4 years of growth!

[Gemma]

Four years ago, I decided I wanted to grow out my hair again, and this time I was going to see just how long it could get!

I started growing in December 2006. I started here:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Keller/s640x480-1.jpg

As I started growing, I decided that my first goal would be hip length, and I achieved that early this month. :) Here is where I am now:

Dry, braid waves combed out (looking kind of frizzy!)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Keller/Hair/IMG_3875a.jpg

Damp, dried naturally:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Keller/Hair/IMG_3878a.jpg

My very first French braid:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Keller/Hair/IMG_0334.jpg

Dutch braid now:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/Keller/Hair/IMG_3709.jpg

Now that I have reached hip, I plan to keep growing. Who knows when it will get long enough for me? We shall see! I have noticed that my hair is frizzier than when it was short, although some of this might be a result of moving from England to Rhode Island (humid for three months then dry for one!). I also decided to grow out my natural colour a little while ago, and my roots now reach almost to my chin. Thankfully, it's not super obvious but my braids are two-toned now!

Thanks to everyone here for the encouragement, words of wisdom, and for getting me hooked on hair toys. ;) Actually, maybe I shouldn't thank you for that last one!

[littlenvy]

WOW!! Beautiful growth!!
You have very lovely hair. :)

[Speckla]

Beautiful! Even the frizzies are gorgeous. Only 4 years? That gives me a lot of hope! :)

[JuneBride]

Beautiful! Even the frizzies are gorgeous. Only 4 years? That gives me a lot of hope! :)

WOW!!!
You give me hope!
Thank you!
Congrats and enjoy your gorgeous hair!!!

You deserve a LOT of Cheese!!! :cheese::cheese::cheese::cheese: 4 cheese for 4 years!!!

[castano]

The growth has been really fast and healthy as I can see! Congratulations!

[jaine]

Wow, that is a ton of growth!! You give me hope because I had a pixie just a year ago.

My hair texture looks similar to yours too if I air-dry it without any products in it... a lot of curly hairs mixed in with the wavy ... I can usually get the texture more even by combing gel through it while it's damp, and not touching it while it dries. But the random curly hairs are cute too!

[Loreley]

Amazing growth! Congratulations! :D

[Chamomile betty]

Your hair is a beautiful color. I do think it was cute short too.

[GeeLove]

4 years of gorgeous progress. your hair is beautiful.

[LoversLullaby]

WOW! Amazing growth! Looks beautiful :)

[redneckprincess]

Looks great!! You are one of my inspriations from the begining (when I first got here 2 yrs ago)

[GoddesJourney]

Yeah, that is what I would call growing. Don't worry about frizziness. I think anyone's hair will look frizzy if it's braided and then combed out. Mine does. Anyway, hip length looks gorgeous on you. Enjoy it and enjoy your upcoming milestones, too.

[Gemma]

Thank you, everyone! :flower:

I get asked about whether I trimmed/cut my hair over the years so I figure I'll mention that here. :) I did trim quite a lot during the first 2 years of growth. In fact, I had my hair cut into a bob shape once it reached close to chin length, and I had two other full cuts as it got longer and the layers became kind of scraggly. After that, I trimmed to keep a smoother shape, which meant a short trim every 3-4 months. At the 2 year mark, it was long enough to start dusting at home, although I did have a proper trim once a year.

I haven't had my hair professionally trimmed for a year at this point and it feels like a constant battle against split ends. I think I will have to relent soon and take about half an inch off, if not a little more, just to get rid of damage.

I'm also going to try a henna/cassia gloss every few months because, after giving up henna, I have noticed my hair isn't quite as shiny and well conditioned as it used to be. I'm always learning new things!

[growing2shine]

Congratulations! :cheer:

[Avvoltoio]

wow, beautiful hair and grow rate!

[Emerald88]

That is alot of growth in 4 yrs. Looking good!

[virgo75]

Congratulations!!! :disco:


Your hair growth is really inspirational. :flower:

[ericthegreat]

I remember telling you last year this same time how amazed I was how fast your hair grew from pixie to (then) waist length. This year is no different. Your hair just gets more and more lovely every year!!

