Allright, spill your secrets! How do you do it?

[DancingQueen]

Hi everyone, and happy new year! It is great to see all the new progress threads, everyone seem to make amazing progress. That is just awesome :)

But I can't help but getting a little bit jealous of you guys - how do you grow your hair that fast? Some people going from APL to waist in just one or two years. How is that possible? I started growing from chin 3 years ago, and I am still only at APL+. Pleeeeease share your secrets with me! I want long hair right now! :p

Anyway, happy growing everyone; I hope you will all reach your goal in 2013. :)

[Vanille_]

I hate to give such a dull answer, but for me, it was just patience/benign neglect. Once I stopped obsessing, it just grew. I also only got only two small trims in a year.

[Andrea H]

Hello! I've gone from a bit below shoulder length to almost waist length within a year. I suppose that's pretty fast? I rarely put heat on my hair, I wash it with shampoo ONCE about every 2-4 days. I gave up conditioner about two weeks ago after realizing I don't need it at all. Of course everyone's hair is different. Other than that, I don't really do much to help maintain it. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but my hair seems to be doing okay.

For reference my hair last year after cutting it from MBL
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/380140_10150396940316338_1160048075_n.jpg

[melusine963]

I feel your frustration. I have a pretty normal growth rate of half an inch a month (15cms per year), but until last year I had so much old, pre-LHC damage that I'd have to cut off at least half my new growth each time I trimmed. And I've still got at least another 15cms to get rid of. I know I've only made it this far in my journey thanks to this forum. My secret is to wear my hair in protective updos every single day, braid it every night, use oil, be very, very gentle when I detangle, stretch my washes to once a week, and absolutely give up blow-drying and heat styling. Good luck with growing!

[MaryO]

I also want to know the secrets- will be checking in again! ��

[woolyleprechaun]

I can sometimes get an inch a month, but I doubt if my methods work for all. Its mainly about diet and exercise for me, and working out lots and eating nuts gets good results. Also, rooibos tea applied topicaly and castor oil scalp oilings prior to washing seem to stimulate my growth, along with regular massage. I got nothing from Monistat, biotin, kelp supliments or hair supliments. Experimenting and keeping healthy seems to be the trick ;)

[Amapola]

My hair started at chin length, let's see - 4 years ago? Something like that. It was before I found this forum and learned how to take proper care of my hair. And yet it grew very quickly. The reason was, I found these hair bows that had a little bag on them to hold hair. They are meant for people showing horses, as they have to keep their hair up and neat. I stuffed my hair into that little bag every single day, without fail, for a little over 2 years and "suddenly" (it's not all that fast, really) it was waste length. I had been doing all those really bad things too - ripping through it with a brush while it was wet, piling it on top of my head, washing the crap out of it etc. But by simply protecting my ends from daily wear and tear, it grew fast and looked great.

It was about at that point I found this forum and found to my horror all the bad things I had been doing my hair. I changed my ways! It is now at hip length.

[KittyBird]

My secret is benign neglect. I put it up in protective updos both day and night, and just forget that it's there. No obsessive staring in the mirror or measuring every day. I micro-trim a few millimetres every 3-4 months, s&d every now and then, and do light oiling of scalp and hair whenever I remember it. I use castor and coconut oil, and sometimes just coconut oil.
Normally I just finger comb in the morning and then bun or braid it. I wash with Chagrin Valley shampoo bars and do an ACV soak and rinse afterwards. No rinsing out the ACV, I just leave it in. I don't use heat on my hair, I always let it air-dry.

I also use henna on my hair, which I think has made my hair stronger and enabled me to trim less. The hair from my ears and down is damaged from years of ripping combs through tangles and using chemical dye and heat styling, but still I get away with trimming as little as I do. :)

[patienceneeded]

No secrets here, I'm afraid. It probably all boils down to genetics. Some people may be able to "help" things along with supplements or other treatments, but your own hair genes (and personal choices or preferences) are going to impact how well any method works or if it works at all.

