Classic | Fingertip | Mid-thigh | Knee

[Lady melissa]

Gorgeous and thick hair you have HaMalka! soooooooooo jealous :cool:

[lapushka]

Very pretty, HaMalka! :)

[Scarlet_Celt]

HaMalka, your hair is so beautiful! Is that your natural wave pattern, or is that braid waves?

[Madora]

I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

What a stunning mane you have, HaMalka! So thick and lusterous and healthy! Brava!

[truepeacenik]

Sadly, I got too much of a trim. It was supposed to be just at classic, it's "leaving tailbone."

I have great ends, and I will be back.

I'm back! Im barely classic, but solidly classic without bun waves.
Pix when I can corral help. But there are some somewhat recents in the San Jose meet thread. (Plus, Madora, so it's worth the gander)

[Madora]

I'm back! Im barely classic, but solidly classic without bun waves.
Pix when I can corral help. But there are some somewhat recents in the San Jose meet thread. (Plus, Madora, so it's worth the gander)

:blossom:Thanks for the lovely compliment, Truepeacenik!

[ashke50]

HaMalka, wow! Your hair is incredible!! :thudpile:

[butterfly_dream]

HaMalka, your hair looks absolutely incredible. So thick and lovely!:crush:

[HaMalka]

MasCat, Lady melissa, lapushka, Scarlet_Celt, Madora, ashke50, butterfly_dream, Thank you so much for the compliments. I really appreciate them.

Scarlet_Celt, the first picture is my natural wave pattern while the second picture has slight braid waves(braided dry, braid only in for about 4 hours).

[Beatnik Guy]

HaMalka!! :agape:

[Angela_Rose]

Holy mother of pearl, HaMalka. Stunning, absolutely stunning. You have my dream hemline. I'm working on maintaining my length so my ends will come out like yours. Gorgeous.

[gthlvrmx]

I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

Holy cow! That is BEAUTIFUL! I love your hair it looks so thick and healthy! I want hair like yours!

[hennalonghair]

I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

WHATttttt???? :thud: :thud: :thud::thud: :thud: :thud: :thud: :thud:

That is some GORGEOUS hair!!!!

[hennalonghair]

double post!

[Quixii]

Chiming in to the :thudpile: for HaMalka's hair! Wow!

[Rainbow2911]

I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

Wow!!! So gorgeous!

[Cristina84]

unbelivable HaMalka :agape:

[HaMalka]

Beatnik Guy, Angela_Rose, gthlvrmx, hennalonghair, Quixii, Rainbow2911, Cristina84, Thank you very much for the compliments. They make me so happy.

[MsVenus]

HaMalka you are one in a million! :applause

[sally_neuf]

I rarely join the mane forum.

But I just HAD to stop by and compliment HaMalka on her beautiful hair!!! :bowtome:

[sally_neuf]

I rarely join the mane forum.

But I just HAD to stop by and compliment HaMalka on her beautiful hair!!! :bowtome:

[DaveDecker]

HaMalka - wOw. :thudpile:

[SwordWomanRiona]

WOW, HaMalka :inlove: :thud:!!!!

[Shepherdess]

HaMalka, your hair is amazing. So long and beautiful!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

HaMalka, your hair... words cannot describe how gorgeous it is.... THUD....!!!

[HaMalka]

MsVenus, sally_neuf, DaveDecker, SwordWomanRiona, Shepherdess, Sarahlabyrinth, Thank you.

[DakarNick]

ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

Wow, gorgeous! Please post more pics!

[Shepherdess]

I uploaded pictures of my hair growth progress since joining back in February 2012 to my blog here:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/entry.php?b=120870

I think that 2012-2013 were the years that I had the best hair growth and health for some reason. Autumn and winter I seem to usually completely stall in my hair growth. Currently I am barely reach classic length. My goal is to get to knee length and then terminal length (which hopefully is longer than knee). :D

[captaincrunch]

I just hit classic, so I'm crossing over to this thread.

[Remi]

Wanted to stop by to compliment your hair, too! Very pretty. :)
I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

[dellad]

Got a new length shot at a recent meet. Now solidly at mid-thigh when dry.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16233&d=1425500461

[Angela_Rose]

Beautiful, dellad!!!

[lapushka]

Very pretty, dellad!

[Lady melissa]

Gorgeous Dellad! we could be hairtwins :), but my hair is less thick as yours and my hemline is not so blunt.

[dellad]

Thank you, Angela_Rose, lapushka, and Lady melissa.

Lady melissa, my natural texture is a bit more wavy than what you see in this picture. I like to wear my hair straight, so I comb out the waves.

[Remi]

delad- it's looking very pretty. And I love the color, too! :)

[Scarlet_Celt]

Dellad - Your hair is looking lovely!

[dellad]

Thank you, Remi and Scarlet_Celt.

Remi, this is the first time anybody has ever complimented my hair color. :happydance:

[Lady melissa]

i took a lengthshot last weekend and was so happy to see, that you can clearly see now (finally) that i'm really at about midtigh. It made me so happy :D

[boukje]

Hello fellow lhc members,

I am now very close to classic (only the longest few hairs) and I am aiming for mid thigh. I wont be trimming regularly because my hair is still in good condition. Just very thin from four post partum sheds. Hoping to reach the lengh and then trying to maintain it here so the length can catch up.

Are there any members here in the same situation? Also how long did it takeyou to reach mid thigh (from classic).

Looking forward to reading in this thread.

Kind regards,
Helen

[BlueMuse]

It's been a while for me since I'm at mid-calf now, but it took me just over a year to go from classic to knee. Waist to classic was the hardest for me because I think there was a lot of friction issues causing breakage, but once I was past classic it just took off (I did start wearing it up a lot more though).

[Unnamed]

It had taken my hair about 16 months to get from classic to mid-thigh, but I should note that I accidentally snipped off half an inch once, but no other trims. Oh, and classic to mid-thigh was a 7.5" 'jump' (I have long legs...), and on average my hair just grows the basic half an inch a month. Not too long before it reached classic, my hair went from about a 3" thickness down to ~2", between a shed and growing out dye (although how much the latter was involved in the thickness loss, I don't know, but I definitely went through a shed then as well), so my ends weren't the thickest...but still had the same U-shape they had when I last regularly trimmed my hair, a year and a half before it reached classic length.

It took me much longer to get from mid-thigh to knee, but I also had multiple, large sheds in there--one large enough that my hair actually lost length and got stuck at the shorter length for over a year, until the shed finally stopped. :oops:

[Charlottie]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted here in a long time, but when I last did I was waist/tailbone length. I believe I'm almost classic now? I do need a trim though...

http://i.imgur.com/ckSgbjg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/eggi1gD.jpg

[lapushka]

That looks like classic to me! Congrats! :D

[meteor]

Charlottie, it's at classic and it's Beyond Stunning! Wow! :thudpile:

[ashke50]

I got a picture that shows I've reached fingertip! Next stop knee... in a year or two.

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k156/ashke50/Length%20shots/IMG_6330_zpsbw5zluvp.jpg (http://s87.photobucket.com/user/ashke50/media/Length%20shots/IMG_6330_zpsbw5zluvp.jpg.html)

[Linguaphilia]

Awesome :o

I'm still just 2 inches short of true classic, and it's driving me crazy, because I want to be an official classic-growing-to-knee member ;)

[lapushka]

Awesome :o

I'm still just 2 inches short of true classic, and it's driving me crazy, because I want to be an official classic-growing-to-knee member ;)

I think I'm about where you are, with 2/3 inches to go until classic. I like jumping a thread sometimes, to see what it would be like after I've reached classic. :o

Congrats on reaching fingertip, ashke50! :)

[Amapola]

Ashke50, congrats on fingertip! Your hair looks awesome. Love your waves.

Fingertip was my original goal, but once I reached classic, I changed my mind somehow... :) Now I'm thinking about going for knee! Very inspirational to see someone at fingertip, thanks for the pic.

[LongCurlyTress]

I finally got some of my length pictures onto my computer. I am almost at knee!!! I should reach knee by my next birthday. I am probably going to maintain at knee for a bit before heading on to my ultimate goal of terminal length or too hard to take care of.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16017&d=1424632907

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16018&d=1424632921


ETA: YAY! The pictures worked.

Hi HaMalka! I absolutely love your hair! You are sincerely my long hair inspiration!! Thank you for posting your pics. Just beautiful! :agape:
ETA: I must admit, everyone on this thread.. the pictures.... just so inspirational! WOW!! Incredible!! :blossom:

ETA 2: Just a quick question for you HaMalka, how do you wear your hair everyday? Do you put your hair in a bun? If so, which are your favorite ones? My hair is super thick, and I am just hovering into bcl at the moment, but I am excited to meet another curly/wavy girl with super thick hair like mine and I am wondering what to expect in the future. Probably won't be as long as yours is for maybe 4 more years, but it can't hurt to plan ahead, right? Thanks! ;)

[meteor]

Hi, guys! :D I've finally reached Classic length recently :happydance: and I feel like this length is definitely calling for some smarter detangling/styling solutions on my part!

I have a few questions re: detangling and tangle-prevention and I'd love to get input from you on any of these questions. :flowers: (And I'm adding my current answers in brackets, just in case.)

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? (I use baby oil (mineral oil) at the moment.)

2) Do you section hair while washing it? (I wash in 4 braids at the moment.)

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? (Braided LWB held with a stick or fork.)

4) How often do you comb? (Every day or every other day.)

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? (I detangle mostly when dry or almost-dry. I don't detangle in the shower.)

6) Do you ever use brushes? If so, which kind(s)? (I don't brush.)

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? (Braided and coiled above my head.)

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? (I try to avoid it, to prevent damage, so I prefer a braid with a few accent braids added, or a half-up to keep hair semi-contained.)

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? (It happens to me maybe once-twice a year.)

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) (Throwing it up in a bun until I have free time and detangling with lots of oil.)

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic?

Thank you very much!! :flowers:

[Lady melissa]

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/theladymelissa/Hair%20pics/424d1137-ef2c-41d2-8c91-3aea51f483cd.jpg

midtigh length - made a marker where i need to get, to get to knee - about 10 cm more or less i think :) - hopefully by Christmas time

[ashke50]

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/theladymelissa/Hair%20pics/424d1137-ef2c-41d2-8c91-3aea51f483cd.jpg

midtigh length - made a marker where i need to get, to get to knee - about 10 cm more or less i think :) - hopefully by Christmas time
Beautiful! So shiny! Looks like you'll reach your goal soon :)

Congratulations on classic meteor!! Here are my answers to your questions.

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like?
Not currently. Tried baby oil a couple of times but it didn't seem to make much difference for me.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? I generally split it in half, one each side of my head. Makes it easier to apply conditioner and keeps it off my neck!

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them?
A variety, but I am using forks, spin pins and ficcares more than sticks and flexis, and my most common style is probably a plaited Cinnabun.

4) How often do you comb? (Every day or every other day.) Every day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I usually finger comb in the shower while covered in conditioner, and then comb and brush in the morning once it's dry.

6) Do you ever use brushes? If so, which kind(s)? Yes, a BBB, but only once it's combed and mostly round the scalp rather than the length.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Plaited, and usually put above my head on the pillow, although it moves about.

8 ) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I very rarely wear it down! Last time I did I think it was a half up with braid waves.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? Very occasionally, and never more than 2-3 hairs.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) I don't wear it down, which avoids most tangles. But if I do a bun with lots of twisting it can get a bit tangly, and generally plaiting it up helps tame the bun waves, or washing and finger detangling with conditioner.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic?
Nothing major changed because of the length, although I did start washing with my head upside down in the last few months.

[meteor]

Lady Melissa, it's so incredibly gorgeous and super-shiny! :thud: You'll be at your goal pretty soon! :thumbsup:

Ashke50, thank you so very much! :flowers: And those are extremely useful answers! :D
Also, I'm kind of reassured to find out that bunning based on too many twists can indeed be a bit tangle-inducing for some: I was wondering if I'm the only one... I feel like braid-based buns really prevent tangles better than any other styles for me.

[Amapola]

Congratulations meteor on reaching classic and Lady melissa on reaching mid thigh! YAY! :disco:

My answers.

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? Nope.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? Nope.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Nautilus; cinnabun; disc bun; Pha bun are my usual buns. I almost always use a Ficcare. However I also use sticks and forks; I like to mix it up a little but I'd say 7 times out of 10 I wear a Ficcare.

4) How often do you comb? Every day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I detangle while it's still sopping wet and slathered with conditioner.

6) Do you ever use brushes? I have a BBB that is extra soft and use that. For me and my hair type, it works really well.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Cinnabun on top of my head, secured with spin pins.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I don't wear it down, except at night when I'm in the house for the night. Even then I am careful not to sit on it or lean against it.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? I try to be ever vigilant in not allowing knots to get started.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Strangely enough... using my super soft BBB very gently from the ends up. I know it sounds strange but it works for me.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? I started trimming far more regularly. I was trying to maintain at classic to thicken my hemline but instead I've grown past classic despite the trims. And my hemline is thicker.

[Lady melissa]

thanx everyone for the encouragement :)

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like?: i use different detangling sprays from Gliss Kurr or Elseve, i can't live without them, need them every day

2) Do you section hair while washing it? (I wash in 4 braids at the moment.): nope

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them?: for quick updo: bun secured with clawclip/hairstick or simple english braid

4) How often do you comb? (Every day or every other day.): every day before i go to sleep, watching tv: first fingercomb, than detanglespray, than tangleteezer or BB brush, than braid

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? i detangle most of the time wet (works better) after washing or else dry

6) Do you ever use brushes? If so, which kind(s)? yes, every day: tangle teezer or special new detangle brush from Zenner or BBB

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? : Braided, but i notice it damages a lot during the night, sometimes i use a sleeping cap, but i always lose it during the night

08) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? just loose or in two ponytails

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? : very rarely, maybe 1-2 times a year

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair?: quickly braiding it, or putting it up with a clip, and later lots and lots of detangle spray or washing + conditionner

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic?: putting it up more

[Gabriel]

Congrats to all the folks reaching new lengths!

I don't check in this thread nearly enough, I'm a few months from knee so I guess I'll answer the questions too. :)

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like?

I use Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In Detangler.

2) Do you section hair while washing it?

I do not section my hair when I full wash it once a week. I scalp wash twice a week, and I've described how I do that before but it's basically a loose braid I clip to a shower curtain ring. Only my scalp gets wet, braid stays dry.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them?

I've been doing nautilus buns (I think?) up on my crown and using very curved hair sticks. And soft, no damage headbands a lot lately.

4) How often do you comb?

I use a wide tooth seamless comb once in the morning and once in the evening.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry?

I detangle before I wash and while I have conditioner in.

6) Do you ever use brushes? If so, which kind(s)?

I go through seasons, right now I'm in a comb phase but I have a Tangle Teaser and a Denman.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose?

I sleep with my hair bunned, in a sleep cap and a satin covered pillow.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down?

I don't wear it down.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots?

I've never had a knot that severe.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair.

I have several silicone sprays that add shine and slip/detangle my hair, but they weigh it down if I'm not too careful and they also mess up my wash cycle.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic?

Detangler, regular self-trims, and hats/headbands.

[lapushka]

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/theladymelissa/Hair%20pics/424d1137-ef2c-41d2-8c91-3aea51f483cd.jpg

midtigh length - made a marker where i need to get, to get to knee - about 10 cm more or less i think :) - hopefully by Christmas time

It looks promising, and I really think you could get there by Christmas!

[starfire]

Hello!

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? Nope.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? Nope.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Nautilus (no stick required). Or LWB with a hairstick.

4) How often do you comb? Generally once a day. Sometimes every second or third day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? Usually detangle before washing (and as I type this I'm realizing I used to do this, but have not really made it a point to do it lately). I used to detangle in the shower with conditioner (as often recommended), but the amount of shed hairs was horrendous (or at least looked like way more) so I stopped doing that.

