How many here have reached their goal length and then changed your mind?

[MissScarlett67]

Long story to follow...More than three years ago I decided to grow my hair to waist length and possibly longer if I could stand it. After several derailments, thanks to overzealous hair stylists, I have finally reached my goal! However, last year we moved back to the US from the UK (my husband is military) and my healthcare provider mistakenly decreased my thyroid medication causing my hair to come out in handfuls. We also had major mold issues on our household goods that were delivered from England and storage goods from Georgia. We’re still dealing with this more than a year later. All of this combined has caused my hair to be very thin on the lower 6-8 inches and it tangles easily. I’ve finally decided to cut quite a bit off and maybe start again. I’m curious if anyone else has decided that having very long hair wasn’t for them once they reached their goal length? Thanks!

[CrowningGlory]

Have you decided that long hair isn't for you or have you decided that at this stage it's health over length? I think there is a difference. I've cut my hair due to thinning - not because I had decided long hair wasn't for me - but because I couldn't bear to look at the thinner ends and decided that I valued health over length, at least for a time. I've grown out and cut back several times but I still wouldn't say that I had decided at any point in time that long hair wasn't for me.

On the other hand, if you've decided that you no longer want long hair, that's okay. You have to do what makes you happy as far as your hair goes. It sounds to me that the added stress on top of incorrect medication has really messed up your hair. It's possible to recover your hair again, but it will take time and patience.

[XcaliburGirl]

It's not exactly the same, but I have decided to cut my hair much shorter twice before, after initially settling a goal to grow it long. In both cases, I just wasn't at a point in my life where I had the dedication and patience to grow my hair long. One thing I have noticed is that moving to a new home makes me feel like cutting my hair. I just want to wash it quickly, ponytail it, and have it out of the way. It wasn't something impulsive and it didn't mean that I decided long hair wasn't for me. It was just the right decision for that time.

Now I am going to be in one place for a while, so I know it's a good time to try again. Coming back to this site after being away for years, I was a little embarrassed at first. I have been a member for 8 years, but I never got as far as waist during that time. (My hair was longer in the past, though, so I know I can make it.)

I don't think there's anything wrong with taking a step back and evaluating whether your hair goal is the right one for you right now. Cutting back for health reasons or because you are really unhappy with the condition or thickness is perfectly reasonable. The great thing about hair is that it doesn't have to be a permanent decision.

[lapushka]

6-8 inches isn't "thin", but I get it, if your hair was thicker it's quite a difference.

I would keep growing, if I were you, but that's me. The thickness will catch up once your meds are on point again.

Medical issues are so different, IMMHO, when it concerns changing goal lengths. :flower:

The best of luck to you!

[nycelle]

Long story to follow...More than three years ago I decided to grow my hair to waist length and possibly longer if I could stand it. After several derailments, thanks to overzealous hair stylists, I have finally reached my goal! However, last year we moved back to the US from the UK (my husband is military) and my healthcare provider mistakenly decreased my thyroid medication causing my hair to come out in handfuls. We also had major mold issues on our household goods that were delivered from England and storage goods from Georgia. We’re still dealing with this more than a year later. All of this combined has caused my hair to be very thin on the lower 6-8 inches and it tangles easily. I’ve finally decided to cut quite a bit off and maybe start again. I’m curious if anyone else has decided that having very long hair wasn’t for them once they reached their goal length? Thanks!

Last December I cut off at least 6" as well. My hair was at least waist at the point. But like you, it was much thinner (in my case due to lots of bleach) and also tangled like crazy.
It's now almost a year later and at this point, I'm also on the fence about how long I really want it. I don't want it short, but I'm thinking waist might be too long for me to style it the way I want (I want a thick fringe). So yes, you're not alone.

[LadyArwen]

Oh, yes I thought I wanted mermaid length hair, then waist, then hip, I am at tailbone length...cut off three inches this summer. Something I hadn't anticipated though was thinning hair. I curl it only for special occasions, don't wash it every day...only shampoo the top and condition the ends. Im in a dilemma of "Do I accept my hair being thinner? Though I anticipated long thick locks" or "Do I cut it shorter to give it more thickness?" I am so torn, I want healthy strong hair not scraggly. When is it too thin and I need to just end the journey ?

[Doreen]

I used to say my goal was ankle but I had a major stress shed and by the time I was at midcalf the end was looking too thin for my liking, so I eventually decided to trim back to classic. I do want to grow back to knee but I don't think I would ever try to reach ankle again. Not just because of my shedding event, but because around knee, the enjoyment I get from taking care of my hair starts to feel more like work, and I don't like that. Goals change all the time and there's nothing wrong with that!

[Alibran]

Not exactly, but I understand where you're coming from. Last time I grew it long, I reached tailbone before I got fed up with growing. Then a disastrous layered cut ended with me going shorter and shorter until it was eventually pixie again. This time, I'm aiming for tailbone (or maybe classic) in the understanding that I probably won't want to stay there when I get there, but passing through the different milestones will give me a chance to experience my hair at different lengths and decide which I like best.

[spidermom]

I did. I grew my hair out to my goal of classic length (bottom of bottom, top of thigh). I love the way it looks in photos, but I hated dealing with all the weight, split ends, and constant tangling. I cut back in stages - to hip, to waist, to BSL, and finally found my happy place at collarbone length. I'm growing it out to at least waist again, then who knows. I like variety.

