Help! I'm Getting Very Weak

Stay encouraged, Jorie! I feel the exact same way about my hair and seriously think my diabetes has something to do with it. That being said...

...please try to love and rock what you have now. I know it's hard - TRUST me, I rant about my lack of growth ALL the time - but it gets easier if you rock what ya got until the growth happens.

My hair is 4a textured, EXTREMELY soft and I BC'd in 2007 and it looks like I BC'd a month ago. It gets very frustrating, but we just have to make the best of it for now.

Please PM if you want to talk. I'm here. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

No problem girl! I need encouragement on a daily and I have some natural and not natural friends who give it to me. And I want to help you if I can too.

Thanks for the compliment. I actually had a stylist do that for me - have you thought about going to a professional natural styler so they can show you what you can do to your hair?

Jorie-

Hang in there. Everyone's hair is different take this opportunity to learn your hair and your growth pattern. Curly Nikki's feature for today Toni had a great quote, " Being natural is like being in a relationship...You have to spice things up to keep it interesting and the longer it goes on the better you get to know each other."
Girl, and you know how much work we woman put into relationships, give that same patience and effort to your hair and I know it will grow like weeds.

Just do what's best for you.

Jorie - what part of the country are you in??

DON'T DO IT!!! It is difficult, a few months ago I found Kimmaytube on youtube. She definitely opened my eyes about hair and understanding its structure. Check out some of her videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/kimmaytube#p/u/12/-i3MC4d-HmY

Hopefully they will inspire you. Good luck and stay strong!!

Jorie - I know the fustration. This is my 2nd attempt at going natural. I did the BC back in 2005 and after a few months, I went back to the creme crack - LOL!!! I so regret that decision. I never gave my hair the opportunity to really be chemically free.

One thing, I learned from Kimmay's videos, hair loves water. Hair is like a flower it needs water to grow. I also learned that sometimes, you need to do some research. I am currently in school and don't have the leisure time I use too [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] , but once this semester is complete; I'm going to purchase the following books about natural hair care:

• Thank God I'm Natural--The Ultimate Guide to Caring for and Maintaining Natural Hair - Chris-Tia Donaldson
  
• Ultra Black Hair Growth II 2000 Edition - Cathy Howse
  
• Grow It: How To Grow Afro-Textured Hair To Maximum Lengths In The Shortest Time - Chicoro
  

It is important that we understand the structure and make-up of our hair. Not all products are going to work for all people and knowing your hair, you will be able to tell what is best for it.

Yes, living in Brooklyn has its advantages. Natural hair salons are very accessible. I was thinking about going to Miss Jessie's for my BC, but they are so expensive. It makes NO sense to pay all that money. I am just going to go to my regular hair dresser and get it done.

Keep the faith!!! No matter how hard it gets, just keep trying.
Your hair is throwing a tantrum and probably going through creme crack withdrawal [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] . It will get over it and behave eventually. In the meantime, patience, trial and error are your friends.

Good luck and keep me up-to-date. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] YOU CAN DO IT!!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thank you so much for all your support BertLala. Wow, so you had to start all over again.

I do give my hair a lot of water. I don't wash more (will do so in the summer), but I saturate with water daily, sometimes twice a day. It makes a huge difference in how my hair looks and feels, but as far as growth, ha!

I have read Cathy Howes' book, maybe I will pick up the others even though I feel I have learned all I need to know.

I think I have to just keep the faith just like you said and maybe just forget about it. Maybe I should just wig it for anoother year and see then. I hate feeling like I will never have long hair (never have before). I know I should only care about the health, but dang, I want long, healthy hair.

I will keep you posted. Thanks for everything! I appreciate it so much.

I am new to this process, and new to paying this much attention to my hair, so I don't know for sure what is going on with yours. But the first thing I thought when I read your profile was that maybe you should wear less wigs. Maybe, hair needs air, just like plants do, just like lungs do. Maybe it can't get enough good clean air under the wigs. Or maybe it needs sunshine with the air (I have no idea.)

The wigs are good for having a predictable style, and are good for not letting your curly hair get tangled, but I bet you can find another style!

