8-)

I gave in and I'm starting a hair journal!
My hair has been a cause of joy/concern for sometime. I've never had extremely long hair. When I was a child my mother mostly kept my hair in a cute little bob with long bangs. Since I had straight jet black hair it was very cute!


Now My hair is layered - shortest layer is about chin length.
(What used to be my bangs are also chin length.)

So my goal is to have long, dark, healthy, cascading curls/waves!

I use MANY different products - But I LOVE Aveda. I'm a huge fan of the fact that all Aveda products (even dyes) are all natural! I have been using an Aveda stylist to color/cut my hair for over a year now, and my hair is in such great condition (especially for color-treated hair).
Right now the products I use are:
Aveda Color Protect Shampoo & Aveda Be Curly Conditioner
Joico K-Pak Hair Treatment
Pantene Pro-V Anti-Breakage Shampoo & Conditioner
Pantene Pro-V Fortifying Fortifier
Hot Oil Treatments.
I try to alternate products every time I wash (every other day, or every 3rd day).


Right now I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting for length.
You'll be hearing from me often!
xoxo

well it sounds like you are well on your way. this is a very nice place to give and recieve advice when needed. your hair sound like its beautiful. cant wait to see a picture. i noticed you said you like to color your hair. well im not an expert but if youre looking to still have color but want it as chemical free as possible. there is henna. ive heard that henna has more of a red tone to it so i would probably try looking into indigo that is more of a darker rich color. like i said im not expert but at least now youll have something to look into and think about. anyway good luck on your growing and have a happy holiday. take care.

Welcome to LongLocks, waiting4ll.  Good luck with your growing journey!

Hey waiting4longlocks! After reading your post I realized we have a lot in common! I also have naturally black hair (although mine is not as thick or wavy as yours) that I just love to dye.  I also have a caramel complexion, so I love how dark and light hair looks on me, but I plan on going back to black for a while, then I will dye it (subtly!) with henna.  I"m also entering my last semester of college!  Well good luck with your hair, I"m sure you'll have it long, healthy and beautiful in no time!

Welcome to LongLocks and to journaling.  Writing things down seems to help people realise how far they have come when they are impatient to see results quickly.  Good luck!

Welcome to LL!  Enjoy the boards and ask away any questions you have.  Thoughts and suggestions are most welcome,too! :)

Oops took me a while to update!  ::) but I promise to do better with the new year! For 2008 I decided to go back to my natural color. Right now its a dark chocolate brown color, with a few tiny reddish highlights (where the blonde highlights used to be!) I also had my hairdresser clean up my ends! it was so hard to part with that half inch.. it really was, I can't lie..... :'(
But my hair is looking much better!!  ;D
Anyways, as far as hair care is going for the moment I'm loving Pantene Pro-V's fortifying fortifier!! Great treatment!
Also, I just recently purchased Mane&Tail to get my hair as STRONG as possible.. ANY THOUGHTS FROM ANYONE??
My sister SWEARS by it.. her hair is much thicker and curlier though.

Another New Years Resolution: Keep up vitamin intake! Right now I am taking LifeFitness Hair, Skin, & Nails vitamins. I've used them in the past and after 3-4 weeks I can already feel healthier, fuller hair.

I'm going to make this a great year for hair!!

Picture Removed.

Beautiful color!  You'll have that 1/2" back in no time!!!  Hang in there!

Are you referring to the Pantene Deep Fortifying Treatment? If so, I agree that it's pretty awesome. I've used it a great deal over the years.  :)

Never had any good experiences with Main & Tail though. The shampoo contains harsh ingredients and the conditioner gives me chemical burn on the back of my neck.  :(  And it didn't even condition that well. Plus, it doesn't contain cones, which my hair needs, so I ended up with a dry, tangled mess.  :P  I hope that you have a more pleasant experience. lol

I am also taking Hair, Skin & Nails vitamins (I forget the brand at the minute) but have only been doing so for about 2 days. We'll see how things go.

Glad to hear that your hair is on the mend. I wish you great growth in the new year!  :)

Its cold out and that can only mean one thing for my hair... SHINE!!!  ;D

still waiting4longlocks....

:-*

haha I'm back! This really helps to pass the time ;D

I found a cool hair quote by Paulina Rubio:
'My hair talks a lot about my charater, the way I am. It's wild and imperfect. Sometimes I wear it curly, sometimes I prefer it straight. I like it curly best because that's the way my natural hair is.'

—Paulina Rubio


I don't really know much about her career,  but I know she is a latin pop star. And I know I love her hair!
Here is another pic. This is sort of my goal... My curls are different than hers, but I like her length and cut.
http://i17.tinypic.com/73op3zl.jpg


I've been taking my hair/skin/nail vitamins!!! But basically still just sitting around waiting for results. I know it won't come overnight.. but I want some growth so bad!!  ;D

xx

Paulina's hair is AWESOME!  I didn't know about her at all.  Thanks for sharing.

I have a LONG way to go before I can even start wearing my hair CURLY comfortably.. I think its still too short. Looking at other people with great hair really helps me pass the time!  ;D  Right now I either wear my hair up, or I just run a large barrel curling iron through the layers after it has air-dried.  Here's a pic:





Anyways I just got out of the shower, so I'm just waiting around for my hair to dry a little bit. I decided to use the mane&tail conditioner today with aveda color conserve shampoo. I kind of like the results..I left the conditioner in for about 5 min, and my hair feels very nice!

