I am also frustrated with my hair length, I just think its par for the course.  I do suggest breaking your goals into smaller ones, and rewarding yourself sounds great!

If the Aveeno gave you results you like, I say use it.  Everyone is so unique, who knows why you do well with that product??  Also, I say blow dry your bangs sometimes if it gives you the result you want.  Bangs need trimming most anyway, so why not?  Unless you don't plan on keeping them, of course.

I also have trouble with knots when my ends are split.  If that's not the culprit, look for a detangling spray.  I like the one from Mop Top.  Also, maybe you need more conditioner or to leave a little in your hair (don't rinse it all out) and that will help.

(((hugs))) we're all in this together, no?

Yes,we all get fustrated and tired of waiting!  Just be diligent and take care of your hair.  Use what works for you.  Like the ladies have said,they are just guidelines......not set in stone.  What works for some,doesn't work for others.  It's part of the journey!  Learn from your experiences,enjoy the healthy growth,get wiser from any "different choices" you make along the way!

You all do have a point.  I was taking everything a bit too literally and trying to do everything at once.  I tend to be perfectionistic, so this is a common theme for me.    

So, I think I'm going to minimize to stuff I know works; otherwise I think I might go crazy. 

Blow-drying just my bangs really seems to help.  I look more put-together just from doing that.  And I'm increasing my washes to every other day or so.  I like to look clean.  Doing CWCs will hopefully offset some of the drying from washing more often.  I really don't think my hair is quite long enough yet to do scalp washes without getting the rest wet.

The 'regular' shampoo that I started using seems to be helping my hair stay on my head.  That is, less seems to be falling out than when I was using the sulfate-free stuff.  Maybe my head just likes chemicals and additives--who knows?

In a side note, I got a new comb yesterday, since my other one broke.  It's textured plastic with these little round nubs on the teeth.  I examined it closely & couldn't find seams.  So far, I love it.  I combed my hair out with it yesterday and only lost three hairs, which is pretty much unheard of.  And I love even more the fact that I only paid $.99 for it!  Yay for sales at Sally!

Well, I've always been a big shedder, but I started following the advice on this website a few years ago, and at that time a lot of my shedding stopped.  I suppose that the shedding this time could be due to a number of reasons, including that I started working night shifts about 6 months ago.  Working this shift is affecting the rest of my body--why not my hair, right (sorry for the sarcasm; I'm frustrated with my job right now)? 

I will say, though, that leave-in conditioners are AWESOME!!  I went to Sally last week and got the Biotera leave-in because Angel suggested it for my tangles.  It works like a charm!  So for right now, my routine is going to be to CWC every other day or so, with the final conditioning being the leave-in, vinegar rinses every week, and just being super-gentle with my hair.  These are the things that I know work, so I'm going to stick with this for a while.  Winter will bring a whole new set of challenges, since my scalp acts up then, but for now I'm going to give my hair a break from changing products and routines so much. 

Oh, and before I forget--does anybody know of a way to straighten one's hair without using a flatiron?  I like the look of my hair straightened, but I don't want to pay the price in damage.  Thanks!

I've been leaving my hair down a lot lately--whenever I want to put it up, I never seem to have a stick or hair elastic handy.  I don't like using pencils or pens; they catch my hair on the way through.  Really, though, I think I'm just being lazy.  Maybe I just need a few new hair toys.  I've lost my favorite stick in the move from one apartment to another, and I'm losing hope that I'll ever see it again.  It was a cedar stick that I carved myself, and it was nice and thick so it stayed really well in my fine, slippery hair.  Also, I like the feel and the look of my hair down, but it gets so darn tangled.  I think I'll go to Claire's and see what they have in the way of toys.  The one here has stopped stocking sticks.  I think they must be "out of style."      I might have to get on the Internet to perpetuate my stick habit. 

The once-per-week honey and vinegar rinses combined with the CWCs with the leave-in are working really well.  My scalp loves honey and vinegar!  The vinegar can be a bit drying to my ends, but the leave-in and almond oil help with that.  It's worth my scalp not itching.  Plus, I think it's time for a trim anyway.  My ends feel a bit rough.  I think it's been almost two months, so I'm not surprised.

I wonder, though...my hair and scalp seem like they 'adapt' themselves to any product I use very quickly--like, in a couple of weeks.  Though the leave-in has helped with tangling, it doesn't seem to work quite as well as it did when I first bought it.  I dunno; maybe I'm just being paranoid.

I love fall!  Especially the food!  Already I've made a ton of butternut squash soup, and am in the process of making chicken soup in the CrockPot.  I'm trying to save money, so I think I'm going to start baking my own bread, too.  That will go nicely with all the soup!

I'm also very excited about Halloween coming up.  I'm going as a rocker chick--hence the question about hair straightening.  I'm usually pretty laid-back about fashion and makeup--most of the time I go pretty natural, so it'll be fun to wear black eye makeup and have hot-pink hair pieces and such.  Halloween is so much fun!