How long ago did your hair growth journey start?

[dreamingofcurls]

Hi all! New member "dreamingofcurls" here! :flower:

I still have yet to "type" my hair because it's been awhile since I last took accurate pics, and I just washed my hair on Saturday. I'm debating whether or not to wash it tonight or tomorrow, or to wait the extra couple of days since I've heard before that it's best to wash once a week if possible. I'm just so excited to finally figure out what type I am!

I've dreamed of having long hair for years, ever since I was in grade school. One of the girls in my class had the prettiest classic length hair, the likes of which I'd never seen (outside of stories/films). This is the first time I think I've really established a more honest effort towards meeting that goal though, so we'll see how it goes!
How long has it been since you guys started working on your hair? Growing it, becoming more familiar with it, establishing certain habits, etc? :blossom:

[Dark40]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! I've been on my long hair journey off and on since I was 14 years old in high school. When I reached the age of 18 I did reach BSL but then I cut it back to shoulder length, and I wore it at that length for many years from 18 years old up until I was 26 years old. I got some extension and let it grow out to a little pass my shoulders up until I made 26 years old. Then, when I made either 28 or 29 years old I decided to bleach my hair and it was still rather long like armpit length. Then, I darkened it to a plum color, and it was still long at armpit length. Then, I bleached it again when I was in my early 30's, and I would get scissor-happy and trimmed it back to shoulder length. Then come 2010 is when I first discovered LHC, and I've been on my long hair journey ever since. i've been growing my hair long for the last 10 years.

[lapis_lazuli]

It'll be 10 years this October since I started growing, starting around BSL. It's a long road but an enjoyable one; my younger self would be very happy to see where I am now.

[KokoroDragon]

I suppose my current hair journey started in December of 2019. I started growing out my hair from a pixie a few years before that, but due to some hair decisions I made I chopped off a bunch of damage at that time and made a dedicated effort to take better care of my hair and grow it really long. Once I found LHC, it became a lot easier and I've been learning new things about my hair and hair care in general ever since!

[MusicalSpoons]

Welcome! I had long hair since childhood after wanting to grow it from a bob around age 6, but I didn't know how to take care of it so had an annual chop to get rid of what I now know were damaged ends and I kind of was stuck between hip~tbl give or take a couple of inches. Until the end of 2016, a few months after I came across LHC (I was looking for ideas trying to find a new shampoo / washing methods) and that's when I decided to stop using hair elastics and try to look after my hair better, just to see if it *could* grow beyond tailbone length. So 4 years :)

[Cg]

This month marks 8 years from pixie. I whacked off all the layers when the shortest was around BSL-ish, I think.

I did grow to knee several times in the past.

[lakhesis]

Welcome to the forum :)

I've started properly looking after my hair in 2017. I dyed it for one last time - I got balayage, so it blended the roots with the bleached ends. I started with a very natural approach to hair care and that's how I found the forum. It's going to be 3 years since I joined soon :)

[JasminxCat]

Hello welcome :)
I began my hair growth journey in 2019. I decided if I wanted to grow my hair long, I had to give up heat because I would use flat irons and blow dryers obsessively. My hair is longer than its ever been at mid back length now, I'm still slowly removing bits of heat damage but my hair should be completely virgin in another year with microtrims and regular S&Ding. I'm hoping to reach TBL, maybe longer if I decide

[BuddhaBelle]

I would say my journey has been on and off, I grew up always with long hair but puberty and experiments ruined it. I chopped it to chin length late 2019 and have been growing it since.

I have only properly cared about my hair in lockdown, before i would bleach it and just treat it horribly. Now i’m very gentle and excited to grow it out!

[Jools69]

My current hair journey started 5 years ago after a disastrous shoulder length perm. Once all the damage was trimmed off every 3 months for a couple of years, I started looking after my hair much better and now it’s at waist - the longest it’s ever been!

Before this, I’ve always wanted waist length ever since I was a child, but my parents were against me having any long hair - even into my teens. Of course by then, peer pressure attributed to me keeping my hair at shoulder length and then I had perms on and off for several years in the late 80s and 90s. I would try to grow my hair long in between and it would reach armpit length, but then I would get bored and cut it into a bob or have another perm. Now at my age, I don’t care what others think, what I should do with my hair!:lol:

[foreveryours]

hi dreamingofcurls! new here too. me? over 7 years. among many things i've learned along the way, don't wear it down on windy days!

[Bat]

On and Off all my life I started getting serious Jan 2020 but screwed up in July by bleaching it a few times so by September, I had to cut off hair that was almost shoulder length back to above chin.
By that stage I was back into the ruining my hair. It's taken a while to get back into growing mode but I'm back on track so I guess you can say my journey is re starting as of jan 2021

[lapushka]

Welcome. My journey is as long as the date I joined here. Big hiccups along the way (dye, bleach, perms, henna/indigo) and so had quite some setbacks, but since 2015, September I hit classic length (my hair is layered heavily). Chopped to hip November 2016, and then grew it back out to classic, for real this time, March 2018. It's been wonderful ever since, since I have found a good way to maintain that length without me getting overwhelmed by the new (longer) growth.

It takes patience.

But... welcome! :)

Also, if you can't wash as little as once a week, wash more, it's about your hair and you have to do what's right for you. There are people on here who wash daily, or rather have to, and there is nothing wrong with that, whatsoever.

[Ashtaroth]

Welcome! I’ve had chin to shoulder to armpit length hair since the early 90s. Never grew past APL because that was the length it would more or less start living in a boring ponytail and I’d always cut it. Thanks to the pandemic I hit APL this spring, couldn’t get a haircut, got tired of ponytails and started looking for ideas on how to use hairsticks to make proper buns. Found LHC, learned how to take care of my APL+ hair, can do some fun styles and am now almost at waist.

[pisinoe]

A year and a half ago here on LHC.

I lost my first six months of progress but thankfully I seem to be reaching my goal (TBL) pretty fast now (a year and a half), and should be in there right for my two year anniversary here.

I might let it grow to classic after that during the second half of the no cut challenge, then probably cut back to TBL to get a new fresh hemline.

