Terminal length?NOOOO

[long-hair-lover]

My hair has always been different lengths over the years but I have come to the conclusion that it seems to stop growing when it gets to a certain length? I still have roots because I have a fringe so I can see the re growth after I have hennaed but it is almost like that if I left my fringe to grow out it would hit this 'terminal length' and just stop like the rest of my hair has. My hair grows quick when I have it cut off but then stops when it gets to the same length? Please help!

Posts and messages would be highly appreciated, I'm kinda panicking:(

[Madora]

For starters, how are you caring for your hair? Do you eat healthy? How many years have you actually let your hair grow without cutting it (trimming is fine). Your fringe, because it's roots don't get as much stimulation as your longer strands, might stall at a certain length. On average hair grows about 6 inches a year..some people grow faster and some growth is slower. If you are using heat, straightening or anything else that is not hair friendly, then switch to gentler methods. Daily scalp massage is a good way to help feed your roots. Diet is paramount if you want healthy, long hair. Good luck!

[jacqueline101]

I agree diet and a good care regimen are key to great hair.

[Kelikea]

Are you really only 18? How long have you actually gone without cutting your hair? I know that when I was 18, my hair had not had a chance to grow to its full potential. My hair did not really seem to start growing well until I was in highschool, before that it had been very thin and straggly. By my 18, it finally looked thicker and longer and healthier, but it still had a long ways to go. Like Madora said, make sure you are eating healthfully. Treat your hair gently. I also think that exercise helps to stimulate growth.

[Xi]

Agree with what everyone else has said. Also -- patience. Hair sometimes takes a long time to grow. Put it up and forget about it. For a long time. And don't cut it. Those are my secrets to long hair. ;)

P.S. In your picture your ends look blunt cut and thick -- usually around terminal your hair starts to become fairytaled (the hemline thins out and disappears). If I had to guess, I'd say you're cutting too much/too often & losing all your new growth. Just my :twocents:

[PianoPlaye]

Benign neglect and/or sort of forgetting about length?
I put inches on without realising thanks to motherhood. :D (OK long *And* round, but you get the scale of the distraction!)

[long-hair-lover]

Thank you for all of the replies:o
I have been growing my hair since the age of 14 and its still never got past the length in my picture.
I haven't used straighteners in over a year because my hair is curly and I prefer it like that but also obviously because of the damage heat causes. I use Lush henna on my hair every 6-8 months and my Aunty is a hairdresser and she cuts my hair for me and I always ask for it to be blunt cut as I personally don't like wispy ends on myself. I use a good shampoo and conditioner and only use Aussie Curl Definition and Soft Feel Serum as well as a spritz of hair shine brilliance gloss.
Maybe I need to change my diet;)

Thank you all xxx

[KittyMeowMeow]

I think you are cutting too frequently/too much. Hairdressers are notorious for trimming too much (no offence to your Auntie!). Hair grows about 1/2"/month (look at your roots to see your actual growth rate). If you are trimming every 6-8 weeks or so like they usually recommend, that is too much if your hair is in good condition! Add to the that the fact that hair doesn't grow perfectly even, so if you are getting lots of blunt cuts, you are trimming away all your length.

Your hair looks healthy, so I doubt that this is a problem, but are you getting broken hairs when combing/brushing, or worse yet, on your shoulders? Or, a combination of this and too much trimming- if your ends get damaged quickly (not just natural unevenness due to growing), and thus have to be trimmed, that could be keeping you stuck at this length. I was stuck at various lengths for many years because of breakage/damage and then having to trim. If so, look at your heat use, color/other chemical treatments (esp coloring lighter), combing/gentleness. And PS past shoulder length- this is a tough length since ends rub against your shoulders.

HTH

[Madora]

Curly hair is much more fragile and needs a lot of tlc to keep breakage to a minimum. Also, it takes longer time to see the true length of your curled hair. Of course you can "stretch" the ends to see how long they really are, but realistically speaking, you have to be extra patient and allow more years to pass to see longer growth. I'd say, a good 7 or 8 years w/o cutting (except for minimal trimming, of course).
Thank you for all of the replies:o
I have been growing my hair since the age of 14 and its still never got past the length in my picture.
I haven't used straighteners in over a year because my hair is curly and I prefer it like that but also obviously because of the damage heat causes. I use Lush henna on my hair every 6-8 months and my Aunty is a hairdresser and she cuts my hair for me and I always ask for it to be blunt cut as I personally don't like wispy ends on myself. I use a good shampoo and conditioner and only use Aussie Curl Definition and Soft Feel Serum as well as a spritz of hair shine brilliance gloss.
Maybe I need to change my diet;)

Thank you all xxx

[maborosi]

Madora's right. Curlier hair needs gentler care. Also, damage from things like straighteners, chemical dyeing, etc, can sometimes show up much later than you stopped it! But it sounds like you're doing some good things. But I'd recommend you nourish your hair and give it plenty of moisture, and only trim as needed. Over-trimming your hair can make it seem like you're not getting any new growth, when in reality, it could just be that you're trimming all of it off.

