How has LHC helped your hair the most?

[amaiaisabella]

I have no clue as to how to start a poll, otherwise I would do it with this thread :confused:

Though I've only been a member for a few months, I have noticed a change in my hair. It's much healthier looking and doesn't have the "fuzzy" look anymore. I'm still working on a routine, but most things I have tried have only helped :)

So how has LHC helped your hair the most? Has it expedited your growth? Has your hair recovered from damage? Helped you wean off chemical color or, if you still use it, help you manage your colored hair? Given you ideas as to updos or styling tools? Great recommendations on shampoo/conditioner/herbs/etc? Or all of the above?

[Islandgrrl]

You post a great question here. I've been around about 6 months or so now.

I learned about SMT, which has done tremendous things for my hair. My hair has a tendency toward dryness and SMT has made my hair so much more moisturized and shiny, it's just incredible.

I also tried the Monistat thing. I don't really know that it's made a difference in my growth, but my scalp seems to really, really like it a lot.

The best thing, though, really isn't so much about my hair as it is about this community. There are wonderfully kind and generous people here who will share all their hair care secrets with you in a heartbeat, who will commiserate and support you when things aren't so good, and who will cheer you on in your quest to have the healthiest long hair possible. And if you're really lucky, you get to meet some of them IRL!:blossom:

[vidgrl007]

Two words cocanut oil.I absolutley couldn't live w/o it.:)

[Katurday]

Coconut oil. I've actually had a tub, but never used it on my hair.
I'm considering an EVOO treatment.
Before LHC, the idea of oiling hair seemed, like, INSANE.
I was seriously grossed out when I heard that in hair commercials, the models get such shiny hair because they oiled it and then dried it.
And oil turned out to be awesome for me.

I've also learned about cones and gave up conditioning.
I'm willing to buy shampoo bars also, because I've tried the Lush kind and my hair loves it.
But yeah, the CV kind looks tempting.

AAAAAAND.
Henna.
I need say no more.

[OR Cowgirl]

Updos and an education about 'cones! I had already cut out the heat styling and the brushing but I was helpless with updos.

Mariah

[FrannyG]

Before LHC I had never even heard of COing, which I love. Also, I didn't know about waiting until my hair was dry before detangling and combing.

There are dozens of other things of course, but those two are the most valuable lessons that I've learned for my hair.

[Saranne772]

Education about cones, updos, gentle hair care, hair sticks!!!!!!!!, oil and shampoo bars

[Sana]

I guess finding LHC has made me fall in love with long hair once again:) Also the things I have learnt on LHC like CWC , CO, oiling, gentle care of your hair to avoid breakages have helped my hair whether long or short. Also I have learnt so may updos, which I would never dream of doing on myself.

[ladystar]

Because of LHC, I now don’t blow dry, I have learned to love my hair just the way it is natural!
I discovered coconut oil (as well as other different kinds of oil’s)
Henna WOW I love Henna (never knew it before). Also keeping my hair up more often.

Last but Least, I met some great kind and supportive people. :D

[Nightshade]

i knew about henna, oiling, and gentle handling before coming here.

I'd say cones and updos were my biggest two :)

[Sapphire'sWings]

LHC has helped me with learning about gentle haircare, looking at product labels, improving the condition of my hair, and knowing about updos and hairtoys. Thanks to LHC I'm even making my own hairsticks!

Even though I don't color my hair, I loved learning about henna and indigo. I also learned some recipes (my favorite being SMT) and about herbal haircare, even though I don't use it.

[Pikkukala]

I've only been on here a week or so but I've already learnt to pay more attention to my hair and just how much that I do to it isn't good for it (and I'm learning not to do some of it). Plus I've been learning new ways to braid and updos.

I now have half a dozen things that I want to try on my hair but I can see it taking a long time to get out certain bad habits but I now know that I should try to. :)

[Fillette]

Before LHC, I thought my hair needed to be disciplined, that it needed to be coerced into submission. Now, I know better. I have learned to appreciate it and treat it gently. My hair feels a lot healthier and I am a lot happier!!!