Also, I think its too difficult to do a cold rinse during the winter. But since the cold air outside makes my hair so shiny, I figure it's not necessary.. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Ok well that's it for now!
xx

Hair is a very powerful thing people! ...... but I don't have to tell YOU that  ;)

Egad...Beyoncé, Shakira, Paulina Rubio, Britney...you must be young!  ;D


Quote:

Also, I think its too difficult to do a cold rinse during the winter. But since the cold air outside makes my hair so shiny, I figure it's not necessary.. Does anyone have any insight on this?

I always use cool water on my hair throughout the entire wash cycle, in any season. Nothing colder than I can stand, of course, and certainly not all the way cold! lol But then I have a high tolerance for cold. Especially in water form.  ;)

Yeah, I don't do cold rinses either.  Cool works just fine.  All you want to do is close the hair, not make your lungs seize up!!

It took my hair quite a while to get long enough for the curl to develop.  I use shampoo and conditioner formulated specifically for curly hair and it really helps!

hahaha I'm 21, is that young?
really the problem is that I'm a closet teeny-bopper  :-X
I also just search blogs all day to look at other peoples (mostly celebs) hair! pathetic, I know LOL  ::)

P.S. Thanks for the feedback on the cool rinse! I was literally rinsing my hair with ice cold water before  :o

It was pretty much a bad hair weekend for me   >:(
My hair feels much drier than I  really thought it was!
I went out a lot this weekend, which meant a lot of styling and drying out my hair.  :-/ I also drank a lot this weekend which probably completely dehydrated my body/hair.

I'm trying to avoid hot oil treatments for the time being because they will strip my hair color.. But I really wish I could do one right now! I think for the next week or so I am going to only wash my hair on every THIRD day, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize  ;)



I really feel that if my hair was just a TIIIINY bit longer I would NEVER have any bad hair days/weekends.  8-)
ugh. still waiting for long locks!!  :o

Yesterday I said I was going to start washing my hair on only every THIRD day, but I don't think I can do it. Anyways, today after using Redken rescue fortifying treatment, my hair feels so SOFT and strong. Also I am just starting to notice the positive effects of the hair/skin/nails vitamins.. My hair is starting to feel fuller! It really hasn't been that long since I started taking them every day, but I can always feel the effects of vitamins on my hair when I first start taking them. Hopefully there will be more HEALTHY hair to come!  :P

Haven't really touched my hair much today ... just letting it rest  :D Threw on a hat and that was it!

I'm starting to feel like my hair is shrinking the way a cotton shirt shrinks in a dryer lol  :-/ Actually the thickness is fine, but its just the length.

Anyways!  ;D
I'm loving my darker color! I think that when I go in for my next trim I am going to have them take my hair EVEN DARKER... back to black! or actually ... the dark, dark, dark brown that my hair really is  ;)

My shortest layer still doesn't fit into a low ponytail which is kind of annoying  >:( It will probably be long enough by the time I go for my next trim and then they will just chop it off!!

haha Ok that's enough!
I'm going to chill out on my hair drama for now,
take my vitamins,
and try to go find some optimism  ::)

Hi and welcome   :)

Quote:

Posted by: waiting4longlocks Posted on: Jan 4th, 2008, 6:42pm hahaha I'm 21, is that young?

Yes


Quote:

Posted by: waiting4longlocks Posted on: Jan 6th, 2008, 8:18pm I went out a lot this weekend, which meant a lot of styling and drying out my hair.   I also drank a lot this weekend which probably completely dehydrated my body/hair.

Everything we do, ingest, stress over, etc. has an effect on our hair...EVERYthing.  


Quote:

Posted by: waiting4longlocks Posted on: Jan 6th, 2008, 8:18pm I really feel that if my hair was just a TIIIINY bit longer I would NEVER have any bad hair days/weekends.

Yeah, I used to believe that too.  Wrong-o, Mary Lou!  ;)  Just concentrate on treating your hair the best that you know how, keep reading LongLocks, and everything will eventually fall into place.  Good luck!   :)

I'm ready to start workin' with the curls!! I began experimenting with mousse & curl cream.. and the results were...okay (would've looked MUCH better if my hair was about an inch longer ;) ) but i have made big improvements!

the other night i decided to go out wearing a very slicked back bun... a first for me! My boyfriend loved it, but i grew up with a mother who thought hair should always be down and styled whenever you leave the house. At first I literally thought I was going to have a panic attack, because the only times I had ever rocked slicked back buns were for ballet recitals and dance performances when you pile on pounds of gel and hairspray to keep the hair in tact number after number.... and I must've flashed back to then. I was like, what am I doing wearing a bun? :o Anyways, I actually got a lot of compliments on it, but since then i've had my hair undone 24/7!  ::)

I've decided to wear my hear up as much as i can until i get my hair trimmed...
well because my color is fading actually  :P
and I need to let my hair (and bank account) rest
... no touch-ups just yet!
>sigh<

My HAIR!







Today I read that almonds are great for the hair so I am going to try eating more! I'm out of my vitamins also, so I have to go get some more before i forget!

Yesterday I washed only with mane and tail conditioner and then i flat  ironed and it  came out so well! it straightened very nicely! I've tried so many things in the past to straighten my hair, and this was the time it has even come out this well and has held sooo well. I really recommend a try for anyone with thick hair that is hard to straighten!

Is your hair that dark or is that from the camera and the location of the picture taken?