6) Do you ever use brushes? Nope.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Loose, for now. But I'm sure it's quite damaging so I think I need to change this.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I don't style. I just leave it loose?

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? I don't know that I ever get multiple strands locked in a knot? Or at least not any that don't just unknot when you pull it apart. I get those single strands that magically create a knot in the length - I cut these out when I see them.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) I don't do anything that would make my hair very tangled.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? Nothing yet. This length just kinda creeped up on me. But my ends are gross and need much better care than they are getting so I will focus on making some changes!

[Panth]

I'm lurking and technically don't belong on this thread any more. But I like questions, so...

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? None.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? For everyday I do a braided cinnabun with spinpins. Occasionally I do a nautilus with sticks or a coronet braid.

4) How often do you comb? Once per day (mornings), except wash day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I don't detangle before washing. I fingercomb conditioner-soaked wet hair in the shower and then usually comb damp hair with a wide-toothed comb sometime in the drying process. Very occasionally I don't comb until it's completely dried (again, wide-toothed comb).

6) Do you ever use brushes? No, except a BBB to smooth the scalp hair of updos.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? English braid, taken down from my daily bun.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I just leave it loose. I do this very rarely now, though.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? Very occasionally and usually only when I've been trying to do some fancy hair style.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Leave it alone and then as soon as possible jump in the shower, wash as normal, then detangle by fingercombing only once it is heavily soaked in a coney conditioner.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? Post-classic? Nothing, really. Post-TBL, though, I swapped from wearing it loose all the time to daily protective updos. My hair won't grow past TBL without that.

[hennalonghair]

Got a new length shot at a recent meet. Now solidly at mid-thigh when dry.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16233&d=1425500461

Gosh this is gorgeous ! It's so long yet holds it's thickness all the way down.
Just beautiful!

[meteor]

Thank you so very much, ladies, for such detailed and helpful answers! :flowers: You are amazing!
I'm so relieved to hear that no dramatic changes seem to be required post-Classic, except putting hair up even more religiously and maybe trimming / keeping an eye on those ends more, that doesn't seem too bad at all! Yay! ;)

Amapola, that's really amazing that a BBB detangles serious tangles for you. :applause And I should definitely also try spin pins finally... They must be really great for keeping hair up at night safely (sticks can poke).

Lady melissa, what an awesome idea about 2 ponytails as a way of wearing hair down! :thumbsup: I bet it cuts on tangles a lot while showing off length. And I love your quick fix for very tangled hair, too! :D About the sleep caps sliding off hair, this is a big problem for me too, so I just wrap my length (mine is braided, too) in a silky material but leave my scalp hair alone.

Gabriel, I do scalp-only washes regularly, too! :hifive: It's my all-time favorite hair-related life hack ever! I can't thank this method enough for quickly refreshing my hair when it needs to look fresh but I don't have a few hours to wash/dry/detangle the whole thing. Thanks for mentioning Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave In Detangler, I keep hearing great stuff about it and need to try it.

Starfire, you are so lucky to be able to do pinless nautilus! ;) I have the same situation with shedding a ton of hair if I detangle in the shower - it's just not for everyone, I guess. And I know what you mean about single strand knots, those are annoying. I found that if I keep thread & needle near my mirror where I detangle, I can very easily undo those single strand knots with a needle in a second. Needle is also great for undoing really severe multi-strand knots. It's a good enough alternative to scissors and luckily SSKs don't happen often on my hair (yet?).

Panth, thanks so much for answering! :D Great idea to just go ahead with the washing as normal, if the hair gets severely tangled. I think all that water is helpful for re-gaining elasticity to work out tangles with conditioner. Your post made me realize that yes, the only times I had to cut out knots was after trying some new intricate style, too... I need to be careful with those accent braids and stuff...

Thank you so very much, ladies! :flowers: You are super-helpful! :love:

[truepeacenik]

MasCat pointed my actual length in braidwaves yesterday.
It's a thumb width below Classic.
So I'm fully back after my impulse ends trim that bounced me up to TBL. :happy dance:
The pic we forgot to take, and it's fully my fault as I haven't learned in a few years of Bay Area meets, was standing length.
Sigh.
I'll see what shot I can get this weekend.
I need a record of this.

[meteor]

Congratulations, truepeacenik! :happydance: That's awesome news!

[LongCurlyTress]

I am really appreciating these questions with such thorough answers! Hope to be at TBL by this December, and maybe classic in one more year after that? Thanks for letting me hang out here until then! I am learning alot from all --hugs! :joy:

And such beautiful, inspirational length pictures too!! :blossom::blossom:

[dellad]

Gosh this is gorgeous ! It's so long yet holds it's thickness all the way down.
Just beautiful!

Thank you, hennalonghair!

meteor, lady melissa, and truepeacenik, congratulations on your milestones. :-)

My answers to the survey are below.

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? No.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Nautilus with a stick most days. On wash day, coronet braid.

4) How often do you comb? Once a day in the morning when I put my hair up.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? Detangle before I wash. I also used to detangle in the shower with conditioner, but stopped due to massive shedding/breakage.

6) Do you ever use brushes? No, only my beloved horn comb.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Loose braid on a silk satin pillowcase.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I only wear it loose when I'm taking length shots (about once or twice a year), then it goes right back up.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? Only single strand knots. Thank you, meteor for the tip about undoing these with a needle. I'll have to try that next time.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Just patience when detangling. It's tough.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? Nothing. I switched from daily ponytails/braids to buns shortly before classic. The nautilus is the first bun I learned and it was life changing. My hair is far less tangly since I started daily updos.

[meteor]

^ Thank you so very much for your answers, dellad!
Wow, your hair in the picture that hennalonghair kindly quoted is amazing - I think with that zero taper your hair will have to go way beyond floor before it can reach terminal. :applause

I thought this answer is really cute and so very true for many of us! :D It's perfect for the "You Know You Are a Long Hair When..." thread:

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I only wear it loose when I'm taking length shots (about once or twice a year), then it goes right back up.

LongCurlyTress, that's awesome! I sure hope you'll reach your Christmas goal soon and then some! :joy: Happy growing! :D

[dellad]

^ Thank you so very much for your answers, dellad!
Wow, your hair in the picture that hennalonghair kindly quoted is amazing - I think with that zero taper your hair will have to go way beyond floor before it can reach terminal. :applause

I thought this answer is really cute and so very true for many of us! :D It's perfect for the "You Know You Are a Long Hair When..." thread:

Thanks! :-) Yes, this is totally long hair behavior.

[truepeacenik]

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? No.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? I'm bunmentally delayed. So it's cinnamon bun, infinity, or "that one where you flip a bit over to cover the end" with a pokey thing. Stick, fork. I have a couple clips and I keep trying.

4) How often do you comb? As needed/noticed. I comb in the shower with scads of conditioner, too. I suspect that lazy habit needs to change.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I should do it dry. See above.

6) Do you ever use brushes? yes. I was given a bbb, and I bought a denman. I destroy tangle teasers and similar. And I suspect it's mutual.
7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Braid, slippery pillowcase.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? Gravity is my stylist. ;) I'm fond of half ups, too.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? rarely, an SSK.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Quick? What is this quick you speak of?

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? rather, near classic, I discovered that my last few inches, say six, were really showing age. They get conditioned almost daily. Usually while braided right before bed or first thing in the morning. I slather on something sold as masque, let it sit for at least five minutes (directions say two), sometimes I leave it in, sometimes I rinse in the hand sink with cold.

[meteor]

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? Gravity is my stylist. ;)

Ha-ha! That's awesome! :rockerdud


10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Quick? What is this quick you speak of?

:lol: Yeah, I definitely need to get realistic: thinking that some people must have some magic trick that makes classic length as easy to detangle as a pixie! :magic: :lol:


11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? rather, near classic, I discovered that my last few inches, say six, were really showing age. They get conditioned almost daily. Usually while braided right before bed or first thing in the morning. I slather on something sold as masque, let it sit for at least five minutes (directions say two), sometimes I leave it in, sometimes I rinse in the hand sink with cold.

That's a very smart trick! :thumbsup: I'm always afraid to go heavy on moisturizing those ends, but then I never thought of just rinsing them out if the treatment doesn't absorb fully! :doh:
Thank you very much, truepeacenik! :flowers:

[MINAKO]

Im not sure if i dare to enter this thread yet, because i didnt officially celebratein pictures. But im marking it to read.
One question i can spontaneously answer right away, there hasbeen indeed a quick fix for me that makes detangling far easier and quicker now, then when i was at collarbone even. Most of you already know what im referring to ;)

ETA: How rude, i forgot to mention everyones über gorgeous hair. Tha's sooo impressive! Iwomder if mif thigh will really be the end for me. :shrug:

[meteor]

^ :bigeyes: Really, there is a quick fix? :magic: What sorcery is that? Please MINAKO, pretty please? :pray:

[MasCat]

Happy to be eligible for these questions :)

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? I use mists for my hair (GlissKur and Marion with Argan Oil) or KimberLily's Defrizz Spray (with half the jojoba swapped for argan)

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No. But I rinse upside down

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Lazy wrap with an additional loop, braided lazy wrap - secured with hairstick or fork.

4) How often do you comb? In the morning, if I had hair loose during the day ten in the evening for braiding. If I don't go out I might not comb and not unbraid for a day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I detangle dry before washing, and then I gently brush it out with tt when it's damp,so it dries faster.

6) Do you ever use brushes? I use a tangle teezer, and sometimes if I feel like it - a BBB

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Englis braid.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I wear it down for concerts (or inhalfups) - I have the length in a bun held with a stick, I take the stick out when I start the concert (I'm siting down all the time) and then I put it up after I'm finished.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? I untangle them with my fingers and I haven't had the need of using scissors of doom.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Put it up, detangle when I have time and don't have to be quick. Sometimes I put it up and just bbb near the head so it looks combed ;)

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? I'm microtrimming every other month, but because I want to thicken the hemline and get rid of pre-LHC hair. I'm at classic, because it's my first big dream length :)

Thaks for the tips - truepeacenik I might try the trick with conditioning the ends with a mask, they might like it :)

[MINAKO]

^ :bigeyes: Really, there is a quick fix? :magic: What sorcery is that? Please MINAKO, pretty please? :pray:

Oh, hahaha, i was talking about the keratin treatments once again, i thought it became obvious that they save me alot of hassle. :D Like i really had the 2c texture to break a comb when i was all natural, now it just glides through, after my last microtrim i hardly have to do anything, even on washday.

ETA: Anyone who would like to expirience the effect to some degree without the appliance of heat should really try the keratin complex infusion therapy leave in. Its pricey, but last quite a while as the effect doesnt really wash off, at least not quickly.

[Islandgrrl]

Congrats to all of you who have reached your new longer lengths! Some really stunning photos here! :thud:

I'm officially into the knee and beyond group, but I still love coming here and looking at everyone's hair!

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? I don't use anything.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Inside-out bun, equilibrium bun, lazy wrap and wrap and wrap and wrap bun! Ficcare, mostly. But I have a few other goodies I wear occasionally, just sticks and forks.

4) How often do you comb? Every day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I detangle before I wash, and then again when it's dry.

6) Do you ever use brushes?I have a BBB that I use occasionally, and usually just around my hairline to smooth things out. I haven't quite got the hang of brushing from roots to ends.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Bunned and secured with a big copper U-pin I made a few years ago. But I'm considering braiding.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I don't wear it down anymore.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? I've never had to do this. I hope I never do!

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) I would say throw it up in a bun to detangle when I have time.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? Probably detangling every single day. Before I hit classic, it didn't seem to tangle as much and I could sometimes go a couple of days without serious detangling. Now it has to be every day or the ends will get into trouble. And never wearing it down. I thought it got into everything before...wow. It gets into everything and if I'm not careful it will attack people around me.

[meteor]

Thank you so very much, MasCat! :flowers:


3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Lazy wrap with an additional loop, braided lazy wrap - secured with hairstick or fork.

Yay, braided lazy wrap is my favorite too! :hifive: I do it with the thumb sticking out to make an easier loop.
But what is a lazy wrap with an additional loop? :hmm: Sounds like an interesting style. Is that by any chance some variation of the Spidermom bun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCvC_MU0To8)?


Oh, hahaha, i was talking about the keratin treatments once again, i thought it became obvious that they save me alot of hassle. :D Like i really had the 2c texture to break a comb when i was all natural, now it just glides through, after my last microtrim i hardly have to do anything, even on washday.
Oh, I didn't know BKTs help with detangling so dramatically. I thought they just straighten and give shine, but I guess it makes sense.

Interestingly, there was a study that suggested that straight hair tangles more. Sadly, I can't access the original article :( : American Journal of Physics, Volume 75, Issue 8, pp. 701-706 (2007) (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AmJPh..75..701M)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/straight-hair-is-knottier-than-curly-hair/
Hairdressers were enlisted to count the tangles in 123 straight-haired people and 89 curly-haired people. Straight hair had an average of 5.3 tangles, nearly twice as many as curly hair. A model was created to help understand why straight hair is, oddly, more prone to knotting. The results showed that the greater the angle of intersection, the more likely the hair will knot.
"In Masson's model, it turns out that even though curly strands meet more often than straight strands, the angle at which two straight hairs meet is the angle most likely to lead to tangling.But there's no particular explanation for why different angles lead to different tangling patterns, argues Alain Goriely, professor of mathematics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, who studies the math of biological systems. Masson explains that the optimal tangle angle is one that is large enough to hook the microscopic, fishlike "scales" that coat hair cuticles. If this angle is too narrow—meaning the two hairs are nearly parallel—they won't lock."
"The real issue is fine versus coarse. Curly or straight, fine hair is what tangles. The cuticle is open and puffy, like Velcro—it'll stick to anything."

[meteor]

Islandgrrl, thank you so very much for your answers! :flowers:

Thank you very much for mentioning about making sure you comb every day. I thought it was not necessary, but it makes sense that it would be pretty important after hitting a certain length. I think I'll make it a point to detangle at least once a day, even though I always wear hair up, so theoretically there isn't much chance for tangles, but they still happen. :)

I'm really surprised that almost nobody seems to section hair while washing. :) I guess sectioning is not needed if you don't move hair around too much in the shower? :hmm:

[AmberJewel]

"In Masson's model, it turns out that even though curly strands meet more often than straight strands, the angle at which two straight hairs meet is the angle most likely to lead to tangling.But there's no particular explanation for why different angles lead to different tangling patterns, argues Alain Goriely, professor of mathematics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, who studies the math of biological systems. Masson explains that the optimal tangle angle is one that is large enough to hook the microscopic, fishlike "scales" that coat hair cuticles. If this angle is too narrow—meaning the two hairs are nearly parallel—they won't lock."
"The real issue is fine versus coarse. Curly or straight, fine hair is what tangles. The cuticle is open and puffy, like Velcro—it'll stick to anything."[/I]

:bigeyes: So that explains it!

Sorry, I don't belong on this board (yet), but I love looking at y'alls tips. And drooling over the pics, of course.

[hennalonghair]

I am really appreciating these questions with such thorough answers! Hope to be at TBL by this December, and maybe classic in one more year after that? Thanks for letting me hang out here until then! I am learning alot from all --hugs! :joy:

And such beautiful, inspirational length pictures too!! :blossom::blossom:

Cool beans Longcurlytress. By christmas I should be at solid waist. I'm about 1/2 an inch away (trimmed last night)!but that's when I straighten it all out. Then it will take me another 18 months or so to get to TBL then probably another year or more to get to classic. Being tall makes these markers a long time to achieve but I'm slowly getting there. I've been there before so I'm sure I can do it again. :cheer:
Classic on me is about 50 to 52 inches

This is a very inspirational thread for sure. Thank you all for sharing.

