Do you guys really think only grows 6 inches per year?

[redsoles]

Are you the exception?
Do you know anyone that is?

Because I know lots of people that grow more than 6 inches in a year.
I'm friends with this one girl, she cut her hair to her chin, and within 6 months it grew back to her waist. More than 6 inches. I have a best friend similar.

Do you guys think the "6 inch average " discourages people? Is it misleading?

[icallitbliss]

I don't know, I think it's possible to grow more than the average with supplements or exercise/eating healthy...but from chin to waist? Kinda sounds a bit like extensions were secretly used... Then again, weird things happen all the time. :p

[swearnsue]

Half an inch a month is an average, some will grow hair faster and some slower.

[battles]

I don't think it's misleading. It's "on average."

My hair only grows 6-7" a year. My grandmother is a definite exception, though. Her hair grows quite a bit faster than mine. She cut her hair to shoulder because she liked how mine looked at that length, her hair already went past APL. Mine hasn't even touched APL yet.

[Ligeia_13]

I don't think its midleading at all. I'm pretty sure everywhere that it gets mentioned, the sentence goes "Hair grows an average of 6 inches a year".

[redsoles]

I don't know, I think it's possible to grow more than the average with supplements or exercise/eating healthy...but from chin to waist? Kinda sounds a bit like extensions were secretly used... Then again, weird things happen all the time. :p


They are Asian. I don't want to sound racist but all my Asian friends, specifically from the Phillipines, grow hair.. at a miraculous rate. It's crazy. You have to see it to believe it. LOL I thought it was extensions too until I touched it with my own hands. I don't know what it is.

[turtlelover]

I get a half inch a month, but I have several friends that get over an inch per month. I'm so jealous! HAHA

[thelambscottage]

I agree with the others, I think most people's hair grows about 6 inches a year, but I defiantly think mine grows faster. I think vitamins and drinking organic milk help a lot with hair growth, but I'm sure there are other factors too, like family traits and so forth. No two people are the same, but in general it seems like most people grow about 6 inches a year so that sounds about right.

[kitcatsmeow]

Sounds average but mine grows fast. I'd say .75-1" per month. Everyone is different.

[Mesmerise]

I don't think it's misleading to discuss "average growth". No one can say for sure how fast your hair or someone else's hair will grow!

The only way you can find out your own growth rate, is by growing your hair.

6" a year shouldn't be "discouraging" either. It is what it is. Most people take years to grow their hair long. It'd be nice if we could all grow from chin to waist in a year, but I'd say that is fairly uncommon!

[TheMechaGinger]

I get half an inch to 3/4 inch a month usually. But seriously, chin to waist in six months is nuts. Even if she got two inches of growth a month (which I've never seen/heard of) that's only a foot of hair. Not trying to be an instigator or anything, but there's gotta be something going on there extension wise or else she's just very very very short.
And like others have said, half an inch is really just the average. Not everybody is strictly half an inch because some are faster and some are slower but they're all pretty near that median amount.
And I don't think it's discouraging either, I think the longer you have to wait to get something you want the more you truly cherish it when you get it.

[shirohane]

I don't exactly measure but in my case, I find that past a certain length, my hair grows at a slower rate. Although, it might just be that I don't notice the growth as much. :p

[Kirry-Folk]

I've gotten up to three inches a single month, but it never does that consistently. One of my hair idols, Squiggyflop, gets crazy amounts of growth. I would say six inches a year is definitely a good average growth rate, and that's not really discouraging at all, considering many people are happy to have 3" a year.

It's very true, everyone is different.

[long&blonde]

I'm thinking you may be right about different nationalities may have different hair growth rates. My coworker is Korean, if his under year old baby wouldn't have had 3 hair cuts allready, I think that baby would have WL hair!

[xoxophelia]

6 inches sounds pretty good to me. The only problem is that most people need trims to keep an even hemline and they add up :/

I'm doing no trims this year and would be pretty happy with another 6" :)

[CurlyCap]

6" is an average.

I grow about 10-12" a year, but I lose about 2 to trims.

My mom's hair grows like a weed, and she needs to get trims every 10 weeks to keep it under control. Every time she goes, they chop 2-3". When I cut my hair, I told her I was giving myself 10 years to grow it back. To prove how silly I was being, she grew her hair from shoulder to waist in a year. It can be frustrating, because she doesn't understand why I "don't just grow my hair".