My wife loves almonds so that might be one reason her hair is so healthy 8-)

Jerry

That's pretty much the actual color.. there are some lighter parts (the highlights are beginning to come thru) as you can see on the upper left hand side... but the overall color is a dark, dark brown.
I see what you mean about the lighting or the angle make it look darker!

Your hair is so pretty! I wish mine was that thick

Very pretty!

Very nice!   :)

Thanks for the comments on my hair pic everyone  :)

Today I start Bottle #2 of Hair, skin & nails vitamins... i bought Nature's Bounty with 3000 mcg of biotin (3 vitamins a day .. 1 with every meal). We'll see how my hair looks in 40 days when i finish this bottle.. I'll post another pic then. It should be right around the time of my next trim.

Just shampoo'ed & conditioned with mane & tail & now air drying... I'm kind of starting to like this stuff   ;D

just saw this on the straight arrow website (the people that make mane & tail) under FAQ.


"Q.      Does Mane‘n Tail Shampoo and/or Conditioner make hair grow or grow faster?

This is our number one asked question! We have had many people contact us with reports of hair growth and faster growing hair.

Our answer is that when hair is naturally strong it does not break or create split ends, which hinders most people from achieving their goal of longer, stronger, healthier more fuller looking hair.

Mane‘n Tail products were originally developed for horses. Horses' hair is three times thicker than people hair. People started using the products to achieve the beautiful results they saw with their own horses' manes and tails. This is where the legend of Mane‘n Tail products comes from, by nourishing, conditioning and fortifying the hair and scalp to aid healthier hair growth. Mane‘n Tail shampoo and conditioner maintains and helps to achieve longer, stronger, healthier more fuller looking hair. The results can be seen and felt after the first application."

Today my hair is up & tied away in a bun :o Straightening my hair earlier this week was enough, now its time to let it rest as I always say! Something I noticed today is that all my friends came home from break with dark hair! It must be a trend.. or we are ALL just SICK of constantly having to touch up high-lights & cover up roots!  ;D

But now that I saw how dark everyone else's hair is.... I want to go darker ::) My hair has faded a lot.. but a still have a little life left in it before i have to touch-up.

Thats about it for today.. going to go take my vitamins!!  8-)

ugh another day of waiting for long hair :-/

That is how I felt through school, I thought it would never end ::)  But now I have been out of school for 25 years this month (I graduated from high school early)  :o

As you probably know the saying 'Good things come to those that wait'

And then Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers had to contradict that by doing the song The Waiting (the waiting is the hardest part).

Anyway, your hair will be as long as you want it sooner or later and unless that is all you think about all the time it will probably be at the length you want before you know it ;)

Good luck and keep coming here for encouragement and support :)

Jerry

Thanks Jerry! I'm SO impatient  :o but your post was very encouraging!  :)


I'm trying out a new hair routine right now, this is what I did:

Step 1: Applied Got 2 b Leave-in Instant Mender through hair
Step 2: Applied Beyond The Zone Noodle Head Curl Cream (especially to ends)
Step 3: Divided hair into 4 sections and worked Pantene Mousse through-out
Step 4: Air dry (The step I am currently at ;))

Guess we will see what happens.. Oh, and I washed with Mane & Tail   :P

You are very welcome  :)

Jerry

Earlier I had thought about wearing my hair up for a few weeks to not put any styling stress & let it go.. but I really didn't stick to it.

Today I am making a commitment not to wear my hair down until  Valentines Day. ;D



































































Disclaimer: Unless absolutely necessary i.e. a special occasion, date, etc.












:D

today i conditioned with mane & tail and used the same leave-in I have been using.
I've been reading about the morroccan method & the lunar charts and thinking about postponing my next trim by a few weeks to follow the chart for beneficial hair cut dates....
that means I have to change my ticker.. blahh.

I also saw that I had made a mistake on one of my first posts.. I said I was almost BSL... BSL is my short-term goal but I am APL (arm-pit length).. you could probably tell this by my pic anyways though, but I just thought I would clear that up.

I measured at clean 21 inches today...
my next measurement will be the 31st at the end of the month.. I want to check how fast my hair is growing  ;)
I know i really shouldn't micromanage this situation, but I can't help it. But I guess that is the point of a hair journal, right?  :o ;D

this wearing hair up all the time is kind of a drag.. but it's entertaining my mind a bit (or at least taking my focus away from growing) ::) and I'm trying to get creative.
Today for my first class at 9:30 I wore my hair up with an elastic hair band. I got ready in about 5 minutes... and I looked sort of like Britney when she had that headband/weave contraption going on circa early 2007...... not very pretty!


Goal: Try not to make my hair look as messy as Miss Britney's when wearing it up for the next few weeks!  :D

So I'm thinking about Nair-ing my arms or waxing them........
Really considering it... going to go get the nair right now!

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!  :o  :o  :o  :o  No, no, no, honey! Please!

