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Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 03:23 PM
A fairly long rant:

Seeing all of these gorgeous long heads of hair makes me feel like I'm so far from my hair goal. My hair isn't short, it's past BSL, but it's all damaged from many chemical dyes. So I'm pretty much going to have to keep cutting my growth until my hair feels healthy again (not willing to chop it all at once). Then I'll be able to start growing to my goal length. I've had to do this before when I bleached my hair in 2008 and had to grow out all the bleach out, but I didn't learn my lesson and went right back to chemicals and straightening. I'm happy that I've decided to do away with heat and chemicals once and for all and have the LHC for support this time around, but it seems so daunting to have to start all over again. :(

I'm going to the salon this weekend to get 2 inches cut off my ends, and I know it's only the first of many before my hair is clear of damage. I'm not depressed about it, actually very excited to finally be on my way back to healthy hair for the fist time in about 8 years, just extremely impatient...I hate waiting lol.

cooklaezo13
December 13th, 2011, 03:26 PM
I hate waiting, too. Just try not to think much about your hair, occupy your mind with other things, and before you know it, the hair will have grown. As my mom would tell me "a watched pot never boils." Well I think watched hair grows really slow :(

Kelikea
December 13th, 2011, 03:26 PM
I know what you mean. I am in need of a trim, but its been a year and I'm still not at my goal. Since my hair grows so slowly, every little trim is like another month or two of growing out! But we want healthy damage-free hair so we go trim.

Curly Hermione
December 13th, 2011, 03:30 PM
Don't worry, you will get there! Hugs from me! :flower:
Just remember that however bad you think your hair is, someone else wants it. It's what stops me going crazy.
On an unrelated note, I love your avatar! If Ariel is one of your hair idols then you have awesome taste, I'm sure your hair will be as amazing as hers one day! :)
I also have painfully slow growing hair, or else it just gets eaten up by the curl, I can't tell. Anyhow, I've been growing it out since forever and people still ask me if I've just had it cut.

einna
December 13th, 2011, 03:30 PM
Haha, I know what you mean! I sooo want long healthy locks. I am well on my way now, trimming a lot this year has given me pretty good ends, but not very much growth, though. Heres to another year :D

Amber_Maiden
December 13th, 2011, 03:34 PM
I know what you mean! I have to grow out old dye and fairly recent henna- and it's going to take years! I really want long virgin hair :(

GALISH
December 13th, 2011, 03:35 PM
Most of us have felt the same way at first but don't worry: time flies.
LHC is not here to tease you with all the long locks around but to give you all the information you need to prevent some things that would delay even more your hair goals.

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 03:37 PM
Awww thanks everyone! This is why I love the LHC, such great support. :D

Curly Hermione- She's been my hair idol since I was about 5 lol. Probably why I've been dying my hair red for so any years too. Although the constant dying is what got me here. I am not looking forward to the horrible two toned hair ill be sporting, my roots are already clashing badly. I've been looking into non damaging dyes to ease the transition, I actually ordered some Elumen the other day so I'm excited to see if it works out :) !

Georgies
December 13th, 2011, 03:40 PM
Well, I'm one of those that would happily take your hair - I'm not even at SL yet! I actually contemplated trying to stay away from LHC for awhile so I could forget about hair, but well, here I am...

anikadear
December 13th, 2011, 03:41 PM
I'm on the same train my friend. But the good thing is, you're taking steps toward healthier hair and that's a big deal. You could be sitting back and continuing to dye & fry it but you're not. That's what I call HANDLING BUSINESS!! Good job! And I agree with cooklaezo13, just keep doing what you're doing and stop obsessing over length and one day you'll look up and be like hey, I did it! (Not saying you're obsessing, I just know I do!).

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 03:46 PM
I'm on the same train my friend. But the good thing is, you're taking steps toward healthier hair and that's a big deal. You could be sitting back and continuing to dye & fry it but you're not. That's what I call HANDLING BUSINESS!! Good job! And I agree with cooklaezo13, just keep doing what you're doing and stop obsessing over length and one day you'll look up and be like hey, I did it! (Not saying you're obsessing, I just know I do!).

