Ahhh! Frustrated! Need some advice

[Aeon F.]

I don't know what to do anymore. I've been trying to grow my hair to waist length forever! But it seems like everything I've tried- nothing! Ahhh! Hair, stop fighting me :slap: on this issue! Get out of your BSL comfort zone dangnit!! heh. (It's never been any longer than the bottom of my bra strap in BSL my entire life).


I had found TLHC well over 2 (almost 3!) years ago poking around online looking to find ways to grow hair longer. I was just lurking mainly for awhile here when I went through a very stressful period concerning work, relationships, etc - and I lost massive amounts of hair, literally like overnight! I had 3 or 4 very large bald patches- I had to wear my hair pulled up and parted a particular way just to hide them...it was awful!! :wail: Turns out the same thing had happened to my mother when she got divorced (I never knew- I was only a wee little one at the time..) yae genetics.

My mother sent me to go to the dermatologist's for cortisone injections (in the bald areas), which is what she had done... and yeah that did the trick, I had stubbly regrowth all over immediately after the shots. But I also drastically changed my entire hair care routine, thanks to the wonderful posts and articles here. I started taking lots more vitamins- biotin, MSM, GNC nourishair, etc, used special hair regrowth oils from recipes here, I discovered the amazing properties of coconut oil (stopped my massive shedding COLD), and I even made myself stop dying my hair during my repair phase for my hair. I switched to a CO routine, and went cone-free. Life is good. During all that time, my hair never budged from BSL. Of course, I told myself it was important to only focus on regrowing the loss. Length would naturally come later.

Flash forward to the present. Hair still stuck at BSL (well, actually right now it's between APL and BSL, but closer to BSL due to a trim... hairdresser is working with me to trim only tiny amounts of split ends tho). I did do S&D for a long time, but never felt comfortable with it. Anyway, I had always told myself that obviously it takes hair a long time to bounce back from a hair trauma, but my bald patches had grown back quickly, many thanks due to the combo of TLHC help & cortisone shots, but it's been almost 3 years?!! How long does it take to get past a trauma?

Right now, I'm doing basically "benign neglect " just because I'm tired - everything I do, and nothing to show for it. I've slacked off on my vitamin routine and coconut oiling... but still doing most of my repair phase routine- CO once or twice a week, use my BBB to distribute oil & stretch out washes, no cones, air drying (threw my hair dryer away 3 yrs ago! LOL), and try to avoid using a curling iron as much as possible (I wear my hair up or in a bun every day for work anyway....always have. Long hair down in a lab can be dangerous!) Don't get me wrong- today my hair looks and feels great! It's super shiny (& without any stupid coney shine serums! Ha! to my friends who insist that's the only way to get shine), it feels like silk, but it just never seems to get past the BSL stage. I can't even do a lot of the cool hairstyles I find here because it's just not long enough. arrrghhh!

While I was in "repair mode", I had stopped dying my hair.. I had tried the natural dye methods- tea, herbs, etc in rinses, glosses, etc from here- but everything left my hair dry and straw-like. :( So I just gave up for the time being..after my hair had grown back, I used only (at home) organic hair dyes- I used tints of nature (a friend in the UK would send it to me). I did not want to give up my lovely dark color, but didn't want to go back to using l'oreal, or whatever drugstore brand at home or going to a salon either (don't want to damage my hair any more than necessary). The tints of nature (http://www.tintsofnature.com.au/ ) is a very nice organic dye, it's just messy and time-consuming like any at-home hair dye is. I'd only do it every 6 months or more..just because I'm lazy! ;) (Hid the roots growing out with headbands! Haha!) Not too long ago, I stumbled across a salon that uses organic dye! Called Organics, it has no ammonia, very low peroxide (like tints of nature), and with rose hips & oil in it. oohhhh fabulous stuff! :inlove: It's just so freaking nice to not have to dye hair myself! I'm doing that every 6 months or so, and I make sure she (hairdresser) only trims off the smallest amount of split ends then. Def. not gonna lose any of the length I do have.

Oh, sorry that ended up being a looooong post! I've just not been on LHC for a long time and trying to catch up. I'm just frustrated and not sure what to do anymore- do I go back to the complicated vitamin routine, even though it didn't seem to get me anywhere? Do I just keep chugging along and hope that maybe I'll budge past BSL years down the road? Do I change everything and try different methods? (though not sure what else I could try..). Aiiieeeee! I feel confused.