I joined LHC in December of 2010, so I am just past my 2-year mark. When I joined, my hair was just past SL. As of this morning I am thisclose to waist (like .5"-1" away). So it two years I have gained quite a bit. I also trimmed quite a bit to get rid of previous damage from LOTS of chemical dying. In two years I have probably trimmed away between 6"-8." (My goodness, that's a lot of hair trimmed away! Yikes! Note to self - stop trimming so much!). It sounds like a lot of trimming, but in two years I have had about 6-7 trims and all of them were at least 1" removed, some a little more. My personal goal this year (besides the growing of hair) is to only trim it TWICE. Are you perhaps, like me, trimming so much/so often that your growth is not as noticeable?

[Sillage]

No secrets here, I'm afraid. It probably all boils down to genetics.

At last the awful truth! :rolling:

I wish I could get my hair to grow faster but I honestly don't think there's anything out there that will do that :/

[Iolanthe13]

Henna, updos, S&D, regular exercise, and staying busy have all helped me. I had a growth spurt in the summer when I was regularly using catnip rinses, but I'm putting that down to coincidence unless it happens again. But really, I've been too busy to do much to my hair or notice its growth lately, and I think that has helped.

[Jing]

There are no secrets, in truth. There are lots of things you can do to stunt your growth, like treating it in a way that causes it to break off a lot, but making it grow faster? Growth rate is primarily about genes, health and age. Certain supplements will boost some people, and certain scalp treatments will boost others (though usually what happens is they get a growth spurt and then a stall), but there is nothing that will help everyone's hair grow faster. Plus, as a curly, your hair will always look like it's growing slower than it is since it doesn't grow in a straight line, as it were.

[Mayflower]

Another thing to remember is that some people can go from shoulder to hip in two years because they are.. well, short. It's a lot easier for short people to reach certain milestones! Better to look at inches.
I'm pretty tall (5ft10 or 1m78 ) and still went from APL to hip in about 2,5 years, and I think a lot of it had to do with henna and indigo. I trimmed quite a lot so I'm a few inches away from hip right now, but not obsessing over it is the best you can do.

What helps me in growing out my hair as fast as it can: a healthy lifestyle (organic food, exercise and low stress levels), sulfate free shampoo, rich conditioners, wearing it up at night, S&D and ignoring it. Good luck.

[Nae]

Also, if you are taller you may not get to waist as fast. I noticed that many people had waist at about 30 inches, it seemed to be about the average in the thread about "how long is waist on you." Some people had it like 28 or 29 though. I am at 28 now, but I am barely BSL my waist length is 34, which will take me an entire extra year if I don't trim at all and just grow at an average pace. So lengths like APL, BSL and Waist are highly subjective. Take heart! It will grow eventually.

ETA: I see Mayflower and I are thinking along the same lines!!

[DinaAG]

i have a normal rate or around 3/4 inch a month normally i eat healthy, exercise, scalp massage oiling

[RubyTuesday]

Another thing to remember is that some people can go from shoulder to hip in two years because they are.. well, short. It's a lot easier for short people to reach certain milestones! Better to look at inches.
I'm pretty tall (5ft10 or 1m78 ) and still went from APL to hip in about 2,5 years, and I think a lot of it had to do with henna and indigo. I trimmed quite a lot so I'm a few inches away from hip right now, but not obsessing over it is the best you can do.

What helps me in growing out my hair as fast as it can: a healthy lifestyle (organic food, exercise and low stress levels), sulfate free shampoo, rich conditioners, wearing it up at night, S&D and ignoring it. Good luck.

EXACTLY! Height will make a massive difference. When I first started looking at how much people were growing in a year I could not believe it. Then I realised that some of these people were around 5 feet tall. I am 5ft 10" so it is always going to take longer..... But it will look stunning when it is finally there :pray:

[bunzfan]

My biggest secret is vitamins and protein my hair grows like a weed when i drink protein drinks and eat plenty of protein especially yogurt ;)

[lapushka]

I agree with benign neglect and *not* trimming! That's the most important thing. Hide your scissors!

[DancingQueen]

No secrets here, I'm afraid. It probably all boils down to genetics. Some people may be able to "help" things along with supplements or other treatments, but your own hair genes (and personal choices or preferences) are going to impact how well any method works or if it works at all.