[MINAKO]

Meteor, it might have been my multi textured hairtype to begin with, but it does get rid of most of the frizz, so without these unruly growing haors in between its alot easier and the cuticle stays smooth like when it grows freshly for longer.
As for detangling curly vs. straight i can only speak for myself, but with straightened hair i dont get any tangles at all, with my wavy texture i hardly get them because i know to be careful i guess, but when straight thats not even an issue.

[meteor]

^ Oh yes, it definitely makes sense to me, MINAKO. :agree:
It's really counterintuitive to me that curly hair wouldn't tangle more... but that "movement in one pattern", in one curl or one wave would likely reduce the angle of criss-crossing? :hmm:
I absolutely agree about multi-textured hair posing some detangling challenges. :agree: I bet my own detangling would be a lot easier, if I didn't have 3 distinct textures (underlayers vs. canopy vs. some ends with old damage) going on.

[MasCat]

Meteor it's the mod I learned from Gossamer's video. I love it, because my lazy wrap works again, and also, Gossamer is my hero ;)

Gossamer presenting lazy wrap for very long hair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiL1IatdrSc)

[Unnamed]

Don't really feel like I belong here as my hair isn't/never will be pretty like everyone's here, but, anyway...

1) Do you use any detangling products? No**.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Er, the bun I do 99% of the time has no name that I'm aware, although it's most similar to a nautilus? Maybe? Been using two bent DPNs in an 'X' to secure, or a ficcare on really slick days. Sticks are also fine (again, in an X), I just don't have many. I'll also do a flipped version of this, secured with an octopus claw or flexi. I'm not sure what other buns/updos would even work in my hair; stopped trying new things years ago, as it just never looked right (due to my hair being thin/taper/having so much extra length). :oops:

4) How often do you comb? Maybe every other day? Sometimes not for 4-5 days**, though, as once fully dry, it's not easily comb-able. :( (This used to be a more solid every other day.)

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? Currently wet, with conditioner.** (Used to be dry, before washing.)

6) Do you ever use brushes? Nope.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Bunned, usually just whatever bun I had in my hair during the day.

8 ) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? Er, I don't except for hair pictures or maybe to air dry. 'Down' at classic+ is more a pony, half up (when closer to classic), or a braid. Or maybe a 'pony bun' to shorten the length, but it's still not 'down' down.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? Mainly just fairy knots. Every couple/few years I might have to snip one or two hairs to get out a bad knot (I can think of 2 times I've done this past classic--so twice in the last almost nine years).

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Quick? Probably bun it (preferably before any tangling can occur, but worst case at least in a bun it can sit in limbo until it can be dealth with). Then lots of conditioner to detangle--more or less just what I normally do. It'd just take longer/maybe even more than one session.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? No longer washing upside down or in the sink. I think I made it to about mid-thigh before washing in the sink became too much of a pain to do even occasionally. Washing/rinsing upside down only made it to around classic, though, if that. I do oil (on damp hair) more often, although not sure this is necessary (I'm in a dry climate, and my hair feels better if dampened often).

My hair is currently at/slightly past knee when straight, and has been for a couple/few years.

**These are due to hairtype change, *not* gained length. My hair has gone from 1a to...eh, 'wurly' (99% of the time it's just frizzy/tangly, though, I think due to the dry/arid climate I am in and having only marginally curly hair--long spirals rather than proper clumping curls), and I've been having issues with tangles ever since. :( A detangling leave-in (or will probably start with mineral oil) is on the 'to test' list.

[maria_asa]

Interestingly, there was a study that suggested that straight hair tangles more. Sadly, I can't access the original article :( : American Journal of Physics, Volume 75, Issue 8, pp. 701-706 (2007) (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007AmJPh..75..701M)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/straight-hair-is-knottier-than-curly-hair/
Hairdressers were enlisted to count the tangles in 123 straight-haired people and 89 curly-haired people. Straight hair had an average of 5.3 tangles, nearly twice as many as curly hair. A model was created to help understand why straight hair is, oddly, more prone to knotting. The results showed that the greater the angle of intersection, the more likely the hair will knot.
"In Masson's model, it turns out that even though curly strands meet more often than straight strands, the angle at which two straight hairs meet is the angle most likely to lead to tangling.But there's no particular explanation for why different angles lead to different tangling patterns, argues Alain Goriely, professor of mathematics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, who studies the math of biological systems. Masson explains that the optimal tangle angle is one that is large enough to hook the microscopic, fishlike "scales" that coat hair cuticles. If this angle is too narrow—meaning the two hairs are nearly parallel—they won't lock."
"The real issue is fine versus coarse. Curly or straight, fine hair is what tangles. The cuticle is open and puffy, like Velcro—it'll stick to anything."

I don't get this. Why would the cuticle on fine hair be open and puffy? I have fine hair and have had my hair analysed and the very magnified pictures from it showed cuticles that lay very smooth and flat.

I've always thought that the reason that fine hair tangles more is that it's much easier for fine strands to move. If compared to a couple of ropes and a couple of threads hanging the threads will tangle simply because they move with the slightest wind while the ropes need more manipulation to move. (Maybe a bad example but I hope you get what I mean.) At least my hair will move, and consequently cause tangles, from the slightest movement. Sometimes even the small wind from someone walking by is enough.

[MINAKO]

Maria Asa, i can comfirm too, that my fine hair is the smoothest in the mix, actually the type where you can run your fingers up or down and it feels almost the same. Maybe the study was including mostly color treated heads of hair. I often think hairdressers have a funny logic when it comes to these things.

[Scarlet_Celt]

ETA: Anyone who would like to expirience the effect to some degree without the appliance of heat should really try the keratin complex infusion therapy leave in. Its pricey, but last quite a while as the effect doesnt really wash off, at least not quickly.

I am definitely willing to try this. Can you please post a link to the product, because google is coming up with a lot of keratin complex products and I'm not sure which one you mean :)

[meteor]

Meteor it's the mod I learned from Gossamer's video. I love it, because my lazy wrap works again, and also, Gossamer is my hero ;)

Gossamer presenting lazy wrap for very long hair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiL1IatdrSc)

A-ha! Neat modification! Thanks so much for sharing, MasCat! :flowers: I'll have to try it! It might be similar LWB with thumb sticking out, but I feel like it can give a more secure and compact hold. :D

Oh, and Gossamer is my hero, too! :applause


Don't really feel like I belong here as my hair isn't/never will be pretty like everyone's here, but, anyway...

Huh? But of course you belong! :love: And with that gorgeous hair color and that intense mega-shine and, oh my goodness, over 55 inches(!), your hair is so beautiful! :applause


8 ) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? Er, I don't except for hair pictures or maybe to air dry. 'Down' at classic+ is more a pony, half up (when closer to classic), or a braid. Or maybe a 'pony bun' to shorten the length, but it's still not 'down' down.

I think this is very reasonable! :D I feel like I haven't worn hair down in years, but it's really about modifying what "down" even means. When the only time the hair is down is to detangle it, I feel like I'm missing out or getting bored, but there are all those other options like different ponies, knot-ponies (comet buns), braids, half-ups and other ways of containing it a bit. For example, I think Sarahlabyrinth's lazy wrap pony (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=129368) is pretty awesome and even avoids the elastic successfully.


I've always thought that the reason that fine hair tangles more is that it's much easier for fine strands to move. If compared to a couple of ropes and a couple of threads hanging the threads will tangle simply because they move with the slightest wind while the ropes need more manipulation to move. (Maybe a bad example but I hope you get what I mean.) At least my hair will move, and consequently cause tangles, from the slightest movement. Sometimes even the small wind from someone walking by is enough.

Oh, that's so true! :agree: The movement is key for tangling, which is why wind or dance can be scary for long loose hair, especially if it's fine or floaty. And that movement might be related to texture: you know there was a thread a while ago where a few curlies mentioned that their hair didn't "flow" much the same way as straight hair does, but I wonder if that ability to "flow" too much is a bit of a problem for tangling. :hmm: My fine canopy hair moves very easily and always gets in my face - and that's where I get tangles. (While my coarser underlayers just stay put and never cause me tangling issues, luckily.)

[truepeacenik]

Meteor,
I suspect the masque is lighter than my heavy handed oiling.
When I first started oiling, in 1997-98, I would use several ounces of olive oil overnight. On BSL to mid back hair. Soaking the strands.
Ahem.
Funny, I have no pillow cases from those years.

Now, with classic, I use a quarter sized pool in my palm.
I still whip out the almost excessive oiling a couple times per year as pre wash. But it's not endangering the U.S. olive crop anymore.
With more expensive oils, I tend to only oil lower, and use even less.
I like the pump bottles because I have to be aware of how much I'm using.

With commercial product, I don't tend to overdo it so grandly. Once, and then the learning happens.

The masque I'm using is by Alba. It's a Hawaiian line sold as minute mask. I'm on jar two, barely. It does work splendidly for frequent end conditioning. So well I've started saving whey from making yogurt cheese for my ends.
Protein/moisture balance.

[MINAKO]

I am definitely willing to try this. Can you please post a link to the product, because google is coming up with a lot of keratin complex products and I'm not sure which one you mean :)

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod10111266

Its this one. I avoided the Amazon link because apparently knock offs of this product do exist, so i would make sure to only buy it by a company approved seller. The only other reason i see why this doesnt get straight up 5 stars everywhere is people complaining about the price or the amount in the bottle, but its not as if that wasnt clear to begin with, so i think its a silly point to take away from the rating. Oh, the pump can also have its spasms, but actually the instructions tell you to slam it a few times on a flat surface when that happens. Also a little goes a long way. I ordered 2x100ml last year november and maybe used half a bottle so far including my moms ocassional demand for it.

[meteor]

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod10111266

Its this one. I avoided the Amazon link because apparently knock offs of this product do exist, so i would make sure to only buy it by a company approved seller. The only other reason i see why this doesnt get straight up 5 stars everywhere is people complaining about the price or the amount in the bottle, but its not as if that wasnt clear to begin with, so i think its a silly point to take away from the rating. Oh, the pump can also have its spasms, but actually the instructions tell you to slam it a few times on a flat surface when that happens. Also a little goes a long way. I ordered 2x100ml last year november and maybe used half a bottle so far including my moms ocassional demand for it.

Hmm, very interesting. I'm curious what exactly makes it work dramatically better than other products, though? :hmm: It's proteins and silicones, mostly, which is great, but shouldn't be that difficult to find elsewhere for a fraction of the price... However, I'll be the first to admit that formulations matter and a slight change in % can make quite a bit of difference. Is this to be applied all over or just on ends? I guess I can see this bottle lasting a while, if it's only for ends. :) And this doesn't require any blow-drying/heat, am I correct?

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum, Glyceryl Cocoate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Glycerin, Echinacea Purpurea Extract (Coneflower), Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract (Rosemary) , Amyl Acetate, Fragrance/Parfum.

[MINAKO]

Meteor, i think the most important thing is hydrolized keratin as the second ingredient right after water. Also i don't think all keratin is made equal, they can alter the molecules somewhat to what they think make it attach better. I had stuff in the past that was ok but sort of made my hair crunchy, but this leaves it super soft.
I use like 4 pumps which is really not much, maybe a hazelnut size, and then start applying it on my ends, but working it up until i reach my ears. I onow 40 bucks seems expensive, but i can spend that money on oils in half the time it takes me to use these 100ml.

[Scarlet_Celt]

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod10111266

Its this one. I avoided the Amazon link because apparently knock offs of this product do exist, so i would make sure to only buy it by a company approved seller. The only other reason i see why this doesnt get straight up 5 stars everywhere is people complaining about the price or the amount in the bottle, but its not as if that wasnt clear to begin with, so i think its a silly point to take away from the rating. Oh, the pump can also have its spasms, but actually the instructions tell you to slam it a few times on a flat surface when that happens. Also a little goes a long way. I ordered 2x100ml last year november and maybe used half a bottle so far including my moms ocassional demand for it.

Thanks :) I'm currently using Kerastase Creme Fine Elixir Ultime when I occasionally want that super sleek blow-dried look, but I'm always willing to try something new, so I'll be trying this next!

[MINAKO]

Thanks :) I'm currently using Kerastase Creme Fine Elixir Ultime when I occasionally want that super sleek blow-dried look, but I'm always willing to try something new, so I'll be trying this next!

I have not tried the kerastase yet, but if you say its good i might pick this up as well. The sleeker i can get my hair the better. Thank you! :)

[Scarlet_Celt]

I have not tried the kerastase yet, but if you say its good i might pick this up as well. The sleeker i can get my hair the better. Thank you! :)

I originally purchased it because my hairdresser used it on me, and my hair genuinely stayed so smooth and tangle-free for a week after my appointment with her.

[Kelikea]

I am on my way to mid-thigh! First pic shows where Classic would be (hands under my butt) and the second has hands down. (Would finger-tip length be considered mid-thigh???) This is freshly washed and air-dried, so still kinda clumpy.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GuSHLsbSLdI/VTRIZ_8cgbI/AAAAAAAAB0w/MrpYnk7cEVE/s512/Classic4-19.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7qgjA7MxLuc/VTRIafR5JmI/AAAAAAAAB00/2VIrvjiQd-0/s512/length4-19.JPGTape measure says its about 43.5inches. Boo, it was 43 inches last year, and only one trim!

[Komao]

Kelikea, I just come to this thread to dream a little. I'm approaching bcl. I just wanted to tell you how beautiful your hair is & I'm looking forward to at least TBL and then classic for sure. Hope you have continued growth. :)

[meteor]

Kelikea, gorgeous hair and amazing texture! What stunning waves you've got! :thud:
And I adore your hair color! :applause Is that natural highlights?

[Amapola]

Kelikea, what beautiful hair you have! Your hemline is great and I adore your curls/waves. Very beautiful! And yes, I would say fingertip length is about mid-thigh. You are getting close there. :thumbsup:

[Kelikea]

Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments. Yes, it is natural highlights. I also have a subtly lighter streak on one side underneath.

Maybe I can hope for finger-tip/mid-thigh next year. I guess that's basically my goal length:)

[Dancing Fire]

Hi!
I have just reached the magical classic length! Yay!

Now I'd love to get some tips for what buns to make, my hair just doesn't stay put any more... :-)

[Kelikea]

I like to make a cinnabun with a hair stick--stays all day, braided or twisted. Just make a ponytail, twist the first rotation around your hand to keep it open, continue twisting the rest of the hair tight around the ponytail. The large loop goes around the tighter inner bun and you stick the hair stick in between the outer and inner loops, under the ponytail and out again between the two on the other side. It stays rather flat, too. I can do ab/yoga work on my back with this 'do.

[meteor]

Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments. Yes, it is natural highlights. I also have a subtly lighter streak on one side underneath.

Maybe I can hope for finger-tip/mid-thigh next year. I guess that's basically my goal length:)

Lucky you! :D Those natural highlights are stunning! :thud:

I think you are super-close to that goal! Happy growing, Kelikea! :cheer:


Hi!
I have just reached the magical classic length! Yay!

Now I'd love to get some tips for what buns to make, my hair just doesn't stay put any more... :-)

Yay! Congratulations, Dancing Fire! :happydance:

Great question about buns... I'm looking forward to everyone's answers.

Personally, I found last year that cinnabun doesn't work as well anymore, the likely explanation is that I just need to improve my skills :doh:
I have trouble keeping the twisting going at the right tension, so I only do braided buns. I used to do braided cinnabun all the time last year, but now I find it harder to pin down with just 1 stick (I prefer 1 stick rather than 2), due to new loops, so what I do now is:

- Braided Lazy Wrap Bun (with thumb sticking out): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DKLqSQWZos

- Braided Nautilus Bun: I do it using this pencil bun technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0k3dD4qX34

- Something I call "Braided Infinity": it's a braided wrap with 2 loops (one created over fingers, on the right, and the other - over the thumb, on the left) - it ends up looking like an infinity bun, but braided.

