3 year anniversary!

[inspiral]

Well, its been a little over three years, my first length shot was in december on my birthday three years ago, and I was planning on taking one this last birthday, but it never happened.... so the recent photos i have are from august and october of this year. close enough!!!

so, here i was three years ago:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9512&pictureid=123204
and this is this past august:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9512&pictureid=123205
and october:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9512&pictureid=123206

thanks to the LHC and all it's wonderful members for the amazing hair care advice and inspiration!

[caiti42]

I see no photos?

[inspiral]

hmmph... i can see them... can anyone else? did i do something wrong?

[lacefrost]

I can't see them either :(

[inspiral]

boo! okay, maybe i am doing something wrong... i click the "insert image" button, and i put the url that i copied from the pictures i want to use in my albums by right clicking the image and choosing "copy image address".
lets try something different.... i opened these images in their own window and then copied that url.... do these work?
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2378&pictureid=29363
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2378&pictureid=118551
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2378&pictureid=118550
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2378&pictureid=118549

[Nevvie]

Is that album that you're trying to post from private? I'm not sure if that makes a difference but it might. I can't see them either.

[inspiral]

thanks for the input ladies! that album was private, i just made a public album, lets see if this works....
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9512&pictureid=123204
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=9512&pictureid=123205

[Nevvie]

Yup, I can see the second set. Beautiful hair and alot of growth! Congrats on 3 years.

[bunzfan]

Wow :thudpile: you have some of the most amazing curls i have ever seen.

[Charybdis]

So pretty! Congrats.

[vintage88]

Beautiful!:)

[bouclée]

Gorgeous! You definitively have my dream hair!

[Lisa R]

Your hair is beautiful! I love the last shot. So artistic:)

[Ishje]

oh wow, you have gorgeous curls!!

[jacqueline101]

Your hair is amazing. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[kanaka]

your hair is so pretty and amazing! Congrats :)

[emeraldfaery]

That is my dream hair too! I LOVE your curls. Beautiful length on you as well!

[Amber_Maiden]

WOW!!!! Seriously beautiful hair!!!

[julliams]

Those pictures are amazing. I love the one with the hoop - very artistic.

[Ryanne]

Lovely! :D

[skyblue]

Gorgeous hair!!! And great growth!! Keep up the great work
love the pics!

[pepperminttea]

Your curls are breathtaking! :thud:

[PriscillaCherel]

You got really pretty hair! Congrats! and be proud:D!

[KittyLost]

Your hair is beautiful!

[schweedie]

Oh my goodness, you have total fairytale hair! Love it.

[lacefrost]

Your hair is gorgeous. You have some of my favorite hair ever!

[Zesty]

Fairy tale princess hair! I love it. It looks better and better the longer it gets!

[einna]

Oh wow! Amazing hair! The curls are just amazing!

[dementedkitten]

Ooh your hair is lovely! Congrats!

[BrightEyes]

Oh my goodness, your hair is stunning!! Great growth and I love your curls:)

[Anywhere]

Looks great. :D

[Kira94]

:thud: :bigeyes: So pretty! :love:

[ttverdy]

Beautiful texture! It gives me hope :)

[hendricks82]

What gorgeous shiny ringlets! Lovely hair!

[Mommyof4]

Beautiful curls and color!!

[vanity_acefake]

Congratulations on your 3 year anniversary. Your hair is fairy princess perfect.
I have serious hair envy right now.
Your hair is so beautiful.
:)

[anikadear]

Gorgeous hair and nice growth over the years!

ttverdy, Your hair is also amazing. The color and the curls are fantastic.

[Yozhik]

What beautiful hair! :heart:

Happy 3 year anniversary! :flowers:

[PixxieStix]

Congratulations on your stunning growth and gorgeous hair! Those curls are like something I'd imagine on a fairy tale princess. :crush:

[inspiral]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments!! it's been a fun journey! it would be a lot longer, but I've trimmed quite a bit along the way to keep the ends looking good. my hair is naturally curly, all the pics are air dried, (haven't used heat on my hair in at least 4 years) but i do a lot to help the curls look like this. i have a very specific "curl setting procedure" that I am going to post, in response to replies like this:


Beautiful texture! It gives me hope :)

and other curlies out there who are trying to tame their mane! ttverdy, your hair is beautiful! so nice and thick! I used to be at a loss for what to do with my curls, because i wasn't always a curly, and i was fortunate enough to have some secrets shared with me over the years! i thought i would post my routine for all you curlies out there, because getting my curls to be nicely defined like that takes a specific routine that i've been perfecting for a few years, and the original advice came from a bartender with beautiful long curly hair, who shared her "secret" with me. my hair started turning curly around puberty, and it started around my face and gradually moved back over the years. i felt awkward with half my hair kinda curly, and half of it straight, and had no idea what to do with it, so i cut it short, bleached it, permed it, etc. when i finally started growing it out, i still didn't really know how to deal with curly hair, it always seemed kinda poofy, which i hated. thankfully, this girl shared with me what she had been doing since she was 14, and i tried it, tweaked it, and am still tweaking it, added to it all the wonderful things i have learned on this and other sites, and its the only way i know to get perfectly defined curls! sooo, here it is!! sorry its kinda long, but its very specific!