[Capybara]

I have. I reached classic, decided it was too long for me at the time (winter + school + having no time for myself) so I cut it back to waist. Eventually I decided I wanted to try short hair (chin length bob) because I had never had short hair. I’m now growing back to classic for the fun of it, but I’m really enjoying my current length (bcl) and might settle back here in the future.

[Belledenuit]

Me too, I have reached the longest I ever had (just between BSL and MBL), but it doesn't look good. I have both fine and thin hair and I have layers, that do work for me for more volume, but now the ends just look too stringy and thin. I am going to the hairdresser's tomorrow and will have a few inches cut off to get at a similar length, and *surely* it will grow back stronger ;).

[bparnell75]

I have reached chair butt length, which is when the hair touches the chair when you sit. Because it is s thin I thought that would be fine for me.
But my buns are so small that I thought maybe more length might help. So this year I think I will just microtrim and see what happens.

[MissScarlett67]

Thank you everyone for your input. Most of my life (I'm almost 52) I've had long hair except at the age of six when my mom decided it was too much to handle and took me in for a pixie cut. I still have the photos, maybe I'll share them one day! :) The second time was before we moved to the UK in 2005. It took me forever to grow out the spikey, layered pixie that I had. Loved it at the time, but couldn't find a stylist in the UK that could keep up with the original style of the cut. My problem is that despite having long hair for most of my life, I have absolutely no skills at various long hair updo's, buns, braids, etc. Even simple ones posted on YouTube I fail miserably at replicating. Ponytails, half-up-half-down, straightened or curled are about all I have in my arsenal. I'm fairly low maintenance so the idea of spending an hour or more styling my hair, i.e. blow drying straight, etc is just more than I'm willing to commit to. My hair type was stick straight in my younger days, but I'm now somewhere in between a 2a and 2b. I'm going in for a DevaCut on the 19th and fully expect to lose 8-10 inches. We'll see! Thank you all for your support and advice!:)

[SheWhoCariesSun]

I wish I knew, I've never reached my goal length. I always get impatient and cut it off. This time is different somehow; I can feel it. My goal length is waist, beyond that I feel it would become tiresome for me to take good care of. I have a long 5-6 years ahead of me.... my current length is a pixie grow out that is 2 inches shy of the bottom of my collarbone.

[Crystawni]

Thank you everyone for your input. Most of my life (I'm almost 52) I've had long hair except at the age of six when my mom decided it was too much to handle and took me in for a pixie cut. I still have the photos, maybe I'll share them one day! :) The second time was before we moved to the UK in 2005. It took me forever to grow out the spikey, layered pixie that I had. Loved it at the time, but couldn't find a stylist in the UK that could keep up with the original style of the cut. My problem is that despite having long hair for most of my life, I have absolutely no skills at various long hair updo's, buns, braids, etc. Even simple ones posted on YouTube I fail miserably at replicating. Ponytails, half-up-half-down, straightened or curled are about all I have in my arsenal. I'm fairly low maintenance so the idea of spending an hour or more styling my hair, i.e. blow drying straight, etc is just more than I'm willing to commit to. My hair type was stick straight in my younger days, but I'm now somewhere in between a 2a and 2b. I'm going in for a DevaCut on the 19th and fully expect to lose 8-10 inches. We'll see! Thank you all for your support and advice!:)

Heya, we're of the same vintage and I can tell you I've learnt most of my styling tricks here on LHC. Before that, I thought I was a longhair (from collarbone to APL+ was my usual, between lobs and layers with daily washing and hairdrying), but have since grown my baby-fine, virgin slipmonster to longer lengths (hovering around Classic at the moment), embraced my volume and texture (air dry and forget it), and simplified things a lot (no more styling aids, mousses, dyes, constant "stylish" haircuts, etc.).

Long hair is something I've slowly (a fraction of a centimetre a day...) become accustomed to now, (it grows on you :lol:) and don't find it any more tangly or annoying than previous lengths--but I do wear mine up a fair bit, with face framers softening things, and have trimmed my hemline every four or so months to keep thinness at bay. I did try a compact cut 3 years ago to add layers and movement, but found it thinned and v'd my hemline too much for my liking, so I trimmed it back by a fair few inches and have been gradually thickening up, and flattening the hemline since. It's just my opinion, but I'm not sure a DevaCut would be beneficial with your wavy texture, and may thin things out even more, or make it a bit choppy for you (both could be future styling issues).

As for future growing (if you're still interested), you may find if you can master a couple more updos, find a few quick and easy hairtoys that work for you (key for the updoing, actually), and stretch washing and styling out to a few days between-times, things (uh, hair?) may fall into place.

For me, the natural colour transitioning + getting longer = curiosity, so I don't get artistically bored with my hair like I used to. I still love cutting people's hair like I have since I was 15, but KISS my own. :wethree:

[Cate36]

Too long for me is when you can't wear it down anymore.. I had that in 2015.. past my bum.. always wore it tied back.. people had no idea my hair was so long until I had to adjust my ponytail in public.. so I chopped to my waste (a friend did it one millimetre at a time :) ) and it was much much better..I let my hair free.. and it looked great. thicker etc..

[Kat]

Yes, though not for your reasons. I can't remember what my original goal was... probably waist at the very first, then maybe I wanted to try classic, then after that I think I decided just to see how long it would get. It was starting to seem terminal-ish at knee (at longest I think a few hairs would tickle the tops of my calves, and definitely when it was wet), and I felt like that was just too long for me, so I cut a bunch off... I can't remember as it's been a while, but I think I maybe went back to classic to try that out, and then I've been maintaining at hip (with some laziness that can mean I creep toward tailbone before I trim again sometimes) ever since.