I'm doing it! Invoking the 2-week rule

[YesitsReal]

So, I'm really going to do it--invoke the two-week rule. I've been trying to get to hip-length for probably 8 or 9 years now, and it just doesn't seem to be happening. I looked at my engagement pictures (taken almost 3 years ago), and my hair has only grown 3-4 inches since then. It grows from my scalp at the normal 1/2 inch per month (I know this because I'm growing out my henna). Plus, it looks stringy and raggedy through most of the length. I feel like it just looks--bad. The whole mass makes me look older, I think. I've been babying it like I always have: keeping it up, not using heat, wooden comb, and so forth. I even got a few inches cut off a few months ago to see if that would help. I don't know what the problem is. I've been stuck in the mid-back abyss for multiple YEARS. :justy:

Anyway, :violin:

I'm thinking of getting the haircut Julianne Hough has in Safe Haven. It's a long (shoulder length-ish) inverted bob with chin-length bangs. Very easy to maintain, easy to style (and some length to work with!), and would look ok grown out some. It's a lot off, but I think I'll be happier, especially since it's almost summer and pushing ninety degrees already. ha.

Thoughts? My husband, when asked, just shrugs his shoulders. He says as long as it's not super-short, he doesn't care.

[goldloli]

what's your wash and condition routine? ime when hair is stringy looking, it's usually because a product doesnt work for me. Also the fact there's clearly growth yet no length points to a big cause of damage coming from somewhere. are you using cones or no cones? are your buns too tight? does your routine suit your porosity? are you detangling gently enough? what do you do with you hair when you sleep? etc etc

But if you decide to cut short good luck!

[BambooBeauty]

I love that hair cut! Ive been thinking about getting it for myself as well but I keep putting it off. I think it is really cute.

[goldloli]

what's your wash and condition routine? ime when hair is stringy looking, it's usually because a product doesnt work for me. Also the fact there's clearly growth yet no length points to a big cause of damage coming from somewhere. are you using cones or no cones? are your buns too tight? does your routine suit your porosity? are you detangling gently enough? what do you do with you hair when you sleep? etc etc

But if you decide to cut short good luck!

[jacqueline101]

I'd try changing care routine maybe even your products.

[lapushka]

If it's going to be hot, you'll be *so* sorry you can't adequately put your hair up. A bob like that doesn't leave much room for a decent updo, ie it's going to stick to your neck in weather that hot.

[Quixii]

I wish you luck with whatever you decide. But one thing I always think about when people decide to cut short for summer is that I think it'd be best if they left their hair long enough to put it up in a ponytail. Otherwise you'd still have hair on the back of your neck, and it really doesn't matter how long it is when it's hot out and on your neck!

[embee]

I agree with "get it off your neck in summer". So either long enough for a reasonably presentable updo or really short.

[DancingQueen]

I know the feeling; I have been growing from chin for 3,5 years, and it is only a bit below APL now. I thought my hair just couldn't grow. Then I realized, whenever I went to the hairdresser, I always got 5 cm (around 2 inches) off every time, because the hairdressers never did what I asked, and cut off more growth than I got. Now I cut it myself, which is way cheaper, but more importantly, I am finally starting to see a bit of progress.

Could it be that you cut off too much?

[Eireann]

The 2 week rule is definitely the way to go. You can spend that 2 weeks trying out new routines, oiling, deep conditioning, even (gasp) heat styling....whatever it takes. If after 2 weeks, you still are unhappy, you can either go for the cut, or invoke another 2 weeks! I'm now officially 6 months into my 2-weeks, and I still pull up photos of Scarlett Johansson's super cute layered bob at least once a day. What holds me back is the reminder of just how long it takes to grow back out. Good luck!

[ravenreed]

I love that style, but my wavy hair would require far more work every morning to make it look like that than I have ever been willing to do.

[lapushka]

I love that style, but my wavy hair would require far more work every morning to make it look like that than I have ever been willing to do.

Oooh same for me. Another reason I keep it long.

I also think DancingQueen has a point. Could you perhaps be cutting off more growth than you're getting? Hairdresser? Maybe?

