Crazy question

[CreatureBailey]

So, it's just something I've been noticing. My friend got his hair cut (some of it buzz cut) mayyybe... a month ago? Or a few weeks? And it has grown back with a longer length that hair normally grows within this period of time. One time my friend got her hair cut to her ears and around a month later it was back to her shoulder. Same for a few other people that got their hair cut. And it's not like their hair actually grows that fast in normal time, it's really looking like it's right after being cut.

I have absolutely no idea if cutting hair makes it grow more. I've heard before that it can send a signal to the (honestly I have no idea) to grow it even more but I have no scientific explanation to back that up. It's just strange cause it still really seems like it. Kinda like when someone gets there bangs cut and it grows back fast. But you don't necessarily notice the rest of the hair growing that fast aswell. Any thoughts?

[MusicalSpoons]

So, it's just something I've been noticing. My friend got his hair cut (some of it buzz cut) mayyybe... a month ago? Or a few weeks? And it has grown back with a longer length that hair normally grows within this period of time. One time my friend got her hair cut to her ears and around a month later it was back to her shoulder. Same for a few other people that got their hair cut. And it's not like their hair actually grows that fast in normal time, it's really looking like it's right after being cut.

I have absolutely no idea if cutting hair makes it grow more. I've heard before that it can send a signal to the (honestly I have no idea) to grow it even more but I have no scientific explanation to back that up. It's just strange cause it still really seems like it. Kinda like when someone gets there bangs cut and it grows back fast. But you don't necessarily notice the rest of the hair growing that fast aswell. Any thoughts?

Nope nope nope. The only bit that controls how fast it grows is the scalp. Cut off an inch or 18 inches and it will still grow at the same rate out of the roots.

I think a small amount of length is much more noticeable on shorter hair than on longer hair, because (for instance) half an inch is probably double the length for someone who started with a buzz cut, but is imperceptible on long hair. So it only *appears* to 'grow faster'.

The friend with ear-to-shoulder in a month either has an insanely fast growth rate, or it was actually more than a month ;)


The only thing cutting can help with is length retention IF it's cutting off damage that would otherwise have crumbled away.

[Dark40]

I had a girlfriend in high school many years ago that had hip length near tailbone length hair, and she cut her hair up to BSL, and I've noticed within a 3-month period it had grown all of the way back down to her hips or tailbone again!!! So, my feeling on it was I always thought that her hair growth rate per month was pretty fast.

[lapushka]

Nope nope nope. The only bit that controls how fast it grows is the scalp. Cut off an inch or 18 inches and it will still grow at the same rate out of the roots.

I think a small amount of length is much more noticeable on shorter hair than on longer hair, because (for instance) half an inch is probably double the length for someone who started with a buzz cut, but is imperceptible on long hair. So it only *appears* to 'grow faster'.

The friend with ear-to-shoulder in a month either has an insanely fast growth rate, or it was actually more than a month ;)


The only thing cutting can help with is length retention IF it's cutting off damage that would otherwise have crumbled away.

^^ Totally agree with this.

On shorter hair, you just notice more, and it "seems" faster.

[CreatureBailey]

Yeah, you guys probably go right. It's also probably why as my hair is longer I ''feel'' like it's not growing fast enough, but the thing is, it still is like before, it's just less noticeable cause it's already long.

I bought pants and I'm gonna mark where my hair is at every month or few month to keep track of the growth. It's funny when I think that I used to do this with tops, and now it's with pants. :cool:

[lucid]

The friend with ear-to-shoulder in a month either has an insanely fast growth rate, or it was actually more than a month ;)


If not, the friend has to be abnormally small. Like microscopic :p

[illicitlizard]

As others have said, it likely just looks like it's growing faster because of how short it is. Kinda like when you get bangs and they seem to grow out in like a week, whereas growing the lengths of your hair always feels like it takes way longer. It's not like there's a dramatically different growth rate across your head, it just feels like there is because of where you started :)

[*Wednesday*]

I had a girlfriend in high school many years ago that had hip length near tailbone length hair, and she cut her hair up to BSL, and I've noticed within a 3-month period it had grown all of the way back down to her hips or tailbone again!!!

:rolleyes: Not saying it can't happen....but I'm doubtful. I would advise CB against that advice.

[CreatureBailey]

I used to look at a picture of a girl in my friends list, her hair is to like the beginning of her pants. And I used to think ''man I'm almost there!'' and now I look at that pic and I'm like ''I'm actually 10 cm past that now!'' You don't notice the growth while it happens but you notice with stuff like that. o.O When did this happen? :D

[Aredhel]

I had a girlfriend in high school many years ago that had hip length near tailbone length hair, and she cut her hair up to BSL, and I've noticed within a 3-month period it had grown all of the way back down to her hips or tailbone again!!! So, my feeling on it was I always thought that her hair growth rate per month was pretty fast.

