There’s something inspirational about seeing a natural rock a huge braidout or fro. Even more inspiring? If that natural started out with a big chop, and had to go through the grow out process. The following natural bloggers and vloggers started out with big chops or short, damaged hair, and had to learn how to retain length. Their journeys are a great resource for length retention tips.
KimmayTube
Kim Love of KimmayTube is the hands down queen of length retention. In her “YouTube Hair Journey” series of videos she shares how she endured 10 years of short, constantly breaking hair before changing her regimen. She now has backlength hair.
Glamazini
Roshini Cope, the author of Glamazini.com, has been blogging since 2002 and had hair at every length — from big chop fade to back length hair. On her site you can find styling tutorials for any length of hair.
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I gotta say Haircrush, longhairdontcare2011, shelli of haiscapades, and naptural85 should def. be on the list.
Good additions you’ve got there.
Co-Sign to that.!…They shud do a Part 2
Nice additions!!! Longhairdontcare2011 is my ALL-TIME HAIR IDOL! I’ve even adopted some major parts of her regimen…Awesome hair! If you don’t know her, please check her out: http://www.youtube.com/user/Longhairdontcare2011/videos
I agree! Longhairdontcare2011, Natural Hair Crush, and another sista, Sera2544, are the queens of length retention. When most people of any background (natural or not, Black or not) think of long hair they are thinking of the hair on the heads of these ladies.
Kimmaytube presented her hair care journey in a way that was engaging, entertaining, concise, and organized. Her leave-in recipe was a breakthrough for many naturals that follow her. Her videos are well-lit and easy to follow and her hair length is inspirational. Also, she retains an inch and a half consistently and she did so relatively quickly. Everyone’s hair does not retain length at six inches per year.
But I feel the aforementioned ladies resonate with me more. And even though my hair pattern is different than Sera2544, I am most impressed with her because she’s from Sierra Leone, she has thick 4b hair, and she has managed to grow it to waist length through very careful dry detangling and protective styles and without fancy ceremony. Her hair appears long in its shrunken state and when she uses heat – not just when she uses heat. Impressive!
Sera2544 does use heat. When her hair is shrunken it goes to her shoulders.She has a video of this.
Other women like her with long 4b hair have to use some kind of stretching method to show their length. How do I know? Well I have hair similar to theirs, (although many textures) and my hair in its stretched out blow out state is close to my back and flat iron down my back, but in its shrunken state it’s just a little past my chin.
Other women who have long type 4b hair is mwedzi, who also uses heat to stretch out her hair.
Yeah dude YOU’RE RIGHT ! longhairdontcare2011 SHOULD BE on this list. She has an amazing mane. same for Haircrush !
Sorry, that should be *hairscapades.com
Awww thanks Tai and Porsha:)!!
Agreed HairCrush and Naptural85 should
just discovered a youtuber [don't think she blogs, in fact her appeal is that she's not that savvy of the natural hair community-- she does her own thing] she uses: sistawithrealhair. It’s very refreshing to see her take on retention & her regimen in general! I love longhairdontcare2011′s melllowness & Naptural85′s spirit. Nikkimae2003 is awesome too! So many cool women out there~
Going to look up Sistawithrealhair.
Sistawithrealhair is fantastic! I find it refreshing that she just doesn’t advocate hair techniques, she says watch your diet and the quality of proteins you take in (she’s a pescatarian). She’s absolutely right. I retained much more length when I incorporated fish and green smoothies into my diet. My hair is now retaining length at a much quicker rate and my fingernails are longer, too.
Hello Ronnie,
I was wondering what you put in your green smoothie.
I notice that my hair grows faster when i eat a lot of green veggies and other veggies, fresh fruit, fish and beans and when I exercise.