Everyone is different. Take care of your hair and it's growth rate will become pretty obvious.

[UltraBella]

I own two salons, have seven people working for me, have been in business for seven years and encounter hundreds of heads of hair per month - but I have NEVER seen someone capable of growing from chin to waist in six months. That would really be something to see !

I get at least an inch of growth per month, so does my mother, it definitely runs in our family.

[NymphSpirit]

Are you the exception?
Do you know anyone that is?

Because I know lots of people that grow more than 6 inches in a year.
I'm friends with this one girl, she cut her hair to her chin, and within 6 months it grew back to her waist. More than 6 inches. I have a best friend similar.

Do you guys think the "6 inch average " discourages people? Is it misleading?

I have a friend whose hair grows about 20in per year, it's insane, but it's all natural, natural, black, thick, beautiful hair; once she cut it around bsl and much less than a year later she was at tailbone again, it was crazy, she hated it and I was so jealous, haha

About the average being misleading... I don't think so... because, there are many people that only grow an inch every 6 months or more, so, adding those people and the ones that have super growth and those with "normal" growth... that's what you get

[CurlyCap]

Similarly, I have a cousin who used to goes from shaved to shoulder length 4-5 times a year. She would shave her head to protest her mom not letting her go to the salon.

To put it into LHC perspective, her only mission in life was to destroy her hair. She'd iron it, flat iron it until it smoked, put bleach or peroxide in it to try and make it brittle....nothing worked. It was always shinier than glass, 6"+ in diameter, and grew like a weed. She's a lot older now, and goes for more conventional looks, but she still doesn't give a fig for her hair. She always says, "It'll just be right back."

:sigh:

[aldasbeke]

Seems like mine grew a bit over 6 inches, but not much. ɪ just put up pics and it looked like ɪ was at apl January of last year and am between bsl and waist now so that seems to be about 6 for me anyway

[Kelikea]

My hair grows more slowly than the average, so 6 inches in a year would actually be a lot for me. But it is not really misleading to say that hair grows an average of 6 inches a year. It is like saying the average height of an American woman is 5 feet 4 inches, or whatever it is now. Does that mean if you are visiting
America and see women of different heights, you have been mislead?
I only find it discouraging because I am "below average."

[kme81]

It makes me sad, haha. :) My hair grows less than 6 inches a year. :/ ...Oh well, it is what it is. :)

[Diamond.Eyes]

I got about 8" of growth last year after trims and cuts. I'm guessing that I my total length increase would be about 10"-11" if I didn't get it cut. Everyone is different. My hair just grows like a weed. :)

[Mrsbaybeegurl]

My hair doesn't even seem to grow at all for months at a time. This was before I starting taking supplements which now I'm finding my hair is finally growing a bit faster but my hair has only grown 13 inches in 32 months. that's less than a 1/2 inch per month and I know this for a fact since I put henna on bleach blonde hair 32 months ago. So now my dark roots that continue to grow, even though they get repeated henna, are still darker than the bottom of my hair. For the most part there is only about 1/4 of an inch of hair at the bottom that still gleams bright red (from the blonde) and my hair measures about 13-14 inches.

I henna'd my hair the first week in November and just last week had to do it again because my roots were an inch long. That's 1 in in 4 months, and to be honest, it seemed like that one inch came out of no where because I think my hair takes "winter breaks" and just grows more in the hotter months, so it really wasn't growing much at all...and then I started supplementing and THAT'S when the 1 inch sprouted.

Now I'm of course more focused on healthy hair now and am hoping and praying :pray: I can get above average growth at some point, but to answer the question...a 1/2 inch is average as some grow faster some slower but when you do the math a 1/2 inch is the "typical" rate in which hair grows.

[RapunzelKat]

:hmm: I don't actually know my exact growth rate, but I think I get about 8" a year. However, I usually have to trim the bottom two because of splits and unevenness. :p I'm hoping my new LHC routine will keep my ends nicer so I don't have to trim so much, but we'll see :D

So yeah, I think it's fair to say 6" is average. As others have said, some grow more, some grow less. (I soooo wish I had your friend's growth rate, though. My hair would be dragging the floor in no time :D :D.)

