How can I increase my terminal length?

[grinlord]

Hi everyone. It's about time I started participating here, as I love long hair! Looks like I've found the perfect place. So where better to ask the question that bothers me most: How can I increase my terminal length?

I decided to start growing my hair about 10 years ago from a boring, too thick, generic young male with short hair "style". Over this time I've learnt how to reduce damage:

use soft hair bands
I never use a hair dryer. I tend to wash my hair in the evening and sleep on it. Is this damaging it? Otherwise if I air dry it during the day, it gets even more frizzy!
I may use hair straighteners for special events, only a few times a year
Found out what my hair's natural wash cycle is: 4-5 days
Use Redken shampoo / conditioner as it's detergent free
I mainly wash the roots, and mainly condition the ends, combing it through with a big wide plastic comb
I never brush it wet
I never rub it with a towel


For at least the last 4 years, my hair has been between 20 - 24 inches long, and clearly isn't getting any longer! The ends seem to go naturally blonde, but also split and dry out.

My main confession is not getting a trim very often. I tend to wait until I think it has grown and the split ends are annoying me (3-6 months), then get it trimmed. All the hairdressers say 4-6 weeks, but I'm convinced it will keep getting shorter if I go that often!

Hope you can help! Looking forward to talking about hair!

[spidermom]

Pay attention to how much your hair grows between trims and make sure your hairdresser trims only half of that at the most. Also wear protective styles. A braid is more protective than a ponytail and a bun is more protective than a braid. Best of both worlds - a braided bun. Being a guy, I don't know what protective style would be most comfortable for you, but protect your ends as much as you can.

Happy growing!

[grinlord]

Thanks for the tips. I can wear a bun around most of my friends and family without being interrogated for my odd choice of hairstyle. I do also wear a bun inside a beanie hat when I'm repairing cars at the weekends. However I generally like to wear it down socially, or just wear a headband to keep it out of my face. What's the point in having long hair if I can't enjoy having it long?

Can anyone increase their terminal length, or is genetically fixed?

[martyna_22]

By eating healthy, and by exercising, taking vitamins, and generally leading a healthy lifestyle, you can make your anagen (active hair growth phase) longer, and maybe by massaging scalp and doing all of the above you could slightly speed up growth, both combined (longer anagen phase + faster growth) would increase your terminal length indeed. But remember, most of it is in the genes anyway, and while healthy lifestyle helps a lot, it won't change anything dramatically.

[meteor]

For at least the last 4 years, my hair has been between 20 - 24 inches long, and clearly isn't getting any longer! The ends seem to go naturally blonde, but also split and dry out.
Well, that sounds more like breakage (dry, splitting ends) than reaching terminal. Terminal is more likely to feature fairy tale ends rather than splits. And 26'' seems way too short to be terminal for most people.
If you want to grow longer, try babying your ends with oils, keeping hair up as much as possible, using silk satin pillowcases/sleep-caps, not overwashing hair, conditioning more, detangling extremely carefully, wearing a hat/scarf in the sun, etc. Hair is like fine silk - once it's damaged, you can only patch-repair temporarily, but the damage is still there.
I would hypothesize that it is impossible to change genetically fixed terminal length... even though there is certain genetic "plasticity", so to a degree your lifestyle might be a factor.
It's a lot easier to work on length retention than try to change terminal, which I'm not sure is even possible.

[StellaKatherine]

It would seem that men have mostly shorter terminal lenght than women ? Not sure if I am right.. My husband hasn't cut his hair for years. His hair has clear fairytail end, no splits even though he refuses to use even conditioner and his combing makes me want to scream . I often just take the comb from him and comb his hair myself :) Anyway his hais is about 26 inches I would guess ( never measured ) and it has been this way for couple of years.

I would say try to moisture your hair more. If your hair become less dry it might be that you will gain more lenght. Have you tried WCC ( wash and then conditioner twice ) - I do that, and my dry ends feel much softer. Coconut oil is amazing as well, but other oils as well. Try and see what happends.

