Growing for Thickness Instead of Length / Reaching Goal Length

[n3m3sis42]

My intention at this point is to get my hair to tailbone length and then stop growing for length, at least for a while.

Some of my hair has been subjected to boxed dye, and most of it has been combed too roughly or just not cared for as well as it could have been. I have noticeable taper for the last 4 or 5 inches, and I'd like to see if I can remedy that at least somewhat.

I'm not sure that tailbone will be my final goal, but I figure I can wait to decide that after I get my ends in better shape. Not that I'm really anywhere near tailbone yet--I'm still just at Can-I-Call-This-Waist. :\

[Tresses]

Having just trimmed about 5" off to just about classic, I'm not sure if I will get much longer or not. My ends had made it to fingertip length a couple of years ago, I think, which had been one goal for me. I trimmed it myself regularly for 2 years, waiting for thickness, which came slowly; but recently decided I wanted enough cut off the bottom to make a noticeable difference. I went to a pro for that job. I am very happy with the results.

I will probably let it get longer, as long as the ends don't get as thin as they were before. I'm resigned to the possibility that classic is as long as I will get and be able to maintain ends that I am pleased with.

I think I will continue to have it professionally trimmed, though, maybe once or twice a year.

Maintenance is an odd frame of mind to get into.

[socks]

Knee-length used to be my goal. I had planned to start maintaining my hair at knee-length once I reached it so that my ends would have a chance to thicken up, but I couldn't stand to start cutting it, especially because ankle and floor-length seemed so much more possible now and I still felt that my hair was too short for my tastes. My hair is now a fair bit past my knees, and even though a voice in my head is telling me to trim it, another voice is telling me to let it keep growing until it drags on the floor behind me. Right now, I'm agreeing more with the latter.

[Shell]

My old goal was classic, and I did trim to thicken up the ends, about 3", and then grew it back to classic. I did this for about 12-18 months. My ends look pretty much the same. I'm not sure maintaining will get those thicker ends (for me). So, I decided to grow longer. I may do as Tresses has and get to fingertip (my current goal), and if I don't like it, or just for fun, I may do a larger trim back to classic, and see if that works better than small trims.

Good luck Cinnamon Hair, I hope the trimming works out for you.

[EdG]

Great thread!

I too am reaching the end of my hair journey.

I didn't set a specific goal, other than to find out how long I could grow my hair. I now know that very few hairs grow beyond upper-calf length.

I should be happier, but reaching terminal length is somewhat of a let-down. Sort of like a presumed hair god finding out that he's merely mortal after all.

On the positive side, I'm hoping I can get my ends thicker over time.
Ed

[Ursula]

Well, I haven't had a particular goal length, but I have always liked my ends to be blunt and thick. So growing for thickness is something I'm quite familiar with.

The easiest thing, I think, is to let go of the idea of length. Trim when the mood strikes - when you feel as if your ends need it, based on their condition or thickness/taper, or when the length bugs you. Self-trimming is great for this. Your length will vary, depending on when you last trimmed, and how much you trimmed.

But growing for thickness does give you more opportunities to be happy, overall, with your hair. The changes are subtle. And there is far less worry about trade off the way there is when growing for length, and trying to choose carefully for each trim between more length versus more trim for interim thickness/end-look happiness.

People around here sometimes go through a lot of stress over each half-inch trim, when growing for length. Calculating months of growth, time lost with each millimeter cut, etc. People sometimes put up with length/ends they dislike for years, in order to reach a length goal. This is your chance to be happy with your hair, all the time.

[Saoirse]

I'm experiencing a lot of hair ambivalence right now. This might be kind of off-topic, but it needs to be expressed!

My hair is about halfway between classic and knee length and it is very strange to have reached this extremity. (Prepare for overusage of that word!) I joined LHC when my hair was hip-length and intended to grow to classic, with knee-length feeling like some kind of surreal pipe dream, 'wonder if that could ever be' kind of thing.

Well, now I find myself less than eight months away from knee-length, which is the longest length I would like to experience, and I am way more ambivalent about the super lengths than I originally expected to be. I guess I thought that classic+ would be all the things I loved about long/classic- : flattering, low maintenance, sensual. And in a way it is, in that I put it up every morning and usually don't take it down until bed, it is quite unusual and fills the senses, makes an impression etc. But I also find myself struggling with its general extremity. Sometimes (often?) I don't want such an overgrown/intense/ridiculous/extreme thing attached to my body and identity. Sometimes I want to wear my hair down and not have that be an extreme sport. I want to have my long hair cake and eat it, too!

Right now I plan to grow until knee length, because I think I would regret not going to that length -- as it's pretty close, now. But who knows. I give myself permission to change my opinion. I know that I love long hair and feel in tune with it but I don't know if the extreme lengths are right for me right now, and I have a pretty strong intuition that I would enjoy it more at a shorter length -- so after reaching knee, I expect to do a series of trims until I find the place at which I am most satisfied.

