The OFFICIAL 3m GROWTH CHALLENGE Pt 2..Sept 6-Dec 31

Nice!!!! very healthy looking!!

Hi my curlfriends!!! I've been MIA for awhile, but still keeping up with my routine. I had been wearing WnGs for awhile just using the TJTTT, Giovanni SAS leave in (or KCKT), vatika or castor oil as a sealer and then eco styler w/oo. When I didn't wear WnG, I wore a twist out.

A couple of new things that I've tried. 1) I finally used the Suave Natural Tropical Coconut conditioner that I purchased like months ago to cowash. I love it!. 2) I used up the last of my raw shea butter by melting it, then adding vatika oil and jojobo oil. I let it get solid in the fridge and used the next day for sealing twist out - the best thing I've ever done

I bought, but haven't tried yet. 1) Alma powder, henna powder. 2) My Qhemet Alma Olive & Heavy cream shipped today that I ordered on Black Friday.

I've been reading all the past posts and everyone is doing wonderful!!! Oh and I just noticed on my siggy line that I'm 4 months and 4 weeks natural!!!! Yay me

Small update:

A week ago I:
Pre-poo and detangled w/EVOO and coconut oil mix
Shampoo: Giovanni Triple Tea Tree
Conditioner: HE Hello Hydration w/EVOO and Honey
Leave-In: Kinky Curly Knot Today
Moisturize/Sealant: Sheacoconut butter mix

I twisted my hair in thick plaits of about 10-12 twists. Then I pinned them up for a couple of days. That weekend, I let my hair loose and did a side twistout/fro.

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I did a mini length check and I'm happy to report I'm almost or close to APL:
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I went from collarbone length in August to almost or just about close to APL in December. My hair seems to growing at the average rate (1" per 3 months). I'm pleased with it. Not so pleased with knots and tangles, but hey, it is what it is.

This week I tried a new twistout technique, courtesy of Naptural85. This technique is really awesome because it makes for a more defined, cleaner twistout. By twisting at the roots and splitting each section in two, the hair unravels without adding frizz.
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I'm still thinking about my 2011 hair goals. Now that I've gotta solid regimen, a pretty good product lineup, and progressing healthy growth and hair, I guess my only goal is to retain as much length as I can next year. I have people (students, really) begging me to straighten my hair, but I'm soooo scared to do it. I'm always reading a horror story about heat and I'm just deathly afraid to press it. Should I be? Has anyone had a GOOD experience with straightening their hair for the first time? IDK...I'll see what ya'll have to say and maybe...eh. *kanyeshrug*

That's all for now. Be back to update before the new year!

^^^ nice progress

Hey Curlies, so nice to be back! LoL...been SUPER busy! I am glad everyone is doing so wel on this challenge!

Update: I kind of neglected my hair a little due to soooooo many things going on in my life. SO....I washed with my raw black soap on Friday and had such a hard time detangling with my V05 Moistur Milk (probably because I hadn't done anything to my hair in a little over a week. It was soooo mad at me!) So i slept with a self heating conditioning cap with a LOT of conditioner in my hair, and in the morning I rinsed it out and did some small two strand twists. So I pinned the front back yesterday just to have a different look, and so that I can try to wash and retwist while my hair is still twisted and save some time. My scalp has been a little itchy and I don't know if that is from the Cantu Leave In that I used for my twists. I just brought HE None of your Frizziness Leave In conditioner to try some twists with, as well as the Garnier Fructis Sleek N Shine Leave In cream to try as well. I missed out on the Black Friday sales and have seen so many mixed reviews on what I wanted, I didn't want to dish out the money and not like the product. I would rather dish out $3 and not like than $30. Well, this is my update, here is a pic of my pinned up twists. I misted them in the shower and got crazy shrinkage. But they are doing well for me.

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Update:

It had been 12 days since my last wash, so I washed my hair yesterday.

