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Mermaid.hairr
August 7th, 2016, 12:30 PM
I am feeling so frustrated with my hair. I feel like no matter what I do, it doesn't grow past a few inches past my bra strap (i guess that would be Mid back). I just want hair down to my hips and then my butt. I've almost eliminated heat, i stretch my washes a ton. I use hair treatments to keep it so healthy and silky. And I do minimal highlights to keep from damage. What do I do?! I don't know why it is such a bit deal to me, but I just long for hair down my back. It would make me so happy. What else can I do?! Is it true that some people have a particular length their hair will never grow past. Do I need to just accept my hair because it won't ever get longer without extensions? :(

Katem
August 7th, 2016, 12:40 PM
i have the same issue, my hair has been at about the same length for two years (partially because of cutting). don't give up hope though, maybe you will reach your goal :)

HeartofHaleth
August 7th, 2016, 12:45 PM
It is true that some people have a short terminal length, but it's not common. Is your hair "fairytaling" (getting very thin and wispy at the ends)? This can be a sign of reaching terminal. It's also possible that you've reached a "false terminal", which can happen when the hair breaks off at a certain length due to damage. Oftentimes people who think they have a short terminal length can change their hair routine and habits and they will be able to grow longer.

littlestarface
August 7th, 2016, 12:48 PM
How long has it been since you started to let it grow past mid-back?

Arctic
August 7th, 2016, 12:51 PM
The fact is, that everyone has that particular length their hair grows to, it's called terminal length. That's programmed in our genes, and it can vary wildly from person to person. Diet, health, mechanical damage aside for now, basically terminal length means that in optimal conditions this person's hairs have growth cycle of X years before they shed (and then a new hair starts to grow at their place). Some of our members have their terminal length beyond floor, some around shoulders.

However apparently it's not very common to have very short terminal length. Another however is, that is SUPER common to have "false terminal" around BSL length because that's the length where hair starts to rubbing against things, catch into things, and is getting old enough that damage has accumulated. With LHC-type care methods it's usually possibly to get past this false plateau. IT's usually recommended that heat is given up completely, and it's good to remember that if hair is damaged, it takes time for the new hairs (grown with LHC care) to grow and reach the hemline.

lapushka
August 7th, 2016, 01:04 PM
I am feeling so frustrated with my hair. I feel like no matter what I do, it doesn't grow past a few inches past my bra strap (i guess that would be Mid back). I just want hair down to my hips and then my butt. I've almost eliminated heat, i stretch my washes a ton. I use hair treatments to keep it so healthy and silky. And I do minimal highlights to keep from damage. What do I do?! I don't know why it is such a bit deal to me, but I just long for hair down my back. It would make me so happy. What else can I do?! Is it true that some people have a particular length their hair will never grow past. Do I need to just accept my hair because it won't ever get longer without extensions? :(

Eliminating heat takes a long time, it's a process. If it was BSL when you stopped heat, then all that hair is damaged and can *still* possibly break off. Stopping heat is like having to start from a shaved head. The hair that remains needs to be "babied" to bits. So, it could well be breakage. Do you have a lot of white dots in your hair? I'd start there.

restless
August 7th, 2016, 01:52 PM
Im pretty sure youre not at terminal yet :) How careful are you around (the back of) chairs, bag straps etc and how often do you keep it up in protective updos? How often and how much do you trim?

Stepo_NiNha
August 7th, 2016, 04:12 PM
Everything was already mentioned before - real terminal and false terminal length. Many people have false terminal lengths around bsl because they still take care of their hair like SL or APL hair. From BSL and longer you may find your strands rubbing against chairs and clothes. Therefore, avoid other types of mechanical damage besides just being heat free.

If you are in a false terminal you probably have split ends and white dots. Your hair simply breaks off easily. In LHC many are the good advices you'll find:
- oils and SMT's;
- cones and mineral oil to detangle and prevent dryness (some people just love cones);
- buns and braids as daily protective styles;
- different ways of protecting your hair while sleeping - very personal - you'll find many protective styles but you may benefit from sleeping with hair loose, for example;
- trimming/no trimming - this is very personal: some people benefit from regular trims to avoid the white dots and splits that may kill their length and thus, growth is not visible without trimming (the secret: trim less than what your hair grew since last trim); some other people with healthier hair don't need to trim at all and trims will only slow down the growth;
- fingercoming, wide tooth combs and types of brushes - very personal too :) I prefer fingercoming and a regular comb to detangle my hair, besides being gentle while combing.

If you're at terminal, there's nothing you can do about it but as it was already said, short terminals are rare :) Many women are able to grow their hair passing hip; I'd say more than 90%

meteor
August 7th, 2016, 05:42 PM
You mentioned that you've "almost" eliminated heat and you get minimal highlights done. :hmm: Maybe using heat and getting highlights added periodically is causing some breakage or split ends, reducing your length retention? :hmm:

If you've been experiencing trouble growing out to greater lengths, you may need to avoid all damaging practices as much as possible, which would include all heat-styling and bleach highlights, too. :flower:

If you can't give up bleach, I'd recommend strong hydrolyzed protein treatments (e.g. Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, Redken Extreme Plus, gelatin masks, Aphogee 2-Step - which is very heavy duty), penetrating oils pre-wash, products with ceramides and 18-MEA, silicone conditioners marketed for processed hair, etc...

For avoiding heat styling, check out heat-free styling methods, which mostly involve various wet-setting techniques. For example, I'd check out beautyklove's heatless styling playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4626FAE04F57ED14

Also, what kinds of tools do you use for detangling and styling hair? If the hair is naturally very fragile, fingers and/or seamless wide-tooth combs/picks may be the way to go, I'd avoid all brushing (esp. on wet hair), sleep on silky smooth materials (pillowcase/scarves/bonnets) and certainly keep hair up as much as possible in low-manipulation updos.

Best of luck! :cheer: I really hope you'll get to your goal length soon! :D