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Dark40
November 20th, 2016, 03:07 PM
Hi all,

I have a question about genetics. If you have 2 people on your father's side of the family that has had thigh length hair before, and you have the same hair texture as them. Or, took hair after your father's side of the family. Is it possible that you can also grow thigh length hair as well?

Garnetgem
November 20th, 2016, 03:22 PM
I will go with my experience on this you see my grand mother on my fathers side had thick floor length hair which she kept blunt cut..myself and my older two older sisters have always had thick hair whereas my grand mother on my mothers side had normal hair thickness,

now i grew my hair once to knee length and was very thick but i decided to cut it so unsure of how long its capable of growing but am now trying to grow it again and to see how long it can grow maybe i will try for floor length just to see if i can,

every one tells my i have my grand mothers hair as it is like hers in texture color and thickness,my sisters however their hair is more like out mothers as they have never seemed to be able to grow it as long as me but its still quite thick but not as thick as mine,

i assume its down to genetics on how my hair is...my mum keeps telling me to grow it like my grand mothers hair telling me it will as its so like grans!

so there is a chance depending if that person has inherited that hair gene..hope this is of help to you.

lapushka
November 20th, 2016, 03:24 PM
I think it's not exceptional to grow to thigh length; it is achievable for a lot of people. I don't think it has much to do with genetics, just with how often you trim the hair and leave it to grow. You'll have to see if you can reach it, by having lots of patience and by doing the right things. Happy growing!

Mrstran
November 20th, 2016, 03:52 PM
I don't know that much about genetics, but In my opinion I'd say it was likely. My mother had TBL hair most of her life and her great aunt also had very long hair as well. My two sisters and I all had TBL hair growing up as well.

Then again, sometimes it works the other way around. My husbands father, brother, and even his mother are all close to bald. My husband on the other hand has thick hair and is growing it out. He even bleaches every so often. ( which I warn him about)

Anje
November 20th, 2016, 04:48 PM
I don't think it's necessarily a strong family trait, but it's hard to say. Most people never grow their hair as long as it goes, so they don't know what's achievable, and that makes it harder to establish patterns.

That said, I grew mine out to my fingertips (cut it back to tailbone last week, though), and my mother has never gotten hers much longer than her shoulders. She claims it doesn't grow much longer, though I'm sure haircare and trim frequency played a role there. So I can tell you that the fact that a family member cannot grow their hair very long doesn't necessarily mean you won't be able to. :)

ETA: One of my brothers can get to at least midback with his curls unstretched, too. He's about 3a/3b-ish.

lapushka
November 21st, 2016, 04:44 AM
ETA: One of my brothers can get to at least midback with his curls unstretched, too. He's about 3a/3b-ish.

That's amazing, and probably gorgeous!

Dark40
November 21st, 2016, 09:51 AM
I will go with my experience on this you see my grand mother on my fathers side had thick floor length hair which she kept blunt cut..myself and my older two older sisters have always had thick hair whereas my grand mother on my mothers side had normal hair thickness,

now i grew my hair once to knee length and was very thick but i decided to cut it so unsure of how long its capable of growing but am now trying to grow it again and to see how long it can grow maybe i will try for floor length just to see if i can,

every one tells my i have my grand mothers hair as it is like hers in texture color and thickness,my sisters however their hair is more like out mothers as they have never seemed to be able to grow it as long as me but its still quite thick but not as thick as mine,

i assume its down to genetics on how my hair is...my mum keeps telling me to grow it like my grand mothers hair telling me it will as its so like grans!

so there is a chance depending if that person has inherited that hair gene..hope this is of help to you.

Yes, thank you for your response. It is of help for me. You were soooooo lucky to have grown your hair knee length, and to also have it thick. My mom always tells me that the thickness of my hair is like hers but these days I don't think so. When I see my roots it is wavy and curly just like my dad's. Especially, during my wash-days. When I let it airdry it is very curly but if my mom let hers airdry it would be in a big poofy mess or thickness.

Dark40
November 21st, 2016, 09:56 AM
I think it's not exceptional to grow to thigh length; it is achievable for a lot of people. I don't think it has much to do with genetics, just with how often you trim the hair and leave it to grow. You'll have to see if you can reach it, by having lots of patience and by doing the right things. Happy growing!

What do you mean, "I think it's not exceptional to grow thigh length?" Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. To see how long my hair can grow. The longest it has ever been was MBL but ever since childhood I've always believed that through genetics I can grow longer hair.

Cg
November 21st, 2016, 11:03 AM
I wouldn't get too caught up in what other family members' hair is like. You have your own set of genes. For all you know, your terminal may be even longer than theirs.

mira-chan
November 21st, 2016, 11:05 AM
What do you mean, "I think it's not exceptional to grow thigh length?" Yes, that's what I'm trying to do. To see how long my hair can grow. The longest it has ever been was MBL but ever since childhood I've always believed that through genetics I can grow longer hair.
Lapushka meant that it's not unusual to be able to reach that length, thickness at that length may be a different issue though as hair can be quite thin/ tapered by that point. The reason thigh and classic length hair show up in so much older art is because that's what the hair grew to for many when uncut. Tailbone to thigh is probably about the average length most can grow with "benign neglect" handling (no heat). Again, quality and thickness of said hair can be different.

Now as for genetics. Hair is controlled by multiple genes, but if your hair shares most of the characteristics of your long haired relatives then it's probably in a cluster of genes that were activated together. So you have a higher chase of sharing their growth abilities than the other side of the family. No guarantee but a higher chance.

lapushka
November 21st, 2016, 11:30 AM
Lapushka meant that it's not unusual to be able to reach that length, thickness at that length may be a different issue though as hair can be quite thin/ tapered by that point. The reason thigh and classic length hair show up in so much older art is because that's what the hair grew to for many when uncut. Tailbone to thigh is probably about the average length most can grow with "benign neglect" handling (no heat). Again, quality and thickness of said hair can be different.

Exactly. I wouldn't look at the gene pool. Many members here have grown to thigh, after all, and all that plays into that is good hair practices.

Alex Lou
November 21st, 2016, 12:45 PM
My guess is that hair texture and terminal length are independently determined by different genes. So having the same hair texture is no guarantee of ability to grow long hair. But there's no reason to think that you can't. Only one way to find out! Also texture may help you achieve your goals, since I see you have relatively thick hair.

Anje
November 21st, 2016, 01:07 PM
That's amazing, and probably gorgeous!
It is, when I get to see him. He lives far away, so it's mostly occasional pictures. But he's got lovely black curly hair. (I'm the only person in the family with straightish hair.)

lapushka
November 21st, 2016, 01:23 PM
It is, when I get to see him. He lives far away, so it's mostly occasional pictures. But he's got lovely black curly hair. (I'm the only person in the family with straightish hair.)

And they probably all think you're the lucky one. ;) :p Kidding!!! All textures are amazing, of course!

Dark40
November 22nd, 2016, 09:35 PM
Ok, thank you very much for clarifying that for me mira-chan, and all if so very true. About genetics, I took my curly hair texture after my father, and I have an aunt and a cousin who is deceased that to wear their hair all of the way down to a little passed their butts. Or, it was thigh length.

mira-chan
November 23rd, 2016, 07:13 AM
Ok, thank you very much for clarifying that for me mira-chan, and all if so very true. About genetics, I took my curly hair texture after my father, and I have an aunt and a cousin who is deceased that to wear their hair all of the way down to a little passed their butts. Or, it was thigh length.

You're welcome. :)

My paternal grandmother had about classic length hair and a similar hair type to mine. Unfortunately mine gets thinner than hers did, at the ends, which is more like my mother's side. So it can be a mix, but I still got to fingertip length, even with thin ends.

Angelica
November 23rd, 2016, 08:19 AM
It has everything to do with genetics. Some people can only grow their hair to shoulder length, others to amazing floor lengths. I have never been able to grow my hair exceptionally long, it can't even reach waist and I can assure you I do not mistreat my hair in anyway. Regardless of how good you care for your hair, if your particular genes do not allow you to grow very long it never will. It is often assumed that just because someone states they can't grow their hair long, it must mean they are doing something wrong. This is not necessarily the case.

lulikrueger
November 23rd, 2016, 02:41 PM
As it's been said, thigh length doesn't really sound unachievable, so you probably can grow that long, or even longer.
Actually, it seems most people can grow a lot further than that, if you look for pictures from the victorian/edwardian era, when women didn't cut their hair, you'll knee or calf length wasn't rare.

Dark40
November 23rd, 2016, 04:28 PM
You're welcome. :)

My paternal grandmother had about classic length hair and a similar hair type to mine. Unfortunately mine gets thinner than hers did, at the ends, which is more like my mother's side. So it can be a mix, but I still got to fingertip length, even with thin ends.

Ok, you are sooooo lucky to have reached hair to your fingertips before! The longest my hair has been in my whole entire life was at Mid Back Length, and my mom would often tell me, "You can't grow hair as long as classic length," and I have an aunt/godmother on my father's side of the family that told both of us 20something years ago that I can grow hair to a little pass class length!

mira-chan
May 27th, 2017, 02:22 PM
Ok, you are sooooo lucky to have reached hair to your fingertips before! The longest my hair has been in my whole entire life was at Mid Back Length, and my mom would often tell me, "You can't grow hair as long as classic length," and I have an aunt/godmother on my father's side of the family that told both of us 20something years ago that I can grow hair to a little pass class length!

You can't know for sure till you try to grow to classic. :) Every length on the way is fun too.

I haven't had hair shorter than waist since I was about 8 years old. I have no clue what it would look like shorter, though knowing my hair texture I'm not so eager to attempt it.

nekosan
May 27th, 2017, 04:40 PM
Genetics does have something to do with it, but there are so many genes involved with hair type that it's not something you can just deduce.

I've always thought that classic (just long enough to sit on) is "average" terminal length, though i have no idea where i may have picked this up from. Personally, my terminal is just shy of classic, and i find any hair longer than, say, fingertip length enviably long.

There's really no way to tell how far you can grow until you try!

mira-chan
May 27th, 2017, 04:49 PM
Genetics does have something to do with it, but there are so many genes involved with hair type that it's not something you can just deduce.

I've always thought that classic (just long enough to sit on) is "average" terminal length, though i have no idea where i may have picked this up from. Personally, my terminal is just shy of classic, and i find any hair longer than, say, fingertip length enviably long.

There's really no way to tell how far you can grow until you try!

Yup. Even if parents couldn't grow long, there may be a long hair gene hidden in there that was silenced for them but is active for you.

I think classic being seen as average is due to so many paintings showing about that length and many people who have "super long hair" that you randomly see tend to have around that length. It's the longest length that you can wear down regularly if wanted without doing anything special. Longer lengths tend to be up in buns and not seen usually.

Bill D.
May 27th, 2017, 05:18 PM
Several decades ago when I had hair that was a lot longer and thicker, it reached only to my waist and was thin towards the ends. In retrospect that was due to damage caused by poor hair care. I had a lot of split ends and breakage. My hair might have grown significantly longer if I'd taken better care of it. So hair care does matter and can obscure the effects of genetics.

Dark40
May 27th, 2017, 07:33 PM
Several decades ago when I had hair that was a lot longer and thicker, it reached only to my waist and was thin towards the ends. In retrospect that was due to damage caused by poor hair care. I had a lot of split ends and breakage. My hair might have grown significantly longer if I'd taken better care of it. So hair care does matter and can obscure the effects of genetics.

That is so very true. Waist is consider long but not enough for me, and yes if you don't take good care of those ends with trims at times they will become thin, and break off. I trim my hair once or twice a year. I really haven't had a trim since November of last year!!! And, my hair reaches MBL now!!!! My goal for the end of this year is to reach Hip Length, and I on the, "No Trimming Challenge," for the year too! And, it's been working pretty well!!!

Dark40
May 27th, 2017, 07:52 PM
I will go with my experience on this you see my grand mother on my fathers side had thick floor length hair which she kept blunt cut..myself and my older two older sisters have always had thick hair whereas my grand mother on my mothers side had normal hair thickness,

now i grew my hair once to knee length and was very thick but i decided to cut it so unsure of how long its capable of growing but am now trying to grow it again and to see how long it can grow maybe i will try for floor length just to see if i can,

every one tells my i have my grand mothers hair as it is like hers in texture color and thickness,my sisters however their hair is more like out mothers as they have never seemed to be able to grow it as long as me but its still quite thick but not as thick as mine,

i assume its down to genetics on how my hair is...my mum keeps telling me to grow it like my grand mothers hair telling me it will as its so like grans!

so there is a chance depending if that person has inherited that hair gene..hope this is of help to you.

Yes, it does help. Thanks! :)

Dark40
November 1st, 2018, 07:01 PM
Lapushka meant that it's not unusual to be able to reach that length, thickness at that length may be a different issue though as hair can be quite thin/ tapered by that point. The reason thigh and classic length hair show up in so much older art is because that's what the hair grew to for many when uncut. Tailbone to thigh is probably about the average length most can grow with "benign neglect" handling (no heat). Again, quality and thickness of said hair can be different.

Now as for genetics. Hair is controlled by multiple genes, but if your hair shares most of the characteristics of your long haired relatives then it's probably in a cluster of genes that were activated together. So you have a higher chase of sharing their growth abilities than the other side of the family. No guarantee but a higher chance.

