how long can your hair grow?

[creme]

I heard that each person can only grow their hair until a certain length.

Is this true? I feel it may be true since a few of my friends have been trying to grow their hair for a few years and can only manage just getting it past their shoulders.

some of my other friends have their hair past their lower backs and it hasn't grown any longer since 2 years ago.
Before my hair was cut and dyed with henna (MASSIVE MISTAKE :'c)
It was almost touching my bum - but now back at my shoulders :'c

(I had to cut it because it was all dead at the ends)

[Wosie]

First and foremostly, how do your friends take care of their hair? Do they colour it and flat iron it a lot? This may cause continuous breakage and might create a false belief of having terminal length.

[Rosa Harris]

each hair strand grows on average for 3 to 7 years depending on the persons genetics. Strands grow about 1 cm a month with some variation. That is 36 cm to 84 cm or 14 inches to 33 inches or a max of 2 and 3/4 feet. After it reaches the genetically determined length, it falls out and a new strand starts to grow. So it may well be that some of your friends have reached their terminal lengths.

Obviously there are people way outside the averages! There is a woman on youtube with hair past her feet and people here with hair past the knees.

Some things hold people way back.

Processing damage, over-groomig damage and over-trimming.

If hair only grows about 5 inches a year it only take a couple trims to set you back where you started or - if the hairdresser is cut happy land you shorter than where you were before the previous trim. That is why some folks here swear off trimming and selectively nip individual split hairs.

[Marika]

I think most of the people can grow their hair pretty long (maybe around classic or so, at least a couple of hairs :p). I've never met anyone who would've had reached their terminal length. Some people say so but still they are doing their roots every 4-6 weeks :roll: I know there are a few members on this forum who have reached their term but their hair is loong! :inlove:

[Rosa Harris]

My son's terminal was at mid thigh actually but it looked tailbone because of his mad curlies. He had it mid thigh with no treatments or trims and wash 1 x month, finger comb only, condition weekly for about 7 years.

[ErinLeigh]

someone had posted this link last night that I found interesting
http://www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com/the-hair-growth-cycle.php

[MadeiraD]

I wasn't at term at almost knee (my ends looked bad but I always wore it down and it caught on things)

[memeow]

Marika, I think even if you were at terminal you'd still have to touch up dye, because not all the hairs on your head are at terminal length. A lot of them would still be growing. Even if you cut your hair, some of your hairs won't be growing because they've maxed out on length, but you'll still see roots growing in because a lot of your hair is in a growth phase.

This is so confusing....

[chen bao jun]

I think the short answer is that most people can grow a lot longer than they think and definitely way longer than is currently stylish in most societies. but this is the case only if you never abuse your hair with dye, chemicals for perms and relaxers and mechanical damage--which can even come with just combing for some people. Or simply with wearing it down.

My 'guess' (this is not a scientific guess but one made from looking at old photos and portraits and reading novels written in old times) is that the average black or mixed raced woman with a more African hairtype can get her hair to at least waist or even tailbone (with extreme protection)--but it will look shorter depending on the degree of the curl. A truly hypercurly can easily be waist length and look as if her hair is shoulder length (the hair will tend to look thicker and thicker rather than any longer). the average white woman should be able to to get hair to classic or mid thigh, withe the exception of the very fine haired 'scandinavian' type 'blonde' (i put those two words in quotes because not all people with this hair type are scandinavian and they are not all blonde in the sense that our society has come to take it, they may have light brown very fine hair). they can get probably to midback, UNLESS they take extreme care and always, always wear it up and protected, in which case they should also be able to get to classic at least. South Asians, East Asians and Native Americans have strong coarse hair and all things being equal will grow longer hair than anyone else. it is not unusual for them to be able to grow hair to ankles or longer. There are lots of documented cases of East Asian women particularly with hair way longer than their bodies, such as the current world record holder for long hair, Xie Jin Ping, who has 18 foot longer hair. It starts to taper at maybe 12 feet, but still...
however, you will only see people reach these extreme lengths in societies which value really long hair. Because it takes years and being really finicky and no one is going to admire you for it, in our society at least but keep nagging you as to why you don't a) donate to cancer patients or b) wear your hair out so that you look 'pretty' and 'enjoy it', according to the received cultural norms. So people have little incentive. while the industries that profit from hair (product manufacturers, hair salons, weave and wig sellers) have a vested interested in you NOT taking optimum care and in you thinking that you need them.