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View Full Version : Hair has been the same length for years, help?



Indierokker12
September 6th, 2015, 11:46 AM
Hello all :)
So I am becoming increasingly frustrated with my hair growth situation. It seems like it's been at the same length since my junior year of high school (to my boobs) and I am now almost 22. I've been wanting longer hair for YEARS, and I've made it a point in the past year or two to really get serious about helping the process along. I drink MORE than half my body weight in water daily, I use only natural shampoos/conditioners and only wash my hair once every 3 days, I take a multivitamin, I use a castor oil/almond oil treatment on my scalp/hair twice weekly (which, by the way, has made my eyelashes grow at an alarming rate), I eat a pretty healthy diet and I very rarely use heat on my hair. I also do scalp massages every time I do the oil treatment or wash my hair. Yet I have seen virtually no growth. What could I be missing or doing wrong? Maybe I need to work out more?
I'm at the point where I feel like giving up, but I would love to hear your suggestions.

Hairkay
September 6th, 2015, 11:51 AM
Hello and Welcome Indierokker12,

It sounds like you've got a good regimen started. Have you looked into protective styling and low manipulation styling?

My hair had been stuck around BSL forever. I just started to put it up this year and now there's been a change.

Indierokker12
September 6th, 2015, 11:56 AM
Hello and Welcome Indierokker12,

It sounds like you've got a good regimen started. Have you looked into protective styling and low manipulation styling?

My hair had been stuck around BSL forever. I just started to put it up this year and now there's been a change.

Well, I basically got to the point where I stopped styling it all together. All I do is brush it.

Could the protective styling/low manipulation just be a simple side-braid? Or to be effective does it need to be one of the super intricate looking styles I'm looking at right now?
And how long should you keep your hair like this?

Johannah
September 6th, 2015, 11:58 AM
You say you don't use heat a lot, but did you dye or bleach it? Also, what do you mean with 'very rarely'? Sometimes very rarely is too much for some people.

Indierokker12
September 6th, 2015, 12:00 PM
You say you don't use heat a lot, but did you dye or bleach it? Also, what do you mean with 'very rarely'? Sometimes very rarely is too much for some people.

I straighten my hair with a protecting spray MAYBE once every 3 months. I used to dye it every 4 months or so a couple of years ago but I haven't for a very long time (at least a year I'd say).

Hairkay
September 6th, 2015, 12:02 PM
Do you know your hair type?

Protective styling is keeping the ends tucked away for a significant time. A side braid would be low manipulation styling if left for several days. If you find a way to tuck in that side braid or bun it then it turns into protective styling.

Laur
September 6th, 2015, 12:05 PM
BSL length hair is pretty easily damaged just by wearing it down - friction on your clothes, on your pillow case, against chairs/sofas/car seats, etc. You might find that wearing your hair in a protective up-do (doesn't have to be fancy at all) will help keep the ends from getting damaged and breaking off. Look at the Lazy Wrap Bun, the Nautilus, a Cinnamon Bun, etc. Depending on how thick your hair is, you may need to play around with styles to find something that works.

At BSL, my medium thickness hair (3'' ponytail circumference) will do a cinnamon bun, a lazy wrap bun, and a figure 8 bun. (Now, at hip length, I can't really do a figure 8 anymore. Bummer.)

Indierokker12
September 6th, 2015, 12:09 PM
BSL length hair is pretty easily damaged just by wearing it down - friction on your clothes, on your pillow case, against chairs/sofas/car seats, etc. You might find that wearing your hair in a protective up-do (doesn't have to be fancy at all) will help keep the ends from getting damaged and breaking off. Look at the Lazy Wrap Bun, the Nautilus, a Cinnamon Bun, etc. Depending on how thick your hair is, you may need to play around with styles to find something that works.

At BSL, my medium thickness hair (3'' ponytail circumference) will do a cinnamon bun, a lazy wrap bun, and a figure 8 bun. (Now, at hip length, I can't really do a figure 8 anymore. Bummer.)

WOW, I never even considered that. I wear my hair down EVERY DAY, including when I sleep. That right there may just be my biggest problem. THANK YOU!

Laur
September 6th, 2015, 12:09 PM
Also, depending on how long you were dyeing your hair, you may have damage from that to grow out - the ends of your hair don't "heal", they're dead. So even if you used to dye or bleach your hair a year ago, you can still have residual damage from those processes that will have to grow out.

Johannah
September 6th, 2015, 12:11 PM
I straighten my hair with a protecting spray MAYBE once every 3 months. I used to dye it every 4 months or so a couple of years ago but I haven't for a very long time (at least a year I'd say).