Hello Freda,
Your diet sounds like mine! I also eat a salad at least once a day everyday and sprinkle raw nuts or flaxseed over it for protein. As for the smoothie, I add distilled or purified water (whichever is on hand), brown rice protein powder, blueberries, raspeberries, strawberries, banana, and kale or bok choy. Sometimes I add a green powder that contains Spirulina and wheat grass. My taste buds are not programmed to take all of this straight yet so I do add a third to a half a cup of organic raw sugar or agave to the smoothie. Hope this helps.
Agreed with those mentioned already, but also Elle (from Quest for the perfect curl) should def be on here! She only BC’d about 2 years ago, to a TWA, and her hair now is just amazing!
+1
i agree 100%! her hair journey has been amazing so far!
I agree with those mentioned but I would add Haircrush, Whoissugar,Naptural85,Longhairdontcare2011 and FusionofCultures.
While I like your list (they’re all vloggers that I subscribe to (except for Longhairdontcare2011; I just heard of her today), I don’t think that Leila (FusionofCultures) would fit the criteria for this particular list. I think she transitioned for two years and never did a “big” chop; she just cut off the existing relaxed ends last summer.
WRONG! no matter how or when u cut off your relaxed ends it is still considered a big chop just because she didn’t wait 3 months into her transition doesn’t mean her big chop is not one…plus she is an inspiration for long term transitioners who dont want to have a twa an how to handle multiple textures with her low manipulation styles i have seen ppl try to do this with to much breakage an just cut it all off anyway cuz it was to much to deal with…so she should be on this list
First off, calm it down with the all caps business. My understanding of “big chop” is that one is cutting off a large portion of hair. I like Leila, and as I said, I subscribe to her YT channel, but what she did by cutting off the relaxed ends was not a “big” chop.
You’re arguing a point that I’m not even talking about. BGLH’s criteria for this particular list was vloggers/bloggers who have done the big chop and then subsequently retained a lot of length through their journey. Leila has beautiful hair and great length, and yes, she’s an inspiration for long-term transitioners (of which I consider myself since I’ve been tranistioning for a year), but I wouldn’t consider what she did by cutting off the relaxed ends (which were definitely shorter than the natural length she had already retained over the course of two years) a “big” chop.
African violet is right. Long term transitioning is not a big chop. The big chop would be cutting off all or most of your relaxed hair, and starting from scratch.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Long hair don’t care ever did a big chop. She says on her blog that she’s not even sure if she’s transitioning, she simply hasn’t relaxed her hair in a very long time.
If leila wants to call it a big chop then it is. There shouldn’t be all these damn rule for hair. It’s just hair! putting all these criteria for what is considered what takes the fun out of this community. We should be allowed to define OURSELVES as we wish without having people getting mad because they think it’s wrong. Nothing is black and white. It’s all shades of grey.
I thought the point here was length retention! However it was done shouldn’t be a big issue as long as we’re talking about natural hair :D
Actually she supposedly did have an Big chop done on her hair in reference to Longhairdontcare2011 http://www.naturalhairgrows.com/natural-curly-hair-styles.html
No, I think this a matter of using the words in the English language correctly. Snipping your ends slowly (transitioning) is not the same as CHOPPING off your hair.
I’m soooo sick of people making up definitions for words. Saying they can call it whatever they want. When words lose meanings, we lose the ability to communicate.
Agreed great adds. Do anyone know the name of the model above I love her hair?
I think it is Sabina Karlsson. I think she is Swedish. She was a “normal” (i hate this term) and now I think she is a plus sized model now. I love her hair!
Thanks!
Elle and MyNaturalSistas comes to mind as well… the ladies mentioned do have wonderful retention though!
Haircrush should be on here as well. But they only were listing 5 bloggers/vloggers.
I find that many naturals on fotki actually have much more similar hair to mine. All the people listed above have great hair but in terms of curl pattern and shrinkage, they really look nothing like my hair. It may come as a surprise to some but for me many of these ladies have huge huge curls(kimmaytube, glamazini,naptural85) or a more real 4b straight kinky shape (sera has video of her wet hair and it really it is not particularly curly, I think cipriana’s hair is similar though I have not seen it wet).
