Hair just wont grow :( 6 month update pics

[Sinthia]

I am losing hope that I can have hair longer than BSL! You can look at this post that I made 6 months ago with some pics, and below I posted a shot from yesterday. The side by side photo, the one on the left was recent, and the one on the right is from 6 months ago.
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=115245
I rarely dye my hair anymore, when I do it is just the roots with a demi permanent non ammonia dye. I never use heat on it. I do wear it down almost all of the time, but could that really cause it to never grow? I use a mason pearson brush a few times a week.

In this photo I think my hair looks a bit more full because I am pregnant, and it was not shampooed and brushed back with my BBB.

What do you think? Is there any hope for hair longer than bsl? I am so sad lol. ID give anything for long thick hair! Has this happened to anyone else, where it seems they were at bsl or shorter for years?



http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t514/HypnoticHaylee/31314.jpg (http://s1063.photobucket.com/user/HypnoticHaylee/media/31314.jpg.html)
ps it looks better in this pic because it was oiled a bit. In person it is very thin at the ends, and broken hairs all over.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

You say that you pretty much always wear your hair down. So your ends are probably wearing off/breaking against chairs etc. If you wear your hair up every day (with hair forks or hair sticks, NOT elastics) you will likely see good growth - make sure you eat healthily, drink water, and gentle exercise.

Congrats on your baby! :)

[Sinthia]

Thanks! First time mom, so pretty darn excited!

I really hate wearing my hair up, it feels so uncomfortable lol, but maybe I should really give it a go!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

You do say you would give anything for long thick hair! You will see, there are such fun ways to put your hair up safely so that your ends are protected from being damaged - protected means growing longer! It is fun learning new updos! And part of the fun is knowing your hair is protected and growing longer. Try it and you'll see.

[Sinthia]

Thanks for taking the time to reply! I will try it! Its just my hair is so thin that putting it up looks so silly lol, but I will give it a go!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Another thought - you will need to know some updos for when baby arrives - they love to grab and get tangled up in loose hair.

ETA there is a fine/thin hair thread here you could have a look through and get some ideas. Though you do say in your profile your hair is medium thickness... anyway we are here to help :)

[restless]

Just a thought: are you careful with your loose hair in the every day life? Ive heard of members here who thought the hair wouldnt grow further than BSL-ish but it turned out they were constantly rubbing their loose hair against the back of the office chair, the sofa etc. What about bag straps? I wear my hair down too on a daily basis when Im out of the house but it has never been a problem growing longer for that reason and your stats say youre M whereas Im F...

[tigerlily.]

I had a similar problem to you, my whole life I could never grow APL. It's been a year since I started wearing my hair up most days, and I have noticed the growth! I really disliked wearing my hair up at first, I felt a bit naked without it around my face, but I got used to it quickly and I actually like it up now. (I find hair sticks much more comfortable than pony tail elastics, they don't pull on my hair as tightly but it's still held securely.) Try it up for a while and see how you go!

The lazy wrap bun is the first bun I could do at around BSL, and your hair is similar to mine in thickness and texture. Have a look for a LWB tutorial on youtube. If your hair is long enough, it's easy peasy when you get the hang of it! You could use a paintbrush or a pencil in place of a hair stick. Also congratulations momma!

[Aderyn]

If you have broken hairs everywhere, wearing your hair down regularly is only going to amplify the damage. Not everyone need to wear their up to grow past BSL, but if you're trying to grow out hair that is damaged, it might be in your best interests to at least give wearing your hair up for a few months a try to see if it does make a difference with maintaining your length. You might want to consider to do an S&D session or trim to help deal with broken hairs.

For the record, I do see some growth from the before and after picture, considering the average length grown over that time would be 3 inches. If you could compare pictures from a back-view, it would be a bit more clear, perhaps, but even now you can draw a line at your chin then a line at the bottom of your hair and compare the lengths and you'll see there is growth. One of your pictures has your shoulders at a slightly higher position (the left) than the right, and also the right looks like it might be closer to the camera, which can also contribute to the illusion that you aren't growing so much hair.

[Sinthia]

Thanks everyone! Maybe I have my profile Stats wrong I will look into it! Will try out more up do.. Just lazy lol I love washing and that's it Lmao. I do work from home and am in an office chair a lot.

[Long_hair_bear]

I wear mine in a braid or up. For elastics, only use soft ribbon elastics. Wearing your hair down all the time damages it. Also, what kind of brush do you use? Are you familiar with coconut oil? How often do you wash your hair?

[HoneyDayTripper]

Could your lack of growth be hormonal? I know many people whose hair changed while pregnant-- curly to straight, wavey to curly, hair loss, hair growth, etc.

