No Matter What, My Hair Won't Grow

airie87 · 10-27-2012, 09:52 PM

I am writing this b/c I cannot figure out what to do.

I have not had a relaxer since April 2011. Now, it is almost Nov 2012 and I have only 5-6" of hair to show for my efforts.

The problem is that I detangle, moisturize, use boring protective styles, whatever. But I should have a lot more than this to show for my hard work and money.

I follow a pretty reasonable diet, and I the problem is that I don't see breaking hair anywhere - not on my (satin) pillowcase, or in the shower or combs / Denman ... I just don't know why even after this long and after using all the right methods, nothing seems to work for me.

On an unrelated note I am not having any success w/ twists of any kind. I have reviewed so many videos and tutorials. What is wrong with me? I really want long hair b/c I want to look more feminine and I thought this would be a viable route for me - never long than shoulder-length w/ the relaxers, either. I take MUCH better care of my hair now and I don't understand why I can't get the length?

Should I give up and get a weave or what? I know that people are not supposed be obsessed w/ length but for the lack of it I'm getting I need help. I'm based out of Boston and I don't have a single friend in this area who could take a look at my hair or w/e.

Thanks ...

ShayShampagne · 10-27-2012, 10:32 PM

Try monistat

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ebonyrose31626 · 10-28-2012, 02:17 AM

What kind of protective styles are you doing, if you can't do twists?
Maybe you aren't getting proper nutrition. Do you take vitamins?

Chicago Kinks · 10-28-2012, 06:16 AM

Uhhh your hair is growing maybe not as fast as you may want. Are you keeping your scalp clean? Are you treating your ends delicately? On average hair grows a half inch a month BUT not everyone retains the full half inch...most do not. Patience is key here but you can look into growth aid vitmains such as Viviscal or Biotin. Try scalp stimulators as well.

...i'm supersonic

adthomas · 10-28-2012, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago Kinks

Uhhh your hair is growing maybe not as fast as you may want. Are you keeping your scalp clean? Are you treating your ends delicately? On average hair grows a half inch a month BUT not everyone retains the full half inch...most do not. Patience is key here but you can look into growth aid vitmains such as Viviscal or Biotin. Try scalp stimulators as well.

...i'm supersonic

+ 1
My thoughts exactly. Especially the clean scalp part. I think some people don't balance the whole protecting the hair with the nurturing of the scalp although that is where the haie comes from. Hair and scalp are two different entities so you have to give each what it likes. I tried several times and could not go shampooless because of my scalp hates it. And I use shampoos with tea tree or peppermint or other nurishing ingredients to really get gunk out of follicles. I think scalp massages with oil can help but it can lead to buildup and clog follicles if you are not washing often. In the area I have alopecia i have been using JBCO with good results. It is a heavy oil but since I wash several times a week not a buildup issue.

Mslexxa17 · 10-29-2012, 04:00 AM

Length of our hair is pre-determined its either you have reached your pre determined length or your hair has been fixed in the resting phase of the hair cycle. Try taking MSM supplements here are my supplements

No Matter What, My Hair Won't Grow-imageuploadedbycurltalk1351504839.563501.jpg

LevetteNaturals · 10-29-2012, 04:25 AM

I completely understand where your coming from. My last relaxer was April of 2010. Then I big chopped a year later, April 2011. After I big chopped, I felt like I couldn't do anything with my hair. It seemed to be growing slowly, my twist wouldn't form correctly, and I was just uncomfortable walking around with a new hair texture and length. It was a really awkward time for me but I think what helped me was that I went to a salon to get layers cut into my hair. My mother was 100% against me getting more length getting taken off of my hair, but it helped me so much because my hair had a look and shape to it finally. The layers made my hair look really nice because it showed off my curls at different levels all over my head, my twist we're forming better because the dead/split ends were completely gone, and I could comb through my hair better without any breakage. And because my hair wasn't breaking, it grew. I also started using natural and organic hair products ONLY. That did wonders for me too. And lastly, I massage my scalp ever other day with olive oil. When you massage your scalp, it gets your blood flowing and helps your hair to grow. Some people use coconut oil to massage their scalp to help it grow, but all I ever had was olive oil. Don't give up and wear weaves. I did that for a period of time back when I was struggling with what to do with it and in the end I regretted it because I think my hair didn't grow as much as it could because my hair was so tightly braided while wearing the weaves. Try using some organic hair products and of course give it some time. =)

PRINCETON · 10-29-2012, 06:10 AM

Try stop eating foods with egg whites (eggs, cakes, pancakes, etc) . Egg whites don't allow the body to absorb the natural biotin that your body creates which leads to minimal and even no hair growth especially in males.