[lapushka]

I'd be careful at what the hairdresser cuts off. Try going a year of no-trimming. There's a very encouraging thread about this on this site, so why not join. You really don't need frequent trimming, only when there is damage (split ends, white dots). Needing trims regularly is a myth.

[gthlvrmx]

Do you S&D? Maybe you can consider doing that as well. It can help get rid of those blonde ends and split ends. :)

[grinlord]

Ooo lots of advice, thanks all. Perhaps I do wash it the wrong way around. I have always used shampoo twice and condition once. I will switch that around tonight and report back!

So I can S&D myself? Does that mean I won't even need a hairdresser?

I think my hair does get extremely dry very easily, and I massage in a generous handful of conditioner!

This is my hair brush at the moment. You're all going to tell me I'm doing it all wrong! I brush very carefully and slowly, ends first:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hairbrush-Charles-Worthington-Conditioning-Brush/dp/B0091TUOLG

[meteor]

So I can S&D myself? Does that mean I won't even need a hairdresser?
Yes, lots of people on the LHC trim their own hair successfully. :)


I think my hair does get extremely dry very easily, and I massage in a generous handful of conditioner!
Yes, many long hairs have a high conditioner-to-shampoo usage ratio. Also, diluting shampoo with water (in a separate bottle - just enough for one wash) is pretty effective. I use about 10 times as much conditioner as shampoo on my TBL, iii hair, but that might be a bit extreme.
Check out pre-poo oilings: http://science-yhairblog.blogspot.ca/2014/03/oil-pre-shampoo-or-pre-wash.html They are really helpful! And leave-in oils are great for giving ends some elasticity and protection.


This is my hair brush at the moment. You're all going to tell me I'm doing it all wrong! I brush very carefully and slowly, ends first:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hairbrush-Charles-Worthington-Conditioning-Brush/dp/B0091TUOLG
I don't see any issues with your brush, but I hope that's not what you use to detangle hair. Detangling should be done with fingers and/or seamless wide-tooth combs only. After proper detangling, you can use a brush for smoothing hair or for giving your scalp a light massage. But a brush like that has too many bristles for a safe detangling. Don't underestimate mechanical damage. When I replaced my brushes with a wide-tooth comb, I stopped getting split ends and breakage - I think it's directly connected.

[lapushka]

I don't see any issues with your brush, but I hope that's not what you use to detangle hair. Detangling should be done with fingers and/or seamless wide-tooth combs only. After proper detangling, you can use a brush for smoothing hair or for giving your scalp a light massage. But a brush like that has too many bristles for a safe detangling. Don't underestimate mechanical damage. When I replaced my brushes with a wide-tooth comb, I stopped getting split ends and breakage - I think it's directly connected.

Exactly. If you haven't already done so, invest in a seamless wide-tooth comb. Hairsense (online shop) has bone ones that are pretty awesome.

[grinlord]

Exactly. If you haven't already done so, invest in a seamless wide-tooth comb. Hairsense (online shop) has bone ones that are pretty awesome.

I have this that I use for combing in the conditioner and leave-in serum:
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Essentials-Wide-Tooth-Comb-B9_1018634/

[alishaxmarie]

Lots of links to get you started on taking even better care of your hair. I feel that washing less often and switching out the brush is the beginning of many a long hair journey. Then one slowly begins to become obsessed with their hair! ;) I hope some of these help you out though!

Feye's Self-trim Method (http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com/) (to take control of your trims and keep the splits at bay)
Bargello's Vitamin Regimen (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=83&p=829&viewfull=1#post829) (healthy body = healthy hair)
SMT thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=128) (a super moisturizing treatment, I do maybe 1x a month, NOT during winter!)
Catnip Rinse thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=476) (to prevent split ends and help with moisture)
LOC method for styling (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=118167) (to moisturize/retain moisture after washes)
Hair Growth Rate Experiments thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=119947) (different methods to increase growth rate)
Caffeine Rinse thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=121903) (to increase growth rate and possibly anagen phase of follicles)
Microtrimming & Maintaining thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=75468) (general trim advice, helps to thicken ends)

[captaincrunch]

Taking into account that you don't want to bun all the time I would do the following

-braid at night
-switch to a tangle teezer brush ($10 online) there are some with handles and some without
-anytime you can, oil the length of your hair (avoid near roots). Oil makes hair look greasy if it's not in a bun, braids, concealed under your hat, etc. However, it keeps hair from getting brittle and breaking.

