sides won't grow

[TiaSimone]

Hi everybody...newbie here with a question. I have been trying to grow my hair for over a year. It has been going well for most of my hair. But for some reason, the hair on the sides of my head (near my ears) is simply not growing. My hairdresser said that area may have been damaged, but she doesn't see any physcial damage to the hair shaft. So....my hair in the back is growing....and my bangs are growing...but this one area doesn't want to budge. And I really don't care for the mullet look so I was wondering if anyone had any tips?

[xoxophelia]

Is it on the underside of your hair?

I have the exact same thing and was starting to feel as though I was alone. For me, the texture there is also slightly different (more coarse). I have had my hair long before and even then, these hairs don't grow much past my shoulders. I have shorter ones around my face as well.

When your bangs are longer, it won't be noticable hardly at all especially if your hair is curly.

Just to make sure though, reduce heat styling to just a little or none if you currently do so. Don't brush while it is wet and wear it in looser styles when you put it up. :)

[Yozhik]

Maybe if you gathered it in half-ups the length difference would be less noticeable? Does it just look like your hair is layered? I wouldn't worry too much about it, and just try to reduce any damage you may be inflicting on it (heat, etc.). Maybe give your scalp massages in those areas to increase circulation (ergo growth)?
I'm sure that even while you might feel self-conscious about it, it's probably not very obvious to anyone else :flower:

Good luck :)

[Peggy E.]

It's possible this portion is damaged due to the location - it's probably the hair you grab, comb, brush, pull, push back, tuck behind your ears, etc. the most. The more messing, the more damage/breaking and this might be what keeps this hair from growing as long, as quickly, as the rest of your hair.

Maybe if you wore your hair in some sort of updo that would keep it protected you would be able to help it grow more quickly?

[Elspeth30]

Hi everybody...newbie here with a question. I have been trying to grow my hair for over a year. It has been going well for most of my hair. But for some reason, the hair on the sides of my head (near my ears) is simply not growing. My hairdresser said that area may have been damaged, but she doesn't see any physcial damage to the hair shaft. So....my hair in the back is growing....and my bangs are growing...but this one area doesn't want to budge. And I really don't care for the mullet look so I was wondering if anyone had any tips?


Some parts of your hair are more delicate and have a different growing pattern. I have a lock on either side of my head that grows very slowly and is quite wispy. Sometimes it drives me crazy and sometimes I try to see it as a "design element". :)
How thick is the section that is not growing? If it is not terribly thick it will probably blend in as your hair grows longer.

[TiaSimone]

Thank you all so much for your tips and encouragement! I do think I am way too self-conscious about it. I don't use too much heat on my hair; it is curly so I air dry as much as possible. And I don't brush my hair at all. But, I do wear glasses. Could the frames around my ears impact my hair in that area? That may be a silly question.....

[Tovah]

That's not a silly question at all.

[spidermom]

Glasses might be your problem. My old glasses were always grabbing the hair above my ears and pulling it out. I now make sure that my glasses don't have a separate piece to go over the ears. They have to be one piece from where they hinge with the part that goes across my face all the way to around my ears. And of course I have to be careful taking them off because hair can catch in the hinge at the front.

[rupunzlemom]

The sides of my hair don't grow very much either..........in fact they are really thin. :( I always thought it had something to do with the fact I sleep on my side. I have tried a silk pillow case but that really didn't seem to help so I just sort of gave up. It seems I always have some new wispy growth there but I can't be certain that it grows much. I know that isn't a solution just my experience.

[Demetrue]

My glasses definitely damage and tear at the hair that is right in front of my ears and that hair is always about 2 inches long and broken and frazzled looking. I finally took some scissors and trimed that hair down to almost nothing so it won't keep getting caught in my glasses. It was just too annoying otherwise.

[eternallyverdan]

if you mean the little tufts of hair right above and behind your ears, I think that a lot of people have that problem. If I wear my in a loose updo when I'm sweaty I get little "horns" just above my ears, and I don't wear glasses or anything like that.

[walterSCAN]

Thank you all so much for your tips and encouragement! I do think I am way too self-conscious about it. I don't use too much heat on my hair; it is curly so I air dry as much as possible. And I don't brush my hair at all. But, I do wear glasses. Could the frames around my ears impact my hair in that area? That may be a silly question.....


Glasses might be your problem. My old glasses were always grabbing the hair above my ears and pulling it out. I now make sure that my glasses don't have a separate piece to go over the ears. They have to be one piece from where they hinge with the part that goes across my face all the way to around my ears. And of course I have to be careful taking them off because hair can catch in the hinge at the front.


If it turns out that this is your problem (glasses with separate pieces that catch hair and break it), Nae gave me a great solution here :http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=41430&highlight=glasses . (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=41430&highlight=glasses)

Ever since I did this, I haven't had any hairs caught or broken by my glasses, it's great!! (I'll post pictures (in that^ thread) in a minute so you can see how it worked out for me.)

[krn2891]

My hair is the same way. my sides, especially the undersides don't grow much longer then BSL. My bangs will not grow longer then shoulder and I have this section of hair on the left side of my hair line that will not grow past 5 inches. Thankfully I have trained it for the most part to go to the side but somedays when its in a mood when I have my hair in an updo it will just stick up.
So your not alone. And as other have said your probably the only one who really notics. I just think of mine as natural layers. And it helps give a fairytale ends effect.