I do lots of sectioned updos and lots of accent braids/coronets, because they add variety, look complicated and different (though the bun is the same), distribute weight a lot better and let me use shorter/smaller accessories.

[isbmlamloi]

Oh wow, I went away for a weekend and pages of activity happened here! So awesome to see so many people's beautiful hair and their stories. :)

1) Do you use any detangling products? Which ones do you like? I do not.

2) Do you section hair while washing it? No.

3) What are your preferred buns and updos? And how do you prefer to secure them? Lazy wrap bun with a stick is my general go-to, sometimes with the "extra" loop. If my hair is dry, I will cinnabun it too, also held with a stick.

4) How often do you comb? One to two times a day.

5) Around your washes, do you detangle your hair wet/damp/dry? I detangle when damp.

6) Do you ever use brushes? If so, which kind(s)? I have a boar bristle brush that I don't remember to use much more often than once a week or so.

7) Do you sleep with hair braided or bunned or loose? Braided and held under a silk cap.

8) How do you style your hair when you want to wear it down? I either have it entirely down (and avoid backpacks/purses/etc) or sometimes will braid it, french/dutch braid it, or braid just to the top half.

9) Do you sometimes have to cut out severe knots? Once or twice a year, and always just like 3-4 hairs that I probably could detangle if I had time but I'm in a rush for some reason so I just snip them.

10) What's your quick fix for very tangled hair (say, after wearing it loose at a party or on a windy day?) Coconut oil and then slow detangling starting from the bottom, using fingers more than a comb.

11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? I switched to CO-washing and then also switched to making my own conditioner. The results have been amazing!

[meteor]

Thank you so very much for your helpful answers, isbmlamloi! :flowers:


11) What were the biggest haircare changes that you introduced post-Classic? I switched to CO-washing and then also switched to making my own conditioner. The results have been amazing!
Wow! You make your own conditioner? :thud: That's wonderful! Could you please share your recipe or give us some pointers/links, if it's not a secret, pretty please? :flower:
And do you clarify with your CO-routine? :)

[Panth]

I like to make a cinnabun with a hair stick--stays all day, braided or twisted. Just make a ponytail, twist the first rotation around your hand to keep it open, continue twisting the rest of the hair tight around the ponytail. The large loop goes around the tighter inner bun and you stick the hair stick in between the outer and inner loops, under the ponytail and out again between the two on the other side. It stays rather flat, too. I can do ab/yoga work on my back with this 'do.

Glad it's working for you, but this isn't a cinnabun. It's a nautilus / lazy wrap bun / inside-out cinnabun, depending on quite how you're doing it.

[isbmlamloi]

Wow! You make your own conditioner? :thud: That's wonderful! Could you please share your recipe or give us some pointers/links, if it's not a secret, pretty please? :flower:
And do you clarify with your CO-routine? :)
Sure! Most of everything I know about conditioner-making comes from two sources: one is my chemist-fiance and the other is the website Point of Interest (http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/). I started with that site's plain conditioner formula found on this page (http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/03/conditioner.html) and have been experimenting for a little over a year now. My current recipe is:
500g water
10g BTMS-25
1 drop polyquaternium-44
2g coconut oil
2g glycerin
2g cetrimonium chloride
2g phytokeratin (protein blend)
10 drops rosemary extract
less than 10 drops of essential oils for scent

The first 3 ingredients boil, then I let it cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the next 3 ingredients, and the last ingredients are added when it's room temperature. Then I pour it in a bottle and use it! None of the ingredients I use build up, so I don't clarify. I've probably used shampoo 3 or 4 times in the past year, and at least 2 of those times were just because I had used bad time management and ran out of conditioner mix and time to make more but needed clean hair in a jif. ;)

[meteor]

^ Oh, thanks so much, isbmlamloi! :flowers: That's great stuff! :applause I'm definitely saving the recipe for the time when I finally use up my stash! I really like the ingredients you use! :thumbsup:

[Kelikea]

Glad it's working for you, but this isn't a cinnabun. It's a nautilus / lazy wrap bun / inside-out cinnabun, depending on quite how you're doing it.

I don't think it is a nautilus, that one does not start with a pony, and gets twisted around your hand opposite of the rest of the twist/wrap. I looked at images of lazy wrap and inside-out cinnabun, it doesn't look like either. It really looks and acts like a cinnabun, just with the variation of the first/fattest coil going on the outside to secure the rest of the bun, all of the twisting/wrapping continues in the same direction. It's like a nautilus/cinnabun hybrid:)

[Amapola]

The "Kelikea" bun! :thumbsup:

[Kelikea]

I should post a picture of it...

[LongCurlyTress]

I really appreciate reading your answers to your questions. I have one that I would appreciate your suggestions, since you are all at extreme lengths! :popcorn::popcorn: Saved you some popcorn LLL! ;)


How often and how much do you trim your hair? I have read mostly every 6 months, but just want to check to know for personal trimming scheduling. Thanks! Currently I am just above bcl and still have 6 inches to go to hit tbl, so I am just asking now so I can start "acting as if!" LOL! :happydance: Thank you for your help. ;)

[lapushka]

How often and how much do you trim your hair? I have read mostly every 6 months, but just want to check to know for personal trimming scheduling. Thanks! Currently I am just above bcl and still have 6 inches to go to hit tbl, so I am just asking now so I can start "acting as if!" LOL! :happydance: Thank you for your help. ;)

I think I'll just keep growing until I reach considerable length, hence: no-trimming. ;)

[LauraLongLocks]

I really appreciate reading your answers to your questions. I have one that I would appreciate your suggestions, since you are all at extreme lengths! :popcorn::popcorn: Saved you some popcorn LLL! ;)


How often and how much do you trim your hair? I have read mostly every 6 months, but just want to check to know for personal trimming scheduling. Thanks! Currently I am just above bcl and still have 6 inches to go to hit tbl, so I am just asking now so I can start "acting as if!" LOL! :happydance: Thank you for your help. ;)

Thanks for the popcorn, LCT. :popcorn:

Waiting, waiting, waiting... I am beginning to worry I won't even make it to BCL by the end of this year. I trimmed off a good bunch last month. A whole inch! I love the results of my trim. I just wish my hair didn't have to get shorter to have the neater, healthier hem.

[ScottishMer]

I'm so impressed by all you super long-haired ladies (and gents)! :applause The longest my hair has ever been was when I was 7 and it reached my bum (so about TBL). I'm currently at waist now and going for hip, then maybe TBL. But I must admit it would be quite cool to have it even longer :hmm: :smile:

Btw, LongCurlyTress , your hair is gorgeous!

[LongCurlyTress]

Cool beans Longcurlytress. By christmas I should be at solid waist. I'm about 1/2 an inch away (trimmed last night)!but that's when I straighten it all out. Then it will take me another 18 months or so to get to TBL then probably another year or more to get to classic. Being tall makes these markers a long time to achieve but I'm slowly getting there. I've been there before so I'm sure I can do it again. :cheer:
Classic on me is about 50 to 52 inches

This is a very inspirational thread for sure. Thank you all for sharing.

Hi henna! I think for taller gals, such as yourself, this growing hair journey can be a bit more frustrating, but you will get there! Nice to know that you have been at 52" before, so that must be reassuring. I think you said you are at 32inches now, and at waist, but your hair is healthy and your thick hemline is very thudworthy!:beerchug: Hang in there literally! We will get there! ;)


I think I'll just keep growing until I reach considerable length, hence: no-trimming.

Good planning Lapushka! Benign neglect! I love it! And to be quite honest, I think this is the only way to go about gaining extreme lengths! No trimming... no trimming...no trimming.. my new mantra! ;)


Thanks for the popcorn, LCT. :popcorn:

Waiting, waiting, waiting... I am beginning to worry I won't even make it to BCL by the end of this year. I trimmed off a good bunch last month. A whole inch! I love the results of my trim. I just wish my hair didn't have to get shorter to have the neater, healthier hem.

But your hemline is now thick and even LLL! Don't worry! You will get there now. I know how you feel. I trimmed off that 1 inch in March to get rid of the frizzy, dried out ends. Now I am regretting that trim big time. Well, lets continue visiting this thread to read how those with extreme lengths have achieved our future goals! :deal: We will be legitimately on this thread someday LLL! Thank you for letting us visit and post on your thread ladies. :blossom: We are enamored with your inspirational pictures and hair care ideas. Hugs! :crush:

Thank you so much, ScottishMer! You made my day! Your comment made me feel great! Thank you so much!! ;):blossom:

[Lady melissa]

it can be very frustrating if you have a long upperbody and long legs.....it takes forever to get to knee LOL but i'm on my way

because i haven't trimmed anymore since september 2014 (only S&D), my ends are thinning, but i'm having great growth and am now at midtigh...unfortunately also a lot of breakage...if i ever reach kneelength (hopefully end of the year), i'm planning to stay there and do some trimming till my hairline is blunt and thick again :)

[truepeacenik]

Remember that this traverse, classic to knee, goes over the longest single bone in the body, the femur.
I'm short waisted, so to TBL was just growing. Plus there are loads of landmarks.
Classic is the Mississippi River. Knee, the Rockies. Everything on between, pretty similar.
We are growing through flyover country.

[Amapola]

Good point, truepeacenik. I keep trying to make up landmarks... End of palm? Thumb tip? Middle joint on middle finger? Then figuring out how many inches to that mark... I guess it keeps me busy. :)

[hypersensitive]

Plus there are loads of landmarks.
Classic is the Mississippi River. Knee, the Rockies. Everything on between, pretty similar.
We are growing through flyover country.

:rollin: It's a long flight, that's for sure!

[SwordWomanRiona]

Finally made it to knee!! Now to maintain, see if I can get rid of some split ends and thicken up my hemline, it's been too thin to my liking lately...I thickened up my hemline considerably after maintaining for a good while when I got to classic, so let us hope the same thing will happen now!

So here's a length shot (with post-shower hair that's still a bit damp and houseclothes, buy hey, milestone!)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u4WHUwv4Qk8/VV51hDYHdFI/AAAAAAAABMs/kW3V2j5HdtM/s640/DSCN1547.JPG

[Lady melissa]

Congrats SwordWomanRiona! :o I hope to be your hairtwin at the end of the year

[bte]

Finally made it to knee!! Now to maintain, see if I can get rid of some split ends and thicken up my hemline, it's been too thin to my liking lately...I thickened up my hemline considerably after maintaining for a good while when I got to classic, so let us hope the same thing will happen now!

So here's a length shot (with post-shower hair that's still a bit damp and houseclothes, buy hey, milestone!)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u4WHUwv4Qk8/VV51hDYHdFI/AAAAAAAABMs/kW3V2j5HdtM/s640/DSCN1547.JPG

Congratulations! You've reached a milestone in what seems like double quick time, and I'm sure the thickening of the hemline will follow very soon. And of course your hair looks stunning!

[lapushka]

Congrats on making it to knee, SWR!

[Shepherdess]

SwordWomanRiona, congrats on reaching knee length! Your hair is lovely. :)

[Scarlet_Celt]

SwordWomanRiona - Your knee length hair looks fantastic, and I'm sure it will thicken up a lot as you maintain :)

[Wusel]

Envy is bad... very bad... But I'm SO ENVIOUS SwordWomanRiona!!!
F A N T A S T I C!!! :)

[Amapola]

Congratulations, SwordWomanRiona! Your hair is looking fanastic. :thumbsup: :disco:

[MasCat]

Congrats SWR! Glad to see you're achieing your goals and happy about it :D

[SwordWomanRiona]

Wow...thank you all for your sweet comments :flower: :cloud9: ^^!!

[lunalocks]

SWR beautiful hair, beautiful person. Congrats on reaching this milestone. Such inspiration. I think I've just changed my goal to knee!

[SwordWomanRiona]

SWR beautiful hair, beautiful person. Congrats on reaching this milestone. Such inspiration. I think I've just changed my goal to knee!

^^ :flower:

Always glad to be able to enable :D!

[tlover]

Hi, I'm new to this thread.

I passed classic jut before x-mas if i remember correctly but I havn't been on the forum för about a year. Now I'm at about Fingertip lenght now. It's a little bit hard to se exaktly becouse of my fairy tale ends though.

I'm trying to see where my hair stops growing so hopefully past knee ;)

[Shepherdess]

Hi, I'm new to this thread.

I passed classic jut before x-mas if i remember correctly but I havn't been on the forum för about a year. Now I'm at about Fingertip lenght now. It's a little bit hard to se exaktly becouse of my fairy tale ends though.

I'm trying to see where my hair stops growing so hopefully past knee ;)

Welcome back to the forum! :) That is a lovely length and it sounds like you are getting closer to knee. :)

It can be exciting finding out how long hair will grow! It is nice to have you back. :flower:

[Teufelchen]

Welcome to this thread tlover.

I just trimmed from 47,5" back to 42,7", which is classic on me. It is weird to be able to reach the end of my hair again. But most of the thinness from my hair loss episode a year ago and damage from pre-LHC hair is gone now. :)

[meteor]

SwordWomanRiona, I love your stunning, thudworthy hair! :thud:

Tlover, welcome back! :happydance:

Teufelchen, congratulations on trimming off pre-LHC damage! Fresh trims always feel so nice! :D

Hey, guys! I have a few more questions, if you don't mind :flower: this time more about products/routine (my own answers are in brackets below).

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?

5. - Do you like silicones?

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?

Thank you very much! :flowers:

__________
1. {Not really. :( I pretty much always rotate products.}

2. {Every week or twice a week in summer. Every 10-15 days in winter, because my hair gets dry. But I do scalp-only washes in between, I love how they clean the scalp while leaving my length alone.}

3. {Yes, usually just coconut oil. I do this a lot more frequently in winter-time, when hair is dry.}

4. {I try to keep it minimal, because leave-ins attract dirt. Almost nothing in summertime, a bit of LOC with leave-in conditioner and oil/serum in winter. Gel only when I'm doing a roller-set/damp-braiding to wear waves out next day - which is almost never, as my hair is almost always up.}

5. {Yes, especially in leave-ins/serums. Not so much in shampoos.}

6. {Yes, I like a protein treatment every few months. And I don't mind them in small amounts in regular products.}

7. {Only on ad-hoc basis: when I feel build-up. I prefer to avoid the build-up/clarify cycle when possible by using minimal leave-ins.}

8. {Air-drying loose over a towel (after squeezing out water) for as long as I can, then I damp-bun it for the day, until I get a chance to take it down again to finish the air-drying. I only detangle when it's fully dry - so sometimes next morning. My hair re-tangles a lot when wet, so I leave it alone till it's dry.}

[lapushka]

Since I'm gonna be here in half an inch / a month's time, I'm gonna go ahead and answer...

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?

Pantene Aqua Light or Pantene's volumizing shampoo; for conditioner Herbal Essences Hello Hydration; for oil mineral oil; for serum the one by Kyrell, from Aldi (a one-off).

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?

Once weekly, on Sunday.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?

Nope. I might try to fingercomb a little bit of oil (tiny bit) through my ends next time it's time for a wash.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?

Yes. Mostly got2b smooth operator (currently a leave-in by Hegron) for a leave-in, then Eco Styler gel (olive oil version) and serum (currently Kyrell by Aldi).

5. - Do you like silicones?

Yes. Very much!

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?

In moderation. I currently have a few conditioners that contain it, but not often.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?

Weekly. So, every wash.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?

Turbie towel (beach towel sewn in half) for 15-20 min., then airdrying time for 1h to 1h30min., then diffuser for 4 min.

Hair is detangled (combed/brushed) pre-wash, then once it comes out of the towel, right before styling with a wide-tooth comb.