So your ends are still dyed, or completely natural? If your ends are still dyed and is damaged, it could be breaking off very easily. Just like Laur said, some easy things like chairs and pillows make it even worse.

Nique1202
September 6th, 2015, 12:39 PM
Hello all :)
So I am becoming increasingly frustrated with my hair growth situation. It seems like it's been at the same length since my junior year of high school (to my boobs) and I am now almost 22. I've been wanting longer hair for YEARS, and I've made it a point in the past year or two to really get serious about helping the process along. I drink MORE than half my body weight in water daily, I use only natural shampoos/conditioners and only wash my hair once every 3 days, I take a multivitamin, I use a castor oil/almond oil treatment on my scalp/hair twice weekly (which, by the way, has made my eyelashes grow at an alarming rate), I eat a pretty healthy diet and I very rarely use heat on my hair. I also do scalp massages every time I do the oil treatment or wash my hair. Yet I have seen virtually no growth. What could I be missing or doing wrong? Maybe I need to work out more?
I'm at the point where I feel like giving up, but I would love to hear your suggestions.

In addition to wearing it in more protective styles and keeping an eye out for your hair getting caught on or rubbing on anything (clothes, purse straps, seatbelts, chair backs, etc.) I've bolded a couple of things in your post that raise red flags for me in general. Drinking more water will not increase hair growth, and that adage of "drink as many ounces of water as your weight in pounds" can actually lead to kidney damage over time (http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=378f85de-27de-4046-815e-293b772666e5). Most of our food (except for really dry stuff like bread and crackers) has a lot of water in it, and coffee and regular soda won't dehydrate you either (though stay away from energy drinks). If you have a sip of a drink when you're thirsty, you will almost definitely not be dehydrated enough to slow down body processes like hair growth. Also, if you're eating a balanced diet with lots of different foods (veggies, grains, and meats) then you probably don't need the multivitamin, it's most likely just a waste of money and time. If you think you might have a deficiency it's best to talk to a doctor and get a blood test to be sure.

Another suggestion I'd make would be to stop brushing and start using a wide-toothed seamless comb to detangle slowly, first the bottom few inches, then move up a bit, and so on. It takes longer, but it will cause a lot less damage to your hair over time. Some people also find that a Tangle Teezer causes less damage to their hair but detangles from the top nicely, though some people find it causes more damage than a brush so Your Mileage May Vary.

Old damage and breakage is probably what's been holding you back. Previous use of dye and heat and rough handling need to grow out before you see much improvement and you need to find the bad habits that are causing so much breakage at the length it's at now and fix them. Then, given a little more trimming to get the worst of the remaining damage out, you should start to see improvements.

yogagirl
September 6th, 2015, 12:44 PM
You mentioned you don't straight iron your hair anymore. How about blow drying? Depending on the heat setting and technique it can also be very damaging. Hope you get some results soon :flower: You've definitely come to the right place to figure this out :)

Bonny
September 6th, 2015, 12:50 PM
I straighten my hair with a protecting spray MAYBE once every 3 months. I used to dye it every 4 months or so a couple of years ago but I haven't for a very long time (at least a year I'd say).

The average growth rate for hair is 1/2 inch per month. So if you haven't dyed your hair for a year, that's 6 inches of dye-free hair starting at the roots. Any hair below that will have some dye damage and may be more fragile and break off more easily.

DollyDagger
September 6th, 2015, 12:53 PM
Most of our food (except for really dry stuff like bread and crackers) has a lot of water in it, and coffee and regular soda won't dehydrate you either (though stay away from energy drinks). If you have a sip of a drink when you're thirsty, you will almost definitely not be dehydrated enough to slow down body processes like hair growth

Totally agree with this ..this whole at least 8 cups a day thing is exagerated. More often then not our natural thirst will adequately dictate how much water we need rather than forcing down litres and litres.

DollyDagger
September 6th, 2015, 12:54 PM
The average growth rate for hair is 1/2 inch per month. So if you haven't dyed your hair for a year, that's 6 inches of dye-free hair starting at the roots. Any hair below that will have some dye damage and may be more fragile and break off more easily.
Gorgeous hair Bonny! :)

Bonny
September 6th, 2015, 01:00 PM
Thanks, DollyDagger! :flower:

DollyDagger
September 6th, 2015, 01:24 PM
Thanks, DollyDagger! :flower:
Youre quite welcome :)

lapushka
September 6th, 2015, 02:26 PM
Do you by any chance have it trimmed at the salon regularly?