These are some my favourites whose hair looks and behaves like mine. I do believe they all have thicker strands compared to mine however, so while I like their hair it only gives me an idea of what mine would like at a certain length. As a fine haired girl, my hair does not play nicely with heat or combs.
Mwedzi http://members.fotki.com/mwedzi/about/
Loolahloo http://members.fotki.com/loolalooh/about/
Princessdani http://members.fotki.com/PrinCess-Dani/about/
Maestradiva http://members.fotki.com/Maestradiva77/about/
There used to be a girl on youtube, she was Nigerian American, her name escapes me, she also had super shrinkage and long hair. She closed her channel though, can’t recall her screen name.
Other hair I love which is nothing like mine –
Kcurly of newlynatural.com – amazing retention,
Who is sugar on youtube – love the pocahontas style
longhairdontcare on youtube -(beautiful whole head flat twist), leobody c5 who has a loose wavy texture on youtube – people often ignore looser texture but her methods are not dissimilar to mine
laila -fusion of cultures who was featured here – transitioned for forever and a day – great inspiration for long term transitioners
cynthiarf of youtube – I cannot for the life of me understand how perfect her little curls are. I have never seen texture like this, it is very pretty.
Naturally leslie – She never really showcases her length, she usually talks more about styles and hair health/psychology. Her hair is however very long and full.
Shima of youtube – She is relaxed. She sometimes screams into the mic and rambles on a bit but her advice on handling hair goes across the board whether relaxed or natural.
Sunshyne of hairlista – Another relaxed head. I love the fullness of her hair and choice to maintain it at a length of her choosing.
Might Rustic Beauty be the youtuber whom you’re talking about? Her channel isn’t closed, but she hasn’t posted for a long time either.
That is her name! Thanks Dani……off to youtube :)
rustic beauty is a Nigerian????that’s my sister then!lol
I co sign on Naptural85. Her hair might not be quite as long as the others, but her hair is unbelievably thick and healthy. For me, health and thickness wins over length every time, which is why I’ve never been a fan of Kimmay. Props to her achieving that length, but her hair always looks wispy to me.
Malanthata, I understand what you are saying but for fine haired and ladies with not so dense hair like me, kimmaytube is a great inspiration of the fruit dedication, patience and purpose yields. You might not be able to increase hair density (genetics) but you can surely grow it as long as you want with pateince and dedication.
I just BCed again for the reason that I never could figure out how to handle my so delicate head of hair. Follow me on my joirney to retaining hair length
http://www.chyscurlz.blogspot.com.
Your curls are awesome!!!!!
(I’m a fine haired curly too, so I understand). I’ve always wanted that HUGE mass of hair, but I love my little coils, lol!
thefrizzness.blogspot.com
@natural dancer/candice
I checked out your blog and it’s really good. Your hair looks gorgeous in that photo as well.
Thanks ma’am. You hair reminds me of mine.
Agreed. Everyone’s hair is different and one of those differences is having fine or coarse strands. While my hair is dense, my strands are a mix but consist mostly of fine/medium strands. Knowing this has helped me not needlessly lament over my hair not being thick enough and keep my healthy as it is, instead of trying to make it something it is not.
I agree! Kimmaytube and I have hair that is very similar and just because someone’s hair isn’t thick doesn’t mean that it isn’t healthy. That said, the only thing I and some other naturals don’t like about Kimmaytube’s hair regimen is that she doesn’t trim. Kim’s hair is now to the bottom of her waist when stretched; she could really stand to clip off a couple of inches and her hair would still be long. Kimmaytube clips off knots (I’m paraphrasing what she said) but that’s it. Also, to me, her hair looks better when it hasn’t been treated with heat since it is so fine. It looks “wispy” as Malantha said when she flat-irons or blow-dries her hair.
Everyone’s hair is different because Longhairdontcare2011′s hair looks great treated with heat but her hair is obviously much thicker.