- Prepoo - Hot oil treatment (avocado, jojoba, JBCO, tea tree, and peppermint oils) My scalp has been itching like crazy. That always happens when it gets cold

- Shampoo - Bee Mine Peppermint and Tea tree shampoo - first time using it. It was ok. I have a sample size I won in a contest/giveaway

- Conditioned with Bee Mine Avocado Conditioner - first time using it. Roxie (my hair) laughed at that stuff. It was like putting water on my hair so I tried some HE TT. I will be giving the HETT to my mom. It just doesnt work as well as my beloved Aussie Moist

- Deep conditioned with heat for 20 mins using Darcy's Botanicals deep conditioning mask. First time using it....it made my hair so soft...almost scary soft. It was happy with the results!!

- Applied Kimmaytube leave in and Hairveda's cocasta shikakai oil and put in medium/large twist. I plan to put mini twist in tomorrow....I think. LOL!!

Here are some pics of what Roxie has been up to...

Blow out in preparation for my birthday dinner 'do

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Birthday dinner 'do

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After my 2nd day hair, I retwisted and got these results...

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I cant wait to see everyone's results at the end of the month!!

Hey Lynnie! I love the do where the front is clipped back (u in the balck) and I love those Afro Mama Earrings!!! lol Cute!!!

Thanks MissKris!

FunkyHairChick...I love your hair too, especially in the last 2 pics. Very pretty definition!!!

misskris wrote:FunkyHairChick...I love your hair too, especially in the last 2 pics. Very pretty definition!!!

Thanks MissKris!!

rayray19 wrote:time for an update..

so I am now officially 4 months natural!!! and have about 3 inches of growth..Ive been doing nothing but twist/twist outs for about 2months now and will continue to do them over this cold cold winter
(can u believe it its 43 degrees outside in SC!! in the south!! this winter is going to be crazy!!)

I cant wait till Dec 31 to see every bodies growth updates and mines as well!!

Thanks for the update. I am also looking forward to seeing everyones progress.

krazy coils wrote:Small update:

I washed and styled my hair this weekend. I diluted my shampoo with water which helped cut down on the tangling. Also now I am washing my hair, applying a leave-in conditioner and then letting my hair dry in plaits. The next day when my hair is almost dry I remove the plaits and I twist my hair up. I used Koils by Nature Shealoe leave-in as my leave-in conditioner and the next day I used Qhemet's Amla and Olive heavy cream with the Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm for my twists.

I am coming to the realization that since my hair is coarse it doesn't like a lot of protein in the first ingredients in my products. I will no longer be doing heavy protein treatments unless necessary and I am making sure that if my products do have protein in them its towards the end of the ingredient list. Here is a pic of my twists:


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Your twist look really pretty!! What protein product/products were you using?

Naturalin2010 wrote:Hi my curlfriends!!! I've been MIA for awhile, but still keeping up with my routine. I had been wearing WnGs for awhile just using the TJTTT, Giovanni SAS leave in (or KCKT), vatika or castor oil as a sealer and then eco styler w/oo. When I didn't wear WnG, I wore a twist out.

A couple of new things that I've tried. 1) I finally used the Suave Natural Tropical Coconut conditioner that I purchased like months ago to cowash. I love it!. 2) I used up the last of my raw shea butter by melting it, then adding vatika oil and jojobo oil. I let it get solid in the fridge and used the next day for sealing twist out - the best thing I've ever done

I bought, but haven't tried yet. 1) Alma powder, henna powder. 2) My Qhemet Alma Olive & Heavy cream shipped today that I ordered on Black Friday.

I've been reading all the past posts and everyone is doing wonderful!!! Oh and I just noticed on my siggy line that I'm 4 months and 4 weeks natural!!!! Yay me

Thanks for the update. Let us know how you like the Qhemet AOHC. My hair LOVES it!!!

FunkyHairChic wrote:Small update:

A week ago I:
Pre-poo and detangled w/EVOO and coconut oil mix
Shampoo: Giovanni Triple Tea Tree
Conditioner: HE Hello Hydration w/EVOO and Honey
Leave-In: Kinky Curly Knot Today
Moisturize/Sealant: Sheacoconut butter mix

I twisted my hair in thick plaits of about 10-12 twists. Then I pinned them up for a couple of days. That weekend, I let my hair loose and did a side twistout/fro.

