Since coming to LHC- has your hair benefited?

[Dreamkitty]

:) I have to say LHC has saved my hair. I use to be the person that didn't care about my hair as long as it was there. I oiled my hair just because it made my hair easier to comb through, made my scalp feel cooler on a hot day but not for the reason that I wanted my hair to grow. I used warm/hot water quite often before joining LHC then my mum said STOP using hot water, your using too much (too much bills to pay) and its bad for your hair.

And then one day I had this sudden care for my hair, I felt I did not give my hair the TLC that it needed. I wanted to grow my hair and came to this board and was inspired by the commitment, care that people here put into their hair. From then on I changed my hair care routine, used colder water- now I am paranoid about even using lukewarm water!, I once put icecold water on the end strands of my hair.:eyebrows:

So LHC is like a blessing to me, it "saved my hair" and changed my way of thinking now I think I have OCD lol or hairnoxia from wantining to make my hair as healthy as possible. If I continued using the hot water my hair would have been damaged but thankfully my hair is still healthy because of the regular oiling my mum put on my hair as a child and the food she cooks.

So what was your story before LHC, did it change your way of thinking? has your hair been healthier since joining this forum?

[DARKMARTIAN]

Nope...not yet. However It could very well SOON be. Been talking to a few people about oils and whatnot......and Im going to start some treatments soon.

Me be oily..:p

[enfys]

No. I had long hair all my life. I have been active and a lurker on other hair forums for almost a decade. I came here knowing what my hair liked. I did some LHC experiments that could have wrecked my hair! I went back to what I knew best and what worked best; cones, sulphates, oiling and blow drying when needed.

However. This site is great for styles, accessories and friends! That's why I'm here. And I like helping others.

[mali]

Yes,my hair has been saved from THE DOOM OF blowdrying,dryness,build-up! I am thankfull!

[ktani]

No. I had long hair all my life. I have been active and a lurker on other hair forums for almost a decade. I came here knowing what my hair liked. I did some LHC experiments that could have wrecked my hair! I went back to what I knew best and what worked best; cones, sulphates, oiling and blow drying when needed.

However. This site is great for styles, accessories and friends! That's why I'm here. And I like helping others.

Beautifully said and I agree on all counts. I enjoy helping others too. It is to me what makes LHC special. This is a caring community.

For myself, I never heard of catnip for hair before I joined LHC. The information here in 2005, was limited and while some people did experiment with it, it was abandoned with no results indicating that it can and does for me and others, either prevent split ends or stain hair a light blonde.

I was on my own for both and the split end results came as a total unexpected surprise, from many an experiment on its conditioning and staining properties. The colour results came from vague online research that said catnip yields a light yellow dye, with absolutely no details given. Nothing stops me though when I start to experiment and I did. Over 5 years later, catnip forever for me, lol.

[sunshine80]

It has helped me a lot!!!! I have hope! for the longest time I didnt think that I would ever be able to have long hair again! but with everything I am learning here I look foward to having long hair again! actually I am going to buy oil today whooo hooo!

[freckles]

LHC has definitely improved my hair. I wasn't massively abusive to my hair before hand, but I wasn't taking great care of it either. LHC has won me over to conditioner, gentle handling, updos, oils, trimming, and S&D. These things make it look better day-to-day (especially updos) and also help me grow it longer :)

[smileycat]

My hair is generally in better condition, though I think that has more to do with blow dryer boycott a couple off months before joining LHC. I think about my hair more, which I do not like, so maybe I need to look into this benign neglect thing. Benign neglect with a little oil on the ends, yes, I think that's the way to go.

[LadyG]

Yes, my hair is in better condition now. I have learned what tools are best, the reasons behind good shampoo and conditioner, and how to use them all correctly.

[Themyst]

Well, it has enlightened me to the fact that all brushes/combs are not created equal, and ripping through your hair is not good.

And then there is the oil and cone education, very interesting.

However, I made a wrong turn with henna. It made my hair really dry and in worse condition than before. :( So that wasn't good. I didn't really understand that it wasn't the strengthening cure all for every hair type.

[BeautifulBella]

since being here, I have learned not to use hot water... not to clip split ends with a nail clipper... and how to use monistat for hair growth....

[adiapalic]

Definitely. Oils and combs have really changed things for me. Also a BBB has helped me not have to wash as often. Also, modifying the way I wash my hair--no conditioner on scalp, and no shampoo on length, but vice versa. :)

[Quahatundightu]

The biggest thing LHC did for my hair is to give me the confidence to wear it up!

