CURRENT AS OF SEP 21ST 2007

- 21 INCHES MEASURED FROM THE FRONT HAIRLINE
- 100% VIRGIN HAIR
- ORGANIC CHEMICAL FREE SHAMPOO
- COCONUT OIL
- NO SCISSORS IN 8 MONTHS
- GOAL IS TAILBONE



KEEPING A JOURNAL
I have finally decided to keep a journal of my hair and see how much progress i make by doing so.


WHO I AM
My Forum name is Rainbow and i live in London, England in the united Kingdom right now it is winter time and winter lasts about 4 months of cold, wind, rain and snow. I am just finishing my degree and hope to venture out in the world to do missionary work in third world countrys and preach the gospel. I am married with a little girl, some may be shocked as i am only 22 but in the christian culture it is right for a woman to marry.

I am choosing to fully submit to the christian way of living too long have i lived life the way i want how i want and when i want now it is up to God what he does with me. I will take up my cross and follow him.

MY ROUTINE
My routine is quite simple i have the less is more approach, however i would like to make it a little more decorative since i love doing new things to my hair.

WASHES PER MONTH


Currently washing my hair every 3 to 4 days, i am trying to go longer when i can between washes but i just love freshly washed hair. I have tried WO and CO but neither worked for me.

PICTURES 2006



http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/Y3PICT0951.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/Y2PICT0954.jpg

Welcome to the wonderful world of journaling!   :)

Thank you i am finding this so much fun :D

Journaling is a great way to keep track of small changes in your routine and hair condition.  Keep at it and you will be surprised at how much progress you are making.

JOURNAL TITLE
i was thinking of a new name for my journal something quick and short but i cannot think of anything?



[smiley=kiss.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=birthdays.gif] [smiley=bath.gif] [smiley=engel017.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif] [smiley=lolk.gif] [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

Hi Rainbow.  I just had a trim myself so I know how much of a setback it can appear to be.  I see that you have trims scheduled in the future.  Are you trimming to get rid of the hair color or because your hair is damaged?  If your ends are healthy (even with the color) maybe you might want to hang on to your length to reach your growth goals faster.

I'm so uncreative, I don't have any suggestions as to what you name your journal but, I'm sure you'll figure out something nice that works for you. ;)

yes this has been going around my head over and over shall i cut out the dye or should i not & just reach my goal. I am fighting not to cut, its hard. I can tell i have two tone ::) however no one else seems to notice ;)

Rainbow wrote on Dec 10^th, 2006 at 10:28am:

I can tell i have two tone ::) however noone else seems to notice ;)

I know the feeling to have something really bother you even though no one else notices.  Of course you know that the choice to trim or not is yours alone, but your color looks beautiful to me and to everyone else who's seen your pictures.  The color of your roots blend with your length nicely.  I think if you let it grow the way it is, it would still look amazing! :)  

Ahh thank you La Diosa its so nice to log on and have advice and compliments in your journal  [smiley=happy.gif]

STARTED SCALP MASSAGES
Wow my head feels great, i do them daily on dry hair for 2mins and i feel so relaxed so i will be keeping these up for sure.

OTHER STUFF I PLAN TO DO
I want to try AVC i just keep forgetting to buy some.

Double post

You're welcome Rainbow :hugs: :)

I hear that scalp massages are great for stimulating hair growth!

SILICONE

I named this post silicone because almost 6 months ago i went cone free and yes i love it but if i want to get my bleached ends to tailbone i think i am going to have to use some sort on cones!  oh dear

Hi, Rainbow.  A lot of people have wavy or curly hair and don't even know it-it can take quite a bit of length before the waves or curls develop.  Dry hair is for sure common with wavy/curly hair.  Be careful with the cones...they can cause more dryness.  Maybe try a super rich moisturizing conditioner.  Instead of brushing, try using a wide tooth comb.

Good Luck and keep experimenting!

Thank you but i read your post to late and had a horrible disaster :'( which is over now that i clarifyed them out, next time i think i am going to get advice before trying new things

Double post

Rainbow wrote on Dec 22^nd, 2006 at 8:16am:

i think healthy hair is much better than any long hair.

You're right Rainbow.  I wasn't aware that your bleached hair wasn't in good condition.  You will feel better with your long hair if it's healthy.  It'll take you a bit longer to get there, but for the sake of having healthy hair, the extra time will be worth it. :)

HAIR WASHES THIS MONTH
8 times down frow 12 times

JUST MEASURED
My virgin growth is at 4 inches!!

Yayyy virgin hair!  :D  hehe

I now have 23" of virgin hair myself, so I not only share your pain, but also your joy. Keep reaching for it, Rainbow!

Thank you Angel Spun, dont worry i am determined to get back to my natural colour!!