Find some good deep conditioning treatments that work for your hair- you're definitely on the right track with the henna. That stuff works really well for a lot of people, myself included. I also do cassia treatments more frequently to strengthen my hair so I don't have to cut it often.

Best of luck!

~maborosi~

[jessa]

Sounds like you are just trimming off any growth. I wondered why my hair never grew past APL and then stopped going to the hairdresser every 6 weeks and now my hair is past Waist. Try only trimming once every 6 months at the most.

[melusine963]

I haven't used straighteners in over a year because my hair is curly and I prefer it like that but also obviously because of the damage heat causes.

One year probably isn't enough to grow out all your previous heat damage. Until it's gone your ends might just keep crumbling away. That said, I also agree with people who are suggesting you might be trimming too much to see any real growth.

[long-hair-lover]

Thank you all for your posts, really appreciate it.
Was starting to think I was going to be stuck with shoulder length hair for a very long time..
I now have hope:o

xxx

[long-hair-lover]

And about using heat, I only used the straighteners about 3 times each year if that previously before I cut out using them completely. Mainly because it would take me a ridiculous amount of time but also as I've wanted long hair forever I decided cutting them out completely would be the best thing and I don't miss it. I love my hair without straighteners. Everyone always tells me to straighten it to see the length but I WON'T! I would NEVER go back to using them:)

[looniac]

As a fellow curly, I encourage you not to give up hope! Have you tried going the conditioner only/less shampoo route? I truly recommend this for curlies since our hair tends to be a lot drier than straight hair and having a happy scalp = happy and healthy new growth! Other than that, I recommend a lot of protective styles - braids, buns, anything that keeps your hair from getting snagged or tangled (as curly hair is prone to do!) Sometimes doing an updo challenge for a month or two can be great for "setting it" and "forgetting it." If every morning you're doing a braid or bun, you are protecting your hair and hopefully not thinking so much about how long it is. :) Hope this is helpful and good luck growing!

[spidermom]

I agree that your aunt is probably cutting off most if not all of your growth. To a lot of stylist, trimming means maintaining the same length.

Try going at least 3-4 months between trims and specify that only 1/2 inch (average) be trimmed. It would impossible to trim off exactly 1/2 inch because some hairs grow quicker than others, so of course a little more is going to cut off those hairs to bring the ends back into alignment.

[torrilin]

On my hair, using a curling iron or blow dryer 3 times a year would be too much. My hair is fine, straight and very dry (my wash routine and frequency are more typical for a person with type 3 or 4 hair than someone with type 1), and it takes 6-12 months for it to recover from ONE use of heat styling. It'd take nearly 2 years to grow out the damage from heat styling shoulder length hair, and I grow 7-9" per year! So I use heat styling extremely rarely, as in the last time I used heat was sometime around 2003 or so.

Obviously mileage varies on the heat thing. Plenty of posters here use heat far more often than that, and they don't have problems like I do.

For trimming, I don't usually have a problem with stylists cutting too much. My idea of frequent trimming is every 2-3 months, and my fine and split prone hair will not start driving me mad with tangles until it's been more than 9-12 months in between trims. I usually show the stylist how much hair I think is split (including how I determined that it was too split to keep). Then I have them take a look and show me how much they think is too split to keep. No stating measurements, I show them the actual amount of hair I want cut off, and I have them do the same. If we disagree, we negotiate, but usually the stylist will think I need less off than I think... and we can always cut off more, but it's a bit hard to cut off less. The more concrete I am, the happier the stylist and I are at the end.

You can also keep your hair in pretty reasonably split free condition by means of "search and destroy" or "dusting" where you only cut off the damaged parts of your hair. This doesn't work well if you want a razor sharp blunt hemline, but if you're comfortable with a more natural hem, it can be a very good way to limit trims. For very fine or very curly hair, I'd tend to class having your own hair cutting scissors as something of a necessity. Even if you just reserve them for awful tangles, they will help save you from a lot of excess broken hairs.

The point where it seems like people really get into trouble with stylists is when they have a "usual cut" or they ask for "a layered cut". Stylists are like any other craftsperson, and they can't read your mind. So if you say you're growing your hair out to be long, they're going to think you want hair in the shoulder to BSL range. Y'know, normal sort of long hair. Since I'm coming in with BSL or longer hair, and I tell the stylist that I want longer, but the split ends got to be too much, I don't get super bad results. But it's really easy to wind up with too much coming off if you don't have pictures or really clear instructions for the stylist.