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View Full Version : My Mum's hair- sulphate shampoo and 30 years of false terminal?!



furnival
May 4th, 2011, 12:04 PM
Hi everyone, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the story of my Mum's hair. Sorry it's so long, ha ha... All her adult life she's had beautiful BC-length 1a- f- I hair, washed weekly in the 'standard' non-LHC way, with gallons of sulphate shampoo scrubbed right to the ends, and whatever conditioner she fancies. She combs it wet and wears it down a lot but it's always looked healthy, and it's been at BCL for decades with tiny, twice-yearly trims. Since discovering LHC last Autumn I've been (probably quite irritatingly) showering her with gifts of non-sulphate shampoo and oils and sermons about hair care, all of which she has accepted with good grace, despite the fact that my hair has been a mass of manky dreadlocks for years and this is the first time I've ever shown any interest in it, or hers. Anyway, she started using an aloe-based shampoo without sulphates, and cone-free conditioner, and without any other changes to her routine her hair has grown by about 5" since October, to thigh length! So what's going on? Was the harsh shampoo weakening her hair so it couldn't grow any longer? Or could it be a bit of LHC magic-by-proxy filtering through?

Panth
May 4th, 2011, 12:09 PM
Has she been wearing it up more than before? That would be the main culprit IMO.

I had something pretty similar - a 5 year stall where my hair would grow no longer than just past TB. I used to let dad trim yearly-ish it as much as he felt necessary so sometimes it went back to waist - it always would grow back to TB-ish very nicely then stop there. It finally reached classic after 5 years but the ends were in terrible condition ... so I trimmed back to TB and started wearing it up. In about 8 months it's gone from TB to several inches into thigh territory. ^_^

dulce
May 4th, 2011, 12:09 PM
That's really interesting!It's food for thought for those of us still growing our hair.

spidermom
May 4th, 2011, 12:10 PM
Who knows, but it certainly sounds like the new routine agrees with her.

rena
May 4th, 2011, 12:12 PM
Oh my gosh! I keep trying to "enlighten" my mom too! Only she doesn't give a hoot :P. I would definitely say the change in shampoo and conditioner helped. I mean, if there was a change only when she introduced that to her routine, than what else could it have been?

Congrats on helping your mom grow long hair!

furnival
May 4th, 2011, 12:15 PM
She hasn't changed anything at all apart from the shampoo and condish, hasn't been wearing it up more or anything. If her hair has been in a stall, it's a mighty one that has lasted for over half her life!:eek:

jojo
May 4th, 2011, 01:04 PM
Has she been wearing it up more than before? That would be the main culprit IMO.

I had something pretty similar - a 5 year stall where my hair would grow no longer than just past TB. I used to let dad trim yearly-ish it as much as he felt necessary so sometimes it went back to waist - it always would grow back to TB-ish very nicely then stop there. It finally reached classic after 5 years but the ends were in terrible condition ... so I trimmed back to TB and started wearing it up. In about 8 months it's gone from TB to several inches into thigh territory. ^_^

This very inspirational. Ive often wondered why hair grows back quicker when its been cut back to certain parts quicker than when we are trying to grow to areas its never been before. The longest ive been is where I am now, but when i trimmed back an inch in less than a month I was right back to where I trimmed yet my growth seems to be "resting" at the moment.

Panth
May 4th, 2011, 03:27 PM
This very inspirational. Ive often wondered why hair grows back quicker when its been cut back to certain parts quicker than when we are trying to grow to areas its never been before. The longest ive been is where I am now, but when i trimmed back an inch in less than a month I was right back to where I trimmed yet my growth seems to be "resting" at the moment.

Mmm. I spent 5 years semi-actively growing my hair (no hairdressers, only trims one or two times a year) and it really, really did not want to get past TB. But, I wore it down almost every day and when it wasn't loose it was in a low ponytail or an english plait - not loose, but not "up". Now, I realise how much damage was caused from sitting on it! Evidently that was the last straw for my F hair. It would always grow nicely back after a trim so I never felt I was at "terminal" or anything, just was a bit annoyed at how slow things were going...

(Incidentally, my pretty impressive taper has also been growing out over the last 8 months).

To the OP: well, if it isn't updos then I guess it just must be the gentler handling and precison-use of the shampoo. Which is pretty impressive! Out of curiosity, what hairtype would you say your mum is? I'm guessing some sort of F...

skyblue
May 4th, 2011, 03:53 PM
wow that impressive!! Congrats!
I sure hope my hair is that long in 6 months too!

furnival
May 4th, 2011, 04:56 PM
Hi Panth- my Mum's hair is 1a -f -I, and I'm pretty sure she ain't handling it any more gently than she always does- she still scrubs the new shampoo all through it, still combs wet and wears it down often. The only LHC- inspired suggestions that she's acted upon are the new shampoo and conditioner which is why I'm so amazed she's had this massive growth spurt! The mind boggles.. :)

racrane
May 4th, 2011, 05:16 PM
That's amazing! I keep trying to get my mom to take better care of her hair. Her heat routine alone kills me. She has nice, defined ringlets and she blow dries, straightens and then curls to a gentle wave. Drives me nuts because I'd love to have curls like that but she keeps using heat. Unsurprisingly, her hair is crunchy and dry. :( I'd love to fix my mom's hair. I'm glad your mom's hair has grown. Yay!

|Xei
May 4th, 2011, 06:10 PM
Good for your mom! Growing hair is always a good sign, whether one wishes to grow their hair longer or not.

I had something similar happen ever since I switched to sulfate-free and cone-free. Before doing so, my hair was always stuck somewhere between BSL and waist. When it would reach waist, the ends would be really thin. I thought I would be stuck there forever, until I made the switch. From then on, my hair actually started growing noticeably longer, and it grew a little faster too (I colour my hair, so I judge from the regrowth).

jojo
May 4th, 2011, 07:38 PM
to the op

Maybe the sulphates where too harsh on her hair and although it looked like she wasn't growing due to wearing it down and the sulphates drying (maybe) her ends, she was breaking as fast as she grew so therefore it gave the impression she wasn't growing.