TWA Growth Challenge

Hey Ladies. It's almost stat time I wanted to share that I am going to try something new. I was looking into henna but didn't want to order online so i went into this Indian store called Bombay Spices. I ended up purchasing Amla Powder. I guess it darkens the hair and is supposed to aid in the health of it. On the back it says: Promotes hair growth, controls hair fall, cures scalp infection, controls premature greying of hair. I also bought Vatika Enriched coconut hair oil. I was gonna try both tonight but first I wanted to know if any of you have tried it....

P.S. Happy memorial day weekend!!

Hey ladies.

I broke down and got a headstart on my yarn braids. Don't fear, I have pics!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

First, progress pics:

May 1st

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May 30th:

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And now for the yarn braids:

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Sorry about the stink face, but you'd wear one two after braiding non-stop for 12 hours. You'll also have the shakes and make your pics blurry. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I braided them down to WAIST length; I can do more elaborate up-dos and buns with the length.

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Trying very hard to look awake for this pic. Epic fail. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


I mostly wear these with the front pulled AWAY from my face. These aren't very tight at all, they don't hurt. But for my edge's sake, I try to wait a week before doing anything too fancy. Since my hair is still short and slippage is more likely, I WILL NOT wash them--I'll cleanse my scalp with Witch Hazel and tea tree oil (more on that in my CSJ...after I get some sleep).

And that's about it. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

LadyM,
Your braids look fantastic. You did a wonderful job and they look great on you!

Also, great growth.

CrissyQ wrote:Here is the pic I will be using for my june stats.

This is may 1st
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May 30/june 1st
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You've had really great growth. Looking good!

Love the yarn braids. I will be doing some myself soon to keep my hands out of my hair for a month.

Hey LadyMika, they look great! The braids suit you. It's a very distinctive look!
How long will you keep them in?

Really beautiful!

It's been 2 months since I BC. Pictures are below:

Big Chop
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One Month
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Two Months
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I will post my stats for the challenge tomorrow.

woooow embrace! u are growing it out nicely. look how full it is in 2 months [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i cant wait to see ur stats...and make sure u include ur reggie and products too (for me [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] )

Ok since I just started this challenge... I wanted to post a few pictures of my current length.
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I was so happy with the way my hair looked on this day...lol

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Here's an update for the first month of the challenge:

Beginning pic May 1:


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The result of my first style...


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Wow TMZ! Your hair is growing! It looks like you are wearing coils!
@Cutie - your hair looks great!
@Miss moriah - thanks for sharing the shea butter mix, I am going to try it for setting my coils!
@Tasha - thanks for the complement! I have been using the plastic elastic headbands from goody. I like those better than the hard ones.

Well I took my stats just now, will post pic later.
My back is 3 inches,
My front is 2.5 inches
My crown is 2.25 inches.

Can't wait for everyone's update tomorrow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

curlynattie10 wrote:Wow TMZ! Your hair is growing! It looks like you are wearing coils!
@Cutie - your hair looks great!
@Miss moriah - thanks for sharing the shea butter mix, I am going to try it for setting my coils!
@Tasha - thanks for the complement! I have been using the plastic elastic headbands from goody. I like those better than the hard ones.

Well I took my stats just now, will post pic later.
My back is 3 inches,
My front is 2.5 inches
My crown is 2.25 inches.

Can't wait for everyone's update tomorrow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks Curlynattie! Yes, this is the first time I've styled my hair. It looks like you've had a lot of growth as well.

Crissy, LadyM, EmbracingNM, and TMS, you have all had some wonderful progress!

Welcome Cutiezphib, your hair looks great!

Thanks LaToya!

DvaAuNaturel wrote:LadyM,
Your braids look fantastic. You did a wonderful job and they look great on you!

Also, great growth.

Thank you! K.I.S.S. definitely works, I can attest to that.

marhia wrote:Love the yarn braids. I will be doing some myself soon to keep my hands out of my hair for a month.