[RancheroTheBee]

I don't want to sound grim, but maybe your terminal length is BSL.

There may also be other factors. I remember reading a post where a woman said she finally realized her office chair was eating her hair over time.

What kind of vitamins were you taking?

[Roseate]

Since you are dyeing, you should be able to see your growth rate from the roots- are you getting growth at the roots?

If so, it must be some kind of breakage issue, so pay close attention to what you are doing with your hair- I don't know what it might be, but if it's not stalled growth, it must be either breakage or terminal, and I think BSL is not a common terminal length, though not impossible. Watch your hair like a hawk and see if you can figure out what's breaking it!

[lilalong]

You mentioned getting your hair trimmed. How often do do you get it trimmed and how much do you get trimmed off?

[Aeon F.]

Ranchero, I have long thought about that too (a terminal BSL). I know there are basically 2 major camps to that- peeps who believe there are such things as terminal lengths and those who don't believe so & with proper care & nutrition (& not blowfrying and flatironing hair to death)- that hair can grow super long. I waffle back and forth those 2 camps.

Let's see, my vitamin routine was:
GNC Women's Ultra Nourish-hair -2 per day
GNC Women's Silica- (11 mg per pill) -1 to 2 per day
MSM - 2 to 3 times a day, (1000 mg per pill)
Zinc- once per day, (50 mg per pill)
Biotin- 1000 mcg per pill - 2-3 per day
Calcium- 1 per day
Omega-3 fish oil (1200 mg)- 1-2 per day

And I was trying to eat healthier too- eating more fresh fruits & veggies, soy, salmon, etc.

I've been trying to think what other factors could be at play, but I'm drawing blanks..

[florenonite]

BSL isn't a common terminal length, but it is a common stalling point. I stalled at BSL from about December to April/May of this year, and started panicking I was at terminal. I was convinced I wasn't just stalling because I could see my fringe growing, but the length of my hair stayed at 26" month after month. However, the fringe was actually growing really slowly (I don't think I needed to trim it until about 1.5-2 months after I first cut it) so what I suspect happened was the growth didn't stall entirely, just slowed down excessively. In your case, you might see roots and so realise your hair's not totally stalled, but to the eye or tape measure (which is really inaccurate) your length appears the same because it's just inching along.

OTOH, you might just be breaking it somehow. Take Roseate's advice and watch it very carefully. Do S&D (search and destroy; taking a sharp pair of hair scissors and snipping off individual split ends) if necessary to keep your ends from tangling and breaking.

[Aeon F.]

Oh hey, didn't see those other posts before!

Ok- lilalong- it's been 1/2 inch or less maybe twice a year.

Roseate- yes, I can see growth at the roots. (I believe may hair grows very slowly). I can't imagine what would be breaking it, as I wear it up almost all the time- so it doesn't get caught on chairs, purse straps, etc. I'll keep trying to watch it closely, but not sure what it could be...

[Aeon F.]

florenonite, speaking of fringe (or bangs)- since I got bangs again- they grow like a fricken weed! Right now they're too long and in my eyes so I have to wear 'em parted off to the side.

I'll have to pull out the ole scissors and try S&Ding again.

[klcqtee]

healthy diet and exercise has helped my hair tons! Try not to get too discouraged. I know my hair stalls at the shoulder (sometimes for what seems like years! Probably only a couple months). Hopefully it is only a stall due to stress, health, medications, all that. It sounds like you are taking good care of your hair.

I also agree with Roseate. You may be doing harm to it without realizing it. Keep a close eye one it!

[florenonite]

I can't imagine what would be breaking it, as I wear it up almost all the time- so it doesn't get caught on chairs, purse straps, etc. I'll keep trying to watch it closely, but not sure what it could be...


florenonite, speaking of fringe (or bangs)- since I got bangs again- they grow like a fricken weed! Right now they're too long and in my eyes so I have to wear 'em parted off to the side.

I'll have to pull out the ole scissors and try S&Ding again.

If your fringe is growing quickly, I doubt you'd be stalled, so it's either terminal or breakage. You say you wear it up so it doesn't get caught; are you wearing it up in the same style regularly? If you always wear the same bun, you can cause breakage because the hairs are being twisted the same way repeatedly. This is particularly true if you use any elastics, for instance starting a bun with a ponytail or tying off a braid.