Exactly :), That's why I'm happy just impatient. I know it'll be worth it in the end, I'm so sick of my unhealthy hair and can't wait to see what it looks like healthy!

Georgies- I only have about an inch of natural hair, the rest is chemical dye that I wan't to be rid of. So I'm actually just starting my journey lol.

longhairedleah
December 13th, 2011, 04:20 PM
I don't have any experience with dying at all (had red streaks in high school, but that's it), but maybe you can find a "safer" sort of a dye (maybe a natural one, even) that's close to your natural colour so that it's less two-toned as you're growing it out?

If you're only an inch out then it won't really hurt your new growth... Someone with more dye expertise and knowledge would maybe be able to help out with that though!

Otherwise, I'm on the same boat. Seeing all the long gorgeous hair makes me feel so impatient!!

andreamuse
December 13th, 2011, 04:26 PM
oh gosh, yes, you're telling me! I'm growing out a pixie and it's still really short. I can't even put mine back into a ponytail yet. I feel like it will be such a long, long time before my hair is remotely considered long.

spidermom
December 13th, 2011, 04:36 PM
I think most of us have been there. In fact - I'm there, waiting for classic length, which I reached last year about this time, but my ends were so dried out and split that I cut back.

Anyway, as stated, hair growth likes to sneak up on you so get busy with other things.

MotherGoddess
December 13th, 2011, 04:42 PM
Before finding this place and seeing all this beautiful long hair, I was very happy with my length. I do have virgin hair - I haven't heat styled for 10+ years and have never dyed it, so my BSL hair is thick and healthy, but I'm seeing all this TBL and classic hair and I want! Also, since my hair is so thick, it acts shorter than it is when trying to do up-dos, so I'm anxious to be able to do some of the cool tricks I'm learning.

kristib123
December 13th, 2011, 04:49 PM
I'm growing out highlights and even with layers there was still quite a bit of damage. I do think taking better care of your hair and preventing future damage (by bleaching &/or heat style) will help speed up the process. At least that's what I'm telling myself at APL-LOL!

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 05:09 PM
I don't have any experience with dying at all (had red streaks in high school, but that's it), but maybe you can find a "safer" sort of a dye (maybe a natural one, even) that's close to your natural colour so that it's less two-toned as you're growing it out?

If you're only an inch out then it won't really hurt your new growth... Someone with more dye expertise and knowledge would maybe be able to help out with that though!

Otherwise, I'm on the same boat. Seeing all the long gorgeous hair makes me feel so impatient!!

Yeah that's my plan actually :). I ordered Elumen the other day, it's a dye that doesn't have peroxide or ammonia so is safe for hair (I hope :confused:). Although I'm going for a wine red shade because I love bright hair colors. And it's supposed to be totally reversible so when I want to see my natural hair I can.

ericthegreat
December 13th, 2011, 05:43 PM
A fairly long rant:

Seeing all of these gorgeous long heads of hair makes me feel like I'm so far from my hair goal. My hair isn't short, it's past BSL, but it's all damaged from many chemical dyes. So I'm pretty much going to have to keep cutting my growth until my hair feels healthy again (not willing to chop it all at once). Then I'll be able to start growing to my goal length. I've had to do this before when I bleached my hair in 2008 and had to grow out all the bleach out, but I didn't learn my lesson and went right back to chemicals and straightening. I'm happy that I've decided to do away with heat and chemicals once and for all and have the LHC for support this time around, but it seems so daunting to have to start all over again. :(

I'm going to the salon this weekend to get 2 inches cut off my ends, and I know it's only the first of many before my hair is clear of damage. I'm not depressed about it, actually very excited to finally be on my way back to healthy hair for the fist time in about 8 years, just extremely impatient...I hate waiting lol.

