Tailbone-ish+ Curls (growth, care, management)

[Teide]

This thread is for naturally curly hair only. Particularly to discuss tailbone length or longer curly hair, how it’s possible, its maintenance, etc., and if you (or anyone you’ve met) has it and what your/her story was; how long it took to become that long, how often to trim…

I’ve seen some ladies with classic length curly hair on some social media apps, but never encountered one in real life.

My situation/story:
My hair length right now is at MBL (mid back length) when stretching it out (it has some severe shrinkage lol) but only reaches bra strap/below shoulder length in its natural state. My goal is to reach classic length or beyond. I started grooming it properly in November when it was underarm length when stretched.

I was told by a curly hairstylist a year ago that I’d never be able to have long hair (I didn’t even specify what length, I just said “long hair”) when, when I was 12, it was twice as long than when I had my appointment. True, my hair texture changed from 100% European to a 1:1 European to African ratio (multiple hair types, I’m biracial), but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.

My hair right now is the healthiest it’s ever been, and I know what routine works for me. I try to wash it once a week and only do it sooner when my scalp is in a bad state and very itchy. I keep it in two braids because they’re easy to take out and I don’t like American hairstyles, and usually the ends are tucked in. I henna my hair occasionally and use natural products most of the time, the only exception being the hair mask I use for untangling it and sometimes the Babaria onion shampoo. I usually use glycerin soap and it works wonders for my hair.

As for trimming, I only cut the split ends/micro-knots when I spot them or during my sporadic Search-and-Destroy or Chop-and-Drop sprees. There’s really no point to cutting hair that doesn’t need to be cut.

I also use olive oil, and sometimes coconut oil or roasted walnut oil. Roasted walnut oil tends to smell like a dirty scalp after a few days so I don’t recommend it for daily use, only pre-shampoo. I’ve also tried homemade ghee (and butter), but again, I only leave it on my hair for a short period of time.

Let me know what your hair routine looks like! Your hair doesn’t have to be tailbone length, but it should be somewhere between MBL and TBL, at least.

[shelomit]

I'm not certain I'm curly enough to give you valuable advice, but I see from your profile that you have some waves/wurls, too, so I'll give it a shot!

My hair has been waist-length or longer for most of my life; I don't have a great sense of how long it took to grow out to that point since all of that happened while I was a kid. Presently it's below the knee. With my texture (2c/3a), the weight pulls out a good deal of texture. I have one lock at the side of my hairline that I keep trimmed to collarbone length or so, and it always forms a ringlet; the bulk of my hair, however, is pretty straight-looking down to the mid-back, at which point it starts wurling again. I also have many, many layers of henna on my hair and each application knocks the texture down a peg for a few months. I applied henna about a week or so ago, and I'd say it took most of my hair from a 3a back down to a 2b. The texture will gradually creep back in over the coming months as the henna wears off ( ;

I don't see any reason to trim while growing out, presuming you're pleased with your current hemline (pleased with the shape of it, I mean, not necessarily the condition). I search-and-destroy when I start noticing enough split ends to bother me (maybe every few months?), but have not had an overall trim in a few years. Getting a hemline I was really pleased with via Faye's method was certainly a factor in not trimming my hair over that period of time. Otherwise I expect I would have trimmed yearly or so and would still be at mid-thigh.

In terms of care, I CO-wash scalp to tips on Sundays and shampoo when I feel like I need it (very rarely these days). I do a rough finger detangle approximately daily, but only do a full detangling with a brush during my weekly wash, after the conditioner has sat on my head for a while and gotten properly slippy. I usually braid my hair after washing and transition to a combination of buns and braids later in the week. If I do want to wear my hair down for a while, though, I let my hair dry for maybe thirty minutes or so after washing, separate and "plop" the locks, and let it dry loose. The texture pops right back in with that kind of treatment. Another trick I use mid-week is to wet down just the very bottom part of my hair, finger-curl it, and let it re-dry. That puts a lot more life into the ends after they have started to relax in the days following a wash.

One distinction between what my hair seems to like and what most "true" curlies report works that my hair is really intolerant of leave-ins. If I add anything to my hair that I don't rinse out thoroughly, including oils, it separates out into strands rather than locks and becomes quite limp. I think the extra weight of the leave-in might overwhelm it. Perhaps something to try since you're dealing with a mixture of hair types? I do pre-oil my hair before washes since it makes my hair a little softer/easier to detangle in the coming week, but if I'm going to wear it down and textured I skip that step. Even the rinse-out oil seems to encourage my hair to behave like one body rather than dividing into separate locks.

Products: Aussie as my main conditioner, cut with whatever is on sale at the drugstore/Brazilian grocery; fenugreek tea after rinsing (also helps with detangling throughout the week); Suave Clarifying shampoo a couple times a year; cooking oil from my kitchen for pre-poo soaks, but again that seems to make my hair less textured so I wouldn't recommend it for you if you're after maximum curl.

[Teide]

First, I would like to say that your hair is beautiful and that your comment is completely valid! Curly hair is curly hair, no matter the texture or type as long as it’s not straight when not styled. Thank you for your reply to this thread, it’s much appreciated.

I am very glad that you pointed out an intolerance to leave-ins. I feel the same way! But for a different reason. In my case my hair just starts to feel sticky and dirty because of it, with both creams and serums alike. The only exception is Olaplex no. 7, and I would like to try Morccan Oil someday. For this reason I only use natural oils and can’t, for the life of me, understand how and why other curlies use creams, serums, mousses, curl creams, gels, etc., all at once. I can barely stand one synthetic product!!!