[jojo]

Oh where do I start? Apart from having support from all you guys, I have learnt that my hair isn't really as bad wavy as I used to think. I have learnt the importance of oil and SMT and that if I am nice to my hair, it pays me back double fold with a shine, wave and a bounce.

[Medvssa]

CO, hair treatments/recipes, handling, updos (although I don't put my hair up often, besides it is too short for anything interesting) and education about ingredients, it is certainly useful to know the whats and hows.

I knew and used many things that are dealt with around here (henna and oil for example), or figured them out myself (comb curly hair when the conditioner is still on, etc) but not in depth and as accurately by any stretch of the imagination.

[MissHair]

It helped my hair to recover from the damage. Heat damage, blowdryer, flat iron, curling iron, breakage, obsessive highlighting and bleaching and colouring. My hair is silky soft now. Its the most important thing Ive learned so far, treating it well.

[Snack]

I haven't been here for that long, but I was just thinking about this. In the past week, mu hair has gotten much softer and shinier. I'm fairly sure it's because this site convinced me to try not using "cones" and a lot more conditioner.

[Delila]

I think the general 'gentle handling techniques' category sums it up best for me.

My learning process has been kind of gradual, over time I've adopted different techniques, and found some routines that work for me.

I've pretty much quit brushing my hair at all, now I only finger comb my hair when it's totally dry, and only use a wide toothed comb if I've already detangled with my fingers. This has made a major difference in my hair.

(I do still have my brushes, but I don't use them in any routine fashion. I occasionally give in to the whim to brush, but it's no more lasting than that.)

Gentle cleansing has also made a difference, but for me, gentle handling has been a major step forward.

(I always THOUGHT I was being gentle with my hair, but had to learn over time that there were even more gentle ways to groom myself. :) )

[frizzinator]

I've learned how to eliminate my frizzy hair, reduce shedding and breakage, learned lots of new ways to put my hair up, learned about hair accessories, how to make hair photos and how to control my skin problems with OCM. Plus I've learned lots of non-hair related stuff.

[Eden Iris]

I've only been a member for a little while, but I started lurking way back in October. Coconut oil, night braiding, updos every day (and pretty toys to put in the updos). I don't think my hair is growing any faster, but it definitely looks better.

[toodramatik]

I think.. just looking at the pictures is helping me stay in focus of my long hair goal and fight off the scissor temptation.

[MsBubbles]

Been here 2 months now. If I had to choose only one thing to credit LHC with for my hair, it'd be teaching me to love and be happy with what I previously considered (Mother's voice in my head shudder:) "lank, boring hair that just hangs there". So vive la difference. How great that beautiful, long, nurtured hair comes in all forms.

(and after that on the list comes all the priceless knowledge about 'cones, alcohol, pillow cases, nutrients...:applause)

[mommy101405]

Well I haven't been around that long but just putting away the hair dryer has really made a world of difference. It has taken some getting used to liking the way it looks naturally but I actually think I prefer it now. My dh loves it!

Also, just the patience that beautiful hair isn't something thats going to grow overnight. Just loving the hair I have now.

[Curlsgirl]

As I was growing up my grandmother was the only one who EVER told me I had pretty hair and she was always saying it. I just thought she was being nice. I never thought I could have pretty hair OR long hair. I had no idea how to care for it. It was a bleached, blow-fried, brushed and combed to death, ironed head of frizz when I came here almost literally.