Ahh but little grasshopper, patience is the one key that separates the committed longhairs from the 'I cut my hair every month just like my hairdresser tells me to' crowd. Again, just be patient. You can do it! :cheese:

KwaveT
December 13th, 2011, 05:52 PM
Your hair is way long compared to mine. Mine hasn't even reached the shoulders yet. I got that impatient mode too. I am measuring my hair at least visually about every two weeks. It all but stopped growing while I was sick because I was having trouble getting sleep. I need to quite thinking about hair so that growth will sneak up on me. At least I can adjust as I go. I have had to learn to adjust to sensation of having hair on my face and neck. It felt entirely unnatural to begin with.

Zesty
December 13th, 2011, 05:57 PM
Don't be discouraged! The thing I love about LHC is that there are so many people who have visual documentation of successfully going from shoulder length, dyed hair to long, virgin hair. :) You'll be there someday too!

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 05:58 PM
Ahh but little grasshopper, patience is the one key that separates the committed longhairs from the 'I cut my hair every month just like my hairdresser tells me to' crowd. Again, just be patient. You can do it! :cheese:

Thankyou master. I shall heed your wisdom. :D

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 06:02 PM
Don't be discouraged! The thing I love about LHC is that there are so many people who have visual documentation of successfully going from shoulder length, dyed hair to long, virgin hair. :) You'll be there someday too!

Thankyou Zesty, I plan on visually documenting my progress. It will be really fun to look back on in a to see how far I've come.

ericthegreat
December 13th, 2011, 06:18 PM
Thankyou master. I shall heed your wisdom. :D

Hey, I wasn't born with the long, beautiful blonde classic length hair you see in my avatar either. I too spent what felt like ERAS painstakingly growing out each precious inch. Then I also spent even more time researching every possible way how to both maintain my treasured bleached blonde color and still continue to keep my hair in a reasonably healthy condition. Believe me, long healthy hair takes work!!

minaa
December 13th, 2011, 06:24 PM
I visit the LHC every couple of weeks for this reason :p I get too impatient otherwise. But don't give up! It's a long term goal and people here all understand the nature of waiting.

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 06:31 PM
Hey, I wasn't born with the long, beautiful blonde classic length hair you see in my avatar either. I too spent what felt like ERAS painstakingly growing out each precious inch. Then I also spent even more time researching every possible way how to both maintain my treasured bleached blonde color and still continue to keep my hair in a reasonably healthy condition. Believe me, long healthy hair takes work!!

I believe it. And I am stunned that you can achieve bleach blonde hair and still have it looking so amazing and shiny.

march_sun
December 13th, 2011, 06:33 PM
I know how you feel!

ericthegreat
December 13th, 2011, 06:49 PM
I believe it. And I am stunned that you can achieve bleach blonde hair and still have it looking so amazing and shiny.

Conditioner, deep conditioner, coconut oil, and a dash of both hope and prayers!!!

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 07:00 PM
Conditioner, deep conditioner, coconut oil, and a dash of both hope and prayers!!!

.....Noted! :)

xoxophelia
December 13th, 2011, 07:16 PM
Trust me, the feeling you have now probably won't go away for awhile XD

That being said, I am sure my hair was probably way worse off than yours when I joined. Literally if I didn't heat style it looked like a witch's wig. And, I was growing out dye, layers, and thinning from a previous health issue. Talk about an uphill battle :/

I haven't gained as much length as I could if I wasn't needing to trim all the time to remove said damage, but my hair is way nicer now. It is wash and go hair to look like my signature (a little aloe vera gel helps control frizz but I don't even get that so badly anymore).

And honestly, even though you can't cure damage mine actually did get better after 2 months of no heat styling. How do I know? It went from looking like I was struck with lightning and being as shiny as a carpet to having a little shine and laying more flat.

So it is a long road with an end goal far away but plenty of the steps in the middle are nice too. What helps me is focusing on just one problem at a time. And trimming.

I finally have a nearly blunt hemline, with healthy chunky ends and it feels at least mostly healthy from root to tip. But that will only improve as more of the pre-LHC hair gets the chop. ;)

Looking back.. definitely worth it.