I joined LHC in December of 2010, so I am just past my 2-year mark. When I joined, my hair was just past SL. As of this morning I am thisclose to waist (like .5"-1" away). So it two years I have gained quite a bit. I also trimmed quite a bit to get rid of previous damage from LOTS of chemical dying. In two years I have probably trimmed away between 6"-8." (My goodness, that's a lot of hair trimmed away! Yikes! Note to self - stop trimming so much!). It sounds like a lot of trimming, but in two years I have had about 6-7 trims and all of them were at least 1" removed, some a little more. My personal goal this year (besides the growing of hair) is to only trim it TWICE. Are you perhaps, like me, trimming so much/so often that your growth is not as noticeable?

Come to think of it, I have had at least 3, probably 4 haircuts, where I had at least 5 cm cut off (My hairdresser thinks she is edward scissorhand) - that is 15-20 cm of growth. And then there are the normal ones, with just 2 cm off... Holy c**p, my hair would be so long if I had not cut it! shudder: I did start to self-trim last year when I discovered the crea-clip, I wonder how much length I will gain by december?

Anyways, keep them coming, there must be some sort of secret I don't know about! :)

[WaitingSoLong]

I know this has been discussed and a lot of people don't agree with me but the younger adults hair grows faster it seems. Take my teenagers. Sheesh. My daughter's hair grows way faster than mine. In the almost-4 years I have been "hair aware" my hair growth has never exceeded 6" per year. This last year I got less than that (5"). I am not OLD but I am not in the prime of my youth anymore. I am around a lot of teens and young adults (kids, friends of kids) and they all have MUCH thicker and faster growing hair. I think most the awesome growth, I would wager, comes from those under 30. I am sure there are exceptions both ways.

I think that is good, they can experiment and practice and learn and it grows back faster. Maybe it is nature's way of letting us experiment forgivingly. ;)

[melusine963]

Come to think of it, I have had at least 3, probably 4 haircuts, where I had at least 5 cm cut off (My hairdresser thinks she is edward scissorhand) - that is 15-20 cm of growth. And then there are the normal ones, with just 2 cm off... Holy c**p, my hair would be so long if I had not cut it! shudder: I did start to self-trim last year when I discovered the crea-clip, I wonder how much length I will gain by december?

Anyways, keep them coming, there must be some sort of secret I don't know about! :)

Sounds like you've answered your own question there. Protective updos should eliminate the need for quite so many trims, I hope. Good luck, and please keep us updated with pictures. I love the ones in your signature. :)

[MaryMarx]

Another thing to remember is that some people can go from shoulder to hip in two years because they are.. well, short. It's a lot easier for short people to reach certain milestones! Better to look at inches.
I'm pretty tall (5ft10 or 1m78 ) and still went from APL to hip in about 2,5 years, and I think a lot of it had to do with henna and indigo. I trimmed quite a lot so I'm a few inches away from hip right now, but not obsessing over it is the best you can do.

Yes! It's like a friend of mine, who grew out from a pixie to shoulder in like, no time. Then I realized, she has no neck. No wonder it grew fast.

[Eireann]

I'm not sure I qualify as a super grower, but I did go from APL to waist in a year, but mostly because I am short. In general, I try to do what I can to minimize the need for trims. It has been trial and error for the most part, because everyone's hair is different. You have to find what works for you. Lately, I've settled on a routine of no shampoo--baking soda wash and apple cider vinegar rinse 2 or 3 times a week followed by light coconut or argan oil, and the occasional CO-wash when I want to smell pretty. :blossom: I tried castille soap for washing, but my hair hated it. I've also very recently (around 3 weeks ago) switched from chemical dyes to henna/indigo. In addition to being less damaging, I am shedding WAY less. It might be my imagination, but my hair seems to have grown much faster this month than usual (judging by my grey roots). It could just be that the henna fades more than the chemical dyes, but my hair looks longer in the back as well. (I don't measure, so it's all a little iffy). I guess the bottom line is my "secret" is to experiment until you find something that works for you. That, and find things that satisfy the urge to change your hair beside cutting it (new toys, new brushes, new updos). Enjoy the journey!!:bottomsup:

[spidermom]

The less I focus on my hair length, the faster it seems to grow.

