Calling all who are growing shoulder to APL!

[Corvana]

Silk/Satin sleep caps really do make a world of difference.

It really does! One part of why I cut my hair into a pixie all those years ago was how easily my hair tangles. Even without the bleach damage I'd had at that point, it was always a beast in the mornings! With the bleach damage it was ten times worse, of course.

[ghanima]

And they are a committment.. I think with my hair I would have to cut them out if I wanted to do something different, so that is the main reason I chickened out... I would think my hair would rip and get shreaded if I wanted to take them apart. Oh well... I don't have to think about this for several years now...LOL!

Likelikepenny, I see so many youtube videos with women of color and 4 spirals- I love 4 spirals!! It seems that Shea Moisture Curling soufle or custard is perfect for your hair. Have you tried this brand/product yet? I love this girl's attitude!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJP0hU04n2s
This is also one of my curly girl 3/4 gurus:

http://www.tightlycurly.com/welcome

I wonder if dreads give you a headache or cause hair fallout/increased shedding due to the tension?

LOVE the Diana Ross hair. Frizz is really allover the runaways in the last years so we really shouldn't be so worried, it's even fashionable ha ha! instead VOLUME! I have to buy one of those forks for the roots.

At tailbone and this thick, I felt the weight when the dreadlocks were wet, but putting them up and distributing the weight would correct that easily. Updo's also done on the go can be very sculptural , so the look can be effortlessly sharp. People would constantly stop me to wow at them, also because I mostly wore rather classic clothing and the contrast looked so modern. My preference was always to keep them loose though, unless it was too hot weather.
When I cut them I was pleased to see that my roots were super-healthy and the thickness had stayed intact. Two years in with detangling and stuff I had a big shed instead. So definitely the dreads will take care of your hair and scalp much better than constant manipulation.

Wow this conversation makes me wonder if I should get back to dreads... When I cut them I had pondered for a year if I should do that, then my son got lice at school (here it's awfully common) and at that point I had no choice. I cut them down to 1cm, which is a look I like too btw so there was no drama about it. So hmmm... now I'm way older but like you I love dreads on mature women too so that's not a factor at all. Like with long hair or grey hair or natural curls,as long as they are well groomed and styled the more particular the better (in my world). In fact for older women it looks better to have some particularity. I've always loved how Franca Sozzani, former director of Vogue Italia, wore her long hair. It made her instantly look more interesting and modern.

[ghanima]

btw should you do opt to do them I think the best technique is the twist and rip method, which you can totally do on yourself. When I had them done in 2000, by an african hairdresser, she backcombed them and twisted. It works but you pass by an awkward phase where the locks develop loops, while I think with the twist and rip it is less likely to happen. The loops can be fixed, but it's just more hassle.

[likelikepenny]

LOVE the Diana Ross hair. Frizz is really allover the runaways in the last years so we really shouldn't be so worried, it's even fashionable ha ha! instead VOLUME! I have to buy one of those forks for the roots.

At tailbone and this thick, I felt the weight when the dreadlocks were wet, but putting them up and distributing the weight would correct that easily. Updo's also done on the go can be very sculptural , so the look can be effortlessly sharp. People would constantly stop me to wow at them, also because I mostly wore rather classic clothing and the contrast looked so modern. My preference was always to keep them loose though, unless it was too hot weather.
When I cut them I was pleased to see that my roots were super-healthy and the thickness had stayed intact. Two years in with detangling and stuff I had a big shed instead. So definitely the dreads will take care of your hair and scalp much better than constant manipulation.

Wow this conversation makes me wonder if I should get back to dreads... When I cut them I had pondered for a year if I should do that, then my son got lice at school (here it's awfully common) and at that point I had no choice. I cut them down to 1cm, which is a look I like too btw so there was no drama about it. So hmmm... now I'm way older but like you I love dreads on mature women too so that's not a factor at all. Like with long hair or grey hair or natural curls,as long as they are well groomed and styled the more particular the better (in my world). In fact for older women it looks better to have some particularity. I've always loved how Franca Sozzani, former director of Vogue Italia, wore her long hair. It made her instantly look more interesting and modern.

btw should you do opt to do them I think the best technique is the twist and rip method, which you can totally do on yourself. When I had them done in 2000, by an african hairdresser, she backcombed them and twisted. It works but you pass by an awkward phase where the locks develop loops, while I think with the twist and rip it is less likely to happen. The loops can be fixed, but it's just more hassle.

One of my grandmothers has dreads and has for longer than I've been alive. They were around knee or ankle growing up and it always fascinated me. Maybe once I get tired of my curls?