To ascertain whether or not you could be at terminal, do you have any relatives with long hair? Or relatives who might have tried to grow their hair long but failed? Terminal length is genetic, so if your mum, for instance, could never grow long hair then it's quite possible that can't either, unfortunately.

[Aeon F.]

If your fringe is growing quickly, I doubt you'd be stalled, so it's either terminal or breakage. You say you wear it up so it doesn't get caught; are you wearing it up in the same style regularly? If you always wear the same bun, you can cause breakage because the hairs are being twisted the same way repeatedly. This is particularly true if you use any elastics, for instance starting a bun with a ponytail or tying off a braid.

Hrrmmm, I have been very lazy lately and wearing the same boring bun a lot.


To ascertain whether or not you could be at terminal, do you have any relatives with long hair? Or relatives who might have tried to grow their hair long but failed? Terminal length is genetic, so if your mum, for instance, could never grow long hair then it's quite possible that can't either, unfortunately.

Everyone's always had short to super sort hair! "Long hair takes too long to deal with.. wah wah.." *but* my mom said she grew her hair to below waist in college. I've only ever known her in my entire life to have super short permed poodle hair! hahahha. ;)


I finally manged to take some recent pictures of my hair and post them- I don't know how everyone on here manages to take nice pics of the back of their head by themselves! I had a heck of a time trying to do it- and the ones I just posted in my hair album are still not the greatest...

[Roseate]

I know there are basically 2 major camps to that- peeps who believe there are such things as terminal lengths and those who don't believe so & with proper care & nutrition (& not blowfrying and flatironing hair to death)- that hair can grow super long.

Are there really folks who don't believe in terminal lengths? Terminal lengths usually are "super long", but hair does have to shed eventually. How long your hair spends in the growth(anagen) phase before it moves on to the telogen phase (where it just waits to shed) determines your terminal length.

Most people who have reached terminal also see significant taper, though- I'd bet more on some kind of breakage than terminal length. And if your bangs are growing and your roots are showing, it is growing, so your nutrition is fine! Something is happening at the other end of your hair to keep it at BSL.

[neon-dream]

Hm, you may also want to try a satin pillowcase. This has a made a huge difference in some member's hair :)!

[Jemoiselle]

I don't know how relevant this will be, but for me the difference between being stuck at BSL for years and being below TB now was giving up ALL heat products, blowfryers etc completely. I gave up much more than that cumulatively of course, like dying aggressive brushing and styling, but overall, the step that really gave me mind blowing results was the heat product cessation. I think we all have concluded it isn't your growth that is the problem, but the mysterious breakage. I will be rooting for you! Hehe. I just know you are going to figure it out and succeed! I'm off to see your albums now =)

Now that I think of it, one more thing made a huge difference for me. My stylist called it a twist cut. Every month I would go in, she would section my hair into tiny parts, gently twist and snip the tips sticking out all the way from my ends to my roots! It made a huge difference, probably just as much as giving up the irons and blower. I know you said you bun your hair each day, but I couldn't help but add this part.

Also, how are you bunning? A stick? Hair bands? Bobby pins? That could make a difference too.

[yogachic]

What a cute cat Jemoiselle.

For me, not trimming at all, only S&D works very well. Shoulder to near waist in 1.5 years.

[Neen]

Just had a look at your pics - do you have layers or has your new growth not caught up to the ends yet? Is it possible that your new growth is growing well while your old traumatised hair is growing much slower?

[Aeon F.]

.....
Also, how are you bunning? A stick? Hair bands? Bobby pins? That could make a difference too.

Well, if I'm being lazy and/or running late in the morning- it's just a quick bun (low @ the nape) and secured with an octopus clip. I only really use bobby pins to tuck in any "bits" that hang at the bottom of my neck.. no hair bands. I've been trying to get back to using hair sticks more often.

Your "twisting" cutting methods sounds really interesting- I'll have to try it.



Just had a look at your pics - do you have layers or has your new growth not caught up to the ends yet? Is it possible that your new growth is growing well while your old traumatised hair is growing much slower?

I have long layers...oh, I dunno how long ago it was when they were put it, but I've had them for a long time.