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View Full Version : Terminal length?



Revontuletar
November 7th, 2011, 09:35 PM
I was just wondering, how would I know when I am at terminal length. My hair is just past my waist and seems to grow very slowly. It is noticeably two toned from trying to quit the chemical dyes, so I can actually measure from the roots how much it has grown since I last coloured it in February this year. I don't have a ruler or a tape measure with me but i would say it would be about 7cm or so, give or take. When I reach terminal length will that just stop and my regrowth be the same 7cm forever, or is there some other way to know. I am really hoping my hair will grow more, and some days I think it just won't and there's no point hoping, other days I think "maybe it's a little longer than it was a couple of months ago..." :brickwall

http://tinypic.com/r/2qntv1e/5


http://tinypic.com/r/2qntv1e/5

Teazel
November 7th, 2011, 10:04 PM
I think most people's hair grows about half an inch - or 12mm, say - per month. That would be around 10cm in 8 months - so if you've grown 7cm since February that's not too bad.

If your hair has grown at all in the last year it's not at terminal length. In any case, your regrowth certainly wouldn't stay the same "forever", as each strand sheds eventually and the follicle grows a new one. :)

shikara
November 7th, 2011, 10:17 PM
Have you kept any kind of record of your monthly growth? That kind of information can probably answer a few questions that may come up about our hair - just as keeping track of our circumference can. My hair grows just under half an inch UNLESS I say, jog on the spot for ten minutes a day. Then it grows faster, sometimes a tad more than half an inch. It's not a fast jog either, just enough to get the blood circulating! Stress can slow growth too. I'm pretty sure I've heard people say that hair can have phases of slower and faster growing. Wish I could answer you more specifically about whether you are at terminal length or not.

Revontuletar
November 7th, 2011, 10:31 PM
I haven't really been keeping records of monthly growth, even though I know I probably should. I have had a LOT of stress in the past few months. I suffer from anxiety anyway and am stressed all the time but these really were uniquely stressful situations, and I think I have been shedding because of it. I think that when I get my camera back (I am not sure when that will be, though) I will start taking monthly pictures so that I can see how it is progressing.

Yozhik
November 7th, 2011, 10:39 PM
Maybe the dyed hair is breaking off more than it's growing? That could cause the illusion that your hair isn't growing that much longer, when in fact it is, but the damaged parts are falling off.

Revontuletar
November 8th, 2011, 12:36 AM
Maybe the dyed hair is breaking off more than it's growing? That could cause the illusion that your hair isn't growing that much longer, when in fact it is, but the damaged parts are falling off.

That's what I was thinking, but I'm not quite sure. My ends are quite damaged and I do find a lot of splits and breaks.

naturegirl321
November 8th, 2011, 01:45 AM
Try wearing it up. That seems to help

Revontuletar
November 8th, 2011, 02:21 AM
Try wearing it up. That seems to help

I wear it up most of the time, either in a bun or braid, but sometimes it will just be too messy and I will just be too lazy so I put it in a ponytail with a scrunchie. I usually sleep with it out though, and I think that might be causing a bit of the problem. Would wearing it in a braid for sleep be better?

skyblue
November 8th, 2011, 03:28 AM
You could get one of those satin sleep caps

Amber_Maiden
November 8th, 2011, 08:36 AM
I don't think you've hit your terminal length if it' grown that much. Hows your diet been? How about stress? Better look into that.

Madora
November 8th, 2011, 08:40 AM
I wear it up most of the time, either in a bun or braid, but sometimes it will just be too messy and I will just be too lazy so I put it in a ponytail with a scrunchie. I usually sleep with it out though, and I think that might be causing a bit of the problem. Would wearing it in a braid for sleep be better?

Yes, it would be better for your hair to wear it in a braid for sleep.

The less tangled it is in the morning, the less detangling you need to do, and thus, less breakage.

Panth
November 8th, 2011, 02:29 PM
I was just wondering, how would I know when I am at terminal length. My hair is just past my waist and seems to grow very slowly. It is noticeably two toned from trying to quit the chemical dyes, so I can actually measure from the roots how much it has grown since I last coloured it in February this year. I don't have a ruler or a tape measure with me but i would say it would be about 7cm or so, give or take. When I reach terminal length will that just stop and my regrowth be the same 7cm forever, or is there some other way to know. I am really hoping my hair will grow more, and some days I think it just won't and there's no point hoping, other days I think "maybe it's a little longer than it was a couple of months ago..." :brickwall:

I really don't understand what you mean by "When I reach terminal length will that just stop and my regrowth be the same 7cm forever"...

As far as terminal length goes:

It's far better expressed as a terminal time. Hair follicles have a cycle: they are in anagen (growing phase) for several years (varies between people, there is no clear knowledge of average time). They then go into catagen (transition phase) for a couple of weeks and then into telogen (resting phase) for a few months. After that, they start back into the next anagen - when this happens, the old hair falls out and a new one starts growing.

So, basically, terminal length is determined by two things: the length of your anagen phase (in years) and how many inches you grow per year (again, varies between people and there is no clear knowledge of what is 'average').