Men with long hair rock! Post progress pics!

[cathair]

I have this that I use for combing in the conditioner and leave-in serum:
http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Essentials-Wide-Tooth-Comb-B9_1018634/

I don't think that Boots comb is seamless. If it is, I must get one because it is a bargain! :) It probably has a line down the centre of it where the two halves of the mold come together to make the comb. That can score you hair like scissors on curling ribbon and damage the cuticle. I think some people file the line in the plastic off, but I don't trust my skills to do that, so I just finger comb.

[meteor]

If you are still looking for a seamless detangling comb, you can check this one out at your local Body Shop: http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/bath-body-care/haircare/detangling-comb.aspx - and it costs only 4 pounds in the UK!

Wooden combs shouldn't be used in the shower on wet hair though, because wood can warp and break. I've used the Body Shop comb for a couple of years now, and I really like it! :)

[Sparklylady82]

I agree with all of the advice above! You mentioned sleeping with wet hair, I would stop that if you can and see if it helps. Wet hair is delicate and if you rub it on your pillow it at cause damage. You mentioned that you have frizz when left to air dry. Why don't you try the curly girl method<<<-- not just for women! Ha! Google it. Try conditioner washing instead of shampoo! I highly recommend oiling your hair with a penetrating oil,like coconut, overnight before using shampoo. Wear your hair up, especially your delicate ends tucked into a bun. Invest in a satin pillow case for sleep! Measure your hair from the hairline down the back of your head to the ends of your hair. Then microtrim the tiniest bit. Have fun growing and I can't wait to see your progress!

[Silverbrumby]

1. Satin pillow slip

2. Seamless comb

3. Wash cond cond. I do a protein cond then a moisture one after it.

4. I think you might be a waves/curl person. Wash your hair, finger comb and scrunch and take a photo for us of it drying.

5. Good leave cond. with oil. I like 3 drops of baby oil.

6. Bunning when you can.

7. Self trim

Questions:

1. Do you have long genes in your family?

2. do you have fairy tail ends?

3. Does your hair taper a lot

btw, I have a very short terminal for a girl. It is bsl and a few that go longer.

[Madora]

If you want to grow to great lengths, then you're going to need to be proactive when it comes to hair care. That means:

No bleach/no teasing/backcombing/no straightening
S and D at least once a week
Minute trims every 4 or 5 months
Wearing your hair up..via braiding or buns...including at night

Airdrying your hair

Brushing your hair is an excellent way to keep it healthy and shiny and soft. It's all in the type of brush you have (I assume that's a pure boar bristle brush) and HOW you use the brush

Shampooing your hair only when it needs it!

Detangling your hair with a COMB, NEVER a brush!

Try finger detangling before you actually start with the comb.

Detangling proper is best done in small increments...start with a thin strip of hair and begin to comb out gently at the ends. Then work your way up the strands until you reach the scalp. Take up another thin strip and repeat, until you have detangled all your hair. The more careful you are detangling, the more your hair will benefit.

Be sure you are eating proper and getting enough water. Protect your hair from the sun by wearing a white scarf or white straw hat when outdoors.

Less is more works for hair care too! Your hair doesn't need a ton of stuff to look good! Be selective!

If you don't know many styles, check out Torrin Paige's channel on You Tube for inspiration.

Stay away from ponytails! They should only be used once in a while. Frequent ponytail useage can lead to either traction alopecia (from pulling back the front hair too tightly) or outright baldness at the place where the ponytail once hung).

Above all, be patient! Terminal length can be a matter of many, many years!! Depending on your genes, of course!

[Phexlyn]

grinlord, you've already got a ton of advice here, so I'll only add one last thing:
Don't try too many things at once. Try one thing at a time and see if it works. Your hair and scalp need time to adjust to different washing methods, so it doesn't make sense to try a different method every wash :)

That said, I think you're at a fake terminal length going by your initial description. With better hair care, you'll probably get longer hair soon!

