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View Full Version : should I just accept it??!!



elaineflowers
August 20th, 2009, 08:07 AM
Hi all,
I'm just having a reality check. I have been looking at all the photos and reading the stories of how LHC members have grown their hair and I am sadly realising that my present length (just past shoulders) must be my terminal length. I now it grows as I henna and have visable roots every few weeks, I also know I shed a lot and suffer with constant split ends. However, I have been taking photos of the length for over a year and it isn't moving (only had one trim, I dust the ends of spit ends myself every so often). I am spending my whole life waiting for my hair to grow and it never has...:confused: I dont think it ever will, will it?????
So for all you very lucky ladies out there with your long hair, enjoy it, I wish I could have your hair....

Dientje
August 20th, 2009, 08:20 AM
I think that it all depends on what you have done to your hair before now.

If you have been heat styling or chemical dying before, you might have so much damage that your hair is just breaking off. If that is so, the new growth (with henna in it) is stronger because it is better taken care of. So it could grow longer. However, that is only assuming that you haven't been treating your hair the best possible way before.

To really answer the question, we need some more info, like what you have done to your hair before, if you wear it down often etc.

Quixii
August 20th, 2009, 08:21 AM
Oh no! :(
It it possible that the shedding and splitting is caused by something you're accidentally doing to damage your hair? Perhaps with less damage, there will be less hair loss, and more growth. :)

elaineflowers
August 20th, 2009, 08:32 AM
I started hennaing about 18 months ago, prior to that I had used chemical colours for about ten years, as started going grey very young. I never used heat on my hair, apart from occassional hair drying on lowest heat. My hair is fine, thin, slow growing and tangles easily. Wash every day or every other day with no cones.. always condition as hair really needs it. I oil frequently, at present with emu oil. Wear hair down most of the time. I am taking all manner of supliments to promote growth!!!!!! Nothing seems to make any difference.
Incidently, my hair was always kept short as a child, my mum always said it was easier for her that way. So I have never had very long hair.
Always use a wide toothed comb, never brush. Never use any styling products apart from the shampoo and conditioner. !!!!!!!!!!

Periwinkle
August 20th, 2009, 08:37 AM
When you get roots, do your longest shed hairs have your natural colour at the top and your dyed colour on the length? If so, you're not at terminal length. Terminal length is when the hair has been growing for as long as it's going to, and then it just hangs about in the follicle for a while before it drops out and a new hair grows to take its place. If you're getting roots on existing hairs, that means there's new growth there so you're not at terminal length: if you were, you'd only have roots on your shorter hairs.

Pegasus Marsters
August 20th, 2009, 08:43 AM
You say you have split ends... I don't think you're at terminal, I think your hair is breaking off! Trim the ends and start wearing lots of protective updos and I think you'll start to see some growth.

LutraLutra
August 20th, 2009, 08:46 AM
If you've got splits, then it's just breakage, not terminal lenght. Have you conisdered having a big trim to get rid of the worst damage? :)

Nightshade
August 20th, 2009, 08:47 AM
You say you have split ends... I don't think you're at terminal, I think your hair is breaking off! Trim the ends and start wearing lots of protective updos and I think you'll start to see some growth.

I agree with Pegs.

There's an article in my siggy about damaged hair, perhaps it'd be worth a read! With your splits and not gaining length, your hair sounds like how mine was- stuck around BSL and breaking off as fast as it grew.

At your length you should be able to do a French braid, or at least a double French braid :)

What sorts of products are you using? Perhaps you could stand to clarify?

Konstifik
August 20th, 2009, 08:50 AM
You sound like me. :)
I've saved my hair since I was 12 (starting with hair barely touching my shoulders), never done anything but an occasional trim when needed. Today it is barely APL.
I never heat-style it, I only use "safe" products, CO, sleep on silk pillowcase, henna, oils... The whole thing. Yet, my hair doesn't seem to grow. I also got thin, fine, fragile hair and I think that's the culprit. It's very sensitive to damage, if you can avoid that, it WILL grow, but slowly.

I thought I had reached terminal too, but in the last couple of months (when I started to wear my hair up a lot more often) it has actually grown about an inch, which is a lot for me. So don't give up!

Amraann
August 20th, 2009, 08:57 AM
Since you say you have very fine hair, I wonder if the problem is simply over washing or the brand of shampoo?
Maybe your hair does not like Henna?