[holothuroidea]

I've only been paying attention for a couple of months but I'm averaging about 1'' per month.

I think though, that it is common for people whose hair grows faster than average to have some hairs that grow really fast and other hairs that are slower, so you have to get trims to maintain a decent hemline.

It is different for every individual, in every season, and even in every hair on their head!

I don't think the average is discouraging, but I don't think it really paints a complete picture for hair growth. The best thing to do is just grow it and see what happens, and learn a lot about your hair on the way.

[Debra83]

When I was pregnant and breastfeeding my hair grew at a phenominal rate.....now, not so much, but if could stop self-trimming it so often, I would probably be surprised at how much actually grew!

[trolleypup]

Some does. I get very very close to exactly 1/2" per month. No more, no less, regardless of season, diet, exercise, etc.

[jacqueline101]

Anything can happen.

[3mily]

I get about three inches a year as evidenced by the fact that I stopped dyeing almost exactly a year ago and I've got just under three inches of root.

It's a good job I'm not a compulsive measurer is all I can say!

[auburntressed]

I think there are a lot of factors that come into play.

My hair has been between waist and tailbone for my entire life, with a few rare exceptions when it was cut either to shoulder length or BSL. Each and every one of those times that it was cut, it was between waist and tailbone again within space of a year. I think this is because having my hair that length is "normal," so my hair knew what length it needed to be and overcompensated until it got to that point.

From the time I was 18 up until last year, I religiously got my hair trimmed twice a year at a salon. No matter how specific I was that I wanted, "Absolutely NO MORE than a half inch taken off," I ALWAYS left the place with between 1 and 4 inches gone. So that's roughly about six inches a year cut off, I'd guess? More or less, depending on the year. My hair steadily continued to remain below waist but above tailbone during this period.

I started using henna about three years ago, and that was when I started to actually pay attention to my monthly growth rate. This is, obviously, because I needed to notice how long I can go between hennas. As it turned out, I typically go about five weeks before I have a little more than half an inch of growth. Or so I thought...

The end of December and beginning of January was the first time I have ever ACTUALLY measured my hair with a tape measure. It came to 32" at that time. I measured again on March 1, and it was 35.5" then. Between the first measurement and the second, I had henna'd twice. I might also point out - the first measurement was taken immediately after henna. Then I henna'd two more times in that period. The second measurement was taken about a week after the second henna. So according to my eyeballs telling me how much root growth I had, I was expecting an inch and a half of growth. I still have no idea how I ended up with three and a half inches in that time period. Maybe I am severely misjudging my roots? I guess that is possible, since no one else can even tell I have roots growing.

Hmm... Okay, I know there was a point I was trying to make.

Oh! I remember now! Other than the people here on this board, how many people actually measure hair by inches or centimeters on a regular basis? I'd wager there are not that many. So I can't fathom how they would come up with a "Six inches a year," estimate in the first place. As far as I know, there has not been a scientific study done on it. People are just making guesses based on personal experience and eyeballing how much hair looks to have grown. And we all know that hair stylists have a different definition of "an inch," than math does. So I'd say that six inch estimate is a very rough estimate based on what "feels" about average. Certainly not based on any scientific, measurable facts that have been recorded.

And if anyone wants to disprove me, I would actually love to see a scientific, peer-reviewed journal article detailing the results of measured, accurate results of hair growth over the period of a year using a sufficient sampling of the human population. I think everyone here would be fascinated by such a study. I just don't think it has been done. Or, if it has been, it is relegated to the dusty annals of scientific journals that no one but scientists ever read...

[Avital88]

my hair grows at least 10 to 14 inches a year and people always comment about how fast it grows.
On the other hand ,most girls i know with mediterranean diet grow their hair fast,lots of olive oil ,onion and garlic so might be that :p

[ingvild]

I actually think 6 inches are a lot! I always read "1 cm a month" which adds up to about 5 inches a year, little bit below. I guess it depends on what units you use ;)

I don't know how fast my hair grows, although lately it seems to be growing like a weed. I don't know for sure, though. :)

[kidari]

When I didn't trim at all for a year, it grew about 10 inches in one year. But I think I might have a terminal length at waist or hip. It really grows fast until it reaches about APL and then slows down.

