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View Full Version : my hair journey.. i need help and support :(



evampr18
April 5th, 2010, 05:33 PM
[quosiorpew'ap'ote][/quote]q U O T E

Melisande
April 5th, 2010, 06:19 PM
I think you are being overly harsh on yourself! You are a pretty girl with lovely hair. You cut it, so what? Most of us did. We tried how we look with shorter hair and then we grew it back again. You will do so, too.

Hair suicide is a very strong word. I'm relieved to see nothing but a girl who cut her hair and it didn't grow back yet to where it was before. I'm sure and certain that will be back there in no time.

NuclearMosquito
April 5th, 2010, 06:28 PM
I think your hair now looks lovely. With some great care you can grow even longer! But I do wonder, why no braiding? I think that's usually considered a 'protective' hairdo.

evampr18
April 5th, 2010, 06:31 PM
hah thankyou and im sorry i tend to be hard on myself and im only over dramatic over my hair, but hopefully this forum will help me grow back what i feel i lost. :)

does the braiding help NuclearMosquito? i need to google that asap.

Isilme
April 5th, 2010, 06:41 PM
What will help you the most is to protect your hair and make sure it doesn't get damaged. Damage is the number one factor to why hair "won't grow" it does grow but the ends often have breakage that makes it break off before you can gain length.
Gentle treatment and wearing protective updos works very well. And if you're hair is damaged, make sure to get rid of the damage, either in one chop, S&D or smaller trims over a longer time.
Your hair will grow, but a watched pot never boils.

ChloeDharma
April 5th, 2010, 06:42 PM
First of all your hair looks lovely now and is a nice length, you say the 2 pictures are from feb and april, well it's only early april now so the maximum time between the pics is 2 months which at average growth would be a maximum of an inch. At your length it's notoriously hard to see growth so don't get too disheartened. The 2nd pic could look longer to me, but without anything to go by.....ie armpit, bra strap, tops with lines on etc it's really hard to tell as it's just got a background of skin.
As for growth enhancers.....wow there are so many! Monistat you have heard of, there's mega-tek, various oils, Indian hair oils, Indian herbs, aromatherapy essential oils, supplements, scalp massage, brushing.....etc.
Have a good look through the threads and see what appeals to you, personally my advice would be healthy diet, no or minimum heat styling (but not flat irons), a decent multi vitamin and mineral formulated for skin and hair, oiling, herb washing and keeping hair in a contained style for decent growth.....and most of all patience. I often say the best thing for seemingly fast hair growth is to put it up and forget about it, then it seems to grow before you know it.
HTH :)

ninelifewriter5
April 5th, 2010, 06:47 PM
You have beautiful hair!

I understand where you're coming from, however, in thinking that it's not growing. I was like that for a few months - and the only way I started noticing growth was to stop looking for it, if that makes sense. Like someone said above, a watched pot never boils.

Indigo Girl
April 5th, 2010, 07:16 PM
evampr18, your hair is lovely. It's a beautiful color. :flower:

And it's roughly around the same length mine was when I started growing it out.

I agree with the comment about protective updos; they make a big difference (braids included). :agree:

Personally, I've never tried the monistat, but I've heard it works quite well for some LHCers. I can relate to the feeling that it seems your hair never grows...I actually feel the same way about mine. I keep thinking I've hit terminal, and then I take a picture of it, and lo and behold, it's gotten longer. I never wear my hair down anymore, but the few times it is down (on rare occasion, in the house) it's worth it to feel the healthy ends tickle my wrists!

I don't have any miracle growth advice, but I would like to say that patience and determination can go a long way. You'll be at your hair goal before you know it. :D

Kristin
April 5th, 2010, 07:20 PM
As Melisande said, most of us have cut our hair and are now growing back. Your hair was pretty at waist and it is pretty now. it does take time to grow back long, healthy hair and you must try to be patient.

That said, I have started back on Monistat myself and it works for me. You should read the thread for more opinions, though. It can be very expensive and may cause headaches, which are the main reasons people stop or never start a Monistat regimen.

Use the time you have now to learn fun updos and get some great hair toys. Good luck!

Rivanariko
April 5th, 2010, 08:09 PM
Your hair is lovely! Don't be too harsh on yourself!