ChloeDharma
September 6th, 2015, 04:12 PM
I would join in the suggestion to wear your hair up in protective styles, every day if you can and that includes sitting around at home, maybe invest in a satin sleep cap too. The stuff you do sounds great and I assume the "half my bodyweight in water" thing was just an exaggeration.
I also agree that your length will be more prone to breakage as it will have chemical damage left from the colouring. Also you could try a little shea butter on the ends to protect them or something similar.

gthlvrmx
September 6th, 2015, 06:28 PM
Heat styling your hair will cause damage, no matter how much heat protectant you use. And once hair is damaged, the only way to get rid of the damaged hair is to cut off the damage. Damaged hair is damaged hair so if you want to grow it out, I would stay away from heat styling. That's probably one of the things that is making it seem like your hair isn't growing. It's probably breaking off at the same rate that it's growing.
The dyeing also probably did damage. Take note of that.
What type of brush are you using? Are you using it to detangle your hair? Are you detangling your hair before brushing and starting from the ends and then go upwards? There are ways to brush your hair so that it helps you out, Madora on here had some nice instructions on how to brush your hair.
It's best to use a 100% Pure Boar Bristle Brush if you are brushing regularly.

If I were you, I would get rid of the damage or microtrim to maintain length and get rid of damage little by little if you don't want to go for a big chop.

Sallyanna
September 6th, 2015, 07:13 PM
Wow. Was just lurking in here because of the same problem. Had no idea that the way you style or brush your hair would cause damage. I suspect in my case frequent straightening and blowdrying is the issue.
Ps: what is BSL?

gthlvrmx
September 6th, 2015, 07:21 PM
Wow. Was just lurking in here because of the same problem. Had no idea that the way you style or brush your hair would cause damage. I suspect in my case frequent straightening and blowdrying is the issue.
Ps: what is BSL?

It's the heat that causes the damage. So curling irons and flat irons can cause damage because of how hot they get.
You could ask get problems with those brushes with the ball tip thing on them, I think. At least that's what I read on here.
You can blowdry on the cool setting to avoid getting damage. I think I read that if the air doesn't burn your wrist or hand, then it's safe to blowdry your hair. Something like that. Maybe someone else will chime in with tips on that and more information on the brushes. Sometimes those BBB brushes actually are made of plastic and not real boar bristles, or it's mixed. If you are raking your brush through tangles, you can get damage, especially if you rip your tangles apart with your brush.

BSL is 'Bra-Strap Length', or in my case, I also use 'Bottom of Shoulder-blades Length'...so it's still BSL.

Sallyanna
September 6th, 2015, 08:20 PM
Thank you so much for replying <3
I tried blow drying on the cool setting once...it took forever. I'm trying to be better about letting my hair dry naturally. I can see my lack of patience is what is really damaging my hair :(
I'm also guilty of ripping my tangles apart with my brush. My poor hair. I don't even use the boar bristle brush, just a plastic wide tooth thing.

BSL is my hair length, thank you for answering that one.

yahirwaO.o
September 6th, 2015, 08:55 PM
Well it varies from person to person. My cousin straightens and curls almost her hip lenght daily, wears it down all the time, gets highlights twice a year and of course theres some damage (but not really noticiable) still her hair grows like weed and still thick as heck as always.

Some people like the majority of us can not get away with such good luck. I wear it down 80% down and use rarely my flat iron and my hair still grows fast like always in a nice condition. Some people have terminal lenght at short lenghts no matter how they pet their hair because its in our genes.

Wearing hair up, detangling in a gentle way, moderate or non heat styling, not messing with harsh chemical and having a healthy diet are ideal ways to grow long or at less have extremely and enhance healthy hair.


If this not a terminal lenght matter, then you can baby treat it more, but from what I've read, your hair was suppose to grow some inches because you are a fairly gentle in these years.
Its a frustrating thing, but If you keep an eye, read here other people's experience and get to know about your own hair acts, things must work better.

yogagirl
September 6th, 2015, 08:57 PM
Not every hair type can handle a BBB. It can be damaging as well. If in doubt, try to make due with a wide tooth comb made from horn or wood, make sure it's smooth and be very gentle while you're detangling. Not ripping through knots, ever.

