Barely seen ANY growth!

[Humbug454]

I just noticed a picture from last year of myself (wearing the same shirt with quite a visible marker on it) and noticed today that my hair barely seems to have grown AT ALL :(

The picture was from around the end of May, and I had an inch trim in September, then another inch in January and since then I haven't had a trim. My hair isn't anywhere near as badly damaged as it used to be - but even when it WAS damaged it was still growing...and I've improved taking care of my hair so much!

I can't understand it. I see some people posting pictures of their hair growth in 6 months or less and my hair hasn't even grown that much in over a year! I mean - no more than 2 inches of growth probably, but with a couple of inches trimmed that's still only about 4 inches in a YEAR.

Does anyone have any ideas why this might be? I've spaced washes out to 2 per week, every 3-4 days. I've completely given up using heat (yet my hair seems worse now!). I was previously using finger combing and a wide toothed wooden comb, now I variate between finger and wooden and using the tangle teezer. I know I've still got some damage left from when I used to be a heat fanatic, but my hair wasn't that long whilst doing that - should I keep trimming every few months to try and get rid of the damage totally? I was hoping that by letting my hair grow out for 6 months I'd see some significant growth!

Very demotivated by it! :cry:

PS. Sorry for the rambling post!

[darklyndsea]

Is it possible that there might be a medical reason behind it, such as anemia or vitamin D deficiency? Another possibility I can think of are that maybe your damaged ends are breaking off quicker than you realize they are. Or maybe your hair got cut more than you realized it did? Or you might have just hit a stall.

Either way, 4 inches per year isn't too bad. The generally-accepted average growth rate is 6 inches per year, but since it's an average that means that 50% of people have hair that grows slower than that.

[jacqueline101]

Try monistat its helped mine a lot.

[lapushka]

The picture was from around the end of May, and I had an inch trim in September, then another inch in January and since then I haven't had a trim. My hair isn't anywhere near as badly damaged as it used to be - but even when it WAS damaged it was still growing...and I've improved taking care of my hair so much!

You say you had two one inch trims. Who does the trimming, and was it really "just" an inch each time? Can you be absolutely sure of that?

[jeanniet]

I second what lapushka said. Most people think an inch is more than it really is, and if you had closer to 2" trimmed off that would account for the apparent lack of growth. I would limit trims to 1/2" every six months (if your ends need it), and bring a ruler to make sure the stylist knows what you want (and check the hair on the floor). Better yet, learn to do your own trims.

[summerjade]

I feel your pain and discouragement. My hair grows very slow as well. I have tried everything, including vitamins, but nothing seems to help it to grow. I wish I could help you, but as of right now I am still looking for a magic potion.

[dollyfish]

I had an inch trim in September, then another inch in January

That sounds like an awful lot to me. Plus, getting an "inch" trim usually means getting 1.5-2" if you did it at a salon, in my experience. Hair grows ~6 inches per year, so you've cut off maybe 2-4 inches of that growth over the course of the year.

Hair grows slowly! Those super-fast 6 month progress people are just way above the average rate. Don't let them get you down ;)

[Amber_Maiden]

Sometimes hair just slows down... diet and stress can affect growth as well.

[Madora]

Humbug454, have you tried daily scalp massage (in the bent at the waist position)?

Are you sure your diet is healthy and that you're getting enough water and exercise?

You might want to only trim every 3 to 4 months..and then very slightly at that.

Good luck!

[HintOfMint]

Most people (not just hairdressers) grossly overestimate what an inch is. I'd wager that you probably had more cut than you realize.

Before I discovered my current hairdresser, I hovered between waist and hip for ages and ages. That's what a two inch trim twice a year does.

[swearnsue]

There has been some interesting threads about protein smoothies, vitamins, diatomaceous earth, etc. that may have some information that would help. I found that taking diatomaceous earth increased my growth rate quite a bit and has other health benefits too.

[SurferB]

1. Whats your diet like?
2. Could you be dehydrated?
Try to think of other causes of slowed hair growth than the obvious ones. It could be that's just how your hair cycle is.
3. Has your hair always grown slow?

4. What sham/con do you use? What worries me is that you state your hair seems worse now that your not using heat. I wonder if your shampoo/conditioner contains harmful chemicals in it stripping your hair from nutrients. Sulfate free shampoo's are very useful. Heat damages hair, even hot water in the shower.

Also, there's chlorine in most water that we drink and shower with. That's not good for the hair either. I use a chlorine filter in my shower head and I pick up my spring water from a natural spring here in IL (found on findaspring.com). I HIGHLY suggest finding a spring near you for free, chemical-free drinking water.

[leilasahhar]

I had the same problem but I was dying my hair ALL the time and washing and dying and washing... ;) Sooo I've stopped the dying and I only use shikakai and aritha powders to wash my hair now which is amazing stuff. I also use monistat on my front hairline because honestly Im kinda scared of using it all over and my hairline has receded a bit from all the past damage. Anyway Monistat does work. I also use (my favorite) redwood-roots.com hair nectar mist. Its got all kinds of yummy good stuff for your roots. Ive posted this on other threads but I dont know if im going through a growth spurt or cause Ive stopped the dye or my routine, but my hair is finally growing and back to life again! I hope this helps you and that your hair will start growing like crazy!!