Last year, I Nair-ed my arms and sustained such intense chemical burn, it gave me fever symptoms!! I was in total agony for weeks! All I could do was lay in bed with my arms stretched out crucifix-style and try to sleep...but I was in too much pain to sleep! I had to take Advil nonstop. Oh please, Waiting4longlocks, don't do this to yourself!!!
   My arms were covered in scabs for what seemed like forever and I'm pretty sure that I have permanent nerve damage from it. Definitely one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my life!
   Please, if you are bent on having the hair removed from your arms, have them professionally waxed!!

don't worry angel spun I nixed the Nair idea because I hate the smell.. I ran to walgreens and bought VEET though.. and I also bought this spray that was on sale.
But now I might just leave my arms alone altogether and maybe just save the veet and spray on my legs. Maybe I should start a topic about arm hair. My mom tells me to wax them all the time (i have a low threshold for pain though.. i dont wax ANYTHING anymore), but my dad tells me not to listen and leave them alone. He's probably just saying that bc hes my dad though...  ;)
I'll let u know if i use the Veet or the spray, thanks for the heads up on the Nair again Angel Spun  8-)

Yesterday I had HUGE beautiful hair and curls!! My routine was pretty much the same as always, Leave-in conditioner, curl cream, mousse, air dry. But after it was dry I used a new product: Shagg Spray by Sally Hershberger. It is supposed to add piece-y texture to layered hair and really made all the difference! It is a light-weight spray (not waxy or anything) and really held my layers in place for the whole day!
Successfully wearing my hair curly yesterday made me very excited, I'm sort of starting to see results ;D

Creating Soft, Tame Waves Trial #1: Just conditioned with Mane & tail conditioner, and applied leave in conditioner. Twisted my hair and put it in a big clip for a little, now it is down, very damp and I am letting it air dry.  

I'm going to try to let my hair completely air-dry and then try using my new Sally Hershberger product that I mentioned in my previous post. The directions on the back say to use it on dry hair and then blast with a blow dryer for a minute to create soft toussled waves.......
:o


I'll post the results later...
(maybe even with a pic if it looks good  :P:))

Results were great!  ;D
Only problem with my hair right now while wearing it curly is that the front parts (what used to be my bangs) have grown to about chin length but are not long enough to get curly... so instead they just curl under or OUT... and it gives me a headache :o

To be completely honest, overall I think my hair is in okay condition.
Its not really good, but its not really bad either.

The condition/cut could be better. I plan to keep my layers once I reach my goal length (So I can continue to style and wear my hair curly.. my hair is very thick!) but i am certain all the layers are not growing at the same rate... also a headache!
At this point I'm only using mane & tail, for my washes and days where I only condition. Results are still good, but I've been warned that using this product for a long period of time can lead to massive build-up! At that point I have decided that I will probably switch over to Aveda's Shampure products.

2 short term goals I have added in the past day:
1. Sit-ups every day. I have been doing this for 3 or 4 days now,. I start on my back with my legs straight up and then do 50 crunches holding my legs up, 50 crunches twisting to each side (still with legs up) , 50 "bicycle" crunches, 50 regular crunches, and then I lay on each side and do 50 crunches for my waistline. (the goal is to build this routine up and hopefully repeat! But for now, afterwards.. I cant move  :-X


2. DRINK LOTS & LOTS OF WATER all day, everyday. I've noticed my hair/body is dehydrated.. I drink coffee all day to stay awake during class, and in general I just don't drink enough water. Hopefully this will take my hair up a notch from just "okay". 8-)

My hair had to get pretty long before the curl pattern fully showed up.  I'd suggest that you do pin curls for the bangs you're growing out.  Its a great no heat way of getting curl to those shorter hairs.  I have thick hair, too and find longer hair more difficult to pin curl as my natural curl pattern looks better than pin curls unless I make a million of them-and I don't have the patience for that!!!

Thanks Sakina, thats a GREAT idea! I've tried heat & scrunching  on my former bangs but the curl doesn't hold.. your tip has given me so many styling ideas.. I can't wait to get started!!  ;D

My Mane & Tail conditioner is running out  :-/

so that means I'm going to have to start thinking about what I'm going to use next.... :o

I will probably freshen up my color with a permanent black dye (but an Aveda dye so it will be all natural) and then begin using Aveda's Shampure Shampoo & Conditioner. I'm kind of scared about the BLACK though, I've tried to go back to my natural color before and had a blue-black result that was very difficult to fade! I'm hoping for more of a brown black or a soft black. Nervous though, more thoughts on that later... will DEFINITELY post-pone this until after I go see my mom this weekend.  :P

Anyways, here is the info on Shampure from the Aveda site:


Our pure, gentle daily shampoo—with MorikueTM protein—cleanses and fortifies any type of hair. Infusing it with one of Aveda's original aromas: a calming mix of 25 pure flower and plant essences.

•      Soothing aroma
•      For all hair types

ShampureTM Conditioner provides daily protection from environmental stress and damage. Our formula—with MorikueTM protein—leaves hair healthy-looking, infusing it with a calming mix of 25 pure flower and plant essences.

•      Soothing aroma
•      leaves hair soft and shiny
•      for all hair types


I wash about every 3rd of 4th day but I condition daily so I think this will work nicely.


Also, has anyone ever smelled this?

ITS AMAZING!!!!  :D

You're welcome!  Let us know how it works out!!

I had to take a break from my hair up commitment today :-/

I didn't style it or anything, but since I shampooed today and it felt so soft when it air-dried, I decided to just throw a baseball cap on.

It's so odd how when u don't see your length for ONLY a week or so, the moment you wear it down it feels MUCH longer!!

I have 2 more weeks of wearing my hair up, and then at that point I will freshen up my color, and change shampoo/conditioner (as mentioned before)

I have LOVED the results of Mane&Tail. I am very, very pleased. I recommend this for multi-cultural hair, curly hair, EXTREMELY damaged hair, and thick hair.
And I think that the results work best if you use Mane&Tail as a treatment... that is, only use it for a certain period of time to regain strength to the hair.