I don't know to what extent this answers your questions, cinnamon hair, but I a) wanted to express some bottled-up thoughts and b) felt like putting forth the idea that not everyone is totally at peace with extreme lengths; I certainly expected to be, and the ambivalence and constant doubting which I have personally experienced 'along the way' have been quite a surprise. And I almost feel like this is an aspect of extremely long hair which isn't often discussed, because it took a while for me to feel like this self doubt and lack of surety were legitimate. So -- shrugging here -- if anyone else is having an inconclusive experience with the extreme lengths -- you're not alone! x

[TheBlondeApple]

I would love to hear thoughts from anyone else at his/her goal length!

I maintained at BSL (27 inches) for 6 months. I didn't have high hopes, thinking I'd need about 10 inches cut off to have less taper. However, after only 3 months, my ends had gone from velcro to silk and I could feel a thickness difference in my braid tassle. Maintaining really is the thing for my hair.

Right now, I just reached waist length (31 inches) and have just started maintaining, again. I'm expecting less dramatic changes this time around, since I have been microtrimming monthly while growing from 27 to 31 inches.

It's relaxing.

Anja

[Flying Betty]

When I found LHC, my hair was around tailbone length and had been going between waist and tailbone for probably 8-10 years at that point. I'd always had hair that was really long by just about anyone's standards and stuck around here mainly for the heck of it than for any dedicated hair growing goal.

By taking better care of my hair, I realized that I didn't really need my normal yearly cut back to waist length, and I've just been trimming an inch or so off every couple of months. I'm at just barely not classic right now (holy crap, my hair grows *fast*) and though it would be fun to see what it's like having a more extreme length, I like wearing my hair down too much and I don't think that would be at all practical beyond this point.

What I do strive for is growing out damage. The very front inch or so of my hair is the darkest part on my head, and I like being blond so I'd been highlighting that little bit, and noticed that while the rest of my hair was hitting my butt that part was broken off around boob length. Not cool. So I haven't really cared about getting any more length, and just want that part to get longer. (And I still want it blonder! I think I may go back to Sun-In, actually. It seemed to affect less of my hair than the highlighting kit did, and break off less)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that LHC hasn't given me any great growing journey, but it has made me more aware of my hair and enjoy having long hair more than I had before. I may bot be tracking every quarter of an inch with my trusty measuring tape, or even care, but I take the time to look at the back of my head and go "ooh, pretty" or "wow, I didn't realize my hair was so long!" and then just go on with my life not obsessing too much about hair besides that.

PS- Cinnamon Hair, I think your website was what really led me to stick around. I love the pictures.

[Cinnamon Hair]

Posting this bit before I confuse myself with too many quotes. Thanks for all the replies everyone.

Nemesis, enjoy the journey!

I will probably let it get longer, as long as the ends don't get as thin as they were before. I'm resigned to the possibility that classic is as long as I will get and be able to maintain ends that I am pleased with.

I think I will continue to have it professionally trimmed, though, maybe once or twice a year.

Maintenance is an odd frame of mind to get into.

Tresses, for someone I remember as always having unbelievably lush thick hair, I see your dilemma. It takes a lot of commitment to have both thickness and length when you aren't born with the genes.

a voice in my head is telling me to trim it, another voice is telling me to let it keep growing until it drags on the floor behind me. Right now, I'm agreeing more with the latter.

Socks, I hear that voice at times too. On one hand it would be neat to have floorlength & beyond, but on the other, eek at the maintanance and would I ever wear it down? For now at least, my "stop while you're ahead" voice is louder.


Shell, thank you.

I should be happier, but reaching terminal length is somewhat of a let-down. Sort of like a presumed hair god finding out that he's merely mortal after all.

EdG, love it!

People around here sometimes go through a lot of stress over each half-inch trim, when growing for length. Calculating months of growth, time lost with each millimeter cut, etc. People sometimes put up with length/ends they dislike for years, in order to reach a length goal. This is your chance to be happy with your hair, all the time.

Ursula, truer words have never been spoken. There was certainly a time on LHC when I preferred length over quality. Perhaps not to the extremes though, since I did trim over 7" right after joining.

Saoirse, I'm glad you felt that you could express that ambivilence over length here. Certainly a lot of members who are far from reaching their length goals would not understand. I have had a similar experience; every inch or half inch of growth used to excite me, until about classic. Then it became ho-hum. I liked reading larger numbers on the tape measure, but it wasn't as great as before.

If you're into economics, it was a marginal cost = marginal price sorta thing..the law of diminishing returns and all that That's the easiest way for me to explain it. The new length was nice, but the more length you already have, the less you value an extra inch.

BlondeApple, wow congrats on the patience to maintain so often. Not the fastest road to long hair, but certainly the wisest.

PS- Cinnamon Hair, I think your website was what really led me to stick around. I love the pictures.

Thank you Flying Betty!


Ok off to reply to the first page now.