
When I started my hair growth journey I was desperate to achieve the long length I had as a child, but lost from mistreating my hair through my adolescent years. My intentions were always to get my hair to a more healthy state in order to be able to straighten/flat iron again because I always enjoyed having straight hair.Nowadays I truly am more concerned with the health of my hair and have grown accustomed to wearing it in its natural state. I feel like my natural hair texture keeps me more in tune with my identity as a black woman and I love it.
My question is when doing length checks, does one pull the hair taut because they plan on wearing their hair straightened after their journey is over? Does it matter when you wear your hair in its natural state 95 percent of the time? Why not embrace hair in its shrunken state?
Comments
3a/m/iii - waist length wet
Cleanser: Naturelle Volumizing
Conditioner/LI: Garnier Respons Avocadooil and Shea Butter, Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Volume Conditioner
Styling: Eldorado Hairgel Strong
I embrace my bouncy, tight curls and wouldn't want my hair straight again but I just think it's nice to have an idea of how long my hair actually is.
LP: Shea Moisture (currently JBCO)
Conditioner/CW: Jason Aloe Vera
LI: Aunt Jackie's Curls & Coils Quench
Refreshing: TRESemmé Naturals Aloe Vera & Avocado
Gel: DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel
DC: Aunt Jackie's Soft & Sassy Super Duper Softening Conditioner
Treatments: Coconut oil/Coconut milk
UK curly. CG since Oct 2013.
Growing my hair to WL when dry :thumright:
This leads me to my related question: when people say "my hair is 10" long", are they measuring the longest strands, taking an "eyeball average", or what, and where on their head are they measuring from? If I measured from the center of my nape, I may get one length; a different one from the top of my head, and still others if I measured each side above my ears.
:dontknow:
APL/BSL when dry (bangs are to chin), but WL when wet.
Pineapple and satin pillowcase at night.
One measurement standard is to measure from the center of the front hair line, over the head, and down to the end of the longest part.
Low poo: Giovanni 50 50
Co-wash: aia, suave coconut, salon care
R O: Tresume Naturals, gvpcb
L I: KCKT, gvpcb
Stylers: cjpp, re : coil, kccc, brhg
Oils: coconut, argan
Experimenting with: curls rock amplifier, pantene mousse
Wow, I never would've thought to measure that way. I'd just go with from the base of my neck to the end of the longest strand. Huh. Learn something every day. Thanks!
APL/BSL when dry (bangs are to chin), but WL when wet.
Pineapple and satin pillowcase at night.
Yes I wouldn't have thought of that method either, but when I was first measuring my hair I did some Google searches, and it was the most common guideline I cane across. I guess it takes into account the total length of hair you have.
Low poo: Giovanni 50 50
Co-wash: aia, suave coconut, salon care
R O: Tresume Naturals, gvpcb
L I: KCKT, gvpcb
Stylers: cjpp, re : coil, kccc, brhg
Oils: coconut, argan
Experimenting with: curls rock amplifier, pantene mousse
I've seen this demonstrated on a youtube channel. I don't think this method accurately reflects the length of one's hair though. The girl doing the demonstration had very short, damaged, brittle looking hair. It could have been no longer than 4 inches at the longest strand, and I'm being generous with that number. You could just see how brittle it was! But I digress. When she was done measuring her hair, she said that her hair was about 9 inches long, even though you could clearly see she didn't have a single strand on her head anywhere near that length. She got ripped for it in the comments. I'm not saying that was right for people to attack her, but measuring the distance from the center front of your hairline down to your nape doesn't accurately reflect strand length.
That's why when I do length checks, I measure the center front, the temples/ sides, the left and right sides of the nape area, and the top/middle so I can know exactly what each area is measuring. That's how I know that the hair in the middle/top grows the fastest and I have an average growth rate of about 8 inches a year.
Check out my YouTube channel! Please and thank you! :happy7:
http://www.youtube.com/GeminiCurls
For more detailed info, here's the blog!
http://mylongnaturalhair.com
IMO, pulling the hair taught is the only way to actually know how long your strands are. Looking at the curls won't give that information. I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with planning to switch to straight hair at the culmination of one's journey. In my opinion, a natural journey doesn't "end" unless someone decided to go back to chemicals. It's more of a lifestyle change than a set period of time.
And speaking from the perspective of someone who has been natural for just over 3 years, actively growing her hair the whole time, actual length does indeed matter, even if hair is in a natural state most of the time. The true length of your strands has a direct correlation with how it changes in behavior over time. Knowledge is power, and the more a woman knows about her hair, length included, the better she is able to make decisions regarding its care that will maintain healthy tresses.
Check out my YouTube channel! Please and thank you! :happy7:
http://www.youtube.com/GeminiCurls
For more detailed info, here's the blog!
http://mylongnaturalhair.com