Micro or macro trim isn't making a difference here. My hair just thins around APL. I'm all for accepting it now and not fighting my god given hair.
But I'm all for how wonderful and soft it feels now. The frizz is almost all gone.
:cheese:
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I can definitely relate to how you are feeling. The longest my hair has ever been was a little shy of waist. But this is the first time in my life that I am actively growing my hair. Before I found this site, I did very damaging things to my hair. So I'm going to have to wait and see if my hair grows long!!! I've heard many stories of women on here thinking that had reached terminal at bsl but in reality their hair was damaged and that's why it wasn't growing. I understand your circumstances are a bit different, but it's comforting to me at least, to know that there is hope! Good luck!!
BF has a terminal length of about mid-back. I occasionally trim a couple inches off the ends and it grow back to the same place. However, he wears his hair loose all the time and is not at all careful with it. If he took better care of it, it might grow longer.
That's true IF you're dealing with a false terminal length that's being caused by damage. If you hit true terminal at BSL it doesn't matter what you do to your hair! You can microtrim to your heart's content, but your hair is never going to get longer than terminal.
I worry about a short terminal too. My hair has never been long, but I've never tried. My mom doesn't think it will grow long and says so regularly. I did find a pic from 2 years ago when I had just had my 2nd daughter. It looks like it was at least apl and that was post partum. I also didn't really do anything to take care of it, just didn't get a haircut while I was pregnant. Hopefully it's a good sign that with care and patience my hair will get fairly long. I'm hoping for tailbone to classic length, but would be ok with at least waist.
That's spot-on--I think I have said something similar in another thread about terminal length, and how difficult it is to know what the real numbers are. I've seen the "two to six years" growth cycle mentioned so often that I suspect it's one of those figures that has no real basis in any sort of rigorous study. The religious groups you mentioned is one way to study this in more depth. Sikhs and Pentecostals also do not cut their hair, though I understand that they have traction alopecia (Sikhs) and styling-related damage (Ps).
Anyway, OP, are you talking about most of your hairs being terminal at BSL, or are most of them terminal higher up? I have one of those unfortunate hair scenarios where many, many of my hairs are terminal at maybe six inches. A lot of my hairs are terminal at APL or BSL. And then a few reach waist. I will know more when I've had a chance to maintain at my goal length, but I am pretty sure I have a fairly short average terminal length when you look at the entire scalp.
btw, I'm enjoying this thread. Some gals/guys will join the LHC forum and grow out beautiful hair to very long lengths. I've seen so many of those posts "My one, two, three year etc anniversary". Their hair is amazing but you can also see I think that for most of them it was a case of just never growing it long before OR killing it with bleach, dye, heat, terrible eating etc etc. When they correct that their hair thrives.
And I've seen some like me who really don't do too much wrong but could improve. You can see that we don't make the dramatic growth, shinnying cascade of hair. It looks better, grows a bit longer but it's not going to be the 'wow' heads of hair. Ok, I'm talking about me here just to be clear. Thinking out loud.
I'm love all the changes I've made and how much I've learnt here but I don't think anyone is going to go wow at my hair in 1,2,3,4 years time.
For me, regular updos/braids, no heat, and tiny trims as needed will be essential for reaching my goal of waist. Otherwise I'd be permanently stuck around BSL. I was there for years in high school and college (wearing it down and not trimming were my big culprits as I was never much of a heat-user). I don't say that wearing your hair down and using some heat is necessarily causing your issue, OP, but it would for sure be a problem for my hair.
Thanks, Mesmerise, for clarifying. I've been here since 2005, so probably am doing most things right (except wearing my hair up 24/7, which I am not willing to do - if my hair is that fragile, it makes no sense to get it artificially long, and most updos don't work on my hair in its normal state!)
Yes, exactly. It's long for YOU - or at least, as long as it is ever going to be (maybe?) and it's healthy, so that what counts.
Well said. If we could see more longhairs, from across the spectrum of human genetics, males, females, Africans, Asians, Europeans, mixed genes, everyone in between ;) we might get a better picture of what's 'normal.'
Looking at friends who are effortlessly longhair (and my sister, and my DH!) I think they often grow long 'because they can.' They start growing, and their hair grows and grows, thus reinforcing their willingness to keep at it. Or, like my DH, they do nothing, and their hair is gorgeous.
TBL is long, though! And your hair looks really nice, to me anyway. :flower:
I have a friend who started out on the German longhair boards about two years after I did. She had bleached, multicolored, dyed, shoulder-length hair. Well, now, five years later, her hair, fine and straight, almost reaches her tailbone. :( Mine was longer than hers when she started, we've both trimmed, obviously I've trimmed more, and hers is long, and mine isn't. We do both have fine hair, but hers is more manageable, being 1a/1b or so.
You actually sound like someone whose hair could be very long once you start babying it! Waist is - for damaged hair - actually quite long! Good luck! I bet you will be surprised.
Exactly. I've been micro and macro trimming, getting rid of layers and damage, but also of natural and unnatural taper, since coming here.
THIS!
Thank you, Silverbrumby! I see those pictures too and my hair will never, ever look like that. Friends don't believe me about haircare, since my hair just doesn't look healthy or long - though it is, for me. I will never have that 'wow' hair, no matter how I wish for it.
I also love all the changes I've made and how much I've learned (and SMTs!!!) but after being here for 6+ years, nope, my hair isn't, and won't ever be, wow. Trying to accept that. :)
You know we should all keep in mind that on here what is wow hair is really very extreme in the world at large. And for everyone that thinks their hair is blah, it is probably someone elses dream hair. Also there is a cost for really long hair. Harder to wear down. Sometimes style limitations. Harder to prevent damage.
That being said, I still want really long hair. LOL. But most importantly I want the best, longest hair that I can grow.