Disappointed after 1 year of (not) growing [+ pics]

[OleanderTime]

I'm feeling a bit discouraged and would appreciate some honest feedback. My hair has always been slow-growing -- I have never had the average 1/2" per month. I joined LHC and really started growing my hair last fall. All year, I told myself that I would make up for the slow growth come summer (I live in Michigan... long winters), but that sure didn't happen. I'm coming up on a year, and I feel like my hair is barely longer at all. It feels the same in updos and in braids, and I'm not seeing much change. I have had two trims over the course of the year (maybe an inch total?). I've never experienced the sort of growth I see in so many LHC anniversary and progress posts.

Am I wrong? If not, what am I doing wrong?

Do you think it's possible that I'm creeping up on my terminal length? I've never had hair longer than this in all my life. Maybe my hair just doesn't know how to keep growing.

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx3/OleanderTime/Screenshot2010-09-24at80930PM.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx3/OleanderTime/Screenshot2010-09-24at81319PM.jpg

[talervo]

Do you think there is a chance your hair is getting curlier so it seems like there is no growth? You do have a lot of body to your hair. Very pretty.

Have you tried using something like Rosemary oil on your scalp? If found that increased my growth.

The other thing would be diet. Once I went to a lower carb, higher fat diet my hair growth increased where people are now commenting on how fast it is growing.

[leslissocool]

Your hair grows abut as much as mine does... Have you tried taking vitamins? i take a multi vitamin, 3 g biotin, and msm... it helped a lot on the speed...Also eat protein, lots of it, that helped me too...

I use castor oil on my scalp before I wash it every time... I put it on wet hair, leave it for an hour, then wash it normally...

[1nuitblanche]

Maybe this was just a crazy year for you. Your hair doesn't look thin enough to me for this to be your terminal length. Just be patient. Make sure you're eating enough good foods. Keep taking care of your hair - it still looks like it's in good condition.

[spidermom]

The December 2009 picture looks longer than the November 2009. Did you have a trim between the two? I think your hair looks a good 4 inches longer than the December 2009 photo, and since that's not even a full year, that's not bad growth.

I didn't feel like I made much progress during my first 3 years of growth because I was continually getting layers trimmed off. Once my layers were gone, my hair length really took off. Maybe yours will as well.

Good luck! Don't give up yet.

[swivelhop]

It's beautiful hair. Slow work is quality work? It looks like your layers have grown much faster than the bottom length and evened out.

[Capybara]

I certainly see growth! Look at the seam on your shirt-in the first picture, your hemline is nowhere near it. It's pretty much brushing it in the third picture. I don't think you're coming up to your terminal length. Your hair looks so thick and healthy, it's not thinning at all (from what I understand, hair thins noticeably at the ends when it's at it's terminal length.)

Don't worry, you've got some gorgeous waves and have made progress. Just think, if your hair grows as much as it did last year (I agree with spidermom, it *looks* like it grew about 4 inches!) it'll be a full 8 inches longer than before. That's pretty respectable progress :) :cheer: You have beautiful waves, enjoy them :)

[virgo75]

I'm with Spidermom & Capybara - looks like your hair has grown about 4 inches and that includes a 1 inch trim over that time. So maybe you aren't getting a full 1/2 inch of growth monthly = 6 inches per year, but it looks like you got 5 inches when including the 1 inch trim.

Your hair is gorgeous and full of body. Very pretty. :)

[Luckysock]

Were you getting trims? I was trimming and only got 2 inches this year too. Your hair looks great and does not appear at all to be coming up on terminal. Don't cut it - it'll grow ;)

[pepperminttea]

With trims, it doesn't look like you're doing too badly to me. :) And with all that lovely volume it probably looks like less too. Keep going, it's coming in beautifully, if at its own pace.

[redneckprincess]

Do you take any vitimans? I have really slow hair growth too and by taking vitimans I have achieved "avarage" growth, but with a couple small trims I'm back to only a couple inches a year.

