Calling all who are growing shoulder to APL!

The last thread about this was in May so I didn't feel quite right resurrecting it! XD
So who is going from about chin/shoulder to APL? How long do you project it's gonna take? What do you do to push it along?

I'm aaaalmost there if I stretch my wurls out. I think it'll be January before I am well and truly there, though, but hey. Time is going pretty fast. It's very nearly October!

As for what I do, I cycle on/off Biotin (it gives me crazy bad skin if I take it all the time!) and CWC. My growth rate slowed down recently and my hair has been splitting right and left recently because I just switched off cones- turns out plastic holds together broken hair well, and when you stop coating the hair with it... it stops working!

If you're past shoulder, did it take you an eternity to get to the next milestone? I feel like I've been stuck here for a long time! But I know it's getting longer. I do.

Anyway, here's a picture. I lost a chunk out of the right side because it got matted when I was clarifying :(. But I just did a protein/moisture treatment so aside from that bit, it actually feels really really nice.

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6393/214056.jpg

Post your own! Post your advice! I love to hear from people who are going through similar trials and tribulations to my own.

I'm just at shoulder now, and I'm on my way to APL. Should take me about a year, give or take a few months. Reaching shoulder was nice, because I felt like I was finally getting somewhere. Now, I feel like I just need to exercise some patience to get to APL, which will be the the longest my hair has ever been.

Oh, and your hair is gorgeous! Looks like mine does in the front with more consistency. Consider me envious!

I'm almost at APL when my hair is wet, but when it dries is sproings up to a few inches past shoulder. Feels like I've been stuck here forever, mostly because I've got shorter layers in th front. I just trimmed some gnarly ends off last week, and used the 'compact haircutting' method to add some layers in, since I had gotten sick of the way my curly hair just poofed OUT instead of hanging DOWN.

Can't wait to hit BSL, I'm hoping that I can do something more than a sock bun or stubby braid by then!

RocketDog- French twists are so the way to go! My (cheating) variation is to stuff all the hair underneath the same way and weave a pencil through it. It doesn't look so polished and pretty but it stays well and impresses people. Guess not a lot of girls know how to only use sticks!

Mine is at shoulder length and is longer when I smooth is out with a straightening iron. I have a picture of my curly hair and my straightened hair on my profile. I am not sure how long it will take but I finally quit using the cones for a while. I also cannot CO wash only. I tried this last week and my scalp felt ok at first but got so oily during the day. I have an oily complexion to begin with and kind of wondered if this may happen. So now I continue to wash my hair every day with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and then use a leave in conditioner on my damp hair. All of these are no cone. When my hair is almost dry naturally I add a little bit of coconut oil to my hair from the middle down to the ends. It seems to work great and has taken away the frizz and my hair feels so soft and easy to comb through. I use organic, unrefined virgin coconut oil that I got from a health food store that sells natural products. I slightly blow dry my hair to smooth it a little. Then sometimes I still smooth it with the straightener. I am trying to get away from the heat styling so I am looking for a style that I can wear that is wash and go while my hair grows out. I am guessing that by next summer my hair may be at least 6 inches past my shoulders, that is if I take very good care of it. The biggest problem I have is that the fried part of my hair breaks off sometimes but now that I have been using the coconut oil I have noticed that there has been much less breakage.

Another one lost in the shoulder length no man's land! I also feel like I've been here forever. I was above the shoulders last January and I'm well past my collar bone now, but I'm in that awful length that seems like it never changes of "past my shoulders but not anywhere near APL!" My growth has currently slowed considerably (I think due to my pregnancy), it'll be interesting to see if it picks up after the baby's born.
I'm trying benign neglect, I don't have a set routine aside from washing and conditioning. I've played around with Mega Tek to rather mixed results. It seems to boost my growth a bit for a few weeks, then the results taper off and I go back to slow growth. I've had a lot of trims this year (3 since January), which has definitely had an effect on my growth rate, but I'm so prone to splits that I kind of have to get 1/4 inch or so trimmed off every 3-4 months.

Good luck to all those in the "shoulder to APL" club!!

I've been here forever it seems. However, I'm inching closer to APL and I might be there by the end of December - early January!!!

I'm past APL but it felt like such a long time to get from collarbone to APL, when it was only 6 months. Chin to APL took me about 1.25 years.

I'll be (wet/flatironed) APL in about 3 more inches...give or take... I'm hoping to be there by the end of this year...but maybe Feb..which will make 1 year no cutting...I was..hmmm bottom of my ears or so...(I have pics in my albums) I was at shoulder in June maybe May

I take biotin, pernatels, & gelatin
I reculantly gave up cones and not I wont go back