I haven't measured my hair since May when I found this
site but I know its  getting longer, I am going to have to get dh to measure my hair and the circumfrence of the
pony tail because I can't seem to do it myself.  When
I first started to seriously grow las DEC 2003 it was a chin length bob,with bangs, heavily highlighted  blonde.
Now it reaches at least an 1" past shoulders( I wish I knew centimeters for some of you!). I decided to grow the bangs/fringe out about 2 months ago and they
are now flopping in my eyes.  I've made many changes
since May and the quality of my hair is getting better
and I trimmed off a little of the worst of the damaged
hair without sacrificing length.   My hair has also gotten
wavier, perhaps with the better treatment  and more
moisturizing.  I ditched the curling iron and use Conair
rag rollers when I want curl.  Haven't tried plopping yet.
I only blowfry very occasionally, on low setting for a few seconds to get the wet out. 
Some days I just hate my hair but I'm determined not to cut-to stay away from the scissors.
I've never had long than BSL, and I want to grow to waist.  If the ends look thick and healthy then, I will
go farther.  With my ultra-fine hair, though, I don't know
I don't like my blah brown colour, but I was determined
not to colour.  Broke down on Nov 2and had lowlights
put in- I'm very pleased with the result.  I hated the
two-tone look and the reddish brown lowlights really
make my hair look better. AND it's not damaged! The
colour didn't seem to damage at all.  I LOVE Red!! my goal is to keep a reddish colour.  I want to try henna-can't do it now for at least  6 months. But I don't know-henna kind of scares me.  If I could have it applied in a salon..... but most don't do it.
My current routine.
S/C once a week with Bionutrient protectives
CO every other day with VO5 kiwi lime and Suave
aloe Vera.
Leave ins:  Longhairlovers all in one treatment and jojoba oil
Deep treatments: Hask Henna and placenta and Pantene
overnite treatment.  ACV once a fortnight.
Other shampoo/conditioners I like
Mane and Tail Deep Moisturizing
Creme of Nature for normal hair(almost like CO)
Avalon Oraganics Awapui Mango.
Been taking hair vitamins but don't know if they're
doing any good- had to cut back because I can't swallow
a lot of vitamins-mainly try to get down a good multi
every day, and eat right.
hair was shedding a lot but either the Nioxin put a stop
to a lot of that or the vitamins- or the shedding season
was over.?
Today-12-3-04 CO'd with Kiwi Lime, put leave-in in and
let air dry, put in a french twist with a goody twist.
Bangs/ Fringe are driving my crazy, don't know what to
do with them.  I'm planning to grow them to full length
(Shoulder) and then if I still hate them, cut back in a very
light fringe, so that the volume of my hair is not compromised.   Hair feels soft and slippery, but has NO
body, so I put it up.   I wish I could wear it up every
day, but hubby likes it DOWN, so I have to please him
every once in a while I cant wait till it gets longer.
still trying to learn to french braid.  Why aren't I more
coordinated?

Quote:


I understand THAT predicament all too well! I haven't had any fringe in a very long time for that very reason. (Aside from the brief time that I wore longish layers around my face which was a nice change because it gave my hair a bit of dimension.)

It always gets to me when you talk to thick haired people who say, "I had to get my hair thinned out. It was just TOO thick."
After cringing, I immediately envision myself picking up their cut hair and attempting to stick it on my head to make mine look thicker. Oh, the the traumas us thin hair women have to cope with. 

Oh, Rua LOL!! Your're so funny!! Me, too.  My stepsister
has really thick, straight hair and she used to get it
layered when we were in our 20's to "thin" it out!  I thought she was CRAZY!  I would have done anything
to have hair like that.  Her hair is about twice as thick
as the average persons, and straight and dark.Serious
hair envy, here!  Yeah, I'd like to stick some of their
hair on my head, too!

Babyfine,
Although I had a lovely Christmas, no LL HairStix for me either!

I guess we'll be saving our nickels together for the next pair!

strawberryfine

Do you like the Nioxin, Babyfine?

My mother uses it and swears by it, and my hair is thick/wavy enough that lord knows I don't need any more hair (it would be nice to give you girls a real hair donation transplant.. *smiles*), but a friend of mine is dealing with a sudden loss of hair and I wondered if the Nioxin really worked.

Can you tell a noticible difference when you use it?

I'll take that hair donation!!    Actually, your friend
may notice a difference if she's experiencing a sudden
hair loss. Does she (he) know what may be causing
it?  My hair has gotten just slightly thinner over the last decade due to what I am assuming is peri-menopausal
(hormonal) hair loss.  So I'm taking also GNC Nourishair
vitamins  with Biotin, MSM and silica. (Not consistently,
however as too many pills uspet my stomach.)  I know
they only sell Nioxin in beauty salons so a stylist can
advise you which of the products to use. 
website www.nioxin.com ;  I like how my hair and scalp
feel clean and tingly without feeling stripped, with the
Nioxin.   And it does volumize a bit.

Well, I tried to measure my hair myself and came up
with about 19 1/2 inches.  It would be better if I could get dh to measure but I'm kinda afraid he thinks I'm already obsessed.
I'm already asking him all the time if my hair looks good, if it looks healthier than it used to, Has it grown, Am I going bald, look at this spot on my head, is it looking thinner.  I'm afraid if I ask him to measure my hair he think-well I'm really nuts!
I've been thinking about trimming some to make the ends look more blunt and my overall hair healthier.  I think I will start at one inch.  I'm afraid  to cut too much off.  I really want to try henna, but I suppose I should wait awhile since my hair is chemically treated.  I want to go brown or red. 