It day 3 since i washed my hair and it is not at all greasy, i cant believe it, i really suffered with greasy hair hoping my hair would get better with no result then all of a sudden i can now go three days without feeling greasy.

CUT A SWEEPING SIDE FRINGE
Well a long fringe it reaches my bottom lip but it does look so versatile and sexy, i will have to post pics when i have the time. I needed some style to my hair!! :D

Double post

My hair is looking very soft and shiney, the new Weleda conditioners are amazing, i was tempted to cut a very short fringe but i choose not to, it just didnt suit me.

Poor Rainbow. I know how agonizing it is to grow out coloured hair, believe me! If you just get trims regularly enough to maintain the health of your hair, pretty soon the coloured parts will just disappear. Hang in there, kiddo.  ;)

Thank you Angel Spun. I am just having to keep reminding myself of the positives and the fact that i am on my way to long healthy hair.

Today is a great day yesterday i cut layers in my hair, i dont know where that came from but my hair is still the same length.

I will have to post some pictures i am not sure if the layers will show up that well so i may have to go out on to the balcony and take some shots of my hair.

So a great day, i cant wait to finally chop out the dye and start concentrating on growth. ;D Very very happy right now

So my hair is looking great with lots of shine, i have misplaced the camera but i hope to take a few pictures outdoors.

Also i am now only looking at this year rather than looking at so many years ahead.

Did i mention that my hair is 95% virgin now .....it feels sooo good, i think those trying to get back to virgin hair are in a complete different hair realm than those trying to grow their hair. I finally feel free of bad hair days.

Just found out i live in a hard water area!

PICTURES


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/PICT1039.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/PICT1038.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/PICT1030.jpg

I have 5 1/2 inches virgin hair now and i have only been groiwng my hair for 9 months. I cannot even imagine waiting longer for this kind of length.

Rainbow wrote on Feb 10^th, 2007 at 3:57am:

i used to love blonde hair and blue eyes so for my wedding i did it as best as i could lol, i think i look better without blonde hair and blue eyes

I wouldn't worry about "only doing the best you could".  Your were an absolutely gorgeous bride!

I did a deep treatment overnight, i applied lots of olive oil to my scalp and brushed it through, i did this because my scalp was dry from my horrible wo experiment. This morning my scalp feels amazing so i will wash off the oil with my Aubrey's clarifying shampoo.

My hair is looking great, i am just trying to get used to how short it is, on the plus side i wear my hair in half updos when i go out so i feel really good about letting my hair go free.

- My hair is looking great today, i have started to oil it again also after each wash.

- I no longer have urges to cut my hair anymore, i think that is because all the damage has gone now.

- Right now the only style i can do is wear it half up and half down, untill it grows about 3 inches.

- I have stopped measuring every week now.

Hubby was a bit upset i cut my hair, i cant blame him, but it will have to do this year until my hair gets to armpit length, then he will see that it was all worth it. :)

Guys can sometimes be weird when it comes to us cutting our hair but as you said, it'll grow and he'll get over it. ;)

STATISTICAL APPROACH TO MY JOURNAL
What i would like to achieve is a statistical feel to my journal, less blabbing and more straight to the point as if i carry on like this ill never find anything.

Did a deep treatment for an hour, my hair has more shine, i need to start doing them more often.

Stayed in east London so i had no shampoo, i then decided to go to sainsburys and find a decent one, every single one had cones or sulphates!! I looked for hours, then i finally started checking conditioners, again cones cones and more cones!

Finally i found Aussie the volumising conditioner looked great as a shampoo and no cones or sulphates!  So i COed and my hair and scalp feel good not as good with my natural, chemical free products but the greese is gone and its fresh and smells nice. Feels slightly dry so i am going to put some shea butter in my hair tonight to give it some moisture.

I have been washing my hair every 2 days now and it gets so greasy so quickly, i need to return to the 4 day schedule, when it stayed cleaner for longer, it is true the more you wash your hair the worse it gets.

So now i am letting my hair go greasy tomo, i will just tie it up and let the oils get to work, and then wash it on the fourth day as usual.

So i am now going every 4 days between washes and my hair is less greasy. I am enjoying short hair for the time being, i am glad that hair takes time to grow or i would never understand how to look after it at such long lengths. One bad habit i have is playing with my hair, which i must stop.

I really want to be able to achieve armpit length hair this year.

Because i have trimed off 9 inches this year in Feb i dont think i will need to trim my hair this year but if my hair needs dusting i will do that when the hemline starts to look quite uneven as i like a straight blunt cut, however i may leave this till dec to avoid getting to scissor happy.

What i like about short hair

I never thought i would say this but short hair has some good advantages!!