Well, for me my hair is very thick at no matter what length it grows. My ends don't ever get thinner. So, I don't have any issues with thickness of my hair as it is getting longer. That's one thing I inherited from my mother's side of the family (her thickness), and I do believe that I can grow the length from my father's side. Because, I have a longtime girlfriend that I grew up with at my old church, and she had thick ankle length hair from root to tip.

*Wednesday*
November 2nd, 2018, 01:12 PM
Well, for me my hair is very thick at no matter what length it grows. My ends don't ever get thinner. So, I don't have any issues with thickness of my hair as it is getting longer. That's one thing I inherited from my mother's side of the family (her thickness), and I do believe that I can grow the length from my father's side. Because, I have a longtime girlfriend that I grew up with at my old church, and she had thick ankle length hair from root to tip.

How long is your hair now? A past post here you were MBL and you were shooting for hip by years end.
I think hair can look thinner because hair does not grow evenly. Hair is denser towards the roots and gradually tapers.

Dark40
November 2nd, 2018, 04:44 PM
How long is your hair now? A past post here you were MBL and you were shooting for hip by years end.
I think hair can look thinner because hair does not grow evenly. Hair is denser towards the roots and gradually tapers.

Well, I'm almost at WL now. I have to trim off 2cm because of dry split ends back in June of this year. So, I don't think that I'll make it hip length by years end. Hopefully, I'll make it there by spring of next year. Well, I have an aunt that has classic length hair from what my mom told me of stories, and she told me that when wore hair that long it was thick. Her ends did not taper. Long thin hair doesn't run in my family.

*Wednesday*
November 2nd, 2018, 05:56 PM
Well, I'm almost at WL now. I have to trim off 2cm because of dry split ends back in June of this year. So, I don't think that I'll make it hip length by years end. Hopefully, I'll make it there by spring of next year. Well, I have an aunt that has classic length hair from what my mom told me of stories, and she told me that when wore hair that long it was thick. Her ends did not taper. Long thin hair doesn't run in my family.

MBL to WL is progress, so it's moving along ☺

Dark40
November 2nd, 2018, 08:49 PM
MBL to WL is progress, so it's moving along ☺

Awww, thank you! I'm glad I've made it this far. This is the longest it has ever been in my whole entire life. :)

M.McDonough
November 3rd, 2018, 12:31 AM
Well, the topic of genetics is really irritating and somewhat confusing. You inherit 50% of genes from the mother and 50% from the father. You might also inherit some small percentages from other relatives (cousins, aunts and uncles), but I guess you'll never know, it's like flipping a coin

M.McDonough
November 3rd, 2018, 12:34 AM
I think it's not exceptional to grow to thigh length; it is achievable for a lot of people. I don't think it has much to do with genetics, just with how often you trim the hair and leave it to grow. You'll have to see if you can reach it, by having lots of patience and by doing the right things. Happy growing!

Actually it's not quite achievable. Based on online research, most people can grow 12 to 36 inches before terminal length. Thigh length is way beyond that!

Estrid
November 3rd, 2018, 12:56 AM
Well, the topic of genetics is really irritating and somewhat confusing. You inherit 50% of genes from the mother and 50% from the father. You might also inherit some small percentages from other relatives (cousins, aunts and uncles), but I guess you'll never know, it's like flipping a coin

You never inherit genes from cousins, aunts, or uncles, you have some genes in common with said people since they come from the same people as your parents (your grandparents).



Dark40, it is possible that your hair can grow that long, but the only way to know is to let it grow and see where you end up :p

Dark40
November 3rd, 2018, 08:28 PM
You never inherit genes from cousins, aunts, or uncles, you have some genes in common with said people since they come from the same people as your parents (your grandparents).



Dark40, it is possible that your hair can grow that long, but the only way to know is to let it grow and see where you end up :p

Yes, I know. I'm letting it grow right now, and I'm trying to see how far it will go. As you see on my profile I'm growing to terminal length.:p

M.McDonough
November 5th, 2018, 11:20 PM
You never inherit genes from cousins, aunts, or uncles, you have some genes in common with said people since they come from the same people as your parents (your grandparents).



Dark40, it is possible that your hair can grow that long, but the only way to know is to let it grow and see where you end up :p

Then why do some people look like their cousins, aunts and uncles sometimes?

Estrid
November 5th, 2018, 11:39 PM
Then why do some people look like their cousins, aunts and uncles sometimes?

Probably because genes that you have in common with them might've been more dominant in your genital makeup than, let's say, your mothers.

A mother (let's call her A) gets 50% from her father and 50% from her mother. Her sister (let's call her B) also get 50% from each, but not the exact same genes (unless she's an identical twin). When A gets a child, only half of her DNA is passed on to that child, BUT that half will contain some of the DNA that she shares with her sister B.
The DNA that makes A look like she does might have come mainly from the other 50% (the part she did not pass on to her child), making her child resemble B more than A.

Estrid
November 5th, 2018, 11:46 PM
Yes, I know. I'm letting it grow right now, and I'm trying to see how far it will go. As you see on my profile I'm growing to terminal length.:p

Good luck to you :o Terminal is quite a goal!

M.McDonough
November 6th, 2018, 03:19 AM
Probably because genes that you have in common with them might've been more dominant in your genital makeup than, let's say, your mothers.

A mother (let's call her A) gets 50% from her father and 50% from her mother. Her sister (let's call her B) also get 50% from each, but not the exact same genes (unless she's an identical twin). When A gets a child, only half of her DNA is passed on to that child, BUT that half will contain some of the DNA that she shares with her sister B.
The DNA that makes A look like she does might have come mainly from the other 50% (the part she did not pass on to her child), making her child resemble B more than A.

Like I said genetics is unpredictable. Just google (consanguinity relationship chart) and You'll see what I was talking about. Do you have a degree in genetics/biology? Just wondering.

lapushka
November 6th, 2018, 05:22 AM
Actually it's not quite achievable. Based on online research, most people can grow 12 to 36 inches before terminal length. Thigh length is way beyond that!

What online research is that, exactly? I wonder. :hmm:

I think plenty of people here at LHC then supposedly "beat the odds". I don't think so. I think, with a few exceptions (for whatever reason, health, whathaveyou) *anyone* can reach knee to floor.

lapushka
November 6th, 2018, 05:23 AM
Like I said genetics is unpredictable. Just google (consanguinity relationship chart) and You'll see what I was talking about. Do you have a degree in genetics/biology? Just wondering.

You don't have to have a degree to make a lot of sense. :flower:

Sid0rela
November 6th, 2018, 06:40 AM
most of people just dont let hair grow to terminal, so they might not really know how long their hair can get.
tbh, i think genetics is very importaint in a lot of things. but hair length is something i think you cant point a finger if its genetic or not (i think its not).
hair length is not the same as hair thickness and density (totally depended on genetics), and one can achieve long hair with taking good care of the internal and external factors.
how long you want it, is up to you and what you can do to achieve it.

Brittny
November 6th, 2018, 06:58 AM
What an interesting thread! I'm not sure about length wise, but I personally I believe good hair genetics can run in families. In my family for example, my father and grandfather both have great hair genetics. They have very thick locks and my grandfather kept a thick full head of hair with no sign of balding at the age of 80. However on my mothers side, most of the women (Including my sister) have fine hair. Like someone mentioned before, it is similar to a coin toss! I definitely will do more research on this topic and maybe as one of my professors because it seems very interesting. :flower:

*Wednesday*
November 6th, 2018, 08:41 AM
What an interesting thread! I'm not sure about length wise, but I personally I believe good hair genetics can run in families. In my family for example, my father and grandfather both have great hair genetics. They have very thick locks and my grandfather kept a thick full head of hair with no sign of balding at the age of 80. However on my mothers side, most of the women (Including my sister) have fine hair. Like someone mentioned before, it is similar to a coin toss! I definitely will do more research on this topic and maybe as one of my professors because it seems very interesting. :flower:

I just wanted to throw this in on your comment as you are making an example of “good hair genetics” with family comparisons between thick and fine hair which are hair types and neither one = “better” genetics. Having fine hair is not a lack of bad genetics. Thick hair may be more desirable and a lucky genetic inheritance but not a result of *better* genetics. Fine, thick, thin, coarse etc. can all bald and is a genetic trait inherited from the maternal line not the paternal.

Brittny
November 6th, 2018, 08:51 AM
I just wanted to throw this in on your comment as you are making an example of “good hair genetics” with family comparisons between thick and fine hair which are hair types and neither one = “better” genetics. Having fine hair is not a lack of bad genetics. Thick hair may be more desirable and a lucky genetic inheritance but not a result of *better* genetics. Fine, thick, thin, coarse etc. can all bald and is a genetic trait inherited from the maternal line not the paternal.

I'm sorry, I did not mean to imply that thicker hair was greater than fine hair! I was just sharing my family experience, I did not think my response through. You are absolutely right. I am just ignorant when it comes to facts about genetics. :(

Joules
November 6th, 2018, 09:01 AM
I just wanted to throw this in on your comment as you are making an example of “good hair genetics” with family comparisons between thick and fine hair which are hair types and neither one = “better” genetics. Having fine hair is not a lack of bad genetics. Thick hair may be more desirable and a lucky genetic inheritance but not a result of *better* genetics. Fine, thick, thin, coarse etc. can all bald and is a genetic trait inherited from the maternal line not the paternal.

There is a baldness gene that can be inherited by a son from his father via Y-chromosome, but other than that, I agree. Bad genetics = conditions and disorders that can only be passed on from parent to child. Hair is just hair.

Estrid
November 6th, 2018, 09:48 AM
Like I said genetics is unpredictable. Just google (consanguinity relationship chart) and You'll see what I was talking about. Do you have a degree in genetics/biology? Just wondering.

I have studied it quite a lot in university, even if it wasn't my major, and I know that it is impossible to inherit from anyone but your parents unless you were created in a lab where they changed the genes around, which I'm not sure if they've ever tried on human eggs/sperms/embryos since that would probably be deemed...unethical (?).

I said that you share DNA with cousins, uncles and aunts, but you did not inherit that DNA from those people. There is a lot around genetics that can be a bit overwhelming and not everything is known when it comes to what genes cause what, but this part is not that difficult to understand. The egg is made by the mothers body and contain only her DNA, the sperm is made by the fathers body and contain only his DNA, there is no other DNA involved in the making of the child.


ETA: that chart seems to be saying the exact thing that I'm saying btw, so I'm not sure what you're on about... Maybe we're saying the exact same thing, but you used the word "inherit", which made it sound like those aunts and uncles were involved in the making of the person. So I suppose this might just be a misunderstanding (?) :p

rubygloom
November 6th, 2018, 10:00 AM
what an interesting question!
Shower thought: while there is not an end to human hair growth, animals only grow hair until some point and it just stops growing (i might be wrong though lol).

*Wednesday*
November 6th, 2018, 10:58 AM
I'm sorry, I did not mean to imply that thicker hair was greater than fine hair! I was just sharing my family experience, I did not think my response through. You are absolutely right. I am just ignorant when it comes to facts about genetics. :(

Don't apologize ☺. I just put it as an add-on because some people would read that and think their hair has a bad genetic trait. Joules shared something as well I didn't know.


There is a baldness gene that can be inherited by a son from his father via Y-chromosome, but other than that, I agree. Bad genetics = conditions and disorders that can only be passed on from parent to child. Hair is just hair.

Thank you Joules, I didn't know that ☺

Dark40
November 6th, 2018, 12:38 PM
Well, the topic of genetics is really irritating and somewhat confusing. You inherit 50% of genes from the mother and 50% from the father. You might also inherit some small percentages from other relatives (cousins, aunts and uncles), but I guess you'll never know, it's like flipping a coin

No, I don't think the topic of genetics is irritating or somewhat confusing. I can tell you or everybody can tell you that I inherited more from my father than I do from my mother. Starting with his looks and his complexion. The only thing that I have from my mother is her eyes and thick hair. My father as had thick hair when he was younger too. So, it's not always 50/50 from both of the parents.

Estrid
November 6th, 2018, 12:56 PM
No, I don't think the topic of genetics is irritating or somewhat confusing. I can tell you or everybody can tell you that I inherited more from my father than I do from my mother. Starting with his looks and his complexion. The only thing that I have from my mother is her eyes and thick hair. My father as had thick hair when he was younger too. So, it's not always 50/50 from both of the parents.

I really don't want to keep this DNA discussion going, it's starting to feel a bit weird to me, but I felt like I had to say this. When it comes to dominant and recessive genes it is quite complicated, there is usually more than just one gene involved in how things look (example: colour of eyes). Even if your fathers genes "took over" and made you look more like him, it does not mean that you got more than 50 % from him, his genes were just more dominant than what you got from your mother. Your mothers genes are still present in you, out of your 46 chromosomes 23 comes from your mother.

Dark40
November 6th, 2018, 02:49 PM
I really don't want to keep this DNA discussion going, it's starting to feel a bit weird to me, but I felt like I had to say this. When it comes to dominant and recessive genes it is quite complicated, there is usually more than just one gene involved in how things look (example: colour of eyes). Even if your fathers genes "took over" and made you look more like him, it does not mean that you got more than 50 % from him, his genes were just more dominant than what you got from your mother. Your mothers genes are still present in you, out of your 46 chromosomes 23 comes from your mother.