[Humbug454]

I had the two trims so close together because my hair was in such a bad state at the time.

But leaving it to grow for 6 months I was hoping to see some significant growth and then trim a little bit off to reduce the damaged ends, but the growth just wasn't as much as I'd hoped!

I think you may be right that I had more than an inch trimmed off. But I'm still concerned as to why my hair hasn't grown very much over the 6 month period of leaving it.

I've seen the talk about Monistat increasing hair growth, but I've also heard that once you stop using it it increases shedding drastically? I've been tempted to try DE and Monistat to increase growth, but if there ARE negative side effects I think I'd rather not!

You're probably right about my hairdresser - but I don't really know how to go about finding one who will trim the right amount, can't really go through "trial and error" or I'll end up with no hair :P

[OilPaint]

Sometimes hair has strange periods of laziness. I only saw about 1-2 inches of growth the entire time I was in highschool, but in the 8 years since it's gone from just past tailbone all the way to ankle.

[woolyleprechaun]

Thats alot of trimming IMHO. But if your hair needed it, theres not much you can do :( Sometimes growth just stalls for one reason or another, but it tends to even out over the year. (Before now Ive had NO GROWTH for a couple of months, then double the growth for another few months....Its mad)

[catamonica]

In 2009 my hair grew from past midback to waist. After using Mane & Tail horse shampoo. Do they have it in the UK? If not, you could order it online. Hope this helps.

[ravenheather]

I'd vote for learn to trim your own hair.

[MiamiPineapple]

I'd vote for learn to trim your own hair.

I second this. I had a 5 inch "trim" a year ago before I knew how long my hair really was. I realized after when I was looking at pictures. It was damaged so I would have had to cut it anyways but that's not the point...hairdressers don't always like to listen

[<3OnHerSleeve]

This. Was. Me.

What you've described is something I went through for years. Even when I first joined LHC, I was trying to understand why my hair barely grew. It was less damaged, I treated it better, it had grown somewhat, and my roots showed it was growing about 1 cm a month. However the length still wasn't 'growing'. My diet was good, I began exercising again, I began washing my hair less (I used to wash it daily). However, my hair before LHC had been extensively damaged. It wasn't half as damaged as it used to be. But no matter how often/little/S&Ded, my hair still grew oh so slowly.

You said it was not AS damaged as it used to be. Does that mean it still has damage? I think in my case, my hair just cannot take anything along the lines of heat, permanent treatment chemicals, or even monthly-trimonthly dying, yet other people's hair has a strong resistance and can continue growing without breaking/becoming thin/splitting. Even when I stopped doing all of these things, it was going to take a LONG time to improve. It was a choice between maintaining/slow growth until I had gradually cut out the damage, or cutting it all off and starting from scratch. Which is eventually what I did. My hair had several massive 'growth spurts' in the months that followed (partly due to an enormous decrease in stress), partly because for 4 months after the cut not one split end developed.

I'm not telling you to cut off all your hair, but if your hair still is somewhat damaged, not severely but still enough that growth is being hindered, I believe those are the two real options. I kind of 'flipped a coin' you might say on it.

Other people have asked some good questions too and given excellent suggestions. I was just wondering if it is the case that your hair still has some damage left despite the trims and the better treatment you're giving it, that this could be the 'culprit'?

It probably depends on how much damage was there to begin with and what your hair type is etc. Although it might be just a phase as some people have suggested. I hope you find out what is the cause of it having a stall and GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR HAIR JOURNEY :flower:.

[CanadaSquirrel]

I struggled for YEARS to grow my hair. When I was 13, it was almost to my waist, and then a hairdresser cut it to my shoulders. I was devastated. All through my teen years, I wanted it to hurry up and get long. It was the 80s and perms were popular. In my impatience over wanting nice hair, I got perms, but that just ruined my hair further.

Then when it was about half-way down my back at age 19, a hairdresser again cut it to my shoulders, devastating me again.

My hair is finally to my waist, at age 45, and I've got no plans to cut it.

Here's some of my hair story in pictures where you can see how my hair grew: http://holy-sheepdip.blogspot.ca/2011/08/hair-wasnt-easy-to-grow.html

Yours may well start doing the same. I sure hope so!

[catamonica]

In 2009 I used Mane & tail horse shampoo. It grew from past midback to waist. My hair had not grown in years. Then it stopped growing for two years. I am 56 years old. I started wearing it in a braided bun in November 2011. By March it was at hip. Four more inches. I hope it keeps growing. CanadaSquirrel, i Saw your pictures. Your hair is beautiful. Is it still growing?

[CanadaSquirrel]

In 2009 I used Mane & tail horse shampoo. It grew from past midback to waist. My hair had not grown in years. Then it stopped growing for two years. I am 56 years old. I started wearing it in a braided bun in November 2011. By March it was at hip. Four more inches. I hope it keeps growing. CanadaSquirrel, i Saw your pictures. Your hair is beautiful. Is it still growing?

Thank you, Catamonica. And yes, my hair is still growing. I figure if mine can grow, anyone's can grow, coz I had DECADES of non-growth and even shrinkage!