depressed about my hair

[cdonald2]

I am feeling pretty down about my hair. I feel like its been the same length forever.

Compare this photo to my sig...

THis was this last MAY... MAY!!!
it should be so much longer :( granted i had to cut off damage but i figured id be further along by now :/ i mean, all the damage is gone, but i miss my long hair so much and im so beyond frustrated. :( Im not sure what im asking here.... Maybe some uplifting yet realistic advice? ugh. i want it at least halfway to apl by maybe april... is this possible?

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t1/375103_406274409479449_715182274_n.jpg

[ErinLeigh]

Collarbone by April is doable if that is accurate current length. Then it's less than a year to APL easily.
Enjoy the ride. You have beautiful healthy hair right now to enjoy. It will get there. It's not growing slow. You just made a wise choice to start with the best hair you could. By this time next year you will be glad you did.

Just hang in there and don't obsess about length. Relax and enjoy the beautiful shine.

[hairpleasegrow]

Don't worry your hair will grow. A watched pot never boils !!

[cdonald2]

Its actually a little shorter now. Especially the front. heres from the side
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/v/t34/1960257_544446168995605_1280927124_n.jpg?oh=2c8d32 31c9ef810bcf1500dbf8b54bea&oe=5305FF9C&__gda__=1392910483_d9b11178b84c11ccfe90a1c4260d2b1 5

[MinderMutsig]

You said you had to cut off damage, how much did you cut and who decided it needed to be done?

Because honestly it looks like you went from a bob to a mullety shaggy grown out pixie. Your hair is shorter now then it was when you started. Your hair is not going to get long if you keep cutting the same amount or more than you can grow during that time. Just step away from the scissors and watch the magic happen.

[Lyv]

Having shorter damage free hair is better than long damaged hair! Try not to check for growth too often or it'll just drive you crazy I think you could maybe get to CBL depending on how much your hair grows a month. Maybe instead of just looking for body markers you can try doing different hair "projects" like oiling, figuring out your growth rate or different styles so the length won't be your main focus. Hair seems to grow so slowly when you're watching.

[spidermom]

Stay away from the scissors as much as you can.

[blue_eyes]

I am feeling pretty down about my hair. I feel like its been the same length forever.

I understand this feeling all too well, and it is really discouraging :( I grew out a layered bob and while the longest part of my hair did reach waist, the shorest layers were all hovering around APL. Then last year I had a lot of breakage, and had to cut all my length to APL, while the broken areas were even shorter. It's been like 6 or 7 years since I began growing out that bob and my hair is still hovering around APL thanks to all the crap I've done to it. It infuriates me!

I gave up dye and joined a no trim challenge for this year :P I think the best way to see some serious growth is to keep away from scissors and chemicals. I tell myself that if I don't cut it at all this year I should be BSL by Christmas and that makes me extremely happy! Just think that without trims you should have a good 6 more inches by the end of the year :) And now that your hair is damage free, it will be totally healthy as it grows out!

[Sterlyn]

I don't have any great words of encouragement, only a lot of empathy for where your at. I was in that grow out phase a year ago, I was growing out a pixie that I hated and was in that shaggy, unkempt phase, that wasn't quite short anymore but wasn't very long either. I really missed my hair and was really tired of not being able to put it up easily. I also had done a lot of trimming so the grow out would look more like a style as it grew, which didn't really help. I posted 2 pics of one year of growth to help you see where your hair could be in 1 year. I can be a compulsive self trimmer, but I did fairly well last year, only lost about an inch in July. For myself it helps to see how long someone else has attained in a specific amount of time, my growth is average I think. Your hair is longer now than mine was in Feb, so you could be even longer. I hope this helps encourage you just a little. Hang in there for a year, with no trims and you will be amazed how much your hair will grow. Your hair has beautiful texture, color and shine and a year of growth will only enhance it. Also I would try and take the focus off your hair, find something else you enjoy and try and forget about your hair for a while.

