2years of growth, and now what?

[Gaelle27]

Hello ladies, I joined this forum some time ago, when I decided to grow my hair long again, It was in 2011, and it looked like this:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1239885_671170792893828_663427436_n.jpg

(bad picture, but the only one avaliable, I'm sorry)

I dont post here often, but I like conect sometimes and read what you ladies and gentlemans write, and I've learned a lot :D
I dont come here as often as I like, because I can get a little obcessed whit my hair and make myself unhappy because it doesnt grow... I'm more a neglect kind of girl. But tonigth I was combing my hair just out of my braid and I felt it brushing agaist my back, and it felt suddetly very long! I had to take a picture :o

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/p480x480/1470274_695603690450538_1936233150_n.jpg

I think I've reached waist length!!! :eek:
But the ends look a bit thin and that gave me mixed feeling... I'm happy whit the lengt but you can see my bra through it...
I'm not brave enougth to cut it back to bsl, I wonder if I could have your honest opinion about it :blossom:



PS: I'm sorry for my weird english, it's not my natural language...

[makeminea99]

Hello love! :) Your hair's looking pretty good! My ends are a bit like that too. I don't think you necessarily have to cut back to BSL - maybe just maintain where you are for a while, perhaps 6 months or so, with the tiniest of trims every 8 weeks or so, to help your hemline thicken up a bit! I plan to do the same . . . just as soon as I've reached tailbone! :)

[0xalis]

Your hair is beautiful and it doesn't really look thin at all. Even if you're not at full waist yet, you're definitely close. It's hard to tell from the angle :p
Especially if you wear your hair up often, I wouldn't bother cutting it to BSL. Thinner ends make updos a lot easier. If you braid a lot and your tassel still looks good, then there's no reason to cut. You could always just maintain at waist until your hemline thickens up :)

[Madora]

Gaelle27, your hair looks lovely in the mirror shot.

I think if you just cut about half an inch that would help. Happy growing!

[mariakatija]

Your hair grows fast!

[Nebulae]

I don't think your ends look thin at all! I love your waves, very pretty! I think you will be at waist in another month or so.
If you want to thicken up your hemline without chopping, I too would suggest to do regular small trims, that's what I do to get rid of damage without losing much length. :)

[nakima]

lots of growth for two years! congratulaions! and your hair looks very healthy and pretty :) you have for sure reached waist.

[vikavegan_fr]

Really impressed with the progress !! They look healthy, and I'd agree with one of previous comments that it's worth trying to thicken up the ends by maintaining the same length :D

[lapushka]

Wait? Picture one and two are the same person two years apart. Color me shocked! That is fast growth if ever I saw it. :)

[Of the Fae]

Wow fast! Amazing growth your hair is stunning!

[askan]

This is so inspiring! Your hair is very beautiful. If I can be at that length in two years I'll be very happy :)

[jacqueline101]

Your hair grew fast in two years. You have lovely hair that looks fine to me. The ends aren't thin and you have pretty curls on top of it.

[Rio040113]

Gotta agree with everyone else, great growth and looking good! I don't think your hem looks thin at all, I'd either leave it or do a teeny micro trim :)

[Gaelle27]

Wow, so many answers, thank you all ladies
Thanks for all the compliments on my hair, I dont get them often, and for someone how is strating to learn to embrace and love her hair just the way it is, it really means something :o

Yes Lapushka, it is really me, first picture taken in the beginning of 2011... It's more like 2,5years than just 2 actually...
I dont trim a lot, half an inch when the season change and I recetly started S&D, that explain all the groth, and the lack of thickness...

I braid a lot, and I finally started to be able to bun my hair whith an haistick... for now on I'm going to star wearing it up more often, trim half an inch the first winter day wait for solid waist and I will trim more often. My hair grows like a weed seems to grow like a weed, and I did't realize that!
Just foud a few older pictures

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1385408_671171722893735_1800524509_n.jpg

[goldcopperbrown]

Gosh, that seems like so much for 2 years! I've been growing mine for 7 years, but incessant dying means I got slightly less than your amount of growth in all that time...

[chen bao jun]

don't cut!!! Beautiful hair. congratulations.

[mariakatija]

I think you should keep growing your hair. The ends don't really seem to be damaged.

[Wildcat Diva]

Your BSL is really close to waist like me. I think if I had had hair like yours I might take off an inch once a year or so. That would let you keep growing if you want. I don't think I would even trim yet; it still looks really good.

[LauraLongLocks]

That is phenomenal growth in only two years! Wow! You have beautiful hair. I wouldn't trim at all, unless you see damage on the ends that we can't see in the pictures. And your English is just fine. Much better than most native-speakers! Certainly better than my Portugese!

