Welcome to the Natural Hair Movement 2.0's 2026 Hair Growth Challenge! The Challenger: yr Auntie!! 🥊🥊

The Challenge! How much hair can I grow between today, February 1, 2026, and February 1, 2027?

What we're starting with! U-shaped layers from jaw to shoulder length when stretched.

What we're working with! Very fine, highly porous, 3B-C curls with significant shrinkage when they're not stretched.

Hair status: Virgin. Never been colored, chemically processed, or heat styled in any way. I stretch it with cornrows.

The Growth Method:

Internal:

• Approximately 1 gallon of water per day, with electrolytes (not a sponsored link)

• Daily supplementation of:

  • Bovine Collagen Peptides

  • Iron

  • Vitamin C

  • Omega 3-6-9 Fatty Acids

Scalp:

• Regular, targeted cleansing with Kojic Acid Soap.

• Oiling and massage with a homemade, custom blended scalp oil.

Length Retention:

• Use of an updated LCO method, with freshly cleaned, wet hair as the Liquid, a commercially manufactured leave-in conditioner as the Cream, and homemade chebe butter as the Oil.

• The above products are then set under a steam bonnet for an hour to melt down the oils and butters so they can penetrate the hair shaft.

• Silk bonnets are worn to bed every night, and silk or satin barriers between my hair and the world are worn whenever possible.

The Goal Length:

Before surgery, my hair was growing at around 2" per month. It's all but stopped while my leg has been healing, but I expect to get back to that rate pretty quickly. If I can preserve it with the chebe, I'm hoping to be somewhere around waist length by this time next year. Now, I won't beat myself up if I don't make it there, especially considering I'm pretty obsessive about keeping the ends trimmed and even, and that can sacrifice some length. But my goals are ambitious.

The Record:

I'll take pictures just like the ones above on the first of the month (or as close to as possible) to track the growth, and write up a report on whatever I think is worth talking about regarding my hair that month. And you'll follow along!