FEBRUARY 2013
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9285&d=1392823552


FEBRUARY 2014
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9209&d=1392323380

[Agnes Hannah]

Hi I am depressed about mine too at the minute, it hasn't grown at all this month! I have been massaging it upside down and all sorts, but it hasn't budged! It will start again soon I am sure when the spring comes and the days get warmer. Keep smiling and enjoy!

[ErinLeigh]

I don't have any great words of encouragement, only a lot of empathy for where your at. I was in that grow out phase a year ago, I was growing out a pixie that I hated and was in that shaggy, unkempt phase, that wasn't quite short anymore but wasn't very long either. I really missed my hair and was really tired of not being able to put it up easily. I also had done a lot of trimming so the grow out would look more like a style as it grew, which didn't really help. I posted 2 pics of one year of growth to help you see where your hair could be in 1 year. I can be a compulsive self trimmer, but I did fairly well last year, only lost about an inch in July. For myself it helps to see how long someone else has attained in a specific amount of time, my growth is average I think. Your hair is longer now than mine was in Feb, so you could be even longer. I hope this helps encourage you just a little. Hang in there for a year, with no trims and you will be amazed how much your hair will grow. Your hair has beautiful texture, color and shine and a year of growth will only enhance it. Also I would try and take the focus off your hair, find something else you enjoy and try and forget about your hair for a while.

FEBRUARY 2013
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9285&d=1392823552


FEBRUARY 2014
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=9209&d=1392323380

Oh those are nice pics and very encouraging for us folks frustrated with growing.
Thanks for posting those

[stachelbeere]

chin to shoulder is very very very veeeeery frustrating to grow out because you hardly see any difference, at least this is what I was experiencing at that stage.
it took me two years to get to shoulder from chin when I was micro trimming as well. Now that I don't trim at all it seems to grow the 1/2 inch per month. you'll get to shoulder and collarbone length eventually.

[RapunzelKat]

Hang in there, you're just in an awkward growth phase and it will pass :)
In the long run, you've done yourself a big favor by cutting out the damage - now you just have to be patient and let grow (easier said than done, I know!).

When mine was in that stage, I wore it in a half up and just ignored it for a good while. I'd recommend learning a couple of styles you like, then putting it up and forgetting about it.

[cdonald2]

This really helped me alot everyone :) i totally hope i am where you are in a year.

[cdonald2]

You said you had to cut off damage, how much did you cut and who decided it needed to be done?

Because honestly it looks like you went from a bob to a mullety shaggy grown out pixie. Your hair is shorter now then it was when you started. Your hair is not going to get long if you keep cutting the same amount or more than you can grow during that time. Just step away from the scissors and watch the magic happen.
I had a perm go horribly wrong and had to get most of it cut off. I didnt want it as short as a pixie so ive had to gradually trim all the extra texture off for about a years time to get to natural, as decided by my hairdresser. Since then i cut off maybe an inch off the bottom to get it mostly to one length. And i know :( i feel like my hair looks hideous like this. But the sides seem to grow faster than the back. Im hoping i wont look like Joe dirt much longer :(

[ladylowtide]

I applaud your bravery in being able to cut off all your damage. When I first started growing out from shoulder, I was too attached to every damaged inch of my hair to even cut it. Now 3 years later I am at hip and I pretty much have to half my growth by trimming. Your hair is going to look beautiful every step of the way.

[AmyBeth]

My hair grew from APL to hip in two years, what seemed to me really fast growth. Then at hip length it just stopped. I was at 34 inches in August and I'm at 34 inches now in mid February. I'm delighted to see how every one is growing. But it does get discouraging when I see some who started with hair shorter than mine a few months ago, now reaching BCL and tailbone and beyond. I am accepting my hair for what it is, whatever limitations in the length I am able to achieve, I take loving care of it. It may not get very long, but it is very shiny, very silky and undamaged. It's thicker than it used to be. I like the nice red/brown color I get with hendigo. I have a nice little collection of toys to put it up with and forget about how long it is not. Give it a few years to recover from any damage and see what happens. You can cut it any time you want. But growing takes a lot of patience!:blossom:

[MinderMutsig]