[SwanFeathers]

I started in 2014, chopped, dyed to a more natural color, grew out my actual natural color and chopped again to start fresh in 2015. From there it's been more or less steady, with intermittent henna since 2019. Pixie to tailbone in that time.

[illicitlizard]

Welcome! :blossom:

Mine sort of started when I was about 13, and decided I would finally have long hair now that I was willing to take care of it myself (mum didn't like brushing my super tangly hair so it was in a lob until that point), I grew haphazardly without paying too much attention until it reached ~waist. Then the hair dying and chopping began.
Finally my fresh start was Jan 2018, and since then I've been truly commited to caring for and growing my hair :)

[bokeh]

Well my last cut was three years ago but I started thinking about growing out a year before that. I was learning about the Curly Girl Method and thinking that collarbone length would be great. That was the plan but once I got started growing I just kept growing, and growing, and growing....

Welcome to TLHC!

[AmeerahKhanNot]

I guess I wanted long hair since I was 8, I remember I had hair that was around hip length then I wanted it cut to shoulder length. Of course I regretted it a few months later and wanted my long hair again :-/
I don't remember much but I don't think my dad wanted me to grow out my hair because my hair never really made it past armpit length then, my actual growth journey only started when I was 9. I remember I felt like I was finally growing out my hair then my dad made my aunt cut it from around shoulder length to neck or chin length (after telling me it was just going to be a trim) and I threw a fit for the rest of the day because I hated it so much. I guess the tantrum worked because I haven't cut my hair since then! I became obsessed with haircare and finding ways to grow my hair faster and this lasted until I was 14. At that age I was going to the hairdresser for trims frequently and it was causing my hair to not grow longer than BSL. When I was 14 I don't know why but I really wanted to bleach the bottom half of my hair and make it platinum blonde or white. I wore hijab back then so it's not like I couldn't do it because of school and I wanted to do something 'out-there' to impress my friends I guess so I think at that point I was over the longhair phase. I'm honestly SO grateful that I didn't go through with that plan, especially when I see girls with bleached hair that looks super damaged. I think after that I just ignored my hair and didn't pay attention to it and it grew by itself. It was only when I was 16 that I realized that my hair had grown a lot because others were pointing it out, as it was already hip length or slightly longer.

Now i'm 18 so it's been 10 years of wanting long hair and 9 years of not getting significant haircuts. Also I remember when I was around 11 my mom told me my hair couldn't grow past waist length, but now my hair is past TBL :-P it's kind of satisfying not gonna lie.

[The Lizard Wife]

Welcome!

I've always wanted long hair since I was a child too, but I don't think I ever made it quite to BSL at its longest points because of impatience and a combo of thick hair + sensitive scalp. I did a lot of grow, get bored, chop. In 2016 I decided to get serious and grow out from a pixie, since my friend had found LHC and was growing her hair and tempting me with things like "even you can make a bun that stays up with just a stick, and you can get one that looks like a sword." I got almost to waist, then I couldn't take the chronic pain of having to contain my hair to food-safety standards every day at work, got an undercut that took out about half my hair, made it to waist, couldn't take the pain again and cut a bigger undercut and chopped to between shoulder and APL, and a couple months ago decided to start growing out the whole thing again since I got a job that allows me to keep my hair down if I need to.

But I've learned so much about taking care of my particular hair and getting it to play nice, so it's been worth every step backwards! Hopefully you'll find your journey much more straightforward than mine, hah.

[Dragon]

My parents let me grow it down to APL and let me grow out my layers and bangs when I was 12, I wanted to grow it longer then that but my Mum kept trimming it to that length. At age 14, Some girls talked me into getting a professional haircut to my shoulders which I instantly regretted. At age 16 I got damage from heat and bleach foils so I got it professionally cut above my shoulders with layers. She did an amazing job and when I complimented her work, I found out that she has had further training to learn to cut curly hair. I started to grow it out straight away as I prefer longer hair.

Between 17 and 19, my hair was always between SL and APL. My Mum usually did my trims but there was twice I went for a professional trim at two different salons since I hadn’t been to my parents in a while and both times I walked out with a haircut to my shoulders with layers I didn’t ask for. I only let my Mum touch my hair after the second time it happened.

When I was 19, I missed one of my four time yearly trims as I hadn’t been to my parents in a while and it grew to MBL for the first time in my life. My Mum cut it back to APL. That’s when I realised why my hair could never could grow past APL. I started doing my own trims after that and eventually stop trimming altogether.

By 2010, my hair was to my waist which I always worn down and it was becoming impossible to detangle. I thought I was going to have to cut it but decided to do some googling which is how I found this forum. After browsing for a while, I decided to join. And my hair has been continuing to grow ever since.

[poli]

About 6 years. I was led to believe that fine hair can never grow long, so having it down to waist was my first goal. I reached that length in 2019. Now I want to see if I can grow it longer and keep nice enough ends.

[Bri-Chan]

It started in late 2018, but I've had long-ish hair pretty much for all my life.
In late 2018 I had blue hair with almost an year of regrowth, and I (amost) impulsively dyed it black. But I was between BSL and mid back and I hated how that combo suited my style. So, there is were my journey starts, but my goal was just to gain 4 inches.
After less than a year (summer 2019) I decided to grow out dyes and bleach (I was thinking about that for at least one year at that time) but I needed something to make me appreciate my regular hair color, so I decided I wanted classic length hair. I'm actively growing it for 2 years and 3 months.

[Hexana]

Welcome to the forum! I actively started in 2018 (last trim in my signature) and have been growing since. I had multiple "long hair journeys" when I was a teenager, but I never really committed to it 100% (or more didn't know how to take care of my hair) and therefore newer grew much past APL then.

[Simpscone]

I've wanted long hair since I was 16, and I'm 26 now. I had no knowledge at all about hair at all and I dyed it and used heat every day. Washed every other day and barely used conditioner!

I really started to learn how to care for my hair when I was 18/19 and first dyed my hair a bright hair colour (turquoise). I dived into haircare online and amassed a lot of information about how to care for my hair, and it grew down past APL whilst I just kept it turquoise. I also stopped using heat quite as often. But then I decided to try every colour under the sun and that involved a lot of bleaching... whilst still using heat very often too.