Mammasaurusrex
September 6th, 2015, 10:00 PM
OP, I don't have any advice for you as I still have relatively short hair at shoulder length. However, I had the same issues as you a year and a half ago. My hair was the length yours is now and it simply wouldn't grow any longer. I had chemical dye and heat damage. I ate healthy and drank water and took vitamins to no avail. I eventually ended up shaving my head and starting over. It was perfect for me to get all that damage off. If you haven't had any serious chemical or heat damage in a year, perhaps you could get a pixie cut? That way you would have nothing but your untreated/new hair on your head to work with. It sounds like the issue you are having is that your hair although it is growing from your scalp, is breaking off at the bottom which is why you're seeing no actual length gain.

pailin
September 7th, 2015, 12:08 AM
Just in case, because I'm not sure it's been mentioned, is your hair staying the same length with no trims, or are you getting it trimmed every few months like people usually recommend? I've always found it frustratingly slow to grow my hair out, because I'd get it trimmed when I started seeing splits. I lost most of my new growth to trimming. My hair doesn't grow fast to begin with, and even without using heat it splits easily. Lately, I've been just not cutting (and I think I finally have the right routine to stop most of the split ends).

syndel
September 7th, 2015, 12:34 AM
Just more of a general chime in here; but I certainly remember back when I first started caring about my hair and seriously wanted to grow it out, even though I started doing all the right things it actually took me years to start seeing any real length changes. My hair thickened a lot before it started getting longer.

The issue is that damage doesn't go away, so anything bad you did to your hair in the past is still there, even if you're looking after it perfectly now. And if you're anything like I was you will have to go through a long period of your ends still breaking off and effectively canceling out any growth you've had. It's heartbreaking, because when you want long hair you really focus on it and get frustrated when you see no difference.

My advice is to have patience; keep learning, keep improving your hair care methods, but most importantly give it time. And by time I do mean years, months minimum. Hair growing is an extremely gradual process in the best of conditions, and growing out damage takes even longer. You can make it feel like it's going faster by wearing your hair up all the time for a few months :). This will stop you from checking your length too frequently so you don't get disheartened, and also protect your ends. So when you finally let it down you'll get a nice surprise because you can really see how much it can grow.

bte
September 7th, 2015, 03:10 AM
I stalled for 17 years - and then gained just over two inches, so still not all tat much. It's possible that you have reached your terminal length or that you need something different in your life. I don't think the massive amounts of water will help; being dehydrated isn't good, but beyond getting enough not to feel thirsty isn't necessary. Stress, anxiety and lack of sleep will hinder hair growth, too. Babying your hair, especially at night, is good. A (not too tight) braid is always protective, and you've had some good suggestions from others. Good luck, and enjoy your hair, even if it stays at its current length!

Silverbrumby
September 7th, 2015, 11:30 PM
I have a short terminal but it's obvious. No matter how many times i cut back to a thicker hemline at BSL it fairytales. I have now a 3.1 ponytail but by the last two inches its 1/2 a pencil thick. Huge drop off in thickness after APL.

How is your taper?

butter52
September 8th, 2015, 04:31 AM
You drink more than half your body weight every day???? I hope it was an extreme exageration.
1. That is NOT healthy, electrolite drop can lead to death. Around 2 litres per day is healthy, more than 20 litres Im amazed you havent ended up in the hospital.
2. Are you thirsty all the time to do that? You might need to go to the doctor, extreme thirst is a syntom of several metabolism disorders.

Nique1202
September 8th, 2015, 05:53 AM
You drink more than half your body weight every day???? I hope it was an extreme exageration.
1. That is NOT healthy, electrolite drop can lead to death. Around 2 litres per day is healthy, more than 20 litres Im amazed you havent ended up in the hospital.
2. Are you thirsty all the time to do that? You might need to go to the doctor, extreme thirst is a syntom of several metabolism disorders.

Even 2 liters a day may be too much, or at least more than enough. Everything you drink except alcohol and extremely high-caffeine energy drinks is hydrating, and any fruit or vegetables or meat will have at least 70% water content too, even cooked pasta because it absorbs water to soften. If you're eating a balanced diet and not too much salt you may not need to drink anything at all to stay hydrated, let alone multiple litres of water a day.

missrandie
September 8th, 2015, 10:46 AM
You drink more than half your body weight every day???? I hope it was an extreme exageration.
1. That is NOT healthy, electrolite drop can lead to death. Around 2 litres per day is healthy, more than 20 litres Im amazed you havent ended up in the hospital.
2. Are you thirsty all the time to do that? You might need to go to the doctor, extreme thirst is a syntom of several metabolism disorders.

I think what the OP meant was that she follows the "drink half your body weight in ounces" recommendation. For instance, I weigh 140 lbs. By that recommendation, I should drink 70 oz of water per day.

butter52
September 9th, 2015, 02:28 PM
Oh thanks for the clarification! I was shocked!

spidermom
September 9th, 2015, 07:43 PM
Again the question - do you get your hair trimmed?

lines-wine
September 19th, 2015, 04:11 PM
If you don't, try wearing your hair up & practicing "benign neglect". If you do so, I think you'll find it'll grow when you least expect it.