Well said Rua!  He did give me an unsolicited compliment on my hair the other day when I had it
pulled straight back-he said Your hair looks good like that!  I felt good.

I've developed an obsession with the idea of henna-ing my hair, even though I probably won't do it for some months.  I want to give the chemical dye on my hair
now some time to leech out with washing, ect.  It also
sounds like a huge mess and bother that I don't want to go through.  I can barely colour my hair at home with
regular box dye, let alone go through all that I read is required for henna.  No salons around here apply it and
my stylist doesn't like it.  But I have this idea in my head that it may be a great thing for my hair- will help with the condition and volume.  I've been visiting the henna sites looking over all the info- its intimidating.  My natural colour is a medium brown, so if it wasn't for these darn highlights, I think  henna would go well with my hair.  I will just have to let these highlights grow out more, I think.

Hi SF!  Actually, this is the FIRST time I've ever trimmed
according to a lunar chart.  At least, knowingly!  I decided to try it to see if it will help my hair, I figure it can't hurt!  The theory sounds at least plausible to me
as many things including some aspects of our bodies do
seem to be influenced by the moon.   I probably won't trim again for awhile as I want growth, although my ends, though healthy, are starting to look thin to me, so
the only reason I would would be to "blunt" it up.  So I don't know how long it would take to notice a difference, if one exists!

Hi Strawberryfine!
www.morroccomethod.com ; and just click on lunar chart down
at the bottom

I must have done something right b/c my hair turned out decent today.  Soft and Silky and well behaved.
My hair was feeling dry no matter what I did so I figured it what time for an ACV rinse.  Last night I slathered my hair with Euro Organic oil from Morroco Method and slept overnight in it and then this morning shampooed with Jessicurl's Hair Cleansing cream and did an ACV. Then Conditioned with Jessicurl's Too Shea Conditioner for 3 minutes.  Then I sprayed in Morroco Methods Volumizer mist and Put in Jessicurl's Confident coils with the Gelebration Spray and let Air Dry While I ran the boys to school.  When My hair dryed it was soft, silky and wavy.  Jessicurl Products don't always work with my hair but I must have done something right today.  I think it was mainly the ACV. I Hadn't done one for a few weeks.   I've been trying to fight the urge to chop again- every time my hair gets this length I always chop it.  Ends are getting a little thin- the fact that my hair has gotten so darn WAVY helps, though, also in the volume dept.  Is the wavyness due to better care or hormones(gettin'older) or what? It's been humid here so that may have something to do with it.  I'm trying to not do any cutting until it gets waist length (still a long way to go there) I figure at least a year the way my hair grows.
I really want waist length hair.  When I get there, we'll see  how it looks.  My hair is sooooo fine it waves in humid weather and goes straight (1c) in dry, desert weather.  Not bone straight, but much less wavy.  Right now its a 2a-2b.
Been reading Lorraine Massey's Curly Girl Book.  I'm not really a curly-just a wavy- but I like it.  I'm following the routine of shampooing once a week for wavy girls, CO the rest of the time.

I just keep feeling that part of the reason I wanted to grow long hair was to wear it down at least part of the time and have it look good.
I hope all the stylists weren't right who told me I couldn't grow my hair.
I think a lot of my problem is the dye- MY hair is in much better condition due to the hair boards than It would be otherwise- It probably wouldn't even be this long.
My goal is to eventually have all virgin hair.
Of course, now I'm going grey- heavy greys coming in my front bang area since I haven't coloured since April.
I don't like the look - on me.
I keep feeling I'm too young looking to have grey hair.
When I get wrinkles, then I'll let it go grey.
Hence , the desire to try henna.  There is not one grey hair anywhere else on my head, though, just coming in the bang area.
With my luck, henna will not work on my hair, and I'll make a mess as well!
I also forgot to include in  above post my love of oils

I use Jojoba Oil
and MM Euro Organic Oil(once a week)
Jojoba Oil daily just on the last 6-8 inches of my hair, It saved those bleached ends!
I'm also hesitant to dye with chemical dye anyway because of the health issues-controversial I know, and
it's not been proven that it's harmful- I do know that it's not good for my hair if I grow my hair longer than shoulder length.
My hair seems to be able to take chemical  processes well if I keep it no longer than my shoulders.
Grow it past my shoulders and the old hair just looks dead and lifeless.
So as the Ultimate Guide to growing long hair says- I need virgin hair for me.
Some ladies seem to be able to grow to great lengths while coloring - I think of Wynonna Judd- I love that waistlength red hair!.
Julianne Moores is long and red too, but I think that may be her natural color.
I'm also starting an experiment where I don't wet my hair down every day.
Currently I only CWC twice a week, CO'ing the rest of the time- thus wetting my hair down every day.
Sometimes I just rinse with water and spray a leave in.
I just feel I have to do a complete wet-down or my hair doesn't look good.
I am going to try wetting down less often- wondering if the daily wetting, rinsing, combing out is stressing my hair.(even though I don't blow dry and only comb through once and don't touch it again)
My hair is just so fragile.
I didn't wet it today in the shower at all, it looked kinda flat and frizzy-so I bunned it for church.
We'll see if that helps.

Don't feel too bad about going gray, Babyfine. I have yet to turn 24 and I already have several white hairs.

*sending out good hair vibes*