Short terminal length ?

**Katze** · May 21st, 2012, 03:07 AM

Hello there,

Are there any long time LHCers (or long time hair growers

) whose hair never gets past BSL or another 'short' length? How have you figured that out? What did you do when you discovered it? Do you trim to that length now, or do you let your sprinter hairs get as long as they can, and put up with the taper and thinness at the ends?

As many of you know I despair about getting my hair ever to be long and healthy. It is healthy, but it has never in my life been long, and I am starting to think I am genetically programmed for BSL or above.

I've taken good care of my hair since being here, though I do not wear it up every day. I use leave-ins, very little heat (only enough to dry out my ears when needed after washing) and WO wash and SMT regularly.

Updos don't work well with my slippery, frizzy hair, nor with all the layers I also seem to be 'blessed' with. I am physically active, and I eat well, take vitamins, and drink lots of water.

When I was pregnant with DD, and my hair wasn't shedding, it got to the longest it has ever been - just shy of waist. I was thrilled...and then horrified, after DD was born, to see my hair falling out in handfuls, over a thousand hairs shed per day for 3+ months.

It has never been that long before or since - APL/BSL seems to be my limit before my hair tapers out into nothing. Most of my hair - especially my coarser, wurly nape hair - does not seem to want to grow past shoulder or APL. At the roots, my hair is very thick, but I have a lot of natural taper from ears downwards. My hair grows very nicely - from shoulder to APL in 4 months - and otherwise seems healthy.

Could BSL, or just below, really be my terminal length? My hair has trouble even getting to BSL, and the ends start thinning out no matter what I do. Thus, I trim (and

I did find a thread with someone asking a similar question, where the OP was given similar advice to what I've been given (wear it up, wait it out).

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...erminal&page=3

**Mesmerise** · May 21st, 2012, 03:24 AM

I have certainly heard other people say they've known people with hair that never got beyond about APL or BSL even when they never, ever cut it. I suppose it is possible to have a really short terminal length.

I also find mine tapers quite dramatically after about APL too... the longest my hair has been was close to waist (then again, I'm a very short person, so it may only have been BSL on others) and even back then I'm pretty sure it was very thin at the ends.

I guess I am just going to see what happens with my hair! I've decided to not cut for a year, and then have a small trim (I may do a micro trim half way through the year... which will be late July), and just... see what happens, I guess?! If I find my hair really doesn't have a long terminal length and thicken up EVER, I will probably keep it trimmed to where it looks decent. I really don't like the idea of having straggly ends where some hairs get quite long and the rest do not. I'm not talking about nice fairytale ends here... I'm talking about having just random long hairs and really uneven looking ends at a fairly short length!

**carmac21** · May 21st, 2012, 04:19 AM

Hi there,
I have never grown my hair much longer than APL,
I only give up the heat about 6 months ago, so this will be the first time I'll know if it will grow. I have very fine hair, that breaks quite easily so if I get to BSL I'll be delighted, I'll be over the moon with waist.

I find it really encouraging when everyone on this site offers hope for any hair type to grow long!

**Sammie_holms** · May 21st, 2012, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by carmac21

Hi there,
I have never grown my hair much longer than APL,
I only give up the heat about 6 months ago, so this will be the first time I'll know if it will grow. I have very fine hair, that breaks quite easily so if I get to BSL I'll be delighted, I'll be over the moon with waist.

I find it really encouraging when everyone on this site offers hope for any hair type to grow long!

I am with you on that. I haven't had my hair longer then BSL. Can't wait to find out if I can get there.

**Humbug454** · May 21st, 2012, 05:49 AM

Microtrimming is the way forward! No need to get 1 inch or more off.

Wearing hair up helps to avoid damaging the ends, but I don't think it is ESSENTIAL to growing long hair!

**Guenever** · May 21st, 2012, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by Katze

Could BSL, or just below, really be my terminal length? My hair has trouble even getting to BSL, and the ends start thinning out no matter what I do..

I understand completely. I'm an extreme long-hair by heart - my hair just doesn't seem to get it

I joined here in 2006 and grew from MBL to extremely tapered TBL before I gave up and went back to shoulder.. the taper was getting to me and I refused to wear it down.. I have to admit - seeing other members reaching their goals while I was "stuck" made me a bit depressed

So, I had a couple of years away from the boards trying not to worry about my hair, but now I'm back

starting over..

It's odd.. I did (still do) everything right, but for some reason my taper just doesn't seem to improve.. I have a decent 3,3" circ. but the taper starts around APL and below just above BSL my length starts to get see-though..

I've wondered more than once if the terminal length of most of my hair simply is MBL.... it's just weird since my sister's (non-LHC) hair seems to grow like weed and I know that my mom and one of my aunts had thick, (at least) hip-length hair..

It's incredibly frustrating, but I'm not ready to give up on my goal just yet.. I'm sorry. I have no helpful tips or advice.... just a hug! You're not the only long-hair having taper issues

**Fortresca** · May 21st, 2012, 07:13 AM

Well, a friend of my mom has the same hairlength (about bsl to midback) since I know her, which are about 8-9 years, and she swears, in this time no scissors touched her hair. But she doesn't treat her hair very well: she blowdries, wears it open or in a ponytai and doesn't put oil or anything in.
So, well, Ig uess thats TL, too, even if it may grow longer with better care-taking, because she wants it that way.

**Altocumulus** · May 21st, 2012, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by Guenever

I understand completely. I'm an extreme long-hair by heart - my hair just doesn't seem to get it

I joined here in 2006 and grew from MBL to extremely tapered TBL before I gave up and went back to shoulder.. the taper was getting to me and I refused to wear it down.. I have to admit - seeing other members reaching their goals while I was "stuck" made me a bit depressed

So, I had a couple of years away from the boards trying not to worry about my hair, but now I'm back

starting over..

It's odd.. I did (still do) everything right, but for some reason my taper just doesn't seem to improve.. I have a decent 3,3" circ. but the taper starts around APL and below just above BSL my length starts to get see-though..

I've wondered more than once if the terminal length of most of my hair simply is MBL.... it's just weird since my sister's (non-LHC) hair seems to grow like weed and I know that my mom and one of my aunts had thick, (at least) hip-length hair..

It's incredibly frustrating, but I'm not ready to give up on my goal just yet.. I'm sorry. I have no helpful tips or advice.... just a hug! You're not the only long-hair having taper issues

This is exactly the situation I'm in. I grew my hair out to TB twice in the time I've been here, and maintained with microtrims, but it never thickened up. I think I have a small population (maybe 25% of the total) of hairs with a terminal length past TB, and the rest are much shorter. I finally gave up and am maintaining at BSL/midback, which is where I was before I found LHC.

**constructamane** · May 21st, 2012, 06:16 AM

What about your protein intake, and have you had a recent visit to your doctor? Sometimes anemia, thyroid conditions and other illnesses can cause hair loss/problems with growth.

**Mesmerise** · May 21st, 2012, 06:23 AM

I think the question Katze is asking is: is there anyone on here who knows for a fact that they DO have a very short terminal length.

It sounds as if she's doing all the right things for her health and the health of her hair.

I know some people have certainly mentioned that they've known people who can't grow their hair long... but I don't know if there's anyone on LHC who's actually got to a terminal length which was comparatively short?!

I'm curious to know too! I don't want super long hair, and have no desire to reach extreme lengths, but I WOULD love at least waist! (Ideally hip). As it stands, I have no idea if I have the potential to get there, either.