[Apriori]

I actually think 6 inches are a lot! I always read "1 cm a month" which adds up to about 5 inches a year, little bit below. I guess it depends on what units you use ;)

I also always read that 1cm a month/12cm a year is average, so 6 inches a year to me seems like a lot. It's 25% more growth a year than I thought was average.
I can barely believe that people can actually grow an entire inch or more a month :D
In my entire life I have only known one person who acctually had a growth rate like that.

But i have been measurering my growth since the end of may, and if it keeps growing at the same rate for the next 2-3 months, it will have grown 6,5 inches in a year, so I'm pretty average :)

[Bagginslover]

My sister-in-law can grow hair at an incredible rate! I swar it must be about 2 inches a month! she can cut it to above her ears, I won'r see her for a few months, and it'll be APL! It really is incredible, and there is no way she'd fork out for extensions!

[cfreya]

I've just started measuring, and mine grew exactly half an inch last month, was hoping for more but I am not discouraged, at least it IS growing :)

[bratz81]

I've been a member here since end of August time. I got my hair trimmed just before I went on holiday so it was around 22nd August or something and measured it then - it was 17.5 inches long.

So I've been growing it about...7 months ish now, or 6.5 to be exact :p and I measured it on Sunday night - it was 22 inches. So i managed 4.5 inches in 7 months. I'm guessing that's around 0.75 inches a month roughly. In that time I've had one trim and taken 0.25 inch off or just over.

I always knew my hair grew fast, it's gone from shoulder length in August/September to below APL now, but it's not that much above average actually.

[Amber_Maiden]

I don't think it's misleading to discuss "average growth". No one can say for sure how fast your hair or someone else's hair will grow!

The only way you can find out your own growth rate, is by growing your hair.

6" a year shouldn't be "discouraging" either. It is what it is. Most people take years to grow their hair long. It'd be nice if we could all grow from chin to waist in a year, but I'd say that is fairly uncommon!

I agree. It's not a bad thing to have an average. Some people grow slower than that, and some people grow faster.

I do think the chin to waist hair growth is VERY rare. I've personally never seen that happen, and my hair use dot grow more than 2in a month!

[pink.sara]

I only grow 1cm a month so less than 6 inches a year. Yet when I was younger it grew at least an inch a month :shrug:

It is what it is.

And chin to waist in a year? Either she's 5ft nothing or I'd have to see that! Crazy growth.

[Valorie]

Average is just what it sounds. At times I've had slightly more growth and at other times it's been just average:)
Try not to be discouraged. Time flies!

[redsoles]

I get half an inch to 3/4 inch a month usually. But seriously, chin to waist in six months is nuts. Even if she got two inches of growth a month (which I've never seen/heard of) that's only a foot of hair. Not trying to be an instigator or anything, but there's gotta be something going on there extension wise or else she's just very very very short.
And like others have said, half an inch is really just the average. Not everybody is strictly half an inch because some are faster and some are slower but they're all pretty near that median amount.
And I don't think it's discouraging either, I think the longer you have to wait to get something you want the more you truly cherish it when you get it.

Ya we are all pretty much petite. I'm 5'1", if I measure correctly I only need around 6-10 inches more to get to my waist. If I compare that to someone taller than me, and where my currently is they'll need much much more.

All my friends are pretty much no more taller than 5'3".

[heidi w.]

Um, it's fairly well documented that hair grows an average of a half inch per month, a total of 6 inches per year. There will be, however, a variety of deviations and variations. Average means average. I myself at one point experienced 3 inch growth in a given month. I call those growth spurts.

There are even extreme deviations, such as people with alopecia who have zero hair and zero hair growth; and a very rare disorder that few people in the world are born with possessing all kinds of hair all over their body, their face, their hands. These are birth disorders.

heidi w.

[ladyshep]

It all depends. As a former beautician, I have seen some people's hair grow slow and others very quickly.

As for myself, my hair was a long pixie in '99 and now it is to my knees with a nice hem line. I also went through 2 full term pregnancies and that really made my hair grow like a weed. Now my hair hasn't grown longer in 3 years which means it has reached it's natural length I'm sure.

