Proven results: Gaining long hair under my practice

Three different (AHGC) clients with relaxed hair.

Applebaum Hair Growth Club (AHGC)

In today's society, social media influencers typically show before and after transformations all in one visit.  That all inclusive one stop is what lures most people in.  My practice is not built on a one day trip.  My three clients' pictured above have long, relaxed hair because we don't "fry, dye, and lay to the side."  I typically underprocess the hair before I would overprocess the hair.  Sometimes clients have to stretch their relaxer services. That means they sport a few more "ponytail days" to maintain the integrity of their hair and maintain their length.  This allows for gaining longer lengths with relaxers.

Over the years, I have learned that some hairtypes are "thirsty" which means that it soaks up the oils from the relaxer and the relaxer base.  Those hairtypes require extra clarification during the rinse out from relaxer services.  The extra clarification is a series of extra steps.  Hairstylists that are interested in learning more about these steps can pay for a consultation with me.

One thing that I decided to change since my Los Angeles trip is to discontinue using brushes/sprushes for relaxer application.  I can elaborate more during a paid consultation with me.

My relaxer clients were gaining length before my Los Angeles trip.  I mostly witnessed haircuts and molding while in Los Angeles. I was hoping for more color technique, but the clientele that class day were all solid black and short.  I always learn something new from every class that I attend.  Los Angeles was no exception.

So for those natural hair clients, I was so proud to see a natural hair client return to me for a service, and she had been FOLLOWING our regimen that we designed custom for her. Her natural hair has continued to gain length without me.  It confirmed to me that when the customer and I establish a regimen and routine that works that includes supplements (regardless of brand) - they are empowered to continue their regimen that works.

This is the basis of the Applebaum Hair Growth Club (AHGC).  There is no overnight magic to gaining length, but I can help people develop a plan to achieve longer God-given hair even if they use wigs or enhancements for glamour purposes.  Every practice is different.  Investing in my practice is an investment into yourself.

Wet Loc Length at 4 years 7 months

It is strange that people are still so obsessed with my Sisterlocks length. I am focused on curls and volume, but I have learned to give people a little more of what they want.

My Sisterlocks are four years and seven months old.  When they are wet, you see their full length. I get a lot of shrinkage when they are dry. I am okay with it. I like using the length to create fullness. 

My large (fore)head requires the length to fully frame my face. Night and day difference between bringing my locs toward the front of my face versus hanging in the back. Right? Head shapes do make a difference.

I am still using HerbaLife nutrition to lose weight and maintain healthy long hair.

Gaining Length While Losing Weight

Well, I am back down to my weight when I first got my Sisterlocks installed, and I was headed to Boston, MA to take my first Sisterlocks training.  It was August 2012.  I had been laid off from my corporate hairdresser position with Carolinas Healthcare System.  I suppose some people don't understand that you do not grow "long locs" overnight.  It takes time, and I was not going to pay another $1000 to get microlock extensions added nor was I going to spend another two days having anyone do anything else to my hair.

Some people have absolutely no idea what others go through in regards to controlling and grooming their hair.  I digress.  Anyway, I did not need a seat belt extension flying into Boston in August 2012, but this past January 2015 when I was headed to California, I had to ask for a seat belt extension.  I needed another inch or less of belt, and there was no more squeeze left in me so I had no choice, but to ask the flight attendant for a seatbelt extender.  I obviously could blame the airline for making the seats smaller, but somehow, I decided to suck up my pride. I had to admit to myself that I had slowly but surely gained a significant amount of weight in the last two years.  I don't even want to remind myself that I maintained a size 6 figure in my 20's so in the last couple of decades, I have experienced a lot of weight gain.

But I am regaining focus on getting all of that weight off.  I think that my hair had been a burden for so long because it is so different from the average head of hair.  Sometimes I question whether or not a "hair blog" even makes since anymore because unless someone truly has hair like mine - what worked for me may not work for another.  However, I am dedicated to the beauty industry, and I am excited about staying on the forefront of the hair industry.  

My locs will be 35 months old in another week and a half.  My mom seems to be noticing my length more and more.  She even asked if all of that was my hair to make sure that I had not added any.  I had to laugh.

Let's see what the next year holds.

The HerbaLife Weight Loss Challenge is on!

Hand Interlocking on Sisterlocks

This YouTube tutorial covers

• Hand interlocking using two hands
• Hand interlocking using one hands
• Gaining length by locking natural hair
• The terminology of hair popping
• The originality of locs based on one's individual hair texture
• When is it safe to cut off buds off the end of Sisterlocks

My Sisterlocks are two years and five and half months old.

Hair Growing versus Gaining Length

So you reach another milestone on the "Hair Length chart" then everyone is saying . . ."Your hair is growing." (in a surprising tone) . . .

It is awkward to me to hear this terminology because our hair has always been growing . . .

Unless there is a medical reason, everyone's hair is always growing.  However, many people are not gaining length because their hair is breaking due to dryness, chemical damage, excessive heat, nutrition deficiency, or the natural behavior of their curl pattern and texture. Continuous hair breakage prevents many people from seeing their hair length increase, but we have to stop wishing for hair growth!

God has already granted you continuous hair growth.

Please focus on "gaining length."