Yes, I agree about the DNA discussion too. All I was concerned about is if I had hair like my father's and aunt's could I possibly grow hair as long as my aunt's and cousin's hair too, that had a little pass classic length hair. That's why I said earlier that I got my mother's eyes and eye color, and I also have the same thickness of hair.

M.McDonough
November 6th, 2018, 09:11 PM
What online research is that, exactly? I wonder. :hmm:

I think plenty of people here at LHC then supposedly "beat the odds". I don't think so. I think, with a few exceptions (for whatever reason, health, whathaveyou) *anyone* can reach knee to floor.

I doubt it with all due respect. Not everyone can reach knee or floor length. some people seem to stay at a certain length forever. Just google terminal hair length

Estrid
November 6th, 2018, 11:42 PM
Yes, I agree about the DNA discussion too. All I was concerned about is if I had hair like my father's and aunt's could I possibly grow hair as long as my aunt's and cousin's hair too, that had a little pass classic length hair. That's why I said earlier that I got my mother's eyes and eye color, and I also have the same thickness of hair.

Unless you're seeing some serious tapering now, at WL, I don't think you have any reason to think you won't make it to CL and beyond :o

It does seem like it's a relatively easy trait to pass on, just looking at all those long hair family photos on google.

lapushka
November 7th, 2018, 11:03 AM
I doubt it with all due respect. Not everyone can reach knee or floor length. some people seem to stay at a certain length forever. Just google terminal hair length

Not everyone no, but have you checked the classic to knee length thread and the past knee thread out, lately? Then come back to me. ;)

Dark40
November 7th, 2018, 03:44 PM
Unless you're seeing some serious tapering now, at WL, I don't think you have any reason to think you won't make it to CL and beyond :o

It does seem like it's a relatively easy trait to pass on, just looking at all those long hair family photos on google.

No, I don't see any tapering now at WL. I kinda figured that I would be able to make it CL and beyond sometime in my life. :) Yes, it does seem like an easy trait to pass on. Yeah, I know what you mean about just looking at all those long hair family photos on google.

Dark40
November 7th, 2018, 03:54 PM
I disagree with the, "terminal hair length," discussion. I've always believed that anybody who wants knee length or beyond hair could have it. Especially, with taking special care of it. I look at, "hair idols," like, "Crystal Gayle." When she was growing up her mom would keep her hair cut short in a bob up until the time she became an adult, and when she moved out she just let her grow out, and as she kept letting it grow it reached her ankles or the floor, and she didn't know that her hair could grow that long until she kept letting it grow.

littlestarface
November 7th, 2018, 04:22 PM
I disagree with the, "terminal hair length," discussion. I've always believed that anybody who wants knee length or beyond hair could have it. Especially, with taking special care of it. I look at, "hair idols," like, "Crystal Gayle." When she was growing up her mom would keep her hair cut short in a bob up until the time she became an adult, and when she moved out she just let her grow out, and as she kept letting it grow it reached her ankles or the floor, and she didn't know that her hair could grow that long until she kept letting it grow.

Not everyone can grow long hair and majority of people have a terminal length, no matter if you believe it or not. You cant base it on one person who you heard of and don't even know in person.

lapushka
November 7th, 2018, 04:37 PM
Not everyone can grow long hair and majority of people have a terminal length, no matter if you believe it or not. You cant base it on one person who you heard of and don't even know in person.

IDK, just look at the classic to knee & beyond knee threads around here. Plenty of people to prove that so-called terminal length "theory" wrong, IMO. ;) And I don't think they're exceptions, necessarily.

Rowdy
November 7th, 2018, 04:42 PM
IDK, just look at the classic to knee & beyond knee threads around here. Plenty of people to prove that so-called terminal length "theory" wrong, IMO. ;) And I don't think they're exceptions, necessarily.

I think it's more that their terminal length is just very long, not that they don't have one.


ETA: Actually, wouldn't it be impossible to NOT have a terminal length? (whether it be at shoulder, floor or out the door) Part of the follicle life cycle is that it eventually stops growing and sheds out... so if a hair never stopped growing does that mean it would never shed? Hmmm

littlestarface
November 7th, 2018, 04:52 PM
IDK, just look at the classic to knee & beyond knee threads around here. Plenty of people to prove that so-called terminal length "theory" wrong, IMO. ;) And I don't think they're exceptions, necessarily.

Why would you tell me to go look at it when i'm in there myself? Also every single person has a different terminal length, so someone cant just say there is no such a thing as a terminal length. Are you kidding me?

Dark40
November 7th, 2018, 08:15 PM
I agree with lapushka. We all do have terminal lengths but the majority of you guys have extremely long hair like CL and beyond. That's all she's saying littlestarface.

littlestarface
November 7th, 2018, 08:18 PM
I agree with lapushka. We all do have terminal lengths but the majority of you guys have extremely long hair like CL and beyond. That's all she's saying littlestarface.

But your the one who said you disagree with terminal hair length thing but ya i'm glad you agree with me now that most have one.

Dark40
November 7th, 2018, 08:32 PM
But your the one who said you disagree with terminal hair length thing but ya i'm glad you agree with me now that most have one.

Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I did google terminal hair length, and I've also checked on the "Classic to Knee Thread," as well. Some people said that they weren't going to trim their hair at times. Because, they want to see what their terminal length is, and they were at classic. Or, pass classic.

EdG
November 7th, 2018, 08:34 PM
All hair has a terminal length. It is set by the duration of the growth cycle. The growth cycle is the body's way of regulating hair length.

The terminal length of the hairs covering most of one's body is 1-2cm. An exception is the hairs on the scalp, which have terminal lengths of 0.5-2m. Our ancestors bred this trait into us.

I think that LHC members tend to have long terminal lengths. This is a textbook example of a biased sample. :)
Ed

mira-chan
November 7th, 2018, 09:51 PM
I have studied it quite a lot in university, even if it wasn't my major, and I know that it is impossible to inherit from anyone but your parents unless you were created in a lab where they changed the genes around, which I'm not sure if they've ever tried on human eggs/sperms/embryos since that would probably be deemed...unethical (?).

I said that you share DNA with cousins, uncles and aunts, but you did not inherit that DNA from those people. There is a lot around genetics that can be a bit overwhelming and not everything is known when it comes to what genes cause what, but this part is not that difficult to understand. The egg is made by the mothers body and contain only her DNA, the sperm is made by the fathers body and contain only his DNA, there is no other DNA involved in the making of the child.


ETA: that chart seems to be saying the exact thing that I'm saying btw, so I'm not sure what you're on about... Maybe we're saying the exact same thing, but you used the word "inherit", which made it sound like those aunts and uncles were involved in the making of the person. So I suppose this might just be a misunderstanding (?) :p
Backing some of this up as I do have a degree in biology, if a more detailed response is wanted.

All of your genes are inherited from your parents, you cannot inherit laterally - as in from aunts/ uncles/cousins. You only inherited 50% from each parent too, one gene copy from each. That shuffling of which part of that 50% you get is why siblings look different.

What can happen with aunts/ uncles/cousins is you and they have genes that were inherited from grandparents, because both you and them have inherited those particular gene copies from your grandparents. In this shuffling, you might resemble your maternal grandparents more than some of your cousins for example. In some cases you got a chromosome from your mother that she inherited from her mother, and so did another aunt and their child, your cousin. You may show more resemblance in those traits to your cousin and aunt. You didn't inherit it from the cousin or aunt, instead everyone inherited from the maternal grandmother.

Mind you there are other factors involved on top of this, like dominant/recessive traits and gene silencing, but that's a bit beyond general hair growth discussion. Also hair growth speed and terminal length are controlled by multiple genes, most of which shuffle independently of each other.


All hair has a terminal length. It is set by the duration of the growth cycle. The growth cycle is the body's way of regulating hair length.

The terminal length of the hairs covering most of one's body is 1-2cm. An exception is the hairs on the scalp, which have terminal lengths of 0.5-2m. Our ancestors bred this trait into us.

I think that LHC members tend to have long terminal lengths. This is a textbook example of a biased sample. :)
Ed

Second thing this. It varies and we have a longer than usual sample here. There is a reason there were floor length hair photos in the Victorian era when most women didn't cut their hair, this was unusual even then.

My hair starts tapering at waist and goes into a steep V if I let it grow completely untrimmed. The 5 hairs at the end of that V were growing at fingertip length before I cut it back, but I suspect it was close to terminal then. Whether it was artificial terminal or truly terminal length, I don't know.

*Wednesday*
November 7th, 2018, 11:28 PM
I agree with lapushka. We all do have terminal lengths .....

"...Plenty of people to prove that so-called terminal length "theory" wrong," Lapushka

You don't agree with Lapushka. Am I misreading something? It is late for me.

littlestarface
November 8th, 2018, 12:58 AM
"...Plenty of people to prove that so-called terminal length "theory" wrong," Lapushka

You don't agree with Lapushka. Am I misreading something? It is late for me.

Yea your not misreading, its a weird post right? :rollin:

Sarahlabyrinth
November 8th, 2018, 02:45 AM
Everyone's hair has a terminal length. The point at which it reaches terminal varies for each individual and is controlled by genetics. Some people have a short terminal length, some very long, most are somewhere in the middle.

*Wednesday*
November 8th, 2018, 10:28 AM
Yea your not misreading, its a weird post right? :rollin:

Good. I thought the sangria was hitting me a few days late. 😝

MusicalSpoons
November 8th, 2018, 10:44 AM
Estrid, EdG and mira-chan I so wish there were a 'like' button for your posts! Very well put.


Everyone's hair has a terminal length. The point at which it reaches terminal varies for each individual and is controlled by genetics. Some people have a short terminal length, some very long, most are somewhere in the middle.

I'd be really interested to see if there's any correlation between hair thickness and potential terminal length. It seems most at lower-calf or below have either iii thickness or ii/iii, but plenty of variation in thicknesses before that. I wonder what the longest i hair is on here?

(*NOT* that I want to put anyone off aiming for great lengths because of having less thickness. Just curious, that's all :shrug: though I doubt there'd be any way of properly finding out because the majority of the general population don't even think about going for terminal length, and it's reasonably rare here too, as far as I've seen.)

Sarahlabyrinth
November 8th, 2018, 11:23 AM
Estrid, EdG and mira-chan I so wish there were a 'like' button for your posts! Very well put.



I'd be really interested to see if there's any correlation between hair thickness and potential terminal length. It seems most at lower-calf or below have either iii thickness or ii/iii, but plenty of variation in thicknesses before that. I wonder what the longest i hair is on here?

(*NOT* that I want to put anyone off aiming for great lengths because of having less thickness. Just curious, that's all :shrug: though I doubt there'd be any way of properly finding out because the majority of the general population don't even think about going for terminal length, and it's reasonably rare here too, as far as I've seen.)

I have often wondered this as well, and of course any stats we get from LHCers will be skewed because we are such a tiny percentage of the general population who attempt to reach terminal length. (And of course, also a small percentage of LHCers, as well.) I think there have been one or two people with i hair who have reached floor, or close.

Dark40
November 12th, 2018, 12:34 PM
I have often wondered this as well, and of course any stats we get from LHCers will be skewed because we are such a tiny percentage of the general population who attempt to reach terminal length. (And of course, also a small percentage of LHCers, as well.) I think there have been one or two people with i hair who have reached floor, or close.

I've also wondered the same too as well, and I'm aiming for terminal length.

Dark40
February 17th, 2019, 06:56 PM
Hi all,

I'm sorry if a thread like this has already started but today my mom showed me how long my aunt's hair on my dad's side used to be when she was in high school, and it appeared she showed me like it was hip length. Or, near hip length. Now, for many years she has told me that her hair was either to her butt, TBL, or Classic. Today she just told me that she couldn't remember exactly. But she has always told me that my aunt always wore a plait all of the way down to her butt. So, I was assuming that it was either TBL or Classic. But ever since I was 7 years old she would often tell me, "Your hair could never grow that long," and I often never believed her. During my childhood the longest my hair was MBL, and I'm 47 now. And, my mom would always keep my hair trim off an inch every 2 months after I had gotten it relaxed or straightened. She would always maintain the length at MBL, and I always felt that my hair could grow a lot longer like my aunt's hair. Because, I've also seen that I have the same hair texture as both my dad's and aunt's hair. Which is curly and thick. One day as me and mom visited my aunt's house my mom told her that I've always had dreams of having hair as long as hers but it will never grow that long. My aunt replied, "Oh yes it can!" "But she would have to keep trimming off the split ends." I also had a cousin that also had hair to her butt, TBL, or Classic Length as well.

My question is: If you take hair texture after your father or aunt from your father and aunt is it possible to grow hair as long as hers? I've learned that I've mostly taken my dad's genes. Now, I do have some of my mother's genes as well but everybody both me and my mom know always say that I look just like my father from head to toe, and my mother agrees herself.

Ylva
February 17th, 2019, 07:05 PM
You have a pretty much equal amount of genes from your mother and father even if it doesn't show equally in your phenotype. Now, based on something like texture, it's impossible to determine what others factors might be in play there, since the whole concept of "being able to grow long hair" comes down to so much more than just genetics.