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


I did a mini length check and I'm happy to report I'm almost or close to APL:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I went from collarbone length in August to almost or just about close to APL in December. My hair seems to growing at the average rate (1" per 3 months). I'm pleased with it. Not so pleased with knots and tangles, but hey, it is what it is.

This week I tried a new twistout technique, courtesy of Naptural85. This technique is really awesome because it makes for a more defined, cleaner twistout. By twisting at the roots and splitting each section in two, the hair unravels without adding frizz.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'm still thinking about my 2011 hair goals. Now that I've gotta solid regimen, a pretty good product lineup, and progressing healthy growth and hair, I guess my only goal is to retain as much length as I can next year. I have people (students, really) begging me to straighten my hair, but I'm soooo scared to do it. I'm always reading a horror story about heat and I'm just deathly afraid to press it. Should I be? Has anyone had a GOOD experience with straightening their hair for the first time? IDK...I'll see what ya'll have to say and maybe...eh. *kanyeshrug*

That's all for now. Be back to update before the new year!

Great progress...Your hair looks fabulous!! What do you teach? I've straightened my hair about 3x since I've grown it out and I wasn't too impressed. For me, it just solidified that I love my kinky hair just the way it is. But I think if you get it professional done, it will be fine. Per your new twist method, can you explain the bolded. Are you doing a finger twist at root and then separating the hair to double strand twist? I separate starting at the root all the way to the tip then 2 strand twist. For t/os, I just untwist slowly and tend to not have any issues w/frizz.

kurlegurl wrote:Hey Curlies, so nice to be back! LoL...been SUPER busy! I am glad everyone is doing so wel on this challenge!

Update: I kind of neglected my hair a little due to soooooo many things going on in my life. SO....I washed with my raw black soap on Friday and had such a hard time detangling with my V05 Moistur Milk (probably because I hadn't done anything to my hair in a little over a week. It was soooo mad at me!) So i slept with a self heating conditioning cap with a LOT of conditioner in my hair, and in the morning I rinsed it out and did some small two strand twists. So I pinned the front back yesterday just to have a different look, and so that I can try to wash and retwist while my hair is still twisted and save some time. My scalp has been a little itchy and I don't know if that is from the Cantu Leave In that I used for my twists. I just brought HE None of your Frizziness Leave In conditioner to try some twists with, as well as the Garnier Fructis Sleek N Shine Leave In cream to try as well. I missed out on the Black Friday sales and have seen so many mixed reviews on what I wanted, I didn't want to dish out the money and not like the product. I would rather dish out $3 and not like than $30. Well, this is my update, here is a pic of my pinned up twists. I misted them in the shower and got crazy shrinkage. But they are doing well for me.

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Thanks for the update!!

Lynnieluve wrote:Update:

It had been 12 days since my last wash, so I washed my hair yesterday.

- Prepoo - Hot oil treatment (avocado, jojoba, JBCO, tea tree, and peppermint oils) My scalp has been itching like crazy. That always happens when it gets cold

- Shampoo - Bee Mine Peppermint and Tea tree shampoo - first time using it. It was ok. I have a sample size I won in a contest/giveaway

- Conditioned with Bee Mine Avocado Conditioner - first time using it. Roxie (my hair) laughed at that stuff. It was like putting water on my hair so I tried some HE TT. I will be giving the HETT to my mom. It just doesnt work as well as my beloved Aussie Moist

- Deep conditioned with heat for 20 mins using Darcy's Botanicals deep conditioning mask. First time using it....it made my hair so soft...almost scary soft. It was happy with the results!!

- Applied Kimmaytube leave in and Hairveda's cocasta shikakai oil and put in medium/large twist. I plan to put mini twist in tomorrow....I think. LOL!!

Here are some pics of what Roxie has been up to...

Blow out in preparation for my birthday dinner 'do

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Birthday dinner 'do

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After my 2nd day hair, I retwisted and got these results...

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I cant wait to see everyone's results at the end of the month!!

