Has anyone on here ever reached terminal length?

[Anywhere]

I always hear of lots of people here having their terminal length their goal length, but has anyone here actually reached that point yet?



ETA: Typo in the title. I meant reached, not teached. :oops:

[Anje]

Quite a few have... I'm just not one of them.

[embee]

Yes. I've been at term for a few years now. I think I was at term before joining LHC but then I cut off 8 inches in a misguided attempt at improvement. It's been 44 or 45 inches for a long time now. The longest hairs (all 6 of them!) are at classic, but the majority is between TB and classic.

[SheaLynne]

I hope this isn't a hijack, but I have a question about terminal length.

For example, on embee's length being at the same length for some time...wouldn't her terminal actually be longer if those longest hairs had never been cut? (Or maybe in her case, nothing is getting longer at this point, so that would be a bad example). But the fact that the longest hairs have been cut could give a 'false' terminal because those hairs *are* at their stage of finished growing, but have been cut somewhere along the way, so they aren't at the longest length they could have been. SO....(sorry this is hard to explain!)...when hairs that have never been cut start "catching up" to that length, then they would actually go longer than that before going to terminal. Is that right, or am I just confused?

Mostly, when I see folks thinking they are terminal, I keep wondering if they are just stalled for a while before the "never-been-cut" hairs get longer than the ones that have been cut before.

Okay, leaving before I mix this up worse.....:confused:

Thanks to anyone that can clear that up for me!

[Amara]

I hope this isn't a hijack, but I have a question about terminal length.

For example, on embee's length being at the same length for some time...wouldn't her terminal actually be longer if those longest hairs had never been cut? (Or maybe in her case, nothing is getting longer at this point, so that would be a bad example). But the fact that the longest hairs have been cut could give a 'false' terminal because those hairs *are* at their stage of finished growing, but have been cut somewhere along the way, so they aren't at the longest length they could have been. SO....(sorry this is hard to explain!)...when hairs that have never been cut start "catching up" to that length, then they would actually go longer than that before going to terminal. Is that right, or am I just confused?

Mostly, when I see folks thinking they are terminal, I keep wondering if they are just stalled for a while before the "never-been-cut" hairs get longer than the ones that have been cut before.

Okay, leaving before I mix this up worse.....:confused:

Thanks to anyone that can clear that up for me!


You're making sense. I would think that several years would be enough to tell, though, because if you had trims near the hemline, or even some long layers, there would always be some percentage of hairs that were growing fresh, and had never been cut, which would be just above the ends of those which were cut. If those longest hairs (which were cut) stopped growing, because they'd were at "false terminal" (been trimmed), it would not take too long for those hairs that barely missed the trim to catch up and surpass.

[fluffybunny]

Each hair grows continually for a certain length of time, goes dormant for a few months, then falls out. So during those few months of dormancy, I guess another younger hair might catch up a little, but it won't be long before that older hair falls out. It's not like your hair reaches terminal length then just sits there not growing for years.

[embee]

Spidermom described terminal as a measure of *time* rather than length. That made more sense to me. Hairs grow for a certain length of time, depending on ones genetics. After that they fall out and new hair starts to grow from the same place.

My longest hairs measure about 45 inches and have for some years. At 1/2 inch per month that comes to 90 months. Slightly less than 8 years. Given some breakage and S&D missions, lets say 8 years is how long my hairs will grow.

[lovelylaura]

Interesting. Terminal length is different for everyone, right?

[Kris Dove]

Interesting. Terminal length is different for everyone, right? Yes, some peaple can acheive hair longer than they are tall while others' terminal length is a lot shorter. My gran reckons her terminal length is around her shoulders but I think that's a false terminal because she gets fed up with it looking scruffy and trims it by then, and if she cared for it and persevered it might grow to be a lot longer.

[Redheaded Raven]

My mom used to think her terminal was bra strap, but with care and LHC hints and helps she has made it to tb and hopes for longer. She was ending at that length due o damage not due to a real terminal.

I remember someone saying that their office chair had given them a false terminal, but I don't remember who. :hmm: Maybe they will pop in on this conversation. :D

[spidermom]

Interesting. Terminal length is different for everyone, right?

Absolutely. Terminal length can also be different for every hair on your head. I shed out hairs as short as about 2-4 inches, and I know they are shed hairs because of the root bulb on one end. Most of my shed hairs seem to be about a foot long.

[SheaLynne]

It's not like your hair reaches terminal length then just sits there not growing for years.

Okay...I think that clears it up. I wasn't sure how long they would be there at the dormant stage.

And, also that there would be some never-cut hairs not far behind the last cut hairs that would have shown up with more length.

Thanks, everyone! (and thanks for sharing your experience embee...it does make me really curious to see what my terminal length might be--and I never would have said that before LHC!!)

[embee]

You're very welcome. :)

It was spidermom who made it make sense to me ... length of *time* each hair will grow. I also have some short sheds, and they're not short cut layers because no scissors have touched my hair (other than occasional S&D) for *years*.

[Presto]

These threads about terminal always make me wonder just how long I can go. :D I rarely shed any short hairs, although I have tons and tons of regrowth - shorties all over my head.

My sheds are almost all full length with trimmed ends.

Well, occasionally I shed a silver with a tapered end. That makes me sad because I like the sparkly ones on my head, and the biggest crop of them showed up about 7 years ago. But the silvers I shed are only about a foot and a half long.

Last haircut was sometime in 2005, trimmed 2-3 inches since then, and lots of S&D. That's about right, I've gained a bit under two feet since 2005.

[harpgal]

.... Terminal length can also be different for every hair on your head. I shed out hairs as short as about 2-4 inches, and I know they are shed hairs because of the root bulb on one end. Most of my shed hairs seem to be about a foot long.Yes, this is true. Terminal length (or time in the follicle) is different for each hair. The bell-shaped curve applies to this. However, the shape of the "bell" can vary.

This is an interesting conversation because none of us really have a full understanding about terminal length. Perhaps in a society where most people wore their hair long, we would know more.

There are many factors involved with "terminal" length/time. How one treats their hair is one. Rough combing or brushing quickly off the ends can cause breakage, along with coloring and use of heat. If the strand breaks off anyway, trimming may not necessarily cause a "false" terminal length. Which brings me to the question....who has reached terminal length who trims? And who has reached it who does not trim? Could that play a part in all of this? Interesting.