What if it's the henna use that did you no good. Could be a possibility. Henna can be drying and can make hair texture drier (therefore possibly more brittle).

[spidermom]

Sometimes the solution is so counter-intuitive it eludes you.

For example: In the past, when I would go to the tropics for vacation, I would always use conditioner and/or oil in my hair and braid it snugly for the day. Every day without fail. This time my oil turned out to be rancid, so I would use coney serum generously after washing. Plus I wore it down a lot. There was a nice wind coming off the Caribbean, and I discovered that I like the feel of wind blowing through my hair as well as the feel of it in the sea and the pool. My hair was/is in better condition after my most recent trip than it has been before. I can't explain it; I doubt anyone can.

I definitely think you should do something different because what you've been doing hasn't been working for you, whether that's cutting to a new style or using different products and blow-drying. Good luck; whatever you do, I hope you love it!

[Winnie!]

I absolutely loved her haircut! It made me want to cut my hair off when I saw it on her. Good luck with whatever you choose!

[YesitsReal]

Well, I'm definitely not coming to this decision lightly. I would not even be thinking about this if I had not been struggling with it for so long. I mean, I was having trouble before I ever used henna (the henna was partially added to help this issue), and I went to a salon for the first time in several years a few months ago, hoping that the trouble was with dull shears or not taking off enough with my trims. No dice. My hair is not even really gaining back the length it lost. I had 2 inches and then 1 more inch cut off a few months ago, and I've only gained around half an inch back. My roots and bangs, however, are growing at an extremely rapid rate. My bangs have grown from nose to chin length twice already since I had it cut the first time. So apparently I'm damaging the ends, but I can't figure out how. I used to blowfry and straighten almost daily, and I never had this much trouble growing (and no, I don't think it's old damage-- it's been 8 or 9 years since I stopped that). In fact, my ends don't look that damaged. My hair just isn't gaining length. I've changed products and routines a few times, thinking that would help. So far, no luck. I recently went back to sweet almond oil from coconut oil, since my hair seemed to like that at one point. It sucks it up, but it's still not gaining much. I don't get it.

Another reason I'm thinking seriously about a major chop is so that I can have my blonde back faster. I mean, the ombre look is in, but how long will that last, right? ;) If I keep the length, it's going to be two-toned for a very. long. time. If I do go short, I can get rid of the henna in less time. I love the red, but my hair grows so fast that the upkeep is more than I'm willing to do right now. Plus, I think my husband is ready for my natural hair color to come back.

Well, I'm definitely going to use the next two weeks to decide where my heart really lies. I'm going to do all the stuff with my hair that I can't do with short hair and treat it really nicely, maybe change a few things, and see what I think after that. I may even wait two weeks to make the appointment and then make the appointment a week away, to give myself a little more time to think. We'll see.

[Mesmerise]

I think it's important to do what makes YOU happy! Sometimes a change is a good thing and it can be nice having hair that looks nice even if it's not as long as you'd like. I'd had way too much shedding and my hair was super stringy when it was long, so I always ALWAYS wore it pulled back. Now I've cut it off (mostly to help me grow out my natural colour, but also to start over), I'm not so embarrassed by my hair (hmm well I'm sort of embarrassed to have this multi coloured look happening but I'm not embarrassed by how thin and stringy my hair looks).

I'm still going to aim for long hair again once the colour is out, but I'm trying not to get my heart set on a particular length (like hip) because it could be that my hair just won't get there and look any good.

It's not that my hair doesn't grow, and it's not that it breaks (it doesn't), however when it gets long it gets tapered quite quickly which suggests to me that my hair's growing cycle is just not that long. If your hairs have a shorter growing cycle, it's just not possible to get super long hair lengths. I still hope that once my shedding issues are over (it doesn't seem to be shedding so much at the moment) that my hair will end up looking reasonable at longer lengths... but it may be that I just end up with mid back only...