Your hair is gorgeous girl. I think I've found a new hair idol!! And since you are ALWAYS talking about it, I am about to buy myself a bottle of this Aussie Moist to try it out!!


Update on me:

Last Wed, my hair was itchy, so I prepooed w/ a mix of alma powder and coconut oil. Let it sit on my hair for 1 hr, rinsed, and cowashed w/ Suave Coconut condish. On wet hair, I applied Bee Mine moisturizing condish and twisted:

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The way I wash and detangle my hair, I hardly loose a lot of hair. Here is a pic of my typical hair loss:

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After I twisted, I lightly covered w/scarf and went to bed.

Here are my twist dried the next day:

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I have to admit, my hair felt gross. Cowashing didn't really remove the alma mix, so my scalp felt itchy still and caked on. But I endured until today.

Tonight I decided to henna:

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So here I sit at 11:37pm w/henna on my hair and a heating cap over it. It's going to be a LONG night..LOL


Thanks for the updates ladies. We're almost done!!!

@ Oooop2 - I cant be your hair idol!! You're my hair idol!!

Hair update:

Hey all. I'm still in my 3 week old natural braids. I can't find my camera charger so I can't post any pictures until I do.

I'm still following the same routine. I tried a new product last week but washed it out two days later.

Wash: Suave clarifying shampoo
Condition: Suave coconut conditioner and coconut oil
moisturize: shea moisture hair milk diluted with water and grapeseed oil in a spray bottle
Seal: I see my ends with afroveda shea alma

I plan on taking out my braids so time next week and I'll do a length check since my last trimming, and I'll probably re-do my braids again just for ease and convenience, so I don't have to do very much to my hair during the week.

@ooop2 - It was mainly my conditioners - Giovanni SAS (which didn't cause a problem if I didn't use it too much). I also used Aubrey Organics Blue Chamomile Conditioner. It said hydrating but also contained milk protein which I'm not familiar with. My hair just really acted crazy after I used the Blue Chamomile Conditioner. I'm just trying to decrease protein for a while to see if it is really a problem.

@ Oooop2: Thanks, chica! I teach Business courses on the high school level.

Actually, Ms. LynnieLuv hipped me to this method. I part my hair in 4 sections; split each section in half; flat twisting the roots adding hair to the twists going down and repeat. Unravel carefully from tip to root and voila! Here is her video link so you can see how she does it. It gave me the most magical twistout results and I'm sold on it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ntmGdXXUw

I have not posted here in a minute but I have kept up with my routine. I have added things and taken things away from my hair routine.
I have added nightly scalp massages and spritzing my hair twice a day and sealing. I alternate between shampooing and cowashing. My hair will stay in twists until May using the Kimmaytube twist style. That is it!

Hi everyone. I dont have much to report... this weekend I got my hair pressed and flat ironed for a christmas party. Im happy to say I reached the 4 inch line on my length check shirt. Sadly, i'll probably be back at the 2nd or 3rd inch line in february when I get my ends trimmed. Its all good though, i'll be back at the 4 inch line with thicker, fuller looking ends in no time. Here are some pics from the start of the challenge to a few days ago.
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Keisha, your hair looks great!!

I haven't posted in a few weeks, but it's all good. I finally figured out my go-to products for my short hair. Right now I don't need much to get things done. I'm still patting my hair down instead of wearing it out, (if that makes sense). When I fluffed it out, my husband said "Hey, it's growing". I said, "Duh".

(Btw, you ladies are looking fabulous as usual! I am looking at all these beautiful twists and can't wait until I get there). Here is my new schedule:

Wash: Devacurl No Poo Shampoo
DC: Lavera Rosemilk Conditioner with a tsb of ORS conditioner
Leave-In: I don't use it as often as I used to, but KCKT or Darcy's leave-in
Base: EVOO or jojoba oil
Style: Hard--DB new curl cream gel (LOVE THIS) and KCCC. I got a 5 day style with this combo. Soft: Curls Pomade or Qhemet's burdock root cream.