So the answer is: maybe, maybe not. Impossible to say with this amount of information as things may or may not be related.

Ylva
February 17th, 2019, 07:07 PM
Also, isn't this older thread of yours about the same exact subject? https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=140574

I didn't read through all of it, but if you're still wondering about this, there might be some good answers there.

Dark40
February 17th, 2019, 07:32 PM
Yeah, it's a similar thread but it's dealing with another length. Well, my mom's hair is a lot thicker than mine. I would even say her hair type is different than mine. I would say her hair type is 4a or 4b, and mine is 3a, and my dad's is also 3a. My aunt's hair texture or type is like, "littlestarface's" hair on here. It's between thick, wavy, and curly. I can tell you the only thing of my mom I have is her eyes and eye-color but other than that nothing else. I don't have her body structure either. I am built just like my dad.

Thank you for the link to the thread! :) I will read it.

Chromis
February 17th, 2019, 07:43 PM
Mod note: Merging these together since they are so similar and both from the same poster.


Hi all,

I'm sorry if a thread like this has already started but today my mom showed me how long my aunt's hair on my dad's side used to be when she was in high school, and it appeared she showed me like it was hip length. Or, near hip length. Now, for many years she has told me that her hair was either to her butt, TBL, or Classic. Today she just told me that she couldn't remember exactly. But she has always told me that my aunt always wore a plait all of the way down to her butt. So, I was assuming that it was either TBL or Classic. But ever since I was 7 years old she would often tell me, "Your hair could never grow that long," and I often never believed her. During my childhood the longest my hair was MBL, and I'm 47 now. And, my mom would always keep my hair trim off an inch every 2 months after I had gotten it relaxed or straightened. She would always maintain the length at MBL, and I always felt that my hair could grow a lot longer like my aunt's hair. Because, I've also seen that I have the same hair texture as both my dad's and aunt's hair. Which is curly and thick. One day as me and mom visited my aunt's house my mom told her that I've always had dreams of having hair as long as hers but it will never grow that long. My aunt replied, "Oh yes it can!" "But she would have to keep trimming off the split ends." I also had a cousin that also had hair to her butt, TBL, or Classic Length as well.

My question is: If you take hair texture after your father or aunt from your father and aunt is it possible to grow hair as long as hers? I've learned that I've mostly taken my dad's genes. Now, I do have some of my mother's genes as well but everybody both me and my mom know always say that I look just like my father from head to toe, and my mother agrees herself.

Perhaps you are old enough now to decide how long you'd like to have your hair and perhaps not have your mother cut it anymore? You are not a minor who is stuck with having to bow down to your parent's hair rules at 47.

Ylva
February 17th, 2019, 07:50 PM
I can tell you the only thing of my mom I have is her eyes and eye-color but other than that nothing else. I don't have her body structure either. I am built just like my dad.

Just because it doesn't show on the outside doesn't mean you didn't inherit approximately 50% of your genome from her. I can promise you that much.

Dark40
February 17th, 2019, 08:10 PM
Just because it doesn't show on the outside doesn't mean you didn't inherit approximately 50% of your genome from her. I can promise you that much.

Yes, I know. I do also have a lot of her in me as well but the physical aspects I don't, and I mean looks and hair texture. She even agreed to me inheriting after my father. My hair and complexion comes from my father. Now when it comes to race I take certain kind of races after my mother but her complexion is a little darker than mine.

Dark40
February 17th, 2019, 08:14 PM
Mod note: Merging these together since they are so similar and both from the same poster.



Perhaps you are old enough now to decide how long you'd like to have your hair and perhaps not have your mother cut it anymore? You are not a minor who is stuck with having to bow down to your parent's hair rules at 47.

awwww, thank you moderator! I apologize for posting the same thread.....you are very right. I am old enough to decide how long I'd like to have my hair, and perhaps not have my mother cut it anymore. I am so glad these days I am doing my own hair, and right now it's at the longest it's ever been in my whole entire life.

Zesty
February 17th, 2019, 08:15 PM
It's interesting to discuss, but in the end genetics are too complicated to draw a conclusion. You can speculate all you want but it's not as simple as "I take after x relative so I can grow hair like his/hers." The only way to tell what your personal terminal length or growth rate are (which seems to be what you're after?) is to wait and see.

trolleypup
February 17th, 2019, 08:21 PM
Just because it doesn't show on the outside doesn't mean you didn't inherit approximately 50% of your genome from her. I can promise you that much.
We used to say exactly half for women, but it turns out to be slightly more than half.

A lot of different genes are involved in hair, and they are independent, so having a couple characteristics of a relative's hair doesn't mean you have all or any of the others. Your relatives will show possibilities only.

If you want to find out what your terminal length is, the only way is to grow your hair out until you stop gaining length.

Hairkay
February 18th, 2019, 10:15 AM
We used to say exactly half for women, but it turns out to be slightly more than half.

A lot of different genes are involved in hair, and they are independent, so having a couple characteristics of a relative's hair doesn't mean you have all or any of the others. Your relatives will show possibilities only.

If you want to find out what your terminal length is, the only way is to grow your hair out until you stop gaining length.

Yes, I agree. You have to find a suitable regimen and try to see what your hair will do within your own limits. I'd previously thought my hair was supposed to be stuck at bsl. Others in the family that I was close with had a similar length. All it took with some conditioning treatments and wearing my hair up to find out that my hair does maintain more length. It's past hip now.

*Wednesday*
February 18th, 2019, 10:52 AM
.....Well, my mom's hair is a lot thicker than mine. I would even say her hair type is different than mine. I would say her hair type is 4a or 4b, and mine is 3a, and my dad's is also 3a. My aunt's hair texture or type is like, "littlestarface's" hair on here. It's between thick, wavy, and curly. I can tell you the only thing of my mom I have is her eyes and eye-color but other than that nothing else. I don't have her body structure either. I am built just like my dad.

Thank you for the link to the thread! :) I will read it.

There is no way to tell between what parent you inherited the ability to grow. If you don't have a long anagen phase lasting beyond 3yrs., then that's that. Ruling out your mother because of her type is not scientific. Let's say you grew to the floor, doesn't mean you inherited from your dad because your paternal aunt has very long hair.

Dark40
February 18th, 2019, 11:22 AM
There is no way to tell between what parent you inherited the ability to grow. If you don't have a long anagen phase lasting beyond 3yrs., then that's that. Ruling out your mother because of her type is not scientific. Let's say you grew to the floor, doesn't mean you inherited from your dad because your paternal aunt has very long hair.

Yes there is. Oh, I have a long anagen phase lasting beyond 3yrs. I'm not ruling out my mother. She has told me herself that I'm a split image of my father. She's even also said that I have the shape of her eyes and eye color. My father's eyes are black me and mom's eyes are brown. About the hair, she has said that I have hair like my father. It's curly just like his. My mom's hair isn't curly. It's courser than mine. She has always told me that I have a softer grain of hair than hers. I've already learned from her side of the family that no one has never had hair to the floor but my grandmother told her that she can grow her hair to a nice length. She never said what length she was referring to but I don't think it's pass WL or CL. But on my dad's side I know for a fact that I can grow very long hair like my aunt's. Because, she has also told me so. That's all I'm saying.

littlestarface
February 18th, 2019, 11:34 AM
So cuz someone told you so that means its a fact 100% gonna happen?

Ylva
February 18th, 2019, 11:40 AM
Dark40, please understand that none of this counts as any type of scientific proof that your terminal length is the same as a relative's. Yes, I'm sure there were people in your family line with very long hair, and that you physically resemble your father, but your mother still contributed an equal amount to your genome. There is simply no way to determine terminal length based on hair type. What you need to do is just grow and see how it ends up for you. I repeat, there is no way of knowing based on this amount of information which you have. The fact that you have the same hair type as your father means nothing at all in terms of whether you have a similar terminal length as your aunt or not.

MusicalSpoons
February 18th, 2019, 12:07 PM
Dark40, please understand that none of this counts as any type of scientific proof that your terminal length is the same as a relative's. Yes, I'm sure there were people in your family line with very long hair, and that you physically resemble your father, but your mother still contributed an equal amount to your genome. There is simply no way to determine terminal length based on hair type. What you need to do is just grow and see how it ends up for you. I repeat, there is no way of knowing based on this amount of information which you have. The fact that you have the same hair type as your father means nothing at all in terms of whether you have a similar terminal length as your aunt or not.

Agreed. Let's illustrate: Hypothetical Person could have coarse hair like their mother, red hair like their father and curly hair like their cousin. Absolutely nothing else about those relatives will have any impact on how long Person can grow their hair. Person would have to grow it, taking good care of it to make sure they retain all of the length they grow with nothing breaking off, and not chop any off in order to reach their true terminal length.

If Person has a horrible illness, they might end up with slower hair growth and maybe a shorter growth cycle because their body doesn't have the resources to grow extremely long hair, so their terminal length at that point is shorter than if they were well.

On the other hand, Person could be very healthy, very active and with a great diet for their body, strong nails and shiny, full hair and have the energy to run marathons on the weekends, and their terminal length is the longest it can possibly be.

NOTHING, I repeat, nothing about Person's relatives will have any bearing on their terminal length in those situations.

The *only* way to find out which relative(s) have a similar terminal length is for everyone to grow to terminal length and compare. What if we throw grandparents in the mix? Well, they'd have to have genuinely grown to terminal too in order to compare - along with great-aunts and great-uncles, because the gene expression in one of them might be the only similar to the gene expression in Person.

Edit: in conclusion, the only way to find out how long you can grow your hair is for you to grow it as long as you can.

We sometimes joke about family members having had very long hair in the past and hoping we get the same long hair genes, but it's just hope, not a guarantee - and not even particularly likely. Even if the majority of the family have very long, thick hair we tend to assume all of the family will, but actually we shouldn't assume because it really isn't guaranteed.

*Wednesday*
February 18th, 2019, 02:27 PM
Yes there is. Oh, I have a long anagen phase lasting beyond 3yrs. I'm not ruling out my mother. She has told me herself that I'm a split image of my father. She's even also said that I have the shape of her eyes and eye color. My father's eyes are black me and mom's eyes are brown. About the hair, she has said that I have hair like my father. It's curly just like his. My mom's hair isn't curly. It's courser than mine. She has always told me that I have a softer grain of hair than hers. I've already learned from her side of the family that no one has never had hair to the floor but my grandmother told her that she can grow her hair to a nice length. She never said what length she was referring to but I don't think it's pass WL or CL. But on my dad's side I know for a fact that I can grow very long hair like my aunt's. Because, she has also told me so. That's all I'm saying.

I wasn't implying *you* have under 3 yr anagen, only if someone had under that would not be able to grow ultra long.
It seems you are using this 3a against 4a (4a which is a curl pattern even if coarse) to determine growability.

I want to ask why are you relaxing your hair at 3a? I know you've mentioned managability. What is your texture after relaxing it?

Dark40
February 18th, 2019, 02:28 PM
Yiva, I now do understand that there is no scientific proof of terminal length being the same as relative's. I've come to think that it might even be a lot longer, and yes I also understand that I equally have half of my mother's genome as well. Yes, that's why in the profile, "Terminal Length." I've also joined the, "Growing To Terminal Length Challenge," on here. Because, til' this day I don't know where it is, and I would love to see where it is.

Dark40
February 18th, 2019, 02:37 PM
I wasn't implying *you* have under 3 yr anagen, only if someone had under that would not be able to grow ultra long.
It seems you are using this 3a against 4a (4a which is a curl pattern even if coarse) to determine growability.

I want to ask why are you relaxing your hair at 3a? I know you've mentioned managability. What is your texture after relaxing it?

Ok, now I understand what you meant. Yes, I am using this 3a and 4a which I know is a curl pattern even if coarse. Yes, my hair type is 3a and that is true that 4a is a curl pattern but the thickness of my curl pattern isn't as thick as type 4a.

Yes, you're right about me wanting to relax my hair at 3a for managability. Believe me....my hair at 3a is thick. The texture my hair after relaxing is very straight which I love. :) I can get a comb or a brush through it much more easily than if I went naturally curly at 3a. If I went natural my hair would grow in a poofy wildest...lol

Don't get me wrong....I do also love wearing my curls every once in a while too.

AutobotsAttack
February 18th, 2019, 07:24 PM
I would agree that genetics does play a role, but haircare is what allows those genetic traits to really shine through. Even if a certain individuals hair length isn’t as long as others.

My terminal length, I can guarantee is well passed Classic. I did a rough calculate some years back, and my terminal length is roughly 50-55 inches. My growth cycle is just shy of 6 years so that’s fairly average I believe. Given my height that’s somewhere between knee and calf length. Which to me is incredible, since I find a lot of information concerning black womens hair to be mincontrued and not completely accurate. I’m nearly to Classic, meaning any number of the women in my family can also achieve great lengths. Relaxed or natural.

I will say that my hair being fine, does cause breakage here and there, and sometimes can’t be avoided, but I do my absolute best to mitigate it, and I think I’ve done a bang up job so far. I too am relaxed, but I relax my hair purely for aesthetics. I had been natural for years prior, and made it to MBL/nearly waist as well, and will eventually return to my natural hair, but right now I’m just enjoying my freedom to wear my hair how I please, and I love it in both states.

