How Long....

[nappywomyn]

Is your hair AND how long have you been growing it?

I'm rather curious.

I've been growing for almost two years now, and it's a little shorter than shoulder length.

[1MegMeg]

I've officially been growing mine (i.e. made the conscious decision to grow it long) since last July and it has grown from just touching the tops of my shoulders to 22.5" (APL on me).

[lora410]

My hair is almost BSl and I started growing it last april.

[Eden Iris]

I had my last trim in September, ran across LHC while following a link about OCM, and decided to stop cutting it shortly thereafter. It had been a year since my previous hair cut (busy with a new baby), so I suppose it was already on my mind.

ETA: It was not quite 21" in October and is just past BSL (24-ish) now.

[Laululintu]

I started growing my hair when it was a few inches longer than BSL while I lived in Italy 3 years ago, and it's about half way between the top of my tailbone and classic.

[Tapioca]

I've been growing for about 20 years, but I'm a trimmer. I also cut it back to my shoulders about five years ago.

[CiaBabi]

I BCed in 2006 so I'll count from there.

almost 2 years and less than shoulder length

[freznow]

I've been 'officially' growing (as in since my last cut) for 2 years. My hair has always been fairly long though. I'm nearly classic right now.

[Irishred]

I chopped my hair to a 'cute' bob while pregnant with my now 4yo daughter. So, going on 5 years of growth, several times of maintaining a length and others of 'fixing' self trims, I am just past classic and still growing.

[harley mama]

I have been growing about 4 years now and my hair is hip length when I pull it straight.

[may1em]

I've been growing for three years from a wedge cut that I kept chin-length in the front, ear-length in the back. The first year and a half of that was pretty much benign neglect - I just didn't get around to going to the salon more than once in that time (and didn't take off a lot of length that time). For the past year and a half, I've been growing it out on purpose. In that time I've had a curly girl cut (last April), did a Feye self-trim (February), and had a longhair friendly stylist do a dry cut of barely an inch a few weeks ago.

Right now, it's about two inches from waist dry and wurly and if it's straight or wet it's at "can I call this waist?". My goal is iliac length with a blunt slight U shape. I should be there or close to there by the end of the year. When I started, I was only hoping for waist. Hah.

[bruteforcegrl]

I've been growing for three years from about chin length. It's now at "can I call this waist?" length.
bfg

[may1em]

I've been growing for three years from about chin length. It's now at "can I call this waist?" length.
bfg

We have very similar growth rates!

[AJoifulNoise]

I stopped cutting in 2005 and had hair right above my shoulders. I've been growing every since then.

[Adrienne]

3 years in june! still shorter than than shoulder! this big curly hair is gonna grow itself OUT 1st. and THEN down!!

[Rebelkat]

I've been growing for right around 6 years and my hair is just past tailbone. I had to cut about six inches off a couple of years ago, though, so it might have ended up longer.

[Just_Isabel]

*points to sig*
Cut to about chin length (a bit longer than chin at the front) in late December, I'm at about shoulder length now, collarbone if I pull it straight.

[Queenie]

Consciously growing since 2003, I'm a bit past tailbone now. Got to 46" at one point but with very thin ends, too little trims. Still growing!

[camara]

I voted for 4-6 years. In fact, the big chop was in February, six years ago now. My hair was a bit past my shoulders after the chop, now its at midb*tt.

[Anlbe]

I've been growing my hair since I was thirteen and it has never got past BSL

[socks]

I've been growing my hair for about a dozen years and it's about an inch from mid-calf when wet or 3 inches from mid-calf when dry. The ends are thin, but healthy.

[HeavenlyTresses]

My last major cut was when I was 10, cut to just above my collar. Then somewhere around '89 or '90 I grew out the layers to one length and was just below waist. I had that ever famous fe-mullet (female mullet). I quit going to salons and my mother would trim the length for me. Now I do self trims every 3-4 months.

[Guenever]

Officially: I joined here in August but I started growing in May/June earlier that year.. so almost 2 years..

But: I started out from a pixie cut 6 years ago - I had regretted the cut from BSL to pixie ever since I had it done - so after that I knew that I wanted to grow it loooooong..
So actually 6 years (just no LHC :wink:)

[jel]

It'll be 3 years in July, and the ends are just past waist. I started from shoulder length (layered and razored).

[KittyCat]

I've been seriously growing out my pixie hair since October 2004. Now three years later it reaches my shoulder and is slightly longer. Stretched it's almost waist.

[spidermom]

When I decided to grow once and for all, the longest layer in my hair was about 5 inches long. It has taken me 7 years, a lot of trimming (uneven growth), and a couple of major cut-backs to eliminate damage to get where I am today. The signature picture was taken less than a week ago.

[mira-chan]

I started growing again after a chop to an inch or two short of waist 5 and half years ago. My hair is currently at thigh length. Though I've been growing from shoulder length with various chops, no shorter than to waist, since I was 6 years old.

[Madam Librarian]

I'm curious about this too!

I started growing almost 2 1/2 years ago (Maybe even 3 if I think about it. I believe I had stopped getting haircuts for a few months hoping to have enough hair to do an updo for my wedding in October 05. I made it, BTW!). In that time, I've netted about 6 inches of growth, from neck length to APL. I'm a trimmer. I also cut quite a bit lately due to damage, then after that cut I decided I wanted my layers cut back in. I'm hoping to keep much more of my growth from this point out.