I used to think I looked really ugly unless my hair was down, but now I know so many different and beautiful styles :) I used to have SO much damage from it getting blown around in the wind, agh, can't believe I did that! XD

[GRU]

First and foremost, LHC has restored my faith in internet-humanity. It's the only internet forum I've been on that is actually NICE -- any snarkiness is dealt with immediately, and for the most part people check their egos at the keyboard.

As for my hair, it's longer, I have fewer (almost no!) split ends, it's more moisturized, it's less frizzy and tangled, and thanks to the information here about henna, my Paulie Walnuts temples (http://images.forbes.com/media/2007/05/30/sopranos_5.jpg) are a thing of the past! :D

LHC rocks! :rockerdud

[mellie89]

Yes, it has. I came here with terribly damaged hair. If I hadn't found LHC, I would have probably chopped it all off. Instead, I learned how to baby it with different oils and the wonderful CWC method. Oh, and I would have never found out about cassia without LHC, and it as been absolutely awesome for my hair. I was able to slowly trim the damage away without losing tons of length. Sweet!

[Ntaark]

My hair is so much healthier since i joined :joy: , and i have just been doing EVOO and CWC. Once my hair is a little bit longer i'm going to try a whole bunch of the different hair do's, since my hair styles a blah right now. LHC is definitely my hair saver!

[Victorious]

Yes, my hair has a lot of new updos.

[growing2shine]

Yes! I have always cared for my hair the best I could, but now, with all the knowledge, my hair has transformed. I mean I still have a lot of damage to grow out but my hair is still in much better condition. And I love all the lovely members! I had no idea that there were so many people who was that interested in hair. :D

[bluesnowflake]

Yes, definitely. I now use less shampoo and more conditioner and I ice-water rinse and EVOO occasionally. It has definitely helped my hair.

[FrannyG]

Well, before I discovered this site, I had already committed to stopping heat-styling, which was the number one problem with my hair. Heat styling gave me split ends, and I knew I had to stop doing it if I wanted long hair. I already did know not to brush or comb my hair when it was wet.

It was while searching for updos to wear instead of heat-styling that I found this site, and definitely my hair has benefited.

I do dye my hair; even LHC can't stop me from doing that. However, I have learned how to care for my dyed hair and even how to minimize dye damage by coating my hair with coconut oil prior to touching up my roots.

There have been other tips that I've come across along the way which I might not have thought of, such as wearing my hair in a bun on the top of my head at night, instead of wearing it loose.

Of course, there are other things that many members do here that I do not do.

I guess the most important thing is that now I make informed choices about what I do with my hair.

[christine1989]

Prior to LHC I already knew quite a bit about hair from internet research. I already used coconut oil, biotin and non SLS shampoo but LHC has given me so many new ideas and the members are so helpful. LHC has introduced me to some great and natural hair products like jojoba oil, aloe and the idea of giving up cones. I had healthy hair before finding LHC but the information on here has made it even better! :)

[aimison]

My hair is doing so SO much better. Before I joined LHC I had frizzy, puffy hair that I dealt with the only way I knew how to---cone-y products, blowdry, flat iron (I know those work for some people, but my hair doesn't really react too positively to them)..generally beating the crap out of it.

I joined LHC, swore off my blowdrier and cranked to the highest setting flatiron, gradually gave up cones, started oiling my hair and using more natural products and gentler tools, and I can't forget my new-found love (addiction?) to henna--and my hair has rewarded me in spades. So much new growth (went from BSL to waist in a little under a year)--my hair has never looked better! My "puffy frizzy snarly" mop has turned itself into beautiful, (mostly) smooth, shiny auburn waves/curls.

Thanks everyone! :)

[HairFaerie]

It has helped me by giving me different ideas for stuff I never heard about (like castor oil, for example). Also, this board provides me with much needed support of like minded people. I don't have anyone in the "real world" to talk about this kind of stuff with, share milestones, goals, etc. So, the support alone is priceless!

[jaine]

My hair is definitely longer than it would have been if I hadn't joined LHC - thanks to the supportive ladies in the super-shorties thread and the beautiful long hair I see in so many of your pictures, inspiring me to let it grow!!

The condition of my hair is better too...I had some blonde highlights when I first joined and I needed a non-damaging way to cover them up. Henna & indigo helped tremendously...the highlighted hair feels healthy again and is very close to my own color.