[Anex]

Glad to see someone already stated the truth of genetics. Your hair has a growth period and once it reaches the end of its little life falls out. Some people's can be 3 years others 10 etc.

My mom can't grow hers passed her bra strap, it has been years at the same length. I haven't cut any major length off mine aside from trims since I was 13 and it is down to my tailbone.. You can of course try to promote good hair growth and take care of it, but genetics is a real limiter.

[RileyJane]

Mine is a healthy life style ( the more I work out, the better my skin and hair look) and just regular vitamins. I only take a one a day and biotin abs my hair seems to like it :) plus wearing it up everyday in a protective hair style has probably saved me 2-4 inches of hair

[jacqueline101]

My oil blend daily misted diluted with water, daily monistat blend, wear it up forget it. Stop measuring weekly shampoo and condition. First of the month deep condition with 3mm by Aussie. Clarify monthly middle of month and then mist tressemee light shine oil spray. Wide tooth comb and bbb daily use spray in detangler.

[IndigoOptimist]

I think the answer is that everyone's hair is different.
And I know how you feel, I cut to chin 3 years ago this February, and I'm only APL now! I haven't had the money to get trims so I've always done it myself, I don't use heat. Although since I started paying more attention to my hair it does seem to have sped up a little, it's not growing much fast, I'm just not cutting off as many split ends!
Some people just have a fast growing rate than others :(

[Tota]

- I'm very short (only 5 ft) so even 2" of growth look a lot on me. A also have a high waist.
- I avoid hair salons and hairdressers as much as possible.
- I eat a lot of fish oil and spirulina.
- I exercise daily (since exercising my hair and nails grow significantly faster).
- I don't use any styling products and I only use TT or my fingers to detangle.

My hair still grows too slowly for my liking :S

[battles]

Definitely genetics. Also, keeping away from trimming too much and just taking care of it. Whatever that may be for you.

No matter how long it takes, it is growing! :)

[Kiwiwi]

I think it's a combination of gentics and how you take care of your hair.

I take great care of my hair. It's nice and thick, soft, shiny, no split ends. Going slowly but steady. Has been this way all my life.
My sister on the other hand takes less great care of her hair (a lot more the last year though) and her hair grows like a weed. Has been this way all her life.
We always joke about how I want my hair to grow as fast as hers and how she wants thick hair like me. Guess we can't have both ^_^

So I guess there's not always a secret.
But of course many times there is; so that's what this thread is for. But I just wanted to share my story ^_^

[rock007junkie]

Here is a couple of things that have worked for me:
-Vitamins: I find I shed less hair when I'm on them (maybe the MSM in them?)
-Keeping my hair up or braided most of the time
-Keeping my hair moisturized
-Deep conditioning every week
-Not trimming as often as I used to
-Using warming oils on my scalp to stimulate blood circulaion/growth: cinnamon, rosemary and my fave mustard oil

[long&blonde]

