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View Full Version : Hermione Granger stalks my profile! (pics)



Margeaux
July 30th, 2009, 11:38 AM
Yes, so with my short hair I know I have no right of directing attention to myself, but I always like to think my hair texture makes it worth if anything. So, if anyone's interested...my profile is the place to be for an 8 month update ;)

That said, I've been kind of disappointed with my growth rate. I think it looks and feels healthy and thick enough and I've been babying my hair for over a year now, using no heat, no dye, taking vitamins, being and eating healthy in general, regularly using homemade SMTs, using no -cones or SLS shampoos, using silk pillow cases, resorting to no brushing, combing or other torture after showering...but in the reasonable estimation of me and my friends it's only grown about 1.5 inches. The only 'sin' I can think of having committed is wearing my hair down all the time - but wearing it down is the prime reason for wanting long hair in the first place, so I'd be pretty peeved if that were the case. This is the longest I've ever worn my hair so far so I don't have any past experiences to make a comparison or approximation. My last resort may be the 'wear your hair up for x amount of time' thread as a necessary evil, but failing that...

Is it possible, in your experience, that one's hairgrowth genuinely stalls midway between APL and BSL?

Thanks :)

theskeletonkey
July 30th, 2009, 11:59 AM
Just gotta say, Your hair is soo pretty! :)

Rohele
July 30th, 2009, 12:04 PM
I just wanted to say your hair texture is absolutely gorgeous!

I wish mine would do that. I get a few fat corkscrew curls in the front but they don't continue around to the back like yours do.

Is it possible it seems like slow growth because of shrinkage?

spidermom
July 30th, 2009, 12:41 PM
I agree; your hair is gorgeous. Mine is hot, so I quite happily wear it up most of the time. It seems to have helped with the growth rate, probably because it doesn't get broken off by my purse strap, the back of my chair, and so forth. My wave pattern eats length, so I almost always gently blow-dry it straight for measurements. I've been getting a picture and a measurement every 3 months; you might try that to check progress.

As I understand it, hair doesn't stall and then start growing again. It grows until it has gotten as long as genetics will allow, then it rests while the root shrinks, then it falls out. Then another hair grows and the cycle starts all over again. If you've had a lot of hair cuts, your hair might have reached an artificial short terminal length. When your newer hairs have been growing long enough to pass the older hairs that are resting and will be shedding out, you will see length increase again. Hang in there.

Medievalmaniac
July 30th, 2009, 02:48 PM
I think you should hang in there and stay positive - firstly, the past year has clearly not been a waste, because your hair looks AMAZING - I'd've killed for those curls with that degree of healthiness and shine in my perming days - and also, from what I can see, the lifestyle you've adopted trying to grow it longer isn't hurting your figure, either!! Give it a little longer before you start getting discouraged...there are many reasons for which it may seem slower, depending on what was going on before you started being aware of how you are treating it, and there are always the usual culprits of hormones, stress, etc. etc. Try kicking your routine in a different direction, maybe your hair isn't responding to something you are doing the way others' hair does. If you figure the average growth rate is 1/4 " a month, minus trims/cuts, that's only about 3 inches a year give or take - so maybe it's not as slow as you think, but not as fast as other ppl on the board seem to be.

longhairedfairy
July 30th, 2009, 06:34 PM
Very pretty curls and color!

lundmir
July 30th, 2009, 07:07 PM
I think your hair is gorgeous, be patient! It will be worth it

SeaShell
July 30th, 2009, 08:28 PM
I love your curls! mine seems to stall a lot at that length too...I think its just that the growth is not as noticeable as when its very short and its not long enough to take your mind off! But it will get there no matter what, good luck :)

RancheroTheBee
July 30th, 2009, 09:23 PM
Have you actually physically measured your hair? I just mean that if I estimate my hair growth, I whine about how it only grows like, three inches a year, only to pleasantly discover it's faster than that when I use a ruler.

Shrinkage can make your hair look waaaaay shorter; believe me, it's the bane of my quest to get to shoulder. Actually, I am at shoulder, but waves and curls can make it look as short as chin if it's that well-conditioned. (And pre-henna, of course, it was way worse.)

Take a picture of yourself holding a thick strand of hair that is easy to find (for example, behind your ear or something) so you know where it is. Measure. Measure again next month. Remember to stretch the strand to show its "true" length. If you have genuinely seen no growth, then BSL might be your terminal length.

The more likely possibility is that your hair is tending to shrink upwards because the curls are so defined (good old babying) or that you have slow growth.