By 2016 when I was 22 my hair had got shorter and shorter through it snapping off.

November 2016 I had had enough and decided to chop my hair off to chin length and start fresh. I have been continuously growing it out since. Joined LHC at the end of 2018 and my hair has grown down from collarbone length to waist length since being here!

[Ylva]

Welcome to the LHC!

I was a longhair as a child (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40568&d=1583757819), but it was cut into a bob (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40571&d=1583757841) before I started school at 7. I think that was what I wanted. By the time I was 10, my hair was long again, and for the next several years, I did all sorts of crazy things with my hair.

I completely isolated myself at 16-17, and that was when my hair grew long again. I was suffering from depression, and I have a memory of standing by the microwave oven at my mom's house. It was dark outside, and with the lights on inside, I could see my reflection from the window to my right. I was wearing a ponytail, and thought to myself: "Huh, my hair has gotten pretty long (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=39351&d=1576093902)." I figured it could be fun to see how long it could get.

I've had my hair at hip or longer since at least 2013, but I didn't start taking proper care (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=32990&d=1534022862) of it until late 2017 when I began researching haircare on YouTube. Even after that, I still decided to go platinum blonde one more time, so that has hindered my growth journey a bit. Now, I've been growing out natural since spring 2019 and no longer intend to go back to heavily processed hair.

[TatsuOni]

Welcome! :) I've been growing my hair since I was 16 (started with 0,5 cm). But I wasn't too kind to my hair the first years.

[Feral_]

Welcome from me :) Had long hair as a child but my mum didn’t know how to look after it, bath time tangles (no conditioner!!) Result was hairdressers who cut it to CBL. It’s been short, bob, APL, layered, all lengths except bald. Mid twenties I had BSL length hair then cut it to a pixie - why?!? Actually I think it was because I was doing a lot of exercise and my job then was a PT so short hair was easier. Over the years grew it back to APL where it’s more or less stayed, with and without long layers. Started growing it for actual length 2019. Learned a lot how to look after it from this forum! :flower:

[dreamingofcurls]

Thank you! :) It's nice to feel so welcomed here.
Wow, that's a good bit of time! It's cool that you began so early, too. I wish I had realized the value of my own hair at that time, too. I think I remember my hair usually being somewhere around BSL to WL most of my life, but it's not something I really paid attention to or thought about until more recently now that it's all gone.
It sounds like you had a lot of time to experiment though, which is awesome. Plum-colored hair...sounds amazing!! :pegasus: I've only had highlights before but colors like that keep me tempted. :laugh:

How do you like your hair now?

[Begemot]

The first time I started actively growing long was 2010/2011. I joined here 2012 after lurking for a long time, this place got me really in to hair care :) I would divide my long hair journey in two: first one going 2010-2016 and the second one starting around 2018. The first time around I grew my hair to around hip length/tailbone length and grew out hair dye, was natural and long for a some time, started getting some highlights and cutting shorter little by little until I cut to shoulder length in 2018. I started growing longer again pretty much immediately since I didn't like not being able to keep my hair up properly. And so here we are, from SL to MBL and aiming for WL. I have some bits of old highlights and will probably get them done again eventually. Right now I'm fine this way.

Welcome to the forum! :blossom:

[dreamingofcurls]

That's so cool! Definitely something to be proud of. I feel a lot more encouraged about my own journey reading this, as well as everyone else's posts. I guess it's never too late to start. :toast: Also, love the pics! I'm getting very pretty faerie/elvish vibes mixed with something painterly. :thumbsup:

[dreamingofcurls]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum! I've been on my long hair journey off and on since I was 14 years old in high school. When I reached the age of 18 I did reach BSL but then I cut it back to shoulder length, and I wore it at that length for many years from 18 years old up until I was 26 years old. I got some extension and let it grow out to a little pass my shoulders up until I made 26 years old. Then, when I made either 28 or 29 years old I decided to bleach my hair and it was still rather long like armpit length. Then, I darkened it to a plum color, and it was still long at armpit length. Then, I bleached it again when I was in my early 30's, and I would get scissor-happy and trimmed it back to shoulder length. Then come 2010 is when I first discovered LHC, and I've been on my long hair journey ever since. i've been growing my hair long for the last 10 years.

Just realized I forgot to quote-reply :,) :oops:

Thank you! :) It's nice to feel so welcomed here.
Wow, that's a good bit of time! It's cool that you began so early, too. I wish I had realized the value of my own hair at that time, too. I think I remember my hair usually being somewhere around BSL to WL most of my life, but it's not something I really paid attention to or thought about until more recently now that it's all gone.
It sounds like you had a lot of time to experiment though, which is awesome. Plum-colored hair...sounds amazing!!:pegasus: I've only had highlights before but colors like that keep me tempted.

How do you like your hair now?

[dreamingofcurls]

It'll be 10 years this October since I started growing, starting around BSL. It's a long road but an enjoyable one; my younger self would be very happy to see where I am now.

Forgot to quote-reply :wigtongue:
But that's so cool! Definitely something to be proud of. I feel a lot more encouraged about my own journey reading this, as well as everyone else's posts. I guess it's never too late to start. Also, love the pics! I'm getting very pretty faerie/elvish vibes mixed with something painterly. :thumbsup:

[dreamingofcurls]

I suppose my current hair journey started in December of 2019. I started growing out my hair from a pixie a few years before that, but due to some hair decisions I made I chopped off a bunch of damage at that time and made a dedicated effort to take better care of my hair and grow it really long. Once I found LHC, it became a lot easier and I've been learning new things about my hair and hair care in general ever since!