I haven't really been keeping up on my vitamins as much. I've only been taking 1 vitamin a day as opposed to the suggested 3 a day  :-/ Since I'm on a mission to grow long hair though, I better start working on that!

Well thats all for right now.

Have you thought about using henna to dye your hair?  I've been trying to get back to my natural color too, and found that dyes never give me what i'm looking for (a soft black).  So I am going to henna my hair for the first time with indigo! I've seen pictures of people's results and it's definitely what I'm looking for  ;D  just a tip!

Could there be another convert here? ;)  I just did my henna and indigo yesterday with amla and love,love,love the results!  Have been using henna/indigo probably since 06.  Would never go back to chemical coloring after this!  Do tell your results and pics if possible!

I have alot of questions about henna!! I'm going to start a thread to get some more info...
My hair is fading so fast, I'd like to get to work soon!!

Also, a little while back Sakina had mentioned using pin curls in attempt to combat the shorter layer at the front of my head that hasn't developed a curl yet.
So the results have been amazing! I only pin curled 4 or 5 1-cm sections, but it really made a difference in styling my hair.

My hair feels a little dry.
Maybe I spoke too soon about the Mane&tail ::)

Actually, I could really tell these past few days that my hair was starting to become accustomed... which is why I've been posting so much about changing shampoo&conditioner, LOL. I'm going to have to go pick up some s&c later today, but for the meantime I'll probably use whats left of my Pantene Anti-Breakage conditioner.

I've been feeling my hair lately and it is getting SO STRONG!! ;D

It must've been the combination of vitamins and mane&tail! My ends feel thick, and look as if they were cut yesterday.. it's hard to imagine that my hair was fried, broken, and over-worked not that long ago!  :-X

What is killing me though is these BANGS (or what used to be bangs). They are still at chin length, and really just make my cut look like a mullet, LOL.


Today I did a mane&tail CO and then slathered my hair with leave-in and threw on a hat to air-dry. That's pretty much it for now.

waiting, waiting, waiting  :-/

::)

yay! curls are starting to come back as you can see in the pic :)

Now if I only had more length...  :o


I haven't been doing much to my hair lately. I had a goal of wearing my hair up until the 14th which I have accomplished, but now I don't feel like doing my hair and wearing it down anymore!  ;D oops


As you can also see in the pic... my color has faded A LOT! mostly at the ends  :-/
Too lazy really to do anything about it, and since I don't mind it that much, I will probably hold out a little bit longer.

just measured the bangs and wanted to get it down somewhere for the record   ::)

Bangs: 8 inches!  ;D

Your hair is sooo pretty!  I really like the color, makes me think of dark chocolate brownies.  Yum!  I think I'm hungry!!

Keep up the good work!!!  ;D

very pretty curls

Your hair is looking fantastic!  Love the color and the curls.  Keep up the good work.

Wow, your color and curls are perfect! :D

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedback!!  ;D

Yesterday I used the Redken Rescue Force treatment on my hair and it really left it feeling wonderful!  ;D

I've also been itching to straighten my hair, but I can't come to terms with how much it will damage my hair if I use my straightening iron even once! I have a Chi straightener but I can still feel the damage every time. Its funny that not that long a go I used to *swear* by my straightener!!

My hair is feeling kind of blah  :-/

It is currently up in a big curly bun thing and I don't feel like touching it.
The curls are def. coming out though! I'm just having issues with frizz and the bottom layer. I'm not using any gel at all (too heavy for my hair) instead I just use curl cream & sometimes mousse. I've been frantically searching the pages of naturallycurly.com, but still haven't found any hair routines or "curly cocktails" I like... I guess it just has  to be trial & error ::)

Bought some new products today!!  :D

I've never tried Nexxus before, so we will see what happens!!!

SLEEKTRESS
sumptuous smoothing shampoo
When frizz and flyaways seem to be here to stay—regardless of the weather and your hairstyle—it’s time to pull the ultimate smooth move. This ultra-gentle shampoo gently cleanses while smoothing and moisturizing hair to leave it soft, manageable, shiny, and sleek.


Humectress
ultimate moisturizing conditioner
Dryness, damage, and breakage don’t stand a chance when faced with this lushly textured and elegantly scented daily treat for your hair that restores its elasticity, resilience, and crucial moisture balance.

Emergencée
strengthening polymeric reconstructor
When dried, fried, and damaged don’t even begin to describe the state of your strands, it’s time to declare a state of Emergencée. This intensive therapy helps reduce breakage and smoothes damaged cuticles and split ends when used in combination with Therappe® luxury moisturizing shampoo and Humectress® ultimate moisturizing conditioner.


I got all the info from the website.. www.nexxus.com

I love Nexxus products!   Hope your experience with them is as pleasant as mine!  The Therappe smells great,btw!

Curlgirl64 wrote on Feb 25^th, 2008 at 2:17am:

I love Nexxus products!   Hope your experience with them is as plesant as mine!  The Therappe smells great,btw!

CurlGirl:I loved them! And the smell was amazing!!