[Euphony]

I've been actively growing since January 2007. At that point I was at roughly 28", I'm now at 34". That is with trimming approximately 3" during that time.

[Minx]

I had started growing out my pixie hair when I started my last job. That was about 4 1/2 years ago.

I wasn't really paying attention to the growth at the time. If I had to do it again, I would find it hell considering how obsessed I am with it now!!

[MadHatter]

I made the decision (and developed the tenacity to stick to that decision) to grow my hair long back in '05. So, I voted 2-4 years. Right now it's between waist and hip.

[boukje]

I voted 6-10 years and past tailbone length.

I have been growing for 9 years (I started with about 2 inch of hair), but I have cut it back from waist to BSL several times.

I actually starting growing seriously from october 2006 and haven;t cut since july 2006. I am now a few inches past tailbone and I need about 3 to 4 inches to reach classic.

[Anlbe]

Right, this thread has now made me slightly cranky. It seems I've been growing my hair for about as long as anyone but have amongst the shortest hair, :-(
so not fair, so many beautiful photos here particularly MadHatter, really your hair should be in an advert how long was it when you started growing it out?

[flapjack]

I've had long hair my entire life, but the shortest I've had it since I was a baby was in 2004, I had it to just above bsl. Then I let it grow to my waist, cut several inches off, back to waist, cut more inches off and now it's between waist and tailbone and I might let it get 4-5 inches longer and just maintain it to grow out my layers left from 2004.

[Naluin]

I started growing my hair after my last haircut in August 2007. I cut all my hair off, leaving about half and inch of fuzz.

The longest layers of my hair are just shy of collarbone length now, but I'm so over this length and all the layered ends that I'm ready to whip out some hair growth potions. :stirpot:

[Cichelle]

Four years and the longest layer is at hip length when stretched. I transitioned for 14 months, then cut off the relaxer in the summer of 2005. I guess my hair was just above shoulder length for the most part, but in layers so some of it was shorter.

[Saranne772]

I have been growing it all my life so I put 10+ years
And it is currently approaching classic- hip I suppose you could say currently!

[Patrycja]

I was almost at waist a bit over a year ago-chopped it to shoulder.It grew to almost BSL-added layers and cut about a inch or so off the length.

now(haha)I just reached my first goal of BSL and I'm going to waist for sure this time.

[Aromatic]

Well, I have been growing and cutting it back for a long time. But really trying to get it long I started about 2 years ago. Unfortunatley I needed to grow zhe layers out first. Now I can gain length. Finally!!

[Cinnamon.locks]

I've been growing my hair for 20 years, but due to knots and damage i've cut it several times in those 20 years. started to grow it out again on July 2007 from between SL and BSL. it is nearing my waist now, hope i don't have to cut it again ever. ( well maybe a trim once in a while, but no big cut.)

[Morningglory]

I've been actually trying to grow my hair for about 30 years and I just figured out that I was trimming more than it was growing or I suspect as much. But, I have been growing from shoulder length at least three to four years now with a few little trims. I am at waist length now and I am going to not trim until July 2009 or longer...

[julya]

I've been growing my hair from a pixie cut in August 2003 and I'm just about at classic now. Only three trims of 1 or 2 inches at time during that time.

[Amoretti]

From shoulders in November 2003 - classic now. That's 4.5 years.

[Lillian]

From hip length in April 2006 to 2 inches below Classic length now (2 years).

[Indigo Girl]

I started growing my hair in late '05, chopped it back to bsl and started regrowing again in July '06 - so a few months shy of two years.

I am a trimmer though, so I do trim every few months. I think my avatar is from Jan or Feb? And I just trimmed off 1 1/2 inches about a month and a half ago.

It's now almost to my hips, and my goal is tailbone. Almost there! :)

[eresh]

Classic & longer + 10+ years, my last drastic cut (bob) was when I was 14/15, I'm 32 now and at knee+a little

[yogachic]

Re-growing since Oct. 2007, but this time I'm growing to waist, which is longer than I have ever grown my hair.

[akiss4lexie]

I started growing in February of last year - so about 1 year, 3 months.

My hair was a bit below shoulders, with layers; now, the longest layers are about 1.5 inches above waist.

[cassie_g]

It will be four years in June and I'm hip/tailbone-ish length.

[Unnamed]

Oops, I voted for 4-6 years, but I forgot to hit the 'classic or longer' button. :oops:

5 years since BSL in spring 2003.
4 years since waist in spring 2004.

I did snip quite a bit in 2003 and early 2004 (probably a good 8"), as I was still deciding whether to finally keep going or not! (I had maintained around BSL for many years.)

Current length is lower thigh, or about 10-11" past classic, but still 4-6" shy of knee.

[zelah]

In the past I have often kept a longer hair style. In the beginning, I stopped cutting it mostly because DBF loves long hair, but it wasn't until January when I joined this site that I began growing it out for me as well. It is now in between BSL and waist.

[Elle]

My hair is past my knees (56½") and I've been actively growing it since the end of 2001. :)

[Angellen]

I've been growing it unofficially for about two years, when I had this weird flippy bob-type cut. It wasn't a bob, it wasn't flip...It wasn't good.

I've been consciously growing it for just under a year. My last trim was in April '07 (I think), and that was a little above BSL. Right now I'm at 'Can I Call This Hip?' length, which I think is fairly fast growth.

