

Thanks for sharing!