I used all 3 products this morning and I was very pleased:)
The emergencee product was AMAZING. My only complaint is that the conditioner didn't make my hair as soft as I would like.. but I think it really might just be the condition of my hair right now. I think from using mane&tail so regularly (and I was using Herbal Essences for CO) added a lot of build up and dried out my hair a little bit. Its been so tangely lately, and I've had a lot of shedding. Hopefully using this emergencee product will help my hair!  ;D

just did an oil treatment... this is what I did:

1. Oiled dry hair
2. Let steam from hot shower do its magic
3. Applied conditioner on top of oil, waited a couple min
4. Thoroughly rinsed
5. Conditioned
6. rinsed


my hair feels lovely!!   :)

my hair was feeling very greasy today... like build up greasy  :-/
I'm guessing this is because I did a hot oil treatment & used the emergencee product two times this week.  :o
I read on the box today that you should only use the emergencee product once a week.  :-X oops!!
I wonder if this will be bad for my hair?

anyways had to shampoo again today... its still air drying. my hair is pretty thick.. it can take 4 hours to completely air dry. unless I'm outside, then it is much faster!  8-)

I'm trying out rag curls tonight! ;D

I started with my hair about 3/4 dry. I roughly divided my hair into 6 sections and wrapped sections around rolled up, 3''x4'' pieces of towel. the ends of the towel weren't long enough to tie to I had to use hair ties to secure the ends.  ;)

This is my first "test" with rag curls, so we'll see what happens!

I'm working on a pic, give me a sec  :o ..........

http://i27.tinypic.com/345cw76.jpg

sorry about the quality! i took this from my phone  :D

I saw those done on tv the other day.  I can't wait to know how yours turn out.  Good luck! :)

We must see a results picture!

eeee results not so good... sort of looked like shirly temple!  :o
It would've looked great if my hair was just a little longer  :-?
Somehow I always find myself saying that!!  ::)

the re-emergence of my curls has made life so much easier:)

My styling routine goes like this:
1. Comb through leave-in conditioner
2. Add Curl Cream
3. Scrunch and blow-dry for 30-40 seconds
4. While hair is still damp I pull a small section from the middle front of my hair (next to the forehead) and pin it back with bobby pins. This is sort of the "faux hawk" if anyone knows what i mean;)
5. Air dry
6. Love the results  ;D

This is a pic i found on the internet... this is the same hairstyle that I've been wearing that I described in my last post :D I was having trouble articulating!  :-X

http://i31.tinypic.com/15etv21.jpg

I love big loose curls like those!

bikerbraid wrote on Mar 1^st, 2008 at 5:38pm:

I love big loose curls like those!

I agree! I love everything about the hair in that pic!  ;D

I just tried a CWC.. and I liked it!  8-)
I had MAJOR shedding in the shower though  :-/
But that means growth... right?  :-?


I've been eating SO much junk lately. So far today I have had a big breakfast (eggs, potatoes, sausage), pasta for lunch, a big mac & fries, a chocolate ice cream cone & now I'm ordering sushi.  ;D

After midterms are over I'll get to the gym.  ;)

I'm SHOCKED that my hair is 22"  :o
That means I had 3/4 inch growth this month!  :)

I'm not too fond of the point at the top, but overall I think thats a very pretty hair style.

3/4 inches is excellent growth for a month, congratulations! :D

I guess midterms can really work up an appetite. ;D  I know a girl who eats like that regularly and she's thin as a rail, some people are so lucky!

wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2008 at 7:58pm:

I I know a girl who eats like that regularly and she's thin as a rail, some people are so lucky!

tell me about it! I'm going to have to get to the gym sooner than planned  :P

I see that my ticker says 2 days until next trim....
that's not gonna happen  ::) I feel like my hair is in pretty good condition right now.. I'm going to try to hold out for a little longer.. It hasn't really been that long since my last trim. I had my last trim in early January.

Other than that, there's not much to report. I still have major shedding though!!  :-/

Haven't updated lately.. no reason why.. I've just been bored with it  :-/

Had to get back in the hair game by going to the drug-store and picking up some new products..
-Naked Naturals Citrus & Keratin Fortifying Shampoo.. Its kind of thick, but I liked it
-Suave Coconut Conditioner
-Scalp & Hair Heat Masque

I've been doing lots of different things in the shower lately. Firstly, I have been using the Suave Conditioner before (in addition to) my regular conditioner. I need the extra moisture!  ;D

I've been trying to do more hot oil treatments & even did an olive oil treatment yesterday (woop! woop! Proud of myself for that one  ;))

I think I'm in the middle of a resting stage  :-/
but still shedding like crazy!


And it has REAAALLLLY slowed down my motivation.  :-[
So I'm trying to get creative to maintain my focus!
Wish me luck!  :D

Just letting my hair air dry right now, here is what I did in the shower:
1) Olive Oil Treatment - after a few minutes in the steam of the hot shower I slathered conditioner over the oil.
2) Shampoo w/a 2-in-1 - deep wash.
3) Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner - 1-2 min
4) Treseme Conditioner on the ends 1-2 min
5) Cold Rinse

I really felt the need to pamper my hair today, so we will see what happens....
Hopefully this was helpful to my hair!

Did another Olive Oil Treatment .. this time I let it sit for 30 minutes, then in the shower i slathered my ends with Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner. I rinsed then used my Naked Naturals Fortifying shampoo, and followed with Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner. Then I applied my scalp + hair masque for 2 minutes & I followed again with Suave.
I finger-combed my hair and then let it dry. I applied curl cream when my hair finally reached damp & now I am air drying.