[Tini'sNewHair]

WOW, you are such an inspiration to me. I love your pictures, you have amazing beautiful hair and you've had fantastic growth. My hair was just touching my shoulders when i had my first cut a year and about 6 months ago, my hair now is a little bit passed BSL, looking at your pictures, i get hope that my hair can get as close to waist as possible by my 2 year anniversary in May 2014 :) I just cant wait. Thank you for sharing this, means so much!!!! :) Cheers (Oh, and i wouldnt cut it, i would just trim to mantain where you are now like the others have said if you wish to have thicker ends)

[Gingi]

I think it looks beautiful, and I wouldn't cut it :).

[MaryMarx]

Your hair is perfect, I wouldn't change anything about it. :)

[Quahatundightu]

It looks great! Well done :) I don't think you need to cut either. If youwant you could do more regular small trims (microtrims) but I think your hair looks beautiful the way it is.

[minxe]

I think it looks great, but I think you should trim it if you're unhappy with your ends. The tiniest trim can make a world of difference in how your hair looks and feels. :agree:

[Kikina]

Your hair is beautiful the way is is now! Just leave it be or you can trim it a bit after about a year, so that it will still look long.

[hanne jensen]

:agape:Your hair is beautiful! What a wonderful growth! In my honest opinion, all you should trim is 1 centimeter and no more.

[Gaelle27]

Thank you ladies for your nice comments and compliments on my hair
Like a said before, I dont have support on my growing hair journey, and you compliments realy made my day! :o
For long time, people said that I had weak/ugly/thin hair, and I'll never be able to have a nice head of hair like everyone else. that's why I keep it short.
Comming to the long hair community and changing my haircare routine improved my hair condition and suddetly, here I am, whith almost waist length hair :cheese:
So I guess I'm the living proof that sometimes we shouldn't listen to what people say about us... especially when the matter is our hair! And I thank you all, for making this amazing community, a place were all long hair lovers can feel understood and supported :grouphug:

For now I'm going to keep groing, my goal is taillbone, I dont think I could handle it much longer... But I'm going to take it slow, and trim more often to gain thickness.

[arielágua]

Love it!! Personally, I wouldn't cut the ends, I actually like them, but it's up to you, do what makes you happy! :)

Nice to see a fellow from Portugal too here on the forum! ^^

[SleepyTangles]

It looks nice. Not perfect, but nice: the thinning is gradual, and it doesn't look damaged. You can maintain this lenght for a bit, to thicken them back, without any big chop.

[Joyvs]

Gaelle your hair looks great, I think you've had fantastic growth! I think sometimes it's hard to be objective about growth rates when it's your own head of hair. I feel as though other people's growth is always so obvious but much less so when it's your own hair that you're living with day in, day out. Perhaps take some pictures every few months to help on the days where you're feeling a bit dicscouraged because it doesn't 'feel' like it has grown as much as you expect? You'll be suprised with the comparison of growth in the photos. Some micro-trims over the coming months might help with your ends if you feel like they need some thickening. It is a bit tricky to tell from the angle of your photo, but I definitely don't think you've got anything to worry about! Also, your English is great!

[AmyBeth]

Weak? Ugly??? Thin? No! No!!!! And no! I think it's beautiful and don't let anyone make you unhappy about it if you really like it. I think microtrims are a good idea, if you are worried about your ends becoming fairy tale. I have had very layered hair that I have grown out with microtrims (1/4 inch every 3 months). I like a U hem, but I also like fairy tales, so I'm aiming for mix of the two. That way I can trim any damage without losing any significant length. Yours looks like waist to me, or very close and the ends look lovely, like they are just beginning to fairy tale.

[Gaelle27]

Thank you ladies!
It's true, sometimes it's hard to be objective... when it's about myself, I'm a bit harsh...
The ends are not damaged, of course I have some split ends, but I'm working on it (S&D )
Next year I'm going to trim more, to thicken the hemline and see how it goes.
I've verified my length whit a ribbon, and I'm touching waist yay! Westerday I bougth my very first coconut jarm and so far I'm loving it (and my cat is loving it too ^^)


I forgot about one detail... about my groth rate.
I trim my hair myself, and I follow the moon calendar. Maybe that is the secret for my grow rate? I've done it because you can only whin by following the calendar, but it seems to pay off! Thank you moon! :)

[longhairedlady]

Lovely hair and I love the curl!

[thirstylocks]

WOW nice growth. My hair was that short two years ago and now it is only a little past APL.