[Emerald88]

I just wanted to say that I think your hair is really pretty. It is so thick & full of body!

[Oskimosa]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was pretty sure I remembered you posting someplace throughout the year that you'd had a trim or two. Looks like you've gained at least 3 inches growth. That would be, at the 1/2" per month you say you don't get, 6 months of growth. If you trimmed just 3 inches in the last year, then that would mean you actually DID grow 6 inches in the year. Even if you trimmed 1 or 2 inches, then it would still mean you're growing. Don't lose heart :)

[christine1989]

I can see growth for sure. It looks like your hair is just naturally slow at growing. To have that short of a terminal length is very rare so I doubt that is the case. You could try some suppliments like silica or biotin to see if you can kickstart your growth again.

[spidermom]

The December 2009 picture looks longer than the November 2009. Did you have a trim between the two?
Good luck! Don't give up yet.

I meant that Dec 2009 looks SHORTER than Nov 2009. Sorry about that.

[Cinnamon Hair]

I agree with most of the other posters that you are getting decent growth and just aren't noticing it due to trims and waviness. Your hair looks significantly fuller to me as well. My advice would be don't trim at all until next September, then do another comparison. :twocents:
That said, yes it is disappointing when you see others who have an incredible growth rate, but what can you do. :shrug:

[serious]

Maybe your hair grows slowly but it definitely looks beautiful, so thick and healthy, with awesome waves. Don't give up, please!

[Henrietta]

My hair grows quite slowly too so I do not know how to help you (scalp massages maybe...?) but I can tell you that there is a difference! Looking objectively, I see a lot of progress! :) And don't you dare thinking about terminal length now;) Just... no.

[Heidi_234]

Since 2c is borderline curly I'd suggest start measuring it wet. Waves can change their mind depending on how you handle them, how much product you use, humidity - lots of different factors that can make it go 1"-2" shorter than your hair really is.

If you got 2" of "clean" growth, and you trimmed - you might have slower growth rate than -.5" per month, but not as slow as you think. And you're definitely anywhere near terminal length. Do you keep a growth chart in excel? If you document you length progress (when wet!), along with how much you trimmed, it would give you FAR better idea what's going on.

This is from my 1 year anniversary:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2075&pictureid=52128
It seems like I grew 3.5" in a year, which is much less than avarage. But considering all the trimming I've done it shows I took off more than half of my growth and I actually grew 7.5", which is an utterly awesome progress!

Last, but not least, measure the distance from approx. the point where your hair was at Dec 2009 to the seam of the shirt - it looks more than 2" to me. :wink: Happy anniversary! You hair looks amazingly thick and full of body. Are you sure you're ii? ;)

[Joliebaby]

It's beautiful! I think with the trim you have grown about 4- 4 1/2 ", which is on the slow side but still okay growth. You are nowhere near terminal! I say lay off trims for the next year, you don't need them, and just take care of yourself, eat healthy, and it will grow!!!

[Quahatundightu]

I have very similar problems, except when I trim I see NO growth! I am doing a no-trimming year, and wow, suddenly it's growing!! So that's my suggestion - just go with S&D and see what happens if you don't trim :)

[julliams]

I had a trim earlier this year that I thought was about one inch. Now I take photos each month and have a monthly growth rate of 5/8" so I was able to calculate that she actually took more than 2 inches off my length.

There is a chance that in each of your trims more was taken off than you realised. Even if you look at the floor and only see pieces no longer than an inch, taken off twice, that makes 2 inches.

Try taking photos each month on a striped shirt in the same position. I take mine on the second day of each month and I put a safety pin where the photo shows my hair to get to. Then I measure the growth each month and it is pretty much the same each time.

It might seems like overkill but at least you will be able to find out what is actually going on with your hair. It is possible that you are having less than half an inch each month and with those two trims, most of that got cut off.