Good luck; I think your natural hair can grow too.

hang in there! your hair care regimen is WAYYY better than mine. LOL

Did you ever try braids? I know from my experience my hair grows the fastest after i put box braids/single braids in my hair and take them out after two months.

I personally want hair past my shoulders however i want healthy hair. My hair has never been past shoulder length and this is my first time seeing it in it's natural state.

did you think about going to a dermatologist?

but you have to do what works best for you. you are aware of your hair type and texture and how it response to certain things.

im no expert just some suggestions lol

i wish you the best of luck, you'll be fine!

I feel your pain, I went as far as to make an appointment then cancel it at the last minute... I had to remember that I just have to stay positive take care of my hair and stay strong. Check out the rest of the grow long forum, there is a lot tips! Positive energy attracts positive results..stay strong!

Hey! Hang in there hon. Try to recall the reasons you went natural. I understand how you feel. I became natural because I have lupus so my meds and the perm made for an unhappy head of hair. I transition for a year using wigs but during that time NOTHING worked on my hair. I could not even wear a wash and go because I looked like a wet mop. Then one day one of my twist outs worked and it was on from there. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] LOL. Now I am focusing on growth which is a challenge in itself, but when I get disappointed I remember the journey it took to get here, and I remain encouraged. So my advice would be to do what you want to do even it means perming your hair. But don't do anything off of pure emotion. Give it a little more time and see how you feel. Good luck.

Music8192-yes, I did try braids on and off for years and each time, I lost so much hair that I am too afraid to go that route again. No matter how many times I told the braider not to braid tight, their loose braiding was still too tight and hair came out from the root. I worked too hard to have the little hair I have to have it ripped out from the root due to braiding. I may do a full head curly weave, but I am afraid of that too. Too tight braiding for the tracks. What to do, what to do? You make a good point with the wigs. I never thought of that. But my hair is just too short (for my taste) for me to just wash and go or do a twist out. I would only be comfortable with a bob and I am a looooooooooooooooooooong way from a bob (unstretched hair). i wonder if anyone else has had success with a curly weave and did not have any major breakage or fall out. Have you?

As far as the other ladies, thank you so much. Your encouraging words really help. Good luck to you all.

Hey Jorie,
I know I'm a bit late and I don't know if this has been asked and answered but if you're hair isn't growing do you think it might be due to hormones? The reason I ask is I have a hormonal imbalance and when my hormones are out of wack my hair growth stalls, but when my hormones are normal my hair growth is back to normal. I also have a friend (a fellow curly) and she has a thyroid problem (can't remember if it's over or under active) and before she was diagnosed she wondered why her hair wouldn't grow. Turns out her condition was the cause. Maybe something to check out. My apologies if you've already answered this question. Take care!

natural newbie wrote:Hey! Hang in there hon. Try to recall the reasons you went natural.

This is my comment exactly! The journey will get easier once you start enjoying the process. Hang in there!

To Luvinlife-hmmmm, that is something to consider. I will look into it. Thanks.

To Peachtree-I am salivating over your hair and your daughter's hair! Gorgeous.

Jorie hang in there. I went natural once before and like some of the other ladies I went back to the crack cause I didn't know how to take care of it. When I put that perm on it started breaking out so bad and I was so mad at myself. I just chopped it off after a year of transitioning in February and was scared I made another mistake. Once I got on this site I embraced my hair and stopped worrying about it growing back. For me it was all about my attitude, I just became positive and said it is time to just enjoy who I am. That is why I cut it in the first place. I had to remember why I did it. For me it was all about self love and confidence. Once I stopped worrying it has started growing and is soooo very healthy. I'm kind of sad that it will be getting long cause I'm actually enjoying the freedom of just wearing it short and free. I talk to my hair, I tell it "I'm so proud of you" and "you look gorgeous today", sounds crazy but I think like plants it loves me admiring it and it behaves. LOL Another suggestion is keep the wigs off of your head. Enjoy your pretty curls and watch it start to take off. I find that when we stop worrying about an issue and give it to God it takes care of itself. You can do this, don't perm!!