I agree, wear it up or in a simple braid and see if that helps. Maybe also talk to your doctor?

[Tangle or Curl?]

Have a look at your ends and see if there is breakage before you chalk it up to one thing. I have waist length hair and gain an inch a month with it mostly worn down. It just depends on how fresh and tidy your ends are and if you cause them undue wear like people have said.

I'd be more inclined to check my diet though. I find it has the biggest affect on how much growth people get. I have a friend with hair like yours. She started multi vitamines and iron supplements and got a ton of growth, was super happy, then stopped taking the supplements and now can't figure out why her terminal length is so short again. Go figure. lol.

[Tangle or Curl?]

Double post :S

[Lyv]

I would try wearing it up more often and maybe cut out the BBB, I think it can sometimes do more harm than good on fine hair. Making sure you're eating a healthy diet and getting exercise may help and possibly changing up your hair routine depending on what it's like right now.

[furnival]

This happened to me too. I was convinced there was something terribly wrong with me that meant my hair would never grow any longer than yours is, but it turned out that wearing it down was causing enough damage to negate any growth I was getting. Three years of updos later and I'm at hip, with healthier hair than I could ever have imagined. There are so many different ways to put your hair up- spend some time learning a few simple ones to start with, and check in a few months to see if you've gained any length. Good luck! :)

[terpentyna]

Could your lack of growth be hormonal? -snip-

This! My hair did all sorts of crazy things growth wise during pregnancy and post partum. I'd say you definitely have a chance.

[GoddesJourney]

My hair is much coarser than yours and I still find that wearing it down past BSL is very damaging and makes it seem like it won't grow fast. Wearing it up more or even just throwing a braid over my shoulder got me past waist by keeping out from between me and my chair, not wrapped in my seat belt, etc. Don't give up. You did get some growth so it's obviously trying. :)

[two_wheels]

It actually looks longer to me, if you line up your shoulders in both photos; also the right photo looks more zoomed in. You'd only expect 3 inches in 6 months, right?

[Toffeemonster]

Just to confirm what others have said.

I just posted last week complaining that my hair doesn't grow past my waste(it was tail bone length when I was younger and has never had a major cut) I've never dyed my hair or done any heat treatments etc so that wasn't to blame. I mostly wore my hair in pony tails with hair ties or down, I knew it got alot of damage, catching in things or being pulled by my kids, and the hair ties ripped it every day.

Anyway I switched to putting my hair in buns with chopsticks during the day, and leaving it down at night. The difference is unbelievable, I've literally only lost several hairs in the few days, even when I washed it, normally I'd have a big knot of loose hair hanging from my hair down to the drain which I'd have to rip loose, but there was just a couple of strands loose in the drain. Just looking at all the hair I've saved in the last few days, that would normally have been ripped(causing split ends which spread up) or torn out and generally weakened/damaged, I can see exactly why my hair has been in such a bad state. I always thought wearing your hair up caused it strain, but that clearly is not the case! If you have alot of hair fall you can try this for only a few days and see the difference for yourself, it is soooo worth it! Hair ties are terrible though, you need to try sticks/forks and other hair friendly accessories. I used ordinary wooden chopsticks. Best of luck!

[Toffeemonster]

Oh just to add, part of this working is that my hair is not knotting, so I don't have to give it a full brushing every day, and when I do brush, it is far less damaging as there are less tangles. So unless you have to, avoid brushing it too much. I also use a tangle teezer or boar bristle brush as they're easier on the hair than a regular brush. And when I trimmed my hair last week(it needed it badly) I applied alot of coconut oil to the ends and reapplied a small amount throughout the hair every couple of days. I may also switch to washing without shampoo after reading a thread about the routines of people with very few split ends, most didn't use shampoo. I always feel I need it, but I'll give it a couple of weeks and see if my hair adjusts.

[lapushka]

I do seem to see a little growth, or am I just not seeing right? Hmmm...

[embee]

I thought (for many years) that BSL was my terminal length and was sad. Then I got a job and needed to wear my hair up so it would look neat and not be a problem. I was way to busy to fuss with my hair and way too poor to afford trims and fancy products. Lo and behold, my hair grew to waist. More protection, fewer tangles, not so much breakage. Wearing my hair up meant I didn't need to wash it every single day too. :) I got used to my appearance with my hair up, and now I prefer it. This approach is called Benign Neglect. You might look for threads on this.

[Sinthia]

Thanks SO much for all of the posts! Looks like wearing it up will hopefully be the answer for me. ( I have it up right now lol) Are big claw clips safe, or will that damage my hair
?