Gaining Length
Gaining Length
Gaining Length

This is the new hair goal and the new hair terminology for 2014. So remember:

"Gaining Length."

by wet setting . . .  practicing less hair manipulation . . . limiting permanent haircolor.

MicroLocks: My 13 Month Check-in

I am past my 13th month now.  I decided to call my former Sisterlocks . . . Microlocks.  I have found that by week 6, my roots start looking unruly and apparently, by other's facial expressions, past due for re-twisting.  Luckily, that means about an inch in new length for my micro-locks every six weeks.  My locks in the back of my head have gained enough length that I can now "whip it" around.  Can we say movement?  LOL!

 I have also received comments/questions wondering if I have extensions attached to my hair.  Nope - It's all just my hair!  No tools.  Just raw honey, jojoba oil, and my finger twisting.  No conditioning either.  Conditioners are mainly for damaged hair, but I did try an apple cider vinegar rinse.  Note for the future: vinegar burns when it runs into your eye, but no lost of eyesight so far. Smile.

I decided on the vinegar after reading one of my old blog posts reciting a regimen that another women recommended.  My blog is a great reference for me as well.

In this picture, I started re-twisting my front locks versus starting in the back which is how I have done in the past.  Since my front locks are smaller and more tedious, I decided to start with them for re-tightening.  I am happy that I did.  I was able to get my retightening session down to 3.5 hours using the honey versus the 5 hours the last go around. Yes!

You probably noticed that my front locks look more scalpy than my back.  I definitely encourage anyone who feels too scalpy, to allow their locks to get a little past due and ask the technician to not overtighten.

I am still a little sticky from the honey, but I really feel that the healing properties of the honey outweigh its messiness.

Also, as far as maintenance goes, another regimen that someone shared with them is tightening every 2 weeks.  One 2 week period is self tightening, and the other 2 week period is tightened by the loctician.  Of course, she had larger locks than mine, but they were not huge.  I assume 1 hour to 1.5 hours self-retightening.  I too am about ready for a loctician.  I am feeling a bit lazy, and I know my lock behavior now enough to instruct the loctician not to double up the locks.

Well, I am six months Sisterlocks free.  I am happy that only 25% of my head has the small Sisterlocks in it.  I have repeatedly heard stories of the really small Sisterlocks shedding or breaking.  Knowing now that the normal shedding hair drops down into the locks to form a dreadlock, extremely small locks could become weak from the weight of the shedded hair.  Even my size locks require keeping the new growth connected to the lock to support the lock's weight and updo styling.  The less stress on the locks, the less thinning. Head bands cause stress if worn for more than a couple of days.  I am learning as I have tried some tricks to hide my new growth until I had time to retighten.

Well, more and more clients are seeing how my locks will continue to lay as they get longer.  More people are excited about the idea of locks.  Thank God that I am a year ahead now.  By next year, this timeframe, I should really be on cloud 9.  Until next month's check-in . . .

Three Years Natural and Still Longing for Length?

I just completed a Mizani natural hair class, and my final questions about natural hair behavior finally came clear.  Remember in my past articles, we have talked about the curliest hair being most fragile?  Well, I am going to take that discussion even deeper.

Imagine every twist and turn in a hair strand to be vulnerable for breakage.  So the most wiry, kinky, zig zag hair has the most possible break points.  Right?  So when you see people who have been "going natural" for three years and their hair is still not any longer than three years ago, you ask what is wrong?

Well, It is breaking.  It is tangling. It may be shedding more because it is tangling.  Then it is trimmed regularly to keep some shape to it and to keep it from tangling as much.  It is a vicious cycle.  For some women, only sections of the head may have a really kinky texture to it.  For other women, they are dealing with a full head of "hard to manage" hair.

So what do you do to stop the breakage and start gaining length?  Here are the choices that I have come up with:

1) Relax it -  Pros:  Relaxers, soft curls, and texturizers eliminate some of the break points by reducing the curliness of the hair.  Cons:  The scalp which is living may suffer damage.  Also, chemicals plus heat styling could still weaken the already vulnerable hair.  So you may gain length short term, but you may lose density long-term.

2) Lock it - Pros: The natural shedding of the hair drops down into the dreadlock and compacts so that you never lose length.  You may still get breakage if the locks dry out, but otherwise, you are never combing out any hair as when you comb out loose natural hair.  Cons: Dreadlocks are not always accepted by certain social classes, jobs, and work environments.

3) Hard Press it- Pros: Hard pressing will eventually permanently straighten the hair or train it to stay straight.  Cons:  Healthy hard pressing has become a lost skill set because of the relaxer/ creamy crack generation.

These are the only three choices for kinkier hair types who want to gain length.

If you have a loose natural curl pattern, then you should have no problems gaining length regardless of chemicals or NO chemicals.  This topic really would not concern you unless you have a child whose hair is kinkier than yours.

So in hindsight, I wished that I had started my dreadlock journey a long time ago.  My scalp was always sensitive to relaxers from my childhood days and continued into my adult life.  I was always tenderheaded.  My hair has always been very hard to manage.

I think that I and my mom have spent much of my forty something years trying to control my hair.  If I only knew then what I know now,  I would have chosen to lock my hair a lot sooner, but we are on God's time and ordered according to His plan for us.

I appreciate the journey and knowledge gained along the way.