I searched for the most appropriate thread to share my latest secret/holy grail for hair growth.
I am 58, so maybe it's the vitamin being so much of what women in my age group don't get/need, but prenatal vitamins.
They are "new chapter. Perfect prenatal". Health food stores sell them,such as GNC.
My bottle has 192 tablets in it, you take 3 daily. I have always taken all 3 together,with water only, mornings when wake up.
Warning, if you are the sensitive type, they are big tablets & yes they do stink.
When I took my bottle to my dr.to clear it'd be safe for me to take,at 56, he even opened & smelled bottle. So they must famously stink.
Taking pills bothers me not an iota,zilch. So the size/smell,is nothing to me.
But the hair health and growth,omg!
Last I took them, was few years back,above waist.
I just remember being at waist, it felt like immediately inchs past waist, when I ran out of the prenatal vitamins, I was at some point of buttcrack length hair, and dealing with learning how to deal with it.
I remember seeing I was out of prenatal vitamins, and saying "my hair's good." And buying Centrum silver. Lol.
Well,cut back to waist 5/6/12, now below hip, I got the same prenatal vitamins.
I looked at my hair after brushing it prior to my sleep-do last night.
The shine, the thickness, taking the prenatals gives my hair at least a virtual glowing healthy animal look.
Best I can describe it, if you have a favorite houseplant, and you give it a whole pot of strong cold black coffee, instead of its weekly water. Plants just love that, the acid in coffee. The plant just immediately stands straighter, just looks bursting with health.
That is how these prenatal vitamins affect my hair. Within the first couple weeks of taking.
I think this would be my secret hair tip, to my "contemporaries" late 40s and on up.
My dr.told me it was totally safe too,he recommended a side pill of calcium, which I do take.
It makes such a difference in my hair!
Currently, benign neglect, shampoo & condition, every 10 days. Leave in conditioner by garnier fructis. A pea size app.of "africas 6 oils" rubbed all thru, around days 3 & 7.
Shampoo & conditioner currently are totally twisted by herbal essences.

[long&blonde]

Forgot to add, I got this 192 tablet bottle of New Chapter, perfect prenatal vitamins thru amazon.com on line. The first bottle, I went to the GNC health food store. Counter kid recommended this type to me,after telling him I was in my late 50s,wanted prenatal vitaminshoping for faster/healthier hair growth. You can get them on line.

[CousinItt]

I had to increase my protein intake recently and found that I went through a growth spurt during that time (from APL to BSL in three months, and I'm not a small woman). It makes sense when you realize hair is protein.

[mzBANGBANG]

Mine is stop checking the length constantly, put it in a side braid and benign neglect the heck out of it. I'm not sure that anything else I do contributes to.the growth. Probably the constant updos for maintenance. If you can avoid trimming then do so, but if there is a cut that needs to happen just get it over with. Since I was able to cut my length now my trims are smaller and less frequent. I only have 2 planned for this year as opposed to the 10 I did last year.

I did recently start a vitamin experiment but I can't confirm any effect it had on my hair.

[MissEarlGrey]

My hair grew the fastest when I stopped obsessing over it.

I shampoo once a week, CO-wash the other 6 days.

I use a tangle teaser for brushing both wet and dry (apparently that's a sin here somewhere)

I got two trims this last year.

It's in a bun or in braids 50% of the time. It's gotten heavy in it's length so I like to have it down more than I did when growing to BSL.

[mzBANGBANG]

I want to echo rock007, I have noticed I shed a lot less with my vitamins. I take gummy prenatals, only half of the recommended dosage though.

[bunnylake]

My hair has truly been growing a bit faster/breaking less since I have been regularly doing the following things:
-taking hair vitamins that include biotin and msm
-coconut oil on the ends
-gentler handling overall
-gentler products (especially anything that's going to be ON my scalp!)
-scalp massages with growth stimulating oils
-healthy diet
-running and walking
-wearing it in a braid for bed

[Ravenwind]

I think a lot of it has to do with genetics, and how you take care of your hair. For me personally, I get my hair growing quickly by taking supplements and I just recently started using peppermint oil and rose water (which are both said to promote hair growth) on my scalp. Oiling to keep my hair healthy and protected, and Hair Skin & Nails supplements (especially Biotin) does well for me :) My hair grows pretty fast now.

[chen bao jun]

Yes, I think you trimmed off about a year's growth. Plus you are wurley/curley as someone stated. Our hair grows but doesn't LOOK like it's growing unlike those with straighter hair. On the other hand, I wouldn't give up my springy curls for the appearance of longer hair. I like to think of the hair difference as 'springiness' rather than 'shrinkage'.
On the plus side, since you have essentially been maintaining at APL (though without meaning to ) your hair looks great and your hemline looks great!
Genetics does make some people grow much faster than others. And then a longer anagen phase (also genetic) helps some people have longer hair, too. However, I think the main thing with growing long hair is keeping what you grow, whether you grow it fast or slow. I am 55 years old and have been on LHC since last June and realize that, as I suspected, my hair grows somewhat fast. Not like some on this forum who can get an inch or an inch and half a month, but certainly more than 1/2 a month. Following the practices I've learned on here, mostly gentler handling, no sulphate shampoo(too drying for me personally) and updoes, my hair is more than four inches longer than it was in June--and I've had two trims since then of at least 1/2 inch each. So I probably grew 5 inches in 7 months? but I was probably growing at the same rate BEFORE LHC--and ripping it all off my head at the ends, which kept me at a little more than shoulder length in spite of all my growth for about TEN years. (i never had a haircut in ten years and never grew any longer).

