Ugh. No visible growth after 5 months

[tinabcurly]

I need to vent a little please. I've been so good about not obsessing about my length for the last 5+ months-- it's been up nearly the entire time & my last trim was in Jul 08. I wore my hair down & curly yesterday (wonders never cease!) so I figured it was a good opportunity to take a pic & see how it's going. I think it actually looks shorter than my last pic in Sep 08. WTH?

Sept 08...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3594/3295504950_cd73e7b931_m.jpg

Last night....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3474/3295504992_62ca245df7_m.jpg


Sep was freshly done and yesterday was end of day... plus my hair never looks the same twice so I take all pics with a grain of salt.

It doesn't look like it's curling more now but apparently it is! I've had 3/4" roots every. single. month. That's 3" of roots. Now, I wouldn't mind coloring the roots if at least I was getting somewhere but where the heck did it all go?! :confused:

I'm done whining. Thanks for listening!

[lora410]

It looks shorter I think because it is more spread out vs your first Pict. Btw I have gone through 7 month stalls before and then MEGA GROWTH SPURTS. Hang in there :)

[GlennaGirl]

Looking at where your elbows are in both pics, it definitely falls to at least the same place in the second pic. You're a curly girl...is it because it was the end of the day and everything had "sproinged" back up a tad? Have you tried gently pulling a lock straight and measuring that way so you can see that you're getting growth? I know it can be really hard to tell on curly hair.

[spidermom]

I am sure the apparent stall must be extremely frustrating, but your hair looks terrific - so beautiful.

[akurah]

Since you are a curly, I would recommend wetting down your hair thoroughly, till it is straight (even if you have to glob in conditioner), then take a "length" picture. And then the next time you take a length pic to measure progress, do the same thing.

[JamieLeigh]

I know you're frustrated...but lots of people stall for a few months, then it seems like it grows an inch almost overnight. I'm sorry you're annoyed with your growth, but it looks very beautiful, and the curls are amazing! :)

[OhioLisa]

You have some awesome curls there! Curlies can take longer to show progress. Even if it takes longer to see growth, at least your hair is looking fab in the meantime! :flowers:

[lapushka]

No visible growth? Come on, you are kidding, right? LOL!
It looks as if it's growing *nicely*! You should be proud. It's perfectly normal.

[Katze]

I see much thicker ends in the second pic. Curls do swallow length, but I see thickness moving down.

And GORGEOUS dark curls! Whatever you are doing, you're doing it right. :applause:

[MadPirateBippy]

The evil gnomes are stealing your length. The only way to keep them pacified is to put twelve seeds under your bed at the light of the full moon. My gnomes give me splits, consider yourself lucky. :D

You're getting better thickness and a little length. Do you measure pulling your hair strait every month? That can help keep better records so at least you know you're getting somewhere.

[Sunshine69]

Your ends definitely look thicker in the second pic. Your hair looks like it's wet or maybe has product in it in the first picture. That might have been pulling your curls straighter. The second picture looks fluffier, and your curls might have been more springy.

[tinabcurly]

:o shucks guys, thanks for all the nice compliments!

I'm aiming for hip length curly so I measure my curly progress. Dang! Measuring curls is such a PITA. I can't get it straight unless I flatiron it. If I was trimming, I would do it but that much heat generates splits immediately.

I know I've made progress because of my monthly roots. Plus, when I wash it & tilt my head back, it tickles my backside.:D I wanted to see the progress as well as feel it, ya know?

[maskedrose]

I agree with Katze - it looks much thicker now than it did back in September. You're definitely getting some good growth, it just seems to be filling out your length rather than adding to it. Summer is coming though, and if you're like me, growth seems to speed up with the warm weather.

[Johanna64]

Yes,when I wash it my hair is much longer too :)
But your curls are so beautiful and healthy!!

[PurpleAshes]

Maybe your hair was damp when you took the first picture. That would've made the curls look longer than they are when dry.

[crystal_89]

I think that your curls look amazing and that the ends are thicker in the second picture. Don't feel discouraged, you have beautiful hair!

[Country Cowcurl]

your hair is beautiful, and maybe it's busy filling out instead of down? it seems a lot thicker. but don't be discouraged, i had a friend with super curly hair like yours and she never thought her hair was growing, even though we all saw it was = )

[Deborah]

Hey, this is still the dead of winter. Lots of folks stall a little this time of year. Don't worry. Your hair looks great, and it will grow in its own good time. :)

[30isthenewblack]

I think you need to measure your hair straight to get a more accurate measurement. Curly hair will look all different lengths in pictures. My hair can jump to APL at times! Don't be disheartened. I'm sure it's growing and it looks great!

[arabidbutterfly]

When I get discouraged about my rate of growth, I just think, "Well, is my hair healthy?" if I can say yes, then I'm still happy, and yours looks great!