Whew, what a pampering my hair got today! & it is looking amazing!!  :)

Whew is right!!  That was alot of pampering!!  After all that I would be pretty mad if it didn't look and feel amazing!!!!!!

oops I've been getting lazy with my hair journal  ::)

But that hasn't stopped me from continuing to pamper & spoil my hair!  ;)

My hair has been rewarding me for the increase in oilings, the decrease in washes, and the ELIMINATION of the blow-dryer!!  :o
Today I also tried a Mayonnaise treatment, and so far, I like it!
I've been keeping up with my biotin supplements too, and for the first time I am really proud of my hair! & Not just because it's looking good, but because we're finally reaching a compromise...
the more time I spend pampering my hair = the less amount of time I need for styling!
It's exciting to finally be one of those people that can air-dry, throw my hair in a pony-tail & then let it down hour later to reveal nicely-styled waves  :)
To be honest, I never thought I could get to that point!!

Way to go, Waiting4longlocks!  :)

Great things happen when we just accept the hair that nature gave us and work with instead of against it. Hope you continue taking good care of your hair and that it rewards you with long, lucious waves.

Quote:

Posted by: waiting4longlocks Posted on: Apr 13th, 2008, 3:57pm ...and the ELIMINATION of the blow-dryer!!

Good for you!!   :)

Angel Spun & Trisha: Thanks for the positive reinforcement! I'm finally starting to realize that when it comes to hair.. pampering really pays off! Which is fine with me.... I love anything that involves being pampered ;)

I'm going to start to work in mayonnaise treatments about once a week, and I'm going to continue my oilings.
Today I was in DESPERATE need of a good wash to clarify. Before I went in the shower I oiled my ends and the top layer of my hair. I waited about 20 minutes and then covered my hair with my Nexxus conditioner & put on a shower cap. Then I just let the steam in the shower work its magic for a few minutes before I clarified :)

hehe Anytime, kiddo.  ;)

:)

WOW! its been a long time  ;D

Since i last wrote in my hair journal, I've had a cut (about 1/2 an inch) that has probably  just grown back!
I've started trying some new things:

-Giovanni Clarifying Shampoo & Giovanni Conditioner
-No CONES!
-ACV rinses occasionally
-Jojoba Oil treatments as often as possible!
-WV rinses occasionally
-Most days = no poo
-Aloe Vera Gel for curly days


Overall more curl is starting to come out in my hair.. so I'm not quite sure how to classify my curls just yet.. I'm guessing... 2b/2c/3a? I guess I will have to wait and see! I'm about BSL now I believe.. and am hoping for mid-back by December. I think it helps to document day by day, so I can keep track of what I'm doing to my hair... so thats why I've returned to my much neglected hair journal!  ;)

Nice to hear from you again, Waiting.  :)

Thanks Angel SpuN!

Looks like I haven't been keeping my promise of updating my journal more often  :-/

I've still been taking good care though..
Here's the latest on what I'm trying

1) Lavendar Oil Scalp Treatments: I've read these can speed up hair growth a bit since lavendar oil removes buildup on the scalp. I usually apply for about 15 minutes before the shower and then clarify with Giovanni 50-50 Clarifying shampoo, followed by an ACV rinse.
2) Switching up my biotin with regular B-Complex vitamins.
3) Broadening my use of oils to include: Vitamin E Oil, Sunflower Oil.

I also stole a tip from a fellow LL poster... which is to divide hair in 2 before applying conditioner.. I found that this really helps! I can't remember who I stole the idea from though!  ::)

Hmm.. well that's all I can think of for now.
I'm aiming for the longest layer of my hair to be mid-back by December, and hopefully for my shortest layer to be shoulder length by about that same time.

So here is the round-up on my hair...
I did an oil treatment yesterday with EVOO & jojoba, and put a tiny bit of jojoba in my hair when it was drying.
Shedding is OUT OF CONTROL....Hopefully this means I am growing!!! I need more conditioner, but I'm going to stick with Nature's Gate Henna Shine conditioner... I really love it, and reccommend it! Other than that, I've been continuing to use lavender on my scalp & ACV rinsing.. overall things are looking good and it is becoming much easier to work with the curl.

Gah! I so hear you on the shedding thing!
Hope it stops soon or I won't have any hair left to lose!  ;D

wrote on Sep 12^th, 2008 at 4:37pm:

Gah! I so hear you on the shedding thing! Hope it stops soon or I won't have any hair left to lose!  ;D

Ugh exactly! I'm getting sick of having to sweep my bathroom a million times a week!

Yesterday was a good day.. a really, really good day! Hair is looking good, and my first goal is finally at arm's length! (apx. 2.5 months!!!) I have been thinking about my next goal and I think after I reach mid-back I am just going to focus on keeping my hair healthy, and paying less attention to the length. Since this first goal will actually be the longest my hair has ever been.. I'm so excited & completely anxious!
For today my hair routine will look like this:
lavender oil on roots
jojoba oil on length
Giovanni Clarifying shampoo
Biofusion Moisture shampoo

Well that's it for now!

On Sunday I applied a generous amount of jojoba oil to my hair after a shower, and wore it in a bun to bed. Yesterday I gave my hair a blow out, which I'm happy to say still looks great this morning!  ;D
Since I've been wearing my hair curly a lot, I didn't realize how long my bangs have grown... they are now about an inch below my chin! Fantastic!!!  :)
My longest layer remains at the same length though....  :-/

I've reached a blah point.  :-/

I'm just trying to keep up by biotin supplements & oilings to get thru this funk but its harrrd.


That said, I currently have jojoba oil in my hair, which is up in a bun & still wet from my shower this afternoon. & my color is faded. ugh gross!  :P

Still in a blah spot, but I am starting to notice some growth! I didn't wash my hair this weekend, because I gave myself a blow out on Friday. Yesterday I used only conditioner, and today I need to go pick up some more ACV!!
I've been thinking about my next trim lately... but I'm going to wait until AFTER I hit mid-back.. with all the oilings I've been doing, my ends look pretty good anyways.