That's a good bit of time! I definitely relate to the hair-chopping thing though. :lol: I went ahead and got rid of mine a couple of months ago (maybe August?) and it's been crazy ever since. I'm trying to learn my type as I mentioned in my original post! Your hair looks beautiful. :cheer:

What do you think has been the best or most useful part of the community experience to you and how it changed your approach on self (hair) care? :couch:

[dreamingofcurls]

Welcome! I had long hair since childhood after wanting to grow it from a bob around age 6, but I didn't know how to take care of it so had an annual chop to get rid of what I now know were damaged ends and I kind of was stuck between hip~tbl give or take a couple of inches. Until the end of 2016, a few months after I came across LHC (I was looking for ideas trying to find a new shampoo / washing methods) and that's when I decided to stop using hair elastics and try to look after my hair better, just to see if it *could* grow beyond tailbone length. So 4 years :)

Thank you! You've had a very lengthy relationship with long hair then :poot: I'm amazed...also, not knowing how to take care of it is me now :lol: I think I'm just starting to get a very basic grasp of what split/damaged ends entail after some very elementary research earlier this afternoon. Hair elastics, too! I just recently switched to scrunchies after years and years of only elastic bands. Not even sure how good or bad that is yet, so I'll need to do some more research there but it's a start. :laugh:

4 years and counting. Very cool :D How big of a difference do you think the new shampoo/washing methods made for you, or did the biggest change come from somewhere else with your nourishment and growth?

[dreamingofcurls]

This month marks 8 years from pixie. I whacked off all the layers when the shortest was around BSL-ish, I think.

I did grow to knee several times in the past.

Congrats!!! Happy 8 year anniversary :p I've never hit anything past WL (maybe slightly HL?). Here's to another great year! :cheese:

[dreamingofcurls]

Welcome to the forum :)

I've started properly looking after my hair in 2017. I dyed it for one last time - I got balayage, so it blended the roots with the bleached ends. I started with a very natural approach to hair care and that's how I found the forum. It's going to be 3 years since I joined soon :)

Thank you! :joy:

A final dye, then bon-voyage...very romantic. :star: Had to look up the term since I'm not familiar with it, but it looks pretty! The origin of the term seems especially neat. It adds a nice touch to the technique itself, I think. I love the hair now, though! I'm glad you were able to switch habits and find something more comfortable overall :toast: I'll be looking, too!

[dreamingofcurls]

Hello welcome :)
I began my hair growth journey in 2019. I decided if I wanted to grow my hair long, I had to give up heat because I would use flat irons and blow dryers obsessively. My hair is longer than its ever been at mid back length now, I'm still slowly removing bits of heat damage but my hair should be completely virgin in another year with microtrims and regular S&Ding. I'm hoping to reach TBL, maybe longer if I decide

Thank you! :D

Your hair looks great. I don't know much about hair still to be honest, but wow. Hair can revert/become virgin again? This sounds like such an obvious question like, of course it can! Once it's regrown and all the dead growth is gone and everything, but still, I'd never heard that before. That's really cool!

Microtrimming and S&D though, wow...you're so disciplined! :bow: I'm impressed. Your hair looks super pretty, and I'm looking forward to your continued journey! I'm sure you can do it. Maybe I'll try out these things or look into them myself, too :) This made me realize I don't even know how long it's been since I looked at my ends :oops:

[dreamingofcurls]

I would say my journey has been on and off, I grew up always with long hair but puberty and experiments ruined it. I chopped it to chin length late 2019 and have been growing it since.

I have only properly cared about my hair in lockdown, before i would bleach it and just treat it horribly. Now i’m very gentle and excited to grow it out!

The teenage years of hair care are always the worst...at least in my experience :laugh: Lockdown's been a blessing in some ways at least for the moments of self-reflection it's provided some of us. It's definitely made me reconsider my hair care, among other things. I'm excited for you, too! :cheer: Keep it up!!! :blossom:

[dreamingofcurls]

My current hair journey started 5 years ago after a disastrous shoulder length perm. Once all the damage was trimmed off every 3 months for a couple of years, I started looking after my hair much better and now it’s at waist - the longest it’s ever been!

Before this, I’ve always wanted waist length ever since I was a child, but my parents were against me having any long hair - even into my teens. Of course by then, peer pressure attributed to me keeping my hair at shoulder length and then I had perms on and off for several years in the late 80s and 90s. I would try to grow my hair long in between and it would reach armpit length, but then I would get bored and cut it into a bob or have another perm. Now at my age, I don’t care what others think, what I should do with my hair!:lol:

Oh my gosh. That sounds terrible :shudder: I'm so glad you're out of that stage now!! It looks so long and pretty, though. You've made so much progress :happydance:!! Also, very cute cat to boot.

Wow, that's insane. My parents were the exact opposite! I was never allowed to cut my hair until just a few months ago, and at this point I'm twenty-two. Just that was pulling teeth. My hair never grew any longer as a child or teen (I think because of all the straightening, products, treatments and other things done to it) so it always stayed around waist length until I cut it all off.

It sounds like the perm was a good step forward towards taking control of your hair and making a change, at least in some ways. It's awesome that you're following what you think and staying true to how you feel. Keep it up!! :hifive: Or down! However you prefer ;)

[dreamingofcurls]

hi dreamingofcurls! new here too. me? over 7 years. among many things i've learned along the way, don't wear it down on windy days!

Hi! Welcome to the forum too, then! :p Cute profile picture. And this is SOLID, thank you! It's sad, but my days of sticking my head out the window and pretending to be a dog are over. :cry:
(This is serious by the way, used to love doing this as a kid, and still adore the freedom of it as an adult. Goodbye, wind! :()

[dreamingofcurls]

On and Off all my life I started getting serious Jan 2020 but screwed up in July by bleaching it a few times so by September, I had to cut off hair that was almost shoulder length back to above chin.
By that stage I was back into the ruining my hair. It's taken a while to get back into growing mode but I'm back on track so I guess you can say my journey is re starting as of jan 2021

Congrats on the restart! At least you made a good bit of progress, learned some things, and now you're beginning again. This time, you're in a better place than you were before though and armed with more hair-knowledge than ever ;) I'm sure you'll do great. Keep going, and good luck! :D I'll be working at it, too!

[dreamingofcurls]

Welcome. My journey is as long as the date I joined here. Big hiccups along the way (dye, bleach, perms, henna/indigo) and so had quite some setbacks, but since 2015, September I hit classic length (my hair is layered heavily). Chopped to hip November 2016, and then grew it back out to classic, for real this time, March 2018. It's been wonderful ever since, since I have found a good way to maintain that length without me getting overwhelmed by the new (longer) growth.