My hair has been growing steadily along as long as I keep it from build-up and abuse. Tomorrow
is wash day! I made it through 5 days with my "hard" style using only a misting spray for hydration. I wonder what I'll do next time. Happy growing, ladies!

thanks Lynnie for the comment.

Im back with a quick update. I DC'd and cowashed on wednesday night/thursday morning. I sweated out my press while at the gym. My workout is more important than some hairstyle, plus its raining in Cali anyway so it woulda gotten wet either way... So I DC'd with the bee mine: bee-u-ti-ful deep conditioner. I purchased the sample size on black friday and I am soooo glad I did because that stuff is whack. The smell aint nothing to write home about, neither are the ingredients. I'll finish it off but I definitely wont be repurchasing. I cowashed with LIVE GREEN Pomegranate Moisturizing conditioner. Prior to applying my products I parted my hair into 8 sections and trimmed about an inch to an inch and a half off my ends. I have no idea if my hair is even or not... Oh well, i'd rather have uneven hair than raggedy ends. After trimming my ends, I applied Kimmaytube's leave in to each section, then moisturized with my mix of products, sealed with a shea butter/coconut oil mix and banded my hair into 8 sections. Thursday afternoon I un-banded my hair and styled it in my signature bun, which will be the only style i'll wear for the remainder of 2010.

Lynnieluve wrote:@ Oooop2 - I cant be your hair idol!! You're my hair idol!!

LOL...Too funny. Well I guess we can admire each others hair

kinksncurls wrote:Hair update:

Hey all. I'm still in my 3 week old natural braids. I can't find my camera charger so I can't post any pictures until I do.

I'm still following the same routine. I tried a new product last week but washed it out two days later.

Wash: Suave clarifying shampoo
Condition: Suave coconut conditioner and coconut oil
moisturize: shea moisture hair milk diluted with water and grapeseed oil in a spray bottle
Seal: I see my ends with afroveda shea alma

I plan on taking out my braids so time next week and I'll do a length check since my last trimming, and I'll probably re-do my braids again just for ease and convenience, so I don't have to do very much to my hair during the week.

What was the issue with the new product you tried?

krazy coils wrote:@ooop2 - It was mainly my conditioners - Giovanni SAS (which didn't cause a problem if I didn't use it too much). I also used Aubrey Organics Blue Chamomile Conditioner. It said hydrating but also contained milk protein which I'm not familiar with. My hair just really acted crazy after I used the Blue Chamomile Conditioner. I'm just trying to decrease protein for a while to see if it is really a problem.

Keep us posted....

Funkyhairchic wrote:@ Oooop2: Thanks, chica! I teach Business courses on the high school level.

Actually, Ms. LynnieLuv hipped me to this method. I part my hair in 4 sections; split each section in half; flat twisting the roots adding hair to the twists going down and repeat. Unravel carefully from tip to root and voila! Here is her video link so you can see how she does it. It gave me the most magical twistout results and I'm sold on it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ntmGdXXUw

Oh bless you for teacher high schoolers. My brother is a junior and he and his friends are an interesting bunch. Will check out the video...

DreamMerchant wrote:I have not posted here in a minute but I have kept up with my routine. I have added things and taken things away from my hair routine.
I have added nightly scalp massages and spritzing my hair twice a day and sealing. I alternate between shampooing and cowashing. My hair will stay in twists until May using the Kimmaytube twist style. That is it!

What have you taken out?

Keisha wrote:Hi everyone. I dont have much to report... this weekend I got my hair pressed and flat ironed for a christmas party. Im happy to say I reached the 4 inch line on my length check shirt. Sadly, i'll probably be back at the 2nd or 3rd inch line in february when I get my ends trimmed. Its all good though, i'll be back at the 4 inch line with thicker, fuller looking ends in no time. Here are some pics from the start of the challenge to a few days ago.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for the update!!

fleur wrote:I haven't posted in a few weeks, but it's all good. I finally figured out my go-to products for my short hair. Right now I don't need much to get things done. I'm still patting my hair down instead of wearing it out, (if that makes sense). When I fluffed it out, my husband said "Hey, it's growing". I said, "Duh".