1. split free
2. shines
3. healthy
4. never needs trimming
5. i can wash it quickly
6. it drys in an hour
7. i can just pin it back and forget about it
8. no fuss
9. no hassel
10. dont have to worry about damage
11. easy to look after

Of course there are some down sides to

1. not many styles i can do
2. borring
3. dont have to spend time pampering it ( i really want to do this)
4. gets in my eyes
5. have to have pins in my hair to keep it from tickling my face
6. not very girly
7. cant run my hands through it ( well i can but it last for about 1 second)
8. cant play around with it and enjoy it
9. refuses to stay up, as bits fall out everywhere

It's good that you can find so many things that you like about having shorter hair.  Enjoy it while you have it because it will be long before you know it. :)

I agree La diosa :)

On the plus side i had my hair in a differnt style today, i cant wait till i can tuck the shortest layers behind my ears for more versatillity though as today i had to use hair pins, i am not to sure how friendly these are for my hair.

My hair looked really good today it has grown a lot since i cut it.

I threw my old satin pillows away so i had been sleeping on non satin pillows for the last week, my hair was all over the place when i woke up so yesterday i brough some white satin and put it on my pillow, my hair is so greatful this morning. :D

I have started oiling rather than putting shea butter in my hair, as my hair is so much softer with oil. I think i will just use the shea in my conditioner from now on.

Also i am a little concerned about my layers when they grow as they may start thinning out and i really dont want to lose length to trim them off. I guess i will just have to wait till next year until i can get a better  picture of how they are growing.

Hair Growth Plan  :D

2007 - apl
2008 - below bsl
2009 - almost tailbone


I plan only to dust the very tips only when needed and i dont mind fairytale ends until i reach my goal of tailbone.

I am afraid to tell anyone my hair goals their seems to be some kind of growing jealousy. I dread to think how people will react when my hair is long as well as very healthy.


Anyhow i have a soloution which is an updo!!  ;)

You don't have to hide your hair in up do's.  Wear it down regardless of what people say, show it off!  Maybe their jealousy will trigger them to take care of their own hair and let their own hair grow long.  Maybe then, they won't be so concerned with yours. ;)

wrote on Mar 18^th, 2007 at 5:35pm:

You don't have to hide your hair in up do's.  Wear it down regardless of what people say, show it off!  Maybe their jealousy will trigger them to take care of their own hair and let their own hair grow long.  Maybe then, they won't be so concerned with yours. ;)

I second that!  8-)

Ahhh thank you both :) lol

So i WO my hair today as it got caught in the rain. It feels quite dry  :'( Oiling is really helping but i am going to apply shea butter tonight and oil and then wash it out tomo.

The front layers are really fustrating me, [smiley=angry.gif] i cant wait till june when i can just tuck them behind my ears

So my scalp was a little flakey, my hair also smelt very strongly of conditioner so i realised that my scalp is not taking well to the new conditioner.

To remedy this i only used conditioner on the length and not the scalp, i also clarifyed.


Secondly i used Aussie conditioner (without cones) on my length today, to see if there was any improvemnt as my hair seemed a little dry.

To remedy this problem fuller i also did a shea butter deep treatment before washing ans will also apply some more shea butter to my length when my hair is dry.

Hair feels gorgeous ;D

So i clarifyed and then conditioned with Aussie and my hair loved it! I also did not condition my scalp and my hair feels much fresher and cleaner.

I think i will continue with Aussie and then finish of my welenda as deep treatments.

I also put lots of shea butter in my hair and then protected it with some oil. My hair was gleaming!! ;D

My scalp was still dry so i took lots of vitamins and ate very healthly today, i also deep a deep treatment for 3 hours consisting of Aubreys honesuckle rose conditioner, some evening primrose oil and melted shea butter.

What i loved about this is that the mixture does not drip at all. I am just about to wash it out and i hope for a nice scalp :D

One thing i have to get used to is moisturising my hair constantly if i am going to grow it very long with little trimming. I need to get into the habit of putting oil on my hair an hour before washing, to stop my hair getting dry from shampoo. Also by the end of the year i will start to wear my hair up more often, as it grows down my back to avoid damage, i will also need to consider wearing my hair up at night as well :-[.

Ok so i went to wash out the shea butter and it was very stickey so i used conditioner to get it out (Aussie volumising it has not cones, i only use it once in a while) Anyhow my hair did not feel that moisturised wet, it wasnt until the Aussie went on that it felt good, however this was purely for my scalp and my scalp felt great.

I think in the future i wont bother trying she on wet hair again, i also think i will stick to oiling as my hair really loves this. I now think i will continue to buy Aussie as my hair love that and oil.

I now have to buy my new shampoo and see what happens. If only Aussie shampooo had no sulphates :'(

I am so happy i went into the local health food store and found many natural shampoos and conditioners and oils etc, so from now on i will be buying all my things from their because postage and package is costing me a fortune.