I had a perm go horribly wrong and had to get most of it cut off. I didnt want it as short as a pixie so ive had to gradually trim all the extra texture off for about a years time to get to natural, as decided by my hairdresser. Since then i cut off maybe an inch off the bottom to get it mostly to one length. And i know :( i feel like my hair looks hideous like this. But the sides seem to grow faster than the back. Im hoping i wont look like Joe dirt much longer :(
It's not hideous at all. Your hair is very shiny and has a nice color and it looks healthy. It's just at an awkward length and it generally sucks during that stage. I would find some hairstyles that you like, rotate them and otherwise forget about it. It will get longer, it always does! You could try half ups, pinning up the sides with those side combs, lacebraiding the front, there's still tons of things you could do with it now.

[Sillage]

Stay the course! When I grew out my hair from a short bob I kept getting it cut so it looked nice while it grew out. A longer method than just letting grow but because of my vanity (and job) I couldn't deal with awkward phases. Quality over quantity I say :)

[cdonald2]

Hang in there, you're just in an awkward growth phase and it will pass :)
In the long run, you've done yourself a big favor by cutting out the damage - now you just have to be patient and let grow (easier said than done, I know!).

When mine was in that stage, I wore it in a half up and just ignored it for a good while. I'd recommend learning a couple of styles you like, then putting it up and forgetting about it.

About how long did it take you to get to about mid back/waist from this length? your hair looks very fine and shiny like mine.

[RapunzelKat]

About how long did it take you to get to about mid back/waist from this length? your hair looks very fine and shiny like mine.

Hmm... I'm not 100% sure, as I wasn't paying a lot of attention to my growth rate at that time, but I believe it was probably in the neighborhood of two years to get to the mid back/waist region. However, unlike you I didn't start by cutting out my damaged hair, so this included a couple of LARGE trims to get rid of bleach damage. You won't have to do that :) (This is how I know you've done yourself a big favor by cutting it out at the start! :D)

However, that reeeeally awkward stage only lasted about six months for me, and you've already got part of that behind you. Once you get past that awkward stage the sailing gets much smoother! :flower:

ETA: I grew out a shag (short bob with heavy layering), so I probably started out just a little shorter than where you are now.

[MinderMutsig]

It also depends on how tall you are. I have an average growth rate. Considering how far apart my body markers are it took me almost a year between each milestone. Chin to waist was a little over 4 years.

[MeganE]

I remember being above shoulder, and despairing that it would ever get longer. It helped to kind of realize that even in a few years, it wouldn't be where I wanted it. I had to accept that it was not something that was going to change in a day or a week. I honestly did what I could to put my attention elsewhere, at least until it got long enough to notice it again. Obviously it's harder than that makes it sound, but you have to at least try. It's been years, and now the next milestones kind of roll in and I kind of sit back and go that's nice.... it's long enough to make me happy now. You'll get there, but it will be long enough that if you focus on it every minute, you'll go mad. It will take years. So go knit or read or something. :)

[kdaniels8811]

I took me 3 1/2 years to go from completely bald (chemo) to the length you see in my avatar. Yes, my ends are damaged from the chemo but I have not cut at all, that is why it has grown. Maybe I will cut the damage off eventually but for now, no. I just keep slathering the last 6 inches with coconut oil, it works miracles. Step away from the scissors if you want it to grow... My longest lengths are a half inch from waist, yay!

[Wildcat Diva]

It will have taken me two and a half years to get from collarbone to waist, and that's with a one inch trim only. Hope that helps. It's been totally worth it. I know I'll want it longer, but it will be really nice at waist to feel like I have finally arrived somewhere good! As I progress, each milestone will probably take me a year (or a bit more, if I decide to move towards classic from tailbone), and if I trim, say an inch here and there (which I likely will) then that will be three months delay each time.

[cdonald2]

Wow, all of you ladies are awesome :) i feel much better about things. I am going to nix cutting it until september. my friend is having a medieval wedding and id like long hair with fairytaleish ends for it, i dont expect to get past apl length by then, but we shall see :) is it bad that im using a good friends wedding as motivation to not cut my hair? lol