It takes patience.

But... welcome! :)

Also, if you can't wash as little as once a week, wash more, it's about your hair and you have to do what's right for you. There are people on here who wash daily, or rather have to, and there is nothing wrong with that, whatsoever.

Thank you! :)

Wow, that's awesome! Honestly, reading and responding to all these posts has made a big bit of difference. It's still intimidating seeing so many things that I'm unfamiliar with, but there are tons of resources around and people here to help who have all had their own setbacks, so it feels a lot less lonesome. Thank you for sharing yours as well! :cheer: 6 years since 2015...that's incredible. And the time thereafter only took two years! I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you found success in fostering a good routine that works especially for you :blossom:

Thanks for the welcome! Again :laugh: :bounce:

I'll try my best to work with patience. There's so many things to try and do that I'll need to hold back from getting too ahead of myself, but this was really enlightening. I'm not sure how my hair will be after doing the big chop a few months ago, but prior to that, I was always really overwhelmed by the thickness and length. I'll have to make a sidenote about learning to deal with growth, too. :)

To be honest, I'm not even sure how often I should wash. I've been doing once a week for most of my life, but since joining a few days ago, I just realized I need to learn how to tell what's oily and what's not. I'll try my best to figure it out though :thumbsup: Thank you for the reassurance and sharing your story!

Also, gorgeous hair. In love with the condition! :flower:

[dreamingofcurls]

Welcome! I’ve had chin to shoulder to armpit length hair since the early 90s. Never grew past APL because that was the length it would more or less start living in a boring ponytail and I’d always cut it. Thanks to the pandemic I hit APL this spring, couldn’t get a haircut, got tired of ponytails and started looking for ideas on how to use hairsticks to make proper buns. Found LHC, learned how to take care of my APL+ hair, can do some fun styles and am now almost at waist.

Cool username! :D And oh my gosh, I relate to this so hard. I used to hate my long hair because I could do nothing with it (at the time)! It was around WL for me, but this is a huge inspiration and reminder. Congrats on your progress!! :bow: I'll have to poke around myself once I get past chin length.

[dreamingofcurls]

A year and a half ago here on LHC.

I lost my first six months of progress but thankfully I seem to be reaching my goal (TBL) pretty fast now (a year and a half), and should be in there right for my two year anniversary here.

I might let it grow to classic after that during the second half of the no cut challenge, then probably cut back to TBL to get a new fresh hemline.

Wow, congrats!! :D Your hair is getting so long. Keep it up! Especially if you hit classic -- I wasn't familiar with the no cut challenge until now, but that seems like a cool idea. Does doing that have an impact on your growth cycle or its condition? I know nothing :laugh:

[dreamingofcurls]

I started in 2014, chopped, dyed to a more natural color, grew out my actual natural color and chopped again to start fresh in 2015. From there it's been more or less steady, with intermittent henna since 2019. Pixie to tailbone in that time.

Wow, that's so fast! Your hair looks fantastic, too :D I love the color, and it looks super full. Congratulations on the transition and fresh start :heart:

[dreamingofcurls]

Welcome! :blossom:

Mine sort of started when I was about 13, and decided I would finally have long hair now that I was willing to take care of it myself (mum didn't like brushing my super tangly hair so it was in a lob until that point), I grew haphazardly without paying too much attention until it reached ~waist. Then the hair dying and chopping began.
Finally my fresh start was Jan 2018, and since then I've been truly commited to caring for and growing my hair :)

Thank you! :cheer:

Hahaha, I definitely get that. My grandma took care of me and my hair a lot growing up, but after a certain point you've gotta learn to do it yourself. And then there's the experimental period :cool: It sounds like you've made bounds and leaps of progress throughout it all. I'm sure your hair is thanking you, too. Congratulations, and keep it up! It looks great! :hifive: :cake:

[ioanaxena]

Well I've had long hair most of my life, with 3 haircuts from waist+ to chin - 2 of them of which I've wanted because 'all the cool kids had short hair'. But I've always cut it short and then immediately let it grow so in about 1 year my hair was considered long for the majority of people.

The last haircut from waist to chin was the only one that I didn't want. I had to cut it because of chemical & heat styling damage. This last major haircut was the only one I maintained for over 1 year even if I didn't particularly like it. I've always wanted to grow my hair long again, but realistically speaking, I've only actively growing my hair for just one year. So since february 2020.

[lapushka]

Thank you! :)

Wow, that's awesome! Honestly, reading and responding to all these posts has made a big bit of difference. It's still intimidating seeing so many things that I'm unfamiliar with, but there are tons of resources around and people here to help who have all had their own setbacks, so it feels a lot less lonesome. Thank you for sharing yours as well! :cheer: 6 years since 2015...that's incredible. And the time thereafter only took two years! I'm so happy for you. I'm glad you found success in fostering a good routine that works especially for you :blossom:

Thanks for the welcome! Again :laugh: :bounce:

I'll try my best to work with patience. There's so many things to try and do that I'll need to hold back from getting too ahead of myself, but this was really enlightening. I'm not sure how my hair will be after doing the big chop a few months ago, but prior to that, I was always really overwhelmed by the thickness and length. I'll have to make a sidenote about learning to deal with growth, too. :)

To be honest, I'm not even sure how often I should wash. I've been doing once a week for most of my life, but since joining a few days ago, I just realized I need to learn how to tell what's oily and what's not. I'll try my best to figure it out though :thumbsup: Thank you for the reassurance and sharing your story!

Also, gorgeous hair. In love with the condition! :flower:

You are so welcome! You are so sweet responding. :)

Thank you so much for the compliment. I love it.

You can measure your thickness as soon as you can make a ponytail. And don't let it overwhelm you. Take it one step at a time. Oily, for me, is about half an inch to an inch at the roots, and then it has got to be washed. I also have seborrheic dermatitis (think: heavy dandruff) and can't keep it oily for too too long or else my scalp doesn't like it.

