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Danaus plexippu
August 4th, 2010, 04:01 PM
I'm new here, so redirect me if this question is answered elsewhere...How do you know what your terminal length is? Is it when your hair just won't grow any longer? Why does it stop growing?

spidermom
August 4th, 2010, 04:21 PM
Every head on your head has 3 cycles: growing, stalling, and shedding (in that order). Each hair grows for varying lengths of time. The maximum length that the hair can reach is determined by how fast it grows per month multiplied by how many months it grows before it reaches the end of the growth cycle. Then it stalls for awhile and eventually is shed out. I don't know why; I'm not sure that anyone does.

I've noticed that I shed hairs that are very short - only 2-4 inches long. That's not a very long growth cycle! Obviously I also have hairs that grow for much longer. I don't know what my terminal length is yet; my hair is still growing, and this is the longest it has ever been.

There are a lot of threads about this. You can use the search function and type in "terminal length".

Lilacs
August 4th, 2010, 04:21 PM
Hello! I'm fairly new here too, but hopefully I will be of some help! Terminal length refers to the length your hair will reach before the hair follicle dies. When your hair has grown to "terminal length" then it is as long as it will ever be. I believe that the only way to know what your terminal hair length is to grow your hair and find out, but there are calculators if you search it (on google or something). These calculators don't seem to be especially accurate though, so it seems most people here don't reccomend them.

Lilacs
August 4th, 2010, 04:22 PM
Oops, I'm too slow at typing :) glad someone posted before me though who actually knows what they're talking about :D

Danaus plexippu
August 4th, 2010, 04:53 PM
Thank you. Hair is pretty fascinating...come to think of it, the more I learn (about anything really) the more I realize how much I have to learn.