Terminal length? :(

[Charlottie]

I was looking through some old photos just now and came across this picture I took back in 2011 at the beginning of December. I compared it to a picture I took today and realised that my hair has probably stopped growing. Do you guys think my hair has reached terminal length? I'm so miffed about this :( I wanted knee-length hair so badly.

This is now:
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn285/sukaihan_subeta/Photoon2012-06-12at19322.jpg

This is from December last year:
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn285/sukaihan_subeta/Photoon2011-12-07at1320.jpg

[Manny1826]

I don't think so-- I really think hair has different growth cycles, where it's just slower some years than others. You should not worry-- just take good care of your hair and I think it will start getting longer- it just may be in a bit of a lull. I went through a coupl eyears where it didn't do much of anything and then started growing again, and now it started slowing doing- so i don 'tthink anything to worry about at all!

[ladylowtide]

I read somewhere that hair can stall for more than 6 months. So IDK, I would wait it out some more. Its beautiful btw.

[Tisiloves]

You've probably just hit a stall, maybe try a bit of a routine shake up, see if that helps?

[SerinaDaith]

You have beautiful hair, I can only hope that if terminal length is not a myth that mine will go that long before it says no more. The absolute longest I have gotten my hair is BSL before it seems to stall out :( Good luck growing!

[akilina]

I don't think that you are done growing ;)
How is the condition of your ends? Please correct me if I am wrong but it almost looks to me like they may have a little damage? It is possible that your hair could be growing but then snapping off at the ends so you don't really notice the change.
Your hair does look much thicker in the now picture. Maybe it is because the hair is straight in that one but it still really does look like it :)

[EvaSimone]

Are your ends damaged? Perhaps they are breaking off? If you look at your ends and you see white dots or split ends that's probably the reason your hair isn't showing visible growth. Their are plenty of people with shoulder length hair that swear that shoulder length is the farthest they can grow. Of course they straighten, dye, tease and mess with their hair every day...

Usually if you don't grow for several years then you can say that you've reached terminal, one year is usually not enough.

And your hair color is quite striking, I did a double take when I saw your age. Is it natural?

[EvaSimone]

I don't think that you are done growing ;)
How is the condition of your ends? Please correct me if I am wrong but it almost looks to me like they may have a little damage? It is possible that your hair could be growing but then snapping off at the ends so you don't really notice the change.
Your hair does look much thicker in the now picture. Maybe it is because the hair is straight in that one but it still really does look like it :)

Great minds think alike. :) I agree that her ends look like they are dry and possibly damaged (you still have pretty hair) but I can see breakage.

I would suggest using hair scissors and Feye's self trim and take off the damaged bits.

[spidermom]

I agree - check the ends. A trim may be in order.

But it's not time to worry. Six months is not that long of a time, especially in the winter. Also, I've seen a few people who seemed to be at terminal length for years start gaining length again.

[Charlottie]

Thanks for your comments on my hair.

I never trim my hair so yeah the ends are pretty damaged and look a bit scraggly, like in the first photo. I guess I should go get it trimmed.

[RitaCeleste]

Or you can look up how to do Faye's Self trims! Its really easy and you control how much or how little comes off and when. You haven't been seeing a stylist regular for a bit I bet, it can be scary to search for one who understands when you say inch you don't really mean 3 inches...

[battles]

Do you wear your hair up very often? That could also help by keeping your ends protected so there's less chance of breakage.

[jacqueline101]

I don't know I'd check the ends.

[bumblebums]

Here's your link for the self trim: http://feyeselftrim.livejournal.com

I would suggest trying taking off just an inch following the U-cut instructions, which should get most of your hemline. Then oil the ends and wear the hair up regularly for a while, and see if you make progress!

[Madora]

Do you wear your hair up very often? That could also help by keeping your ends protected so there's less chance of breakage.

Battles is right! As your hair grows longer, the ends become more fragile. Thus, it is best to keep damage at bay with tiny trims every 3 to 4 months, and to wear your hair up as much as possible.