[spirals]

I think I might be able to explain what happened with spidermom's hair. I am a wavy-curly. Before LHC my hair grew so well that I was getting annoyed at having to refresh my layers so often. At that point I was washing every other day, never combing except finger-combing in the shower to get the loose hair out, and wearing it down every single day and night. My only real issue was that the shampoo was drying, but meh--I knew the tangles would come out in the shower with conditioner in it. I really think the combing and putting it up is causing mechanical damage for me. The problem is that now I have fallen in love with braids and hair sticks and what-not. And at this length it bugs me to have it down at work. But if I just left it alone and wore it down, I'd have less breakage.

[DancingQueen]

Well, I'm definitely not coming to this decision lightly. I would not even be thinking about this if I had not been struggling with it for so long. I mean, I was having trouble before I ever used henna (the henna was partially added to help this issue), and I went to a salon for the first time in several years a few months ago, hoping that the trouble was with dull shears or not taking off enough with my trims. No dice. My hair is not even really gaining back the length it lost. I had 2 inches and then 1 more inch cut off a few months ago, and I've only gained around half an inch back. My roots and bangs, however, are growing at an extremely rapid rate. My bangs have grown from nose to chin length twice already since I had it cut the first time. So apparently I'm damaging the ends, but I can't figure out how. I used to blowfry and straighten almost daily, and I never had this much trouble growing (and no, I don't think it's old damage-- it's been 8 or 9 years since I stopped that). In fact, my ends don't look that damaged. My hair just isn't gaining length. I've changed products and routines a few times, thinking that would help. So far, no luck. I recently went back to sweet almond oil from coconut oil, since my hair seemed to like that at one point. It sucks it up, but it's still not gaining much. I don't get it.

Another reason I'm thinking seriously about a major chop is so that I can have my blonde back faster. I mean, the ombre look is in, but how long will that last, right? ;) If I keep the length, it's going to be two-toned for a very. long. time. If I do go short, I can get rid of the henna in less time. I love the red, but my hair grows so fast that the upkeep is more than I'm willing to do right now. Plus, I think my husband is ready for my natural hair color to come back.

Well, I'm definitely going to use the next two weeks to decide where my heart really lies. I'm going to do all the stuff with my hair that I can't do with short hair and treat it really nicely, maybe change a few things, and see what I think after that. I may even wait two weeks to make the appointment and then make the appointment a week away, to give myself a little more time to think. We'll see.

I don't know if this is the case, but maybe it is the sweet almond oil? Are you using it on your length, or directly on your scalp? I have no scientifical proof for the following, but it is worth a thought.

I used to use extra virgin coconut oil for my legs, because they were dry. They did become super-soft, but I had to shave more often than usual, because the hairs came back at a rapid rate. Then I read somewhere, that Almond oil should somehow inhibit hair growth, so the hairs would not come back at the same rate. (you can check the link on the bottom). Of course, this is just for the body, but I would think it is the same for the scalp (maybe).

Either way, I hope you will be happy whatever you decide. Good luck with it. :)

http://www.ehow.com/about_5579350_herbs-remove-hair.html

[kittengirl]

For making ends nice I recommend Camellia oil. I use pure organic camellia oil that I just discovered recently and I LOVE it. It's the only oil that I can put on my bangs and near my scalp after washing and it only makes it shiny and soft, never greasy. I had also been feeling the need to chop but I just got bangs again and now I am very happy with my hair again. Is there a smaller change you could make while you decide if you really want to cut?

[kpzra]

I'm of the mind that if you are unhappy with your hair and have been thinking of a cut, then cut it. It grows back (it may be slow but it grows) and if it makes you happy again, why not.

I go through the cycle every few years though. After my daughter was born 3 years ago I chopped waist length back to jaw (not unlike what you are looking at but a bit shorter). Last year I chopped BSL+ to jaw (my go to bob) and and back at BSL again. I know in a few years I'll probably chop it again if I get bored/irritated with it. In my mind there is no point in having long hair if you don't like the way it looks. A fresh start can be good.

[Kherome]

Did you do it?

[spidermom]

From the sound of it - that you have normal growth at the scalp without gaining length - you probably have a shorter growing cycle that you would like. Maybe the majority of the hairs only grow for 3 or 4 years instead of 6 or 7, then they shed out. Sometimes genetics work against our fondest hopes.