First off, a few tips:
one thing i have discovered recently that has made a HUGE difference in the appearance of my hair, is using filtered water. i got a shower filter, for other reasons, and started noticing that everyday was an amazing hair day! my roommate's hair, which is also curly, also started looking fabulous all the time. we both started commenting on each others hair, like, "girl, jeeze, your hair looks insanely good all the time, what the hello kitty is going on??!" hehe. we finally made the connection, and since then i have talked to other long hairs who swear by filtered water.

secondly, i am a devout "kinkycurly" product user. i have tried a billion natural hair products, and everything changed once i discovered kinkycurly. my hair changed. i don't have to use gobs and gobs of conditioner, it cut my detangling time in half, i spend less money on products, and the detangler, "knot today" is a LIFESAVER. seriously, the best detangler i have ever used in my life. i have turned several curly and non-curly haired friends onto these products, one who had sworn off so called "natural" products because she didn't think they worked, and she used expensive commercial stuff. now she's a total convert, and she turned her hair dresser on who is also a curly and also super hooked on the stuff.

I use "kinkycurly" shampoo about once a week or week and a half.... and when i can, i like to oil my hair before i shampoo, makes it less dry and frizzy, although the kinkycurly products don't dry out my hair like other shampoos have in the past. if i don't oil my hair i just shampoo the roots, but if i have oil in then i shampoo it all, , because the kinky curly products don't work as well if you have any oils or butter in your hair. i condition every time i wet my hair with kinkycurly knot today detangler, and i only every use my fingers to detangle.

I also s&d compulsively :)

Curl Setting Procedure: *use filtered water for best results!
1) In the bath I detangle with the conditioner with my fingers, then leave conditioner in as long as possible while i bathe.
2) turn the shower on, hold the length up and rinse it out of my scalp only
3) squeeze it out and put in a quarter size of kinkycurly curling custard,
4) run a very fine-toothed comb thru to evenly distribute product and make it all perfectly smooth and part it the way i want it
5) turn on shower and wet it a little again, enough to make sure it's all completely saturated with water and dripping but not enough to rinse the product out. i hold my hair next to the stream of water and kinda throw the water into my hair.
6) using fingers, get the dripping wet curls to form into about maybe twelve sections with my fingers, (about five or six on each side, or whatever feels natural to you)
7) smooth the sections, i sometimes use the comb again to smooth any stray hairs that stick out (I'm a perfectionist, but it does work!)
8) very gently gather the water saturated curls into my hands from the very bottom and lift them up to my scalp, letting them coil up in my hands, and squeeze all the water out. the more times you lift them, the more disturbed the curls can get, so i will coil them, and then squeeze several times, instead of coil, squeeze, coil, squeeze.
9) do the same coiling and squeezing with a t-shirt.
10) turn head upside down and rough up and scrunch the roots a little bit to discourage flatness, but not enough to disrupt your curls too much. i do this several times as it dries, and more so when its dried more so the curls are already set in and it won't mess them up too much.
11) let air dry and don't touch it too much. once its pretty dry you can do more smoothing, and fuss with it a little if needed.
12) voila! perfectly defined curls! :cheer::cheer:

starting with completely saturated curls is key, because it makes the curls clump together, and the "coil and squeeze" is very similar to scrunching but it keeps the curls more defined. scrunching creates more volume, so it just depends on what you are going for!

happy curling! let me know if anyone tries it out!!

[CurlyMopTop]

Very pretty! Congrats!

[longcurlygirl<3]

Beautiful :)

[Hamh]

You have the most beautiful hair!! I'd love your definition, I am in awe!!

[holothuroidea]

:thudpile:

You can always tell someone who really embraces their hair as a part of who they are. You, your style and your hair are all beautiful.

[DavidN]

Congratulations to you, inspiral, on your 3 year LHC anniversary, and what beautiful curls!

[Red_Wednesday]

Wow!! Very beautiful hair!! Congratulations!!!

[Tressie]

Add me to the pile :thudpile: Beautiful, and great progress! :blossom: Congrats!!

[cindy58]

Happy Anniversary! Very pretty hair.

[fleurdelis]

I love your curls and the pretty, natural blond :)

[constancev18]

Great progress! Are you at tailbone stretched?

[charalito]

Such beautiful hair and lovely growth! Congrats!