MrsComboCurlz · 10-29-2012, 06:31 AM

Have you heard of or looked into Hairfinity Hair Vitamins...check them out on FB and the website Hairfinity.com
Plus check the reviews on the YT! Im interested in trying it myself, the reviews and before/after hair growth pics are amazing.

newbraider · 10-29-2012, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airie87

I am writing this b/c I cannot figure out what to do.

I have not had a relaxer since April 2011. Now, it is almost Nov 2012 and I have only 5-6" of hair to show for my efforts.

The problem is that I detangle, moisturize, use boring protective styles, whatever. But I should have a lot more than this to show for my hard work and money.

How long was your hair in April 2011? How did you handle the transition? Big chop or just let it grow out? If you didn't big chop, have you been trimming the relaxed ends little by little?

airie87 · 10-30-2012, 08:18 PM

Thanks so much, everyone! <3

I will try to answer everything in kind.

@Monistat suggestion - I am actually thinking about trying that ...

@Protective styles suggestion - I usually just do two plaits. Like a cornrow type braid only thicker

@Retention of my ends - I don't do anything special for my ends, such as sealing. I don't think I'm retaining, but then again I don't see evidence of breakage (on my shoulders, pillow, clothes?). My ends do seem quite weak. The braiding stretches my ends out, and they feel brittle to me - not quite coarse but not as healthy / clearly coily as the hair closer to my scalp, if that makes any sense ...

@Supplement suggestions - When I first b/c'd I took MSM daily and my hair was thick. Now it's lackluster and I don't take my MSM/biotin/vit C/multi-v regularly anymore ... trying to stay healthy but I've been busy / hugely unmotivated lately.

@Diet queries: I eat a lot of 'white' and I *do* eat egg white products. I will try that suggestion.

@Scalp care: I wash my scalp when I detangle - that is about 1 - 1 1/2 x / week. I use J&J baby shampoo if that makes any difference. I usually use Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle or h20++'s seaweed conditioners. I think I'm protein sensitive.

@How I big chopped - I b/c'd in July of 2011. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I had about 1" of hair when I did it. I didn't really transition - I just went from late April 2011 to mid-July 2011 w/o doing anything.

Thanks again, all!

newbraider · 10-31-2012, 06:08 AM

If you had an inch of hair in July 2011, your hair has grown four or five inches. That's about 1/4 inch a month which is normal for some people. The trick is figuring out if it's normal for you. Even if your hair isn't breaking in an obvious way, your ends just might be sort of disappearing. Might be breaking off in pieces so tiny that you aren't noticing them.

ricotdorothy · 11-02-2012, 11:17 AM

Try finger detangling. It saved my life! I kept wondering how am I losing length I don't see hair anywhere but in my comb, and that doesn't look like much. The thing is the daily wear and tear of combing for a tightly coiled natural starts to add up. For instance as a natural single strand knots are an inevitable though somewhat controllable occurrence. The comb rips through ssk's and whatever hair is tied or tangled around them causing breakage. I retained more length than I ever have in my life when I started finger detangling. Breakage was reduced significantly. Recently, In order to lay down flyaways when bunning I used a fine tooth comb and soft boar bristle brush. I started seeing fully split ends for the first time in a year.

dee-nature · 11-11-2012, 06:38 PM

i learned the importance of being gentle with my hair. Its so fragile and any hard handling can break the ends

. also i try to make time to do my hair that way im not doing it in a rush.

lastly i would say to keep your scalp clean, hot oil treatments (castor oil mix with coconut oil 1:1 ratio) at least once a week

. And if none of these work do a protective style like braids extension or full weave. Be patient. before you know it you will get there. try to not focus so much on length, it will come in due time, focus on the overall health and the length will follow HTH

ShayShampagne · 11-12-2012, 11:38 PM

Yea, try the Monistat thing, it couldn't hurt

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