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot, lapushka! :flowers:

By the way, I love your consistency with products.
And it's really awesome that your routine allows you to be able to go a whole week without detangling, that's seriously impressive! :applause

[Shepherdess]

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
I use J.R. Liggetts Old-Fashioned bar shampoo, and every now and then Kiss my Face conditioner (product with green tea and lime with argan oil), olive oil (often I dilute it), and apple cider vinegar.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
Once or twice a week

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
I do not do deep oil treatments anymore, sometimes I will BBB very small amounts of oil through my hair before washing, but it is naturally oily. More recently I have been doing coffee rinses before I wash up, and every once in a while for deep moisturizing treatment I might do an egg, mayonnaise and honey mask, but this is not often.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Sometimes I will make a leave in conditioner out of olive oil, aloe vera and water, which seems to work well for me. More recently I made a leave in with some of my conditioner and a mixture of oils and water, which seems to be working well.

5. - Do you like silicones?
No, I avoid them if possible.

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
I don't know if protein is good for my hair, I don't think it is in my shampoo or conditioner (that I am aware of anyway), but I don't think I use it.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
I only clarify if my hair absolutely needs it, which is usually the case when I experiment with new products or too much oil (which I am avoiding doing now since clarifying is not good for my hair).

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I usually air dry my hair, though during the wintertime I sometimes use a blow dryer on low (otherwise my hair is too heavy to put up in a bun and I live in a colder climate so don't want my hair freezing when I go outside). I detangle my hair before I wash it normally, then once it starts to dry some I might detangle it again.

Normally I detangle my hair each day...if I don't do it consistently then it becomes a tangled mess by the end of the week.

[meteor]

^ Great stuff, Shepherdess! Thanks a lot for sharing! :flowers: Are you doing coffee rinses for scalp health/growth or for color/shine? They are something I've been wanting to experiment with for a while, ... but I really love *drinking* coffee instead! :p I'd be curious to know how coffee rinses work in the long run.

[lapushka]

^ Thanks a lot, lapushka! :flowers:

By the way, I love your consistency with products.
And it's really awesome that your routine allows you to be able to go a whole week without detangling, that's seriously impressive! :applause

You're welcome, meteor! :D

I almost exclusively have my faves in my stash now (anything new that's added), apart from a huge pile I still need to go through from when I experimented with products a lot. :rolleyes:

Yes the detangling. Sometimes on day 4, 5 and onwards, I slightly part the hair in half, and in half again, to get a few sheds out, but I hardly call that "fingercombing"... so yeah, a weekly detangle it is.

[Shepherdess]

^ Great stuff, Shepherdess! Thanks a lot for sharing! :flowers: Are you doing coffee rinses for scalp health/growth or for color/shine? They are something I've been wanting to experiment with for a while, ... but I really love *drinking* coffee instead! :p I'd be curious to know how coffee rinses work in the long run.

Thank you! :D I am doing the coffee rinses for my scalp health and seeing if it helps my hair grow at all. So far my hair has grown around 2 inches since I started the coffee rinses around May, which might be due to it being summertime and warmer, though the coffee rinses are possibly helping too. :) Haha, yeah, I don't drink coffee myself, but I really love how my hair smells and feels after rinsing it out. :D There is a coffee rinse thread somewhere here where people have been posting their experiences, so you might be able to find how it has helped some people in the long run. :)

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot, Shepherdess! :D That's really great to know! And congrats on such fast growth - 2 inches since May is excellent rate of growth! :thud:

I know some commercial products now contain a bit of caffeine (Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo and Garnier Fructis Fall Fight come to mind, for example). And you are right: there is at least one official caffeine rinse thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=121903&page=42) but Google search is showing lots of other LHC threads as well... :)

*runs off to read (while sipping on coffee, of course) :coffee: *

[SwordWomanRiona]

SwordWomanRiona, I love your stunning, thudworthy hair! :thud:

Hey, guys! I have a few more questions, if you don't mind :flower: this time more about products/routine (my own answers are in brackets below).

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?

5. - Do you like silicones?

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?


Aww, thank you very much :flower:!!

1- I rotate products, but lately I've become a fan of D'Shila shampoos (mostly 'natural' ingredients, no parabens, nice smells, work well with my fine-textured hair). I also like Klorane's almond shampoo, jojoba and sweet-almond oils, aloe vera clear gel, Nightblooming panacea, Lush's Salt Sea spray (mostly for heatless curls fixation), and tea rinses.

2-Twice a week. Dry shampoo in between, only at the roots on the sides.

3-Jojoba oil, lemon, cassia, or henna, quite sporadically because I'm a great procrastinator xD.

4-Nightblooming panacea, aloe vera gel, and sometimes, sweet-almond or jojoba oil.

5-No, I don't like silicones

6-In small amounts

7-I clarify twice a week, I have fine-textured hair prone to greasiness at the roots.

8-First detangling when wet, with my fingers. Second detangling while air-drying, also with my fingers. I blow-dry my roots, let my length air-dry. It can take from 15 to 30 minutes, usually (very fine-textured hair).
Apart from washing-days, I detangle on the morning and before bed, with my fingers. I also brush my hair with a baby-brush twice a day.

[meteor]

^ Thanks a lot, SwordWomanRiona! :flowers: Great routine! :D

[starfire]

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
Nope, but not really looking. I'm trying to use up my stash (CV bars) at the moment. I might call henna a HG product? My ends are much better.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
I prefer to never wash it, as there are numerous things I'd rather be doing than washing my hair. But my scalp gets very dry itchy flaky, forcing me to wash it every 2 - 3 days to keep the flakes at bay.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
I finally tried pre-poo oiling a few weeks ago! I think I like it (for when I have time). I've done it 3 times now (twice with coconut oil and once with EVOO) and like the results. I think I will do them once every 1 - 2 weeks.
I think the coconut oil gave me pimples on my neck though (which is why the third attempt was with EVOO).

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Before henna, my ends were really dry and gross. I tried leaving in conditioner and oil (not simultaneously) to alleviate it. I guess it helped a little, but nothing remarkable. I haven't really had a need for it lately.

5. - Do you like silicones?
I don't know. I haven't bought anything with silicones for several years. And I'm currently working on whittling down my stash so I haven't used any lately.

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
No idea.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
I properly clarified a few months ago to see if it was the cause of my crispy ends (it wasn't).

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
Turbie for a few minutes (or longer if I forget). Then loose draped over the back of my chair to dry.
Usually detangle dry.

[meteor]

Thanks a lot, starfire! :blossom: Great stuff! :D


2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
I prefer to never wash it, as there are numerous things I'd rather be doing than washing my hair.

:lol: Ha-ha! This made me chuckle! I can definitely relate! :agree:
And I love scalp-only washes for this reason.

[lapushka]

:lol: Ha-ha! This made me chuckle! I can definitely relate! :agree:

Oh God, I read "I can definitely chelate." :lol:

[meteor]

^ LOL :lol:
(extra characters)

[lapushka]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Panth]

*sneaks in to answer questions, hoping no one notices she technically doesn't belong her any more*

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
I'm still finding it a bit hit-and-miss with shampoos (sulphates usually dry out my scalp and forehead, causing mild scaling, but they do mean I can stretch washes a day or two longer (and I'm lazy, so that is good) plus I'm beginning to suspect they may help SD prevention for me). Conditioners, I currently am very happy with L'Oreal Full Restore 5 Conditioner, especially as I can get away with approximately 1 heaped tablespoon per wash so it lasts forever. For the occasional clarify and chelate, I am very happy with Pantene Classic Clarifying Shampoo (the blue label, clear bottle one).

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
Generally 2-3 times a week, depending on laziness and shampoo choice.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
Nope, too much faff for too little benefit, IMO.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Nope, ditto.

5. - Do you like silicones?
Yes, very much so. My current conditioner has amodimethicone in, though, which is on the lighter scale of things (anti-build-up, though not water soluble).

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
Yup. My current conditioner has hydrolysed wheat protein pretty high on the list and I use it every wash.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
Yes, though irregularly and generally only if things get randomly grabby/tangly or I think "oh, I haven't done that for a few months". The shampoo I use (see above) is advertised as a clarifying one but chelates too (you can tell because it removes all the limescale from my sink when I use it...).

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I detangle in the shower (fingercomb when conditioner-sodden). I then usually do something like: twist up in a regular terry-cloth towel for at least 10 mins (or, until I get bored / feel like dealing with it), detangle with a wide-toothed comb, braid/bun (if I need to be somewhere) or just leave loose until dry (if I don't need to be somewhere) or (very occasionally and usually only in the winter when I'm cold) blow dry on cool until mostly dry. I'm pretty flexible with it.

That said, I find I get the best results (i.e. easiest detangle with least need to detangle again) if I towel-dry for no more than 10 mins, then comb to detangle. Towel-drying for less than 5 mins = dries very slowly and drips everywhere. Towel-drying for more than 10 mins = no noticeable benefit to drying times and increased risk of tangles (as detangling half-damp, half-dry hair or letting it fully dry before detangling both result in worse hairloss and greater risk of tangles for me). Detangling also lets my hair dry quicker as my hair naturally tends to clump into a few large tails (probably mimicking my braid sections) and it dries quicker if those are broken up (greater surface area for water evaporation).

[maria_asa]

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?

I frequently use Matrix Biolage conditioning balm and Lóreal Elvital Nutri Gloss deep conditioner. Still looking for the perfect shampoo.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?

I wash after every time I've exercised which is 5-6 days a week but I only do one full wash per week, the rest I just scalp wash.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?

I do a pre-wash oiling with eo-infused coconut oil before every wash.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?

Argan oil when my hair needs it which is every to every two days.

5. - Do you like silicones?

No. When I use them my hair looks great for one day and then it's just impossible until I clarify.

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?

Yes, very much so. My hair seems to like hydrolyzed silk in particular.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?

Yes. I don't have a schedule or anything though, I just do it when my hair starts to misbehave and I feel it's time.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?

I squeeze out the worst with a turbie towel, then I gently wrap the length around my hand to form a kind of roll and then put it all in the hood of the sweater (I almost exclusively use hoodies at home in the evenings) where it's left until it's time to go to bed a couple of hours later. My hair is usually dry or at least nearly dry then.
I detangle before I go to bed, i.e. on dry or nearly dry hair.

[meteor]

Thank you so very much, Panth and maria_asa! :flowers: Super-informative! :D


*sneaks in to answer questions, hoping no one notices she technically doesn't belong her any more*

The more the merrier! :joy: Not to mention that you already have knee length hair... and a lot more than that! ;)


8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I detangle in the shower (fingercomb when conditioner-sodden). I then usually do something like: twist up in a regular terry-cloth towel for at least 10 mins (or, until I get bored / feel like dealing with it), detangle with a wide-toothed comb, braid/bun (if I need to be somewhere) or just leave loose until dry (if I don't need to be somewhere) or (very occasionally and usually only in the winter when I'm cold) blow dry on cool until mostly dry. I'm pretty flexible with it.

That said, I find I get the best results (i.e. easiest detangle with least need to detangle again) if I towel-dry for no more than 10 mins, then comb to detangle. Towel-drying for less than 5 mins = dries very slowly and drips everywhere. Towel-drying for more than 10 mins = no noticeable benefit to drying times and increased risk of tangles (as detangling half-damp, half-dry hair or letting it fully dry before detangling both result in worse hairloss and greater risk of tangles for me). Detangling also lets my hair dry quicker as my hair naturally tends to clump into a few large tails (probably mimicking my braid sections) and it dries quicker if those are broken up (greater surface area for water evaporation).

That's really good to know! :D Thanks so much for sharing the details.

I remember reading (though I have no idea how true this is) that there is a range of time that is good to keep wet hair in a towel, and after a certain limit, it gets counter-productive because tangles can start forming and the hair won't be drying fast - it needs to be spread out and aerated. I think the article said something arbitrary like 15-20 minutes or so as the upper limit, but I guess it's pretty individual and might depend on how much hair is sitting under the towel and how porous the hair is and maybe also scalp conditions (e.g. SD) that can be exacerbated by keeping scalp wet? :hmm:


But I'm curious how those of us who use towels manage to keep it from being too heavy on the head?



3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?

I do a pre-wash oiling with eo-infused coconut oil before every wash.

That's pretty cool! Which EOs do you like in your pre-poos, maria_asa? :)

[Panth]

The more the merrier! :joy: Not to mention that you already have knee length hair... and a lot more than that! ;)

Heh, not that much more than knee. Maybe two inches, measured wet?


I remember reading (though I have no idea how true this is) that there is a range of time that is good to keep wet hair in a towel, and after a certain limit, it gets counter-productive because tangles can start forming and the hair won't be drying fast - it needs to be spread out and aerated. I think the article said something arbitrary like 15-20 minutes or so as the upper limit, but I guess it's pretty individual and might depend on how much hair is sitting under the towel and how porous the hair is and maybe also scalp conditions (e.g. SD) that can be exacerbated by keeping scalp wet? :hmm:


But I'm curious how those of us who use towels manage to keep it from being too heavy on the head?

That's exactly right - after about 10 mins there ceases to be benefits (for me) with towel-drying. After that (basically: after it stops dripping) letting it get spread out, aerated and detangled (therefore, spread out even more, not left to clump and tangle) works best.

As for how to stop towels being heavy ... yeah, that's an issue. I tend to use bath/beach-sized terrycloth towels and yes, there is a knack to putting it up and balancing it (I twist mine like this, but using a bigger towel (http://www.wikihow.com/Twist-a-Towel-Turban-(Without-Stitching-or-Cutting))). That said, most of the knack is keeping your head very straight, sitting up very straight, not leaning over or to the side or looking back or anything (and if you must, keeping the towel twist in place with your hand until you resume an upright position) and then taking it off fairly quickly because, yeah, after 10 mins or so unless you're being super, super careful it'll get slightly askew and start being heavy / pulling.

After that point, just give up, take it off and wear the towel like a cape if you're still drippy or worried about getting clothes/sofa damp.

[meteor]

That's exactly right - after about 10 mins there ceases to be benefits (for me) with towel-drying. After that (basically: after it stops dripping) letting it get spread out, aerated and detangled (therefore, spread out even more, not left to clump and tangle) works best.

As for how to stop towels being heavy ... yeah, that's an issue. I tend to use bath/beach-sized terrycloth towels and yes, there is a knack to putting it up and balancing it (I twist mine like this, but using a bigger towel (http://www.wikihow.com/Twist-a-Towel-Turban-(Without-Stitching-or-Cutting))). That said, most of the knack is keeping your head very straight, sitting up very straight, not leaning over or to the side or looking back or anything (and if you must, keeping the towel twist in place with your hand until you resume an upright position) and then taking it off fairly quickly because, yeah, after 10 mins or so unless you're being super, super careful it'll get slightly askew and start being heavy / pulling.

After that point, just give up, take it off and wear the towel like a cape if you're still drippy or worried about getting clothes/sofa damp.

^ Thanks a lot, Panth! :flowers: Super-helpful as always! :D
Now I realize that I kept getting the towel turban askew by moving around too much and also not putting it on / centering it properly. I'll try to place it and wear it more carefully in the future, as it does speed up drying compared to just drip-drying over towel-cape-over-shoulders method alone.

[Panth]

^ Thanks a lot, Panth! :flowers: Super-helpful as always! :D
Now I realize that I kept getting the towel turban askew by moving around too much and also not putting it on / centering it properly. I'll try to place it and wear it more carefully in the future, as it does speed up drying compared to just drip-drying over towel-cape-over-shoulders method alone.

If you do it with a smaller towel (think hand-towel sized), you can keep it up by using a nappy-pin sized safety pin at the back. If you use a bigger towel then the balancing act is your best friend. Sometimes I've managed to twist the end enough and tuck it under where it begins, resulting in a coiled loop that sits on your head like a crown. That ... rarely stays put either, though.

There is also the technique I saw by one LHC member. Stand upright. Part wet hair in half and put each half over each shoulder. Place large towel over head like a veil, with the centre of one long edge at the centre of your forehead/hairline. Bring two sides of towel in front of shoulders and place hair inside them. Twist towel ends both the same way (inwards or outwards ... I think outwards would work best). Loop towel twists over your head a la milkmaid braids, securing with safety pins or similar if necessary.