Today I just CO'd and my hair went right up into a bun.  ::)
Ugh, not much else to say for now. But I am proud of myself for consistently taking my Biotin supplements 3 times a day.. EVERY DAY for the past month!  ;D I'm starting to see results!
Also I touched up my dark chocolate color as it was beginning to fade.. looks good! & I think my next dye will be to a natural black!

All I have to say is... 2 MONTHS TILL MID-BACK!!
Never thought it could actually happen when I had a bob full of broken hairs at the top layer!  ::)
It has been a long journey, and I think once I get to mid-back I will just focus on keeping my hair healthy & let it grow at a natural pace!

Cool deal, W4LL.  :)

wrote on Oct 1^st, 2008 at 11:25am:

W4LL

I like that!  ;D

;)

I've been workin w/the wv this week & so far its okay. I conditioned w/Suave tropical cocount (my fave) & threw my hair up into a bun. If I decide to go out tonight it will still be damp enough when I take it down to style it.
Ugh well that's it for now. I guess more biotin & more waiting...  :-/

So, I scheduled an unexpected trim for tommorrow.  :-/
In one of the other topics someone asked about wearing their hair up for an extended period of time.. well here is my advice... just don't put it in a bun.  ;) My hair just got to the length where i can wrap it all in a quick, slick bun, with no hairs sticking out. After a few days of doing this right out of the shower... well.. to say the least, my ends suffered  >:( Nothing tragic, but I just feel the need to clean up my ends.

I've been continuing to do WV rinses & condition with Suave Tropical Coconut.

Oh and for the record.. shedding has officially died down! woo hoo!!  :)

So I had my unexpected trim today... and even though I felt as though my hairdresser was chopping away.. I really can't even tell the difference (except that my ends feel much thicker!) I think this is going to set my goal back just a tad... but I still think my longest layer could reach mid-back by December.

On another note.. I'm going to try to let my blow out last for at least 3 days. It looks gorgeous, and I think it will be a nice rest for my hair.  :)

Also, I asked my stylist about the keratin treatment.. and for my hair type he actually advised against it  :-/
Maybe it's a sign that I need to once and for all .. EMBRACE THE CURLS!!

I'm 98.9% sure that my longest layer is at a rest phase. I just hope that it hasn't reached my maximum hair length. Because I want it go so much longer!  :-/

Today I tried something different... Instead of doing my WV rinse after my shampoo, I rinsed after I conditioned.
The good thing is... there was no stench! That would've been impossible with ACV!

My sister reccommended a great bumble & bumble product & I'm dying to rush out and buy it.. but things have just been so busy. I need a new conditioner & clarifying shampoo as well, but I might not venture into any drastic changes for those areas any time soon.

WoW! It's been a while since my last entry.

Well, I am now officially Mid-Back... @ my longest layer! My hair is in pretty good condition. Lately I've been doing more CO's, since the winter air is especially dry. I am still using Suave as a conditioner, because I just love how light it is. My black hair dye is starting to fade... but it's very very subtle.
On another note.. I have set my next trim at Feb. 8th, which according to the Morroccon Lunar Charts, is beneficial for lengthening  :)

Congratulations on reaching mid-back!!!   :D

Thank you Trisha!!  :)

Reaching Mid-back was a huge goal for me.. I'm glad I made it!

Hair Round-up:
I'm loving the effects of the cold winter air on my hair.. lately I've been letting my hair air dry about 80%, and roundbrushing my hair in sections (but mostly just focusing on the ends) and finishing with a spritz of hairspray. I still end up with a few little curly peices towards my scalp, but my hair looks incredibly thick and shiny, I love it!

Now for a separate thought...
Last night I went out with some friends for some drinks. A girl I was talking with had... terrible smelling hair! Got me thinking.. what could my hair possibly smell during the times I'm only washing every third day.
hmm..  :-/ I never notice any unpleasantness... but maybe she didn't either.

Well.... I'm still just waiting and growing.  ::)But I finally set my next goal length

New Goal: Mid-Back + 3

This is about elbow length on me. I know many people are NOT going to agree with me on my next statement but... I recently read in a book on elegance that a really elegant woman doesn't grow her hair past her elbows.
Now, I'm not saying that I agree with this statement but it sure got me thinking about "elbow length".
And while I think ALL long hair is elegant.... I agree that elbow length truly is an elegant look :)

Wow its been a looooong time!

I am still maintaining mid-back, and just had a trim about a month a go.
I am currently using Pantene Pro-V Classic Care shampoo and conditioner (I like to bring back the cones for winter!)
and my wash schedule goes like this:

Day 1     Day 2     Day 3     Day 4
Wash      CO         CO         Wash


Thats about it for now.. just trying to get some length & grow out my layers!  ::)

Today I did a CWC with my Pantene classic care. My hair is feeling a little.. dry, I suppose. I'm going to do an ACV rinse tom. & probably use a light conditioner without cones. I love the smell of the Pantene but my hair doesn't take well to it after a few weeks.  :-/

right now I'm thinking that my hair ticker is going to have to be changed  :-/
I'm thinking of extending the date to my next trim till about May.
What can I say? I hope I'm not getting too greedy about wanting longer locks  ;)
Tom. I desperately need to do an ACV rinse and get a new conditioner.
We'll see how that goes!  :)