You might also want to consider daily scalp massage in the bent at the waist position to help encourage healthy hair follicles.

[GrowingGlory]

I tend to agree with you. If you are eating well, not experiencing health problems or great life stress, and not constantly losing new growth to breakage, your hair may have reached terminal length.

You could try drinking rooibos tea (Get Growing tea works for me) or applying topical growth stimulators to try to obtain more length, but forcing your follicles to produce when they would prefer to rest may exhaust them, ultimately leaving you with a thinner head of hair.

Your hair looks great, though.

[torrilin]

It looks to me like you're still gaining length. Don't look at the overall length, look at the layering to the sides of your hemline. In the first picture, some sections are as short as elbow, and in the second picture, it looks like that area has gained a bit of length and filled out.

It also looks like in the first picture, there hadn't been a trim for some time, and in the second, the ends look freshly trimmed.

So my *personal* vote would be to try and lengthen your trim cycle. I can go as long as 9-12 months in between trims, tho 9 is better for minimizing splits. Some folks here can get by on just trimming splits individually. That's not realistic for me as my hair is pretty fine. But even cutting out one trim a year will increase your total length gain for the year.

[frodolaughs]

The second picture looks longer to me. I wouldn't label you at terminal yet.

[bumblebums]

It also looks like in the first picture, there hadn't been a trim for some time, and in the second, the ends look freshly trimmed.

So my *personal* vote would be to try and lengthen your trim cycle. I can go as long as 9-12 months in between trims, tho 9 is better for minimizing splits. Some folks here can get by on just trimming splits individually. That's not realistic for me as my hair is pretty fine. But even cutting out one trim a year will increase your total length gain for the year.

Well, the OP said later in the thread that she never trims her hair, so it probably isn't that...

[Charlottie]

The first picture is my hair now, the second one is from December last year and my hair actually looks slightly longer in it weirdly enough.

I really don't want to this to be my terminal lenght. I compared it to another picture from August 2011 and it was the same length then so it's been 10 months and not grown at all :(

[Charlottie]

So I guess my hair must've stopped growing during the summer last year. I remember measuring it in February last year when it was about 27 inches long, then it reached 33 and stopped.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn285/sukaihan_subeta/aug_2011.jpghttp://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn285/sukaihan_subeta/jun_2012.png

If it's not reached terminal the only thing I can think of that might be stopping it's growth is stress/anxiety/depression. sigh

[Mesmerise]

I also concur with others who have suggested that the problem may be damage! It seems that you wear your hair out a lot (if I'm not mistaken) and you don't regularly trim... so those old ends of yours could be getting quite a beating (which will show up as no growth).

Besides, it hasn't been years and years since you last saw growth ;).

I would follow Feye's trim as suggested to get rid of your ends, and then try wearing your hair up more. This doesn't mean you need to ALWAYS wear it up, but protecting the ends can be a really good idea (especially as your hair is quite long).

I don't see the point in giving up and tossing in the towel yet ;).

What I would do is trim off an inch, and then have a challenge to wear your hair up for 30 days (or maybe just wear it down for special occasions)... and by up, I mean something that protects the ends, not just a ponytail! Give your hair plenty of love and care, and measure again in 3 months.

Also, I have to ask how you are measuring! Do you do it from the crown of your head and down the back? I ask because your hair looks a lot longer than 33" if measured according to the method given in LHC (if I measure the individual longest strands I get a much shorter measurement than if I measure from the hairline right down to the longest hair).

Just... keep going!! The only way you'll know you've reached terminal is if you've done all the right, protective things for your hair and it's stalled for a much longer period of time.

[Charlottie]

My hair is 33 inches, I measure it from my crown and down my back, and I usually get someone to do it for me. Also I'm only 5'1 so 33 inches looks longer on me.

But yeah I'm going to attempt to trim it myself. I've always been afraid of a hairdresser cutting too much off me.

