Lengths from the back of my head are way shorter than the rest

[Elly]

Hello,

I've been asking about this more than half a year ago already and I got alot of nice suggestions and feedback on my problem but I feel that it only gets worse and not better:

I used to believe that it was only the hair that grows close to my neck that was breaking alot because it's very thin but now i found out that the hair that grows from the back of my head is also way shorter than the rest of my hair. I'd guess that there is a difference of about 5cm in length. I've been struggeling with this problem for the last 2 years and i always ended up cutting the hair off, so my ends wouldn't look so horrible anymore. It's very frustrating to have the same thing happen over and over again.

I've been treating my hair very gently in the last months and did whatever i could to prevent what happenend in the past. But now it happened again. I've been using Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Shampoo + Conditioner, Coconut Oil, stopped blowdrying and used to do Updos 90% of the time. I comb my hair very carefully. It just seems that no matter what i do i always end up with my lengths looking like this. Maybe the hair at this spot doesn't grow longer? I also have severe taper.
I included lots of pictures that show how my hair looks like. The pictures were taken directly after washing my hair so it's still a little wet on some of the pictures.

It looks pretty horrible on this one already:

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2552/69756786.jpg

I didn't comb my hair fully for this picture so you can't really see how bad it is in this one.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7757/31939369.jpg


Horrible. The hair is still a little wet in this picture and it makes the problem even more visible
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4346/72982484.jpg

Here a single stand of the hair that grows in the back of my head. Here you can see how much more thin it gets in the lenghts. Evil taper...

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2883/60916019.jpg

I always thought i could just ignore these things and grow my hair no matter what but i find this so horrible that i consider to cut it alot shorter. What can i do...?



UPDATE 04/24/2010:

i just wanted to give a little bit of an update on my hair situation.

I've never found a way to solve this specific problem. Here is what i found out:

- If i trim it regulary in micro trims so my hair grows a bit then the problem still occures. Even tho it occures less because i don't gain much lengh.

- if i trim until the "W" Shape is gone then my hair doesn't gain lengh at all. -> The hair at that spot doesn't grow at all.

- Different Products and different methods of washing CWC or Co-only don't seem to make a difference. The only thing i didn't try for years are cones

- I still have a big problem with detangling hair sometimes. But I'm combing it out as gently as possible

Result: I can't gain lengh at all if i want it even. Reason for making this post is basically because i had to trim my hair yesterday from 67cm back to 63cm because i wanted it even. It basically looked again like my pictures on page 1. I've been struggling with this for over 2.5 years now.

After reading all comments over again I wonder if I should just accept it the way it is and keep growing even if it's so uneven. Otherwise I might as well just give up on my idea.
I just wonder if the "W" would just keep getting bigger and bigger tho. It prolly would.

I'd love to hear some more opinions on this since I'm clueless what to do. Did anyone else have the same problem? I'm pretty sure that my hair doesn't grow any longer at the base of my head even tho the rest keeps growing.

I'd be glad for some opinions / suggestions.

Thanks alot


UPDATE 09/30/2010:

hi all,

i hope no one minds cause i'm bumping this up again. It's been ages since i posted about this problem and i'm still dealing with it. I'm still clueless here.

As long as i trim all growth my hemline stays even but once i start to let it go (even with occasional trims) sooner or later the "W" shaped hemline will appear again.

So i think that my hair in that area is either

a) not growing at all
b) growing more slowly
c) breaking

and i still don't know what happens there. I'm using cones now and they certainly help with tangles. i'm also using a tangle teezer, which I love because it makes lots of volume. I'm not treating my hair roughtly either.

Just wanted to post here again to see if anyone else figured something out in the meantime or had the same happening to him/her.

here is my current picture:

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9975/ellyseptember.jpg

[natt i nord]

What shampoo do you use? Does it contain silicones? My idea was, if it does, the scalp on this place could be irritated so the hair at this place doesn't grow that fast as the rest of your hair does.
If it doesn't this has no particular reason except nature. Hair grows never in exactly the same speed, and there are people whose hair on the left side is faster than the hair on the right - you just have the thing that the middle part is slower than the rest.
For the moment you can do nothing against it - but you could try to trim the longer ends until everything has the same length, then let it grow for two or three months and trim again the longer parts to hold the hemline.

Maybe a U or even V cut could help too - then only the V/U would grow out to a even hemline. When it's to that you could cut a V again.

[Elly]

What shampoo do you use? Does it contain silicones? My idea was, if it does, the scalp on this place could be irritated so the hair at this place doesn't grow that fast as the rest of your hair does.
If it doesn't this has no particular reason except nature.

I've been only using cone free products in the last years. My current shampoo is using Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta. Maybe i should really go for a U- Trim but that would mean that i'm going to lose even more than 5cm if i cut. But i understand your point, it would definetly make sense.

[Heidi_234]

Oh wow that is so weird. I don't have anything useful to say. You hair seem to be very very fine and delicate. How do you protect it at night? If you sleep with it loose it could be that you sleep on your hair so the meddle part gets most of the damage. Do you wear it down? Maybe the side parts are always in front of you but the middle is down your back, getting caught under bag straps for laid on. Do you wear it in a ponytail? Maybe the middle part, which holds most of the weight is being stresses and eventually breaks easier and faster.
For all it worth, I have awful taper too (I think that if I take the same amount of hair like you in the pic it would look the same), and your color is so pretty :flower:

[magpielaura]

Are you inadvertantly damaging the hair that grows from this area of your head? Do you lay on your back to sleep or move around a lot? You could try silky pillow cases or changing what you do with your hair to sleep if you think this might be part of the problem.

Maybe the updo's are contributing to breakage. If you are doing the same, tight bun in the same spot everyday and your hair is prone to breaking you could be putting stress on one area again and again. Could the clips/bands/whatever you use be to blame?

Sorry if I'm repeating advice you have heard before but it is worth thinking through everything you do to your hair and even asking the people around you if you are unconsiously fiddling with it, or doing something you don't know about in your sleep. Maybe your hair is thiner/weaker at the back but this seems fairly unusual - I got the impression this would be more likely to be the most vigorous area of hair for many people.

Your hair is a lovely colour by the way, and shiny. I'm sure the breakage is not noticable most of the time!

[Elly]

thanks for the replies.

I usually put my hair in a very high updo in the middle of my head while i'm going to sleep. (looks like a weird 80s hairstyle). I'm using a big frotté hairband to do so. Everything else causes my hair to be like a birdnest when i wake up in the morning and detangling would take at least 15 mins. But i still have alot of small knots to detangle every morning.

I'm sleeping on a silk pillow case and i have a bit less detangling every morning because of that. I usually don't wear my hair down at all and if i do i'm being extremely careful not to lay on it or not to get it between my back and a chair when i'm sitting down.

Sometimes i wear a ponytail, but not regulary. My basic hairstyle is putting either a hairstick or just using a big frottè band. And usually i don't put it into a tight bun at all.