I am also doing a no trim for a year just to see how much length I will actually get in one whole year. It takes a bit of discipline and S & D is vital for it to work for me, but I think it's very interesting.

[Feng-Shui]

Your hair grew definitiev. :)

I can see clearly it at the seam from your to shirt.

Your ends look to me very healthy.

I thinks you can one year without a cut go.

You can see your progress still clearer then in the next year.

Happy anniversary.:flower:

[melikai]

You can definitely see the growth and length difference, if you look at the seam at the back of your shirt in the first 3 pictures. You've also gained more waves and body - as well as thickness. You're nowhere near terminal.

I'd also put away the measuring tape - it's not accurate at all!

[Jezerellica]

Your hair quality is beautiful and certainly is longer! I have nothing more to add except my own experience.

My doc told me to take large amounts of B vitamins for migraines. I was shocked at the difference it made in my hair!(No difference in the headaches ha ha!) This was waaaay before LHC and I had shorter hair. The difference was incredible. I took small amounts throughout the day, you can't take too much since we pee out what we don't use. When I added Biotin last year it improved even more! Diet is bigger than I ever imagined.

Don't be discouraged! Quality is better than quantity. = )

[Arianwen]

Try taking prenatal vitamins...I started taking those when I found out I was pregnant and my hair growth has been in-freaking-sane ever since...could be the pregno hormones, too, but I dunno 'bout that.

[GoddesJourney]

Well, you're not even close to terminal length. Don't forget that your ends curl. I have to either pull mine straight or wet it before I measure or it seems like it didn't grow at all. Also, growth patterns change. For example, last year throughout the summer I was getting almost 1 inch per month. Then I stalled out to make up for it. This year I've been growing more like 1/4 inch per month. That may be frustrating, but that's the way it is. You have definitely grown quite a bit, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Do you CO? I've noticed that shampoo makes my hair shed, but it also makes it grow faster (I think because my scalp is cleaner). I like the thicker mane, so I've decided to do maybe one extra shampooing per week or two and just deal with the slower growth.

[Arianwen]

I agree with most of the other posters that you are getting decent growth and just aren't noticing it due to trims and waviness. Your hair looks significantly fuller to me as well. My advice would be don't trim at all until next September, then do another comparison. :twocents:
That said, yes it is disappointing when you see others who have an incredible growth rate, but what can you do. :shrug:

What she said. I haven't had ANY trims whatsoever in going on 17 months, I didn't do that deliberately, either, I just couldn't be bothered while on student loans etc. Benign neglect FTW.

[little_acorn]

You've definitely got some decent growth there :flower: and your hair is very healthy looking and beautiful.

[DavidN]

Please don't get discouraged, OleanderTime! I DO see growth in your hair, and as some of the others have said, your increased thickness, along with more waves, may be disguising some of the growth that is indeed there. Don't give up!

[mwedzi]

Maybe this is not a problem with anyone else's hair type on this board, but are you sure there has been no breakage? I have a lot due to the fragile nature of my hair.

[redneckprincess]

now that Im looking at it on my computer, it does look about right with a couple small trims...slowly but surly we will make it =)

[Speedbump]

December 2009 to September 2010 is only 10 months. You grew 5inches in that time (including a trim). That means your hair is growing exactly average, 1/2 inch a month. So nope, you're not particularly slow. :)

I remember being in about your shoes MANY years ago, and the worst is above shoulder IMO in terms of "it's NOT GROWWWWINNNNNNNG!" feelings. The second-worst seems to be between tailbone and classic for most people because it's a pretty big distance between milestones.

Also, there is no way you are near terminal, because your hair is so thick on the ends. If you were near terminal you would have fairy-tale ends and progressively thin ends in the last 6-12 inches of hair as the hairs reached their longest length (some shorter than others).