A. Correira
December 13th, 2011, 07:20 PM
I feel the same, but at the same time, I feel that LHC has made me a little more patient as well. Because it encourages me to keep my hair healthy as I grow, I feel its ok to let my hair take its time getting it where I want it. I still REALLY want my long hair back, but with LHC it is a much more bearable journey.

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 07:29 PM
Trust me, the feeling you have now probably won't go away for awhile XD

That being said, I am sure my hair was probably way worse off than yours when I joined. Literally if I didn't heat style it looked like a witch's wig. And, I was growing out dye, layers, and thinning from a previous health issue. Talk about an uphill battle :/

I haven't gained as much length as I could if I wasn't needing to trim all the time to remove said damage, but my hair is way nicer now. It is wash and go hair to look like my signature (a little aloe vera gel helps control frizz but I don't even get that so badly anymore).

And honestly, even though you can't cure damage mine actually did get better after 2 months of no heat styling. How do I know? It went from looking like I was struck with lightning and being as shiny as a carpet to having a little shine and laying more flat.

So it is a long road with an end goal far away but plenty of the steps in the middle are nice too. What helps me is focusing on just one problem at a time. And trimming.

I finally have a nearly blunt hemline, with healthy chunky ends and it feels at least mostly healthy from root to tip. But that will only improve as more of the pre-LHC hair gets the chop. ;)

Looking back.. definitely worth it.

You're starting hair was a lot like mine is now. Damaged, frizzy, TONS of layers (some are only a few inches long!), about 5 different colors, thin uneven hemline, etc. So seeing that you have such gorgeous hair now is very encouraging. :agree:

blondie9912
December 13th, 2011, 08:13 PM
I agree with you 100%! I have about two inches of virgin roots, as well as my underlayer, but the rest has been dyed and highlighted too many times to even count. I feel like I'll have to start with completely 'new hair' to ever like it again :( However, my friend has been growing out dye and heat damage for a year now (hasn't dyed since then) and her hair is soooo much softer than it used to be. I think that damaged hair can be somewhat restored with enough TLC :)

Miss Catrina
December 13th, 2011, 08:41 PM
I totally feel this. It's a wealth and knowledge and fun here; but when you have really short hair, it's like nothing is relevant to you and you have nothing to say.

Everyone else is all "Oh, when my hair tangles I do this", or "I use this oil", and I'm just over here like "My hair is so short it doesn't move when the wind blows."

jacqueline101
December 13th, 2011, 08:52 PM
I understand you completely. We all have hair envy we want our hair to grow to our goal length and it never seems like it gets there fast enough.

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 09:03 PM
Everyone else is all "Oh, when my hair tangles I do this", or "I use this oil", and I'm just over here like "My hair is so short it doesn't move when the wind blows."


Haha. I feel your pain Miss Catrina, although mine is more like "My hair is so damaged it doesn't move when the wind blows." :p

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 09:04 PM
I understand you completely. We all have hair envy we want our hair to grow to our goal length and it never seems like it gets there fast enough.

It certainly doesn't, why only 1/2 inch per month, why?! lol

Ravenwind
December 13th, 2011, 09:07 PM
I feel your pain. I recently just cut off about 4 inches because my hair felt really dry, but I love it now because even though it's a lot shorter, it feels so nice and a lot thicker. What I do to keep my mind off my hair is to just put it up in a bun. That keeps me from touching it and playing with it and from thinking about how I wish my hair was longer! And for some reason, the longer I keep my hair up during the week, it seems like it grows faster. Maybe it's just me, but I swear I could have had hair growth spurts xD. But don't worry, you will have long hair eventually! :)

Schrei777
December 13th, 2011, 09:26 PM
I feel your pain. I recently just cut off about 4 inches because my hair felt really dry, but I love it now because even though it's a lot shorter, it feels so nice and a lot thicker. What I do to keep my mind off my hair is to just put it up in a bun. That keeps me from touching it and playing with it and from thinking about how I wish my hair was longer! And for some reason, the longer I keep my hair up during the week, it seems like it grows faster. Maybe it's just me, but I swear I could have had hair growth spurts xD. But don't worry, you will have long hair eventually! :)