I'm sorry, but I don't buy it. I am a very short person with a short torso, and BSL to TBL is about 12 inches for me. That would mean she grew about 4 inches a month... or more, if your friend was taller than me... that just doesn't sound right at all.

[MusicalSpoons]

I had a girlfriend in high school many years ago that had hip length near tailbone length hair, and she cut her hair up to BSL, and I've noticed within a 3-month period it had grown all of the way back down to her hips or tailbone again!!! So, my feeling on it was I always thought that her hair growth rate per month was pretty fast.

I think that's called having a form of dwarfism, or if they were a typically-sized person, extensions. (Or if neither of those, not actually that length of time.)

CreatureBailey, there are of course people out there who do have faster-than-average growth rates, that's why half an inch per month is average. However, the most I've read on here (outside of wild claims) was 2 inches per month, from somebody who has summer growth spurts. I seem to recall that person also had extremely slow, virtually non-existent growth rates in winter though, so their annual growth still wasn't much more than average.

[MoonRabbit]

So, it's just something I've been noticing. My friend got his hair cut (some of it buzz cut) mayyybe... a month ago? Or a few weeks? And it has grown back with a longer length that hair normally grows within this period of time. One time my friend got her hair cut to her ears and around a month later it was back to her shoulder. Same for a few other people that got their hair cut. And it's not like their hair actually grows that fast in normal time, it's really looking like it's right after being cut.

I have absolutely no idea if cutting hair makes it grow more. I've heard before that it can send a signal to the (honestly I have no idea) to grow it even more but I have no scientific explanation to back that up. It's just strange cause it still really seems like it. Kinda like when someone gets there bangs cut and it grows back fast. But you don't necessarily notice the rest of the hair growing that fast aswell. Any thoughts?


I saw a youtube video and the girl said exactly that. Is that where you heard it from? If so she got pretty roasted in the comments and ended up correcting her mistake, though I am not sure where she heard it from. Honestly could never imagine a myth like that going around, but the world is a wacky place.

I've only known one person in my life with really fast hair growth. She probably was the lucky one that got 1 inch or + a month. Seemed like every time she cut her hair it was back to where it was in no time at all.

[enting]

Growth rate increasing in response to shorter hair seems to be largely disproven among LHC members. Perhaps there are a few people that it could be true for in some fashion, but I'd expect thickness to be more likely than length. (the body is colder, there's less weight increasing shed, etc.) I wouldn't advise trying it to find out unless you're willing to stick with short hair for a while.

There *are* some people out there with crazy fast growth rates. I went to school with someone who got a mushroom ear length haircut at the beginning of the school year and by the end of the school year was back to midback again. This was not a short person, either. I find that the people I know that tend to like short hair cuts are sometimes also people with very thick, strong, fast growing hair. I suspect they prefer short hair because the fast increase in weight bothers them.

[cjk]

A year ago I shave my beard into a goatee. Believe me when I say my sides are my weakest growth. Yet in a year I've blended in and regained my previous length...had it for 5 years.

When I would shave a part of my head, maintained whitewalls with a flattop for instance, that hair would grow 1" in 5 weeks. And catch up with the rest. Had to get a weekly haircut for maintenance.

My mother had brain surgery and 1/3 of her head was shaved. No consideration for aesthetics. She wears a Beatles shag. Her hair took a year before it was indistinguishable, but her length returned in just a few months.

Could be a family thing, but for us it's true.

[spidermom]

I've often seen a growth spurt following a trim. It's a thing, I swear!

A relatively inactive member of LHC did a study with her husband years ago where they would measure the length of her hair very precisely each week. The several weeks following a trim always showed faster growth.

[nycelle]

I've often seen a growth spurt following a trim. It's a thing, I swear!

A relatively inactive member of LHC did a study with her husband years ago where they would measure the length of her hair very precisely each week. The several weeks following a trim always showed faster growth.

I had what I thought/think was a growth spurt because of the summer.

But I had a trim, where she cut way too much off and made my hair into a "V" from my "U" shape - this was the end of May.
By the end of June, I measured my hair and it was 28.5". Prior to the cut I was around 27" after the trim it was shorter. So that was some serious growth in month. I just thought it was a summer growth spurt but now I'm wondering.. hmm.

Next trim will be a the end of September. Gonna measure right before and a month after to see what's going on.