So there is nothing my hair could really break at. I'm absolutely clueless here.. :rolleyes: I should measure if my hair is growing at all in this spot. I did an experiment with photoshop to see how much i'd need to cut for a U- or V- cut... that would be quite a lot:

U- Shape:
http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/7649/uschnitt.jpg

V- Shape:
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/1641/vschnitt.jpg

i'm so clueless on what to do... :rolleyes:

[sweet*things]

Wow. I guess I'd double and triple check that you aren't doing anything to stress those hairs.

No tight buns or updo's.

Maybe try a silk pillowcase in case it's sleep breakage.

Do you wear hats or caps during the winter? Those can rub and damage hair.

Do you often sit in a chair that grabs hairs? Examine your routine and anything that touches your hair.

Good luck! I love your color.:flower:

[Tap Dancer]

I think a U-shape would make it look better. :twocents:

[Raederle]

First, welcome to LHC :waving:

If you're usually wearing your hair up anyway, I'd just leave the ends alone and see what happens if you don't "correct" the hemline. It can be frustrating to figure out where supposed damage is coming from. Years ago, I realized it was the strap on my shoulder bag which was making one side shorter; for someone else it could be the nubby collars on a sweater or jacket.

Sometimes benign neglect can let things work themselves out.

[Rentlle]

yes, I would deffenitly go for the u-shape.
You can do also a montly trim till the ends are even?
I don't know what to say else for the cause of the thin ends...

[Elly]

i don't wear any caps or hats either... I think i'll try to watch even more carefully what i'm doing during the day. Maybe i can find out if there is something that might damage my hair at that specific area.

I think i'm also more of an U- Shape fan. V- Shape would mean that i'd lose way too much of my hair. =( I'm considering to cut them off by like 3-4 cm now and then do monthly micro trims. But I haven't decided on what to do yet.

[rhubarbarin]

To me it doesn't look like breakage, it looks like the hair right at the back of your head is slow-growing and not as thick. I actually like your hemline, it is unusual but I don't think it looks bad. It's a W instead of a U or V. Maybe if you took just a little bit from the thick sides it would make it a bit more uniform. It's a shame though to cut off such nice ends.

[Pierre]

I had the same problem; what fixed it was sleeping in a Buff every night and lots of patience. Also, when the back of my head gets a deposit of thick sebum, which was noticeable this morning after washing, I concentrate on that part when I oil.

[jivete]

I have this problem a little bit, but I think mine is from damage. I use to sleep with it loose and that center back piece is the one that tends to get dreaded up. Not nice detangling led to breakage. You might just be seeing old damage that's been corrected since you changed your routine.

I think if it were me, I'd go for a straight blunt hemline and leave it for a little bit to see what happens next.

[MsBubbles]

I was just going to comment on how lovely your hair is! What a beautiful color and texture.

Anyway, I'd say discontinue immediately with any ponytails (even infrequent ones), and the hairsticks. Can you make a really loose braid and tie it off with something really loose for sleeping? I tried to sleep with my hair in a bun once and it pulled so many hairs out it wasn't worth it.

Like somebody else said, sorry if this is all repeated info from before. I hope some of this helps. You really do have lovely hair. It reminds me of my best friend's hair from when we were 8. I wanted that hair color so bad!

[Elly]

thanks for your suggestions.

@rhubarbarin haha, yes its some kind of W- Cut! I think if more people had it that way i'd feel more comfortable with it. *smile* But it's so "uncommon"

Well I don't know yet if i will cut and also how much i will cut off. I'd definetly lose the least hair if i go for a straight cut.
I was wondering what exactly a Buff is? How exactly would i make a sleeping- hairstyle with that thing? ^^

[Amara]

I don't have any more useful suggestions besides what's already been said, but I wanted to mention your hair is just lovely! :) I like the unusual hemline as well. Try to enjoy the things you like about your hair and don't let this one issue stress you out!

[share801]

I'd suggest blunt if you like it. You'd lose less length I think.

[Arctic]

I used to believe that it was only the hair that grows close to my neck that was breaking alot because it's very thin but now i found out that the hair that grows from the back of my head is also way shorter than the rest of my hair. I'd guess that there is a difference of about 5cm in length. I've been struggeling with this problem for the last 2 years and i always ended up cutting the hair off, so my ends wouldn't look so horrible anymore. It's very frustrating to have the same thing happen over and over again.

I've been treating my hair very gently in the last months and did whatever i could to prevent what happenend in the past. But now it happened again. I've been using Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Shampoo + Conditioner, Coconut Oil, stopped blowdrying and used to do Updos 90% of the time. I comb my hair very carefully. It just seems that no matter what i do i always end up with my lengths looking like this. Maybe the hair at this spot doesn't grow longer? I also have severe taper.

Your hair looks beautiful to me too, so silky!

Can you tell if the ends are broken (split, rought end, white dot, etc), uncut new growth (tapers like tip of cat's whiskers), or cut with scissors (neat, smooth blunt end)?

You could try CWC washing if you haven't already, it would protect the ends/length from shampoo. Also doing deep treatments often might help? And perhaps some kind of leave in to moisturize.

Did I understand (or remember, lol) correctly that you don't trim regularly? I think it's quite rare to have an even hemline without trimming. You might benefit from regular micro trims.

And if I were you I would probably avoid braids for now to save the ends from wear and tear.

[Silver Strands]

I've heard of the sides growing faster than the rest of the hair and maybe that's
what you have.

I would trim it straight across when needed.
And now that you have taken pictures, wait a few months and see if there has been
any growth.

ETA: After the trim that is. You will notice it better that way.

Very pretty color!

[Elly]

Can you tell if the ends are broken (split, rought end, white dot, etc), uncut new growth (tapers like tip of cat's whiskers), or cut with scissors (neat, smooth blunt end)?


i have some split ends and some white dots in my hemline aswell. But that goes for my whole hemline and not just the shorter parts. I started to do S&D about two months ago and i can't really tell yet if it's helping or not.

Right now I tend to do a straight trim. But I want to wait a little longer so i don't end up rushing things. But be prepared for some pictures after i cut them :)

[eresh]

I have that weird snaketongue shape in my hairline too.
My sides just grow faster than the rest.
When it got too obvious I would trim the sides a little and leave the middle alone.

This is what it looked like january 2008:
http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/1926/stijlhaarmw4.jpg

Some of us just have a weird growthpattern, doesn't have to be from damage ;)

My ends are now blunt, after a trim of the sides in march.
I still notice faster growth in the sides, so I guess, if you don't like this shape of a hemline, you need to trim once in a while.

[Elly]

that looks indeed similar. The only difference is that your hair is much longer than mines :p I'm jealous now. Your hair looks very pretty and has a nice shine aswell!

Yep, I'm definetly planing regular trims now. I'm just wondering how much should i trim off. Around 1cm every 2 months or so?

[eresh]

I never trimmed regularly, just took some off when the shape started to annoy me too much :)
That used to be once a year but since march this year I stick to once every 3 months, to keep the hemline nice.
(I check if it is still even and how much there needs to be trimmed, it variates)

[ktani]

I had a similar problem years ago in the same spot. My hair was dry and breaking. It was the conditioner I was using at the time. For some reason it caused breakage and in that area mostly. I switched conditioners at the time and the area grew in again. It must have been how I was combing my hair, as to why the breakage was "selectively" worse in one spot. It was a coneless conditioner, by the way.