Dark40
February 19th, 2019, 01:33 PM
Yes, I've always agreed that genetics to play a role in hair growth rate, length, and everything. I also always believed that you can grow long processed hair at any length you'd want. I've had relaxed hair ever since I was 6 years old, and never had any problems or issues with breakage. I had a friend that had processed ankle length hair. So, it is very possible. She was both relaxing and coloring her hair at the same time.

Ylva
February 19th, 2019, 01:41 PM
Of course genetics does play a role, but that cannot be taken out of context here. That genetics plays a role doesn't mean that there is a connection between your aunt's hair and your hair, at all.

But I hope you understand that by this point anyway, it's just that the above message didn't give me that impression.

I think what you should do, Dark40, is focus on the here and now and keep growing your hair longer rather than pondering on what your potential terminal length might or might not be. The only way for you to find that out is by getting there yourself. You will not find the answer in any relative - or friend for that matter.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 09:30 AM
I'm sorry I have to say I disagree with that. Between my hair, my father's, and aunt's is the same hair type. Especially, with the blood relation being that close.

Yiva, I have decided to grow my hair to terminal length. That is what I put in my profile. Meaning that I'm planning on growing my hair until it stops growing.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 09:52 AM
I'm sorry I have to say I disagree with that. Between my hair, my father's, and aunt's is the same hair type. Especially, with the blood relation being that close.

You can disagree as much as you want, but look at the previous page where MusicalSpoons gave a great example of how having the same hair type (or almost whatever physical feature) tells absolutely nothing about predicting one's hair growth or preservation capabilities. Knowing just the hair type does not matter, because hair type is not the deciding factor in whether one is able to grow super long hair or not.

I don't know what more to say, because this just isn't getting through to you. :shrug: You have obviously already decided that because of your aunt, you will be able to grow that kind of hair too. Now, you might be able to, but the thing is that no one can say yet, because you haven't gotten there. Why even make a thread about it if you're not open to possibilities other than what you've already decided and what pleases you?

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 10:29 AM
You can disagree as much as you want, but look at the previous page where MusicalSpoons gave a great example of how having the same hair type (or almost whatever physical feature) tells absolutely nothing about predicting one's hair growth or preservation capabilities. Knowing just the hair type does not matter, because hair type is not the deciding factor in whether one is able to grow super long hair or not.

I don't know what more to say, because this just isn't getting through to you. :shrug: You have obviously already decided that because of your aunt, you will be able to grow that kind of hair too. Now, you might be able to, but the thing is that no one can say yet, because you haven't gotten there. Why even make a thread about it if you're not open to possibilities other than what you've already decided and what pleases you?

Yeah, I've read the previous page what MusicalSpoons said, and just to let know I am almost at the length that my aunt was at when she wore her hair long. Because, my mom told me that her used to be about HL, and I'm 2 or 3 inches away from that already.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 10:38 AM
Yeah, I've read the previous page what MusicalSpoons said, and just to let know I am almost at the length that my aunt was at when she wore her hair long. Because, my mom told me that her used to be about HL, and I'm 2 or 3 inches away from that already.

Somehow I understood that you were after knee/thigh/terminal or such lengths? Hip length hair isn't very long, not long enough to sit on and not long enough to experience that much environmental damage (unless one doesn't care one bit for protecting their hair). It's relatively young hair for many people and certainly an attainable length for most people. I might even say that classic length is attainable for most people with appropriate care, whatever that may mean for each individual. But whatever the length is, there is still no direct correlation between you and your aunt, or between you and any relative, so I don't know what you are after anymore. If you are 2-3 inches away from your aunt's presumed length, why are you pondering over those 2 or 3 inches? I just wonder what the point here is.

*Wednesday*
February 20th, 2019, 11:46 AM
Ok, now I understand what you meant. Yes, I am using this 3a and 4a which I know is a curl pattern even if coarse. Yes, my hair type is 3a and that is true that 4a is a curl pattern but the thickness of my curl pattern isn't as thick as type 4a.

Yes, you're right about me wanting to relax my hair at 3a for managability. Believe me....my hair at 3a is thick. The texture my hair after relaxing is very straight which I love. :) I can get a comb or a brush through it much more easily than if I went naturally curly at 3a. If I went natural my hair would grow in a poofy wildest...lol

Don't get me wrong....I do also love wearing my curls every once in a while too.

Your hair type is noted a 3b in your sidenotes.

The community is trying to help you to understand from a scientific perspective, that the type and texture of your hair does not = how long your hair could grow or will grow.

This depends (in the aforementioned) on how long the hair’s anagen phase is which you cannot see.You cannot determine this for yourself by looking at someone else’s hair type and texture.

You did not inherit anything genetic from your paternal aunt. You inherited genetic material (partly) from your father. Your paternal aunt has different genetics than you do as you do not share her maternal DNA. You only share paternal relation via grandparents.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:04 PM
Somehow I understood that you were after knee/thigh/terminal or such lengths? Hip length hair isn't very long, not long enough to sit on and not long enough to experience that much environmental damage (unless one doesn't care one bit for protecting their hair). It's relatively young hair for many people and certainly an attainable length for most people. I might even say that classic length is attainable for most people with appropriate care, whatever that may mean for each individual. But whatever the length is, there is still no direct correlation between you and your aunt, or between you and any relative, so I don't know what you are after anymore. If you are 2-3 inches away from your aunt's presumed length, why are you pondering over those 2 or 3 inches? I just wonder what the point here is.

Yes, you did understand correctly that I was after knee/thigh/terminal or such lengths. Oh yes hip length is very long to my standards. It may not be very long to your standards but it is to mine. Anything that is past shoulder length is considered long. Hip length isn't superlong or long enough to sit on but it is long enough to go through a lot of environmental damage. Especially, if it's thick enough. I know exactly what I want, and I'm not pondering anything about 2 or 3 inches. But I am still not going to change my opinion about that I took hair after my father, and my genes after my father, and I don't have anything else to say.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 03:06 PM
Yes, you did understand correctly that I was after knee/thigh/terminal or such lengths. Oh yes hip length is very long to my standards. It may not be very long to your standards but it is to mine. Anything that is past shoulder length is considered long. Hip length isn't superlong or long enough to sit on but it is long enough to go through a lot of environmental damage. Especially, if it's thick enough. I know exactly what I want, and I'm not pondering anything about 2 or 3 inches. But I am still not going to change my opinion about that I took hair after my father, and my genes after my father, and I don't have anything else to say.

Then I am just left to wonder why you made these threads in the first place since you have already made up your mind. :shrug:

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:09 PM
Your hair type is noted a 3b in your sidenotes.

The community is trying to help you to understand from a scientific perspective, that the type and texture of your hair does not = how long your hair could grow or will grow.

This depends (in the aforementioned) on how long the hair’s anagen phase is which you cannot see.You cannot determine this for yourself by looking at someone else’s hair type and texture.

You did not inherit anything genetic from your paternal aunt. You inherited genetic material (partly) from your father. Your paternal aunt has different genetics than you do as you do not share her maternal DNA. You only share paternal relation via grandparents.

I'm sorry that's my mistake. :) I meant that my hair type is 3a. I will change that sidenote in my profile. Yes, I understand now that I can't inherit hair from my aunt. I was only just using her as an example. I know that I can only inherit hair from my father.

nycelle
February 20th, 2019, 03:14 PM
@Dark40 - do you have any pics of your hair?

lapushka
February 20th, 2019, 03:17 PM
You can disagree as much as you want, but look at the previous page where MusicalSpoons gave a great example of how having the same hair type (or almost whatever physical feature) tells absolutely nothing about predicting one's hair growth or preservation capabilities. Knowing just the hair type does not matter, because hair type is not the deciding factor in whether one is able to grow super long hair or not.

I don't know what more to say, because this just isn't getting through to you. :shrug: You have obviously already decided that because of your aunt, you will be able to grow that kind of hair too. Now, you might be able to, but the thing is that no one can say yet, because you haven't gotten there. Why even make a thread about it if you're not open to possibilities other than what you've already decided and what pleases you?

Also how you treat your hair can have an adverse effect. I know for one you chemically relax and if your parents or relative(s) didn't do that, then that says nothing at all about the ability to grow / retain length.

Yes nycelle, I would love to see pictures too. I've asked a few times, and Ligeia asked too.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:19 PM
Then I am just left to wonder why you made these threads in the first place since you have already made up your mind. :shrug:

The reason why I made these threads in the first place was to get a better understanding about hair genetics. :shrug:

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:20 PM
@nycelle Yes, I do have a picture of my hair on my profile on here. I don't know how to post them in threads.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 03:22 PM
The reason why I made these threads in the first place was to get a better understanding about hair genetics. :shrug:

Well, did you? Because as far as I understood, you're still very determined to go against science here.

And yeah, I would also love to see a fresh pic of Dark40's hair.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 03:23 PM
@nycelle Yes, I do have a picture of my hair on my profile on here. I don't know how to post them in threads.

Those pics are over a year old. We would love to see fresh pics of your current hair!

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:31 PM
Well, did you? Because as far as I understood, you're still very determined to go against science here.

And yeah, I would also love to see a fresh pic of Dark40's hair.

Yes, and no I am not going against science here. I know that i equally have genes from both my mother and father, and my mother keeps telling me that I took hair after my father. That is not going again science. I took genes after both sides of my family but mostly after my father. You need to do your research on genetics. Hair color, hair growth, eye color, and color of hair all comes from genetics. Where else does it come from?

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:32 PM
Those pics are over a year old. We would love to see fresh pics of your current hair!

Yeah, i know now those pics are a year old. You need to give me time to take some more recent pics of my current hair!

lapushka
February 20th, 2019, 03:39 PM
Yeah, i know now those pics are a year old. You need to give me time to take some more recent pics of my current hair!

That's what you said about a week ago. :p ;)

No but still, take your time, but not... forever. :)

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 03:42 PM
Yes, and no I am not going against science here. I know that i equally have genes from both my mother and father, and my mother keeps telling me that I took hair after my father. That is not going again science. I took genes after both sides of my family but mostly after my father. You need to do your research on genetics. Hair color, hair growth, eye color, and color of hair all comes from genetics. Where else does it come from?

:lol:

I need to do research on genetics? I'm sorry, but it is you who is denying facts here.

No one has said that those don't result from genetics, although hair growth isn't entirely determined by genetics. It can be affected by things like nutrition or rather lack thereof. You have missed the entire point of what some of us have been trying to explain to you, and while I know that it means nothing that I repeat this once again, I'll say it anyway: you cannot determine your terminal length or any length based on a relative's matching hair type, because even if you have the same hair type, terminal length is not determined by that, but rather is a result of many different factors, some of which are genetic and others environmental.

And no, you didn't "take genes mostly from your father". Your father's genes may SHOW more in your phenotype, but that doesn't mean you have more of them. Your mother contributed an approximately equal amount to your genome. Let's even pretend that your hair is an exact copy of your father's hair. However, your digestive system might greatly resemble that of your mother, and cause you to absorb an insufficient amount of nutrients, thus leading to shorter terminal length than what someone else might have with "your father's hair".

Mind you, nobody is saying that you aren't able to grow your hair long, or as long as your aunt had or whatever. It's just a fact that you cannot determine any potential length in the way that you are wanting to do that, because you simply don't possess enough information. It's always going to be a guess at best.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 03:43 PM
That's what you said about a week ago. :p ;)

No but still, take your time, but not... forever. :)

Yes, I know. I'm having trouble finding someone to take the pictures for me. :p ;)

No, I won't take forever. :)

nycelle
February 20th, 2019, 03:50 PM
So the pics in your album show hair that's just past shoulders.
If they're over a year old, and since you relax, you should be around mid-back by now, right?
I think at this point, you should have a good idea at how much your hair grows and if you can reach the longer lengths like your aunt did.

@Ylva, deep breaths...

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 03:52 PM
@Ylva, deep breaths...

:horse::horse::horse::horse:

That's me beating a dead horse with my four genetically formed arms right now.

lapushka
February 20th, 2019, 03:53 PM
Yes, I know. I'm having trouble finding someone to take the pictures for me. :p ;)

No, I won't take forever. :)

If you are able-bodied, there's a self-timer button on every camera. :)

*Wednesday*
February 20th, 2019, 04:07 PM
I'm sorry that's my mistake. :) I meant that my hair type is 3a. I will change that sidenote in my profile. Yes, I understand now that I can't inherit hair from my aunt. I was only just using her as an example. I know that I can only inherit hair from my father.

I'm just having a very hard time figuring you. You had 3b, but are a 3a but on this thread (below) Legeia and Lapushka are your "hair twin" who both have 2b/c hair?
I looked at your Feb 2018 photo. Can I be honest? It appears to be relaxed 4 type hair. Unless you have photos of pre-relaxed hair?

"I would say Ligeia Noire, is my hair twin on here, and also Lapushka." -Dark40
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146565&page=8&highlight=dark40

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 04:25 PM
I'm just having a very hard time figuring you. You had 3b, but are a 3a but on this thread (below) Legeia and Lapushka are your "hair twin" who both have 2b/c hair?
I looked at your Feb 2018 photo. Can I be honest? It appears to be relaxed 4 type hair. Unless you have photos of pre-relaxed hair?