[mzBANGBANG]

I have a tip to share that makes patience a little easier. I have a countdown timer on my phone that is days until my next trim. It keeps me from doing extra trims and now I measure in days rather than inches. So I know in about 80 days I can thoroughly inspect the length of my hair.

[PraiseCheeses]

I have a tip to share that makes patience a little easier. I have a countdown timer on my phone that is days until my next trim. It keeps me from doing extra trims and now I measure in days rather than inches. So I know in about 80 days I can thoroughly inspect the length of my hair.

:agree: Scheduling my trims months in advance keeps me on track. I'm no super grower by any means, so trimming/lack of trimming is probably the biggest factor affecting my length gain. If I commit to trimming 1 cm max four times a year, I won't cut more length or more frequently on mere impulse.

[CocoBean]

Well, I was on LHC quite a bit when I first joined in April of 2012. Obsessed with getting my hair to grow, I was doing everything according to what was recommended in the various posts here.

But then I got pretty busy and before I knew it, it was Christmas already. My hair grows slow, about 1/2 inch a month so it has only grown about 5 inches since April, with two small 1/2 inch trims. I still need to cut about 3 inches of dyed ends but so hate cutting my hair.

My program has been organic blended fresh fruit juice with Garden of Life organic protein powder, mostly organic vegan diet, multi vitamin supplements, braid at night, braid or updo during the day, sometimes a half pony tail, wash once a week, leave in conditioner, argon or jojoba oil on the ends. Usually I braid it and let it dry after I wash it, this gives me waves. I don't normally blow dry my hair, but love it when the curls are smoothed out, my hair is about 1-2 inches longer LOL!

I agree with other posters here, I think vitamins and healthy eating helps a lot with hair growth.

[CocoBean]

For helping hair grow faster or healthier, has anyone tried the liquid gold products or Brahmi Oil - Ayurvedic Hair Growth Massage oil?

[tigereye]

No great secret really, other than luck, patience ,avoiding damage, and trial and error to find out what works for your own hair.

Personally, my hair grows around average, until the winter when it grows faster - around 1 inch per month. I believe that's due to health though. I eat and exercise better in cold weather than in hot. I'm not at all a hot weather person - I get lathargic, irritable and it takes a lot more effort to be healthy.
I know my hair sheds if I'm stressing (which I'm doing right now because of looming exams).

The things I do to care for my hair and avoid damage are:
Washing once a week (though I can sometimes go two) with diluted shampoo on the scalp, and cone-free condish
Rinse out with cold water at the end of a shower -sometimes a tea or dilute acid rinse to finish.
Updos every day, except very special occasions.
An occasional moisture treatment when it feels like it.
Henna every two or three months (my hair colour is close and slightly reddish anyway, so the roots don't show)
Tossing my hair over the top edge of the bed, so I don't roll on it in my sleep (usually braided as it works best) -got the idea from Torrin Paige

[natural80]

Has anyone tried the liquid gold products or Brahmi Oil - Ayurvedic Hair Growth Massage oil?

I have their Green Magic Cream. I can't say if it works or not because I haven't been consistent. When I put some on, I'll place a baggy on my head and wash it out in the morning. I'm thinking about trying it again and being more consistent with it. I think you're supposed to keep it on longer, but on the site, it says, you can wash it out in the morning and it'll still work, so I don't know. Maybe I was doing it right.