Then I started reading this forum. It opened a whole new world for me! First I started gradually. Could I really let my hair dry NATURALLY without HEAT??? :shudder: I weaned myself off ever so gradually. I had CURLS! People were complimenting me on them! Then I would straighten and I would realize EEK how awful it looked so I wore it curly more! Then I noticed as I started being gentler with it that it looked shinier and felt softer! Hmmmm, could I actually have LONG hair like Wonderly Wrought, Citymorningblue or Wimsey? Noooooooooo, I was too old I thought for long hair! That is what everyone told people past 40! But then why would I just go along with THAT old myth? I never was a conformist before! If I LIKE long hair why shouldn't I have long hair? If it could look pretty I WANTED IT!!! So the journey began! Cones, no cones, CO, CWC, AVG, Coconut oil, jojoba oil, castor oil!!!! Every kind of conditioner, shampoo and leave-in you can imagine and I had to try each one I heard of that was great for curly hair!!! As my hair grew longer and I cut off some damage little by little I saw it get healthier and healthier! I went from bleached to close to my own color which was much easier on my hair and had highlights now and then. My hair loved this new way of treating it! Then I had to have hair sticks! Then hair forks! Then Ficcares, flexi-8s, wooden combs, plastic combs and horn combs!!!

Well, you get the picture!!! LOL! :D

[mrs carol]

Oil, updo's and hair toys. Also its nice to see all the other long hair people on the site.

[wintersun99]

...........

[30isthenewblack]

First of all, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone on the board for all their advice and support. I may not agree with everyone's personal philosophies on the board, my hair priorities may be different, I may like to colour my hair and my hair goals may be moderate but when I wanted to grow my hair, I knew I had to come to the experts and that was a forum where the majority of members have classic length hair.

I think the most important thing that I have learnt through looking at people's progress pictures is that long hair takes patience and dedication but it is an achievable goal if you learn how to look after your hair properly. I am always learning and soaking up the vast knowledge that is on this board.

[chrissy-b]

How hasn't TLHC helped my hair.

I attribute my hair's improvement completely to the help and advice I've received on this forum. And Islandgrrl already pointed out one of the best aspects of this site:


The best thing, though, really isn't so much about my hair as it is about this community. There are wonderfully kind and generous people here who will share all their hair care secrets with you in a heartbeat, who will commiserate and support you when things aren't so good, and who will cheer you on in your quest to have the healthiest long hair possible. And if you're really lucky, you get to meet some of them IRL!:blossom:

[Masara]

The most? That's a difficult one.

I had had long hair before and I had done a few things from reflex (nightime braiding, cone free) But LHC helped me understand why. It's taught me that I can oil very fine hair and coconut oil is the most wonderful thing on the planet. It's helped me understand why only certain conditioners worked for my hair and how to know in advance. I've learnt why henna left my hair like straw and what to do to prevent that.

I've learnt loads of new updos which really add to my hair enjoyment. I could already cinnabun and French braid, but everything else comes from here. Just yesterday one of my pupils asked "but where do you learn all those braids?"

I've leant that there are other (more expensive ;-) ) ways of putting hair up than hairpins. I didn't think my hair was adapted to hairsticks and I don't think I had ever realised hairforks existed. As for flexi-8's and Ficcares, well that goes without saying. (as a side note I've also leant to use paypal, ebay, etsy and to watch the dollar/euro rate)

As I said, I had long hair before and from time to time, I would hear the odd comment about the length. Now it's "nice braid" "your hair is so soft" "Your hair is such a nice colour" "your hair is so shiny" Not all the time, but enough.

But I think the most help has been the confidence in me and in my hair that I have developed. And that's come from the support and friendship of the community here

[Nevermore]

Updos. I learned about COing from kwaniesiam, when we were on the same body mod board and she made a post about henna, but the only things I knew how to do to get my hair out of my face involved braiding or ponytailing and the same half up I'd worn for daily YEARS when I was younger. Now I can do all kinds of nifty buns, I've learned new braids and my only real difficulty is that I need more length to do everything I want to do.

I wear my hair up daily, most of the day, now. I used to wear it down all the time, with the exception of going out to dinner/shopping, in which case it was a ponytail (so, basically, down), held up with a giant claw clip or in a ponytail where the hair wasn't pulled thru the whole way on the last one. Now I wear it in buns, braided and otherwise, generally held with sticks, a fakkare or good day pins. It feels much nicer for that.