"I would say Ligeia Noire, is my hair twin on here, and also Lapushka." -Dark40
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146565&page=8&highlight=dark40

Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed. It was naturally curly 3a very thick. If you google 4a type hair you see the curl pattern is a lot thicker than 3a type. My hair is not like that. My hair is a soft grain by a thick in diameter. I don't know how thick it is in diameter. But my hair is very soft.

Yeah, I would also say Lapushka and Ligeia Noire are your hair twins too.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 04:32 PM
So the pics in your album show hair that's just past shoulders.
If they're over a year old, and since you relax, you should be around mid-back by now, right?
I think at this point, you should have a good idea at how much your hair grows and if you can reach the longer lengths like your aunt did.

@Ylva, deep breaths...

Yes, in the photos my album it shows pass shoulders in the front but in the back it was MBL. So, now my hair is WL+ about 2 or 3 inches above HL My hair hasn't been shoulder length since 2010 when I first joined here.. Yes, I pretty much now have an idea of how much my hair grows and know that I can reach longer lengths like my aunt did.

lapushka
February 20th, 2019, 04:55 PM
Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed. It was naturally curly 3a very thick. If you google 4a type hair you see the curl pattern is a lot thicker than 3a type. My hair is not like that. My hair is a soft grain by a thick in diameter. I don't know how thick it is in diameter. But my hair is very soft.

Yeah, I would also say Lapushka and Ligeia Noire are your hair twins too.

You said "your", not Wednesday's?

Wait, now I am *really* confused. :lol:

littlestarface
February 20th, 2019, 05:01 PM
Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed. It was naturally curly 3a very thick. If you google 4a type hair you see the curl pattern is a lot thicker than 3a type. My hair is not like that. My hair is a soft grain by a thick in diameter. I don't know how thick it is in diameter. But my hair is very soft.

Yeah, I would also say Lapushka and Ligeia Noire are your hair twins too.

But I thought you said you have been relaxing your hair since you was 6.


Yes, I've always agreed that genetics to play a role in hair growth rate, length, and everything. I also always believed that you can grow long processed hair at any length you'd want. I've had relaxed hair ever since I was 6 years old, and never had any problems or issues with breakage. I had a friend that had processed ankle length hair. So, it is very possible. She was both relaxing and coloring her hair at the same time.

amiraaah
February 20th, 2019, 05:01 PM
I want to see hair pictures too please. If you do not know how to upload them in threads use postimage.org or even upload them in your profile.

I have little to no information when it comes to biology but all i can say is: you cannot assume that your hair can reach a certain length. You said waist+ which is your current hair length is the longest your hair has ever been. Just continue growing your hair and see how things go. If your aunt or your father or mother (any relative you have) can grow very long hair, this doesn’t mean you can too. Also hair textures and types mean nothing when it comes to growth. Finally, i think you are convinced that since you have “iii”thick hair, you can grow it so long. I cannot say this is right or wrong.however, there is alot of evidence that this is not true. Taper can happen in both thick and thin hair. My friend for example has a very thick hair but it tapers whenever it reaches mid-back length. Her aunt and cousin have the same hair type and color like hers and her fathers (both of them keep their hair classic-midthigh and her cousin has the potential to grow longer hair because her hair reached knee before). But her hair doesn’t get longer than midback at all.

Edit: i also want to ask you something if the situation is different, i mean if your aunt’s hair cannot grow past -let’s say- hip length, would you assume that your terminal length is also hip length just because hers is hip length?

nycelle
February 20th, 2019, 05:12 PM
Any reason why you relax 3a hair? Those are some nice curls.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 05:52 PM
@nycelle, Thank you! Yes, I relax my hair for managability. I don't relax that often. Only 3 times out of the year.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 05:54 PM
But I thought you said you have been relaxing your hair since you was 6.

Yes, I had been relaxing my hair since I was 6. Back then I was using relaxers made for kids. They are very mild. Then, as I go older I moved onto using the relaxers made for adults.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 05:57 PM
Yiva, here is a video that tells you how genetics determines your hair growth and terminal length:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHHEenuekbo

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 06:04 PM
Yiva, here is a video that tells you how genetics determines your hair growth and terminal length:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHHEenuekbo

None of what is said in that video goes against what I explained to you on the previous page of this thread. In the video, she explains the genetics part of hair growth and terminal length, but does not mention anything about environmental factors that affect them. Why? Because that video is about the genetics of hair growth and terminal length, but that's just one part of it. You are definitely not reading what I write to you, perhaps just the first sentence and then ignoring the rest.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 06:14 PM
I want to see hair pictures too please. If you do not know how to upload them in threads use postimage.org or even upload them in your profile.

I have little to no information when it comes to biology but all i can say is: you cannot assume that your hair can reach a certain length. You said waist+ which is your current hair length is the longest your hair has ever been. Just continue growing your hair and see how things go. If your aunt or your father or mother (any relative you have) can grow very long hair, this doesn’t mean you can too. Also hair textures and types mean nothing when it comes to growth. Finally, i think you are convinced that since you have “iii”thick hair, you can grow it so long. I cannot say this is right or wrong.however, there is alot of evidence that this is not true. Taper can happen in both thick and thin hair. My friend for example has a very thick hair but it tapers whenever it reaches mid-back length. Her aunt and cousin have the same hair type and color like hers and her fathers (both of them keep their hair classic-midthigh and her cousin has the potential to grow longer hair because her hair reached knee before). But her hair doesn’t get longer than midback at all.

Edit: i also want to ask you something if the situation is different, i mean if your aunt’s hair cannot grow past -let’s say- hip length, would you assume that your terminal length is also hip length just because hers is hip length?

Yes, I'm going to keep working at growing my hair to see how long it grows, and take it from there. That's m problem. I'm not sure if let's say my aunt's hair cannot grow past hip length.....I'm not sure that would also be my terminal length either, and I'm also assuming that my terminal length could be a lot longer.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 06:25 PM
None of what is said in that video goes against what I explained to you on the previous page of this thread. In the video, she explains the genetics part of hair growth and terminal length, but does not mention anything about environmental factors that affect them. Why? Because that video is about the genetics of hair growth and terminal length, but that's just one part of it. You are definitely not reading what I write to you, perhaps just the first sentence and then ignoring the rest.

Yeah, I've read every word you said. You said in earlier posts that me inheriting hair from my father doesn't determine hair growth, terminal length, or hair texture, and what I've been trying to explain to you is that genetics does have a lot to do with hair type, hair growth, texture, and and terminal length.

littlestarface
February 20th, 2019, 06:26 PM
Yes, I had been relaxing my hair since I was 6. Back then I was using relaxers made for kids. They are very mild. Then, as I go older I moved onto using the relaxers made for adults.

But you just said! Ooookay dude *slams desk*

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 06:29 PM
Yeah, I've read every word you said. You said in earlier posts that me inheriting hair from my father doesn't determine hair growth, terminal length, or hair texture, and what I've been trying to explain to you is that genetics does have a lot to do with hair type, hair growth, texture, and and terminal length.

Nope, never said that, so I think you'll have to go back and read through my posts again and actually take some time to understand the contents.

lunalocks
February 20th, 2019, 06:35 PM
You never know. My aunt had hair probably TB until she cut it when she was in her 50's (she cried and cried). I have hair just about knee, and I suspect I am about terminal here, and my first cousin - also had same aunt - can't grow her hair beyond her shoulders. She doesn't dye, curl or use heat. Luck of the draw, I say.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 06:47 PM
You are definitely right. You never know. My mom told me my aunt had TB hair until she cut it in her 20's, and til' this day I have never had the chance to see her with it. :( How long have you been having knee length hair? I guess with some people as you get older the hair just doesn't grow any longer. But if you and your cousin had the same aunt - your aunt's hair should be able to grow back to TB, right?

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 06:52 PM
Nope, never said that, so I think you'll have to go back and read through my posts again and actually take some time to understand the contents.

Oh, ok. Well, I apologize for saying that you did. I do understand your contents.

*Wednesday*
February 20th, 2019, 07:39 PM
You told nycelle you relax 3 times out of the year for managability.


@nycelle, Thank you! Yes, I relax my hair for managability. I don't relax that often. Only 3 times out of the year.

This.


Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed. It was naturally curly 3a very thick. If you google 4a....

Yes it was relaxed. You said 3 times a year.
That photo your hair is relaxed.

Feb 15 2018 - Relaxed Hair thread.

"Checking in, today I've just relaxed my hair with Bantu Regular Strength Relaxer, and I've deep conditioned with my ORS Replenishing Conditioner. It came out amazingly bone straight! Now, I'm sitting here with it wet, and I'm letting it air-dry up to 6 or 7 hours. I can't wait to see the end" - Dark40
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=145384&page=7

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 08:14 PM
You told nycelle you relax 3 times out of the year for managability.



This.



Yes it was relaxed. You said 3 times a year.
That photo your hair is relaxed.

Feb 15 2018 - Relaxed Hair thread.

"Checking in, today I've just relaxed my hair with Bantu Regular Strength Relaxer, and I've deep conditioned with my ORS Replenishing Conditioner. It came out amazingly bone straight! Now, I'm sitting here with it wet, and I'm letting it air-dry up to 6 or 7 hours. I can't wait to see the end" - Dark40
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=145384&page=7

Yes, that's right. In the February 15th 2018 photo my hair is relaxed. I relax my hair every 4 months. I don't do it every 6-8 weeks like some people do. That is too often for me. My hair doesn't need it that often. I can stretch out my relaxers to 12 weeks.

Ylva
February 20th, 2019, 08:15 PM
Yes, that's right. In the February 15th 2018 photo my hair is relaxed. I relax my hair every 4 months. I don't do it every 6-8 weeks like some people do. That is too often for me. My hair doesn't need it that often. I can stretch out my relaxers to 12 weeks.

Am I just really bad at maths or...?

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 08:24 PM
Am I just really bad at maths or...?

I'm sorry....I meant every 16 weeks....No, you're not bad at maths....

Crystawni
February 20th, 2019, 08:24 PM
As usual, we're left confused and at a loss by contradictions in replies. Like:


Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed. It was naturally curly 3a very thick. If you google 4a type hair you see the curl pattern is a lot thicker than 3a type. My hair is not like that. My hair is a soft grain by a thick in diameter. I don't know how thick it is in diameter. But my hair is very soft.

Yeah, I would also say Lapushka and Ligeia Noire are your hair twins too.


Yes, that's right. In the February 15th 2018 photo my hair is relaxed. I relax my hair every 4 months. I don't do it every 6-8 weeks like some people do. That is too often for me. My hair doesn't need it that often. I can stretch out my relaxers to 12 weeks.

:slap:

I have nothing to add to the in-depth replies that have been so patiently offered.

Dark40
February 20th, 2019, 08:27 PM
As usual, we're left confused and at a loss by contradictions in replies. Like:





:slap:

I have nothing to add to the in-depth replies that have been so patiently offered.

I'm sorry I apologize for that. Yes, it was relaxed on the ends but not relaxed at the roots for a long while. In those photos on my album my hair hadn't been relaxed in 6 months. But now currently it is relaxed.

AutobotsAttack
February 20th, 2019, 11:09 PM
I think there’s a bit of a communication block in getting the points across. I think it’s okay to just mention specificity.
@ Dark40, I think you should’ve mentioned this:


In those photos on my album my hair hadn't been relaxed in 6 months. But now currently it is relaxed.

A bit sooner in this particular thread. Not trying to assume, but I think some of the ladies thought you had completely virgin hair. For what it’s worth, It probably would’ve cut down on the confusion if you stated that you stretch relaxers for any given amount of time, and then stated at what time you relaxed the newly grown, not yet processed hair.

I could be wrong, but this is just what I’m getting from all the replies.

amiraaah
February 21st, 2019, 04:37 AM
Yes, I'm going to keep working at growing my hair to see how long it grows, and take it from there. That's m problem. I'm not sure if let's say my aunt's hair cannot grow past hip length.....I'm not sure that would also be my terminal length either, and I'm also assuming that my terminal length could be a lot longer.

Exactly this is what i’m trying to say you cannot assume your terminal length based on your aunt’s and you cannot assume your potential of growth also based on your aunt’s just because you both have the same textures.

I don’t know if i should say this but i do not think this thread is about your aunt and genetics . When i asked you that terminal length question; you said something i cannot really understand “i’m also assuming that my terminal length could be alot longer”. Yes it could,but it may be also alot shorter.just do not make assumptions at all. Based on what you have been saying i think it’s all about convincing yourself and maybe us that your hair will 100% grow very long which maybe right and maybe wrong . You don’t want to see both possibilties.

lapushka
February 21st, 2019, 07:09 AM
Exactly this is what i’m trying to say you cannot assume your terminal length based on your aunt’s and you cannot assume your potential of growth also based on your aunt’s just because you both have the same textures.

I don’t know if i should say this but i do not think this thread is about your aunt and genetics . When i asked you that terminal length question; you said something i cannot really understand “i’m also assuming that my terminal length could be alot longer”. Yes it could,but it may be also alot shorter.just do not make assumptions at all. Based on what you have been saying i think it’s all about convincing yourself and maybe us that your hair will 100% grow very long which maybe right and maybe wrong . You don’t want to see both possibilties.

