Shortest possible terminal length?

[LovingLife]

I was wondering about this and thinking it would be about waist length.
But then I gasped and nearly bit back sobs! (Just joking but seriously!)
My hair when stretched is a few inches short of waist.
So BSL could be terminal for some of my other curly girls :(
Is this true?
Does it change with texture!?

[moon2dove]

Do you think you are at your terminal length ?

[Amazinggrace]

This thread may help you: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=75

[freckles]

Well, the shortest possible terminal length is bald?
Plenty of people are naturally bald, so that's pretty much by definition their terminal length.
I really wouldn't worry about your terminal length unless you have a reason for thinking you've reached it, because there's pretty much no other way to tell.
But yes, all other things being equal*, a curly person would have a 'visual' terminal length that is shorter than a straight haired person.
All other things are hardly ever equal. :)




* -- rate of growth, (temporal) length of growing cycle, fragility of hair (because of avoidable or unavoidable false terminal), etc, etc.

[LovingLife]

I don't think I'm nessecarily at terminal length as I am going to lengths longer than imve ever been but I do think I'm starting to see thinning at the end :( which scares me

[moon2dove]

The thinning at the ends could be just ordinary uneven growth. I, and nearly everyone who is growing hair out will get this if you don't trim ends off!

I personally wouldn't worry until you see a bit more length.

Oh, by the way my hair is also uneven at the ends too, as I haven't trimmed for a couple of months :)

[freckles]

I don't think I'm nessecarily at terminal length as I am going to lengths longer than imve ever been but I do think I'm starting to see thinning at the end :( which scares me


The thinning at the ends could be just ordinary uneven growth. I, and nearly everyone who is growing hair out will get this if you don't trim ends off!

This. Taper in hair is not, in itself, a good indicator of terminal length. I really think you need not worry about this quite yet :)

My hair is about half as thick at my waist as it is at my nape. That's just because I've been growing, not maintaining, for a long while. It's not because I can't grow any further. Just many of my hairs haven't had a chance to catch up :)

[Copasetic]

I was wondering about this and thinking it would be about waist length.
But then I gasped and nearly bit back sobs! (Just joking but seriously!)
My hair when stretched is a few inches short of waist.
So BSL could be terminal for some of my other curly girls :(
Is this true?
Does it change with texture!?

I agree with what other people have said about how thinner ends aren't a sign that you are at terminal length, but I do think the question about short terminal length is interesting! I would cry if my current length was my terminal length :(

[spidermom]

It can sometimes be quite short. A former roommate never cut her hair in the 8 years that I knew her, and it was somewhere between APL and BSL. It didn't thin out, either, and she didn't abuse it. She wore it braided or down most of the time. She was part American Indian, and her hair was dark and thick, but it wouldn't grow long.

[ericthegreat]

It really depends on the individual person. For a person suffering from baldness/ or a serious medical condition, their terminal length can be absolutely bald, because their health condition is such that their hair follicles no longer grow.

But for a healthy person, their terminal length is pretty much determined by their genetics. Hair has a natural growth and fall out cycle. Each individual hair with naturally grow out to its longest potential length if you never cut it. Then, after it reaches that length, it will stop growing, rest for about a week or so and still stay on your body, and then after that it is finally shed out. If you aren't balding, then the hair follicle underneath that old hair will start creating a whole new strand of hair, and the cycle repeats with that new strand of hair.

For different people depending on their genes, their hair life cycle will either be exceptionally long, average, or short. People with very long cycles, say 10 years, could potentially grow their hair down to their feet. Someone with an average cycle which is about 6 years, could grow his or her hair to around classic length. Someone with a short cycle however, for example only 2 years long, will never be able to grow his or her hair longer than BSL.

However, having been on LHC for so long now, I no longer really value the actual length of someone's hair all that much anymore. I've seen many members with short pixies, bobs, and shoulder length and APL hair, and they all look great. They clearly are taking good or better care of their hair then they were before. I now value the actual health and condition of someone's hair much more now.

[Kira94]

Oh my, I hope my terminal length is longer than my current hair! :(
How do you know how long your hair life cycle is? Is time the only way to tell?

[spidermom]

Well, I think that you can look around at relatives who have grown out their hair and get somewhat of an idea of how long your own hair is likely to grow, but in the end - only time will tell. There is a lot of variation even within families.

[LovingLife]

None of my relatives have their hair long :/

[Toadstool]

However, having been on LHC for so long now, I no longer really value the actual length of someone's hair all that much anymore. I've seen many members with short pixies, bobs, and shoulder length and APL hair, and they all look great. They clearly are taking good or better care of their hair then they were before. I now value the actual health and condition of someone's hair much more now.

Eric, you are a great man.:cool:

[MonaLisa]

Thinning ends absolutely don't have to mean terminal length!

Anyway, what can you do but take good care of your hair and wait :)
Don't worry, stress, get sad about it, enjoy it! I believe it will grow!

I got familiar with words terminal length only after joining here and it did get me worried at first...but it's no good worrying about things you can't change. Just make the best of what you have :)

[LovingLife]

Thinning ends absolutely don't have to mean terminal length!

Anyway, what can you do but take good care of your hair and wait :)
Don't worry, stress, get sad about it, enjoy it! I believe it will grow!

I got familiar with words terminal length only after joining here and it did get me worried at first...but it's no good worrying about things you can't change. Just make the best of what you have :)

I guess so!

[Anlbe]

I wouldn't worry if I were you, not yet anyway! Chances are that you hair will get to waist. Personally I've come to accept that my terminal length is a long BSL, I've never got to waist even when I didn't highlight my hair, but hey it could be worse....

[LovingLife]

I wouldn't worry if I were you, not yet anyway! Chances are that you hair will get to waist. Personally I've come to accept that my terminal length is a long BSL, I've never got to waist even when I didn't highlight my hair, but hey it could be worse....

Your terminal is a long BSL?

[Kira94]

The only relative of mine without chopped styled hair is my mom, who has almost waist length hair. I don't know if hers can grow longer though because it's so fried and frizzy from blowdrying, hairspray and perms when she was younger. Oh, I just remembered, my Grandma on my dad's side apparently had long thick hair past her waist when she was young. That gives me hope. :)