I used henna for about 2 years and wound up stripping it and going back to chemical dye and my hair is healthier for it. My hair is very sensitive to the shampoo/conditioner brands that I use.

Another problem could be the type of brush you use or hair bands? (even a cloth scrunchie put in my hair to tight will break it when its in tip top healthy shape)
Since you say that its prone to tangling and split ends I think that one of the above issues is the real problem. Your hair is breaking off rather than not growing.

I think you need to first find a shampoo and conditioner that helps keep it detangled. Maybe a detangler spray as well.

You said you wash every day or every other?
That alone could be the culprit. Also your hair may not like oils.
Maybe try washing less. (I only wash mine about once every 5 days)
I don't think you should give up yet.. It just sounds like you have not found what works for you.

sherigayle
August 20th, 2009, 09:18 AM
I agree with others that it is probably breakage. I would start stretching out your washing with shampoo and doing CO washes in between. That will help your hair retain moisture and then the oiling will be more beneficial. Find an easy, protective updo and start wearing your hair up most of the time. I think you'll start seeing a change in your hair fairly quickly. Give it a few months without checking length and wearing it up most of the time. I think you'll be very surprised with it.

spidermom
August 20th, 2009, 09:40 AM
I agree with others that it is probably breakage. I would start stretching out your washing with shampoo and doing CO washes in between. That will help your hair retain moisture and then the oiling will be more beneficial. Find an easy, protective updo and start wearing your hair up most of the time. I think you'll start seeing a change in your hair fairly quickly. Give it a few months without checking length and wearing it up most of the time. I think you'll be very surprised with it.

It bears repeating.

rach
August 20th, 2009, 09:45 AM
been there and got stuck, came here, new home rules (no heat/elastics which i'm not really missing) and trying out a few things on here and now it's growing at last which shows there's always hope.
hold in there and have a good read through here, trust me this place has been a hair life saver to most.

Fractalsofhair
August 20th, 2009, 10:07 AM
I'm guessing it's breaking. I have very fine hair and my hair breaks off. It was shoulder length, then broke off to my forehead in parts!

Seriously even "occasional" heat styling can break our hair type. Henna may also cause damage for SOME(not all!) people, I've heard.(IDK if this was just low quality henna, but some people have hair that hates shampoo bars, so it does vary person to person!) Also, do the most gentle methods for your hair as is possible. CO washing is a good example of this, and not shampooing daily(shampoo does damage hair). Protective updos are a good idea, as are several deep oil treatments(put the oil on, enough so you can squeeze out a tea spoon with ease, and either leave it on over night, or blowdry it gently till the oil is warm and leave it on for several hours, then CO it out). If you have splits and roots, it's probably not terminal length. A silk scarf on your hair when you sleep may help.

marzipanthecat
August 20th, 2009, 10:09 AM
It may not be terminal length.

I'm going to pretty much end up repeating what others have said here - I think the split ends are an indicator it is capable of getting longer, but is damaged. See what's been said already - protective updos, less washing/conditioning, and so on (several people put it much better than me!).

Also - and this is just purely something that worked for me - I started taking a simple multi vitamin supplement, and then also extra B vitamins, a couple of years ago, and my hair grew almost another 8 inches. I had been at about waist length for years and assumed that was terminal length, but then taking the vitamins seem to have added something I must have been lacking in diet, and my hair grew a hefty amount. But like I said, this may be just me!

Don't give up - I don't think it is terminal length!

Allegra
August 20th, 2009, 11:14 AM
No definitely don't accept it.

I came here because my hair was stuck at BSL for years (it has since started growing, slowly, but growing) .

I once heard a quote that went 'if you want something you've never had before, you have to do something you've never done before' and i really think that applies to our hair.

I find it very hard to believe your hair has reached terminal at shoulder length.

I can only speak for myself and worked for me but for me i discovered two simple things were preventing growth.
1) mechanical damage: i wore my hair down a lot and only after coming here realised that it was clearly no coincidence that my office chair and car seat both hit me and exactly bra strap level, no wonder it wasn't growing further, obviously the friction at that point was just wearing it away.
2) too much protein: since joining LHC i discovered my hair hates protein, and in my bid for lenghtier locks i'd been using a lot of protein treatments and conditioners which were causing my hair to be even more dry and brittle.

