Stubborn Virgin Hair?

[MissHoney]

Hello all, it's been a while. :o

Has anyone ever had hair that was stubborn to grow past a relatively short/normal length, despite the lack of chemical and heat used on it?

If so, what was your turning point? What was the key to finally retaining length successfully?

I am still growing out my colored hair, but this was a huge problem for me prior to experimenting with color. I am preparing for the next hurdle.

Thanks in advanced :D

[Ingrid]

To me, the key was keeping my hair up as much as possible. I used to wear my hair down all the time and the ends got damaged and weathered without me noticing so I always felt like my hair was not growing.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I second keeping hair up as much as possible. I never thought my hair could grow past BSL. Now I'm in MBL territory, all thanks to updos!

[MungoMania]

My hair seems very stuck at BSL and it bothered me too much to see what I felt was no growth. Eventually, I just stopped focusing on it and got busy with other things in life and the next thing I knew it had grown to waist. I guess my advice would be not to think about it and sometimes putting it up can help you to do this because you're not seeing it all the time.

If you feel really stuck you could try taking Viviscal vitamin supplement which really does make hair grow longer faster.

[MissHoney]

thanks all. I don't wear my hair down at all since it is thin from damage, and I would have to straighten it anyway.

[Marbid]

Protect the hair..... In any way you can.. Includes putting it up in a way that does not cause too much stress on the hair strand. Or too tight to the scalp...

Friction of hair against hair and hair against clothes and every day weathering causes a lot more damage than what we think.. Thats why it is often advised to wear your hair up as often as possible in unstresfull hairstyles. Also change your hairstyle so that you don't stress hair on the same points repeatedly.

Works for most people.. Also helps you forget about your hair if you don't see it as often.. Pay too much attention and you become acutely aware that we cant see hair growth on a day to day basis.

[Panth]

Protective updos are key for me. Before those, I had a false terminal at about TBL for years.

[abauer789]

I would have to say that once the natural hair gets down to around ear length it goes much faster! That distance it takes for it to travel across the top of the head makes it feel like it isn't growing very quickly.

[ARG]

I would say for me the big turning point in my hair care, and what has helped me get out of a seemingly long BSL rut was not putting my hair up in the same place every time. I noticed a line of breakage that also followed the line of my pony tail, so I started oiling a bit higher (I was focusing on just the bottom 2-3' because I was scared). So different protective hairstyles in different areas of my head, deep oiling at least once a month, oiling after every wash and oiling the length. I've noticed my hair is stronger and more resilient after changing just a few things.

[YvetteVarie]

MissHoney I hadn't noticed your hair type before. For me, it was deep conditioning weekly (sometimes twice a week) and incorporating growth aides like the inversion technique or supplements that really got my growth going. Since you are type 3/4 I think intensive deep conditioning might help

[CurlyCap]

1. Prevent breakage -->retain length
2. Pamper the new length -->less likely to break in future

I think you posted in another thread that you're dealing with a lot of heat damage right now?

My guess is that it's not that your hair isn't growing. It's that for every bit it grows, some of the damaged length is crumbling. My hair used to do the same thing when I refused to admit it needed more moisture. It just....stalled.

The best, but probably hardest, thing to do is just cut off all the damage. Then you'll have healthy hair that you just need to baby (which is a LOT more fun).

Other than that, you can just be as gentle as you can to your length, knowing that the ends are just not as healthy. Can you put your hair in 2-strand twists and wash in condition in them for a whlie to minimize handling of your ends? Or wig it and wear your hair under a cap for a while? Bantu knots are another option. Basically, you're looking for any style that will let you condition and care for your new hair with minimal handling of the damaged ends.

Good luck! Feel free to post any questions and ideas along the way! We're happy to help as best we can. :D

[soothsayer]

I second (third, forth, etc) putting it up as much as possible. Once I started growing my hair out the first time, it seemed like it slowed down like crazy when I was trying to get it past my shoulders. I've never dyed my hair, and I only heat style maybe three times a year. I just put it up almost every day for six months, stretched shampoo, and stopped thinking about it until it slowly crept onward.