[spidermom]

Regular small self-trims may be the answer, also wearing it up and protected or at least braided when you're going to be out and about. I've had it happen several times when my hair was breaking off at the bottom faster than it was growing.

[catamonica]

My hair did not grow for two years, so I know how you feel. Your hair is beautiful & I hope your
hair starts growing. Mine started growing again, after I kept wearing it in a bun. Try some horse shampoo. Original mane & tail from wall mart. I added two capfuls of olive oil to the shampoo. And it grew fourteen inches to my waist. I hope this helps.

[catamonica]

If they dont sell horse shampoo in England, you can order it online. Its only six dollars a bottle.

[homehearties]

I'm not going to lie, but it looks like you need to take off a good 4 inches. I know you want knee length, and you are very young so you have time for that. I just don't think you will get there if you don't trim that off!! And then micro trim every 6-8 weeks!

[bumblebums]

I'm not going to lie, but it looks like you need to take off a good 4 inches. I know you want knee length, and you are very young so you have time for that. I just don't think you will get there if you don't trim that off!! And then micro trim every 6-8 weeks!

I think 4 inches is too much, and microtrimming every 6-8 weeks will amount to no gain in length for most growers. Even if you take only 1 cm every 6 weeks, that pretty much keeps you at zero growth, since most people's hair only grows 1 cm a month.

But I would recommend looking up some gentle handling methods. I really like Janis Cortese's advice (http://www.prismnet.com/%7Ecortese/hair/index.html) on growing long hair--it's of the low-maintenance, low-cost, gentle handling ilk, and I have had good results with it. The articles section also has excellent advice on everything from oiling (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71) to every imaginable hair care method. I think that for most people, growing hair is about doing less to it rather than doing more, with the exception of learning some protective hairstyles.

[xoxophelia]

It looks like you have hair that is fairly fine so you may just need to be more careful with the ends. You mentioned having a lot of stress and depression also which can effect your hair. Make sure you are getting enough healthy food, protein, sleep, going and taking at least a walk if you can't or aren't up to exercise. That will help both your mood and your hair in the long run.

If there is a lot going on for you also, I agree with the others that you should get a small trim and then just put your hair up and out of the way. Don't even pay attention to if it is growing and then take a look a few months from now after wearing it up. My vote would be that it is too early to tell if you are at terminal.

[lilliemer]

I think 4 inches is too much, and microtrimming every 6-8 weeks will amount to no gain in length for most growers. Even if you take only 1 cm every 6 weeks, that pretty much keeps you at zero growth, since most people's hair only grows 1 cm a month.

But I would recommend looking up some gentle handling methods. I really like Janis Cortese's advice (http://www.prismnet.com/%7Ecortese/hair/index.html) on growing long hair--it's of the low-maintenance, low-cost, gentle handling ilk, and I have had good results with it. The articles section also has excellent advice on everything from oiling (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=71) to every imaginable hair care method. I think that for most people, growing hair is about doing less to it rather than doing more, with the exception of learning some protective hairstyles.

Thanks for the great link!

to the OP, I don't have any expertise about your terminal length but your hair is beautiful!

[homehearties]

I don't know why I said 4 inches! I was thinking 2 inches in my head. You do have beautiful hair though, you are sooooo lucky!

[Charlottie]

Thanks for all your advice and comments on my hair. I got myself some of that Mane 'n Tail shampoo and trimmed some off last night. Probably gonna make changes to my diet as well. Keeping my fingers crossed my hair will start growing again, wish me luck u_u

[spidermom]

Fast hair-growing luck coming your way :magic:

[SpinDance]

I think it is too early to decide if you are terminal, although you may be terminal for your current hair routine. By that I mean if you wear it loose a lot, and don't trim, those factors may be causing enough breakage that there appears to be no growth. Try the trim method, it is really easy. I've been doing micro trims of 5 mm pretty frequently for almost 2 years now and in that time have gained several inches in length. It seems counter intuitive that I'd get growth when removing the very longest 5 mm every week to 3 weeks, but that's what is happening.