[emeraldfaery]

I've been growing my hair since November 2005 when I drastically cut off about 20 inches of my tailbone length hair. It's a little past waist right now. :happydance:

[jojo]

ive been growing since the 21st December 2005 when i had a layered bob which was just short of ear length at sides and near enough shaved at back, horrible, horrible cut, im now 24" long and an inch from the top of my bra and 3" from full BSL

[Islandgrrl]

I have been growing for 3 years this time and it is now about 1/2" above BSL. Growing out from somewhere between 1-2" all over.

[sapphire-o]

I've been growing for 3 years 9 months, from a bob. It's tailbone now. I had only one trim. I think my growth rate is exactly average.

[darl_in1]

I grew it for about 7-8 years from short (about 4-5 inches) to mid butt (44"). I've since cut it, so I voted for 6-10 years and SHL - BSl (just so there's no confusion as to why it's taken 6-10 years to get to SHL length!)

[ladystar]

I started growing last year. I was a little past shoulder length, with layers and blond highlights. No I am a little past BSL and back to my natural color.

[talula_fairie]

Officially I just started the grow phase in April, when I finally cut off all the dyed parts. It's pixie length atm.

[Gwaihiril]

10 years, and mid thigh. However, I was 8 when I started growing it, so I've grown up as my hair has grown down, making it a very interesting journey. Some years I grew more quickly, now my hair grows more quickly! (As I have, in fact, stopped growing.)

[dukkelisa]

It was shoulder length in Jan 04. I let it grow (guessing it was about BSL with one or two cuts of about 4 inches off) and then cut it to a mid neck bob for a job, in April 2006. I really regretted it and let it grow again. It took 2 years to grow it to 30 inches.

[DecafJane]

I got an ultra-short cut in October last year (i.e. less than 1/2" in most places) and now it is just past shoulder length. I'm having more fun with it at this "difficult" length than I ever did with it short. :D

[purplebubba]

14+ years and Tailbone

This is a chart of my progress. I was not always actively trying for more length. I just refused to have shorter than a ponytail anymore.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/purplebubba/PB3/ProgressChart.gif

[khyricat]

I have had long hair with 3 exceptions my entire life- long in the generically accepted sense, rarely long in the LHC sense.. it was BSL in high school, shoulder to BSL and back and forth in there for years.. then I had a chin length cut in 10/06, and after that I've let it grow= it was trimmed in 4/07 and again by me last Fri... I figure once I hit waist if I think I have a shot at thickness being gained, I'll keep it there to thicken the hemline a bit, then we'll see.. not sure if I want it longer than that or not for now...

[Buddaphlyy]

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure when I would count my "start" date of growing my hair, but I do know that it's been less than 2 years and I'm shorter than shoulder but plan to get there before the end of the year.

[Finoriel]

My hair is between fingertip and thumb length now and I have been growing it for about 7,5 years, I think. Starting with a really short razor-cut.

[rubyann]

I've been growing for a little more than 2 years. My starting length was 12 inches, now I'm at 26.5. Not very much growth for 2 years, but when I look at old pix, boy what a difference!

[dulce-de-leche]

I've had TBL length hair since I was very little but I've always cut back about 10'' when I reach that length & start over.My last hair cut was the beginning of Dec.2007 to my shoulders
which was about 21'' I'm now @ 29.5.This time I'm not cutting back that much I'll just get a microtrim in May 2009

[rhubarbarin]

I've been wanting long hair for about 4 years now, but I've had some setbacks (over-zealous trims, and now damage and breakage). It's a bit past BSL wet, just past APL dry.

[squiggyflop]

ive been actively growing for 9.5 months.. ive gone from shoulder to waist chopped back to bsl now im on my way back to waist.. with 4 inches trimmed total

[Forever_Sophie]

I started growing it in fall of '06; and now it's 3" or so past my bra strap :) I love this length.

[froglet]

I started actively growing out my hair in 2003, but kept either screwing up the color and cutting it, or getting frustrated and cutting it, or even screwing up a trim and cutting too much...

Well, it seems I had a self destructive hair pattern going for quite a few years.
:sad

Thankfully, I moved past it and am now almost to bra-strap.

Nowdays, I covet my hair and it would be very painful to me to lose a lot of length. Before I think I just didn't care enough.

[tiny_teesha]

Well i chopped it and trimmed it heaps but since 2006 january i got it chopped to APL from waist which was previously hip (i dyed it and had to cut a lot off because of that)
since then i have still had to trim heaps and have 2 mini chops (about a 6months to a year worth of growth) So i started with APL 2 years ago and now just hit WL. :)
If it were not for those chops i'd probably be TB by now, at least Hip. I grow 1cm a month.

[Nevermore]

I started growing seriously in April of last year, it was about an inch past shoulder at the time and it's now "can I call this hip?" length!

[vindo]

I grew with pausing once in a while.

1. From May 2003 to February 2004 - From below Shoulder to BSL (trim every 2-3 mths)

Pause : Fashion Hair Cut in March '04

2. From Summer 2004- Winter 2004 - BSL to Midback (Trim every 2mths)

Pause: Until Summer 2005

3. June 2005 - December 2005 - Midback to top of hips (Trim every 2 mths)

Pause: Joined LHC figured out what my goal will be.

Spring 2006- February 2007 - From Waist to Tailbone + (no trims for 9mths and micro trim in october)

Pause: Trimming only from March 2007 to July 2007

August 2007 to February 2008: Growing with tiny monthly trims (0.2")

Pause: Trimming only March, April 2008

May, June 2008 - growing without trims.

My hair is buttlength but closer to classic right now...