I’m fine haired and with less density so Kimmay’s hair is more like mine than all the usual gurus people point to. My hair will never be dense or thick so it’s to know what options hair like mine can achieve. It’s disheartening to see only thick hair profiled. Wish there were more out there.
I am a fine-haired natural as well and Kimmay’s hair is definitely an inspiration to me.
Co-sign. Not everyone has thick hair, and people like Kimmy let us know that it is OK.
@ ChrysCurlz
Firstly, your hair is beautiful. Secondly, I hear what you are saying about fine hair, my hair is fine too. I’ll be honest, I don’t care much for Kimmay for a variety of reasons, but her dedication to the health of her hair cannot be denied.
However, simply on aesthetic grounds I personally would never want my hair as long as hers. I’ll try and upload a photo of my hair at its longest
Awwwww…thanks. Your hair is pretty, so are you. I hear what you’re saying re Kimmaytube. My husband and I talked abt this. I showed her to him and he didn’t care too much for her personality either. I on the other hand try to seperate that from sound hair advice. I look at what she’sbeen able to accomplish and figure out what my take-aways will be and I leave it at that. Everytime I play a video of hers it gives me a kick to see the visceral reaction it generates in my hubby (who does not care about hair) so I show him her tweets just to get him going lol
I agree with Malantha. I’m not hating on Kimmay’s hair at all, but if you look at photos of her hair before she started her “length-retention plan” her hair was significantly thicker. Perhaps it is also age or environment, but her hair now, while much longer, seems much thinner than it once was.
Yes, sometimes Kim Love’s personality leaves much to be desired, but she gives sound advice on length retention and her advice works for many naturals regardless of hair type or density.
I think the issue is something people are missing. Kim Love is petite (kind of short) with a long face. I don’t think waist-length hair flatters her body type and face shape. It also may not suit someone with very fine hair. One of the reasons so many people liked Kim Love with shorter hair – bra-strap length and shorter – is because that hair length and the styles she wore complemented her body type, hair density, and face. I was viewing her more recent video where she is showcasing her length while pregnant for a photo shoot. Her hair looked more like an attraction – somehow seperate from her. And while the hair length itself was impressive, SHE (in my opinion) looked older with such long, fine hair. She looked younger and more flattering to me when her hair was shorter.
Some people may not want to hear this, but everyone does not look good with waist-length hair or hip-length hair. It doesn’t suit everyone. Even if it does, some people don’t want to manage waist-length hair.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! We will definitely look up the vloggers and bloggers that we missed.
But, just a note, we wanted to highlight bloggers & vloggers who actively speak of their hair growth journeys, and discuss length retention on a regular basis.
The list you put together is great!!!! Sera’s hair journey is a great inspiration and Kim Love (kimmay) has a wealth of information on her YT channel. Thank you!
These are some of my favorites that I like to look at as well.
Africanexport ~ http://www.africanexportsblog.com/2012/01/my-natural-hair-length-check.html
Whoissugar February Length Check, Natural Hair!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mf8WohbHBA
Naturalcurlz86
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM6XUl7JVE8&feature=channel_video_title
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Also doesn’t this woman favor urbanbushbabe a little bit, I saw her on blkgirlsrock site.
This is list is comprehensive. Thank you for featuring one of the ‘pioners’ CHICORO. I have both of her books and she is a real gem.
What an awesome post that I’d love to see continued, like a series! (hint, hint)
thefrizzness
I LOVE your hair! It’s so pretty and your coils are amazing!
Although she hasn’t blogged in a while, check out dianey55 on youtube. Never seen hair like this before on a women of color. Hairchime, LeobodyC5 and longhairdontcare2011 are nice too!
Some of these bloggers/vloggers I’m never heard, but I look forward to checking them out.
I know she’s persona non grata in the natural hair community right now, but Moptop Maven’s hair is amazing! Love it!
I love her hair too. Guess I’m out of the loop on Mop Top Maven. Why is she persona non grata???
