When the little things matter

[thankyousir74]

Hi everyone,

I started my hair growth journey a while ago and have wavered between really obsessive, to completely not on the hair care train at all. I blame this noncommittal attitude to my college years, haha. Also I was growing out from pixie, so I've been through a bit since.

Anyway, I recently passed BSL and am at a very fairytaled/layered waist while curly and dry (maybe more like "can I call this waist"). And I guess I'm just wondering, is there a length when it seems like every bit of pampering matters? Like say, putting it up everyday feels "critical" to get past a certain goal?

As for my routine, I have been moisturizing a lot more, just found out the wonders of clarifying, and have gotten back into the greatness of S&Ding (my DBF gave me some really nice hair scissors for my birthday, from this guy http://vimeo.com/98953952), and just ordered a silk pillowcase finally (I *know* this far into my hair journey, I was slacking). I sleep in a dutch braid (when I feel responsible), and am struggling growing out bazillions of split ends from some unfortunate dying experiences a few years ago.

So I guess I'm curious if there are any places that are commonly "growth lag" periods among us. I know biologically, length shouldn't influence growth rate, but Idk, I'm all about seeing common threads of thought among longhairs.

Also thanks for the support the whole time along, LHC :)

[Chiaroscuro]

My guess is it depends on the strength of the hair. Over on the ' The Official "I-Love-Wearing-My-Hair-Down" Thread' there are ladies who wear it down all the time with no adverse effects. I just saw on the hair sightings thread two women were seen wearing hip length hair down while at work so presumably it's their daily hairstyle. Most people, however, don't seem to have hair that strong.

You seem to have asked three questions, and I am not sure I understand the difference between the first two. I started taking every precaution possible when I hit mid thigh, and I wish I had started at classic. That answers your "seems like every bit of pampering matters" question. Your next question is, what "feels "critical" to get past a certain goal?" That is a much more difficult question for me to answer because I just followed most of the principles on this site including protecting it most days. By following the principles, I always had successful hair growth except for recently when I have had a lot of breakage between butt and thigh. So now I am adding more protection at night. If that doesn't do it, I'll try a paranda, and if that doesn't work, then I'll have to admit I have reached the final length at which I can maintain my hair in a really nice blunt cut.

As for growth, I was certain terminal length was TBL as I stayed there for a couple years, then suddenly I had a huge growth spurt to classic and beyond.

[Anje]

How much are you wearing your hair up? In my observation, past about BSL is where many people find that they need to contain their hair up most of the time in order to gain quality length.

Honestly, I blame most of this on chairs.

Yes. Chairs.

If you wear it down or ponytailed often, take a few days to notice where the backs of chairs (especially in your classrooms) hit, and whether your hair is caught between the chair and your back. Compare this to where the fairytale ends start.

Beyond that, I actually have found that my hair doesn't need any special care yet, and I'm closing in on classic. (Starting to have to watch out for sitting on it, though. That might count as an adjustment!) Usually it's what you're NOT doing to hair that makes the biggest difference.

[Night_Kitten]

I don't know of any specific length that requires more care than other lengths (as a thumb rule, the longer the hair the more careful treatment and pampering "counts" as the ends are older and more fragile)... I'd say try wearing it up as much as you can / feel comfortable with to prevent the ends from rubbing on clothes or seat backs, especially if there is some old dye damage to your ends...

I think some lengths seem to be "stall-prone" due to damage to the ends (like BSL when the ends start catching between your back and the back of the seat for example), but I think those stalls are caused by loosing length from the ends, not by reduced growth at the roots...

[velorutionista]

Honestly, I blame most of this on chairs.

Yes. Chairs.

Totally this. I was stuck at APL-BSL with straggly ends for aaaaaaages (like, most of 2013) and then this spring, I switched from a "proper" office chair to a yoga ball. And suddenly my hair started growing a LOT faster than it had (rate now is about .75" per month, before I'd been eking out maybe 1/4", with no trims). Now I wear it up most of the time to avoid any similar damage and it's trucking right along.

ETA, I didn't switch to the yoga ball specifically for my hair, it was just a nice side benefit!

[thankyousir74]

Thanks for the feedback.

Chiaroscuro, yeah my ends are pretty fragile, in part due to my curly hair type and also because of the past bleaching spells. I have been having it down a little more recently because I am happy with my length and because I've found a routine that works for me, really, but that being said, I have also been braiding it more, so maybe there is no winning with my hair type.