A little updet i am already getting tangles today i had my first knot since i cut my hair!! So i just finger combed it out :-?. I need to wear my hair up i suppose i just didnt think i would have to start so early :-[

On the plus side wearing my hair up helps me to forget about it :D

Ooh, knots are the worst! >:(  Glad you got it out okay!

Yeah, a bonus of updo's is definitley being able to ignore your hair so you can just let it grow.  Good luck! :)

Wow i cant believe i have been away for so long, i think i have to much to talk about for one post so ill just try to summarise here

- After my big chop to remove all the dye in Feb i have not touched the scissors its been 6 months now and my hair is still soft and gorgeous

- i plan to go until next april without trimming

- In march i reach my first goal of arm pit length

- In april i plan to remove the layers slowly from april - nov until they are all gone

- My hair is 14. 5 inches now and my fringe is 8.5 inches, not sure what that is measured over the forehead i think its 20 inches

- I am really enjoying my virgin hair

- I use cocnut oil, honey and conditioner, and leave in conditioner to postpone trimming

- Deep oilings with cocnut oil really help

- coconut milk loves my hair too

- I am still growing to tailbone but an just focusing on apl for now

- No splits that i can see, hair has never been this healthy

- Hair actually has a shine now

- I have not used chemicals or heat on my hair for a year now

- My fringe is slightly annoying me its at the awkward stage!! >:(

- Looking forward to March 2008 and my first hair goal

I think thats about all my hair has no fairytales yet it still looks as blunt as ever even my fringe, i will never get a fringe again.

Still hoping for sun highlights but because i wear my hair up daily the sun dosnt reach my hair line :-/. I should be able to wear my hair down fully by next year right now i am still pinning this fringe back and hiding the mass of layers. I have 6.5 inches of layers on the ends, they make my hair go all wavey even though im a 1b

Will be posting new pics at the end of the month for comparision purposes

Hey Rainbow,welcome back!   Sounds like all is going according to plan with your hair!  Would love to see a pic!*hint,hint!*

Rainbow girl! I'd been thinking of ya.  :)

Welcome back - and happy growing. May the hair gods bless you abundantly.

Welcome back!  It's nice to hear how things have been going.

Ahhh thank you all, i have missed you to, i have been busy finishing my degree, gosh it took up my whole life, never agagin one degree is enough stress, how people do more than 1 ill never know. :-/

My hair is great, the fringe has grown to a very annoying stage, i have decided not to trim out the layers but just do small trims every year now, i dont see the point in cutting my healthy hair off and adding more time to my growing goals. I have longish layers now rather than the short layers i had before.

Anyway i got some pics of what my hair looked like before and what it looks like now, brace yourself my hair was very short :-[BEFORE THE CHOP - LOTS OF DYE AND SPLITS

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/Y2PICT0954.jpg


AFTER THE CHOP ALL VIRGIN VERY VERY SHORT

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/f20073.jpg

MAY 2007

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/171834.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/171829.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/MAY.jpg

AUGUST 2007


THESE NEXT 2 I HAVE JUST GOT OUT OF BED AND AM ABOUT TO WASH MY HAIR, THOUGH I WOULD SHOW YOU THE HAIRBAND WAVES AND WHAT MY HAIR LOOKS LIKE ON WASH DAY


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/112515.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/rainbows_photo/113617.jpg

I RUSHED THE NEW PICTURES SO I WILL TRY TO TAKE SOME NICE ONES WHEN I HAVE TIME

P_lanning now to just carry on growing to apl and then have a good trim and then carry on growing, should reach longish apl in march 2008

Your hair is looking great!  Keep up the good work.

Ahhh thank you, i am really pleased with the growth, my hair is shiney too but for some reason my web cam does not caputure that i need to take pics with my digital cam

19.5 measured from the front hairline :o, it getting there  [smiley=birthdays.gif]

WOW!!!  Rainbow your hair has really grown and it looks sooo good.

Debr

;) thanks Deb

Your hair is looking beautiful!  I can't wait to see more pictures.  Just keep growing and taking care of it and you will soon have SUPER LONG hair.

Lynn  :)

Your hair is very nice.  I am sure it will look great at tailbone length!!  Hang in there.

JD

Thank you both

Oh i love writting in my journal but most of the time there is nothing new to say.

hair was getting quite dry its been 10 months since my last chop, i am at 21.5 inches now. I had two micro trims and i trimed my face layers, as they were a little dry. Length is normal/dry scalp is getting so greasy.

Need to buy more oil. Fringe now at chin length and looking long.

Cant wait to do a plait i just cant right now, to many layers.

Next trim is in feb i may trim an inch or two to remove some layers. Just need to get my hair to bsl b4 i decide on cuts over 1/2 inch.

Welcome back!  Glad to hear you are still growing,  Growing out layers is the toughest.  Hang in there and you will succeed!

Keep on growing, Rainbow!  :)

Welcome back Rainbow!  Glad to hear that you're having great growth and all is well. :D