[Gemma]

I remember telling you last year this same time how amazed I was how fast your hair grew from pixie to (then) waist length. This year is no different. Your hair just gets more and more lovely every year!!

Thanks, eric. :flower: My hair grows super fast, which is awesome now that it's long but was a huge pain in the butt when it was short! I used to be at the hairdresser's every 5-6 weeks, and it still got shaggy in between cuts.

Gotta say, I do miss having short hair sometimes. It felt so light and breezy, and the spiky do was super cute. Long hair has its own charms, though. ;)

[pepperminttea]

That is absolutely amazing growth - congratulations!

[Dragon]

Congrats, looks great :)

[Gemma]

That is absolutely amazing growth - congratulations!

Thank you! I love your username, btw. :flower:

[jojo]

wow what fast growth you have and its beautiful

I am only at waist with 5 years growth.

[Quixotica]

Gemma, BEAUTIFUL!!! I need to drop you a line :cheese:

[Shellby]

Beee-utiful. Wow. I love the waves. I wish I had that growth rate! Congrats.

[Yozhik]

Congratulations! Your growth rate is very impressive. :)

Happy growing onward to your ultimate goal!

[Vorvolaka]

Wow, you have lovely hair! Congratulations!

[Mountaingrrl]

Thanks for sharing! Your hair looks beautiful, and you inspire me. :-)

[sunshine80]

That is awesome! You are a great inspiration!

[Octave]

Oh how lovely! Congrats Gemma!! :D
What an amazing growth and your dutch braid is so neat, really pretty.

[bigred199]

I just love to read these progress threads and see the pics. It gives me hope! Your hair is really beautiful. Congratulations for sticking with it!

[dainaleeo2]

WOW!
holy asdfgfds. that is so inspiring! & you can't tell at all in any of the pictures that your natural color is any different than the rest. At least i don't see it. the last braid picture is super pretty. i really like that style of braid.
amazing progress! :) i bet you're really happy. & it doesn't look that frizzy either. the ends are 4 years old so that's most likely why they have the worst of it. but overall it's really not bad. your hair has really nice waves! :) & very shiny!

[Medievalmaniac]

You have had amazing growth! Congratulations!! :)

[lw8666]

Congrats on your growth! Wow!

[christine1989]

Inspiring growth! You gained a lot of length in 4 years. :)

[SilverLocks]

Congratulations, Gemma, on fantastic growth and bringing out the beauty of your waves. :flowers:

[triumphator!]

Your hair is beautiful, glossy, dark, and long! Congratulations on reaching your goal! :)

[lupiae]

Great growth, fantastic. Really really congratulation!

[hanne jensen]

You have very beautiful hair. Fantastic growth! How did you do it?

[utdesertrunner]

Wow, that gives me a lot of hope that mine will grow faster than I though! That's a lot of length in just 4 years. Your hair looks very beautiful!

[akuamoonmaui]

Your hair is lovely! You are also one of those rare people who can wear short hair (not that I'm encouraging you to cut!) ~ I think it's wonderful that you stuck to your game plan ~ look how it paid off!

[indiana]

That is amazing. Your hair is beautiful!

[lapushka]

Congratulations!

[HairFaerie]

Nice! Very beautiful growth in just 4 years! WAY TO GO!

[CurlyTresses]

:agree:Absolutely beautiful hair ~:)~ great growth progress, and beautiful color. Congrats :applause

[Gemma]

You have very beautiful hair. Fantastic growth! How did you do it?

I wish there was a secret to my growth but it is just the luck of the genetic draw. Everyone in my family has really fast growing hair so I am just lucky. :) there were lots of times when I almost cut out of frustration but I made myself stick with it and I'm glad I did. Just keep going is my advice!


Thanks again to everyone for the lovely comments. I appreciate them very much!

[Jemoiselle]

Gorgeous hair and amazing photo documentation! I love it! Earlier this year I chopped from TB to Chin (sigh) and am now growing back out like you did! I hope mine grows back as fast as yours! Just lovely, congratulations to you!

[ooo]

Your hair is beautiful. What an inspiration!

[DecafJane]

Well done!