We all have our struggles, right? ;)

[lapis_lazuli]

Forgot to quote-reply :wigtongue:
But that's so cool! Definitely something to be proud of. I feel a lot more encouraged about my own journey reading this, as well as everyone else's posts. I guess it's never too late to start. Also, love the pics! I'm getting very pretty faerie/elvish vibes mixed with something painterly. :thumbsup:

Aw thank you :flowers: I am an artist, so you're spot-on!

[school of fish]

I'd consider the start of my journey to be 2013. I'd been checking this forum since I think maybe 2007ish but in 2013 I started actively implementing the wisdom I learned here and then a couple years later I officially joined the board.

My path has been more about hair quality than quantity. I started off with decently long length at hip, but it was a very damaged hip length and was losing length to the damage... I grew it fairly easily to tailbone (my chosen length limit) but had some years of rehab to contend with.

I discovered my hair wants simple but specific care and I'd made a few key mistakes it just couldn't handle - a small handful of flat ironings took a huge toll, having razor-cut layers put in was probably the worst possible type of cut for my texture, and trying to go more natural by eliminating conditioner and stretching washes was the polar opposite of the kind of care it needed.

My journey has been mainly about microtrimming, bunning for sleep, daily shampoo/conditioning and patience. It's really not taken much effort but it's taken lots of time and consistency for my hair to recover from the trauma I'd unwittingly subjected it to.

My hair feels in pretty great shape now - I think it's finally forgiven me ;)

[MusicalSpoons]

Thank you! You've had a very lengthy relationship with long hair then :poot: I'm amazed...also, not knowing how to take care of it is me now :lol: I think I'm just starting to get a very basic grasp of what split/damaged ends entail after some very elementary research earlier this afternoon. Hair elastics, too! I just recently switched to scrunchies after years and years of only elastic bands. Not even sure how good or bad that is yet, so I'll need to do some more research there but it's a start. :laugh:

4 years and counting. Very cool :D How big of a difference do you think the new shampoo/washing methods made for you, or did the biggest change come from somewhere else with your nourishment and growth?

:laugh: very good!
You'll get there! Yep scrunchies are better than elastics :D

The biggest change really was learning actual protective styles. Along the way I changed to less harsh shampoo which was a major help for my roots, eventually figuring out a more moisturising routine (more conditioner and leaving it on for longer, mostly!) and I've seen a difference in my texture from doing so, and combing instead of brushing, eventually embracing the clumps so combing a lot less and my hair is a lot happier. But it's been a process, and even now although my desire to experiment is over, I am still alert to tweaks that might be beneficial. One big problem was developing sensitivities to things - which I've not entirely pinned down yet - so my scalp has directed my shampoo choices more than anything else. But that's okay because for the lengths, conditioner is far more important than the shampoo :)

It feels a cliché to call it a journey but it really is unless you hit on the perfect routine straight away (but even then people still have to learn how to deal with it at different lengths), so enjoy yours - happy growing! :cheer:

[DropStitches]

Welcome, dreamingofcurls! This time around, my journey started in September 2019, when I decided to stop maintaining my super short buzzcut.

My hair’s been yo-yoing from short to about APL though since I was 8 (when I first decided a pixie cut would look cute, and then cried and asked the hairdresser if she could glue the hair she had cut off back to my head!). I’ve had a lot of fun with crazy styles and colours over the years, but this time around, I’m committed to treating my hair kindly, and am very curious to find out just how long it can grow!

[Natalia_A00]

August of 2018 methinks

[paper.wyrm]

I grew mine out from about BSL to hip/TBL about 7-8 years ago, then cut to about chin in a multi staged fever of madness. I really hated it at that length and it took about 6 months before I could bear to wear it down, and about a year or two before I felt myself again. I maintained at waist for a long time, then in the last 6 months or so I've started to grow it out again.

[Arciela]

Back in 2011 I'd say was when I finally stopped the bleaching, heat, etc and started following the LHC advice. It took quite a while for my hair to finally be long and in great condition. I'd say it wasn't until 2016 that it was great.

Now I feel like I'm starting over in a way because I had a huge shed after my recent surgery. So weird to not have my thick hair. Oh well, it'll grow back and be like it once was eventually, just takes patience :flower:

[Liz_H]

Welcome dreamingofcurls!

I had my hair fairly short for years, the last year or two at a chin length bob. In mid 2017, I just didn't get around to cutting it for awhile, and decided I liked it longer. It wasn't healthy at all, so I decided it needed a trim about a year later. Unfortunately, I cut in a lot of layers, besides losing 4 inches off the ends. It's now tailbone length, but I'm still growing out those blasted layers. With age, my light brown hair was a mousy graying brown. I finally started using henna and love it!

Along the way I've learned a lot about what my individual hair needs. Everybody's is different. Without enough protein, mine just won't hold moisture. I don't have a good photo, but here's one I took recently.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=44216&d=1611280096

[Belgrade Beauty]

Long ago, but kept falling for monthly trim is necessary for hair growth ?!
But dedicated with care, February 2018.
I'm in my 4th year! Haha. It's great to see how much hair grew in 3 years. From shoulders to BCL. Amazing what you can do when you avoid scissors.
Habits? Hmmm...
1) Oiling my hair weekly was there since the beginning. I was convinced and still am that that's how you avoid ratty ends. Whenever I paused for few months, my ends were thinned out. Not sure if it's related, but I believe it is.
2) I stopped visiting my hairdresser. I started s&d and never looked back. That said, you need to get some good hair scissors.
3) I bought a lot of better products, I look at ingredient lists everywhere.
4) I still use elastics for my braids, cause scrunchy is too much for my thin end braid. I bought wooden brush, boar brittle brush, wooden comb. I detangle with fingers mostly, don't rip out my fine hair anymore. But on a daily basis since I'm very near BCL, I bun my hair and use small clips, they don't rip my hair or make tension on my scalp.
5) My wash day routine is much more complicated since I joined LHC tbh, I do double conditioning, which kills me. Idk what to do for 6 minutes, I can't shave my legs every other day. But other than that, I love the results.