[Gabrielle]

Countless suggestions that have allowed me to grow my hair longer than ever before and in much, much better condition. Gentle handling and all that entails is probably the best advice for me because I have such fragile hair.

[DecafJane]

It has shown me the beauty of really, really long hair - I have completely fallen in love with the idea of having ultra-long hair and have learned to love my hair as it is! :)

[Guenever]

This fabulous (In case you wonder - yes, I've got this SATC thing going on sometimes :tongue:) place has taught me a lot of things but most helpful has been the importance of:

- Gentle handling - of course
- Updos - to minimize damage..
- Sticks and forks - To make the updos look great :cool: Now, I would not be able to style my hair without them..
- Quitting the dye - hey, I get thicker, shinier hair - without really doing anything! :wink: this fits my lazy nature perfectly - and it's cheaper^^

[Fireweed]

To use a comb and stop brushing. I love my wood comb and little bottle of oil. My hair is so much better for it.

[amaiaisabella]

Wow, you have all responded in force! :) This is awesome.

I think my hair has undergone a major "transformation" since I started at LHC, but I can't wait until I get long enough to do some cool updos. I'm almost there!

BUT, and this is something only LHCers could understand, I was able to do a low side-ponytail yesterday! Without any shorter layers falling out! That definitely means it's growing! :)

[harley mama]

I stopped brushing and using heat on my curly hair. I stopped using shampoo unless I get really gunky-maybe 6 times a year (if that much). I learned how to give my hair the needed moisture without weighing it down. My hair is much happier now.

[EdG]

Even though I've had long hair for almost two decades, six months of LHC have taught me that I had been washing my hair too often (daily), and that I could do a scalp-wash to prolong the time between full washes. :)
Ed

[Leisa]

Herbs and oils. Say goodbye to shampoo and conditioner.:D

[Lady Godiva]

This is an easy question. At LHC I learned about Ficcare Maximas from Teacherbear, and due to her glowing reports, I bought one. After that I was hooked, and a bunch more purchases later (all with sales...) I've accumulated quite a few of them. They hold my updos firmly, and I know that has protected my hair a lot. :grin:

[daydreamer]

I think the gentle handling in general has helped me the most. I used to be just awful to my hair, ripping through it with brushes while wet, blow drying every day, dyeing several times in a row, ratting, etc etc! This is the longest my hair has been since highschool -- and it is in great condition now compared to back then... it might have had some length but it looked simply awful. Now I have confidence that I can grow long hair that looks healthy too!

[Newniepg]

I suppose the most important thing for me is that I have become more educated about my hair. I learnt about condition only, cones, gentle hair care, oiling, finger combing and lots more!

I have also been given the confidence to try new things (for me, CO and oiling was really strange) because so many other people have tried them, I can too!

[julya]

I learned about seamless combs, which I adore.

[sandrak]

Before LHC, I didn't know how bad heat was for hair. I used to blowdry and hot iron my hair all the time. Now I won't touch the iron, but do sometimes lightly dry my roots and my bangs.

[suicides_eve]

i've regain a lot of length since joining 9 months ago-inspiration and support from others pictures and post have proven the most benifical for me

[chotee]

LHC has kept me motivated for nearly 3 years now. The progress has been slow but steady. The start was bad and my hair was thin, layered and the first few years were just bringing it back into shape rather than growing longer. The motivation here is just unbelievable. People here are so nice and polite, that more than growing hair after a few years you end up having great friends:smile:

chotee

[dewlily]

That you are never to OLD to have long hair. I am 57 and have never had long hair, even though I admired it on younger women. My motto now is 'LONG HEALTHY HAIR BEFORE I DIE'!!!! I am a newbe, so I am reading, reading, reading. I am now into a new world of oils, henna, cassa, wood combs, bbb's, and learning to treat my hair with kindness.

[paper]

I have learned so much about taking care of my hair now, so it will be in good condition when it gets long.