Anje, I am reluctant to admit that I can be lazy about consistently putting it up "properly". I blame the fact that I don't really have many buns memorized and I have a lot of scrunchies (yeah fabric coated elastics), so I end up doing a sloppy bun... Hmm. Maybe this is the critical step I am missing. Sucks though. I also notice that I tend to play with my hair more if it is down and so any stray split is more likely to aggravate me, especially if it feels rough.

Night-Kitten, Yes, I was hoping to understand what length feel "stall"-prone, good word choice, there, and I just wondered if it is cumulative damage suddenly exacerbated by new length obstacles (the consensus seems to be chairs), or if stalls are more of a personal case by case occurance.

velorutionista, that is a cool bit of insight! If you don't mind my asking, what made you switch to a yoga ball? I met with a library administrator at my old college once and she used one too. I didn' ask her at the time, because I was being fined heavily for something, but that's a different story haha

[thankyousir74]

Also... does anybody have easy access to bsl/waist length specific hair dos? I remember there was either a thread or a sticky? Including ones I can do with a hair stick(s)? I think I should commit to incorporating some styles into my daily rotation

[Anje]

Lazy wrap buns are one of the easiest and they secure extra-well with sticks and forks. I twist mine first for extra security. :) A quick youtube search will give you a few dozen examples of people doing it.

Unfortunately, what you're able to do often has a lot to do with how thick your hair is and how much it tapers, as well as how long it is. I was able to do celtic knot buns at that length, but I'll bet my hair is thinner than yours.

[Santi]

thankyousir74, there's a You Tube channel called The Autumn Elve. It looks like she has BSL hair. I learned how to do the Peacock Twist from her.

[velorutionista]

thankyousir74, I went with a yoga ball because I slouch and slump and sit horribly askew when left to my own devices, none of which is really possible on a yoga ball (well, at least if you intend to remain perched atop it). My low back is much happier now. Plus, instead of fidgeting while on conference calls, I can just bounce up and down, which oddly helps keep me focused!

[lunalocks]

I realized I had to wear it up almost all the time at about hip. I had so much breakage I trimmed off all my growth for an entire year. For the next year I only S and D ed and grew 7 inches!

Some people at this length can wear their hair down all the time and have no problems. I have rather fragile ends (from past mechanical damage) so I am super careful of those ends.

At waist I could do the seashell bun (held with spin pins) and the infinity/figure 8. Also a modified french twist.

[Panth]

How much are you wearing your hair up? In my observation, past about BSL is where many people find that they need to contain their hair up most of the time in order to gain quality length.

Honestly, I blame most of this on chairs.

Yes. Chairs.

This.

Also, collar length (rubbing on collars / in-and-out of collars causes tangles and breakage).
Also, somewhere between TBL and classic - when you start catching it between the curvature of your bottom and the back of the chair / when you start sitting on it.

At all 3 of these places, you often get a massive increase in weathering on the ends which can require a change in haircare, sometimes temporarily (as, e.g. collar-length, because once the hair gets past there, it just stays put on the outside of your collar) and sometimes permanently (e.g. the TBL-classic-ish length).

[serin blackwood]

As part of my hair growth journey, starting at BSL, I got in the habit of pulling my hair to the front when I sit (I usually let it down in the evenings while at home). Now it is second nature - it's like it moves itself! An important skill to learn, IMO (:

[Madora]

Personally, I think the sooner you start caring for your hair properly, the better off the hair will be in the long run..especially if you are aiming for anything past waist.

Good habits mean everything if you want healthy hair. I never would have achieved knee length w/o good hair habits, great hair genes, and wearing my hair up and braided every single day (except when brushing and washing it).

The longer the hair the older and more delicate the ends become so you need to become more proactive and protective of it.

[swearnsue]

I've discovered that my hair needs extra care at 23 inches. I've babied my hair since it was shaved but something about my hair, I'm having trouble getting past 25 inches.

I think Madora is right, it's good to start with good habits early on.

[Imalath]

When I last had waist+ hair I was pretty awful to it out of ignorance; I never did anything at all with it besides wash and brush. I was pretty active then too...it got covered in grime and dust daily. I had a lot of splits and straggly ends from being pinned between my body and a variety of chairs or my way-too-heavy backpack. Anything above that range always looked wonderful.