[sibiryachka]

Heavens, yes. It's thicker, shinier, softer, more flexible, a leeetle bit longer, has fewer split ends, and my scalp no longer itches. Most of all, it's happy because it knows it finally is getting the TLC it needs to grow long like it's always wanted to!

[AnnaJamila]

I've never had split ends or any kind of damage but my hair is shinier, silkier, and SOOOOOOOOOOOO much softer!! My husband can't keep his hands out of it and has commented about the improved texture. Also the color looks a lot richer and it's thicker due to conditioner only washing. Plus I can save money and aggravation and cut my own hair now!!!

[jeanniet]

I never did anything actively bad to my hair before coming here--no blow drying, coloring, etc.--but I didn't exactly treat it nicely, either. I was too hard on it with brushing, didn't use shampoos that worked best for it, and things like that. I'm just gentler and more careful now, and more conscious of what products I use. The number of splits I have had gone down dramatically, even though my hair has grown quite a bit. I'm pretty happy just with that!

[Heartwillfollow]

I definetly understand my hair better since coming to LHC :) I use to think my hair was damaged when it got to a certain point because it looked all werid, sgraggly to me.. Now I know it the ends look like that when you let it go without triming... Plus learning how to protect it more things I never would of thought of has done wonders... Thanks LHC :)

[LisaMonster]

1. I can't imagine using conventional shampoo ever again. It's just one of those things I did because that's what you do, you know? You shampoo your hair! Who knew that my hair would be so much happier without it.

2. I never would have considered putting OIL on my HAIR. How absurd! Now I can't live without it.

3. I'm a henna convert! I absolutely love what it does to my hair, again, something I never would have considered before.

[AnnaJamila]

Lol, one unconventional thing I learned via this website is that there are SEVERAL people overseas who speak English well enough that it's not immediately apparant it's their second laguage!!!! It makes me feel rather lazy, truth be told!!!

[Liave Ekeli]

Well, I hope so. Joining LHC has definitely made me more conscious of what I put in my hair, especially in terms of the ingredients in shampoo. Pre-LHC I had no idea what cones or sls was, and I certainly didn't know that there was a way to wash your hair without them.
I've had long hair for years before joining LHC though, and I rarely bother to blowdry, I've never colored, except with Manic Panic, and never all of my hair, and I don't need to straighten, so I think my hair was in fairly good condition overall when I came here.

[sibiryachka]

Lol, one unconventional thing I learned via this website is that there are SEVERAL people overseas who speak English well enough that it's not immediately apparant it's their second laguage!!!! It makes me feel rather lazy, truth be told!!!

I know - it's so humbling to have a non-native speaker tilt her head at something I've said and ask "Is it really correct??", all confused at my grammar... :o

[boomtownrat]

I joined LHC after having lurked for a month or two on the CO-washing thread and soon decided to let my natural hair grow out, which led to me becoming far more active on the Salt & Pepper thread. Even though I only CO-wash occasionally now, I think my hair has benefited immensely from my being here. Before I got here, I didn't know about oiling hair. I didn't know about protective updos, although that's not something I'll have to worry about for quite a while as my hair is just now reaching shag length. To some extent I knew about heat damage, but I didn't know how easy it was to inflict, so I decided to stop using my blow dryer and didn't buy a flat iron. I've never had truly long hair and neither has my mom, so I didn't grow up learning this stuff the way I think many others here did.

It's beneficial to my soul knowing that not every internet forum is a minefield of egos and arguments. I've been online since 1994 and this is one of only two message boards I've found where people know how to get along.

[Jules diamond]

Yes. In a few different ways. Not from any kind of special treatment or tips I've gotten per se. But from the common sense that LHCers are so good at. Namely "If you want your hair to grow long, stop cutting it!" and "Patience, young one. It will grow."

[linnepinne]

Yes, absolutely. I've learned so much about how to properly care for my hair. And this forum always gives me huge inspiration and incuragement! Anything from tips about different products, recepies or methods, to comforting and kind words when you need them. Thank you LHC!

[mrs_coffee]

Oh gosh, so much! My hair used to be so fluffy and coarse and bushy looking whenever it got longer than chin length. Of course, I never used conditioner, used a blow-fryer regularly, and just had no idea how to care for hair. Now my hair is soft and shiny and I can manage it easily. It's still on the short side, just a smidge below my ears, but the health of it has improved by leaps and bounds.