She supposedly (I say supposedly because I myself am not sure if it is true or not, there is evidence to support her guiltiness and her innocence) scammed people out of their purchased hair accessories by taking their money but not sending the goods. She said she was sick which is why she couldn’t send them.
I’m new to the natural hair process. I have dandruff and am not familiar with co washing. Is it recommended even if you have dandruff? I don’t know the process of when to shampoo, when to co wash, etc. Can somebody fill me in?
Thanks!
Welcome, Melissa!
Dandruff is not a deterrent to cowashing, which is using a conditioner to clean your hair instead of shampoo. I have battled dandruff, but I still cowash.
Cowashing, with a good conditioner, is far gentler to my hair than shampoo. However, it’s helpful to still use shampoo to get rid of product buildup, especially if you use a lot of heavy products that are not easily rinsed away in water, or that are oil-based, or that contain ingredients that end in -cone. Also, if you cleanse your hair less frequently than every other week, then you may want to keep using shampoo for when you do cleanse. Some ladies cowash and shampoo on alternate weeks. Others cowash exclusively, choosing to cleanse weekly or more frequently.
When to do which seems to be highly individual for each person, and it is determined by what each person finds to work better according to hair, circumstances, and preference. Because I have had problems with dandruff, I try not to let more than 10 days go by from one cleansing to another. Weekly is a good frequency for me. I like products that rinse out easily in water, and because that’s mostly what I use, I have very little problem practicing cowashing as my preferred method of cleansing, although I occasionally use a small amount of a moisturizing shampoo.
Dandruff shampoos such as Head and Shoulders, used over time, will work in some cases to rid you of dandruff, but when I used it, I needed to use a good moisturizing conditioner afterward. When I started cowashing, I made sure to cleanse frequently, being very gentle but thorough. I rubbed with the pads of my fingers and avoided scratching at all costs, because I found scratching to be unhelpful and as much an irritant as the dandruff itself.
Recently, I began using a mix of about 4 ounces of Greek yogurt, a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, and a generous squirt of extra virgin olive oil thoroughly stirred together as a protein treatment. I apply it lavishly to my dry hair, making sure to get it on my scalp. I reasoned that since the probiotic cultures in yogurt are good for controlling yeast naturally, and some dandruff is actually a yeast infection on the scalp, the yogurt might help bring it under controll. You want to be very thorough with the rinsing if you try to cowash this out of your hair, but I have successfully followed this rather smelly yogurt mix with a good rinse and cowash and had no lingering smell afterward. Additionally, I found this to be every bit as effective against my dandruff as Head and Shoulders, far less drying to my hair, and beneficial for adding protein that my hair desperately needed. The Youtube video that was the basis for this treatment was created by Naptural85. Look for it on her channel under the title Greek Yogurt conditioner.
Be aware if you watch it that she uses essential oils instead of olive oil because, as already noted, the stuff stinks. For this same reason, she warns against putting it on your scalp. However, as I also already noted, I target my scalp precisely as a means of fighting dandruff, and I have not yet had any problem cowashing it out of my hair.
I have a question about haircrush. She has beautiful hair that I admire… but I remember her mentioning that she would have her grandmother relax her edges as she transitioned throughout the two years. Im not here to start anything.. but unless she had cut off two years of relaxed edges ..wouldnt she be considered texlaxed?.. I seen a picture of her hair in its wet state and the top half of her hair was noticeably kinkier than the bottom. Again, this is nothing to hate on her.. but inquiring minds would like to know.
Wow, I didn’t know that about grandmother relaxing her edges during the transitioning period. That would explain a lot. Yeah, I wondered if she uses heat or mild chemicals sometimes when I see her. Her hair simply doesn’t look like other virgin natural’s hair. Her hair has a lot of movement for someone who doesn’t advocate a lot of heat usage and she has very little shrinkage. Her hair looks as if it has been texlaxed, heat-trained or texturized. It’s still beautiful and her advice on retaining length is helpful. When I give my daughters twist outs, their hair has movement but not as much movement as HairCrush’s hair. Hmmmm . . . .