I started growing my hair 5 yrs ago. But Pauses excluded it took me about 3 yrs.

Emi :flower:

[LynnM]

Growing since January 2007 after I cut it all off (about 5" in length - SHORT!!) - and my hair was longer than it is now. :( I've had a few trims in the meantime that amount to at least 6 inches. :p My hair is now about 14" in length and just past my shoulders.

[Gladtobemom]

I've pretty much always had long hair.

I tried the chemical dye route a couple of years ago and it took me a long time to grow it out.

I'm back down to just past waist length.

[Ayanna]

i have been growing year now.
Then my hair was very short,now it´s shorter than shoulder but i hope i get shoulder length till 2010

[slz]

..................

[viking_quest]

I didn't really decided to grow it out until last July, but I guess technically you can say I've been growing it out since March (last time scissors touched my hair). Now it's at collarbone length and was chin length when I decided to grow it out.

[Peter]

I've been growing since December 2006 (just over 2 years ago) and it's just past APL. But I've trimmed it multiple times because of damage and to even it up a bit so I didn't have a mullet. :P

[Cereus]

It'll be three years in May since I cut my hair in a short layered pixie cut. It's now hovering around waist. I still have a lot of layers.

[JamieLeigh]

I voted on the "length" part of the poll, not the "time", because I've never really paid much attention to my hair before last year. LOL. It's just always been long, and I only ever measured it last summer...for the first time in my life. It is currently at 40 1/4 inches, which is a couple inches away from classic (for me). I will not be cutting in a major way ever again, but I do micro-trim every 3 months or so. :D

[naomimcc]

I've been growing it for 13 years now. Started at pixie and have just reached tailbone. It's taken quite awhile LOL! But I'll probably keep going.

[LHGypsyRose]

The last time my hair was cut short was when I was 13 and it was a pixie cut..I looked like boy! So ever since then the most I have had cut off the length was about 6" and that was only 1 or 2 years ago. I thought I wanted a change and had I it cut back to tail bone length:( It is now thigh-length and I try to go as long as possible bettween trims but still trim enough to maintain the thickness.

[Copasetic]

I think I really decided to grow my hair about a year ago, and I am just about APL.

[NeilTheFuzz]

I've been growing my hair for just over 7 years now. I think my hair has reached terminal length at around what the ladies would call BSL :p I wish it would grow further, but I don't think I'm going to eek much more length out now. :(

[DanielleRenae]

This May will make 3 years that I've been growing it. It's gone from chin length to halfway between waist and hip length. It's now double what it used to be. It's not raggedy or stringy, either. It's thick, healthy, and one length. I'll be turning 17 next month so I have MANY years to see how long my hair can get.:)

[Juneii]

I've been growing out my hair since summer. it was at a bit above BSL and now it's at mid-back for me :]

[Coriander]

I haven't had a serious haircut since before I went to boot camp in January 2004. I think they measured it at 14" that was cut off. It needed to be above my collar.

I've had a couple of trims since then and had bangs cut in about two years ago, but that's been it. I've done my own S&D and small dustings since then.

Right now it's 35 1/2 inches (I just measured this morning!)

[Themyst]

Honestly, I don't know how long I've been growing it because of all the trimming I've done .

I guess I've been determined to grow my hair longer for about ten years - but during that time, about two or three times a year I'd trim 2 - 3". There were also about 3 times that I trimmed off 8 - 12". For a long time, all that trimming kept my hair fairly stagnant as far as growth was concerned, but it got me some healthy, blunt ends.

Then one day, I noticed that my hair was draped over my forearm when I went to reach for something and I realized I was on my way to having long hair!

It's actually a very common question that I get asked a lot. So do I say, "ten years?"

[nappywomyn]

It's so interesting seeing how long (or how quickly, in some cases!) folks have reached their lengths - thanks for all the input!! :flowers:

[Raven69]

Well, as some of you may know, I have been growing strong for over 6 years now. It took me roughly three years to go from ear length to waist. I am now classic and growing on to knee lenth. It reaches the top of my thighs...

The last time scissors touched my hair was in 2005...since then I have lost faith in the hair stylists. I told them half an inch and they ended up chopping off 6 inches!!!! So, do I say 6 years or 3 years? It was at TB until they cut the 6 inches off...

[twilight]

i've been growing since 2003, but when i joined here in april 2007 my hair was a few inches above BSL. now it's waist...

oh, i <3 LHC! i'd never be paying this much attention if not for you folks.

[FrozenPrincess]

I've been growing my hair for almost seven years. It is close to classic length, i started growing it out from approximately 3 inches.

[Charli800]

In about two-and-a-quarter years I've gone from just past ear-length to just past BSL. That's without any special care or attention - I wasn't even using conditioner.

[Sihda]

I started growing my hair ten years ago but I didn't let it get longer then BSL til last year, when I found LHC. Since then it is growing and I hope to reach hip-length as soon as possible! :):):)

[Sissy]

my hair is just short of my tailbone but I am going to get a trim soon. I'm not sure how long I've been growing it. I've always had long hair but I have gone through periods of cutting it too.

[tolly]

i have been growing for 13months, at neck length, just 4-5inches long.....slooooow grower here and breakage at the beginning..started with about 0.5inch

[KittyLost]

I've been growing for 14months and went from Chin to inbetween shoulder and APL.

[AlannaMaria]

I've been growing for a little less than 2 years now, and my hair is currenltly a couple inches longer than BSL (I started at shoulder-length).