Thanks Ravenwind. I'm going to the salon this weekend and I was only going to get an inch or two, but I'm thinking 4 inches now because it really needs it. Bye bye BSL hair. I think there will be a lot of buns in my future. ;)

xoxophelia
December 13th, 2011, 09:55 PM
Thanks Ravenwind. I'm going to the salon this weekend and I was only going to get an inch or two, but I'm thinking 4 inches now because it really needs it. Bye bye BSL hair. I think there will be a lot of buns in my future. ;)

I also had to trim recently. But eventually you will get enough off that you can finally just let it grow :)

.. I think I actually just hit that point..

Melisande
December 13th, 2011, 10:23 PM
Schrei777, like everybody else here, I understand you and have felt that impatience myself. But after a while, your perspective changes. You see, taking good care of your hair, learning what it needs and what is good for it, is real fun. You get better with it, and you see the results, and you have plenty of happy moments before you reach your goal. So much that after a while the goal (healthy hair of a certain length) becomes less of a focus.

I had chemical damage, although not dramatically damaged, when I discovered LHC and the German boards LHN some five, nearly six years ago. I wanted to have long healthy hair NOW. But when I was with a healthy mane down to my tailbone, I discovered like Spidermom that my ends were dry and crunchy, and had my hair cut back to midback. And I don't regret it. I enjoy every step on the way. I enjoyed hairstyles for longer hair, now I enjoy those for shorter hair (although my hair has grown quite a lot since).

You can have so much fun on the way. You can experiment with oils, with vitamins or food, with washing technique, self trims, mixing your own products, you can make massages, braid at night, learn hairstyles, learn to use hairtoys and collect them, even make your own.... there are so many nice things to do until your dream goal is reached.

The principles of hair care have influenced also my attitude towards skin care and food. I'm a much more critical consumer nowadays. My attitude has also changed in regard to the importance of products. I discovered that good habits outweigh "perfect products". I also discovered that there are no hard and fast rules.

For me, my original length goal really lost its significance. Healthy hair has a reward in itself, no matter what length. I'm really happy I discovered so much about my hair, skin and myself here.

justgreen
December 13th, 2011, 11:16 PM
Thanks Ravenwind. I'm going to the salon this weekend and I was only going to get an inch or two, but I'm thinking 4 inches now because it really needs it. Bye bye BSL hair. I think there will be a lot of buns in my future. ;)

If you had a pic you could post, maybe let us look ....you might not have to cut all that much off. Try and get by with small trims?

Lianna
December 14th, 2011, 12:00 AM
Well, according to your hair type, nature is on your side as you have thick straight hair that isn't fine. It shouldn't be too troublesome for you to grow it! Enjoy it.

Oksana
December 14th, 2011, 03:46 AM
If you had a pic you could post, maybe let us look ....you might not have to cut all that much off. Try and get by with small trims?

^^ This! Smaller trims are much easier to cope with. I have trimmed off 5 inches since I joined here but still managed to gain about 3 inches of growth :)

Avital88
December 14th, 2011, 03:55 AM
i felt the same way , my hair was dead,thin and bsl in 2009! its worth the waiting,it makes long hair more special, if it was this easy to achieve it,it wasnt as desirable as it is now

Johannah
December 14th, 2011, 04:15 AM
I know the feeling, I'm taking a photo every month now to see how fast it grows. You can see a good difference though, it gives a motiviation to hang on. And still, since I'm at TLHC, even if it's just a month, I notice my hair is healthier.

kittymallow
December 14th, 2011, 05:02 AM
i knooow, but on the other hand, beeing here makes me patient on things i never was before. i don't even thing about bleaching or doing damaging things to my hair anymore. a year ago i did stupid things to my hair, but i did not understand how damaging they where. i have never had this long hair before, and it is amazing. i am trying to enjoy the journey:)

Jesabel
December 14th, 2011, 05:19 AM
i'm exactly where you are! Was just past BSL and had two inches taken off today /sigh, we'll get there!