[dwell_in_safety]

No secrets from me! I just wear my hair up every day and every night, CO wash every nine days (currently) with a heavy coconut oiling before every other wash, and use a little jojoba oil as a leave-in. Boring. :p I don't even exercise (my job is laborious) or eat particularly healthily.

[spirals]

I agree it's genetics. My hair grows an average of 3/4" a month, and I'm short-waisted. I was at the beginning of brastrap in June and I am 3/4" from waist now (7 months). I will say that giving up detergent shampoo & using citric acid rinses has stopped the massive shedding.

[chen bao jun]

You know, not all short people have an advantage. I'm short (5'3) but I have a long torso so it's still a long, long way to my waist. I know much taller people who have less inches to get to waist than I do--many of them.

On the other hand, if I ever do get to my waist, its not very far at all from there to my hips and even not far to BCL.

[spirals]

So true. I'm average-to-tall becaue I'm all legs, but it's 3 inches from my bottom rib to waist, and 3 or 4 inches from waist to hip. I think the average for waist-to-hip is 6 or 7 inches.

[Allychan]

Mine grows pretty fast, I'd be at tailbone by now but sadly I have had to cut over 20cm off (straightener/dye damage over the last two years) :(
My 'secrets':
Stop hair breakage/damage before it happens - protecting hair by wearing it up during the day and when sleeping, oiling at night, moisturising, avoiding heat and chemical dyes
Increase the growth phase - checking hormones and blood tests for deficiencies, vitamins and supplements to complement a healthy eating plan, lessen stress and get plenty of sleep
Improve the health of hair before it comes out of your head - keep scalp healthy, bacteria free and nourished with massage and oils, eating healthy, drink plenty of water

and don't cut it unless you absolutely need to

[Natalia]

Take your vitamins, keep trimming to a minimum, and be gentle? Thats about it really i go with benign neglect too, dont check it too often and before you know it your at a milestone.

[sunnydee92]

My biggest "secret" is just taking care of my body! I drink TONS of water (probably even more than I need at times), eat fruit and veggies daily, stay away from processed food, and exercise at least once a week. Oh, and lots of green and rooibos tea! Nuts, spinach, apples, and bananas are staples in my diet. I believe healthy/happy body = good hair! (:

[Addy]

I went from APL to waist in 10 months. Crazy I know but I ignored it and it grew. You couldn't count on me to take daily vitamins or whatnot... I wasn't really eating healthy either, I was smoking like a chimney stack and I was under a LOT of stress this past year so I can't tell you what I did other than comb it once a day, wash it once a week, CO every day and braid/ponytail/updo/leave down... it just grew. I hit waist in December and I have grown almost an inch past that already. All I know is it grows freakishly fast.

[RubyTuesday]

I went from APL to waist in 10 months. Crazy I know but I ignored it and it grew. You couldn't count on me to take daily vitamins or whatnot... I wasn't really eating healthy either, I was smoking like a chimney stack and I was under a LOT of stress this past year so I can't tell you what I did other than comb it once a day, wash it once a week, CO every day and braid/ponytail/updo/leave down... it just grew. I hit waist in December and I have grown almost an inch past that already. All I know is it grows freakishly fast.


You need to donate yourself to medical science.......you are a modern miracle :D

[CocoBean]

Amazing, wish mine would grow that fast! Beautiful pics in your album!

[Addy]

Thank you. I just uploaded another pic. :)

[AnqeIicDemise]

"A watched pot never boils."

Or rather, while we know that a watched pot DOES boil and it boils at the same frequency as it would if it weren't watched it *seems* like it takes forever.

I felt the same way about my hair. For a while I was.. and still am to some degree.. obsessed. I'd measure (with a tape) just about daily, I took pictures every day if not twice a day, fretted..etc... just to watch it grow about half an inch a month.

Now I just keep doing what I do, hide the camera and tape. By the end of four months I've gained two inches, round about. It catches me by surprise, every time. Its like "Oh, it grew when I wasn't looking!"

[neko_kawaii]

Genetics, trimming only when it needs it, appropriate care and protection, and lifestyle. In that order.

Relax and enjoy your hair!