The biggest thing about maximizing your growth seems to be experimenting and finding out what works best for YOUR hair. What works for you might not work for me (and judging by your hair type, probably wouldn't! We're quite different!)
For me, I think the biggest keys were stretching washes, protective styles (including braids. I live in braids most of the time since I can't wear a helmet over my bun!) and no brushing, due to my hair being very fine and fragile. Since I've made those changes, I feel like my hair has changed in quality and length by leaps and bounds, but understand that I was stalled just above waist for years before I found LHC and learned how to take care of that. I'm edging past hip now, and couldn't be happier. Yes, I'm impatient for it to be REALLY LONG like some of the lovely ladies here, but that will come with time. Try to have fun while you're learning what your hair likes, the journey should be just as enjoyable as the destination!

Rhiannon7
April 5th, 2010, 08:33 PM
You have beautiful hair! but must always protect it alot. I used to feel my hair was not growing and then i basically ignored the measuring tape, bunned and braided every day and washed once a week with a CO or SMT between washes and suddenly i realized it had grown alot.

It takes ALOT of patience and protection to grow hair very long. ( meaning hips and beyond.) I also went from TBL to just below shoulders and was so sad and discouraged, came here and read everything i could and then joined and kept reading and learning. i experimented alot, found what my hair loves and what it dislikes and learned one of the most important things of all; Patience and Benign neglect. I simply washed, conditioned, gave it deep moisture treatments, Hennaed, Oiled, braided and bunned. never straightened, stopped using hair dryer and learned to treat my hair like ancient lace. within 6 months my hair went from BSL to almost waist, no splits, no damage.

Just be patient and protect your hair, destroy damage either by small trims or S&D or one single cut and always keep it in a bun or braided and you will see the growth soon. don't measure until June or July, and see how much it has grown by then. I usually try and wait to measure every 3 months, just washed hair, no braid, air dried. measure and then take a pic for reference. of course for me the growth is seen within 6 weeks due to the Henna roots. but just give it time and alot of protection and you will have waist length hair soon.

Happy growing!

evampr18
April 5th, 2010, 10:20 PM
isilme the pot analogy is awesome. haha ill try to resist the temptation to measure every second of the day ;p

ChloeDharma what you said abou vitamins, i deifinitely need some, i was thinking biotin because just about everyone has recommended it. and ive usually done this treatment= coconut oil, egg yolk, iodine, and honey.... but i think i need something new :)

ninelifewriter5- thankyou for the compliment it makes me feel good :)

Indigo Girl i am such a fan of your hair, its gorgeous. i always wished i had been born a red head :) hehehe i need to find an updo i really like ....because i LOVE wearing my hair loose all the time, but maybe this miami heat, beach, and sun isnt helping...i also drive my jeep top down and i wear a cap but sometimes i forget :/

Kristin im having trouble with the monistat thing, i have read alot about it, but i dont know exactly how to go about it. whats your routine, if you dont mind my asking? also i heard some people tru neosporin af? haha the things us women do eh?

Rivanariko my hair is so fine too :( my mother has thick straight black beautiful full barbie doll hair as does my sister just brown...and so did i, but hopefully ill learn some briading techniques, i was just always under the impression that it damages hair.hmff

Rhiannon7 im going to search henna because i have no honest clue what that is. im gonna put down the measuring tape

Yarn Muse
April 5th, 2010, 10:35 PM
Welcome! Gosh, you just joined. It takes time and patience to grow your hair long. You can do it though! Remember that all the long lovely heads of hair here took years to grow. I joined only five months ago and I still feel like a newbie.

You will find so much information and support here! Just keep reading, asking questions, and doing whatever you can to minimize damage to your hair. I was really obsessed with measuring the first few weeks, which was insane. Sometimes the best thing you can do is put it up and forget it. Put the tape measure away for a while.

Happy growing!

Juliannaissance
April 5th, 2010, 10:49 PM
Don't get discouraged. I myself cut my hair from almost hip to a little above waist (a rough 7 inches). Sure I'm mad that I did it, but it happened and it's ok, it is growing, just give it time...a few months and you'll notice a difference. :) And welcome to LHC! :D

kabelaced
April 5th, 2010, 10:51 PM
Hey there! :) At least you found this place - better now than never! There are so many great hair tips and tricks here that I would not have found anywhere else, on the Internet or otherwise. Thanks to the LHC, I've found that oiling my hair drastically improves its look and feel, discovered various washing methods (Condition Wash Condition, etc.) and found some really good product recommendations. My hair has never looked better, and I'm sure yours will, too!

Growing long hair is not that hard - just don't cut it. Growing long, healthy hair is more of a challenge, but the end results are 1000% better! Keep growing!! :cheese:

lesbia
April 6th, 2010, 07:24 AM
your hair grow so faster then mine!!! i'm at the same lenght since two-three mounths, you're very lucky, be happy :) they'll grow