[Honestwitness]

I have this same problem, only not exactly in the same pattern as yours. And my hair is not as long as yours, either.

I encourage you to look at my "Updos and Beyond" album. You'll see how scraggly and uneven the growth is in my nape hairs and even higher.

In the past, I wore my hair in a pixie for years and always cut it myself, so I know my own hair pretty well. My growth in the center back has been this way always, even when it was really short. The very center has always been more fine and thin than the rest.

When it was very short, I sometimes would thin the parts in the back that are on either side of the thinner central section. Otherwise, it looked really wierd.

I don't believe anything I could do would change this. I have used many different shampoos and conditioners over these past 30 or so years, so I don't believe it could be that.But I could be wrong.

This past week, I have just started using cone-free shampoo and conditioner and SLS-free shampoo, for the first time in my life.I will be watching to see if that makes any difference.

I believe I know what caused this for me. When I was a little girl and when I was in my twenties, I had long hair and wore ponytails fairly often. That was back before there was such a thing as covered rubber bands. I used regular rubber bands. I can't even imagine doing that now.

Back then, when the rubber band would pull a hair, I would just yank until it tore out the offending hair by the roots. Horrifying, isn't it? I know. But at least the pinching would stop.I could preach a sermon on not taking shortcuts in one's youth.

Now that I have decided to let my hair grow long, I have observed that the thin spot in my hemline is getting more noticeable. It might turn out to be very similar to yours as it gets even longer.

So, I am faced with the same dilemma as you. Do I settle for a length that stays as short as the shortest part, but has a decent hemline? Or do I let it get as long as I can, even if the hemline is not beautiful.

I was very inspired recently by another LHC member, who's user name I can't remember. The photos of her length show very thin ends for at least the last 12 inches. I thought to myself, if that were me, I'd cut off the very thin part, even if I had to cut off a whole foot of hair.

But then, I looked at her updo photos and I was TOTALLY amazed at how BEAUTIFUL her dos were!!! I am inspired to be more creative with my hair, shortcomings and all, after looking at those photos.

[Honestwitness]

Here's a pic of my uneven hemline...

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2850&pictureid=44487

[Flynn]

I love that inverted-V hemline!


Here's an example of a character with it...

http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/clubs/4/35997m.jpg
http://paleshadow.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/chobits-chii-in-pink-dress.jpg
http://www.animebots.co.uk/descriptionscontent/Chii.gif

[Pierre]

I was wondering what exactly a Buff is? How exactly would i make a sleeping- hairstyle with that thing? ^^
A Buff is a cylindrical tube of cloth made in Catalonia. The regular size is about 45 cm long and 50 in circumference. See www.buffusa.com or www.buff.es. I put it around my head and stuff all my loose hair into it. I've seen them at a store that also has tents and backpacks.

[EdG]

Hairs on different parts of the scalp have different terminal lengths. If your hair has been like this for awhile, it is probably the way your hair was meant to be.

My advice is not to try to fight it. I don't see horrible at all. I see very nice hair. :)
Ed

[Elettaria]

I'd trim a bit at a time until you're happy. A U-shape may be your best bet in the end, but get there slowly so that you don't cut off more than you'd like. Your hair is the most fabulous colour!

I found that my hair grew longer when I hennaed, presumably because it was so much stronger and healthier. Perhaps a little henna, or a henna/cassia mix, not enough to make much difference to the colour but enough to help the condition of the hair?

[Elly]

hi again,

thanks alot for your replies! I just woke up (i live in germany and it's morning here ^^") and I'm very happy about all the new replies that I've gotten. You made me feel better about the condition of my hair and I'm starting to hate it less i think. Prolly it was just meant to be like that and a micro trim now and then should keep it at bay.

@Honestwitness, thanks for your long explanation, what you described could be a reason for my problem aswell. I remember that my mother used to brush my hair sort of roughly and wasn't gently either when she made me different hairstyles.
Unfortunatly I can't see the picture that you've posted. Maybe it has something to do with me not having enough posts yet? I'd really like to see it.

@Flynn, Thanks for posting the Anime-pictures btw, Flynn! I'm a huge animefan myself and i know Chobits quite well. It's a nice show. Hehe i never realized that Chii, the girl on the pictures had shorter hair in the back aswell. But you're right. *smile*

[natt i nord]

Oh, you live in Germany? That's good. Could you list your products you use (if you want to a pm is also fine)? I might give you some ideas what to use :)

[Elly]

yay another person from germany!

Currently I'm using the following products:

Shampoo:

- Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Shampoo
- Sometimes Logona Volume Shampoo "Bier - Honig" because i feel that the Rosa Mosqueta doesn't clean my scalp enough

Conditioner:

- Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Conditioner mixed with Alverde "Glanz Spülung Zitronenblüte & Aprikose"

Leave Ins:

- Logona Kokos Oil
- Neo Bio Henna Balsam Plus

tell me what you're thinking about it ^^

[natt i nord]

I don't know the Aubrey Organics... Logona either. Did you try to use another shampoo (the Alverde shampoos aren't that bad)? I still think it might be something in the shampoo that irritates your scalp.

[Elly]

it can't really be that specific shampoo i think because i've been swapping around shampoos lately. I've recently started Aubrey Organics and used Neo Bio & Logona before that.

But to be honest i've never really had a shampoo that satisfied my needs completely so i might try another one out soon again...

[Elly]

i got another question btw..

which every day hairstyle would you suggest for me? I'm looking for something extremely gentle that won't cause my hair to break.

[Arctic]

Lazy wrap bun from articles section. It's a non twisting style, easy and looks really sophisticated and makes quite big bun too!

[Elly]

thanks alot for the suggestion. i'll take a look at it now!

[Elly]

i just wanted to give a little bit of an update on my hair situation.

I've never found a way to solve this specific problem. Here is what i found out:

- If i trim it regulary in micro trims so my hair grows a bit then the problem still occures. Even tho it occures less because i don't gain much lengh.

- if i trim until the "W" Shape is gone then my hair doesn't gain lengh at all. -> The hair at that spot doesn't grow at all.

- Different Products and different methods of washing CWC or Co-only don't seem to make a difference. The only thing i didn't try for years are cones

- I still have a big problem with detangling hair sometimes. But I'm combing it out as gently as possible

Result: I can't gain lengh at all if i want it even. Reason for making this post is basically because i had to trim my hair yesterday from 67cm back to 63cm because i wanted it even. It basically looked again like my pictures on page 1. I've been struggling with this for over 2.5 years now.

After reading all comments over again I wonder if I should just accept it the way it is and keep growing even if it's so uneven. Otherwise I might as well just give up on my idea. :(
I just wonder if the "W" would just keep getting bigger and bigger tho. It prolly would.

I'd love to hear some more opinions on this since I'm clueless what to do. Did anyone else have the same problem? I'm pretty sure that my hair doesn't grow any longer at the base of my head even tho the rest keeps growing.