[olivetime]

I used my satin pillow case for the first time last night! Everyone should get one

[likelikepenny]

LongCurlyTress, you were right about the serums and cones.

I did an experiment on my hair where I applied serum to one side of my hair and ends only on the other side. When it dried, I noticed my hair without the cones was much shinier and actually felt like hair when it was wet, rather than coated plastic.

I used EVOO on my damp hair in the shower as part of the ROO method. My hair had soooo much slip, it felt like I slathered my hair in cones.

I then remembered why I love damp oilings and how I used to use only EVOO and water to detangle. Looks like I'm leaning toward water mostly with a few clarifying sessions through out the eyar.

I'll have to see how my hair dries, but hopefully the length isn't oily.

I really want to give up cones, but last time I did, my ends were horrible and I had to trim every month. Hopefully I can find a way around that.

[Joyful Mystery]

I don't like sleeping with my hair loose, except loose in my satin cap. I also have a couple of satin pillowcases for when my hair is long enough to braid before bed and I don't feel like wearing my cap.

[Estrid]

Just a little "rant", haha. Not at all related to this length but the current conversation in here made me think about it.

I wish I knew what my hair liked, it just seems to be "meh" about everything. I did notice quite a change when I CO-washed for some months (flat and silky shiny hair), but I lost so much hair every shower that I stopped.
I tried a mild shampoo for a few months and it was OK for my hair, but my scalp hated it and got really itchy.
Cones or no cones? My hair doesn't seem to see the difference. I have a serum made of mostly cones somewhere and that one I can see a difference if I use, it takes down the poof a bit, else...not much.
ROO was alright, not a huge difference, but a little.


I will try to experiment a bit more with products when my hair gets longer, I would like to have a nice routine for my hair and not just "whatever". I would like to help my waves look as good as they can, but it's so annoying that my hair just looks the same whatever I do.

The only thing that really improves shine for me, and reduce frizz, is braiding my hair right when it's gone dry after a shower, or when it's like 95 % dry, and leaving it like that for a few hours. It looks so much better because the hair strands are together, side by side. Normally my hair is a bit all over the place, quite a lot of volume and the strands does not clump together = making it look messy, poofy and not-shiny.

Maybe I should try conditioning my lengths reeeeeaallly thoroughly to try to get the effect I did from CO-washing. Part of me thinks that I got the nice and silky hair because I put it on the hair close to my scalp and on my scalp, but maybe I can reach similar results by drenching my hair in conditioner without touching the scalp. Hair is too short to try atm, though. *sigh*

[likelikepenny]

Just a little "rant", haha. Not at all related to this length but the current conversation in here made me think about it.

I wish I knew what my hair liked, it just seems to be "meh" about everything. I did notice quite a change when I CO-washed for some months (flat and silky shiny hair), but I lost so much hair every shower that I stopped.
I tried a mild shampoo for a few months and it was OK for my hair, but my scalp hated it and got really itchy.
Cones or no cones? My hair doesn't seem to see the difference. I have a serum made of mostly cones somewhere and that one I can see a difference if I use, it takes down the poof a bit, else...not much.
ROO was alright, not a huge difference, but a little.


I will try to experiment a bit more with products when my hair gets longer, I would like to have a nice routine for my hair and not just "whatever". I would like to help my waves look as good as they can, but it's so annoying that my hair just looks the same whatever I do.

The only thing that really improves shine for me, and reduce frizz, is braiding my hair right when it's gone dry after a shower, or when it's like 95 % dry, and leaving it like that for a few hours. It looks so much better because the hair strands are together, side by side. Normally my hair is a bit all over the place, quite a lot of volume and the strands does not clump together = making it look messy, poofy and not-shiny.

Maybe I should try conditioning my lengths reeeeeaallly thoroughly to try to get the effect I did from CO-washing. Part of me thinks that I got the nice and silky hair because I put it on the hair close to my scalp and on my scalp, but maybe I can reach similar results by drenching my hair in conditioner without touching the scalp. Hair is too short to try atm, though. *sigh*

Have you tried WCC? That may help with the poof.

[Estrid]

Have you tried WCC? That may help with the poof.

Yeah, I have tried that, it didn't do anything at all (which is confusing since CO-washing did do something, but as I said, it might've been the lack of shampoo + really worked in conditioner all the way to the roots that did it).

I will try to use A LOT more conditioner and see if it does anything at all, and try to let it sit for much longer than I normally do. Hopefully it does something.