Hair growing fast but not getting any longer?

[pyroliske]

A year ago my hair was BSL, but I'd been ill for some time and my hair looked and felt awful, so my mum cut a bit off the ends for me. Then in February I went to the hairdressers to have a trim and tidy. She only took off the ends.

Since then I've been henna-ing my hair and I've noticed it grows really quick as my roots (which are grey O_o) come through really quick I'm looking at about 2cm growth per month.

But for some reason I'm noticing that my hair hasn't gained any length. It's only at APL which is about where it was at the beginning of the year and I've had no cuts since February.

Am I going mad? How can it be growing at the top but not getting further down my back?

[skeletonous]

The only thing I can think of is that it's harder to see hair growth when your hair is longer and it's harder to have a reference point :confused: have you noticed more shedding? I'm not sure if that would keep hair the same length or not, I'm hoping others could help out more :p

[Nesoi]

The reality is that if your hair is growing at the top, then it IS getting longer. But as Skeletonous said, it's much harder to perceive at the bottom of your length than at the top with a clear colour demarcation line.

You could also check your ends for any damage or breakage!

[Hopeful65]

What I would try doing is measure the length from your hairline to your ends, and mark it right on your tape measure, or whatever you choose to measure with. Then measure again each month.
Root growth is obvious and noticeable, but an extra 2 cm on the ends of your hair can be unnoticeable. You may want to have someone help you measure so it's as accurate as possible.

[Vea]

I agree with Nesoi. Is your hair healthy? If it's damaged, that might be the reason you're not getting length. It could be breaking at the ends, at least that's what happened to my hair, especially the bangs. If your hair was cut straight across and now it looks uneven, it's probably breakage.

[meteor]

If you are seeing fast growing roots and hair isn't getting longer when measured properly, then it's breakage.
Lots of people notice that hair is getting longer faster when they stop damaging practices - it's all about length retention.

[Johannah]

I agree with meteor and Nesoi.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I agree that it could be breakage. I had the same problem when I didn't have such hair friendly practices. I didn't cut my hair for two whole years and never got past BSL! It was because my ends were breaking off.

[lilin]

A year ago my hair was BSL, but I'd been ill for some time and my hair looked and felt awful, so my mum cut a bit off the ends for me. Then in February I went to the hairdressers to have a trim and tidy. She only took off the ends.

Since then I've been henna-ing my hair and I've noticed it grows really quick as my roots (which are grey O_o) come through really quick I'm looking at about 2cm growth per month.

But for some reason I'm noticing that my hair hasn't gained any length. It's only at APL which is about where it was at the beginning of the year and I've had no cuts since February.

Am I going mad? How can it be growing at the top but not getting further down my back?

Well, you mention you weren't feeling well. Did your health start improving a few months ago? Are you noticing more shedding than usual?

Bodily stress can shut down your hair growth cycle. Your hair and nails are the last places that your body sends nutrients, and when your body is being stingy, hair follicles that would ordinarily be in the growth phase will move into the inactive phase instead, and then start falling out 2 to 4 months later.

If it were related to body stress, depending on how severe the hair shock was, you could notice anything from just more shedding and a lack of growth (your oldest, longest hairs would be falling out, so while your shorter, younger ones continue to grow, your hair seems to be at a stand-still) all the way to actual hair thinning.

The other possibility, of course, is that your ends are damaged, and are breaking off at a fast enough rate to cancel out whatever growth is happening. Check your ends for splits, kinks, and white dots, which indicate they are damaged. If you see a LOT of that stuff, time for a trim, and to reconsider whatever your hair products are -- are they too drying, too harsh? Or what you do with your hair on a daily basis -- are you using hair binders with metal bits on them, are you pulling your hair a lot, are you being overly-aggressive with your brush?

I have a very similar hair type to you, and at least for me, all of that stuff makes a big difference. My hair dries out quite easily. I've found oiling the ends to be more and more important the longer it gets, otherwise they start to feel like straw. Very gentle cleansers are also important for me -- regular shampoos are much too stripping for my hair.

[Agnes Hannah]

Hi pyroliske, what do you do with your hair during the day and night, do you wear it up daily to minimise damage to the ends? What do you do at night, do you bun. braid it or put it in a silk sleep cap? Since joining LHC I put mine up daily, use a sleep cap after braiding it loosely, with no tie, and a silk pillow case for extra protection. I also use oils and serums at night to protect the ends. My hair is baby fine at 1F,i circumference, and have managed to grow it 5" in nine months. Good luck

[RapunzelKat]

I would definitely look into possible sources of breakage (rubbing on chairs, for example). Fine hair is pretty delicate and can easily be broken off at the ends even from normal everyday wear and tear. Have you noticed any small broken pieces of hair coming out when you brush/comb?

It is also possible that your hair is a little weaker due to your having been ill, so it may require some extra babying. :) If you don't already do so, I'd try some protective updos to see if you can retain all the nice new growth you're getting :D

[patienceneeded]

I don't measure, it's too easy to mess up. Take a pic every month, around the same date (I take pics on the first of the month). It helps if you wear a shirt with stripes that are evenly spaced, and in a color that contrasts with your hair.

Especially at the longer lengths (which feel like they take FOREVER) it's really hard to "see" growth in a mirror. The picutres don't lie.

I use my digital camera with the timer setting.

[pyroliske]

I used to shed a tonne of hair every day, for as long as I can remember I've always shed like a cat in summer :D - no one gets away from being near me without taking a load of my hair too :)

My hair wasn't too bad last year it just kept getting knotty on the ends and a bit dry so I got it cut. Since the beginning of the year I've been taking vitamins to help with my illness and of course using henna, and now I don't notice any shedding. The ends are fine, no knotting, no obvious split ends or damage. Mostly I wear my hair in a loose pony-bun type thing, no metal goes near my hair.

I wash my hair 2-3 times a week with Alberto Balsam which cleans my hair leaving no residue so now I'm not greasy again within 24 hours and having to wash daily as I used to years ago then I condition it. I let my hair drip dry for a bit, then oil it, then comb through with a shower comb that has super wide teeth. If it's a week night I'll blow dry it using my fingers and finish off with a wide toothed ceramic paddle brush. Then I put a bit more oil on the ends and flyaway bits. I don't use product and rarely use straighteners. On a weekend I'll usually let it dry naturally. My hair is lovely and soft and shiny and the best condition it's ever been.

I don't measure it I just saw a picture of me taken in January and one taken a couple of weeks ago and my hair just looked the same length, which was disappointing :(