Now that I am growing it out again I find that my routine is everything. I wash every so many nights, have a specific method for layering my leave in and oils daily, and am very stubborn about not going to bed with wet hair. Like madora, I keep my hair braided or bunned except when washing or brushing. It took me a long time to find and commit to my routine, but the results are worth it. My split ends have disappeared, I am getting good growth and decent length retention. The most exciting benefit of sticking to my routine is that I am finally seeing regrowth after a series of massive sheds over a few years robbed me of almost half of my hair volume.

I am almost at waist now, and I have a few styles I tend to rotate through. LWB and cinnabuns when I'm in a hurry. Rose buns if I have a little more time. If my hair is a little damp or I know I am going to be sweating, double or even very small triple buns keep my scalp drier and let my hair dry faster. I usually don't bother with anything intricate, just something I can do quickly that looks decent works for me.

[thankyousir74]

Hi Everyone, I have been in the process of moving, but I'm happy to get back to this thread. Thanks for the replies and suggestions for hairstyles :)

At this length I can do: LWB, celtic know bun, a weak seashell bun, and a super cute infinity bun that I am wearing right now.

Of course I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for you guys! :flower:

I think that all of you guys are so correct and that I should really commit to just putting my hair up and forget about it. My ends are fragile enough, it shouldve been obvious that scrapin' em against chairs were not helping. That, and that I've been doing the No-Trim 2014 (unofficially, but I have stuck with it). I think I'll trim sometime in spring 2015, though.

As for favorite youtube vids? I recently found isaetno and her hair tutorials are great.

Imalath: I also love rosebuns when I make the time. I was doing them a lot the summer of last year, but then I fell out of habit and have just been doing crap buns.

[thankyousir74]

Now that I am growing it out again I find that my routine is everything. I wash every so many nights, have a specific method for layering my leave in and oils daily, and am very stubborn about not going to bed with wet hair. Like madora, I keep my hair braided or bunned except when washing or brushing. It took me a long time to find and commit to my routine, but the results are worth it. My split ends have disappeared, I am getting good growth and decent length retention. The most exciting benefit of sticking to my routine is that I am finally seeing regrowth after a series of massive sheds over a few years robbed me of almost half of my hair volume.

I hope my split ends do disappear someday...I have just been S&Ding and whenever I braid it, sometimes I find myself looking at the tail of the braid and seeing the white-dot mess and know that I need to be more mechanically careful with these fragile ends (previous dyes).

I've started out with all of the above habits... except I didn't realize that the layering of oil and creams would best be daily and not just on wash days (which I am happy to say I have whittled down to once a week! I never thought it would be possible, but due to monthly clarifying, it's totally my new normal). Noticeably, I am also seeing a lot of regrowth, a large halo of baby hairs, hahaha.


If my hair is a little damp or I know I am going to be sweating, double or even very small triple buns keep my scalp drier and let my hair dry faster.

I should have read this post more thoroughly earlier, what good advice for the gym! Do you hold up the minibuns with elastics?

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

I have waist length hair and for the most part wearing it down doesn't cause damage as long as I'm aware of where it is all the time. For example, I'll pull it all over my shoulder before I sit back, or pay caution that it doesn't get stuck in things. The only issue I have with leaving it down is either when it's very windy or otherwise adverse weather conditions or damage from other people. I've noticed that when most people hug me they rub my back, only that ends up being my hair when it's down *cringe*. It also gets stuck in my partner's beard (it's the spiky type of beard hair lol) and gets squished when we cuddle, so I generally wear it up around him.

[Nightshade]

Totally this. I was stuck at APL-BSL with straggly ends for aaaaaaages (like, most of 2013) and then this spring, I switched from a "proper" office chair to a yoga ball. And suddenly my hair started growing a LOT faster than it had (rate now is about .75" per month, before I'd been eking out maybe 1/4", with no trims). Now I wear it up most of the time to avoid any similar damage and it's trucking right along.

ETA, I didn't switch to the yoga ball specifically for my hair, it was just a nice side benefit!

Way off topic, I have a yoga ball chair at work too and adore it :) Nothing to snag hair on is just a side benefit!

[Chromis]

I think along with the physical things like chairs, some lengths seem like they lag simply because the distances get longer between them. From tailbone to classic felt like ages, but classic to knee? Fooooorrrrrevvvverrr!

BSL to waistis a bit vague, so BSL to tailbone also is another long stretch.