Grow-Out Challenge 2005

Well- i can see growth but i am currently fighting dry ends, tangles, and a few of those horrid knots at the end ( all in the nape are of course). My hair is much thicker than at the beginning of the challenge and i can definitely see my hair inching much closer to my shoulder (it is not far now, baby). I'm going to work much harder on detangling and keeping these ends in check because i do not wanna trim until late feb or early march.

Glad everyone else is doing so well.

Kbaby- another one of my nappy friends bites the dust.  - but happy that you are happy at the same time.

Layla- you can do it- hang in there.

Welcome MsMiami....it's fine if that is the method you want to use for your hair.

Carameldiva- The CVS product sounds good...but I mean the tiny knots thatare on individual strands of hair. Did you see improvement with those when using that product?

Carmel diva-Hi! I find that coconut oil and palm oil works great in my hair! I think it's the fact that they both have more saturated fat-which is why they turn solid at room temp.-that my it seals my hair better. But I also like castor oil alot in the winter. It's thicker as well. My hair feels alot softer with these oils than with EVOO (I'll save that for my pesto salad!)

hmmm.. i'm glad that you had a great experience layla. Styling tips-comb coils or palm rolls, two-strand twists. I do mine on wet hair after shampoo/condition/deep condition and i use gel cause beeswax makes my scalp itch after a few days. Try it up and freshen up in the a.m.  Also you could just wear a shruken fro and pop an artificial flower on the side. Hope this helps ya.

P.S.- when i did the bc my hair was really super short and i liked it but wanted more curl definition-little did i know that it would come naturally for me so i put a kit in it and when it grew out- i never did it again. I cowashed daily and used a good leave-in and that was pretty much it for the longest but now i am detangling and doing more deep conditioning. I'm entering my 3rd year of nappiness- my anniversary #3 is June 6,2006.

TY- Cmesweet and congradulations to you as well.

Honeydoo-Great minds think alike.

Layla-Congratulations!! I'm glad you like your new style and you're comfortable with it. And if it makes you feel good, why not!! You'll have to post pics for us!

I was thinking of posting the first month on March 1st since it's the 1 year anniversary of the first challenge. This one will be for length, healthy hair (relaxed or natural) I'll post that every month. Any other suggestions for it?

Hi Ladies!  Just a quick update & a new plea for help!

Last time I posted was around the beginning of the month when I relaxed my hair.  I'm still cool with having done it b/c of your help!  Usually, after about 4 weeks, I would have already relaxed my hair.  Right now, I don't even feel the need to!  It still looks good; I've learned to help keep my new growth soft and "flat" looking!  I never would have been able to do it without this challenge & your help!

My new dilemma, however, is itchy scalp!  OH MY GOD, you would not believe how badly it itches, especially in the top (mostly in the top).  Just so you'll know what I do so you can offer a suggestion, here goes:

Weekly/twice a week - shampoo, with a cond./olive & castor oil mix as a pre-poo the night before

Daily - olive oil spray all over hair & scalp for moisture

Every other day - olive oil/castor oil mix on my scalp

Every two weeks - deep conditioner mix (ion effective treatment, aveda damage remedy cond, olive/castor oil - 15 minutes under dryer)

Monthly - ion protein reconstructor (15 minutes under the dryer)

That's about it.  I'm kinda' scared that the itching/scratching may cause damage in the top b/c I've had breakage there in the past.  It's ok now, but I don't want it to start breaking again.  TIA!!!!