[hanne jensen]

grinlord, do you have an SO or friend that supports your hair growth journey? If you do, try microtrimming to get rid of your damage slowly. Don't go to the salon. Invest the salon money in good hair scissors and use those scissors only for hair. Get someone you trust to snip .25-.50 centimeter every 2 months or so.

Another thing that has literally saved my hair is split repair serums. My favorite at the moment is Fructis Band Aid. Available in supermarkets at a reasonable price. It has cones, but they don't weigh down my hair which is very fine. It will glue the splits together, thus preventing them from travelling further up the hair shaft. But, they've still got to go.

I just bought a detangling comb at the Body Shop and promptly returned it. Under the label the comb was full of splinters. It was so bad that if I had used it I would have splinters in my scalp. A good horn comb is very gentle on the hair. Beauty supply shops carry seamless combs, but you'll pay for them.

Good luck and please share your progress with us.

[sapphire-o]

You got plenty of good tips already. I just want to say you're lucky since your hair is thick. People with thick hair usually have longer terminal length, usually tailbone or longer. So it's very likely yours will grow longer with good care. :) DH's hair is fine, thin and breaks easily. He managed to grow it to 31" or so by putting it up a lot, braid for bedtime and using a satin pillowcase.

[AmyBeth]

I grew my hair with no trimming for 20+ years, and the longest, straggliest ends just got to waist length. With lots of dry split ends, just as you describe in your hair. After 3 years of taking really good care of it, I've gained 8 inches of additional length, and it's still growing. So I think you absolutely can extend what you have thought was your terminal length. I understand how you feel about wearing your hair up kind of defeating the purpose of having long hair, but if you really want your hair to get longer, you really need to consider wearing it up most, if not all, of the time! That's probably the single most effective way to protect the growth that you gain. If it breaks off at the bottom, you never realize any length gain. Man buns are gaining ground in terms of societal acceptance, and you can use nifty hair sticks or spin pins which are not going to look at all "girly". If you really can't wear it up during waking hours, at least protect it as well as you can when you sleep. That would be a lot of hours of cumulative damage you can avoid. I really think you can get more length. I've never seen anyone with finer, more fragile, "wimpy" hair than mine, and if I can do it, I believe you can, too.

[grinlord]

Wow. I go to sleep for a few hours, and wake up to a flurry of advice and helpful people!

I'll try to combine everyone's answers, but as suggested, not do everything at once:

I did wash my hair last night with the WCC routine. It feels softer this already. I used my fingers and the comb this morning. I will see how many days I can cope with that before it starts to get messy. My Redken curvaceous shampoo and conditioner is already sulphate-free! I might be brave enough to skip the shampoo entirely at some point!

I'm going to look into oils and S&D. My hairdresser is actually my neighbour, so I trust her enough to help if needed. She actually asked a while back if I'd ever been asked to be a hair model! :blushing:

I'm not sure I can cope with wearing it up most of the time though. It is very heavy and uncomfortable. For work it is normally in a low ponytail, with a soft plain scrunchie. It is not tight at all, but I can't wait to take it down!

Fortunately I have a family with full healthy hair. None of the men seem to get MPB which is a relief! My Mum has told me that her hair when she was young would not grow past a certain length similar to mine now. It does taper at the ends with the last 3-4 inches thinner than the rest.

[diddiedaisy]

Great advice from everyone. I just wanted to add that msm is supposed to increase your natural growth phase. I take it myself as it helps with my shedding and keeps it to a minimal level. It doesn't make it grow faster though.

[Siowiel]

I'm going to look into oils and S&D. My hairdresser is actually my neighbour, so I trust her enough to help if needed. She actually asked a while back if I'd ever been asked to be a hair model! :blushing:

I'm not sure I can cope with wearing it up most of the time though. It is very heavy and uncomfortable. For work it is normally in a low ponytail, with a soft plain scrunchie. It is not tight at all, but I can't wait to take it down!



