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Laurel32
May 29th, 2009, 09:01 PM
This is a hypothetical question about terminal length. If someone were to hit terminal length while growing out a unnatural color, would the unnatural color grow out with no trims? In other words does hair at terminal length still 'technically' grow without gaining any more length? Thank you in advance for your answers! I have been pondering this question for awhile now. :)
SimplyLonghair
May 29th, 2009, 09:09 PM
It would shed out. And the natural color would grow in. :D
Wind Dragon
May 29th, 2009, 09:21 PM
The only way what you're describing would happen is if you'd reached an artificial terminal length due to damaged ends breaking off as fast as the hair was growing.

If you've reached true terminal, then it happens like SimplyLonghair said (hi! :waving:) That's when the hairs that hang the lowest have grown as far as they're going to grow. Period.
plainjanegirl
May 29th, 2009, 10:00 PM
Yes I think they would shed out and eventually you would have hair all of your natural color without any trimming or cutting.
teela1978
May 29th, 2009, 10:08 PM
I think spidermom explained it best one day when she called it 'terminal time' rather than length. Each hair will grow for a certain amount of time and then fall out. Some hairs will grow for a little while and fall out while others will grow for a very long time before they fall out. I think the reported average is 6-8 years for the longest hairs. Based on that, if you stopped doing anything to your hair for the next 8 years, you would have a completely new head of hair that was all your natural color.
zzstarz13z05
June 9th, 2009, 10:09 AM
What if you started growing out your hair at the end of your "terminal time" cycle. Perhaps you're at BSL now and you've been maintaining it there for a while (a couple years). If you were approaching then end of your "terminal time" cycle, would you be stuck at BSL for longer?

I've always wondered this....
spidermom
June 9th, 2009, 10:45 AM
What if you started growing out your hair at the end of your "terminal time" cycle. Perhaps you're at BSL now and you've been maintaining it there for a while (a couple years). If you were approaching then end of your "terminal time" cycle, would you be stuck at BSL for longer?

I've always wondered this....

Each hair has it's own genetically determined length of time to grow. Some shed out after a few months, others shed out after many years. If you've been maintaining the same length for a long time, all that means is that you shortened the length potential of your longest-growing hairs, and they will shed out at the end of their growth cycles. But new hairs are actively growing in all the time, including hairs that will continue to grow for a long time, so if you quit cutting, you will see length gain as quick as anybody else, and you will reach the same length potential as you would have if you had never cut it.
Carolyn
June 9th, 2009, 11:20 AM
Your hair follicles will grow, then rest, and then shed the hair. All our follicles go through these stages but all the follicles are not in the same stage at the same time. Your hair should continue to get longer if you stop cutting it. I maintained in the general BS range for years and then grew longer.