[Roscata]

I've been growing my hair from a short pixie cut for 3 years now and it is about one inch past APL. :)

[Elysium]

I last shaved my scalp in June 2008, but I've only started babying and taking proper care of my hair since I joined here (May '11)
I'm about 2-3" off BSL :D

[Becky9679]

Had my last trim in early November 2010 to get rid of some layers and decided virtually the day after that I wanted to grow it really long again (last time it was very long was about 7 years ago!). I'm 8 months in, I've had no trims, no splits either, much more hair knowledge due to finding LHC and I've gone from hair level with my collarbones to just over halfway between APL and BSL

[pepperminttea]

I've been growing for just over three years, I'm hip length, no layers (started at a very layered APL/BSL).

[gthlvrmx]

Kept it at shoulder for 8 years, started growing it when it was between APL/BSL in Janurary and 6? months later i am at MBL.

[justgreen]

Dang this is an old thread, cool!

I'm just a smidge over 42" and religiously starting growing back in 2005. I had a cutting incident where a hairdresser cut off my 'U'. :justy: That shortened me about 4". My siggy pic is a little over a week old.

[bna_rapunzel]

I started growing about three and a half years ago. I started with chin length and I currently have waist (just barely above tailbone). :) I have blonde hair, mostly thin, naturally straight.

[QueenJoey]

Hmm, I'm always saying I didn't start growing my hair until early this year, but actually, I'd have to say sometime in 7th grade (I'm about to be a sophomore) after my mom accidently chopped my hair into a bob. I had been cutting it shorter and shorter since I was 10. When it was finally getting past my shoulders, and she messed up trimming my layers. So by the time it was all evened out, my hair was at chin length. I've been growing it since then, getting layers and bangs, but no big cuts.

It wasn't until recently that I started taking care of my hair and working to make it long and healthy. I haven't really paid much attention until I noticed it was past my bra straps.

By the way, my hair is now reaching waist length. Chin to almost waist in about 3 years. That's not too bad, right?

[claymoregalatea]

i started growing when it was 15 inches, that was a major cut cause i thought my hair was unhealthy so i tied it in ponytail and chopped it off...haha but now its back to around 18 inches in about half a year, so thats good..i'm a trimmer too

[seaj]

I checked 2-4 years even though it won't be two years till the 27 of this month. I do intend to grow for at least 2 more years on top of this.

I don't wear a bra, but I think I'm at BSL.

[hazelnut]

I've been growing mine for about 2 and a half years

Curly, it's about BSL
Straight, it's almost waist.

[CrystalStar]

2-4 years and BSL-Waist. It should be a lot further along but I've been trimming out bleach damage which I should hopefully be done with this year!

[mrs_coffee]

I started growing out my pixie last August or September, chopped the back a couple of times to avoid the mullett. Currently shoulder length.

[Ishje]

I am in my 4ht year of growing, and I went from shoulder to Tailbone in that time ^^

[krissykins]

I voted 2-4 years (technically I started in 2007, but that was tenative--APL refers to my starting LHC length) and BSL-waist, though I guess it's getting close to hip :lol:

[KwaveT]

My hair length is in the middle of the chin and have been growing it from about five or months.

[Tapioca]

Started growing from a Dorothy Hamill wedge 23 years ago. I was at hip last December, then did a cut to APL. (I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and it was getting to be too much for my hands.) In March, I did a cut to above the shoulders with layers. Mistake! Now I can't do *anything* with it but half-ups. Well, I can do a high ponytail, but I work in Accounting...
Planning to grow to somewhere between APL and waist. We'll see at what point my hands scream at me. Oh, and I'm also growing out the henna. Contemplating joining the Renegrays, although my grays are blending in well so far.

[PixxieStix]

Well, I've consciously been growing my hair for about 2 1/2 months now, a little over two years ago I stopped shaving my head, but was keeping my hair short in a heavily layered bob with the length being much longer in the front than the back, but had gotten lazy about going in for a regular haircut and I would say the longest parts of my hair were at chin when I made the decision to grow my hair again, and is now about an inch away from shoulder in the back. Well, the longest parts anyway. Earlier this year I had several inches chopped off the front to even up the back layers and the front ones so I don't grow out a reverse mullet :P

[Clem_Dela]

my hair is 29" now.

My last cut was in March of this year, cut just shy of BSL. I hadn't been consciously "growing it out" after that, I just didn't cut it again... :P been really growing it out/joined LHC in mid-August of this year.


However, ever since I was around 8 or 9 i've wanted loooong hair. When I was little, my mom always cut it real short because it was so thick and unmanageable. It was so fluffy, I was a little mushroom-head! that's why I started growing it out.

When I was about 15, I cut it again. It was uneven, and ended up being chopped even shorter- I daresay shy of collarbone length.

After that, I never trimmed shorter than APL. I also cut bangs once, which was a BAD idea.

Now, my bangs are several inches past my chin and my longest layer is at 29". Happy growing! :love:

[Kira94]

I've been consciously growing my hair for about a month now, since I joined this forum. My hair is APL and about 22 1/2 inches right now. It's grown 1/2 an inch since I joined. :)

[Amber_Maiden]

2-4 years. At waist currently. When i cut it 4 years ago it was almost at hip, and I cut it to chin.

[Plume]

I decided to let them grow since June this year, and at the beginning of October my hair was APL. After a trim to get rid of my layers, it's now shoulder length.

[Shuan]

Near two years by now, I lost the growth of the first year though. My sister "trimmed" off a little bit too much. It's now 24 inches at APL length.