Schrei777
December 14th, 2011, 05:42 AM
Schrei777, like everybody else here, I understand you and have felt that impatience myself. But after a while, your perspective changes. You see, taking good care of your hair, learning what it needs and what is good for it, is real fun. You get better with it, and you see the results, and you have plenty of happy moments before you reach your goal. So much that after a while the goal (healthy hair of a certain length) becomes less of a focus.

I had chemical damage, although not dramatically damaged, when I discovered LHC and the German boards LHN some five, nearly six years ago. I wanted to have long healthy hair NOW. But when I was with a healthy mane down to my tailbone, I discovered like Spidermom that my ends were dry and crunchy, and had my hair cut back to midback. And I don't regret it. I enjoy every step on the way. I enjoyed hairstyles for longer hair, now I enjoy those for shorter hair (although my hair has grown quite a lot since).

You can have so much fun on the way. You can experiment with oils, with vitamins or food, with washing technique, self trims, mixing your own products, you can make massages, braid at night, learn hairstyles, learn to use hairtoys and collect them, even make your own.... there are so many nice things to do until your dream goal is reached.

The principles of hair care have influenced also my attitude towards skin care and food. I'm a much more critical consumer nowadays. My attitude has also changed in regard to the importance of products. I discovered that good habits outweigh "perfect products". I also discovered that there are no hard and fast rules.

For me, my original length goal really lost its significance. Healthy hair has a reward in itself, no matter what length. I'm really happy I discovered so much about my hair, skin and myself here.

Thankyou Melisande :). I also find that improving my hair care has encouraged me to improve my skin, and especially my diet. I've always had a fast metabolism and just ate all the junk food I wanted because I could get away with it. But for the first time in ages I am eating healthy!

Schrei777
December 14th, 2011, 05:48 AM
If you had a pic you could post, maybe let us look ....you might not have to cut all that much off. Try and get by with small trims?

I took some pictures yesterday because I plan on taking one each month to track my progress. I'm too embarrassed to post it right now (it's that bad), but in a month or two I'll post them and see what progress I have made. I should be chopping the whole thing off, but I don't think I could bear that.

shackleford
December 14th, 2011, 01:45 PM
Could not agree with you more, Schrei777. I was at a damaged shoulder length when I joined. All I want is long long long hair again! I've been able to nurse my hair back on its way to health though, and mine was in awful shape - you can do this! Think how proud we will be when we finally get our healthy, long hair :)

ludwig20
December 14th, 2011, 02:57 PM
Thankyou Melisande :). I also find that improving my hair care has encouraged me to improve my skin, and especially my diet. I've always had a fast metabolism and just ate all the junk food I wanted because I could get away with it. But for the first time in ages I am eating healthy!

Same! Ever since I became more interested in my hair, I've modified my diet and have started to use more gentle, organic products for my face. It's just too bad this didn't happen before, but better late than never as they say.

Carissamarie08
December 14th, 2011, 03:04 PM
Im pretty much obsessed with my hair growth process....its not fun. lol

Schrei777
December 14th, 2011, 06:03 PM
Thankyou for all the great support everyone! I really appreciate it.
I can't wait for the day when I can have a before and after and show you all my progress :D.

Delila
December 14th, 2011, 06:09 PM
For what it's worth, I discovered one of the earlier iterations of LHC back when I was still growing out all those pixie layers and my bangs. I decided to just distract myself with other hobbies instead, and re-discovered this new version of LHC just as I was getting brave enough to attempt my first self trim.

As others have said, hanging out here is a very good way to kill time while you're waiting for your hair to grow.

laceyfairy
December 14th, 2011, 06:18 PM
I know what you mean. I get a lot of hair envy from LHC. It usually inspires me to be nice to my hair though,