I'd be glad for some opinions / suggestions.

Thanks alot

[Upside Down]

I think what I'd do is color it with something that would alter the color slightly (so as it will be easy to grow out) only on the roots of the hair that you believe is not growing and actually CHECK if it is growing after a few months.
Create a demarcation line.

If it is not growing then you know where you stand. If it is growing, then find the reason for breakage.

It's a radical suggestion but that is what I would do :)

Best of luck!

[Elly]

hmm that's a rather radical option but it's something to consider in order to find out what's really going on.

I do have alot of taper in that area specifically tho. It "could" be breakage but i really doubt it. I've been uber careful and i don't see what else I can do.

- No blowdrying
- No brushing when wet
- Silk Pillowcase
- Wearing hair up and in braids
- only gentle combing
- rarely wear it down
- and so on...

[rags]

I know this is frustrating as I have somewhat the same problem, only not as pronounced. All of my hair is so thin that the middle doesn't show up as much! :p

What I can see is that if you look at your latest length shot in your album and compare it to the pictures on page one - you still have the W shape, but the middle is definetly longer. It is growing, from what I can tell, only unevenly and perhaps not very fast. But it certainly looks longer in your album to me than these shots on page one!

[Elly]

ah don't worry about those shots. That's from my frequent trimming phase. I didn't gain lengh there. Just did frequent trims to get it more even. After I hit the point back then were it was fine i decided to let it grow again with some micro trims now and then and since i'm doing that i ended up with the "W" again and it looked like on my shots in this thread. :(

[Heidi_234]

Have you seen Eresh's hair? She gets this too, she calls it the snake tongue hemline and destpite that her hair has grown to her knees. Are you absolutely 100% sure it's not growing? It looks better in the pic that's in your album now than the pictures from the beginning of this thread.

Is it the hair that's very close to the nape? If so - my nape layer is kind of the same - about APL/BSL, thinning and very uneven. Maybe it's not the hair's problem, but the fact that yours is relatively thin and fine and shows it much more?

[walterSCAN]

I didn't see any mention of it, so I'm wondering if you've ever tried regular scalp massages on just the back of your head to stimulate growth there? That and maybe trying some supplements are the only things, based on what you've already tried, that I can think of!

I agree that you have very beautiful hair (gorgeous color!), BTW... nothing horrible!

[Elly]

Yes i've seen Ereshs hair. It's a similar phenomenon definetly. :) It's just not bad / or obvious because her hair is much thicker i think.

about the massage, i have to admit that i didn't really think about that till now. i'll give it a shot. Would you massage daily?

[Deborah]

(Now don't shoot me.) :couch:

Since this has gone on for a couple of years, and your hair looks to be healthy and undamaged, I think it is likely that you have reached your own personal terminal length.

Have you considered cutting all the hair up to where the middle part ends so that you can have a nice, thicker, even hemline? :scissors: It would probably look quite lovely. Your hair would still be long and pretty, and you would be able to wear it in updos or down, with no self-consciousness about the hemline.

Then you could just baby and gently care for it, letting it grow about an inch before trimming to make sure that middle part is not growing longer. Then one of two things will happen. Either (a) you will have and can maintain lovely, healthy hair that is about apl or bsl, or (b) possibly your hair will slowly inch it's way down longer (keeping the middle length always as your bottom, so that you avoid the odd-looking hemline.)

Long, beautiful hair IS available to you, maybe just not as long as you might like. But it can still be long and beautiful. :flower:

[Elly]

i do agree with you. it might very well be terminal lengh.
The only thing that i find weird is that i had it about 10cm longer 4 years ago and i didn't have this problem at all. but then i stopped with the Birth Control Pill and since then i had lots of thinning and the problem with the uneven hemline. It might be all related.

I'll just keep treating it nicely and trim it regulary i guess. :) I already cut it to the point where it is now even again.

[Deborah]

I'll just keep treating it nicely and trim it regularly i guess. :) I already cut it to the point where it is now even again.

This sounds like a good plan. :)

[beez1717]

ya know. I kind of like the inverted v look :O It just seems so different and cool to me. Maybe it could become a new style!!!

[Elly]

hehehe ^_~ yay lets make it a style. Now all we need is some ppl that cut their hemline like a "W" instead of an "U" or a "V".

Another thing: i think i'll try out CO for now. Maybe that improves it aswell?

[walterSCAN]

Yes i've seen Ereshs hair. It's a similar phenomenon definetly. :) It's just not bad / or obvious because her hair is much thicker i think.

about the massage, i have to admit that i didn't really think about that till now. i'll give it a shot. Would you massage daily?


I think so... I don't do them regularly because I always forget. GoddesJourney (I believe) has a pretty good article on massages if you want to look for it! Good Luck with whatever you decide to do!

[MsBubbles]

Hi Elly! It's good to see you again, but I'm sorry you're still frustrated about your hemline.

I was wondering, since you seem to have tried almost everything to pinpoint the cause...what are the hair genetics in your older female relatives? Could it be genetic? It would be hard to know if they all keep their hair short though.

Otherwise, have you had a recent physical check-up where they test for common problems such as hypothyroidism, anemia, B12 deficiencies etc. ? It's interesting what you said about the birth control pill.

Also, have you tried taking basic vitamin supplements? It might not fix the uneven-growth problem completely but it might make it a bit less noticeable (too many 'might's! Sorry).

I still maintain that your hair is lovely regardless, and in the photo where you say you hadn't combed it, the W isn't as noticeable to me. I tend to think the uncombed shots are how others see our hair most of the time (yikes for me!).

Please let us know if you have any epiphanies on any of this.

[NotRapunzel]

The exact same thing happens to me =/

I don't think it's caused by terminal hair length though (at least in my case), because when I was a child I had much longer hair than I do now.

I found some info about it on the web -


Does All Scalp Hair Grow to the Same Length?

People who never trim their hair often find that some hairs grow longer than others. Hair on the top of the head grows faster than hair around the temples and the nape of the neck. These slower hairs are also finer and weaker, making them more prone to damage. As a result these hairs are often shorter, creating a V-shape at the tips of the hair (known as the hemline). Some people also notice quirks in their hair growth such as hair growing longer/faster on one side of the head, or a few 'racer' hairs which remain a few inches longer than the rest.

False Terminal Length

Although it is common for people to state their hair 'doesn't grow' beyond shoulder-length or a similarly short terminal length, this is in fact very rare. Damaging haircare practices may result in so much damage and breakage that hair tapers dramatically; however, this does not indicate true terminal length. False terminal length may also be caused by resting periods in the hair's growth, or by previous haircuts which have already consumed the lifespan (and thus length) of a large number of hairs. Long hair experts recommend waiting a year or two from the point when the hair appears to stop growing, while using gentle hair care (http://beauty.suite101.com/article.cfm/gentle_hair_care_techniques) practices and maintaining good nutrition, before deciding that it has truly achieved its terminal length.

[Elly]

Hi Elly! It's good to see you again, but I'm sorry you're still frustrated about your hemline.

I was wondering, since you seem to have tried almost everything to pinpoint the cause...what are the hair genetics in your older female relatives? Could it be genetic? It would be hard to know if they all keep their hair short though.