In the summer time the hair grows the fastest when it is warm and humid. In the winter it grows slower. Also, if you eat a healthy diet, that will contribute to healthy hair growth. Keeping your hair away from chemicals and heat styling will also aid in growth. I wouldn't suggest ripping a comb through the hair when wet to anyone either. That is when the hair is most fragile.

Hope this explains. It takes patience to grow out hair for some. It doesn't happen overnight like I wanted it to back in '99. If you keep at it, it will pay off and say, wow time went by pretty fast and look at all of my hair!

[princessp]

Oh yeah it is definitely possible to grow more. Mine grows about a foot a year naturally without supplements or anything "for growth". I tried castor oil for a month and it definitely gave me more growth so I would recommend it to anyone looking for faster growth. I don't know what the average is though, and I wonder if it might be higher here simply because it is easier for a lot of us to have long hair than short. I can't imagine having to keep up with a short style--- that would take too much of my time (so maybe it's just the path of least resistance). :)


Heidi w Um, it's fairly well documented that hair grows an average of a half inch per month, a total of 6 inches per year. There will be, however, a variety of deviations and variations. Average means average. I myself at one point experienced 3 inch growth in a given month. I call those growth spurts.

There are even extreme deviations, such as people with alopecia who have zero hair and zero hair growth; and a very rare disorder that few people in the world are born with possessing all kinds of hair all over their body, their face, their hands. These are birth disorders.
So 6" is average it seems. Do you think it is average at LHC though? I get the sense people here generally have faster growth or maybe I just mentally filter out some threads. :shrug: Anyway, thanks Heidi.

ETA: I just checked my measurements from the past 2 years and it looks like I grew 9" a year (not 12"). I was at BSL in March 2010 and now I am close to classic. I did do some trims along the way so my actual growth is probably a little more than 9" but not quite 12" (or a foot as I mentioned above). But yeah there are those of us who average more than 6" a year.

[freecelt]

For me it's true my Hair grows 5.5-6in a year.

[terylenerose]

My hair has always grown 6 inches per year. I don't think I have much to add, other than that "chin to waist in 6 months" doesn't tell you how many inches the hair grew. It's really hard to get any kind of mental picture of that. "16" to 26" in 6 months", say, would give you a better picture. If those are the numbers, then that means she would get 10 inches in 6 months, which means 10/6 of an inch a month, which means 5/3 of an inch or ~1.67". I have heard of 2, 3 or 4 inches per month so that kind of growth rate is not impossible if your genes, diet and supplements allow it. But we would need to know how many inches this person's hair grew in order to find her actual growth rate.
About the discouraging thing, I suppose it is discouraging to know that you will take (x) number of years to reach your goal, but other than that, it's fine to get 6 inches per year. It's also discouraging if you get less than average growth.

[spidermom]

Just reinforcing that 6 inches per year is an average of all possibilities, taking into account slower rates of growth as well as faster rates.

Last time I kept records, my hair grew 7 inches in a year.

P.S. - I do know a woman who has a much faster rate of growth. She can go from just below shoulder length to hip length in a year. I don't know how many inches that is, but she's not extremely petite or anything; she seems of average size. Oh - and she's not Asian, either. Her hair is blonde (naturally).

[Shadow Walker]

It all depends really. I average about 7 inches a year, though sometimes more.

[Littlewing13]

I used to be a hairdresser, I never saw anything much more than 3/4inch max. & trust me I was tinting roots all day so I saw exactly how much it had grown. Any more & I'd say extensions were involved.
You can get them looking pretty natural & often people don't want crazy long extensions cause they stand out, most people just want a few inches longer than their natural hair.

[Blackfire]

I use to work with a lady from the philpines and she cut her hair to shoulder and it come back so fast I just knew she had extentions until she let me see her scalp! sure enough.... it was about waist in a matter of months....but I think thats her terminal since it stopped there and has stayed for years...

[EdG]

I once measured my growth at 6.5 inches per year over a period of three years.
Ed

[Quixii]

I don't think it's discouraging, as it's an average amount.
Personally, my hair grows much less than 6 inches per year. I don't mind that much. :shrug:

[bumblebums]

Don't trust self-reported measurements. There is a well-known problem with them, documented in this article:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=168

(For those too lazy/busy to read, the problem is that you can't reliably get the same measurement even on the same head of hair, because tilting the head can add or subtract inches from the length.)