[nobeltonya]

Mine is ALMOST at TBone [but, the last 2.5 weeks hasn't grown at all... idk why :P] and, starting b/w chin and shoulder, I've been growing since summer-ish to winter 2006.

[spottylover]

My hair was short and sorta a pixie cut in 1999/2000. I loved dying it red.

Around that time, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, and I decided to grow it out and I have been growing it out since then. It is now just past my waist.

[Maraz]

I've been growing it close to five years now. The last time I cut it was because some woman set me up on a blind date and nagged me silly about my lack of a hairstyle. It was about bra strap length at the time. So I cut it to above my shoulders just to get her off my back.

I dated that man for three years, without going near a pair of scissors the whole time. He never cared one way or the other how long my hair was, as it turns out, and never suggested I cut it. He did want me to dye it platinum Barbie blonde, but he wasn't especially put out when I laughed myself breathless over it and then refused.

I do regret having cut it for that pest of a matchmaker, though!

It's somewhere between just over 33 and 38 inches. If I pull it straight, that middle curl is much longer than the rest, which is where I get the 38, but the majority, curled, is more like 33. I need to change my profile, I didn't measure from the hairline the first time, so I cheated myself of some length.

[papera]

Can't really say since when I'm growing my hair ... had them once chopped off almost completely and that shock was so strong that I decided to grow them loooong :p
That is almost 14 years ago, but in my growing process I cut them short every now and then because of color damage, etc ... It's been around 10 years ago when I cut off the last bit of color, and I have been growing my hairs since then from chin- to hip-length ... (unfortunately I had some unhappy hair dresser encounters that destroyed some midterm successes, but since I cut myself they have been growing quite quickly :cheese:)

[battles]

I've been growing for 11 months and I'm at just past shoulder.

[SteelRose]

I made the decision about 3 years ago to get lots of layers put in my hair (moment of insanity) though I wanted to keep a lot of length at the bottom. The hairdresser got overzealous with the scissors and when she got done my longest layer was just below shoulder and the shortest wouldn't go in a ponytail. I was not happy since I had wanted the shortest layer to go back in a ponytail and the longest to be between APL and BSL. I've had one trim since (an inch or two) about 2 years ago and now the longest is just past TBL and my shortest is past BSL.

[embee]

nappywomyn, you and I have opposite hair types! So what I say will not apply much, probably.

I had hair to my earlobes in 1990 and then decided I could grow it out. Bangs too. In 2005, at something below waist, *the day before finding LHC*, I chopped off 8 inches because I didn't know any updo styles and was sick to death of how my hair looked. Big Mistake.

Now I'm at terminal and have a couple updo styles that I love, learned here at LHC. I would say that my hair probably took 15 years to reach terminal, because that may be where I was when I chopped in 2005, don't know, had never measured, didn't know the terminology yet.

[CoilyCurlyME]

I relaxed my hair three years ago, but it failed. I did nothing with it that year after and didn't know how take care of it. Then today it's two years ago since i chopped the damaged ends of and learned how to care for it. :) So my hair have been growing healthy for two years i will say.

[sarahramen]

I started at 19 inches which is at the middle of my neck, and i am now 29.5 inches which is thisclose to waist on me. my 2 year anniversary is in january (wait december?):cheese:

[sun-kissed]

I started trying to grow my hair out two years ago, but I abused it(without knowing it) and it never grew. Then I learned about WO washing, and found LHC in July of this year. I've stopped all forms of abuse, cut off four inches of my ragged hemline, and am now babying it along and hope to actually get somewhere this time!

Right now my hair just about an inch or two above BSL, and I've been growing it for for four months. So far it's still shrinking from all the cutting I've been doing, but soon I hope to see some progress. [:

[Modarunner]

I've been growing mine since May of 2009 and I'm currently between apl and bsl, with 23.5".

[Hairwish]

46 inches in 7-8 years.

[Athena's Owl]

I shaved my head in november of 1991 (daft time of year to do it, but I was depressed) and the first time I went outside and felt my entire scalp contract from the cold I vowed that I would *never* cut my hair short again. this is my 20th anniversary for letting my hair grow, and I've also been maintaining at or slightly above tailbone this year.

[Arashi]

I have been growing since.. hmm.. summer of this year, I would say, I don't remember the month. I started at shoulder length and am now nearing APL.

[MJheals]

I started really trying to grow and gain length almost exactly two years ago, and since then it's gone from a shoulder skimming bob, to 2" from waist! In my mind, waist is where the 'real' long hair starts, and I'm very excited to reach and surpass it. :)

[Winged]

I last cut it two or three years ago, and I cut it to between APL and BSL. It's now down to my waist.

[kme81]

Growing for 7 years and now at waist length!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!! :) (it is a fairly recent accomplishment ;) )

[AcornMystic]

Accidently double posted.

[AcornMystic]

It is around when I joined LHC that I consider as the beginning of my hair growth journey because it was then that I finally obtained a sense of direction with my hair even though I'd been trying to grow it for about a year prior. Upon joining, it was cheek length in a 1920's orchid bob. There is a picture on here of it in my album. I joined LHC in late June of this year so about 4.5 months and it is 3/4's down my neck now.