Otherwise, have you had a recent physical check-up where they test for common problems such as hypothyroidism, anemia, B12 deficiencies etc. ? It's interesting what you said about the birth control pill.

Also, have you tried taking basic vitamin supplements? It might not fix the uneven-growth problem completely but it might make it a bit less noticeable (too many 'might's! Sorry).

I still maintain that your hair is lovely regardless, and in the photo where you say you hadn't combed it, the W isn't as noticeable to me. I tend to think the uncombed shots are how others see our hair most of the time (yikes for me!).

Please let us know if you have any epiphanies on any of this.

Well, my mum has very thin / fine hair but this is mainly caused due to regular bleaching for the last 40 years. My grandma has thick and extremely long hair (almost at classic length) and even tho she has been always dying it black it's very healthy. That is from my dads side of the family.
I can' say much about my mums side of the family. All the girls have short hair and my grandma always had short hair aswell so i can't really tell. :) If my mums thin hair is a result of the constant bleeching is a good question. I'm sure that the bleeching is at least partually to blame.

I didn't exactly have a recent checkup but i had one about a year ago where everything was fine.

Well, I think that alot of people have good expiriences with the Birth Control Pill when it comes to hair and skin. My skin was always flawless for the time that i've been taking it and my hairgrowth progress was great aswell in that time. When i stopped my skin got a big breakout and even tho it's been 2 years now it's still not back to being clear and i can only control it with creams. Same goes for my hair. After stopping I had a big shed any my hair started to get thinner. But at least i'm not loosing that amount of hair anymore now. I'm pretty sure that the hormones in BC helped my hair to grow.

Therefore i'm now taking Evening Primrose Oil Capsules with Zinc as a supplement because it's known to have a similar effect to the body as BC has. I've only been on it for about a month so i can't really tell if it works yet.
Besides that I'm taking fish oil capsules. I'm considering to add a multi vitamin aswell.

There is one thing that I have to admit tho:
Even tho i'm usually very careful with my hair I had times where i slacked off due to lack of time and it might have been that sometimes when i was late for university i didn't take my time to detangle it as gentle as i should have. In those days i also tend to wear it down because that's just the quickest way to get out of the house.

That would be the only thing to still take in consideration. Maybe it was my fault after all. I don't know. But it could be that my hair is very delicate that that spot and i know for sure that this is the spot where my hair entangles the most. So the more it entangles the more i have to dentangle it. -> if i don't entangle it extremely carefully at all times i might cause breakage. Maybe it's that simple. If that's the case i should try to find a way to stop my hair from detangling as much as possible.
I noticed that yesterday I had much less detangling to do after i washed with CO-only, so i'll stick to that for now.

For more tips on how to stop it from entangling and of course any other imput aswell, I would be glad.

Thanks alot again.

@NotRapunzel, thanks for that info. that was really interesting. It might be damage afterall.

[MsBubbles]

Well then in that case I'm going to play the devil's advocate here and recommend at least a coney detangling serum! And then I'm going to run away :run:.

This is a whole other kettle of fish, but the cones might be just what that section of your hair needs to mega-baby it until your body and hair get back to normal. I actually have read (here, in fact) of people having shedding episodes or other bodily reactions after coming off the pill. You might have to give it some more time, plus a detangling serum :).

Oh and your Grandmother's almost-classic black hair sounds really cool!

[Elly]

haha :) coney detangling serum? Well I haven't been using cones for ages but i'm willing to try. So don't worry & no need to run away. :) Maybe my hair needs it after all. I know that most ppl freak when the word Silicone is mentioned but if it prevents my hair from being entangled and therefore prevents breakage then why not?

Now i'm just wondering what to get. I live in germany and to be honest I have absolutely no clue what's good when it comes to products with cones. if anyone has a suggestion i'd be glad :)

[Arctic]

I have seen a person on Finnish hair board who had similar problem as you have. She used to have so called normal hemline, but then after moving to other part of Finland it started breaking off and ended up looking like inverted V like yours. If I remember correctly the culprit was the water, in her new place the water was much more mineral rich and those accumulated her hair making it brittle to the point of breaking off. She found help from chelating shampoos and also from silky pillowcases and wearing it up more (but nothing like LHC style "up all the time"). I'm not an actual member of the forum, but sometimes read there if I google something and takes me to the forum, so I am not sure if the person really found a long lasting help to her problem or not. In any case her hair looks just like yours.

Do you know if you have hard water or otherwise water that contains metals/minerals? I have found a simple rinse made from ascorbic acid (vitamin C) helped my hair a lot (I had bad breakage last year, and it was apparently because of too much protein, and the water I have. My hair returned to much softer and nicer when I started these ascorbic acid rinses, back to what it was like before it started to act up)!

I haven't re-read this whole thread, probably should, but protein can also make hair break of if your hair doesn't need it.

As for the silicone seum, I personally like Got2B Smoothing Lotion (http://www.got2b.de/index.php?id=454). I linked to the German site, I don't speak german, but this is the product. It got different names in different countries. It's very coney, smells great, makes my hair feel really good and soft too!


ETA: Here's a link to the thread with photos (http://www.juurikasvu.org/smf/index.php?topic=2377.msg193738#msg193738)where this Finn complains about her hair. Now that I saw it again, her's is much much worse than yours! And quick skimming says she perms her hair, which probably was a big culprit also. So I take back the comparison between you and her, but anyway look into the hard water thing if you haven't already.

[Elly]

wow.. this finnish girl seems to have the same problem as me. Yep it seems worse tho but if she perms it then that could definetly a reason for why it looks like this.

It can't be the water. I'm pretty sure of that. I've been living at the same place for over 10 years. I just recently moved to another town but that didn't make a difference to my problem. :( I wish it was something like the water tho. Then i could at least name where the problem comes from.

I just walked down to the store btw and got the Got2B Lotion. It's called "Schmusekatze" over here btw, which means "cuddly cat" :) sounds so cute. i'll give it a try. Thank you :)

[restourceful]

Just because it hasn't been mentioned...you said you use a hairstick when you wear your hair up sometimes. Is it possible that your hairstick(s) has seams or other sharp, rough, or snaggy areas that might be breaking/cutting the hair in one spot? That's the only other thing I can think of that might be a problem.

Since you do have tangling in that area, I think you'll see a big difference with cones. I was hoping to be able to be cone-free, but my hair likes cones. Without them, my hair feels really thin and fragile. I'll be curious and watching to see the results. :drama:

[Elly]

thanks for the imput restourceful. I don't think that it's the hairstick tho. It's completely smooth and seems to have some sort of coating over the wood. so that shouldn't cause any problems.

What you said about the cones sounds interesting. May i ask if you also use a cone shampoo / cone conditioner? Or are you just using a leave-in with cones?

I'm basically wondering if people that use cones are using only products with cones or if they combine cone free stuff with cone products.