(Btw, you ladies are looking fabulous as usual! I am looking at all these beautiful twists and can't wait until I get there). Here is my new schedule:

Wash: Devacurl No Poo Shampoo
DC: Lavera Rosemilk Conditioner with a tsb of ORS conditioner
Leave-In: I don't use it as often as I used to, but KCKT or Darcy's leave-in
Base: EVOO or jojoba oil
Style: Hard--DB new curl cream gel (LOVE THIS) and KCCC. I got a 5 day style with this combo. Soft: Curls Pomade or Qhemet's burdock root cream.

My hair has been growing steadily along as long as I keep it from build-up and abuse. Tomorrow
is wash day! I made it through 5 days with my "hard" style using only a misting spray for hydration. I wonder what I'll do next time. Happy growing, ladies!

Thanks for the update!!

Keisha wrote:thanks Lynnie for the comment.

Im back with a quick update. I DC'd and cowashed on wednesday night/thursday morning. I sweated out my press while at the gym. My workout is more important than some hairstyle, plus its raining in Cali anyway so it woulda gotten wet either way... So I DC'd with the bee mine: bee-u-ti-ful deep conditioner. I purchased the sample size on black friday and I am soooo glad I did because that stuff is whack. The smell aint nothing to write home about, neither are the ingredients. I'll finish it off but I definitely wont be repurchasing. I cowashed with LIVE GREEN Pomegranate Moisturizing conditioner. Prior to applying my products I parted my hair into 8 sections and trimmed about an inch to an inch and a half off my ends. I have no idea if my hair is even or not... Oh well, i'd rather have uneven hair than raggedy ends. After trimming my ends, I applied Kimmaytube's leave in to each section, then moisturized with my mix of products, sealed with a shea butter/coconut oil mix and banded my hair into 8 sections. Thursday afternoon I un-banded my hair and styled it in my signature bun, which will be the only style i'll wear for the remainder of 2010.

I've found that my hair loves BeeMine in the summer months. In the winter, I need heavier products like Qhemet.

Thanks for the updates ladies. Just 10 more days then this challenge is over. Can't wait to see ending pics!!

Hi Curlies,

Ok, so I just came on to share some exciting news.....I got my hair in a pony tail!!!! Like a real one!!!! I am getting my hair straightened and trimmed on Thursday, so I decided I needed to detangle and put my hair in a simple style until Thursday morning. So I was in the mirror trying to figure out what I was going to do with my hair and I realized that I could pull it all back!!!!!! I am so excited! The front needed to be pinned a little, but I have a fluffy pony tail!!!! I will post a pic later!! I will also post a pic of my straight trimmed hair for my final length check. This challenege was so fun. Thank you Oooop2 for hosting this! You ladies have been so much help and so inspiring!

Update::

I washed my hair yesterday...

- Used KBB Juicy Shampoo Bar
- Condition/detangle with YTC and VO5 mixed together (trying to use it up)
- Deep conditoner - Darcys Botanicals conditioning mask w/heat for 20 mins
- Applied Koils By Nature leave in conditioner, coconut oil and twisted my hair into large twist to dry overnight.

This morning I made the twist smaller using Koils By Nature Citrus Bliss Hair and Body Butter and eucalyptus gel. I will post pics of my Christmas Day hair when I do my final update.

Here are pics of a couple of styles I did with my mini twist last week:

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I cant wait to see the progress everyone made during these last few months.

We are going to need a separate thread for the results for this topic! It is going to be HUGE and I cannot wait to see the progress that everyone have made. So far all the pictures have been absolutely stunning. Best of all, I hope we came out with a plan that works for our hair!

DreamMerchant wrote:We are going to need a separate thread for the results for this topic! It is going to be HUGE and I cannot wait to see the progress that everyone have made. So far all the pictures have been absolutely stunning. Best of all, I hope we came out with a plan that works for our hair!

I agree, I have not been posting like i was in the beginning, but I have definatly been growing. LOL. I will post start and finish pics on friday morning.