As I said, these may not be the things causing damage/breakage for you. But take a long hard look at your routing and see what you can chance or do differently, just experiment. Even something that you assume would be good for your hair (maybe the henna?) could be the culprit.

Bottom line..Don't give up!!

rogue_psyche
August 20th, 2009, 12:42 PM
When you say you had one trim, how much length was taken off? Don't tell me what the hairdresser said she'd take off, tell me what you saw on the floor. I've gone in for a "trim" with low BSL hair and came out with shoulder length hair. I'm not saying this happened to you and you just didn't notice, but that maybe the amount that the hairdresser took was simply a year of growth. And the trim before that was a year of growth and so on and so on...

If you remember when you hennaed, take a tape measure and measure your roots. Divide that number by the number of months since the henna. That's roughly your growth rate. So say your rate is the average .5"/month. If cut 6" off, that's a year of growth. But you say your hair grows super slow, so let's say your hair grows .25"/month (quarter inch). You cut off 3", and *poof* a year of growth, gone with a simple trim. 3" is a common amount for hairdressers to trim off of damaged hair.

My guess is that you have a slow growth rate AND damage that's breaking off, and then the "trims" are just keeping you in one place. Go into super TLC mode. Sleep in a braid, stretch washes, use super moisturizing conditioner, use a leave-in (which can be just a dab of regular conditioner) on your ends and length, S&D weekly, make sure you get enough protein, make sure your brush is not damaging, and anything else talked about here that you think will work.

EtherealOde
August 20th, 2009, 01:15 PM
You might also want to think about going to a CO routine to moisturize your hair as much as possible. And what kind of henna do you use? I had used hennas before (about 20 years ago) that I know now were most definitely not body art quality, and had other ingredients in it that might have damaged my hair. Give the better hennas a try and see if that makes a difference. The last thing I can suggest that wasn't mentioned in this thread before is Silica supplements, or Horsetail if you go with the herbal supplements.

Good luck and remember that anything you start now will take quite a bit of time to show any improvement, but if you just stick with a hair saving routine that eventually you will notice the changes as new hair replaces the old.

squiggyflop
August 20th, 2009, 01:45 PM
my hair broke off at the shoulder for more than a year.. oh and every 2 months i realize that 90% of my ends are split and end up trimming.. i think that you should try maybe keeping your hair up most of the time and trying cones maybe and dont forget to clarify

Eireann
August 20th, 2009, 02:18 PM
I know henna is very popular here, but I found it very very drying. I also have fine hair. I find chemical color, for me, actually to be better. If you have been using henna and you want to switch to chemical color, you should probably go to a professional as it can be tricky.

elaineflowers
August 20th, 2009, 02:20 PM
thanks everyone for the informative replies.
I will keep trying and taking special care of my hair. It is strangely comforting to hear that others have/are experiencing the same difficulties as I am!!

All my love, Elaine xx xx xx

FullMoonTrim
August 20th, 2009, 02:23 PM
Hi all,
I'm just having a reality check. I have been looking at all the photos and reading the stories of how LHC members have grown their hair and I am sadly realising that my present length (just past shoulders) must be my terminal length. I now it grows as I henna and have visable roots every few weeks, I also know I shed a lot and suffer with constant split ends. However, I have been taking photos of the length for over a year and it isn't moving (only had one trim, I dust the ends of spit ends myself every so often). I am spending my whole life waiting for my hair to grow and it never has...:confused: I dont think it ever will, will it?????
So for all you very lucky ladies out there with your long hair, enjoy it, I wish I could have your hair....
Have you tried taking biotin? 5mg or more daily (sometimes sold 5000mg)
That should help speed up the growth and make it stronger. Also consider eating more greens!!!
I like to put greens in the blender with some water and apples and make a drink--it tastes good and makes my hair look great!
Best of luck to you!!

FullMoonTrim
August 20th, 2009, 02:24 PM
I started hennaing about 18 months ago, prior to that I had used chemical colours for about ten years, as started going grey very young. I never used heat on my hair, apart from occassional hair drying on lowest heat. My hair is fine, thin, slow growing and tangles easily. Wash every day or every other day with no cones.. always condition as hair really needs it. I oil frequently, at present with emu oil. Wear hair down most of the time. I am taking all manner of supliments to promote growth!!!!!! Nothing seems to make any difference.
Incidently, my hair was always kept short as a child, my mum always said it was easier for her that way. So I have never had very long hair.
Always use a wide toothed comb, never brush. Never use any styling products apart from the shampoo and conditioner. !!!!!!!!!!
Reading the list of things you are doing....looks like you are doing a lot! How about exercise? Do you have proper blood flow to your hair? Maybe some massage or more exercise..

