Looking forward to learning even more!

**Braided Lady** · January 3rd, 2023, 10:21 AM

Hi everyone,
I have been reading lots on here the last few months, and finally decided to make an account. I messed up the hair length measurements and I don't think I can change them for a while, so I'll put the accurate ones here
Purposeful growing out of my hair started (again) at about 20 in (apl), after a shoulder length cut to try out shorter hair. I don't regret the cut, because it confirmed that I do indeed prefer long hair, but I am a little worried that because I never cut it really short, I will have an urge to try out even shorter hair, and lose all of my lovely length on an impulse. Oh, well, that's a problem for the future.
My current length is 30 in (waist)
My current goal is 45 in (classic), though I have longer term goals of knee and, once in my life, I would love to have floor length hair, that I could enjoy for awhile, and then cut back to my favorite length (whatever that turns out to be).
I also put ii/iii because I am at exactly 4 in circumference. If I didn't have bald spots from alopecia areata I would be in iii range, I think, but I am on the edge currently. I will probably sway back and forth over the line the rest of my life, as I have more or less bald spots.

I know almost nothing of taking care of my wavy/wurly hair past the basic WC and brushing it that I was taught, so I have been doing a little experimenting and will continue to do so. I really don't want to give up brushing my hair, because I rarely leave it down, and for buns I often don't brush it, but for braids it seems kind of mandatory. Do most of the wavies who say don't brush your hair leave their hair down all the time? If I brush my hair ever day it stays pretty easy to brush, but if I go for long without brushing it it fills up with tangles. And lots of loose hairs that haven't had their normal chance to come out on the brush. Is there a problem other than messing with your curl pattern when you brush?
Other than reading, doing up my hair in buns and/or braids is my biggest hobby, so I am keeping that in mind while I experiment with different methods, and keeping my ability to do those as my top priority.
I'm so excited to have found other people who care about their hair too!

(Did I use the cheese emoji just because I can, now? Yes, yes, I did. I do my part to keep the great cheese in the sky happy.)

**Braided Lady** · January 3rd, 2023, 10:43 AM

Actually I did manage to correct the lengths, so never mind about that

**lapushka** · January 3rd, 2023, 11:23 AM

Welcome!

**Braided Lady** · January 3rd, 2023, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by lapushka

Welcome!

Thank you! Happy to be here!

**shelomit** · January 4th, 2023, 12:39 PM

Howdy, nice to meet you! Some people have trouble with breakage when brushing. foreveryours on here gets terrible breakage from brushes whereas I don't even though we're pretty much hair twins ( ; If you haven't been noticing breakage and if you don't mind the disruption to your waves, then I wouldn't say there's any problem with continuing to brush as you had done. I waffle between wearing my hair curlier and finger-detangling vs. wearing it straighter and brushing.

**Garnetgem** · January 5th, 2023, 01:44 AM

Hello welcome!

**Braided Lady** · January 6th, 2023, 07:03 AM

Originally Posted by shelomit

Howdy, nice to meet you! Some people have trouble with breakage when brushing. foreveryours on here gets terrible breakage from brushes whereas I don't even though we're pretty much hair twins ( ; If you haven't been noticing breakage and if you don't mind the disruption to your waves, then I wouldn't say there's any problem with continuing to brush as you had done. I waffle between wearing my hair curlier and finger-detangling vs. wearing it straighter and brushing.

OK. I have been confused as to what damage looks like, though. Is a fair bit of frizz damage, or is that just a normal thing everyone experiences, especially with wavy hair like mine?

**babushka27** · January 21st, 2023, 08:56 AM

before I started this, yes I left my hair down pretty much all the time even though I hardly brushed it.. yes it got very tangled hahaha. But it was and is pretty short so it wasn't too troublesome. I just hate to lose the waves when I brush it

**LydiaStauffer** · January 21st, 2023, 10:01 AM

I have barely wavy hair, I find when it's short I can leave it down but once it passes my shoulders I like to keep it braided for everyday, and finger comb it daily, but thay does get rid of the natural wave. To look for damage I would not say frizzyness, though that can be part of it, usually damage will show on your ends in the form of splits, and sometimes even multiple splits on one stand of hair or splitting far up the strand rather than the ends, this can look like frizz but is slightly different in my personal experience��