Having said that, I should be at shoulder by the new year at the rate my hair is growing, if it continues to grow anything like it did in October (an inch worth). :cheese:

[Kamir0]

I have been growing my now hip-length hair since I had it cut professionally back in 2007(?) and didn't like it. I ended up with a layered style at flip, with a super thick fringe (bangs). I seemed OK for the first couple of days, but then I realized I had made a huge mistake having my longer-than-waist hair chopped off. :(
At the time, it was super nice and completely virgin too...

I started growing it consciously fairly recently though. Until then, I mostly let it grow because I don't like going to the hairdresser's, and I can only (successfully) trim it myself when it's longer than BSL...

I really only like my hair longer than BSL or pixie short (which I had twice). In-between hair doesn't really suit me...

[Corylina]

I've been growing my hair for two years. I started at shoulder length and now it's almost tailbone 8)

[uptosomeone]

I start at shoulder when I was fifteen, and have been consciously growing since then, although I have gotten cuts for health. Cutting out the layers has set me back from APL though, and now I'm at just a little past shoulder.

[vanillabones]

I have been growing for almost a year and the back is to shoulder, bangs and front pieces are not shoulder yet though, so I voted for both SHL-BSL and shorter than shoulder. I really wish my hair was all one length I haven't worn it down in public since before I joined the site.

[akuamoonmaui]

My hair was stuck at shoulder to APL for most of my adult life. I had long hair as a kid. About 3 1/2 years ago I made the committment to really grow it this time. I was doing okay with it, but a little longer than a year ago, I found LHC and that changed everything! My hair is so much healthier and with the support of the community I have been able to grow my hair to waist when I pull it straight and I know I will reach my goal of waist to tailbone.

I've probably cut about a foot off over the course of these last few years, but I know it was worth it because my ends and hemline are healthy looking. I still have some damage but all in all because of LHC my hair is in pretty darn good shape. I couldn't have done it without this site!

[jujube]

Started growing my hair at buzz, but joined the LHC at pixie. I've been growing since then (I'm almost SL), and I plan to stick around here a few years.

[Macaroni]

I've kept it long for a good 10 years now. I self-trim to my waist with a blunt hemline.

[WaterMusic]

Almost exactly 3.5 years ago, I decided that I missed my long hair and decided to stop maintaining my previous cut, which was about 2" long. It's now mid back length, but it's only been in the last six months that I've really taken care of it and been paying attention. Previously I've been using benign neglect, and not handling it carefully. I know I've lost some length to damage and trims... But now that I calculate it, I'm not doing too bad.

Currently 28.5" - 2" to start.
26.5" of growth at 0.5" per month = 53 months
53 months \ 12 months per year = 4.4 years

So I've grown what would be an average of 4.4 years of growth in 3.5 years. And that's not even taking damage and trims into account. I must have been growing faster at some point, because I only get 0.5" per month now.

[Venefica]

I had my hair cut to jaw length to even it out when I was 24 and I am now 29 so I have been growing for five years and my hair is about two inches away from classic now.

[CurlyMopTop]

I had a pixie cut towards the end of 08. So about 3 years of growing and I'm at about 22 inches. That was with lots and lots of trims, and I just cut off 3.5 inches (longest part of my hair) to get rid of some layers and thicken my ends. :D

[Yulan]

My hair is about BSL right now and I started growing them... um... 3 years ago I think. Maybe 4.

[daniew0708]

i started actively growing my hair after my last major cut about a year and a half ago. i cut it to just above bsl it is now between waist and hip. I am very close to hip maybe a half an inch. i have had a few trims since then but never more than an inch. i want to cut out all the layers but i don't want to cut my length.

[Calaelen]

My hair is 43.5 inches and almost to thigh, I have been actively growing it since 2007. At that point, I was around BSL, and I was trying to get longer, but without a goal in mind. Then when I started trying to grow to knee or longer, I started trimming 2-4 times per year only, and using a moon chart for dates to cut.

I haven't trimmed at all in 2 years now, and have gained the most length this way, I am now considering CinnamonHair's theory of trimming very tiny amounts more often to increase the thickness of my hemline while still gaining some length every month.

[Seeshami]

Five years. With probably 8 inches worth of cuts in there. From pixie to 33 inches.

[domisimone]

I've been trying to grow my hair since I was a wee baby, but am only becoming more concious of it and learning to care for it now. I say I've been growing it 10+ years, but some would say one year, because that's how long I've really been caring for t.

[digginit]

I have officially been growing for a year and a half but really probably closer to 2 years. my bangs are an inch or two past my chin while in the back it is probably about APL. Layers from growing out a buzz. oh well

[BrownEyedBeauty]

My hair was around collarbone length when I started growing it. I am currently at waist. It has taken me 3 years to grow it. I have been trimming 1 - 1.5 inches every 9-10 months.

[Embrace1913]

I've been growing my hair for a little over 2 years now. I went from October 2010-March 2012 with no trims whatsoever. I went from shoulder length to waist length during that time. I finally decided to trim this past March because I had some serious split/uneven ends. I only wanted about half an inch trimmed off but I ended up getting closer to 2-3 inches cut. I'm kicking myself for letting her take off that much *sighs*

So now I'm somewhere longer than BSL but not quite waist length when pulled straight. I recently began moisturizing and oiling my ends and wearing my hair up in a bun to help with length retention. I'm gonna be starting Viviscal next week. I really want my hair to reach tailbone when curly. Hopefully in another 2 years or so I'll have the fairytail hair of my dreams :)

[Vampyria]

This September will be two years since I started growing out dye and my virgin hair is around shoulder length. At the nape my hair is all virgin and little past shoulder, but in front it's just touching shoulder and I still have around 3 and 4 inches to grow out.