S&D is actually very easy and is something different than just cutting a small amount off (that would be "dusting). S&D is looking at your hair and only cutting individual strands that are actually split. So this is something a hairdresser usually wouldn't do, because it requires quite some patience and time. I always S&D when I'm at my laptop, in front of pages with a light background just like LHC.

"Wearing it up" is so established we'll probably do never away with that term, but more accurate would be "wear hair in a protective hairstyle", this can be a braid, too. If you wear your hair in a ponytail regularly, a simple braid might actually be more comfortable for you because it takes the scrunchy away from your neck, which might possibly reduce the strain on your scalp (I assume you feel some straining there because you said it was uncomfortable for you). You can also braid a piece of string into the last inches of your ponytail and tie your braid with it, avoiding scrunchies completely.

Happy growing!

[Theobroma]

Wow. I go to sleep for a few hours, and wake up to a flurry of advice and helpful people!

I'll try to combine everyone's answers, but as suggested, not do everything at once:

I did wash my hair last night with the WCC routine. It feels softer this already. I used my fingers and the comb this morning. I will see how many days I can cope with that before it starts to get messy. My Redken curvaceous shampoo and conditioner is already sulphate-free! I might be brave enough to skip the shampoo entirely at some point!

I'm going to look into oils and S&D. My hairdresser is actually my neighbour, so I trust her enough to help if needed. She actually asked a while back if I'd ever been asked to be a hair model! :blushing:

I'm not sure I can cope with wearing it up most of the time though. It is very heavy and uncomfortable. For work it is normally in a low ponytail, with a soft plain scrunchie. It is not tight at all, but I can't wait to take it down!

Fortunately I have a family with full healthy hair. None of the men seem to get MPB which is a relief! My Mum has told me that her hair when she was young would not grow past a certain length similar to mine now. It does taper at the ends with the last 3-4 inches thinner than the rest.

Only just saw this thread...

From what you said in your original post, I think you should get quite a lot of mileage simply out of combating the dryness. My hair used to look like what you describe -- "blonde" at the ends and with splits. In reality it wasn't going blonde, it was a dried-out and, yes, splitting mess from too much shampoo and too little nourishment. I bet you'll find that shampooing only once and putting some oil on the ends will help the splits quite a lot. (Coconut oil is great. But if you have some olive oil in the kitchen you can use that for starters. My hair loves the stuff and perhaps yours will too!)

[spidermom]

I want to reinforce DON'T TRY TOO MANY THINGS AT ONCE.
Try one change at a time and give it at least 2 weeks to see if it helps, unless you get an immediate bad reaction.

I keep it simple, and my hair grew to my thighs. I had it cut back to waist/layered and am growing again. Basically, I dilute my shampoo in warm water and wash my scalp area only, then let the suds run through the length during the rinse. I use a small amount of conditioner and take some time to massage and comb it through my length, then rinse. After wrapping my hair in a flannel pillowcase long enough to absorb the drips, I apply a small amount of silicone-serum like CHI Silk Infusion. Oh, and I do a pre-wash coconut oiling to the bottom half of my length the night before I plan to wash my hair when I remember - maybe once a week.

[grinlord]

I want to reinforce DON'T TRY TOO MANY THINGS AT ONCE.
Try one change at a time and give it at least 2 weeks to see if it helps, unless you get an immediate bad reaction.

I keep it simple, and my hair grew to my thighs. I had it cut back to waist/layered and am growing again. Basically, I dilute my shampoo in warm water and wash my scalp area only, then let the suds run through the length during the rinse. I use a small amount of conditioner and take some time to massage and comb it through my length, then rinse. After wrapping my hair in a flannel pillowcase long enough to absorb the drips, I apply a small amount of silicone-serum like CHI Silk Infusion. Oh, and I do a pre-wash coconut oiling to the bottom half of my length the night before I plan to wash my hair when I remember - maybe once a week.

Wonderful. I'm nearly doing the right things already.

It's funny how people who don't have long hair think that it's high maintenance when the reality for most of us is to only wash once / twice a week!