terminal length hereditary?

**NebraskaChick84** · December 11th, 2008, 10:01 PM

just curious for those of you who have long haired mamas/grandmas/aunts etc...

did you find that your terminal was the same as your family's?

my mother's hair is terminal and has been the same length as long as I can remember. her hair is midback...

my hair has only ever been as long as just below my waist although I've only gone 2.5y without trimming.

so I'm guessing that while my *terminal* hair length is a little longer than my mother's that it's not very different really (this is a matter of 3" at most, we have incredibly short torsos) also my sister's hair has only ever been down to her butt.

**DragonLady** · December 11th, 2008, 10:23 PM

Are you sure your Mom's hair is terminal and not just self-trimming? I've been trying to grow my hair for ten years, but have always been stuck just below BSL. It was only when I came here and began reading that I realized the back of my chair has been my enemy #1. It never occurred to me that sitting her hour after hour (I work on the 'net) was killing my hair through mechanical damage. I just couldn't figure out why I always had a ratty hemline and never grew any more length, despite expensive shampoos and the patience of a dragon.

**NebraskaChick84** · December 11th, 2008, 10:36 PM

with her fairytales there's no way she's been self trimming. she's much like me...just doesn't really pay attention to her hair. she brushes it and washes it and all that she just doesn't obsess over it

also: when my hair reached waist she mentioned her envy that her hair never grew any longer...she really loves long long hair and it just didn't grow any longer for her.

**DragonLady** · December 11th, 2008, 10:41 PM

I don't mean she's been trimming, as in scissors. I mean the hair is trimming itself by rubbing against a chair or breaking off as a result of some kind of repeated stress. That's what was happening to me.

**NebraskaChick84** · December 11th, 2008, 10:43 PM

ooooh. nope there's no way she could be losing length that way. she cleans hotel rooms for a living and is usually up moving around at home. she doesn't put her hair up (just uses a band to keep it out of her eyes)

hmm I don't know much about that...do you think that could be it based on what I described? I'd love it if that were it and I could give her some tips to add a little length to her hair

**sahiba** · December 11th, 2008, 10:53 PM

My mom's terminal length is not touching her waist and mine is a bit longer than hers. So I don't think its hereditary , seeing my dad's is shorter than both of us. But I do wonder how long can my hair be,seeing that both have short hair.

**NebraskaChick84** · December 11th, 2008, 10:55 PM

I wonder the same thing...I'm guessing I will probably not trim again until terminal as the only one I trust to trim my hair is my mom and she refused to after I had Jacob (almost 2.5) she said she hates cutting hair since she's *no good* at it and that she especially disliked cutting off all my pretty long hair.

how long will my hair be I wonder...

**DragonLady** · December 11th, 2008, 11:01 PM

Well, the band may be causing the hair to get stressed and weak, then break off later when just a little more stress is put on.

Think of bending a wire back and forth. It bends the first time just fine, but then never quite bends back. If you keep bending it at the same place it will break off.

So it's possible she's stressing it with the hair band, then when it grows a little longer it rubs against a chair or a rough pillow or the back of her apron -whatever, and breaks at those places where it was stressed before.

So, she has ragged ends, and it never seems to grow.

I'm only saying this because it was happening to me. I was trying to grow my hair for a full ten years before I found this place, and in all that time I never once thought about the damages I was getting from the back of my chair. Now, I realize that's what was happening -the hair would be between my back and the chair, and everytime I moved I caused damages that no shampoo was ever going to fix. The split ends and fairytails were a given -I didn't think anything could really be done to prevent or fix them except haircuts, and I wasn't willing to do that.

So, if you had asked me last Christmas, I would've guess I was at terminal length (except I'd never heard of that). But one of the members of my forums sent me here when I was looking for ideas for hair accesories, and learned more in a few days than I'd ever known in my whole life.

I can't say how much I love this place. But best of all, my hair is now almost hip length, and the biggest change has been keeping it away from my chair.

**NebraskaChick84** · December 11th, 2008, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by DragonLady

So, she has ragged ends, and it never seems to grow.

no her ends aren't ragged. I apologize, I thought fairytale ends were tapered ends that seemed to be different lengths (although hers aren't that big a difference)

I will definitely tell her and see what she thinks although after so many years she may just be happy with her hair and rather keep wearing the hairband (she uses the cloth kind because the other kind gives her headaches)

thanks for your help

I'll keep you updated after I talk to her

**DragonLady** · December 11th, 2008, 11:22 PM

I thought fairytale ends were tapered ends that seemed to be different lengths (although hers aren't that big a difference)

Yes; when they talk about them here, that's what they mean. But before I came here, "fairytale" ends meant to me ends that hadn't been cut by the stylist. So, they were all different lengths and looked ragged. Like the way we all know fairytales really end, not just the way the last sentence (happily ever after) says they do.