[PixxieStix]

Nothing special at all, treat my body right (good nutrition, lots of water, sleep, and exercise), treat my hair very gently by washing as needed (every 3-5 days for me), detangling carefully, wearing it up every day, braiding for bed, lots of coconut oil for the ends (and as a pre-wash treatment I've found!), and ignore it. Well, and trimming only what is needed once a year. I grow at a very average rate of about 0.5 inches a month, give or take, and average around 6 inches a year. I've found I'm much happier with my hair when I am not looking at it much or trying to see how much it has grown. My measuring tape has disappeared from lack of use, as I've decided to only measure in milestones instead of inches. The less I expect/demand/wish of my hair, again, the happier I am with it. It has taken me LONG time to get there.

[DarkCurls]

That is exactly what I do, PixxieStix, pretty much word-for-word, and it works amazingly well.

[Maverick494]

I feel your pain. My hair grows very slowly and I have a lot of damage from dye to grow out, so that definitely slows down progress even more. I've probably been stuck at waist for almost a year. I'm inching towards hip/TB now but I'm not there yet. From APL to waist cost me about 3,5 years. Then I had to maintain for a while to even up the ends. I get a lot of trims throughout the year, basically every 3 months, because my ends get scraggly by then. I like a thick hemline. Right now I'm trying benign neglect and though I do see progress (it's been over a half year since I cut my hair) I'm not really happy with how my ends are looking right now. I'm probably going to get a trim soon, put it up every day and forget about it.

That said, there is some good news. I've found that only using a wide toothed comb (be careful about which one to pick, the teeth need to be smooth) for detangling and just a BBB helps prevent damage tremendously. I also don't comb my hair anymore when it's wet. I just wrap a towel around it and let it be for about an hour. At that time it's usually dry enough not to drip anymore. I also use detangling spray after a shower, which helps me get through the hair more easily when it's dry. I use amla oil on the ends before each shower (it's the kind of oil that makes your hair very greasy, so I'd rather do it before than after.)

In any case, just have patience. It took me much, much longer to grow my hair than I'd anticipated, but it's worth it. Plus height plays a role too: I'm 5'10" so my hair took longer to reach waist than on a shorter person.

[browneyedsusan]

I'm similar to PixxieStix: Eat right, exercise, sleep properly. CWC every other day--else my scalp gets itchy, and hair looks greasy. No heat. The big one for me is to ignore it--no measuring, no trimming, no obsessing about my hair. I try just to put it up and not look at it too much.

Lately though, I've gone from "tolerating the shagginess", to "I actually like it!", so I'm primping a bit more. :)

[christyrose]

I was at ear length in September and now I'm at shoulder length/14". I grew 4 inches in 4 months well I think the actual growth is 3 3/4". I dont do anything special at all though. I eat healthy when I remember to eat I dont eat organic, I dont get enough protein in my diet for sure and I havent been taking vitamins consistently. I also desperately need to drink more water each day! Well any water each day would be an improvement. I have been using the fast shampoo and conditioner for a few months now, and I like it, but I cant say it helped my hair to grow faster at all. I wash it only 2-3x a week and leave it up most days. I feel like I have had faster hair growth since my son was born and even faster hair growth since I stopped dying it all the time with horrible harsh dyes. Other than that I think if your hair is healthy already and you dont eat junk all the time then you are doing everything you can do for your hair growth!!

[jeanniet]

Personally I think it's the luck of the draw (genetics), assuming you don't do anything to actively damage your hair so it breaks off. My hair grows at about the same rate whether I'm eating well or not, exercising or not, stressed or not, young (or not, hahaha). I don't believe in taking vitamins or supplements if there's not a demonstrated need for them. So I guess my secret would be...let it grow, and see what happens!

[jojo]

I am just a normal average grower, it gets easier to ignore it as time goes on and ive also learnt to take some peoples claims of super fast growth with a pinch of salt, measuring isnt precisie and even photographs can make hair look longer depending how there standing. Best thing i did was concentrate on my hair and making it healthy so it would retain any length grown and try not to compare myself to others.
Your hair has grown lovely, you will get to your goal just enjoy the mini goals!