However, length is not quite this simple as you also lose length from the bottom of your hair due to damage and/or trimming. So, the length gained (as opposed to the length grown) per month = length grown, minus length lost from breakage and trims. This is further complicated by the fact that in some people (e.g. Spidermom) can lose less length total by regular trimming as this reduces the loss by damage. In others, trimming does not affect the rate of loss by damage.

Terminal length is complicated further by the fact that many people experience a false terminal - i.e. their hair appears to be unable to grow any longer, not due to reaching terminal but due to the damage being too great, resulting in all length grown from that point being lost by breakage. E.g. if I wear my hair down every day I can't grow much past TB because the extra damage from sitting on it breaks away all my growth.

The general LHC guideline for terminal length is you may have got there if you practice an as-good-as-possible routine and still get no measured length gain in at least one year.

So, in your case:
- you can't really tell much if you don't have measurements, or at least comparative pictures LHC-style from the back
- you've only been counting since Feb - not a full year yet
- you are likely experiencing a false terminal from dye damage

So, what to do? Well, if you really want to know 100% if you're near terminal, get a measuring tape and do monthly measurements of length, plus monthly photos. That way you can more accurately track any growth. If you don't want to trim the ends into a bit better health you could try S&D; also try additional moisture as dryness can cause splits. For your daily buns, try to keep them off the collar and a proper protective style (e.g. not the half-pulled-through ponytail thing some people do). For the night, well, if you want you could try a satin pillow or sleep cap.

Personally, I'm not convinced that most people need to do daily bunning and protective sleep styles unless they're going for extra-long lengths (e.g. past TB). The major issue is that damage is cumulative, so the ends of knee-length hair need much more babying than the ends of waist-length hair. So, depending upon where you're aiming for you may not need the protective sleep styles - just play it by ear and see if you get length gain without them - if you don't, then add a further 'good practice' technique and another, and another, steadily and surely until you get the length gain you want or you determine you really have reached terminal.

jacqueline101
November 8th, 2011, 04:14 PM
I don't think terminal is until classic for some people. I do think it could be as someone stated some other aspect of your life.

spike316
November 8th, 2011, 04:40 PM
I have read about growth stalls happening, perhaps this is the case with you? If this is the case I would recommend looking into either castor oil or monistat as I've read that's supposed to help. Also if you're under a lot of stress lately I recommend looking into some form of stress relief, high impact workouts are my personal favorite, but there's also yoga, meditation, running, taking a bath with some lavender EO and epsom salts in the water... Basically whatever makes you happy, just do something for YOU. ^_^

Revontuletar
November 8th, 2011, 06:25 PM
I really don't understand what you mean by "When I reach terminal length will that just stop and my regrowth be the same 7cm forever"...

I just meant to say would I have regrowth like that looking the same length without it growing any longer, if you know what I mean.

Thanks for all the info though, I think I am pretty sure it probably is just due to breakage.

Revontuletar
November 8th, 2011, 06:33 PM
For the night, well, if you want you could try a satin pillow or sleep cap.

I have heard that wearing sleep caps can cause breakage around the hairline though. Do you know if this is true?

Panth
November 9th, 2011, 12:55 AM
I have heard that wearing sleep caps can cause breakage around the hairline though. Do you know if this is true?

Personally, I've not heard that. It doesn't really matter for me as my (homemade) sleep cap has a very wide elasticated front (made from a stretchy fabric sports-type headband) and comes way past my hairline, down onto my (high) forehead. Also, for me any breakage caused by the cap is far less than the breakage I'd get otherwise when DBF gets his beardy face near my hair.

Revontuletar
November 9th, 2011, 02:38 AM
Personally, I've not heard that. It doesn't really matter for me as my (homemade) sleep cap has a very wide elasticated front (made from a stretchy fabric sports-type headband) and comes way past my hairline, down onto my (high) forehead. Also, for me any breakage caused by the cap is far less than the breakage I'd get otherwise when DBF gets his beardy face near my hair.
Yeah I guess it would probably depend on the cap and the type of elastic it has.

Pierre
November 9th, 2011, 05:54 AM
I would consider my hair to have reached terminal length when the length one winter is the same as it was the last and I have fairytale ends. This will be easier for you than for me to tell, since my ends are curly and hard to measure accurately. I usually get 2 cm or more variation when measuring.

Revontuletar
November 9th, 2011, 05:35 PM
Good news: When I had my hair down today drying after my shower, DM said it looked like it was hip-length! YAY! :cheese: When I joined LHC it was most definitely only at waist, so it must have grown at least some. When I look at it though, it looks as if it is nearly hip-length, but not quite. She would know better though, as she had a better view of it. As soon as I get my camera back I will have to take some photos.

Corylina
November 10th, 2011, 09:41 AM
I don't like the notion of terminal lenght. It is dream-breaking lol :D

Thumbs up for hip length! :)

7cm, it is not a lot indeed but not nothing, right? ;) Maybe if you take care of what you eat it will improve your growth?