I do oil my hair lightly when wet and condition well to help with overall moisture, and I wear my hair up most of the time. If I don't wear it up then it gets into trouble and can be broken or tangled much too easily.

Try some different things, slowly, to see what effect it may have. You may have to change several things to get more length.

[torrilin]

The first picture is my hair now, the second one is from December last year and my hair actually looks slightly longer in it weirdly enough.

I really don't want to this to be my terminal lenght. I compared it to another picture from August 2011 and it was the same length then so it's been 10 months and not grown at all :(

Eeek! That is a lot of breakage then, because I seriously thought the older picture was more recent and showed longer hair.

You need to work out what's causing your breakage.

For me, the most common cause of breakage is wearing my hair down and loose. I've got fine, fragile hair, and it will break if you look at it funny. Janis Cortese's page pretty much sums up what I have to do to my hair for it to get to armpit length, never mind down to my elbows. And that's with hair that grows like a weed!

It's not just friction that causes breakage... tangles do too. Really, anything that causes me to touch my hair can cause breakage. So I try to set things up so I don't have to touch or handle my hair much. There's some minimum that's necessary, because my hair's long and dense enough that shed hairs don't just slip out. But going over that minimum is not good.

Since your hemline started out pretty thick and blunt, I'd guess your actual terminal length is a good bit below where you are now. You may have some hairs that are at their longest length now... as you deal with tangles, look at the very ends. Some shed hairs may have tapered ends, even tho they're quite long. Those tapered ends tell you the hair was not cut or broken the whole time it was attached to your head. Those tapered hairs are a good sign! Each one tells you it didn't lose length to damage or splitting. I know it may feel discouraging if the hair is shorter than you want, but we all have some hairs that have a fairly short terminal length around our hairline.

[frodolaughs]

I think when your hair is in the butt-length region it's got lots of opportunities for damage at the ends whenever you wear it down. Think of all the times you move around and brush against stuff--if your hair is between you and whatever you're brushing against, gradual damage and breakage is going to add up. I used to think my hair would never get longer than where yours is now, but for this attempt at long hair I've worn my hair mostly up and haven't gotten stuck the way I have before. If you were at terminal length I really think it would be more wispy.

[Panth]

If it has actually stalled (and really, 6 months is far too short to tell, plus I think you're being overly pessimistic about the photos) I would say it is a false terminal.

I had exactly the same thing happen - a false terminal at between TB and classic for about 5 years. Turns out I can't grow past that length without near-daily bunning. When I wore it down nearly every day (and in an unbunned plait when it wasn't down), I had damaged, nasty, tangly ends that tapered off drastically. I gained little to no length in 5 years. I switched to daily bunning and I am now (well, before my trim last week, at least) about 3" from knee and growing steadily still. I have increases in ponytail thickness, reduction in taper and improvement in the quality of the ends.

I also think the stress/anxiety/depression you mention may have a lot to do with it. Stress can cause hair loss - this can appear as stalling/shortening if the hairs that are lost are your longest ones. It may cause reduced growth. Also, from personal experience, you may be less likely to care for your hair well (e.g. lots of heavy-handed "angry" brushing, forgetting to / not bothering to comb it, forgetting to / not bothering to wash it (or washing it hastily or haphazardly, resulting in issues like not rinsing conditioner out properly), etc., etc.) One of the best things you can do, both for your hair and, more importantly, for yourself, is to get help for your stress/anxiety/depression. *hugs*

[afu]

I have to say I LOVE your colour, so beautiful

[Charlottie]

it was supposed to be just a TRIM. HE CUT FIVE INCHES OFF!!! so now it only just barely reaches my hips -_____-

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn285/sukaihan_subeta/hair.png

[Mesmerise]

it was supposed to be just a TRIM. HE CUT FIVE INCHES OFF!!! so now it only just barely reaches my hips -_____-


That's why self trimming is such a great idea! That being said, your ends look super healthy now, so if you really care for your hair I'm sure it will grow back in no time, and will probably look better than it did before too!!