[restourceful]

I use a shampoo bar (no sulfates) on the scalp only. Then follow with a heavy coney conditioner ears down. Do all my other shower duties, then rinse, rinse, rinse, and then rinse some more. I use cooler water. This works the best for me. Both my scalp and length are happy. I can stretch washes as long as ten days, but I usually wash once a week now. I have to clarify occasionally, but I don't mind that if I can feel like my hair is stronger. I have found no splits since I went back on cones and I have fewer tangles. Some people say cones hide damage, but I think for me, they prevent damage.

[spidermom]

I use a coney serum only on the length. I don't use shampoo with cones because there's no need that I can think of; all I want my shampoo to do is cleanse. I sometimes use a coney conditioner but usually not. I want to control exactly where cones go, that's why I like the serum (CHI silk infusion).

[Elly]

thanks for the replies again. That's basically what i've thought. I think i'll stay cone free besides the coney serum and use it in a controlled way. :) I'll try it out later on today and I'm pretty curious about how it will be.

[brassovaries]

haha :) coney detangling serum? Well I haven't been using cones for ages but i'm willing to try. So don't worry & no need to run away. :) Maybe my hair needs it after all. I know that most ppl freak when the word Silicone is mentioned but if it prevents my hair from being entangled and therefore prevents breakage then why not?

Now i'm just wondering what to get. I live in germany and to be honest I have absolutely no clue what's good when it comes to products with cones. if anyone has a suggestion i'd be glad :)

Hi Elly, hope you don't mind me jumping into this thread so late....I've been following it for awhile.

My hair does the same funny W shape thing as yours if I slack off and tend to treat it roughly. It was in GREAT shape after my trip to Hawaii in Jan (kept loading it with conditioners), but after a trip to Germany (maybe it's the water?) I suddenly had dry, bushy, broken hair in the back middle. A good part of this I think is due to the under-hairs at the nape getting tangled in my suit collar. As a result, they tend to break, then making further snarls more likely. sometimes I'd get a giant knot and there would be no other way than to cut it out. My hairdresser cut it straight across (the sides brought up to the same length as the middle, about 1"). Then I really really focused on doing S&Ds on the nape hairs, and to my surprise, there were splits 1/2 way or even further up the shaft! These were snagging other hairs and causing major problems. So that is part of my problem, could it be yours as well?

Basically there are splits you don't see, because they are so high up, and they encourage snarling, which causes further breakage, etc. If you go after those damaged hairs you can cut each one off above the damaged point and yes, you'll lose that hair, but it won't get the chance to drag the surrounding hairs down with it.

Since doing this and super-conditioning and oiling it is MUCH better, and I can see some growth.

[Elly]

@brassovaris, of course i don't mind. Quite the opposite to be honest. :)
Thanks for sharing your story. What you described does sound like me. I wonder if i slacked off as well and if i caused the breakage too. It might very well be. I also have the same tangling problem in my nape area and when i detangle it, i have quite some problems to not lose any hair while doing so.
I've been using cones in the last 2 days and i get much less tangles. It also makes my hair look thicker. I'm quite positively surprised.
I'll definetly take a look if i have split ends in the nape area that cause detangling. It's time for another S&D session anyway :)

[Elly]

hi all,

i hope no one minds cause i'm bumping this up again. It's been ages since i posted about this problem and i'm still dealing with it. I'm still clueless here.

As long as i trim all growth my hemline stays even but once i start to let it go (even with occasional trims) sooner or later the "W" shaped hemline will appear again.

So i think that my hair in that area is either

a) not growing at all
b) growing more slowly
c) breaking

and i still don't know what happens there. I'm using cones now and they certainly help with tangles. i'm also using a tangle teezer, which I love because it makes lots of volume. I'm not treating my hair roughtly either.

Just wanted to post here again to see if anyone else figured something out in the meantime or had the same happening to him/her.

here is my current picture:

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9975/ellyseptember.jpg

[Karinochka]

I have a similar situation, nape hair and just above shorter/ uneven. I'm also trying to figure out the cause, although reading the posts here it may even be that there is no cause, other than natural growth pattern. I do tend to wear my hair in a low and loose pony tail a lot and I've been starting to wonder if this is to blame, because if I insert my fingers at the base of the ponytail between my scalp and the band, I can feel definite tension there. I'm thinking too that in the fall, winter, and spring, when it is cold where I live, I wear turtleneck sweaters and jackets with stand up collars a lot, which could be cutting my hair in a funny way, especially if I wear my usual low ponytail and the base rubs against it. The other style I wear a lot is a loosely twisted bun. I have tried varying the way I secure it to my head, and I've gotten rid of my old bobby pins, whose coating was peeling in places and could have been snagging. I'm experimenting more with different updos and am trying to wear loose braids more often, although I am having a hard time weaving braids that do not pull on my scalp, no matter how carefully and loosely I braid.

I find it's a strange situation because it makes me not want to wear my hair down (due to uneven hemline), yet I realize the problem may be caused by wearing my hair up all the time. While I'd love to wear a half-up half-down style (gets my hair off of my face but puts little little stress on the scalp), I find that this is the worst-looking style of all for someone with my problem -- it really shows those short straggly under hairs. So I'm following your thread with interest!

[Anje]

Hi Elly. Forgive me if you've answered this -- I didn't read the whole thread.

Does it seem like the middle section in the back is growing?

If it gets longer (albeit at a slower rather than the sides), I'd just chalk it up to having a weird growth pattern and not worry about it. The only thing I'd worry about is if that section is at terminal when the rest of your wants to keep going. Which makes for a somewhat strange hemline, though there's nothing inherently wrong with it. You see enough edgy, angled bobs that are essentially shorter versions of this.

[Elly]

@Karinochka thanks for posting about your hair problem. It feels good to know that i'm not alone with this. I hope we can both find a way to fix this somehow or keep it at bay. :) I know exactly how you feel when you say that you don't want to wear your hair down too often. :(

@Anja well, i'm not entirely sure if it's growing (and maybe just growing more slowly) or if it isn't growing at all anymore. maybe i should just let it grow without trims and see if it grows as well or stays that way. Then i would at least have some clarity. :)

It could still be breakage but it doesn't make much sense that it's always at the same spot especially cause i became overcareful in the last years.

Greetings,
Elly

[ktani]

Hello,

I've been asking about this more than half a year ago already and I got alot of nice suggestions and feedback on my problem but I feel that it only gets worse and not better:

I used to believe that it was only the hair that grows close to my neck that was breaking alot because it's very thin but now i found out that the hair that grows from the back of my head is also way shorter than the rest of my hair. I'd guess that there is a difference of about 5cm in length. I've been struggeling with this problem for the last 2 years and i always ended up cutting the hair off, so my ends wouldn't look so horrible anymore. It's very frustrating to have the same thing happen over and over again.

I've been treating my hair very gently in the last months and did whatever i could to prevent what happenend in the past. But now it happened again. I've been using Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta Shampoo + Conditioner, Coconut Oil, stopped blowdrying and used to do Updos 90% of the time. I comb my hair very carefully. It just seems that no matter what i do i always end up with my lengths looking like this. Maybe the hair at this spot doesn't grow longer? I also have severe taper.
I included lots of pictures that show how my hair looks like. The pictures were taken directly after washing my hair so it's still a little wet on some of the pictures.