[meteor]

^ Oh, that's a pretty cool method, too! Sounds balanced and stable! :thumbsup: Thank you so very much, Panth! :love:

[ashke50]

I use a bath towel sized microfibre towel, which is much lighter than a normal towel and so stays put much better.

[meteor]

^ Thank you, ashke50! :flower:

[Kelikea]

My latest length shot:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7e-KYgsoP70/VYsvAAkAVHI/AAAAAAAAB3A/wQBAjrmWUCk/s512/6-24.JPG

[meteor]

So gorgeous, Kelikea! :thud:

[SwordWomanRiona]

Gorgeous, Kelikea :inlove:!!

[maria_asa]

Just stunning, Kelikea!


That's pretty cool! Which EOs do you like in your pre-poos, maria_asa? :)

I mainly use lavender, rosemary and cedarwood and sometimes also thyme and sage.

[meteor]

^ Great stuff, maria_asa! Thank you! :D And those are excellent EOs: they smell really nice and have some scalp-friendly, anti-fungal properties.

[butterfly_dream]

Gorgeous hair, Kelikea, very mermaid like.

[Teufelchen]

Thank you meteor. My hair feels great now.

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
I have found my holy grail shampoo, which are clay bases shampoos, and my most loved oil is a mixture of shea butter and Vitamin E oil, but apart from that I use up my stash and hope to find my holy grail conditioner while doing so.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?

2-3 times per week

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
Usually I use a drop of oil every day, and do a heavy oiling before washing. ( My hair is dyed and I prefer it super silky.)


4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?

one drop of oil per day.

5. - Do you like silicones?
yes

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?

My hair is super sensitive on proteins, so no.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?

No, even though we have very hard water, but my hair was never affected by the limescale.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?

I dry it over night. I detange in the shower with conditioner in, then again when totally dry.

[JamieLeigh]

Gosh, I haven't logged in for quite some time. ;) I'm still a longhair, thankfully. I have a 14 month old now, in addition to my 13, 12, 11, 9, and 8 year olds, which means I'm just that extra little bit busy enough not to keep up with most of what goes on online beyond Facebook (which is still pretty much the only site I can get easily on my phone...I really need to upgrade!).

I have grown to lower thigh and cut back a couple of times, and right now I'm a bit past fingertip again. I seem to hover around fingertip more often than not, it seems, but I'm ok with that as it's always been my favorite length. :o I have had post-partum shedding that has taken a toll on my thickness, so I have changed my details from ii/iii back to just ii for the time being.

I have a few photos to share. Some of you may be in the Facebook groups I'm in, so you might have already seen them. (I'm not in the LHC Meeting Place group, btw, because we'd already had an LHC group for a couple of years when that was created. I didn't see the point.) These are from the past few months:

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss17/Jamichka/Hair%20Stuff/11070924_10206318955516490_4797599249153123527_n_z pspd43c2uz.jpg
March, at the longest my hair has been in 2015 so far (but over a foot shorter than my longest ever, haha), natural texture

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss17/Jamichka/Hair%20Stuff/11139008_10206531995642360_3914913098441726701_n_z pseikpob5s.jpg
April, after I trimmed off about half a foot, natural texture

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss17/Jamichka/Hair%20Stuff/11111051_10206674580926903_4122013167393245240_n_z pstmj5jfcr.jpg
May, after I trimmed 2 inches or so more, to try to gain thickness back, brushed straight.

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss17/Jamichka/Hair%20Stuff/1920441_10206992106584846_990933615381268018_n_zps 63ftivoe.jpg
June, after not doing anything to it whatsoever for a solid month, also brushed straight.

I hope all of these show up. It's been so long since I shared from Photobucket, I may have done it wrong. Let me know.

[JamieLeigh]

I'd also like to answer these questions, while I am logged in. :)

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
Suave Naturals tropical coconut conditoner and Organix Tea Tree Triple Treat are my cone-free favorites for scalp washes.
I love Aussie Moist and Garnier Fructis Long & Strong for coney conditioners to use on my ends to keep them from tangling.
I have used coconut oil for years now and I swear by it as a pre-wash treatment.
I have a friend who used to make Sherry's Potions and Lotions brand, but she has been too busy IRL to work on them. If she ever returns them to the market, I do love the Behave Thy Self conditioner.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
I wash once per week (twice if I'm sweaty and just feeling gross).

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
I don't use shampoo at all, but I do oil with coconut oil on the night before a wash day. I oil it, then braid it and sleep in a braided bun. It comes out nicely with just the cone-free conditioner and my head never feels like an oil slick the next day.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
If I have it on hand, sometimes Argan or camellia oil as a leave in on damp, freshly washed hair. Just a couple of drops is plenty even at my length (fingertip+).

5. - Do you like silicones?
I do! They do a great job of leaving me tangle free on my ends, which are curly and like to grab one another. They enable me to just fingercomb most of the time with no issues.

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
I honestly don't know enough about them to know if they make a difference.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
I used to clarify a few times per year with shampoo, but I haven't felt like my hair has needed it in almost 2 years.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I comb the conditioner through my length with a wide tooth comb in the shower and that serves to detangle as well as distribute the conditioner. :) I turban my hair with a beach towel for about 5 minutes or so, while I lotion up and get dressed after my shower, and then just let it loose to dry the rest of the way alone. I don't touch it again until it's fully dry if I can help it.

[meteor]

^ Amazing, thud-worthy hair, JamieLeigh! :thud:
So good to see you came back to the LHC! :applause
I think the JamieLeigh bun was named after you, if so, thank you so much! :blossom: That updo is absolutely glorious and very hair-friendly! :D


And thank you so very much for answering those questions on the routine, Teufelchen and JamieLeigh! :flower: That's super-helpful stuff! :D

[lapushka]

Pretty hair, JamieLeigh, and good to know the "old ones" (I don't mean age obvi) are still around! :D :thumbsup:

[JamieLeigh]

^ Amazing, thud-worthy hair, JamieLeigh! :thud:
So good to see you came back to the LHC! :applause
I think the JamieLeigh bun was named after you, if so, thank you so much! :blossom: That updo is absolutely glorious and very hair-friendly! :D


And thank you so very much for answering those questions on the routine, Teufelchen and JamieLeigh! :flower: That's super-helpful stuff! :D

Thank you so much! It is named after me, actually! :D It's a great style and I'm honored to have it there. The YouTube video version is technically what is called the French Pinless, because TorrinPaige has too much hair (read: it's waaaay thicker than mine!) to do it the way I showed her. I actually have a thread around here somewhere, probably on the style board, that outlines all of my steps.


Pretty hair, JamieLeigh, and good to know the "old ones" (I don't mean age obvi) are still around! :D :thumbsup:

Thank you! It's been a pleasure logging back in and seeing familiar faces. ...and, you know, familiar backs of heads. :lol:

[JamieLeigh]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=43085

Found the thread. I had to edit the original post, as the photos had been moved. :p Sorry if the rest of the thread reads like a train wreck...it's from 5 years ago!

[Anabell]

Hello, everyone,
I been away for a while. I grew my hair till mid thigh, then cut it off (again) to classic. I'v been through a lot of stuff and I want my time and energy to concentrate on them. I did the extended two week rule- if I want to cut my hair for several month this means it need to be done. Classic is my comfort zone. It is the length I always will feel safe to come back if things don't work at longer length. Anyway, I come back! And I want to try again to grew it to knee length. My biggest issue in the first time was buns. I still straggle with them. If I do it too loose I feel like it moving around too much and hurt because all of the uneven puling. If I make it tight so it won't move I feel the pulling on the scalp hairs underneath the bun. There is no in-between. I try to section it as well but it almost no help. So I need some ideas from people with sensitive scalp like me with long hair. But even if it won't work, I just will continue to braid my hair into english braid until knee and do nautilus only when it is extra hot and humid outside. No matter how gentle I think I did the bun, I feel this immediate relief when I undo it. This is a sigh for me that I must do something wrong. Anyway, here is a length shot from yesterday (my hair is covered with coconut oil so ignore the greasiness):
http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg634/ebest60/Mitsy%20hair/5f5936d7-8c91-40d2-99a1-3ffe863d66cc_zps9nedwwwl.jpg

I have much better hemline now, and I also can't tell anymore where the demarcation line from the red dye I did 4 years ago. I guess it mostly fade away (the red dye molecules are bigger that the pigment molecules of other hair dyes, and that's why they fade so fast). The dye also contain some bleach\peroxides, I guess, but I can't tell the different anymore between the natural gradual sun bleach and the residue of dye bleach. Sorry if I rumble a lot. I love this thread. So much inspiration! I will very happy if you can share bun ideas with me. Especially people with sensitive scalp.

EDIT: Forgot to mention- buns with vertical secure technique did't work for me at al. Just saw the post above me with all this amazing looking buns. Unfortunately not for me...

[meteor]

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=43085

Found the thread. I had to edit the original post, as the photos had been moved. :p Sorry if the rest of the thread reads like a train wreck...it's from 5 years ago!

Wow, that's amazing! :thumbsup: Thanks so much for sharing! :flowers: Another great bun! Does it have a name?

I'd love to try this, but unfortunately, I can't French-braid my own hair ( :oops: ), however, I wonder if it can work using a Luana braid as the base (i.e. smaller English into larger English braid)? :hmm:
Do you have to pin the braid as you fold it upwards to the scalp, or do you let it hang loose and just pin the bun at the top? :)


Hello, everyone,
I been away for a while. I grew my hair till mid thigh, then cut it off (again) to classic. I'v been through a lot of stuff and I want my time and energy to concentrate on them. I did the extended two week rule- if I want to cut my hair for several month this means it need to be done. Classic is my comfort zone. It is the length I always will feel safe to come back if things don't work at longer length. Anyway, I come back! And I want to try again to grew it to knee length. My biggest issue in the first time was buns. I still straggle with them. If I do it too loose I feel like it moving around too much and hurt because all of the uneven puling. If I make it tight so it won't move I feel the pulling on the scalp hairs underneath the bun. There is no in-between. I try to section it as well but it almost no help. So I need some ideas from people with sensitive scalp like me with long hair. But even if it won't work, I just will continue to braid my hair into english braid until knee and do nautilus only when it is extra hot and humid outside. No matter how gentle I think I did the bun, I feel this immediate relief when I undo it. This is a sigh for me that I must do something wrong. Anyway, here is a length shot from yesterday (my hair is covered with coconut oil so ignore the greasiness):


I have much better hemline now, and I also can't tell anymore where the demarcation line from the red dye I did 4 years ago. I guess it mostly fade away (the red dye molecules are bigger that the pigment molecules of other hair dyes, and that's why they fade so fast). The dye also contain some bleach\peroxides, I guess, but I can't tell the different anymore between the natural gradual sun bleach and the residue of dye bleach. Sorry if I rumble a lot. I love this thread. So much inspiration! I will very happy if you can share bun ideas with me. Especially people with sensitive scalp.

EDIT: Forgot to mention- buns with vertical secure technique did't work for me at al. Just saw the post above me with all this amazing looking buns. Unfortunately not for me...

Wow! :thud: Such awesome hair, Anabell! :applause So great to see you on this thread! :joy:

For updos that are comfortable on scalp, have you tried Coronet braid(s)? Or double/multiple buns (stacked on top of each other a-la fauxhawk or side-by-side buns)? Or you could try sectioning hair?
For example, I like Regency updo (where the weight is distributed by thick-ish "accent braids"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXu9enBrK0
Or Braided beehive (where you create a small bun with some hair and wrap 2 (or any number) of sections around it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsQ15IxkWMA

[lapushka]

Anabell, I always do a lazy wrap bun (LWB) and the tension is mediocre, not too loose, not too tight. It stays all waking hours of the day and I have no issues with it hurting one bit. My hair is still too short for a Nautilus, so I can't comment on that. But maybe try a LWB?

[Panth]

Anabell, have you tried a Spidermom's bun? I, too, find buns difficult but that is my new epiphany.

[meteor]

Anabell, have you tried a Spidermom's bun? I, too, find buns difficult but that is my new epiphany.

Yes, it's very good. :agree: And if you have trouble separating the loops, check out the L-Infinity bun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fzn4gNWIVQ It's pretty much the same thing, but the loops are going in different directions, so there is no separation work to be done there.
I do this thing from an English braid (as all my buns) to keep the hair better contained, and it holds like a rock with just one long stick.

[meteor]

^ JamieLeigh, sorry my post above was referring to the first pages of the thread on that style that you linked... And from around page 3, I can see it started developing into the current JamieLeigh bun (French pinless bun).
But I should try the first variation, with a little bun at the top, as well... keeping fingers crossed that it will hold on my slippery hair. :pray:

[tlover]

Thanks for the welcome back everyone :)


1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
hmm kind of. I do WO and I love it, so I could call my Holy Grail product water :)

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
Oh, that depends on what I do (training, cleening out rabbit poo or just stay inside makes alot of dfferense). I normally wash 0-3 times a week

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
No (see #1)

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Thats rare (if so cocoanut oil, tea or herbal teas when it happens)

5. - Do you like silicones?
No

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
Whats that?

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
ehh whats that? But I think not

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I towel dry a little bit then air dry it. Which meens that i wet bun it too since it takes houers to dry.

[lapushka]

Ooh another questionnaire!

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
Yes. Pantene Aqua Light shampoo. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration conditioner. Eco Styler olive oil gel. got2b smooth operator leave-in. Aldi (Kyrell) hair serum (was a one-off, but I stocked up). Mineral oil.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
Weekly. On a Sunday.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
No. None.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Yes. With silicones: got2b smooth operator.

5. - Do you like silicones?
Yes. Need them, too, otherwise my hair would be too tangly!

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
I don't use them consciously, but they are in some of my products.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
Yes, clarify. Weekly.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
Detangle with a wide-tooth comb and Tangle Teezer pre-wash and then after the hair comes out of the towel (15-20min.) with a wide tooth comb, before styling products (LOC) are applied. Hair is airdried once out of the towel. Then it gets diffused on warm for 4/5 min.

[Anabell]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and your kind comments.


Anabell, I always do a lazy wrap bun (LWB) and the tension is mediocre, not too loose, not too tight. It stays all waking hours of the day and I have no issues with it hurting one bit. My hair is still too short for a Nautilus, so I can't comment on that. But maybe try a LWB?
This is the one I do if I have to. But I can't find the sweet point between too loose and too tight. It hurts especially when I move a lot (walking, work at the lab), and at the point when I insert the hairstick (when the scalp hair is grabbed basically). So if I insert the stick from right to left it will be a little tighter at the right side and that where it hurts.


Anabell, have you tried a Spidermom's bun? I, too, find buns difficult but that is my new epiphany.


Yes, it's very good. :agree: And if you have trouble separating the loops, check out the L-Infinity bun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fzn4gNWIVQ It's pretty much the same thing, but the loops are going in different directions, so there is no separation work to be done there.
I do this thing from an English braid (as all my buns) to keep the hair better contained, and it holds like a rock with just one long stick.

I did try them both. The problem is there is not much room on my hand to hold two gigantic loops and it got messy easily. But it do remained me the disc bun which is easier because every loop has it's own fingers. For some reason it easier than the L-infinity and it is very steady.