I would trust the people who've commented who have experience with measuring roots, from dyeing.

My own experience is 1/2"/month. I usually measure several times, and I have a pretty good sense of my posture because of yoga :)

[leslissocool]

I get about 10-12 inches a year, I went from waist to TBL in one year of not trims, cut 3 inches off, and am back at TBL 3 months later. I have damage still on my hair from bleach, so it might be growing even more since some break off. My hair grows, a lot.

It's not true that someone who's short gets to waist faster. My hair is 3 inches less than my BFF's and she is at classic. She's 5'6 and I am 5'1. Waist was 27 inches on me, the difference is not that huge since it's proportional.

I have twins, my son's hair barely grows at all while I just cut 4 inches off my daughter's hair, and her hair grew back. There are tons of factors to hair growth, genes are one of them.

[OrganicJewel]

measuring from my root regrowth it looks like a grow roughly 3/4 of an inch per month.

I've definitely witnessed first hand how genes play a strong role in hair growth rate. I will give my two sons the exact same haircut and one grows slightly below average, while the other's hair grows twice as fast.

[Vanilla]

It took me 2 years 4 months years to grow out dye to approximately 20" (shoulder length), so I estimated that my hair grows about .70-.75 a month on average.

I've gone from shoulder to BSL with no trims in 6 months.

[islandgirl001]

I'm half Filipina and when I was younger (teens/early 20's) my hair would grow from chin to waist in 6 months or less. Now that I'm older, it seems like the growth has significantly slowed :( I think growth rate has a lot to do with age, hair products used, heat styling, diet, etc.

That said, I have a Filipina girlfriend in her early 30's who cuts/donates her hair almost every year. So that's over 10-inches growth in 1 year! Amazing!! However, she does have virgin hair; no hair coloring and no heat styling. It's just thick, straight, and luxurious. I'm jealous :)

[redsoles]

I get about 10-12 inches a year, I went from waist to TBL in one year of not trims, cut 3 inches off, and am back at TBL 3 months later. I have damage still on my hair from bleach, so it might be growing even more since some break off. My hair grows, a lot.

It's not true that someone who's short gets to waist faster. My hair is 3 inches less than my BFF's and she is at classic. She's 5'6 and I am 5'1. Waist was 27 inches on me, the difference is not that huge since it's proportional.

I have twins, my son's hair barely grows at all while I just cut 4 inches off my daughter's hair, and her hair grew back. There are tons of factors to hair growth, genes are one of them.



really? it's true for me. I only need approx 18 inches of hair to get to waist. compared to other people I know that need approx 20 inches or 22+ to reach waist.
body proportions matter, IMO the shorter you are the less you need. maybe you're different. :)

[Ligeia_13]

^ you only need 18 inches from what length? :/

[leslissocool]

really? it's true for me. I only need approx 18 inches of hair to get to waist. compared to other people I know that need approx 20 inches or 22+ to reach waist.
body proportions matter, IMO the shorter you are the less you need. maybe you're different. :)

I need 27 inches, my sister is 4'10 or around and she needs 26 inches. Are you measuring with LHC standards, from your hairline back all the way to waist? how much do you need for tailbone?

Figure speaking, there are certain body marks that are unanimous among people. For example, distance between eyes. It might vary from person to person slightly, but it's never outrageous. Everyone has at least "one eye's" distance between the eyes, some might have shorter than and some might have longer, but it's NEVER half an eye, but millimeters.

I'm an hourglass, very proportionate (except for boobs, those are ridiculously big) and my BFF is an hourglass too. My sister is more of an apple. I mean I can see having different hip or tailbone measurements, but there have been many polls here about that, and it seems most "shorties" need at least 22 inches to get to waist.

[squiggyflop]

Are you the exception?
Do you know anyone that is?

Because I know lots of people that grow more than 6 inches in a year.
I'm friends with this one girl, she cut her hair to her chin, and within 6 months it grew back to her waist. More than 6 inches. I have a best friend similar.