I can't believe it took me so much to find this place. I joined in Jan 2020, and this place existed so much longer and I could have avoided so much disappointment and have my hair long way before. I wished for long hair since kindergarten to be honest, but in my small circle it's not something you do, and you can't get any good advice tbh. This forum is a game changer in many ways.

[leafygreens18]

Four years in March! That's when I had my big shave and now I'm around BSL when dry or lower back TBL when wet!

[apollosdrawer]

I believe for me its been exactly 1 year and 19 days! At the beginning it was so hard not to cut, and now I'm halfway back to where my hair was before cutting it into a bob at 15. My hair was around bra strap length. I'm 21 now, so I had short hair for almost 5 years. It certainly gets easier after a while of practicing better habits. Oh, and I only had one trim in that time! I'll trim again this October on the one year anniversary of my last trim. <3

[Dung Beetle]

It seems all my life I’ve wanted long hair, but rarely had it because I was always trying to FIX it somehow. About three years ago, during a miserably hot summer, I had it cut to about chin length. Aside from the length, it wasn’t even a good cut, and I hated it so much I just stopped looking at my hair for a while. As it grew, I tried to decide how to FIX it next, but could never quite come up with a plan. It kept on growing, I kept on doing nothing, and after a while, I couldn’t even imagine picking up my scissors again. That’s about when I ran across LHC (I discovered I already had an account, which I must have set up in the olden days of confusion). My hair is about BSL now, and it’s not the prettiest hair in town, but it’s my personal prettiest. I’m at peace with it!

[SnowSpot]

2 years and 3 months ago, quite precisely. 😊

[Xlena]

I think 2019, almost 2 years, since that's when I finally cut the damaged hair left from hair dyes / heat and my goal became only length since before it was length and health, but if we consider the moment I actually started to care more about my hair to grow it long and healthy, then 2016, tha's almost 5 years ago!!

[Lyanna]

I've always had waist to hip hair, up until I decided to get a very short bob when I was about 14 years old. I never took good care of my hair before that, and it definitely needed to be trimmed, but I mostly wanted a big change in one go.
I really liked it the first few weeks but looking back I don't think it suited me at all! The layers were growing out weirdly and it was a bit of a mess. Around this time I started to really want to colour my hair, and afters months of bugging my parents about bleaching it, they gave in. Then it kind of went downhill from that, I was constantly changing hair colours between the age of 16 and 17, until dying it black and chopping it to chin length in 2018 because it was so damaged (to be expected haha).
After that I decided I really wanted my long hair back and started the process of growing the bleached parts out and trimming them. Now at 19, my hair is completely virgin after letting it grow for around two years, and it's at mid-back (almost at waist) length. So I think it started in October of 2018 to be precise :D

[veryhairyfairy]

12 years ago, I was 19! (Goodness gracious, was I ever that young??)

I remember finding LHC in 2009 while researching henna and I think it took me two days to decide that all I wanted from life was classic length hair (I was at chin length then). I got to my dream goal of classic length in 2017 I think, grew for a little bit longer and then decided to bleach and chop so I could grow out my natural color with a less-obvious demarcation line.

I loved loved loved my henna'd hair, and I actually really enjoyed the last 2 years of bobs and lobs and fantasy colors, but I miss the tactile sensation of long hair on my skin, so I'm happy to be growing again and trying to enjoy the journey. :thumbsup:

[AmyBee]

Only last august! Until then I had never ever even considered the damage I was doing to my hair and that that might be why it wouldnt grow. I just thought I had bad hair!!

[Eastbound&Down]

2014, got to WL then some post-partum boredom caused me to cut to SL and I never grew it back until now when I officially decided that the goal I had of getting to hip has never gone away. Its different this time, I'm enjoying the mini milestones a lot more this go around and I know some tips and tricks that work for me that I didn't have last time that is helping me with much less experimentation needed.

[Finda]

It seems all my life I’ve wanted long hair, but rarely had it because I was always trying to FIX it somehow. About three years ago, during a miserably hot summer, I had it cut to about chin length. Aside from the length, it wasn’t even a good cut, and I hated it so much I just stopped looking at my hair for a while. As it grew, I tried to decide how to FIX it next, but could never quite come up with a plan. It kept on growing, I kept on doing nothing, and after a while, I couldn’t even imagine picking up my scissors again. That’s about when I ran across LHC (I discovered I already had an account, which I must have set up in the olden days of confusion). My hair is about BSL now, and it’s not the prettiest hair in town, but it’s my personal prettiest. I’m at peace with it!

This sounds so familiar. My current erffort to grow my hair long has started in october 2017 with a cutback to apl. Now, around bcl, my hair is by far the longest it has ever been.

[ashke50]

I used to have hip length hair as a kid, and I always dreamed of hair so long I could sit on it. I didn't take good care of it when I was at university and it was gradually getting shorter and shorter. It had to be trimmed back to almost shoulder length at one point. The moment I decided to actively grow my hair, rather than just wistfully wishing it was longer, was just after I got engaged. That was towards the end of 2010, and my hair was between BSL and waist. I joined here in March 2011, so I've been growing for just over ten years. That's actually quite terrifying!

[lapushka]

As long as I've been here. About 15/16 years now. So I was early 30s.

[Todd]

I've wanted long hair for pretty much all of my life. I think from about Age 8 onwards. Mostly I wasn't able to do anything about it though.

I did grow it long for six years, then cut it.... At some point during that time I found the forum. Eventually I started growing it long again and this time it has been for ten years.

[ArtOfNoot]

Maybe a month or so before I joined,,, so over a year

[Siv]

Hmm..

I had ~MBL most of my childhood.

Chopped (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40888&d=1586456098) to an asymmetrical bob (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTOsnZTt97R7mjEyUS5sNZsXAcsjWWdK vj5og&usqp=CAU) around 2008. One of those that had ~shoulder length in the front and shaved at the nape of the neck.

Grew that out aimlessly with a few visits to the hair dresser until 2015 when I had about waist length hair.

