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Signing in as another shoulder length surviver! I've been coping with rag curls/pin curls and clip in accessories like black flowers and clip in highlights. There really is a lot you can do at shoulder, it's just a matter of preference. I think the journey will go just fine to APL for me. :D
I am right in this category. It is okay, I am not loving it. My go to style is a french twist which is working pretty well. Last month I had to still use bobby pins to keep it up along with my hairsticks or hair forks. But just recently my layers have become long enough to keep things up with just my hair toys alone so YAY!!
Buying different hair toys have been keeping me entertained and as long as it is up and not bugging me I am pretty happy. When it is down it doesn't ever want to behave.:rolleyes:
I don't really know what to do with my hair at this length. There are already a few styles I can do, but I look stupid with my hair up. Only when I'm working physically or it is too hot I put them up.
I think this growth stage is the most frustrating, and that it inspires a lot of people to cut it back again.
I totally agree. My hair has such short layers in the back that it looks and feels so thin.Quote:
Originally Posted by emsahib
Same here.Quote:
Originally Posted by emsahib
Me too....my hair just doesn't seem to grow.... :whistle:Quote:
Originally Posted by breezefaerie
Same story over here :( And right now it seems like the shorter layers are beginning to bulk up with each other at the bottom, while my longer layers (flipping at shoulder) are just hanging down thinly.Quote:
Originally Posted by kristymarie87
I am finally almost to armpit length. This stage is very frustrating, I feel like I have been this length for years. I can't wait to reach the next level, armpit to brastrap length.
I love throwing it up with a hair stick! it's just long enough to do that, and it's so easy, no fuss, no clips, no frustration. of course, it would help if i actually HAD any hair sticks ..... i've been wearing one of my titanium sock needles. every time i leave the house like that, my son rolls his eyes - only the ladies' in the knitting store think its cute. :D guess i gotta buy a hairstick or two.
I am barely barely barely APL, when I stretch it I'm there but I feel like that's cheating cause my hair is curly :)
I know what you mean though about it finally feeling long at that length! You can feel it on your skin and it's so nice to dream about it being even longer!
I *so* feel like I am about to just chop all of this off, but I know it will just put me back where I was, wondering why I cut my hair off, and wanting to grow it out again. AHH WE NEED A SUPPORT GROUP!
It really is one of the most frustrating lengths! It's like it grows slowest then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Linnykinz
This length is so frustrating! I feel like I'll be here forever, it never looks any different :(. I'm trying to tie it back and forget about it, but I'm too impatient to do that!
I've been putting mine up because of the heat and humidity here, and I find that it's slightly less aggravating. If my hair's in braids or a ponytail, I don't feel the urge to check to see how long it is every time I walk past a mirror.Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarpixie10988
Patience is hard to master. Unfortunately, hair will be hair and losing patience with it is only going to make things worse. Just wait. Find a way to make it through that works for you. At this length, I really do think putting it up is the way to go, since it's so in the way all the time otherwise.
I've been putting mine up because of the heat and humidity here, and I find that it's slightly less aggravating. If my hair's in braids or a ponytail, I don't feel the urge to check to see how long it is every time I walk past a mirror.Quote:
Originally Posted by sugarpixie10988
Patience is hard to master. Unfortunately, hair will be hair and losing patience with it is only going to make things worse. Just wait. Find a way to make it through that works for you. At this length, I really do think putting it up is the way to go, since it's so in the way all the time otherwise.
I'm in the same boat here. I had my husband take my hair pic for July and I just erased it because it didn't really look any different than June. Oh well.... I'll just keep waiting for APL.
dropinthebucket, you don't have layers, do you? My hair is probably the same length, but I can't use hair sticks yet.
i have a few layers - mostly around the front - but i lightly oil first, and then twist, and they seem to stay in - i have to stick, so no one sees how oily my hair is! :( determined not to wash it more than twice a week AND still do my Navratna.
Maybe I'll have to grow out my layers a bit more to use hairsticks. I read, that thick hair has to be longer for updos anyway.
Have you tried hydrolats or very mild, natural toners to refresh your hair?
Hey Dropinthebucket, I used to have the same problem as you with really oily hair if I didn't wash it more than 3x a week. It was terrible. But then, for SOME REASON, I decided to go NW/SO thinking it would be great for my hair. So I was NW for about 2 weeks, or more, I'm not sure. Used a BBB every day, MSPPing, and it wasn't THAT bad but I always always had it up. Got to the point where I wanted to wear it down so I washed it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dropinthebucket
I guess my hair really slowed down on the sebum production in that time because now my hair never gets oily. I end up getting bored or wanting to wash it or do a DT before it even needs to be washed. I'm saying, maybe once a week. It definitely worked for me, not sure if you're at the point where you would want to try that, but I don't even need to wash my hair now to be honest.
*unhijack* sorry ya'll :)
I just realized I'm a lot further from APL than I thought! I used to reach behind me and get some hair to pull straight down and I was close to APL. I didn't realize I had to tilt my head back to get the hair in the first place. Oh mang! I'd say I've got a good 3 inches to go. No way I'm making it by August :// At least I can work on my braids..
It's so weird-- my hair grew from chin to shoulder in six months-- that's an inch a month. When I realized this, I was overjoyed because that is twice as fast as normal. Now... I think the growth has slowed down. What gives? :(
Our hair may be hard to handle but we do have to admit we look cute with it and it is starting to look nice too! :)
If anyone of you needs a growing buddy let me know. I realised I don't have one really.
what's a growing buddy?