Do you guys think the "6 inch average " discourages people? Is it misleading?

most humans do indeed grow only 6 inches.. also, this person must be quite short if it is only 6 inches from chin to waist..

when i first joined, i was taking a lot of vitamins, which caused me to grow about 3 inches a month (natrol skin hair nails combined with centrum, which are both far too expensive now). so i went from shoulder to waist in 6 months with 3-4 inches trimmed during that period.

that said i grow only 7 or so inches a year now due to my constantly bad health and high stress level. i recently chopped my hair back to tailbone length..

each person has a genetic maximum hair growth speed when in perfect health. mine appears to be 3 inches a month,, most other humans have it closer to half an inch per month when in good health..

[Scarlet_Heart]

Is it weird that I don't want to know how fast my hair grows exactly? For some reason I enjoy the mystery. I know it grows relatively fast. It went from chin to "waist+" in 2yrs.

[redsoles]

most humans do indeed grow only 6 inches.. also, this person must be quite short if it is only 6 inches from chin to waist..

when i first joined, i was taking a lot of vitamins, which caused me to grow about 3 inches a month (natrol skin hair nails combined with centrum, which are both far too expensive now). so i went from shoulder to waist in 6 months with 3-4 inches trimmed during that period.

that said i grow only 7 or so inches a year now due to my constantly bad health and high stress level. i recently chopped my hair back to tailbone length..

each person has a genetic maximum hair growth speed when in perfect health. mine appears to be 3 inches a month,, most other humans have it closer to half an inch per month when in good health..

Thanks for your response. Wasn't the centrum and natrol pills taxing on your body?
3 inches, that's amazing!

[EtherealDoll]

I didn't know hair grows only 6 inches a year on average :confused: My hair used to grow 1.5 inches a month but after excessive dieting, bleaching and dyeing, it has been growing 1 inch a month for the last 2 years, and I thought that was slow even though it's like 12 inches a year. My mom's and grandma's hair also grows as fast as mine, they doesn't like it actually because they wear it short and have to get a cut once a two month.

[KrystalPixie]

I hope it isn't true. Unfortunately everyone is different. Just like I have also heard that all hairs grow at the same pace :/ I don't think so.

[cooklaezo13]

I get about the "average" six inches of hair growth per year. But it seems to me that many people on this forum have hair that grows faster than that, so maybe six inches is less than average? I don't know.

[SacantRoese]

Personally, I don't find it misleading, as long as someone uses the word "average" along with the figure, because I know a lot of people tend to say things like "Hair only grows 6 inches a year." that is wrong, of course, depending on individual people.

I know several people with very slow growing hair, between 4 and 6 inches a year.
Two exceptions to this "average" is me and a girl I know. I was talking to her recently and we both concluded that our hair grows about 9 inches a year.

[henné]

It's not only about the length of one's torso, but also the height of one's hairline and even the size of one's head. A short girl with very high forehead (hairline) and a tiny noggin will probably need much less growth to reach waist than a tall girl with a low forehead and bigger head. I think it can vary quite a bit. So the whole 'waist' thing doesn't at all mean even a similar thing for everyone .... But truth is that Asians (in general and on 'average') grow hair way faster .... To some of us it might be almost unbelievable.

[carolinaberry]

They are Asian. I don't want to sound racist but all my Asian friends, specifically from the Phillipines, grow hair.. at a miraculous rate. It's crazy. You have to see it to believe it. LOL I thought it was extensions too until I touched it with my own hands. I don't know what it is.

There are quite a few ladies from the Philippines in the military spouse community. When we lived in Korea, where most of the spouses there with the soldiers are from the Philippines, I worked at the Commissary (military grocery store)...the Filipina spouses bought waaaaayyyy more fresh fruits and veggies than the American spouses. And about 99% of them had long hair...maybe their diet of less processed foods helps maximize hair growth? On another hair growing site someone posted a thread with average hair-growth rates by racial make-up. According to the study cited, Asian people have the fastest growth rate.

[cremenoir]

i've had the advantage of being able to watch my hair grow and measure the exact amount of length it grew in a year, because i was growing out my natural hair after bleaching, so it was a really accurate measure to my line of demarcation. i found that my hair grows somewhere between 6 and 7 inches per year, faster in the back and slower in the front. i was hoping for a more impressive number than that! but having been a stylist in the past and seeing clients regularly, i would say that 6 inches per year is a pretty accurate average for most people (but obviously there are many exceptions).