Chopped to shoulder length in 2015 and started researching curly girl. Found this place via curly girl, nopoo etc. topics and started lurking. I tried a bunch of different things for funsies, but wasn't trying to grow my hair though. But I didn't cut it and I guess I was drawn in to the LHC community?

I've found it difficult to be active here when I'm working full time, so I didn't actually join here in April 2017. Coincidentally I went on extended sick leave in May 2017 for like 6 months so I had time to integrate myself into the community...

Now I'm at TBL+ :)

[Neorago]

2009 is when I first got interested in hair care. I didn't care too much about length, I was just struggling with brittle hair and naturally found long hair communities when looking at how to look after it better. I've wanted long hair for about the past 4 years but never got further than BSL without thinking I needed to cut it because it was so dry. Around May 2020 is when I decided to give it a good go and now I'm at waist length - hoping to reach hip length at least and who knows from there! I thought waist length was my end goal but it doesn't even feel that long (other than when I'm washing it and it slaps around my body!) so who knows where I'll end up :)

[baanoo]

Hmm..

I had ~MBL most of my childhood.

Chopped (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=40888&d=1586456098) to an asymmetrical bob (https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTOsnZTt97R7mjEyUS5sNZsXAcsjWWdK vj5og&usqp=CAU) around 2008. One of those that had ~shoulder length in the front and shaved at the nape of the neck.

Grew that out aimlessly with a few visits to the hair dresser until 2015 when I had about waist length hair. ...


This is basically my story, too! Wandering between APL/MBL from childhood til mid teens when the experiments began. I had a short bob in the late late 90s, a pixie ~2002 (and again in 07!), the asymmetrical bob in 05 (the year I finished college)... generally, though, I was always growing it out, however casually.

I started being more serious about growing it longer than I ever had before - around the time I cut my bangs (https://photos.app.goo.gl/mfZrRgwJhMSaqp7H8) in early 2017 (I had been vaguely maintaining shoulder/APL for a few years at that point) and was ready to finally work towards my ultimate goal: classic-length hair with short 90s-european-indie-film bangs. :o

[bparnell75]

In 2010 I cut off my BSL bleached hair and wore it short for about 9 months. then I decided I would go for long in fall of 2011. This was about 7 months after my mm died. I have been to classic cut back to tailbone and on my way to classic again.

[tekla]

First I started to grow in early 2017. I reached APL but had a major shed and decided to cut it shoulder length. I cut it even shorter in December 2018 to make the recovery from the shed easier; styling with a thick layer of new growth was difficult and every day was a bad hair day. I joined here in February 2019 when my hair was just under the ears and now I'm really close to APL. I wish to grow to waist length and then I'll see if I want to maintain or grow further.

[Fitzpatrick]

I got really sick about eight years ago. I chopped my thirty three inch hair off and got a pixie instead. A year later my DL renewal came due and I got another pixie in time for my picture to me taken. It was on my birthday that I decided that I wanted long hair again and ever since then I have been persistent. Right now my hair measures forty four inches and I am hoping to get to mid-thigh/ knee length, that is if I don't reach terminal length first. I love this community and the support it offers as well as the knowledge of hair care that is ever present!

[Arciela]

Back in 2012 I stopped all dyes, bleach and heat. Hair grew to classic by 2016, I got bored and went blonde for about a year, then got endometriosis and didn't have the energy to take care of classic length bleached hair. Cut it to shoulder length and started over. Now it's all virgin and approaching hip length again :flower:

[CuteCrow]

My current journey started about 2 years and 5 months ago with my buzzcut so I had a "clean" start.

But the first time I ever wanted long hair was maybe 9 years ago? I remember watching a lot of reggae videos and all these people with long, maybe WL, dreadlocks and I loved it and wanted them for myself. BUT I didn't want to grow locs but have "instant locs" done that directly reached WL. I planned to grow to hip and then get them done, so that way they wouldn't be too short. Bear in mind I was SL back then and I have never had hair longer than BSL so that phase didn't last long.

The next time I wanted long hair was when I started taking care of my curly hair, about 5 years ago. I remember googling a lot of hair-related stuff and I would always end up here in the LHC, it wasn't long before I started getting hair envy and I learned that it wasn't that my hair "doesn't grow past a certain length" but that I never took proper care of it. So I chose Classic as my goal length, but it wasn't until I buzzed my hair two years ago that I took my journey seriously.

[Alissalocks]

I wanted long hair for over 25 years, but it kept failing to grow and I didn't know why. Then I cut it to chin length in 2013, a la Karlie Kloss -- Because I was over wanting long hair and never having it grow.

By 2016 it had inched back to BSL and I decided to grow it "for real" and ended up here after a Google search. It's been hip length for about 2+ years as I've been growing out layers.

Then I stopped coloring my hair in May 2019 -- I used to henna for red, then went black with indigo.

So I'm growing it out YET AGAIN as all natural and gray but lingering between waist and hip while it grows and trims, grows and trims.

Welcome to the forum!

[pisces1480]

I always had long hair, but it has thinned during the pandemic and I cut it to my shoulders. My journey to re-achieving long hair begins today. :-)

[Nox_Inber]

Welcome to the forum!

I started growing my hair (on purpose) about....4 years ago? I had a lot of setbacks that kept me at APL for a long time. It was really frustrating but things are going well now. I imagine it will be at least 2 more years before I reach my goal but I am learning to enjoy the journey there :D

[qnlizbeth]

I had MBL, maybe even waist length hair about 6 years ago when I was in high school. However, it was fried and horrible from constant dyeing, straightening, and not using protective styles! I got a pixie in 2018 which I hated. In early 2020 during lockdown I discovered OrganicallyAnna on Instagram, who inspired me to start actually focusing on haircare. So I'm just now coming up on a year of using protective styles, hair sticks, and deep conditioning.

[ccsdg]

My parents kept my hair strictly between my shoulders and ears through childhood. Rebelled in high school by growing it to waist length (oh, such a rebel), then oscillated between bob/pixie and mid-back a couple of times. My last major cut was 7 years ago to shoulder length, now I've been at knee length for a couple of years. I'm all about the benign neglect, so it's not like a 7 year long journey... more like 7 years ago was the last time I really thought hard about my hair...