Yes, I oddly get that vibe too.

I think I am about dying to see a picture now. Dark, how's it going with that? Don't keep us in suspense. :) You could even easily snap one with a phone & mirror if need be; just to update us.

*Wednesday*
February 21st, 2019, 07:54 AM
The photo at first wasn't relaxed.


Wednesday, i know it's confusing but in that February photo of 2018 my hair wasn't relaxed.....

Now it is. Thanks for dating the photo to match your post on the relaxed hair thread.


Yes, that's right. In the February 15th 2018 photo my hair is relaxed. ....

I think you are unsure about your hair type and "typing" it after you relax it. However, I see no 3a or 3b curls and definitely not 2 b/c like Ligia or Lapushka as you claimed them as "hair twins."
As far as your length 2/3 inches from hip? You know the truth at night when your head is on the pillow.

KlutzyChy1
February 21st, 2019, 10:12 AM
My mother was tall with stick straight, blonde hair & blue eyes; my father is short with light brunette curly hair &brown eyes; & my brothers father was average height with wavy dark brown hair & brown eyes.

I'm very short, a natural brunette & I have brown eyes like my father, but my brother is tall, with stick straight blonde hair & blue eyes. However, my facial features resemble that of my mother's. People tell me I look like her & nothing like my father.

So I think it's a bit hard to predict how long your hair could be based on that of a family member because genetics can vary quite a bit.

I think it's best to not worry so much about how long your hair may or may not be able to grow & instead focus on eating a healthy diet & babying your hair as much as you can & seeing how it responds.

I know this can be a very hard journey, trust me, but I think its best to try and enjoy it and see how your hair grows and changes with proper care instead of worrying so much about what the end product might be.

lunalocks
February 21st, 2019, 10:13 AM
You are definitely right. You never know. My mom told me my aunt had TB hair until she cut it in her 20's, and til' this day I have never had the chance to see her with it. :( How long have you been having knee length hair? I guess with some people as you get older the hair just doesn't grow any longer. But if you and your cousin had the same aunt - your aunt's hair should be able to grow back to TB, right?

If she were still alive. But she cut it and wore it short for the rest of her life. She and my mom (they were sisters) also had a cousin whose hair was very long, but I never saw it down.

Reservechic
February 21st, 2019, 12:07 PM
In regards to my personal, family background, it consists of Caucasian, African (referring to my slave ancestors that came before me), Mexican, and people who identify racially as Black but are a mix of races). The Caucasian side of my family has hair that genetically grows long, and so does the Mexican side, and the individuals in my family that go as Black that are of a cultural mix, like myself, most of us have hair that grows to long lengths easily. My mother had long hair, however, her hair is at a shorter length now, because that's how she prefers it. Me and my sister we've always had hair that would grow out very long, before it would get cut. So, I grew up around all different hair types and hair textures. And, yes, I was used to being around individuals that had very long hair from a real young age. In my family, I just considered such to be natural. I can only attest to the long hair growth that I have always been able to achieve due to my multicultural genetic DNA. Now, I don't identify my hair as being "mixed race hair" because, I'm sure most people in this world are of a cultural mix, genetically, and none of us have the same identical hair, so I just see my long naturally curly hair as being a personal reflection of me, and not trying to lump it into one thing, everyone's hair is so specially unique and diverse in its own right.

lapushka
February 21st, 2019, 02:39 PM
In regards to my personal, family background, it consists of Caucasian, African (referring to my slave ancestors that came before me), Mexican, and people who identify racially as Black but are a mix of races). The Caucasian side of my family has hair that genetically grows long, and so does the Mexican side, and the individuals in my family that go as Black that are of a cultural mix, like myself, most of us have hair that grows to long lengths easily. My mother had long hair, however, her hair is at a shorter length now, because that's how she prefers it. Me and my sister we've always had hair that would grow out very long, before it would get cut. So, I grew up around all different hair types and hair textures. And, yes, I was used to being around individuals that had very long hair from a real young age. In my family, I just considered such to be natural. I can only attest to the long hair growth that I have always been able to achieve due to my multicultural genetic DNA. Now, I don't identify my hair as being "mixed race hair" because, I'm sure most people in this world are of a cultural mix, genetically, and none of us have the same identical hair, so I just see my long naturally curly hair as being a personal reflection of me, and not trying to lump it into one thing, everyone's hair is so specially unique and diverse in its own right.

Very nicely put. :)

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 02:59 PM
I think there’s a bit of a communication block in getting the points across. I think it’s okay to just mention specificity.
@ Dark40, I think you should’ve mentioned this:



A bit sooner in this particular thread. Not trying to assume, but I think some of the ladies thought you had completely virgin hair. For what it’s worth, It probably would’ve cut down on the confusion if you stated that you stretch relaxers for any given amount of time, and then stated at what time you relaxed the newly grown, not yet processed hair.

I could be wrong, but this is just what I’m getting from all the replies.

Yes, you are right. I should have said it hadn't been relaxed in 6 months. Yeah, I'm also thinking that some of the ladies thought that I had completely virgin hair too. I agree. for what it's worth it probably would've cut down in the confusion if I had stated that I stretch relaxers for a given amount of time, and then state at what time I relaxed the newly grown, not yet processed hair.

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 03:11 PM
The photo at first wasn't relaxed.



Now it is. Thanks for dating the photo to match your post on the relaxed hair thread.



I think you are unsure about your hair type and "typing" it after you relax it. However, I see no 3a or 3b curls and definitely not 2 b/c like Ligia or Lapushka as you claimed them as "hair twins."
As far as your length 2/3 inches from hip? You know the truth at night when your head is on the pillow.

No, I know exactly what my hair type is after relaxing it, and it's certainly not 4a or 4b. My hair is thick but not that thick.

Here are some photos of type 4a hair:

https://www.google.com/search?q=type+4a+hair&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhleWk6s3gAhULYK0KHScvAnIQ7AkoAXoECAQQD Q&biw=1422&bih=688&dpr=1.13

This is the type of hair I have without a relaxer:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1422&bih=688&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=MiBvXNz4BtCisAXf3IS4CA&q=type+3a+hair&oq=type+3a+ha&gs_l=img.1.0.0l4j0i8i30l6.64142.67802..70973...0.0 ..0.69.600.12......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67.8aK4zXRAYFY

And about length...it is the truth that when I measure my hair from the back in falls to a little past my waist, and I've measured have done my math that it is 2/3 inches away from hip length on me. Waist and hip length are different on different people. I'm short and have a short torso. So, that's why I said that, and those photos are a year old. So, that ought to tell you that by now I should have some growth, in which I do. A lot of new growth.

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 03:53 PM
Yes, I oddly get that vibe too.

I think I am about dying to see a picture now. Dark, how's it going with that? Don't keep us in suspense. :) You could even easily snap one with a phone & mirror if need be; just to update us.

Ok, I've uploaded another picture in my photo album. I'm not keeping yall in suspense. :) I don't have a phone where I can snap in a mirror.

lapushka
February 21st, 2019, 03:56 PM
Ok, I've uploaded another picture in my photo album. I'm not keeping yall in suspense. :) I don't have a phone where I can snap in a mirror.

I'll take a look! :) Kind of hard to see how long it actually is, but it does seem longer than it was.

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 03:57 PM
Exactly this is what i’m trying to say you cannot assume your terminal length based on your aunt’s and you cannot assume your potential of growth also based on your aunt’s just because you both have the same textures.

I don’t know if i should say this but i do not think this thread is about your aunt and genetics . When i asked you that terminal length question; you said something i cannot really understand “i’m also assuming that my terminal length could be alot longer”. Yes it could,but it may be also alot shorter.just do not make assumptions at all. Based on what you have been saying i think it’s all about convincing yourself and maybe us that your hair will 100% grow very long which maybe right and maybe wrong . You don’t want to see both possibilties.

Oh yeah, I know or understand that now. I'm sorry if you misunderstand me but it was a typo error. I was saying "a lot longer." Well, like I've told, "Wednesday," my hair is almost at hip length, and that's about how long I think my aunt's hair was before she cut it.

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 03:59 PM
I'll take a look! :) Kind of hard to see how long it actually is, but it does seem longer than it was.

Ok. :) Yes, I was taking it from a camera on my computer. It wouldn't let me get far enough to show the length. But yes, since last year I've grown a lot!

BerrySara
February 21st, 2019, 04:02 PM
Ok. :) Yes, I was taking it from a camera on my computer. It wouldn't let me get far enough to show the length. But yes, since last year I've grown a lot!

I agree, it looks longer :) Happy growing! Since you are almost a hip length, you have almost achieved the length your aunt had! Congrats and happy continuous growing!

Sparkles122
February 21st, 2019, 04:38 PM
Dark40 Your hair looks very nice in the picture. I cant comment on genetics because I honestly have no idea. My mom keeps her hair very short and so do both her sisters (my aunts). When she used to have it longer she never let it get past shoulder length. One of my aunts used to have longer hair also but never let it go past waist. I also have 2 sisters and have never seen their hair past waist. My grandmother also keeps her hair short but when she was much younger she did have hip length hair. I dont communicate with anyone on my father side. My hair has been hip length almost bcl so I think I have had the longest in my family.

Dark40
February 21st, 2019, 07:55 PM
BerrySara, Thank you! I'm glad you've noticed the new growth! Happy continuous growing to you too!

Sparkles122, Thank you! :) That's ok about not commenting about the genetics part. For many years my mom has kept her hair short up until she got in her 60s, and after that she grew her hair out to BSL. So, it's been at that length for 5 years now, and my aunt keeps her hair cut short these days. I don't think she's going to ever let her hair grow back again. Because, she doesn't like it. You are so blessed to have had hip length hair, and almost bcl hair as well. I bet you are the one that has the longest hair in your family.

GrowlingCupcake
February 21st, 2019, 08:48 PM
This thread is just... mind boggling.

I would happily add to the discussion of genetics as it is one of my favourite topics, but I think it has been covered pretty well by those before me xD

Dark40, it's hard to see the full length from the shot, but I realise that is difficult for you; does your computer's camera have a timer function? That might work for a length shot. It definitely looks like it has grown a fair amount, so that's great! I cannot comment on your texture as you relax your hair, but it does look very thick; what's your ponytail circumference like?

Hopefully you will have a long terminal :) I'm hoping my terminal goes to knee at least! I have no idea what potential genetic factors would come into play for me since, as far as I know, none of my relatives have grown their hair out to terminal length. I believe I currently have the longest hair any of them have had (immediate family, cousins, genetically related uncles/aunts, and grandparents), and I am also the tallest out of the lot so going by inches, it's a far amount more.

blackgothicdoll
February 22nd, 2019, 12:20 AM
Thank you for posting your hair Dark, though I don't believe you had to. I'm really not sure what this thread is about anymore.

Point a.) I guess we all aren't familiar with your hair texture, so we can't fully answer your questions, however

b.) If you think that having type 3 hair means you an grow hair longer than if you had type 4 hair, I strongly disagree with you. Look at herlucidsky on Fotki, who is nearing knee length with her type 4 natural hair. I'm sure she's not the only one, but the only reason you'll find a hard time finding type 4s with very long hair is because of shrinkage, or simply the lack of people who find type 4 hair attractive enough to post pictures of it on social media. I have a hard time posting pictures of my own hair, but I have to love it myself if I expect anyone else to. Neither here nor there. On to:

c.) We can't really get a good gist of your hair from the pics you posted, and maybe using a self timer and turning around would help, but again, you're not obligated to post pictures. It would just be helpful if it were to help answer questions you have. I think a lot of people are confused about your comments, but it may help to understand that you stretch relaxers, when you state you haven't had a relaxer you are saying you haven't had a relaxer in a longer amount of time (i.e. your hair is not freshly relaxed), your relaxed hair is a different texture than your natural texture.

and d.) as I stated before, and others have, your hair is your hair. It is not dependent upon your father's or your mothers', and if you are thinking your father's hair texture is more capable of growing longer than your mother's hair texture, I would dissuade thinking that way. That thought about curl patterns is backwards thinking and highly negative, and it hurts when I read of people still thinking that way. It is such a sensitive subject even in 2019, but the negativity towards type 4x hair just has not gone away. I truly believe that caring for your hair makes all of the difference. I do not believe that any type of hair needs a relaxer (though I am not saying that you should not use them, as that is personal preference) to be professional, attractive or grow long.

In summary, just hang in for the ride and grow your hair as long as you can. Put on your racing shutters and just go for it. It's all you and it's all personal.

lapushka
February 22nd, 2019, 04:46 AM
c.) We can't really get a good gist of your hair from the pics you posted, and maybe using a self timer and turning around would help, but again, you're not obligated to post pictures. It would just be helpful if it were to help answer questions you have. I think a lot of people are confused about your comments, but it may help to understand that you stretch relaxers, when you state you haven't had a relaxer you are saying you haven't had a relaxer in a longer amount of time (i.e. your hair is not freshly relaxed), your relaxed hair is a different texture than your natural texture.

I think we were all just very curious as this is about the second thread on really long length genetics that she has, and the picture in her profile did not quite reflect that at all. Which of course would make anyone wonder.


In summary, just hang in for the ride and grow your hair as long as you can. Put on your racing shutters and just go for it. It's all you and it's all personal.