DO IT DO IT DO IT! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

swoodward wrote:Hey LadyMika, they look great! The braids suit you. It's a very distinctive look!
How long will you keep them in?

Really beautiful!

Thank you so much! I'll keep them in for about four to five weeks, and they'll be down in time for National Afro Day (July 4th). [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

It's the start of month 2 of the challenge. Here are my stats: 2 inches on the sides and crown. 2 1/4 inches in the back. My regimen has changed somewhat. I no longer cowash every other day. I cowash with HE HH or VO5 Moisture Milk conditioner maybe once a week and deep condition with Shea Moisture deep penetrating masque once per week. After cowashing, I put Shea Moisture Leave-In and then seal with an oil mixture which consists of coconut oil, jojoba oil, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, olive oil, rosemary and peppermint essential oil. Then, I use Shea Moisture curl enhancing smoothie. Sometimes, I spritz with my veggie glycerin mix. I also have started twisting my hair and wearing twist-outs. When I twist, I did use the smoothie prior to twisting but lately I have been using my IC custard I made using the same recipe as the eco custard but I used IC Fantasia gel instead of the Eco styler gel. I really like the results of my twist-outs using the IC custard. The result of the twist-out with the IC custard is shown in my 2 month picture. I also have started using my satin pillowcase. On the days in between the cowash, I spritz my hair and seal with my shea butter mix (which consists of shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, rosemary and peppermint essential oils) or my oil mixture in the morning and at night. When I need to shampoo, I am using Organix or Giovanni SAS shampoo. That's pretty much my regimen for now.

BC [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Start of Challenge [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


After 1 month [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Alright so here I is lol

Big chop April 8th
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May 1st
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June 1st
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O wow, lookin good. I forgot to do the picture, [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] thanks lady m, TMS and marhia for reminding me. I will do all of that when I get home.

@natural me- I been wanting to try the shea moisture. I saw the product line at Target. I may try the curl smoothie. I really want to enhance my curls!

Well I posted the inch stats last night (2.25 - 3 in). Here are the pics -

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Regimen has calmed down a lot since I BC'd. Deep condition with Aubrey Honeysuckle Rose moisturizing conditioner & castor oil (1x week). Cowash 2-3 times a week with everyday shea or curls coconut sublime conditioner. Detangle (pic) 1-2X a week with curls coconut sublime or kinky curly knot today. General styling - use glycerin moisturizing spritz, CD's hair milk or pretty natural oil conditioner, curls creme brulee & curls goddess gel. For itching, use a shea butter mix with tea tree oil and scalp message. Still use shea aloe for general sealing and coiling.

Marhia- your hair has grown a lot! It looks great!

curlynattie10 wrote:Marhia- your hair has grown a lot! It looks great!

Thanks girl. I been trying to get that thang to be BIG lol

wow, yall twas are REALLLLLLY growing! good job ladies!

@cutiez; u and ur hair are so cute

@tms; i can clearly see the growth and love the coils

@embracenme; u have a good reggie goin, keep it up cuz its growing crazy!!

the saga continues in the TWA challenge thread month 2.

Hey everyone, good morning. Hope you're all well. I am seeing lots of growth in the pics you all submitted. Looking forward to seeing even more as we progress.
@Ladymika, you braids look really nice girl, keep rockin'.
So ladies, here are my stats, sorry for the late post.

Pic 1: The beginning of the challenge in May 1st.

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Pics 2 and 3: Taken today June 3rd.

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My regime remains almost the same with the exception that as of last week I will be doing weekly protein treatments. While my hair is certainly feeling more moisturized than at the beginning of the challenge (still not where I want it to be) I have started experiencing what I consider to be 'more than usual' shedding. I know I need to balance moisture and protein, I have been so busy I didnt remember to do so until the shedding caught my attention.
For the first week I used a homemade egg- protein treatment, I will do so again this week if I am not able to get something better.

Have any of you ladies been experience 'more than usual' shedding? What do you do to prevent this and do any of you know of any good protein treatments?
I need help, will really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Wow! Everyone is showing such great growth. I need to post my updates.