Lol. A person you grow your hair together with I suppose. With similar starting lenght and hair type. So they can compare their growth and encourage each other.
I'm not sure if it's the length or just my hair, but I can't get a hair stick to hold up any of my hair and STAY put!
What I miss most about having APL+ hair was putting it over my shoulders and having it STAY there, unlike now I push it over my shoulders and it swings into my face if I look down...
Especially being a Wurly, my hair seems like its going to take years to get back to APL!
Sounds nice, I'll wait here until someone with my length, layers and hair type comes along. Maybe the concept is similar to hair twins, but I'm not too sure, what hair twins are :oQuote:
Originally Posted by juliaxena
I'm here. I hate it.
For these three reasons:
1. The length is starting to weigh down the volume on top, yet it doesn't look long enough to compensate.
2. I'm growing out dye, hair looks nasty and dirtier than it is when down. This also seems to have a mysterious hair-shortening effect due to the contrast. Or as if I have gone bald at the top of my head.
3. But I can't wear it up because I have layers up to my chin and at the same time my hair is thick (9cm pony with only 3/4 of my hair getting in there thanks to the layers and bangs). Only french braids and very messy cinnabuns are possible.
I'd cut to the upper layers (far too early to consider cutting to the virgin hair) but I can still remember the horrors of being at necklength. :shudder:
Who here is about an inch from APL?
What does APL mean anyways?:p
APL = Armpit Length
Oh no, now there are two identical threads!
I'm a few inches below shoulder when wet but once its dry I'm right at shoulder/maybe slightly under.
I really dislike this length because it's by far the most annoying and it feels like it takes the longest!
This, I fully agree and am in the same boat! Also, the more it grows, the tighter my hair curls (when dry). It ends up looking like there is no growth at all and it is staying the same length, but when it's wet I can see the growth. It's quite frustrating!Quote:
Originally Posted by SlightlySoprano
I really need to do my anxiously-awaited first-time henna... Maybe that will relax the curl a little and make it so it actually looks like my hair is getting longer... :)
I was able to get my hair into a braid today, I was quite delighted. Sure, thanks to some weird layers, the tail was as long as the braided part, but I didn't think my hair could do that. Actually, I should probably get a tape measure and wrap it under my armpits, I think I might be getting close...
In my experience, henna didn't relax my waves/curls in the slightest. The front was just as curly and I'm pretty sure the back stayed wavy. My hair does the same curl-more-as-it-gets-longer thing though, it's quite frustrating. At least once you get to BSL or so, it should be as curly as it's going to get- and if you're lucky its own weight will start straightening it out a bit.Quote:
I really need to do my anxiously-awaited first-time henna... Maybe that will relax the curl a little and make it so it actually looks like my hair is getting longer...
I know what you mean but enjoy those curls! I really think that my hair is getting curlier not just because of its length but because it is healthier! I have forgotten how curly my hair naturally is. I'm desperate for my layers to grow so I have a more uniform curl.Quote:
Originally Posted by catastrophe
I just realized the same thing. I think, I'll follow both threads.Quote:
Originally Posted by SlightlySoprano
By the end of the year my hair should reach apl in a soaking wet state. My shortest layer might reach shoulder length by then. :mad:
Tiina I am so with you. The place where it's the most noticeable that my hair is relatively fine is the top/sides/back of my head, and I either had forgotten that or that wasn't the case the last time my hair was long (years ago) but may explain why I've chopped at this length twice. Perhaps part of it is that I'm also growing out dye so maybe it seems more noticeable. But I'll do a hairstyle and think it looks decent enough, then try and photograph it and I am literally horrified at how terrible it looks. My cowlick makes me look like I have a huge bald spot, other parts of my hair that get pulled into a style make it look like I have bald spots... yuck. Or else if I'm wearing it down, it just lays funny and separates and looks stringy and bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiina
I don't have short layers to grow out fortunately, my shortest layers are 2-3" shorter than my longest layers, BUT... I'm trying to grow out my bangs. This may get really ugly in a couple of months. :rolleyes:
I'm officially at shoulder length now... I have been growing my hair out since last March from a pixi and have been lurking on the super shorties board for the last few months. I feel like it is time to graduate to the next thread....:cheese:
congratulations and welcome, alabaster
Welcome aboard the loooooong journey to your armpits, alabaster! I swear, this feels so slow because there's just so little you can do with your hair right now.
So using some yarn, a mirror, another mirror, and my hair while wet, it looks like I have an inch and a half or so to APL. :mad: Which means that if my growth rate is about what I think it is, I should get there sometime in September.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ooo
Thanks guys! I know this is going to be a long haul.... Thank god i am a short person and the distance between shoulder and APL isn't as long as i have seen on some people... I figure about 4-5 inches... what do you think based on the below pic? So at a 1/2 inch per month i should be there by March of next year without any trimming. Although i am trying to grow out my henna at the same time so i am thinking i am going to be at just below shoulder for a while.....Hopefully the monistat that i am trying out will help things along...http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/a...hoto34copy.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by Tabihito
Depends on your height, but yeah, 5 inches or so sounds about right. It might be closer to 6, but I've got fairly big shoulders.
I need to try doing one of those just to see where everything falls on me. Though for now, all my contortions with mirrors and yarn seem to be working out fine.