Also, I eat pretty healthy, with moderate exercise, and take prenatals. ( to answer some of the questions above)

I am also going to trim the ends a bit. Hopefully in 6 more months I can post a better update! Thanks!

[Agnes Hannah]

Thanks SO much for all of the posts! Looks like wearing it up will hopefully be the answer for me. ( I have it up right now lol) Are big claw clips safe, or will that damage my hair
?

Also, I eat pretty healthy, with moderate exercise, and take prenatals. ( to answer some of the questions above)

I am also going to trim the ends a bit. Hopefully in 6 more months I can post a better update! Thanks!

Definite growth on your pictures! My hair is uber fine, 2" circumference. I wear it up in a claw with no problems, but make sure there are no rough edges or any metal springs that can catch onto your hair. I also use hairforks to hold cinnamon buns and LWB's. Another idea is to french braid it, then you could tuck the end upinside the braid. I love doing this. Folded braids too are good, I do this when I have a driving lesson. Something I am going to try is the faux Bob too. Good luck

[ichosethis]

I was stuck at APL for a long time, last summer I changed my wash routine from daily to every other day and weened myself down from there to twice a week. I also went from wearing my hair in a ponytail almost every day to wearing it in a bun or braid daily and I've grown to waist length since last summer.

[duchess67]

I too see growth after comparing both the pics.




I do seem to see a little growth, or am I just not seeing right? Hmmm...

[excentricat]

It looks like you have grown a bit. Average growth would be 3 inches in 6 months. Plus, you are at the length where it starts getting trapped between your back and chair, and that can cause a lot of damage and breakage for some people. The good news is that with thinner hair, you should be able to do a lot of updos that the thick-haired people are still dreaming of at that length.

[Macaroni]

Your hair is definitely longer to me. Look how low your shoulders are in the old pic compared to the new.

[Sinthia]

Thanks everyone! Is it alright to sleep with my hair down, if using a silk pillow case?

[Firefox7275]

Dye damaged hair is more vulnerable and does need more babying than virgin hair. Demis are weaker/ gentler than permanents, but ammonia free makes no difference, the alternative alkaline agents are stil harsh.

Are you using hydrolysed protein for strength and body/ volume?

[BlazingHeart]

It sounds like your switch to demipermanent dyes is a recent thing, in which case only your new growth at your scalp will have relatively little dye damage. If your hair is normal to fragile, I'd expect to have trouble with thin ends and breakage until you no longer have the old dye damage. Some people choose a length and maintain there by trimming until their hair; others just let their hair keep growing and live with the damaged ends.

Also, as others have said, I think you have more growth than you realize. In the first picture, your chin is tilted up, which would make your hair appear longer.

[nakima]

I just recently( abt a month) started wearing my hair up while at home and down when I'm out and I can already tell a difference. Are you sleeping on a silk or satin pillow case? that seemed to help a lot as well. Your in the right place these people here on lhc know how to grow hair. I guess we're all just a bunch of hair farmers lol! good luck!

[Sinthia]

Yes silk/satin :) lovely! I'd say it's been about a year since I've been using demi.

There is protein in my conditioner that I use a once a week. If I use it more often my hair gets weird. I also have a spray in protein treatment I use maybe once a month.

[BlazingHeart]

Assuming you have average growth (which seems about right to me from your pics), that means that the 6 inches of hair closest to your scalp have only been treated with the demi, while the rest has been hit with the permanent dye, some of it multiple times. The hair that has had the permanent dye will probably need a bit of babying until you trim it off or it falls off as all hairs eventually do.

[Ambystoma]

You've got lots of great advice here already to try - I'm glad you're wearing it up more now, that will definitely help but also take heart, I had a pregnancy stall through most of my second trimester even though I was taking prenatals, eating healthy, gaining weight etc and then in the third trimester it started growing fast again so you never know once all those crazy hormones are in the mix! (Also, congratulations! :flower:)

[catamonica]

I had just past mid back hair since high school. My hair wouldn't grow longer either. In 2009 at age 53, I tried Original Mane & Tail Horse shampoo. From wall Mart. I added two capfuls of olive oil. It might have helped growth. In 2010 it grew 14 inches to waist. I wear it up 4 1/2 days a week. It's now at hip. You can order it online if you can't find it at the store. It doesn't work for everybody. But it's worth a try. If it work's post & tell me online.

[ladylowtide]

It looks longer to me. I will add that at the length your at is one of the most difficult to put hair up/ keep hair out of the way. I think that is why it is so hard to get longer at that stage. I know it took me ages to get from SL to BSL but after I could make one hairstick bun it was smooth sailing.