Yes just see how far you get! No need to worry yourself sick up front with assumptions!

Have *fun* in your journey; that's what it's all about anyway, Dark!

Ylva
February 22nd, 2019, 10:15 AM
I think we were all just very curious as this is about the second thread on really long length genetics that she has, and the picture in her profile did not quite reflect that at all. Which of course would make anyone wonder.

I can't say I see the mentioned growth in this fresh photo either, since it fades into the shadow in the front, and on the shoulders, I see some hairs that are slightly past shoulder length, resting on the shoulders. Certainly not past waist, those hairs, so can't say more than that about the photo I guess. :shrug: But of course, someone's hair length is none of my business in the end; like you said, just wondering because of the bright spotlight Dark40 has placed on his/her hair, growth and genetics. Would make anyone a bit curious, that!

GrowlingCupcake
February 22nd, 2019, 10:23 AM
I can't say I see the mentioned growth in this fresh photo either, since it fades into the shadow in the front, and on the shoulders, I see some hairs that are slightly past shoulder length, resting on the shoulders. Certainly not past waist, those hairs, so can't say more than that about the photo I guess. :shrug: But of course, someone's hair length is none of my business in the end; like you said, just wondering because of the bright spotlight Dark40 has placed on his/her hair, growth and genetics. Would make anyone a bit curious, that!

For me, the hair seems to be at least APL because of how the hair hangs; it looks like there must be some more below it, like it's being pulled down. But more than that? No idea.

*Wednesday*
February 22nd, 2019, 11:44 AM
No, I know exactly what my hair type is after relaxing it, and it's certainly not 4a or 4b. My hair is thick but not that thick.

Here are some photos of type 4a hair:

https://www.google.com/search?q=type+4a+hair&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhleWk6s3gAhULYK0KHScvAnIQ7AkoAXoECAQQD Q&biw=1422&bih=688&dpr=1.13

This is the type of hair I have without a relaxer:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1422&bih=688&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=MiBvXNz4BtCisAXf3IS4CA&q=type+3a+hair&oq=type+3a+ha&gs_l=img.1.0.0l4j0i8i30l6.64142.67802..70973...0.0 ..0.69.600.12......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0i67.8aK4zXRAYFY

And about length...it is the truth that when I measure my hair from the back in falls to a little past my waist, and I've measured have done my math that it is 2/3 inches away from hip length on me. Waist and hip length are different on different people. I'm short and have a short torso. So, that's why I said that, and those photos are a year old. So, that ought to tell you that by now I should have some growth, in which I do. A lot of new growth.


I know what type 4 looks like. Those girls are natural. You are playing the strawman now with 4 type natural and 3’s. Here is a type 4 relaxed hair. She’s is like you, relaxed. Type 4’s can have fine soft hair as well or have coarse.

https://goo.gl/images/WcD2eb

You opened up Pandora’s box with this 3a and 4 types. The picture I see in your profile is chemically straightened as you noted. None of which has any similarity to the examples you posted with Google of 3a’s. If you had 3a, what a shame you straightened it. The new picture you posted is too dark, Dark40. Firstly, I’ve never seen a 3a chemically relax their hair. Blow out yes, chemicals no. If any 3a’s on LHC chemically straightened, I’d like to know. 3a is a very loose curl. 3c’s, gets tighter. For shiz and giggles, this is one of the examples that came up in your link. I believe this is Mya. You chemically straighten this? Really?

https://goo.gl/images/oJD3T3

MusicalSpoons
February 22nd, 2019, 12:45 PM
You chemically straighten this? Really?

https://goo.gl/images/oJD3T3

I wasn't going to respond any further in this thread, but - Dark40 says she's relaxed her hair since she was 6 to make it more manageable. It might be that her mother found it easier to manage, and there might be a reason why it's hard to learn to care for curly hair when it's been relaxed - i.e. straight - her whole life. If so, yes I think it would be unusual to have 3a hair relaxed in the first place but my point is, we don't know the rest of her circumstances and therefore we should not be so quick to judge or disbelieve. A bit of understanding and willingness to let some things go would go a long way. It could also be that someone told her that her hair was 3a and they were mistaken, but having it relaxed regularly might make it difficult to realise the mistake. Again, my point is, we don't know - and we also shouldn't assume that everyone notices and understands things in the same way, because we're all different :shrug:

I get that threads like this are frustrating, I really do - but ultimately, does it matter that much? Anyone else coming along and reading the thread in order to genuinely learn will do so, and learn from the scientific arguments presented. If someone either chooses to ignore what's been written, or doesn't quite understand it, ultimately there's only so much we can say and only so much energy we can give to the matter.

Dark40 I hope nothing I've written is out of line - like I said, we don't know everything about your situation and what I wrote above is just some possible explanations - but it could be totally wrong and really it's none of my business! So I'm going to leave it at that :blossom:

amiraaah
February 22nd, 2019, 01:14 PM
I wanted to see your hair picture too dark because i was curious! I saw the picture and i can neither see your hair length nor your natural hair texture since your hair is relaxed. So i can never make assumptions about your texture or length. I mean it’s your hair so you know better. At the end of the day if your hair is 4’s or 3’s waist+ or shoulder or mbl..... it’s yours and this will never harm any of us if you are portraying your hair to be something it isn’t.

I have curly hair 2c/3a and if i went out saying i have straight hair. This is none of anybody’s business but i will be fooling no one but myself. Not only that but i will also be hating on a hair type that many people have which is a shame. (I’m not saying you are doing this because i don’t know if you’re).

Dark40
February 22nd, 2019, 05:00 PM
I know what type 4 looks like. Those girls are natural. You are playing the strawman now with 4 type natural and 3’s. Here is a type 4 relaxed hair. She’s is like you, relaxed. Type 4’s can have fine soft hair as well or have coarse.

https://goo.gl/images/WcD2eb

You opened up Pandora’s box with this 3a and 4 types. The picture I see in your profile is chemically straightened as you noted. None of which has any similarity to the examples you posted with Google of 3a’s. If you had 3a, what a shame you straightened it. The new picture you posted is too dark, Dark40. Firstly, I’ve never seen a 3a chemically relax their hair. Blow out yes, chemicals no. If any 3a’s on LHC chemically straightened, I’d like to know. 3a is a very loose curl. 3c’s, gets tighter. For shiz and giggles, this is one of the examples that came up in your link. I believe this is Mya. You chemically straighten this? Really?

https://goo.gl/images/oJD3T3

Yeah, I know those girls are natural. I am not playing the strawman now with 4 type natural and 3's. I know for a fact that with my hair being relaxed it doesn't look like the first link person's hair. Relaxed are not I have a softer grain of hair than that girl's hair. There is nothing wrong with relaxing 3a hair or hair in the 3's. Ever since I was 6 yrs old my mom felt that relaxing would help my hair to be more manageable than to have it thick and curly. Wednesday, that picture is that dark is another person can see it. If it's too dark for you than I'm sorry. That's the best that I can do until I get a cell phone with a camera with better lighting. Well, I guess I'm the first one here on LHC that has 3 type hair that chemically straightens.

And let me tell you something else. I have a girlfriend from high school that is also my hair twin as well in real life, and she her natural hair texture is 3 as well. We both have the same curl pattern and thickness, and she caucasian or she's Greek. She had started relaxing her 3 type hair 30 years ago, and she had hip length very healthy straight hair. There is nothing wrong with having chemically straightened hair. It can also be as healthy as natural hair with no chemicals. Especially, if you take good care of it.

*Wednesday*
February 22nd, 2019, 05:19 PM
Yeah, I know those girls are natural. I am not playing the strawman now with 4 type natural and 3's. I know for a fact that with my hair being relaxed it doesn't look like the first link person's hair. Relaxed are not I have a softer grain of hair than that girl's hair. There is nothing wrong with relaxing 3a hair or hair in the 3's. Ever since I was 6 yrs old my mom felt that relaxing would help my hair to be more manageable than to have it thick and curly. Wednesday, that picture is that dark is another person can see it. If it's too dark for you than I'm sorry. That's the best that I can do until I get a cell phone with a camera with better lighting. Well, I guess I'm the first one here on LHC that has 3 type hair that chemically straightens.

And let me tell you something else. I have a girlfriend from high school that is also my hair twin as well in real life, and she her natural hair texture is 3 as well. We both have the same curl pattern and thickness, and she caucasian or she's Greek. She had started relaxing her 3 type hair 30 years ago, and she had hip length very healthy straight hair. There is nothing wrong with having chemically straightened hair. It can also be as healthy as natural hair with no chemicals. Especially, if you take good care of it.

Your hair has more growth and that's the goal.

Dark40
February 22nd, 2019, 06:01 PM
Your hair has more growth and that's the goal.

Yes, that is what is more important.

Hairkay
February 24th, 2019, 12:50 PM
Thank you for posting your hair Dark, though I don't believe you had to. I'm really not sure what this thread is about anymore.

Point a.) I guess we all aren't familiar with your hair texture, so we can't fully answer your questions, however

b.) If you think that having type 3 hair means you an grow hair longer than if you had type 4 hair, I strongly disagree with you. Look at herlucidsky on Fotki, who is nearing knee length with her type 4 natural hair. I'm sure she's not the only one, but the only reason you'll find a hard time finding type 4s with very long hair is because of shrinkage, or simply the lack of people who find type 4 hair attractive enough to post pictures of it on social media. I have a hard time posting pictures of my own hair, but I have to love it myself if I expect anyone else to. Neither here nor there. On to:

c.) We can't really get a good gist of your hair from the pics you posted, and maybe using a self timer and turning around would help, but again, you're not obligated to post pictures. It would just be helpful if it were to help answer questions you have. I think a lot of people are confused about your comments, but it may help to understand that you stretch relaxers, when you state you haven't had a relaxer you are saying you haven't had a relaxer in a longer amount of time (i.e. your hair is not freshly relaxed), your relaxed hair is a different texture than your natural texture.

and d.) as I stated before, and others have, your hair is your hair. It is not dependent upon your father's or your mothers', and if you are thinking your father's hair texture is more capable of growing longer than your mother's hair texture, I would dissuade thinking that way. That thought about curl patterns is backwards thinking and highly negative, and it hurts when I read of people still thinking that way. It is such a sensitive subject even in 2019, but the negativity towards type 4x hair just has not gone away. I truly believe that caring for your hair makes all of the difference. I do not believe that any type of hair needs a relaxer (though I am not saying that you should not use them, as that is personal preference) to be professional, attractive or grow long.

In summary, just hang in for the ride and grow your hair as long as you can. Put on your racing shutters and just go for it. It's all you and it's all personal.

I also think hair being hair type 3 or 4 has no difference in how long hair will grow. With the family I am in contact with all have had hair grow from shoulder length to mbl or longer at various times according to how they wish and care for their hair. Mother didn't have her hair longer than shoulder length until she left it alone in locs and she's retired now. When it got too long for her she cut the whole lot off. I had a school friend who also came to school with two of the thickest plaits that would stop at her shoulders. I believe she's a 4b/c. When she turned 18 she got a relaxer. That hair was waist length fully stretched then nicely trimmed to mbl. That's the greatest joy of shrinkage. My tailbone length hair can still look mbl. Then there's a current youtuber with 4c hair that's thigh length but shrinks around bsl.

I'm all for growing what you've got and enjoying the journey.

priinnz
February 24th, 2019, 02:14 PM
Hi Dark40,
I know you have been trying really hard to grow your hair, hang in there and stay positive. For the length you are aiming, nutrition and good hair care practices are likely to have a far greater influence on your hair growth than the terminal length.

As others have said, numerous factors influence your hair growth and condition. It is true you may have inherited your hair texture from your father and have similar hair as your paternal family, but terminal length and your ability to grow to it (without hair breaking off before it achieves terminal length) is affected by numerous factors, including nutrition, age, hormonal balance, androgens, medication and even environmental factors to some extent. Even in the same person the ability to grow long hair differs depending on age and circumstances. My mother for instance, had gorgeous type 1 hair all the way down to TBL. she got them permed once, just once, over 20 years ago, but had massive hair fall and cannot grow beyond WL any more, which may be due to a combination of the factors i mentioned. Also hormones have a major role, excessive androgens, for example, can shorten the anagen and reduce terminal length. However, there are ways to address this too.

This forum is replete with tips to take care of your hair and help you along your long hair journey. Have faith that you can reach your hair length goals, not simply because your aunt achieved them, but because you are trying and taking care of your hair. Goodluck.

Dark40
February 24th, 2019, 04:31 PM
Hi priinnz,
Yes, I have been trying really hard to grow my hair. Thanks for the encouragement! Yes, for the length I'm aiming for, nutrition and good hair care practices are likely to have afar greater influence on my hair growth than the terminal length.

Everything you've said in your last post is very true. I totally agree with you. Wow, I bet your mother had some gorgeous TBL hair with type 1 hair! Awww, what a shame that she can't grow it beyond WL any more. It's probably because of her hormones and her age. Also, her anagen might have been shortened.

Yes, this forum has really helped me out a lot over the years in my long hair journey, and helping me with how to take better care of my hair so that I can achieve those hair length goals, not simply bevvause my aunt achieved them, but because I am trying to take care of my hair is right. Thanks.