You're doing fine. Truly. It's not even been a full year yet, ya know. ;)

PS: I grow at your rate and I'm almost at classic. You WILL get to your goal, eventually. :flower:

[lajsa]

This reminds me of this disturbing thought I've been having lately. I'm at BSL now, and I've never had longer hair than this as far as I can remember. Now I'm getting stressed out thinking that maybe it can't grow longer than this, that I'll be waiting for years and years to reach tailbone and it never gets even to waist... :p But I'm just being silly, probably. I want it to get longer nownownownownow :D

[Heartwillfollow]

I see progress your hair looks healthy is beautiful and so thick.. :) keep growing :)

[Khepri]

You're hair is beautiful and thick! Even though it may seem like it's growing slow, keep in mind that it's also staying healthy and beautiful. My hair grows pretty fast, but I always have to stay on top of trimming it frequently because I get split ends easily. I'd rather it grow slow and healthy rather than quickly and damaged.

[jojo]

I think your hair has grown and it looks thicker too.

And your ends are way too thick for you to be at terminal, try some hair vitamins they did the trick for me!

[Pixna]

When I compare the December 2009 and the September 2010, I see just the right amount of growth. You said that you had about a 1-inch trim during this period, right? It looks to me like your hair has grown about 4 or even 5 inches, which seems right on target for this number of months, or even exceeding the average growth. I think that maybe you aren't measuring correctly. It is difficult to measure wavy or curly or wurly hair accurately, especially the way you are doing by just laying the tape measure on your hair. To accurately measure growth, you need to pull your hair straight. At different lengths the fullness and wurliness of your hair is going to affect the appearance of length and growth. I truly believe you have had "normal" growth for a nine-month period. And ... your hair is in fantastic shape and looks BEAUTIFUL!!!

[FrannyG]

Well, I see a lot more growth there than what that tape measure is telling us. To me, it looks like about a years' growth.

I suspect two things that my be slowing down your perceived progress:


A half inch is a lot smaller than people think. Sometimes people cut off an inch, thinking it's a half inch. Look at a measuring tape and really look at what a half inch looks like. For me, it's only the width of the tip of my pinky finger. Your trims may have ended up taking out more than an inch in total.
I suspect that with your waves, the growth looks like a lot less than it is. If you measured it pulled straight, I think you'd be surprised by how much length you've actually gained.I think your progress is very good, and your hair looks lovely.

You're really going to notice a difference by this time next year. It will be looking quite long by then, I think. Really. :blossom:

ETA: I didn't nor have I ever had a summer growth spurt. On the contrary, my hair grows faster in winter. I'm in Southern Ontario, and my winters are much like yours. Don't give up. You'll be surprised at what the next year brings.

[OleanderTime]

I can't thank you all enough for the encouragement and positive feedback. I really, really needed it. I was feeling down about a lot of things, and the last thing I needed was to hate my hair, too. That sounds silly, but it's how I felt. You are all very kind and inspiring and I'm so glad I'm a part of this community right now. :)

[spidermom]

Glad to help. Grow on.

[AreWild]

I'm coming in a bit late, but wanted to echo what others have said. I definitely see growth, even if it's to the slower side of average. But look at the condition! In the more recent pictures your hair looks so much fuller and in better condition.

I'm a crazy slow grower, too. I used to average about 1/8" a month. I eventually decided to forget about length for now and concentrate on overall hair health. Now I concentrate on eating better, taking my fish oil, keeping my ends oiled and doing an SMT every couple of weeks between hennaing. Maybe it's just because I'm not paying attention and measuring all the time, but I think my hair has started growing a little faster. Even if it's not I'm enjoying it more. :)

It may be that babying your hair would help distract you from worrying about the length, or you could go the benign neglect route and try to keep your mind off it completely. Rest assured it is growing though, slow and steady.

[triumphator!]

I see growth! It's so thick and healthy, maybe growing high quality hair takes good time : )

[jasper]

I think it looks like progress and is very pretty at the length you have reached so far.

[KittyLost]

Slow work is quality work

I agree! Your hair looks great, and there is definately some growth, it looks to be more than 2inches.