Wow! :thud: Such awesome hair, Anabell! :applause So great to see you on this thread! :joy:

For updos that are comfortable on scalp, have you tried Coronet braid(s)? Or double/multiple buns (stacked on top of each other a-la fauxhawk or side-by-side buns)? Or you could try sectioning hair?
For example, I like Regency updo (where the weight is distributed by thick-ish "accent braids"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQXu9enBrK0
Or Braided beehive (where you create a small bun with some hair and wrap 2 (or any number) of sections around it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsQ15IxkWMA

I tried all day different types of sectioning. Thank you for the links. conclusions so far: Half up buns work fine no matter what is the bun type. When I add the other half section (let's say braided) the wight on the hairstick is immediately doubled up and the stick start to hurt my scalp by being pushed too hard agains my head due to the weight of my hair. Double buns is very comfy when horizontally sectioned. Feels like a mohok. My only concern is it looks silly or too fancy (depending on how I did them). The main issue is the wight and this is heavy even with my "short" classic length. I can do a half bun and braid the other half. It looks very cute and at least one half of my hair will be protected. I think I will need to accept the fact that my hair is too heavy to wear up all at once. It gave me headaches or neck pain quite too often. The fact that I seen people with much thicker and longer hair wear buns with no problem make me think that something wring with me. And I also see girls in real life wear all kinds of tight high ponytails with long hair without any issue. But every one is different, I guess. I can wear bun for several hours or when I sit or stand still for longer time. But not all waking hours like people here used to do. I will continue to wear them for formal occasions or as half ups. But I feel like my journey to find a bun which I can wear all day (that contains all my hair) is over. As I said before, I will walk all the way to knee-land with english braid if I have to. So long, fellows.

[meteor]

Thank you so very much for answering the questionnaire, tlover and lapushka! :flowers: Very useful stuff! :applause

Anabell, I'm so sorry that conventional buns don't work well with weight distribution for you! :( :grouphug:
I would experiment with Coronet braid(s) (English braid or two wrapped around the head), a-la this two-braids-halo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzzQ86Ea1N0
Or practical hair-taping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8

Or if even those updos don't work, then maybe some method of just shortening the braid(s) can help, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chj0ZS3kyB0
Or this technique, called "Plaitception": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTnA0EvueCM

I really hope you'll find a solution that will be helpful for both your scalp and hair! :flower:

[lapushka]

This is the one I do if I have to. But I can't find the sweet point between too loose and too tight. It hurts especially when I move a lot (walking, work at the lab), and at the point when I insert the hairstick (when the scalp hair is grabbed basically). So if I insert the stick from right to left it will be a little tighter at the right side and that where it hurts.

Well that sucks! Maybe try a disc bun. It's got double the loops of a LWB and goes in both directions, so that might make it "looser" and more bearable.


Thank you so very much for answering the questionnaire, tlover and lapushka! :flowers: Very useful stuff! :applause

Hey, no problem, meteor! :)

[maria_asa]

I'm sorry buns are giving you such trouble, Anabell. Have you tried buns that use a French/Dutch braid as base? Since I have thin and fine hair I don't really have a problem with buns being to heavy but I've heard other thick hair ladies use this trick successfully.

Also, I find that hair forks sometimes gives better weight distribution that sticks. I can usually make the bun looser as well when held with a fork rather than sticks.

[Teufelchen]

I finally got around to take a pic.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18040&d=1436171232
I am so proud of it now. :cool: It seems the new growth from the hair loss, that ended over a year ago, slowly travels down. :)

[Amapola]

Oh, that's lovely, Teufelchin! Really looking great! I think the color is wonderful too. So glad that it's growing well again!

[meteor]

Stunning hair, Teufelchen! :applause It's like a curtain of silk! :D So happy that your hair is growing so well again! :joy:

[SwordWomanRiona]

Beautiful, Teuchelfen :)!

[ashke50]

So silky Teufelchen!

[Anabell]

Anabell, I'm so sorry that conventional buns don't work well with weight distribution for you! :( :grouphug:
I would experiment with Coronet braid(s) (English braid or two wrapped around the head), a-la this two-braids-halo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzzQ86Ea1N0
Or practical hair-taping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8

Or if even those updos don't work, then maybe some method of just shortening the braid(s) can help, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chj0ZS3kyB0
Or this technique, called "Plaitception": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTnA0EvueCM

I really hope you'll find a solution that will be helpful for both your scalp and hair! :flower:

Wow. This braid looks really cool! Can't wait until I try it. This kind of crown bun- this is what I did when I was in vacation and didn't want my hair to be wet from the pool. But it didn't feel secure enough to wear it all day long. My hair doesn't really likes hair pins. They hold nothing. So I did it this mini clips or spin pins. But even then it not that solid.

maria_asa I did try and it's hold a bit better. The thing is, I don't have the time to do french/dutch braid every morning (and it's not very comfy to sleep with if you sleep on the back). Also, I wish I had a hair fork. They pretty pricy and I hesitate to order one since I'm not wearing buns. I believe it will help a little but I don't believe it will be a magic solution.


Well that sucks! Maybe try a disc bun. It's got double the loops of a LWB and goes in both directions, so that might make it "looser" and more bearable.



Hey, no problem, meteor! :)

I did try it yesterday. Still very heavy. It is very solid bun, but it didn't made my hair any lighter. I guess I just need accept that.
Anyway, thank you all for the advices and for trying to help me. I think I just need to accept the fact that if I want long and thick hair it can't be up for a long period of time. I also think I been a little harsh with myself. I was hoping to get used to it, so I just continue to wear buns even if it wasn't comfortable. Then I stop wear them completely. From now on I will wear them when I feel like I want too (when It's really hot outside..) but then I will remove it if it start to feel uncomfortable. I can hope to get used to it over time, but if I won't I just accept that. I also find that it get's a bit better if I insert the heuristic in spiral motion. That way it hold the bun like a huge spin pin (so if someone with a problem like mine read this post- try this trick)

Teufelchen I happy you have some new growth. Your hair is beautiful and the green background emphasize your hair color. Thank you for sharing.

[lapushka]

I finally got around to take a pic.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18040&d=1436171232
I am so proud of it now. :cool: It seems the new growth from the hair loss, that ended over a year ago, slowly travels down. :)

I like that V-shape so much! :D

[MINAKO]

Time flies, i got myself a few very shy dustings and although i did not plan to have a thick hemline theres alot of hair about 2 inches past classic now. I did not measure for my own good but i am wondering if by christmas i could just start to maintain and cut away all my growth. i still prefer the V shape too, but upper thigh is enough for me. the hunt or tolerance for more length finally seems to be coming to an end for me.

[Teufelchen]

Thank you Amapola, meteor, SwordWomanRiona, Anabell and ashke50. :blossom:

Lapushka, I like it as well. :D

[bte]

I finally got around to take a pic.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18040&d=1436171232
I am so proud of it now. :cool: It seems the new growth from the hair loss, that ended over a year ago, slowly travels down. :)
Stunning! Glad you persevered.

[Teufelchen]

bte, thank you.:flower: I just thought, if I cut my hair because of hair loss, I have short and thin hair, if I keep it, I still have thin hair, but it is long. :cool::idea:

[JamieLeigh]

Wow, that's amazing! :thumbsup: Thanks so much for sharing! :flowers: Another great bun! Does it have a name?

I'd love to try this, but unfortunately, I can't French-braid my own hair ( :oops: ), however, I wonder if it can work using a Luana braid as the base (i.e. smaller English into larger English braid)? :hmm:
Do you have to pin the braid as you fold it upwards to the scalp, or do you let it hang loose and just pin the bun at the top? :)


^ JamieLeigh, sorry my post above was referring to the first pages of the thread on that style that you linked... And from around page 3, I can see it started developing into the current JamieLeigh bun (French pinless bun).
But I should try the first variation, with a little bun at the top, as well... keeping fingers crossed that it will hold on my slippery hair. :pray:

I never did name the original version. I believe that it was WaitingSoLong (?) who later had a version of it also, using just a regular English braid. But no, I didn't pin it at all, just folded it up and bunned at the top. I slid the hairstick through the top of the French braid for added stability, so that may be something that you can't do with just an English braid. As you can see, TorrinPaige's version of the Jamie Leigh (French pinless) is what is my avatar. ;)

[JamieLeigh]

Teufelchen, your hair is looking stunning! It appears to be thicker than it was the last time I was logged in and saw a photo (and that has been a long time, lol).

[Kelikea]

Well...HB cut my hair recently(~3in), so I'm back to barely Classic, blunt ends(natural mild taper in the front section). It was very dry the last 2 inches, getting in the way, headaches, shedding badly. I'm not sure if I have a length goal anymore, but I like it at Classic for now.

[lapushka]

Kelikea, maintaining is great to do as well, and something I *might* do too once I get there, don't let it get you down!

[Teufelchen]

Teufelchen, your hair is looking stunning! It appears to be thicker than it was the last time I was logged in and saw a photo (and that has been a long time, lol).

Thank you :flower:
Well, my hair loss stopped about 2 years ago and I regained my circumference about a year ago and since then the thickness slowly travels down. :) So it is very likely that it looks thicker now.

Kelikea, there is nothing wrong maintaining at classic, just enjoy the length.

[kme81]

I have been busier than normal in real life, so my hair has been getting a ton of neglect lately. I discovered one of the benefits: My hair seems to have suddenly reached solid fingertip length and it just measured in at 47 inches. Boy, was I surprised! And happy!!! :disco: I never imaged that my hair would be what it is today...in my dreams classic was a far off thought, and now---to be beyond classic...wow.

[lapushka]

I have been busier than normal in real life, so my hair has been getting a ton of neglect lately. I discovered one of the benefits: My hair seems to have suddenly reached solid fingertip length and it just measured in at 47 inches. Boy, was I surprised! And happy!!! :disco: I never imaged that my hair would be what it is today...in my dreams classic was a far off thought, and now---to be beyond classic...wow.

Congratulations. :cheer: What a little "ignoring" of the hair can do eh? ;)

[Amapola]

Awesome, kme81! That is soooo cool! :thumbsup:

[meteor]

Congratulations on reaching fingertip, kme81! :joy:

[kme81]

Thanks all! Knee length is starting to not sound so crazy in my mind, haha. :D

Well, off to neglect some more and see where I end up next! :popcorn:

[Teufelchen]

Congrats on reaching FTL. :cheer::cheer::cheer:

[meteor]

So I'm thinking one of the bigger challenges on this CLS-to-Knee journey is that moment when arms become shorter than hair... Is there any way to prep for that, and what (if anything) does one have you change around when it happens?
Thank you! :D

[trolleypup]

So I'm thinking one of the bigger challenges on this CLS-to-Knee journey is that moment when arms become shorter than hair... Is there any way to prep for that, and what (if anything) does one have you change around when it happens?
Thank you! :D
It just means that preening is now a two stage process. And that is something you can start practicing before your arms get too long.

[meteor]

^Thanks a lot, trolleypup! :flowers: So two-stage process means: first with 2 hands (where reachable), and then hair held up higher with one hand and using just the other hand to preen? Sounds easy enough. :D Phew, that's a relief! :lol:

[trolleypup]

^Thanks a lot, trolleypup! :flowers: So two-stage process means: first with 2 hands (where reachable), and then hair held up higher with one hand and using just the other hand to preen? Sounds easy enough. :D Phew, that's a relief! :lol:
Something like that. Endless variation. Personally, I clip at the nape, (in front) finger detangle with one hand while I hold it up with the other, comb out; remove the clip, comb from the top down to past nape, re-clip and detangle/comb the bottom part in front again. I clip it so the hairs stay in the same orientation which they wouldn't if I just brought it over my shoulder.

[Amapola]

OK, so I thought I was *maintaining* at classic, but my hair had other ideas. :) While I was not paying any attention, somehow, I reached fingertip! ***faints*** Picture:

http://www.beautiful-horses.com/ftip1.JPG

It probably helped that I could NOT see myself from the back. Three unusual things happened today: I washed my hair; DH was home; it was not windy. :shocked:

Fingertip was my original goal when I joined. I did not think I could get so far. I felt my hair was too fine and fragile. Well, it's just amazing what proper care can do. Once I started taking better care of my hair, it responded very well. Now: can I make it to knee? I do not know, but I'm going to try! :lol:

[lapushka]

:applause Well done, Amapola! And an example to all us F ones out there.

[Linguaphilia]

Hair inspiration for fineys indeed! Very nice. My plan is to maintain at classic, too... :D

[lapushka]

Hair inspiration for fineys indeed! Very nice. My plan is to maintain at classic, too... :D

I was going to do that as well, but I'm kinda stuck in the no trimming thread and going for classic by Christmas. It looks as if I'm going to be classic next month, at least by September, and so that's 3 months of no trimming left. I'm going to stick to it, and see where I g(r)ow. I might trim back if it's all too uncomfy at the end of the year. But I'm trying to stick with my challenges. :D

[meteor]

Wow! Congratulations, Amapola! :joy: Isn't it awesome when new milestones just creep up on you unexpectedly!
Your hair is stunning! :applause And it looks like you'll be at knee goal length in no time! :happydance:

[diggem]

While I was not paying any attention, somehow, I reached fingertip! ***faints***
Now: can I make it to knee? I do not know, but I'm going to try!

Amapola,

Congratulations on exceeding what you thought were your limitations. Your hair is gorgeous. I hope you can make it to your knees, as well. It'll be a sight to behold.

diggem

[Amapola]

Thanks, everybody. It is certainly very heartening to find out just how well one's hair will grow given proper care (although, of course, there are limits) and after believing (wrongly) that my terminal length was somewhere about waist I am very happy with this result. Funny, but it does not feel very long to me. :) I guess I have that old LHC blind spot about long hair!

[Linguaphilia]

Thanks, everybody. It is certainly very heartening to find out just how well one's hair will grow given proper care (although, of course, there are limits) and after believing (wrongly) that my terminal length was somewhere about waist I am very happy with this result. Funny, but it does not feel very long to me. :) I guess I have that old LHC blind spot about long hair!

What does "proper care" mean for you? I'm very curious, as my hair texture seems to be similar to yours. I don't like special masks, oils or products; so all I do is washing my length rarely (scalp wash), combing gently with a wide-tooth comb only, and putting my hair up...

[lapushka]

I don't like special things either, well myeah, I do all the methods in my signature, and that's basically my weekly routine. But that's it. Over the course of the week nothing's done to it except it's put up and I sleep with it loose.

[Amapola]

What does "proper care" mean for you? I'm very curious, as my hair texture seems to be similar to yours. I don't like special masks, oils or products; so all I do is washing my length rarely (scalp wash), combing gently with a wide-tooth comb only, and putting my hair up...

I was using a pin brush on my hair and just ripping it through, pre-LHC, and I don't do that anymore. Now... oddly enough (I know this is going to sound really strange) I use a BBB that is super soft. My hair is so fine and thin, this thing can actually penetrate my hair. I start at the bottom to detangle, doing a small section etc. A lot more of my hair stays on my head now. Whew. I use a satin pillowcase. I used to just leave my hair out all the time, and it's very windy here. Now I keep my hair up pretty much all the time (generally with one of my trusty Ficcares, as these never slip even on my extremely slippery hair). I wash twice a week more or less... every 4 days or so... and I use cones. I'm currently using a pretty cheap shampoo (Suave Naturals) on my scalp and I use Miracle 7 conditioner. I like the deep conditioners. I put in a leave-in conditioner made by them too. I get these at Sally's. I do detangle with a bamboo comb while my hair is sopping wet and slathered in leave-in conditioner and then I sort of roll it in a cotton towel thing; I made my own turbie-towel thing that has a really long pocket on it. I just leave my hair down to dry.

Probably not everyone would use cones as much as I do but I live on a farm, I am out in the weather a lot every single day. I feel my hair needs the protection as it's very fragile. In the winter time it's so dry that I also pre-oil my hair the night before washing, just to baby it a little more.

Funny, but this is an easy routine for me and my hair actually takes very little time. It is easy to detangle now that it's usually up, it takes me *maybe* two minutes in the morning and two minutes at night to put it up/take it down and put it up again. I generally only leave my hair down in the morning after I've washed it, until it's dry, and occasionally at night when I'm back in the house after the evening chores. Otherwise it stays up and it makes my work so much easier to have it up out of the way.

