congratulations! your hair is so beautiful!! i love your curls!
Five years ago today, I joined LHC. Every year since then I've meant to do an anniversary thread, but always forget. But I figured 5 is a good number to remember! =)
I saw a link to LHC in someone's signature on another site. It was the second time I saw it. The first time I didn't actually look at it. I figured it was a place for people with really long hair to hang out, and having only hip length hair at the time, I didn't think I qualified. But some time later I saw it again, and actually clicked around, and realized that LHC is much more than that, so I joined.
Not long before I joined, my hair looked something like this:
I liked my hair, but I was a bit frustrated with it. That picture was from a good day, but most often it looked frizzy and poofy. When I was a kid I used to have fights with my parents over brushing my hair, them saying that I have to brush it to get the tangles out, and I saying that if I brush it the curls go away, and them saying I don't have curls. Finally I reached an age where I realized I didn't really want to have awful tangles in my hair all the time, so I started brushing it once or twice a day and trying to deal with my frizzy, wavy hair.
I also didn't think it was growing much any more, and was rather stuck at somewhere between hip and tailbone. I would later learn that the couple inch trims my mom would helpfully do for me every so often, were actually too often, which is why my hair didn't seem to grow.
When I joined LHC I quickly jumped on this idea that actually, not everyone has to brush their hair, and perhaps I was one of those people. I think this is one of the first pictures I took for LHC:
And with more encouragement or care, it looked like this:
I felt like there was a whole new world open to me. I actually had very nearly the curls I always wanted!
Like many new members, I experimented with the advice I found here. I stopped brushing, I tried combing only in the shower, I switched to 'cone-free and sulfate-free products, I tried plopping my hair in t-shirts and leaving in conditioner or oil and I started learning new ways to wear it up, after having had it basically in a ponytail for the last several years. I stopped trimming, and found my hair was still growing. I settled on a routine pretty early on, and was delighted to find that in following this routine, my hair grew longer and my curls looked better.
My hair passed tailbone and started getting to classic. I realized with mild frustration that it was hard to really monitor my growth, as it could curl differently day to day, but I didn't really mind.
I still did fun things, like dying my hair with deposit-only dyes in various ways.
I learned ways to encourage the curl.
I learned ways to put it up, and started wearing it up more often than not.
And finally today, I'm still delightfully happy with my hair. I wear it up most of the time, which is the easiest thing ever. Sometimes I wear it down, and I still marvel at how beautiful I think it is. I'm so close to my goal length of knee, if not basically there already.
Though of course LHC has helped me grow my hair and I'm thankful for that, even more, LHC has been like a consistent friend for the last five years. It was there for my second year of high school, when I entered my first relationship, when I started my first job, when I struggled with the weight of college decisions, when I first started college, when I was stressed or lonely, when my relationship ended. It helped encourage my life-long love of crafts, as I started nail art, discovered the world of making hair toys, got more heavily into knitting. It was there for other health aspects of my life, like introducing me to the world of proper bra fitting and menstrual cups. When I had a question about anything, I could turn to LHC.
Even more than all the online support, I've made real life friends because of LHC. I know I have a community of people I can meet with in either of my current homes. Even when I was studying abroad in London, I met with LHC members there! My current best friend I met first here. The world feels like a smaller, more approachable place because of the impressive and welcoming community I found in LHC.
So thanks for the last five years, LHC. Looking forward to growing with you more! <3
Knee+ length! Lady Gelôs, Keeper of the Silken Aulaeum in the Order of the Long Haired Knights <3
congratulations! your hair is so beautiful!! i love your curls!
Happy to be here with you! I've never seen those early pics before, thanks for sharing.
58.5 in, 2a, F, ii (3 in)
Lady Kawaii-In-The-Garden the Terminally Curious of the Order of the Long Haired Knights
Mod hat off. Mod hat on. Don't make me wear the mod hat, it messes up my hair. *grin*
I giggled when I read your parents said you have no curls, if you don't, who does? LHC indeed is more than just hair advice, I can fully agree on that.
You should be seriously proud of that mane of yours, it's magnificent!
Happy anniversary!
Such pretty curls Quixii! I also chuckled at the "no curls" parental opinion
Your hair is SO gorgeous. I'm happy for you! Your hair was nice before and now it's just jaw-dropping!
Omgosh. You have BEAUTIFUL hair! I'm sitting here staring enviously at it.
LHC is definitely more than just hair advice, and that's one of the reasons I stick around.
Starting from scratch 7/4/2019
Curly: SHDR.APL.BSL.MBL.WST.HIP.TB.CLSC
Stretched: APL.BSL.MBL.WST.HIP.TB.CLSC
Lady Andromeda, Keeper of Feathered Fauna, in the Order of the Long Haired Knights
Congratulations. Your hair is beautiful!
I've never seen your before pics. I'm glad to know that LHC has helped you out! These were great! Your curls are to die for!
2011- Braidwaves 2013 - Purple ends - trimmed 17in 2014
I LOVE the last picture. Your hair is so lovely
Wurly-girly
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