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.