[Savvyhorsez]

10+ years and the very ends are past my knees, I have cut it before in the past though, my story is on my profile.:)

[Agnes Hannah]

2 years, 6 months with LHC now just passed BSL on the way to waist.

[veryhairyfairy]

I've been growing from a 1/2" Pixie for almost exactly 6 years now, and I am currently just about to start being close to BCL at 35" ( :lol: ).

In that time, I probably cut off close to 18", maybe more.

<Thinking out loud>
Wait... I know I chopped off at least 18" because I had permed hair and it's all gone now... but that means that over the last 6 years my growth has been much more than the average 6" a year! I guess that's pretty awesome, but why has it slowed down to the average growth rate in the last few years since I started measuring??? Could it seriously have been the fact that I went pescatarian a few years ago?! I think I need more protein!!
</thinking out loud>

[Hosta]

I have been growing for 3 years. I started at a very short pixie and I am at 22.5 " which I APL on me. I get a light trim every 6 weeks.

[FuzzyBlackWaves]

MBL, nearly waist, and I've been growing it a year and a month. :) (Started at BSL).

[tlover]

How do you define growing?

My hair have been growing since birth, at about 12 or so I wanted long hair, at about 14 I didn't care anymore and now at 26 about 2 month ago I made a conscious decision to grow my hair long but my hair is already at tbl (becouse I didn't care about it so I trimmed it only once a year)

[Hatsune Miku]

I have been growing my hair my whole life and have not had a major cut since I was 3 or 4 years old. I had trims maybe once or twice a year, but my hair eventually got stuck at hip length. As of right now I haven't been to a salon in over 2 years and do not plan on going back. After finding the community, I learned how to take care of my hair properly and I am now at tailbone length :)

[MadeiraD]

My hair is tail bone length and I've been growing it fitfully (a few times I've stalled and maintained it at one length or another for awhile) for 6 years

[chen bao jun]

I have been growing for 20 months. My hair has gone from looking like ear length to looking like almost APL. I say 'looking like" because I'm hypercurly. It was almost APL when flat-ironed when I started and now is bottom bra-strap stretched (I don't flat iron anymore). I can't really tell you how long it is in inches because that's different every single day.

[Ennapic]

Last short cut was January 2003. Many trims since while growing out. It's at the small of my back after cutting about 7" 6 weeks ago.

[ARG]

I was chin length Dec. '11, now I'm BSLish. I mean ish because I really haven't measured or taken a picture of it. I think it's probably longer.

[AmyBeth]

Just over 2 years and I'm about 2 inches from BCL. I started growing in Dec '11 with BSL, very heavily layered. New Year's Eve 2011, I went to a salon for the last time and had the layers evened out to a sort of fairy tale ends look and ended up just touching the top of my bra strap. I went for a whole year with no trims at all, and then started microtrimming every 3 months, between 1/4 inch and 1 1/2 inch every 3 months. My ends are just ever so minimally layered/fairy tale now and I'm aiming for as long as I can get with a blunt/fairytale hybrid hemline.

[Aderyn]

I started growing in May of 2013, and my hair was around BSL then (had just cut off a good 4-5 inches), just shy of BSL when wavy. So it's about 10 months since that point and my hair is around hip/top of my jeans with my longest hairs stretched, and it's waist length with waves now.

[Irishrain]

I've been trying to grow my hair out for the past 2 years but the hairdressers keep messing it up. I've had way to many bad hair trimming experiences(You say 'just dust the ends..' and they take off 2 inches..). I'm thinking about never going back. However, split ends make me freak out...and repeat.
It's a little longer than shoulder but not quite APL

[Long_hair_bear]

I started growing around December of 2011 at APL. I am now at hip. :)

[Rainbow2911]

My last cut was about 4 years ago and it was just above shoulder length. Now it's between tailbone and classic.

[Begemot]

I have been growing over six years and at the moment I'm just below BSL. I could have much longer hair but I wanted to grow out and cut off dye, layers, bangs and heat damage... Now I can just grow more length, yay!

[Madora]

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w225/07Erzbet/101514ThenandNow20032014_edited-1.jpg (http://s177.photobucket.com/user/07Erzbet/media/101514ThenandNow20032014_edited-1.jpg.html)

My hair is now 60" long. I've been growing it since 2003...11 years. It is at knee.

[Johannah]

3.5 years now. I went from APL length with layers around ear/chin length to hip length without layers.

[LiiAme]

Made the decision to get rid of the damage that was there (which was excruciating) and been actively growing for a month now. Perhaps I'm voting too soon and should return in a year's time, haha! My hair is currently lost somewhere between SL and APL.

[lapushka]

When I last answered this poll, my hair was between shoulder & BSL. :lol: Boy, this thread popped up out of nowhere. I'm glad I'm growing past TBL right now. :)

[fiðrildi]

BSL to waist. I am already at waist when stretched, but I'm not claiming it until I reach waist in its wavy state.

[wilderwein]

i think i grow them out since i remember! but they actually stopped being at the breast length since i stopped visiting a hairdresser for trims (they allways thought that my thinner ends are also damaged wich is not the case)! now they are somewhere between waist and tailbone length wich took me about 2 years

[melusine963]

I've been growing my hair for about eight years now, and it's just past classic.

[Clea]

I've been growing for about 6 years and my hair is almost tailbone. I had a few dodgy trims that stopped me gaining as much length as I would have liked. Ah well, live and learn.