I know self trimming can be daunting BUT it gives you complete control over how much you want to cut off. A lot of hairdressers will cut off too much, especially if you have quite long hair, as they're leaving it still "long" in their eyes, even though it will be short to you.

My friend's daughter's hair was longer than mine a few days ago, and I saw her tonight after a trim, and her hair is now shorter than my DD's just past shoulder length hair (although my friend disagreed when I said her DD's hair was now shorter than my DD's hair... however, it really is... I think she's just in denial!!). The thing is, the hairdresser actually did a really bad job with her DD's hair, as she'd called me over to fix the damage :rolleyes: (and no I am not a professional... but I can cut in a straight line... and I can tell when one side hangs obviously lower than the other...). I kind of think... I could just have used Feye's method on her hair and cut off just the straggliest 2" (which is seriously ALL IT NEEDED to remove the worst ends at the very maximum) instead of cutting off a good 6" which is what the hairdresser did!

[Charlottie]

I went to a barber who said the bottom 5 inches of my hair was completely dead and cut it off without even asking me first. I originally asked just for 2 inches off, which he said would've been pointless but he didn't tell me that until after he cut it off. I bet it will take another 2 years to get to 33 inches again -_- my hair doesn't grow especially fast.

Oh and to anyone here with fine hair who use Mane n Tail shampoo... how often do you like to use it? I've been doing some reading about it and some people say it damages fine hair and makes it very dry if you use it too frequently.

[gonzobird]

Grrrrr!!!! I don't know any other profession where people just do whatever they want with/to their clients. Makes me crazy! Cutting your own hair is easy peasy. Try it!

I used mane and tail about fifteen years ago and it was super drying on my hair. I have fine hair...but lots of it. Made it tangly too. I'm sure the ingredients aren't even the same anymore though....so that's not too much help. ;)

[heidi w.]

You've probably just hit a stall, maybe try a bit of a routine shake up, see if that helps?

If hair has stalled in growing, there's nothing you can do BUT wait. And that's it. Continue to take care of your hair as you always have and one day it'll pick up growing again, when you least expect it. I'm at terminal length, and my hair hardly grows at all now. But I am seeing signs that I may soon have a bit of a spurt sometime soon. Maybe.

But I continue to take care of my hair, and I don't cut it. Shaking up a routine does nothing to encourage the hair roots to do other than they are. One must understand what is internal and what is external. This issue the OP is having is internal. Doing external things to change or "help" an internal problem won't fix the problem. It's just the wrong answer.

I wish I could encourage people to fix the problem they have, not guess and do stuff that just doesn't apply to the problem one has.

heidi w.

[Tisiloves]

If hair has stalled in growing, there's nothing you can do BUT wait. And that's it. Continue to take care of your hair as you always have and one day it'll pick up growing again, when you least expect it. I'm at terminal length, and my hair hardly grows at all now. But I am seeing signs that I may soon have a bit of a spurt sometime soon. Maybe.

But I continue to take care of my hair, and I don't cut it. Shaking up a routine does nothing to encourage the hair roots to do other than they are. One must understand what is internal and what is external. This issue the OP is having is internal. Doing external things to change or "help" an internal problem won't fix the problem. It's just the wrong answer.

I wish I could encourage people to fix the problem they have, not guess and do stuff that just doesn't apply to the problem one has.

heidi w.

I meant more like increasing exercise/protein intake/vitamin intake, etc. Which depending upon the reason for the stall may help.

[Charlottie]

Thanks gonzobird. Anyone else used Mane n Tail and experienced damage from it?

Oh and my hair hasn't stalled. I just panicked and made the common mistake of thinking it was terminal when it was actually just damaged and needed trimming. Just have to wait and see if it grows past TBL, now that it's in better condition.