It looks pretty horrible on this one already:

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2552/69756786.jpg

I didn't comb my hair fully for this picture so you can't really see how bad it is in this one.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7757/31939369.jpg


Horrible. The hair is still a little wet in this picture and it makes the problem even more visible
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/4346/72982484.jpg

Here a single stand of the hair that grows in the back of my head. Here you can see how much more thin it gets in the lenghts. Evil taper...

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2883/60916019.jpg

I always thought i could just ignore these things and grow my hair no matter what but i find this so horrible that i consider to cut it alot shorter. What can i do...?



UPDATE 04/24/2010:

i just wanted to give a little bit of an update on my hair situation.

I've never found a way to solve this specific problem. Here is what i found out:

- If i trim it regulary in micro trims so my hair grows a bit then the problem still occures. Even tho it occures less because i don't gain much lengh.

- if i trim until the "W" Shape is gone then my hair doesn't gain lengh at all. -> The hair at that spot doesn't grow at all.

- Different Products and different methods of washing CWC or Co-only don't seem to make a difference. The only thing i didn't try for years are cones

- I still have a big problem with detangling hair sometimes. But I'm combing it out as gently as possible

Result: I can't gain lengh at all if i want it even. Reason for making this post is basically because i had to trim my hair yesterday from 67cm back to 63cm because i wanted it even. It basically looked again like my pictures on page 1. I've been struggling with this for over 2.5 years now.

After reading all comments over again I wonder if I should just accept it the way it is and keep growing even if it's so uneven. Otherwise I might as well just give up on my idea.
I just wonder if the "W" would just keep getting bigger and bigger tho. It prolly would.

I'd love to hear some more opinions on this since I'm clueless what to do. Did anyone else have the same problem? I'm pretty sure that my hair doesn't grow any longer at the base of my head even tho the rest keeps growing.

I'd be glad for some opinions / suggestions.

Thanks alot


UPDATE 09/30/2010:

hi all,

i hope no one minds cause i'm bumping this up again. It's been ages since i posted about this problem and i'm still dealing with it. I'm still clueless here.

As long as i trim all growth my hemline stays even but once i start to let it go (even with occasional trims) sooner or later the "W" shaped hemline will appear again.

So i think that my hair in that area is either

a) not growing at all
b) growing more slowly
c) breaking

and i still don't know what happens there. I'm using cones now and they certainly help with tangles. i'm also using a tangle teezer, which I love because it makes lots of volume. I'm not treating my hair roughtly either.

Just wanted to post here again to see if anyone else figured something out in the meantime or had the same happening to him/her.

here is my current picture:

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9975/ellyseptember.jpg

You may find cone products help. You will need to clarify but you can do that with a shampoo for normal hair without additives.

You need to go through your products and see if one causes build-up faster than others and replace it or clarify more often. Not all cones build-up.

I found switching to catnip helped me. You may just need to find different products.

Check out the shorter hair during an S&D. I found more evidence of breakage, when it happened to me.

[Amraann]

Hi Elly,

Your most current picture shows definite growth (even in your middle back section)

I have not read the entire thread so I am curious to know if you had it trimmed evenly across the hemline anytime recently?

Who is doing the cutting if it was cut?

I see growth but it seems like it has not been trimmed straight across since you began this thread?
(sorry if I am mistaken as I said above I have not read the entire thread)


If you have not gotten it cut then it looks like it could just be something was breaking that section of hair awhile back.
Whatever that was it appears to have stopped since the middle section looks like it is growing at the same rate as the rest just uneven due to it already having been so.

Your ends actually look very nice in your latest picture. Not as sparse as your original ones.


Could it be a necklace causing breakage? Or a certain shirt you use to wear?
It does not look to me that it is still happening.
So maybe you can think back to what may have caused it to avoid it in the future?

Could it be friction from a certain chair? Or the seats in your car?
Maybe it was something you did not even notice at the time because it was in back of your head?

[Kome]

I think you should keep growing it... I think that eventually it will get past that phase if you just let it grow. You could trim it like you want, but if it keeps tapering at that length it may continue to do that. I would wear it up for the next year. Do the year challenge. I bet it will help a lot. :)

[ChatNoir]

I actually think you should try a u-shaped hemline. That way, the hair that is growing slower in the middle part, would get a head start :)

In my head that seemed logical, at least :p

[Elly]

thanks for the replies all :) I'm always happy about any kind of imput.

@ktani, yes cones definetly help. I'm using a leave in with cones and it helps with tangles for sure. i never tried catnip, i'll try to find it here in germany and give it a try :). I'm trying to do a regular S&D and currently i'm doing it about 2x per month.

@Amraann, i had a trim to make my hemline even about 2 months ago.

here is a picture taken in the beginning of august directly after the trim. (hair is wet)

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/164/wetal.jpg

Maybe it's just me but i could swear that the "W" shape got much worse since then. Or the rest of the hair grew and that area, which is the nape area is really at terminal. If it's breakage then i'm really clueless. I'm wearing a necklace but i never saw it getting tangles up with my hair or anything like that. And when i sit on my chair i put my hair to the front.

@Kome, the 1 year challenge would be such a hard thing to do :) i did a month once and it was so hard already haha^^ but i'll consider it

[Toadstool]

To me your hemline doesn't look "worse" since your trim at all.
I don't have any answers for you except that maybe it looks bad to you but not to anyone else.
Susch pretty hair!

[kdaniels8811]

Regular catnip soaks stopped my hair from breaking (used it twice a week) and I managed to grow from BSL to waist in a year - see my album. Catnip rocks! I also quit trimming, cannot grow if you are cutting it all off!

[Krentje]

I really hope this is not the case but some people just have a short basic terminal length for some of their hairs. My mom has curly hair, but +- half of the length just wouldn't go over bsl-length. I am determined to believe you can make wonders but i think the suggestion 'benign neglect' that someone gave would be best for now.

Good luck and i really hope you can figure it out.

[SgtMomArmy]

I think your hair is unique and beautiful. I say embrace it. You could minimize the look with half-ups. :-)

[WaitingSoLong]

Hi! This is my first time seeing this thread and I am sorry you seem to have a unique issue that causes you grief an frustration. You seem to be going about it scientifically, which is what I would do. It cetainly seems you have a genetic reason why that section of hair just will not grow as fast or has a short terminal length. I have not read the whole thread, but I agree with the "benign neglect" and if you keep it in a pony or pig tails or something the difference is probably less noticeable. I would stop trimming for a year and see what happens at years end. Easier said than done, I know. You hair color and quality are beautiful.

[spidermom]

I second the idea of getting more of a U-shape cut so that the middle has a head start, get a picture taken with a shirt that has horizontal stripes (or at least a pattern) then grow for 6 months to a year, get another picture, and see what happened.

[SpinDance]

Are you able to tell whether these shorter hairs in the middle back are broken? That seems to be one of the assumptions, that they are breaking. (Sorry, I've read some of this thread but not all of it, sorry if this has been answered before!)