Margeaux
July 30th, 2009, 11:20 PM
Thanks everyone for the lovely comments! There have been some good suggestions.

In truth, I'd love to measure my hair but it's just an impossible thing to do unless I straighten it (and I'd rather not do that) - the curls can be bigger or smaller depending on humidity, the weather, my graduation marks, the number of seals in the North Sea and I don't know what else. The point is, it's impossible for me to get a precise estimation if I measure it, and a precise estimation is what I need if I'm going to be looking for any change in my hairlength.

I'm sure shrinkage takes out a lot, I'm aware of that, but I'm talking 1.5 inches in a year when wet and combed 'straight', unfortunately. When dry you see even less difference - people think I'm maintaining at this length until I tell them I've been growing it out for over two years, at which point they go "Oh, right". It's such a shame because I love my hair in general, I have nothing to complain about. This seems to be a very short terminal length so I thought I'd inquire; not a complaint of "my hair isn't growing, help!" but something structural I've noticed, no matter what I try to change about my routine.

Aditi
July 31st, 2009, 12:49 AM
Your hair is gorgeous :) have patience your hair will grow upto the length you want.

Margeaux
July 31st, 2009, 01:31 AM
I just wanted to say your hair texture is absolutely gorgeous!

I wish mine would do that. I get a few fat corkscrew curls in the front but they don't continue around to the back like yours do.

Is it possible it seems like slow growth because of shrinkage?

Interestingly my hair is most curly at the back! I can straighten any part of my hair except the back, which will always be wavy at best. The left side of my head is least curly, more like extremely wavy. :D

LittleOrca
July 31st, 2009, 03:09 AM
Maybe try and get a measurement while it is wet and a little straighter?

Margeaux
July 31st, 2009, 03:53 AM
Maybe try and get a measurement while it is wet and a little straighter?

Well - and I totally don't mean for this to sound bitchy, but I'm a bit cynical about measuring - manual measurements don't mean much when you allow for human error, especially since I already know my hair hasn't grown significantly over the past year - I think we'd be talking millimeters here. Normally, you wouldn't need a ruler to notice a year's difference in hair length; it would just be visible or noticeable in other ways. And since it's invisible in my case, I figure something may be up. Thanks though :)

Stormsong
July 31st, 2009, 04:21 AM
Perhaps rather than measuring, have someone taking photos of the back view, wearing the same top (a thick horizontal band/stripy shirt would be ideal), then it will give you perhaps a more accurate idea of if your hair is growing, just comparing where it is coming to on your shirt/top. Again though, this will only be accurate if you do it the same way each time, ie, same top, same stance, hair is x hours/days after washing/drying/whatever, which is the same problem with measuring, you need to do it the same way each time, ie reduce the variables so that what you're measuring/noting is the change in length.

Lovely hair though, wish I had curls like those :D

Lilli
July 31st, 2009, 04:52 PM
I am sorry for your frustration but you do have beautiful hair!

going gray
July 31st, 2009, 05:59 PM
You do have gorgeous wavy hair, it will grow, give it time.

misspriss
July 31st, 2009, 06:12 PM
Your hair is stunning.

But the texture, as said, EATS length. Mine is not nearly as wavy/curly as yours, and I lose 3-4 inches. I have BSL hair hair wet/straight, but it's barely ASL naturally dried. I gave up on measuring inches a long time ago, I grow length and never see it. Mine has gotten longer though, with time.

frodolaughs
July 31st, 2009, 08:01 PM
I'd guess your hair is growing, but that your texture is hiding the length progress. It looks great to me, and I bet you'll eventually see your additional growth. Length photos help and you might be surprised by what you discover from year to year.
Good luck.

Rohele
July 31st, 2009, 10:18 PM
Interestingly my hair is most curly at the back! I can straighten any part of my hair except the back, which will always be wavy at best. The left side of my head is least curly, more like extremely wavy. :D

I've got a patch on my right side that I could never straighten completely, even with multiple passes with a flat iron. Wavy hair is frustrating - I would probably accepted my hair's natural texture earlier if it were uniform all the way around my head. I still maintain you've got some of the nicest waves I've seen. I have massive hair envy right now. :)

Margeaux
July 31st, 2009, 11:42 PM
I've got a patch on my right side that I could never straighten completely, even with multiple passes with a flat iron. Wavy hair is frustrating - I would probably accepted my hair's natural texture earlier if it were uniform all the way around my head. I still maintain you've got some of the nicest waves I've seen. I have massive hair envy right now. :)

:o:D Wow, thank you!