As for oils, I need them because they’re the only thing that keeps my curls from tangling around each other because my hair has different thicknesses and types, some hairs being the thickness of 5 other hairs put together hahaha.

I’m not aiming for perfectly defined curls, though, because my hair is already extremely curly, bordering on afro, so it’s much appreciated when henna relaxes my hair (I use Radhe Shyam, best brand in my opinion). I don’t style it at all, and I don’t wet it after my wash because it becomes very poofy and harder to manage. I also finger untangle daily, and more thoroughly do the same in the shower (my hair breaks if I use a brush :’( I wish I could use my boar bristle brushes, sigh…)

Fun fact: I did henndigo today! 1:1 copper henna + indigo and it came out a gorgeous dark chocolate brown.


I hope you have a glorious day, evening, afternoon, or night! And thanks again for commenting <3

[longmane]

Here is the wavy and curly thread if you're interested

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com...read.php?t=369

[Teide]

Thank you! I made this thread because that one is quite old and I’m focusing on a specific hair length. Have a good day!

[Teide]

I need to correct myself. My hair when stretched is Waist Length and in its natural state it’s Mid Back Length. My apologies!

[luxurioushair]

Hello! I keep my hair in twists most of the time. On the average day it's about 40% its actual length.
If I want it to look like it's "out" I just unravel the twists to make a twist-out, it's quite a nice style.
Of course if your hair is type 3 then it probably arranges itself naturally into waves or curls, so you don't need a "twist-out" lol. My hair has no curl pattern, so twist-outs are what I use to get pretty waves in my hair. You can choose to wear yours out daily, or to wear twists, plaits etc. You have a lot of options.
I consider your hair type to be extremely easy to grow, since you can co-wash it almost everyday and the moisture will make it grow like crazy.
So congrats and keep doing whatever you've been doing!

[Teide]

Hi! I never ever co-wash! I’m a bit of a “freak” in the curly hair community, so I’m not really a part of it. Wetting my hair and scalp doesn’t work well for me, and it never did in the past, either. My hair absorbs water a lot (it’s probably very porous?) and it feels a nasty type of damp throughout the day and afterwards, too, because it over-saturates with water if it’s wet too often. I only wash it once a week and apply oil every day or every second day from mids to ends, whenever needed . I also never moisturise my hair anymore, and it breaks so much less than before. Water makes the hair more elastic and more fragile, so you don’t even feel when it snaps. Now the only hair I lose is shed hair — the kind that falls out naturally. I also don’t see how moisture (water) makes it grow like crazy. It’s not a plant and therefore the root doesn’t need water. If anything, it needs oil (nutrients)! Kind of like our eyelashes. But I’m glad if water makes your hair grow nicely!

I see how twist-outs would look pretty on your hair. I know what you mean by no curl patterns; some of my hair on top has like a zig zag shape but no real “pattern”, it’s just random.

As for wearing it out daily, it gets tangled like crazy because of the different curl types so that’s a no-go for me, and anything other than two classic braids is too complicated . My hair isn’t as easy to grow as it seems, but I try my best. Not a lot of people understand the struggle of being mixed and that in my case it comes with multiple types of hair and textures which are often incompatible with each other. I can’t take care of my hair in any standard way because of that.

Have a wonderful day!

[shelomit]

Hi! I never ever co-wash! I’m a bit of a “freak” in the curly hair community, so I’m not really a part of it. Wetting my hair and scalp doesn’t work well for me, and it never did in the past, either. My hair absorbs water a lot (it’s probably very porous?) and it feels a nasty type of damp throughout the day and afterwards, too, because it over-saturates with water if it’s wet too often. I only wash it once a week and apply oil every day or every second day from mids to ends, whenever needed . I also never moisturise my hair anymore, and it breaks so much less than before. Water makes the hair more elastic and more fragile, so you don’t even feel when it snaps. Now the only hair I lose is shed hair — the kind that falls out naturally. I also don’t see how moisture (water) makes it grow like crazy. It’s not a plant and therefore the root doesn’t need water. If anything, it needs oil (nutrients)! Kind of like our eyelashes. But I’m glad if water makes your hair grow nicely!

I see how twist-outs would look pretty on your hair. I know what you mean by no curl patterns; some of my hair on top has like a zig zag shape but no real “pattern”, it’s just random.

As for wearing it out daily, it gets tangled like crazy because of the different curl types so that’s a no-go for me, and anything other than two classic braids is too complicated . My hair isn’t as easy to grow as it seems, but I try my best. Not a lot of people understand the struggle of being mixed and that in my case it comes with multiple types of hair and textures which are often incompatible with each other. I can’t take care of my hair in any standard way because of that.

Have a wonderful day!

Hmmm. Given the oversaturated feeling while/after washing, some protein might help to counteract the sensitivity to moisture and bring your hair to more of a happy medium.

[Teide]

My hair is just fine during and after a wash! Just not if It’s constantly wet because then the masks don’t work. Therefore I cannot co-wash “almost every day” like suggested. I’ve done protein treatments but so far I only liked one that’s discontinued. I really like doing flaxseed gel masks, though. My hair feels extremely smooth and soft afterwards, possibly because some of the protein, although according to Google the proteins are too big to penetrate the hair shaft, so I don’t know what to say. Either way, my hair reacts just fine to water as long as I’m not wetting it all the time! So washing it once a week or at most every 4 days works perfectly :P