[DeadlyUnicorn]

So beautiful Amapola!! :) Could I ask where you got your BBB? I've been thinking about getting one

[Amapola]

On BBBs, I found out that those really old vintage BBB brushes that people had many years ago that are made of that old yellow plastic that is basically fake ivory, work great. They are often very Art Nouveau and pretty. You can find them on eBay and even on Etsy from people who sell vintage stuff. However, I got one at Sally's for real cheap. It has a wooden handle and it says "Brush Strokes" on the handle. I got it on sale and I think I only paid four bucks for it!! :shocked: I think it's a nice one. And you can't beat the price! Plus no shipping, like with eBay!

[trolleypup]

I don't like special things either, well myeah, I do all the methods in my signature, and that's basically my weekly routine. But that's it. Over the course of the week nothing's done to it except it's put up and I sleep with it loose.
Honestly, if I had to do all the fancy things, I'd have shorter hair. My wash routine is different (focuses on keeping my scalp happy), but otherwise...the same.

[leslissocool]

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee449/leslissocool/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsfij5p7gd.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/leslissocool/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsfij5p7gd.jpg.html)

I've been away for a long time, and checked in to say I finally reached knee and will mantain for the next couple of years! I never thought I'd make it this fast nor that I'd have knee length hair! Thanks for everything I learned a lot here!

[kme81]

Wow leslissocool, that is awesome! Congrats!!!

[lapushka]

Honestly, if I had to do all the fancy things, I'd have shorter hair. My wash routine is different (focuses on keeping my scalp happy), but otherwise...the same.

I do it (the harsh sulfates) to keep my scalp happy too, but that means I need special attention on the lengths - and boy, they suck up moisture like you wouldn't believe! :)

[MidnightMoon]

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee449/leslissocool/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsfij5p7gd.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/leslissocool/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsfij5p7gd.jpg.html)

I've been away for a long time, and checked in to say I finally reached knee and will mantain for the next couple of years! I never thought I'd make it this fast nor that I'd have knee length hair! Thanks for everything I learned a lot here!

Its been a while since I last saw you around. I cant believe youve reached knee already!! Thats just awesome, congrats!!

[Amapola]

Congratulations, leslissocool! Your hair is gorgeous! WOW! What an accomplishment!

[meteor]

Congratulations, leslissocool! :joy: Your hair is simply incredible! :thudpile:
And wow, what a milestone! :applause It's so great to see you back on the LHC! :cheer: Did you change anything in your routine since back then?

[lapushka]

I've been away for a long time, and checked in to say I finally reached knee and will mantain for the next couple of years! I never thought I'd make it this fast nor that I'd have knee length hair! Thanks for everything I learned a lot here!

Congratulations! :D :thumbsup:

[leslissocool]

Thank you guys! My phone actually kicks me out every time from lhc so this is my third try at it, my life just got way too intense in both good and bad ways and lack of ability to stay logged makes it hard! Excuse the mess since we had just moved but here is a picture of my last trim and maintenance at the beginning of the year. I'm honestly just exited, I oil my hair and that's basically all I do, my main battle is fairytails because of the length it's nearly impossible to keep at bay unless you mantain. I'm hobestly shocked at how much I love this hair length, I was expecting to want to trim after classic but this feels so good to me. And as always I have my english braid so I don't wear it up much it's modtly braided. I'll see if I can get a good picture of my recent trim, but now I have to bug my husband or else I play contortionist on the mirror.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee449/leslissocool/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps97jhffae.jpg (http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/leslissocool/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps97jhffae.jpg.html)

[lapushka]

Amazing and still a gorgeous hem at this length! :)

[meteor]

Leslissocool, your hair looks incredible! :applause You probably have a veeeeery long terminal length, and your hemline is so neat and super-thick! So cool that you are enjoying your new milestone even more than you expected! Yay! :cheer:

[teal]

Ooh! I can join this thread now! Yay! Hello! :D *waves*

I thought my hair might stop around classic, but it doesn't appear to be stopping at all, even in spite of a major shed last year. I just reached fingertip recently, without really noticing. This was the hardest measurement for me to estimate, because my reach is longer than my height by a few inches, so my actual fingertip length with fingers fully extended is exactly mid-thigh for me. So, I figure fingertip can be where my fingers end up when they are loosely curled, which is a couple of inches shorter, and since I can hold the ends of the longest hairs there between fingers, I'm calling it fingertip. :lol:

*****

1. - Have you found your Holy Grail shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, rinses or any other products? What are they?
I loved the strawberry Suave conditioner because it was light and non-coney and a great CO cleanser, but my local stores stopped carrying it for reasons unknown. Now I have a heavier Bali conditioner which is less effective overall, but still the best of the lot. (Unfortunately I had to try several conditioners after Suave's confusing retreat, with results ranging from barely tolerable to awful. Bali is decent if I dilute it, and I think I'm about done with experimenting for a while. If anyone has any Suave-like suggestions, I'm all ears! Er, eyes!)

Henna could be considered a Holy Grail. :lol: I also quite like Argan oil for detangling (a little goes a long way), or Coconut oil as a treatment, swim protectant or tassel tamer.

2. - How often do you prefer to wash your hair?
At this point it's about once every two weeks or so, and that seems to work well.

3. - Do you do pre-poo oilings? Or any other pre-poo treatments? How frequently?
I have done so in the past, but don't as a general rule because I don't want to spend all day trying to wash it out. (Anything left over makes my hair feel greasy - it's fine and thin.) Also, my hair naturally retains a lot of moisture and I don't really need something to make it hold any more because then it gets stretchy.

4. - Do you use leave-ins? What kinds: conditioners, oils, gels, ...?
Usually no. Sometimes I'll put in some Argan or Coconut oil if I need to detangle right away.

5. - Do you like silicones?
No, they make my hair feel greasy and weigh it down because it's fine and thin. They kill what little volume I have. I do like the slip they give, but not at the cost of those other things.

6. - Do you like hydrolyzed proteins?
I tried the Joico protein deep conditioner on my hair. Before henna, it seemed to give it a little extra strength and shine. After henna it just made my hair texture feel funny, and I ended up throwing the bottle away because it went off before I finished it (it sat there a long time). I guess I'll take the henna over the expensive conditioner.

7. - Do you clarify and/or chelate? How often?
No. Well, maybe. The water here is soft and I don't wash my hair very often, and after I CO-wash I use a dilute ACV mix which seems to cut out most buildup. That said I do occasionally wash with a dilute BS mix, so that could probably be considered clarifying even though I don't tend to think of it that way.

8. - How do you dry your hair? Do you detangle in the shower, when wet or dry?
I briefly twist it up in my bath towel, then stick it into a Turbie while I dry off the rest of myself and get dressed. Then I'll take it down. Usually I let it air dry or I stick it up in a messy, loose bun without detangling. I try my best to avoid having to comb it wet, but in the event it's required then I work some oil in and go as gently as I can.

[Night_Kitten]

Congrats on knee leslissocool! Your hair looks great :D

Welcome to the thread teal :)



ETA
I just realized I posted in the Classic to Knee thread like I belong here even though I'm not back to Classic yet... I still have periods of denial it seems, LOL :)

[henné]

Wow, leslissocool! I'm absolutely in shock! What amazing hair! I can't believe you're at knee! Well done! I wish I had your commitment! Had I not cut my hair as many times and as much as I had, I'd be somewhere past my butt as well, but I just couldn't handle my hair past BCL ... But now I'm a little jealous and wish I had stuck it out, haha. You make me want to have longer hair again, haha!

[Stiria]

leslissocool, your hair is amazing! Knee length.. I Wonder if I'll ever grow that long. It's tempting! :D

And guys, I belong in this thread now! I reached classic! I love it, it's my favorite length so far. But then, every new length is my favorite since I began growing. The longer it gets, the more I like it. I am not sure how long I will grow though. I want to reach mid thigh, but I am not sure if I want longer than that. I really like how easy my hair is to deal with, and hair longer than my arms seems like a lot of work. But I have never tried it, so what do I know. Mid thigh is my goal for now, and then I will take it from there.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=18322&d=1438792940

[lapushka]

Stiria, I love how it waves and is thick all the way to the ends. Gorgeous hair! Mine is layered and so is a little thinner at the ends; I hope to be in this thread as of September (that is the time I'll normally reach classic).

[Lady melissa]

http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr8/theladymelissa/Elvish%20stuff/ca3.jpg

My tauriel cosplay hair pic :)

[Amapola]

Lady melissa, what a fantastic photo! WOW! Your hair is so gorgeous.

Stiria, you have really lovely locks. That is one of my favorite hair types, and yours is such a wonderful color. Great work! Keep it up! (So to speak... I crack myself up... :rollin:)

I have a question for you all. (I was going to start a thread, but for some reason, I can not type in a thread box. ?! :shrug:) How do you guys take care of your hair while you are sick? I somehow caught a very bad cold and it's all I can do to get the goats milked, the stalls cleaned, water hauled and animals fed... I felt proud of myself for remembering to put my pillow, with the satin pillowcase, on the couch *before* I collapsed on it. It's hard when you can't think. Any tips? Thank you! :flower:

[Remi]

Lady milissa- Your hair is so long and gorgeous! Stiria- Your color & shine (and waves) look so pretty. :o

[meteor]

Teal, thank you so much for answering those questions! That's super-helpful! :flowers:

Stiria, stunning hair! :applause I'm loving the gorgeous texture and the ombre!

Lady Melissa, fantastic photo and cosplay costume and hair! Wow! :applause

Amapola, so sorry you got sick! :grouphug: Get well soon! :flower: As for your question... I always start by figuring out how I'll be spending most of the time when sick. If I know I won't be able to detangle much and I'll be lying on my back a lot, then I just do 2 braids side by side to leave my scalp flat. I prefer Luana braids (https://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/luana-braids/) (smaller English into a bigger English), because they contain hair better, preventing excessive frizz/fuzziness. You can pin those up like a double coronet/halo, using Practical Hair Taping (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlwnlfDYzk8) or Woven Crown Braid (https://rapunzelsresource.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/luana-braids-woven-crown-variation/) technique. Otherwise, I do 3 English braids and braid them together into a standard English braid (like this: http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.ca/2015/08/hair-inspiration.html#comment-form). This eats up the length dramatically and really contains everything. After that, I just bun it up and I can leave this style in for a week without redoing, and I don't get real tangles. Another style that stays in without redoing is simplified Ellingwoman braided bun.

[Stiria]

lapushka: Thank you!:o I used to have layers, but choped them off when I reached hip. My hair isn't very thick, so I prefer it with an U shape and no layers at this length. But I am sure they make thicker hair much more manageable!


Lady melissa, your hair is to die for! And that bow! And that dress, and those ears!:D You look amazing!

Thank you Amapola! And sure, I'll keep it up! :lol:
I can't remember last time I was really sick, so I am not sure.. I probably wouldn't take much care of my hair, just put it up in a quick bun before work. But my hair dosen't tangle much, so I can get away with not detangle for several days. I don't have much advice for you, but I hope you feel better soon! Here is chocolate. :chocolate: Chocolate always make me feel better.

Thank you meteor and Remi!




I let my hair airdry without any manipulation (I usually damp braid) for this picture. And it sure is more wavy than I thought. I realised I am not a 1b after all, but I am not sure if I am 1c either.. Hairtyping is confusing! Could i possibly be 2a? What do you guys think?

[arjay.d]

Hello, all!
It's been a while since I've been involved in the community at all, but I'm hopefully back. During this time, my hair has seen some pretty serious "benign" neglect, and I've shot past classic without really noticing. I'm currently somewhere in the vicinity of mid-thigh. I'll try to post a picture next week.
When I say benign neglect, I really just mean forgetting about it, so I think I'm going to start dusting once a month. When I run my hand down my hair, I can feel the place where it drastically thins, so I want to try and fix that. I'm running out of time, so I'll post the question thingy when i post the picture.
It does feel great to be on this thread. :)

[Knifegill]

This thread is like a catalog of living legends, an index of those who have conquered. I must visit here more.

[Teufelchen]

...
I have a question for you all. (I was going to start a thread, but for some reason, I can not type in a thread box. ?! :shrug:) How do you guys take care of your hair while you are sick? I somehow caught a very bad cold and it's all I can do to get the goats milked, the stalls cleaned, water hauled and animals fed... I felt proud of myself for remembering to put my pillow, with the satin pillowcase, on the couch *before* I collapsed on it. It's hard when you can't think. Any tips? Thank you! :flower:
I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you get well soon.
In the meanwhile. I share my haircare when I am ill.
First of all I don't wash my hair, I simply don't care when I am ill and since I sleep on my side, I usually make a simple English braid without a hair tie. It unravels a bit with time, but I just rebraid it then. It is not too bad, since I don't move a lot. And when I get up, I quickly pin it to a bun. That is about all I do about it.

@Lady Melissa: Your hair is gorgeous and looks like knee length. :eye:

[Mimha]

This thread is like a catalog of living legends, an index of those who have conquered. I must visit here more.

Couldn't agree more !! :D I love the concept of conquest : people just don't imagine how much dedication growing to such length means !


Wow Teufelchen, I love your long perfect V shape and this energetic wispy look it has ! I imagine your hair moving as you walk !^^
Are your ends naturally fairytailed like this or do you have layers ?? It looks so natural !

Amapola : congrats on reaching fingertips ! :flower: It's really encouraging for all those who are growing faaaar away from this stage ! :)
BTW, I see no reason why your hair should stop there. You are already on your way to mid-thigh ! :D

Lesliessocool, your mane is amazing !! :thud: and your hemline !!!
When I saw the picture it was a very hot in my country and I had fought all the day against the heat in the office, with fans and cold water, and I thought "OMG, the poor girl must die under this thick blanket of hair !" ha ha ha ha ! :lol: Can't wait mine to kill me !!! :D

[Lady melissa]

thanx everybody! :)

[teal]

How do you guys take care of your hair while you are sick?

With the least amount of effort required. My usual MO is benign neglect anyway, so this is no great stretch. Most of the time my hair is worn up. If I can muster the effort to braid, I will do a single braid out from the crown - that way I can wind it up into some kind of stick-held bun, and for sleep I just take the sticks out and leave the braid loose from the crown. Ideally the next day I can brush and re-braid, but if that doesn't happen then I take the existing braid and put it into a bun as needed. I can only do this for about 3-4 days before needing to brush, else my usual shed hairs begin to dreadlock. I do this (leaving the hair for more than a couple of days) infrequently; I like to comb through once a day to give my scalp a bit of a massage, otherwise it gets a bit itchy.

[Amapola]

Thanks for your tips, everybody! Meteor, I LOVE that website with those hairstyles - I am putting a bookmark on that site to peruse further. Chocolate is wonderful, Stiria, thanks! :) Teufelchen, I like the idea of a braid that is not fastened on the end, and you just do it up from time to time. Nice idea. Teal, your idea of braiding and leaving it in is great too.

Sounds like most people would braid. I probably would have done so myself but by that time I was just too tired to do it. Instead I just coiled it on top of my head with a Ficcare. NEXT time though, I will know what to do and will braid it!

And thank you for the well-wishes, I am feeling much better now. :flower:

[Teufelchen]

Wow Teufelchen, I love your long perfect V shape and this energetic wispy look it has ! I imagine your hair moving as you walk !^^
Are your ends naturally fairytailed like this or do you have layers ?? It looks so natural !

Thank you. :flower: Nobody ever described my hair as energetic, but I like it. Most people just describe its lack of volume and perfect straightness. ( In the pic it came out of an all-day-worn bun. )
I had a deep V shape(without layers) cut back in November 2009. My hair was from Shoulder to APL then. After that I only got it trimmed rarely. And hair loss and such took its toll, so I had to trimm for a whole year to get it back on track, but now it finally looks nice again. I trimmed only the very tip of the V whenever I trimmed. So I guess it is a mixture of an outgrown cut plus natural fairytailing.


Amapola
I simple got to the no fasten braid, since it hurts if you lie on a hair tie. I am glad to read you are better now.