[TinaDenali]

It looks like you've made some HUGE progress, to me! Your newest update photo looks GREAT! Your hair looks shiny, thicker, healthier and your hemline is MUCH less pronounced. Looks like you're doing something right! Keep it up! :)

[MsBubbles]

It looks like you've made some HUGE progress, to me! Your newest update photo looks GREAT! Your hair looks shiny, thicker, healthier and your hemline is MUCH less pronounced. Looks like you're doing something right! Keep it up! :)

I agree with this observation :).

[Deborah]

The condition of your hair definitely looks better! :cheese: You have been experimenting for some time, so you know that apart from damage you may inadvertently be causing, this is simply the way your hair grows. It appears that maybe your hair will not tolerate longer lengths. I think that gives you a couple of options, both of which could be pretty.

1. You could trim your hair frequently to keep the ends even along the length, ending where the center length stops. This would give you a nice, even, much thicker hemline which could look lovely, just not as long as you would like. To have the most attractive length possible, while keeping it as long as possible, it might be best to trim pretty much straight across. If you keep it in a deep U or V shape, the sides will have to be pretty short. At this length you could wear your hair up or down, and do lovely buns, braids, ponytails, etc.

2. You could leave it as it is, letting the sides be longer than the back, and wear it up or braided or in a ponytail all the time. You can achieve many beautiful buns and other looks, but your hair won't look good hanging down.

Don't feel badly if you cannot have extremely long hair. Your hair is quite pretty, and is still LONG, just not as long as you might like. You can look beautiful!

Good luck with whatever course of action you choose to take. I would opt for number 1 above, trimming straight across to achieve a pretty hemline, but you may feel differently, or may want to try something different. I hope you can learn to make peace with your hair, instead of allowing it to frustrate you. Whether you can coax more length out of it or not, it is still beautiful and healthy looking! :flower:

[morecowbell]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but have you tried scalp massages/other growth inducing treatments on just that one slow growing area?
I made a cayenne pepper infused oil (two tablespoons of cayenne in 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, soaked for a month and strained out) and have been rubbing a small amount (8 drops or so) on my scalp for increased growth. It's too early to say if this will work or not, but my scalp feels pleasantly warm for about 30 mins after, which means increased blood flow, which SHOULD mean increased growth. Definitely be very cautious with this method, though! Cayenne pepper can be very irritating to eyes and skin, so do a patch test on your inner elbow AND scalp if you try this! I put some on my DBF's legs during a massage the other night, and it was too hot for him, I had to wash it off right away... :o

There are other methods/products your could apply to the slower growing area only that might speed growth, as well.

HTH :)

[xoxophelia]

Well my suggestion would be to go for broke and do everything possible to improve the problem:

-wear a silk cap to sleep
-wear your hair up 98% of the time in gentle, protective updos
-oil your ends frequently
-CWC or CO as much as possible
-do micro trims every other week (only a few mm)

Also continue the pictures because to me it looks like your hair did improve over time but it might just be a lot slower in that one spot.

If nothing works, and you might also want to make sure you have no medical issues causing this and that you eat enough calories and protein, you could either adjust your length goals OR another option would be to try clip in extentions in just that one section of hair when you want to wear it down. I'm not sure how well that would work but it is an option to consider since your hair really is pretty and you just have that one spot with a gap.

The sides of my hair also grow waaaay slower than the rest of my hair and possibly not much longer than they are as well so I can understand the frustration.

I'm not sure where the link is but you should check out the progress cinnamonhair made. She has an album from day one of LHC to now and she had an inverted V as well which is 'wow" hair now.

Actually, here is her website: http://www.beyondclassiclength.com/choose.html

[Elly]

thanks for all the replies and the incouragement. That really made me feel better about it. :o

I really like the benign neglect idea that some of you suggested. I tried regular trims and it didn't seem to work for me so i guess i just go and try the opposide :p And if it doesn't work out at all i can just cut it until the hemline is even again.

I'll definetly keep on taking regular pictures. The idea with a striped shirt is great. i'll see if i can find one for future pics. :)

I'll also make sure to watch that i'm treating it as gently as possible. I've never tried a silk cap to sleep and i hope that i can find one somewhere in an online shop in germany. I'd like to give it a try.

If my hair really doesn't grow longer then i'll have to make my peace with it. But I have to admit that I always did big trims to get rid of the uneven hemline, so possibly i couldn't gain much lenght at all. I'm quite curious what the "don't trim for a year" plan will do to my hair. I'll definetly keep you updated. :)

[McFearless]

Have you considered using Monistat?

[Pierre]

Also try some two-sided updos, like double Dutch braids or a bun behind each ear.

[30isthenewblack]

This is a really interesting thread. My hair grows this way as well but it's not as noticeable with curly hair. I think there has been some definite improvement between the first pictures you posted and the last. I agree with everyone else that your hair doesn't look damaged but it may just be the way your hair grows like Erash who has gorgeous hair. I think my hair may be due to bleach damage but also due to me parting it sideways as well. I need to address this problem instead of being in denial about it. Thanks for bringing it to the forefront because I'm sure a lot of people on the board and lurkers have a similar problem and have read through all the suggestions offered :flowers:

[gattina]

I have fine hair as well. The hair-stylist told me I could never grow past APL because my ends are thin. Well they are just as thin at APL as they are at waist. I'd just rather have waist length hair. Well I ditched the hairstylist 3 years ago. I'm .25 away from 31" inches now!!! My new goal is now 34".

What you need to do and has really helped my fine -wavy hair.

1. Conditioner Only Washes with Honey-this seals your ends prevents them from breaking. My hair gets really dry with proteins.
2. A good vitamin regiment. I like silica, biotin, and msm.
3. NO HEAT STYLING! Fine hair wasn't made for that. -I allow one day a month for heat styling, so church or a wedding.
4. Since March I have wore my hair in a BUN EVERYDAY, with my freebie down days. And I have gone from 26.5-30.75. That is 4.25 inches in 8 months. I thought my hair grew really slow. I oil the lengths and then put it up with a silky scrunchie.
5. Silk pillowcases.

If you just bun/oil and condition for six months your hemline won't bother you and the other sections can grow out.

My initial goals were waist, and to bun for 3 months. Well now I have increased my goal to hip I have bunned for 8 months straight now and plan to continue for 7 months.

[beryl]

My hair's like this too! I was going to ask about it, then I found this thread. I have a forked hemline (forked very shallowly, however) and I think it's because the hair on the crown of my head gets the most damaged. But I don't know how to fix it either. I notice that after I sleep, the crown section is more tangled than the rest, no matter which way I wear my hair (down, pony, bun, braid...) So I'm stuck.

I'll have to read through the whole thread and see if there's anything that would help me.

[jacqueline101]

I don't know what to think except could it be something a doctor could help. V hem line could work.

[Angelica]

I have exactly the same problem as you. I recently cut my hair into a "u" shape though and feel much better because of it. I believe the problem was due to my very fine hair not liking being up all the time and those updos causing damage. I am trying to think of a better way to wear my hair, that is still comfortable. I use the silk pillows. Made no difference to me. I like the colour of your hair by the way :)