Cherry_Sprinkle
August 20th, 2009, 02:32 PM
I also have fine thin hair, but it also sounds to me like breakage. I would say shampoo less, condition more, use some protein and moisture treatments, oil, wear up more often, and if you're cone free consider using cones when you wear your hair down, and don't heat style or blow dry... and trim often until you see your splits and breakage decrease.

Check out the catnip thread also :)

Amraann
August 20th, 2009, 02:35 PM
I think if you can it would be great if you could document (for others in your shoes) what you are now going to try and what you find works.
Maybe it will help others not have to wait so long to find a solution?

elaineflowers
August 20th, 2009, 02:44 PM
I like using the henna and believe my hair has improved since I began using it. I dont think it is drying my hair, as although it is not really shiny, there have been times when friends have commented on its shin, usually when we are outside. Prior to the henna, I did use chemical colours and even home bleaching kits!!! Thats where I can pin-point the majority of my damage reached its peek. My last trim was about 3 weeks ago, she took off about 2-3 inches, but my hair has been less tangled since, with far fewer split ends. I am presently taking biotin, along with some other supliments for hair. My newest endeaver is incorporating Millet into my diet (following the Millet thread on LHC). Wish me luck... as I dont think there is much left to try after this!!!!!!!!!!!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cherry_Sprinkle
August 20th, 2009, 02:49 PM
if you've used bleach that's breakage.

sorraia
August 20th, 2009, 02:58 PM
Great suggestions here. I am not sure if anyone mentioned
using a silk pillow case or if you use one already but I think this can
help out a lot to prevent breaking.
Hang in there and do the best you can with what you got.
It is easy to get hair envy around here. :)

Fractalsofhair
August 20th, 2009, 03:00 PM
if you've used bleach that's breakage.
Agreed. Bleaching and chemical colors KILL my hair.

I had nice shoulder length hair, sorta a triangle due to how thick it was. I bleached it with a 10 volume peroxide(about, maybe less. I guessed 10, but my hairdresser thinks the brand is much less. It's Naturatint, says to lighten by about 1 shade.), and used a blowdrier occasionally for a month. I ended up with APL almost length hair in the back, and eyebrow length hair in the front(in parts.).

Even something as simple as changing shampoos can destroy your hair. I used Doc Bronner's as a child, just the plain bars and occasional oil treatments. I got thigh length hair that was very pretty and fairly undamaged. I switched to coney Paul Mitchell, and had serious problems. It broke off to my shoulders. (Which makes me wary of using cones now, but my hair is a bit thicker now).

If you have slow growing, easily broken hair, pretty much anything can destroy it. Be careful! Keep on getting trims till all the damage is gone, and then you can consider occasional trims to get rid of damage that you get in day to day living, or just letting it grow. It's very hard to grow out damaged hair to terminal with no trims(if not impossible!).

Cherry_Sprinkle
August 20th, 2009, 03:08 PM
I professionally chemically dye my hair and then I apply a mix of henna and cassia (from Nightshade!) over that to basically strengthen. I also am guilty of liking highlights so I apply them once or twice a year.. I am pretty much at waist length, but 90% of my damage is on the bleached portions of my hair. I don't have breakage anymore but I do have splits.. Just keep up with the treatments and you'll get there :)

jivete
August 20th, 2009, 03:23 PM
If you only quit dying 18 months ago, then that hair is probably just now reaching shoulder. You may notice a huge difference in growth when the last of the old dyed/bleached parts are trimmed off. My virgin hair is much stronger than the old dyed parts.

redneckprincess
August 20th, 2009, 07:04 PM
your hair is probally not terminal at shoulder length, I once thought the same thing, but I have found out that taking bi-monthly (or even monthly) growth pictures really helps prove me otherwise ♥

JamieLeigh
August 21st, 2009, 04:07 PM
I agree with what Pegs posted also. Sometimes the way you handle your hair (as in wearing it up) can make all the difference. And sometimes just a dusting won't get all the splits. :(