PDA

View Full Version : Just had a sad thought



spirals
July 7th, 2012, 12:04 AM
What if my terminal length is waist? I don't think it's ever been longer than that.

Mesmerise
July 7th, 2012, 12:05 AM
Ugh... I feel you... I worry about this all the time! I've never had past waist length hair either, and I don't have very thick hair as it is, and my hair seems very shed happy, so I already have a ton of taper... so yup, I really worry that I won't get to my goal of at least hip (and probably TBL which is what I'm considering)!

spirals
July 7th, 2012, 12:48 AM
It's hard to tell how much natural taper I have, as I've thinned it myself. I also don't recall why I never went past almost-waist. I think maybe I cut it periodically due to frustration.

lmfbs
July 7th, 2012, 12:56 AM
Lots of people think that but when they treat their hair a bit better consistently, they find out that it's not the case. Apparently you can't determine if you're terminal unless you stay at the same length for years and years.

ariesfairies
July 7th, 2012, 12:59 AM
There's no need to concern about something you don't even know about!

ddiana1979
July 7th, 2012, 01:02 AM
I worried about that too, and now my hair is WL+. Exercising daily makes a lot of difference in my growth, for some reason.

prettykitty
July 7th, 2012, 03:11 AM
I'm at waist with a lottttt of taper...if I never grow further than this I guess it's ok. I'll just keep loving my hair anyway :D

jacqueline101
July 7th, 2012, 06:47 AM
I'd let it grow and not thin it out see how it looks naturally.

Madora
July 7th, 2012, 06:58 AM
It's hard to tell how much natural taper I have, as I've thinned it myself. I also don't recall why I never went past almost-waist. I think maybe I cut it periodically due to frustration.

Maybe you need more time? If you want terminal length, then you're going to have to be patient and wait at least 10 to 12 years. You can give minute trims as time goes by. Hair grows slowly on some folks, faster on others..but it does grow.

tohavelongcurls
July 7th, 2012, 07:09 AM
I have this exact same fear, except my hair is curly, so it's at waist now (it's never grown past this point), and BSL curly. It especially freaks me out because my hair never grew until puberty – it was always about at my jaw, very thin, and I never cut it. When I hit puberty it just took off.

Anyway, what helped me was to think in detail of everything I've ever done to my hair over the years. If you can't remember off the top of your head, maybe make a list to jog your memory. Once I did that, I realized that my hair was naturally very dry, and for years I used harsh shampoos with no conditioner, I used to rip a brush through my dry hair, and then, when I better learned to care for curls, I used to rip a brush through wet hair with no conditioner in. Then, I believed the myth that you need to trim your hair for it to grow, so I trimmed my hair every year at a salon, and they always cut 2 - 4 inches, even though I asked for a 1/2 an inch trim. And when I was thirteen (at the point when my hair first reached waist in the shower and then never grew longer), I dyed my hair black with semipermanent dye, then hated it, so took 3 showers a day, shampooing maybe 5 or 10 times in each shower until the color faded to a dark brown.

My point is, I realized that I had actually been damaging my hair for years and had no idea. Now I'm treating my hair as best I can, in the hopes that it can grow.

Would it work for you to try looking back and seeing what you've done to your hair over the years? If you cut it periodically there's a reason in itself for it not to grow, but if you've been accidentally damaging it in the past, there's another solid reason for you never to have grown past waist. It was very soothing for me to realize I had been damaging my hair, because it was something I could fix. It might be worth a try for you to write out your hair history. At the very least you can focus on things you've been doing to your hair to prevent it from growing (things which you can now fix), rather than the unfixable problem of terminal length.

Anyway, I feel for you. I share the exact fear, so I know how much it sucks. For what it's worth, I doubt waist is your terminal length. I think you still have a lot of growth left. Good luck!

spirals
July 7th, 2012, 01:01 PM
Maybe you need more time? If you want terminal length, then you're going to have to be patient and wait at least 10 to 12 years. You can give minute trims as time goes by. Hair grows slowly on some folks, faster on others..but it does grow. I really just want a U hem at hip or a V hem with the point just above tailbone. Anything longer would be too much.


I'd let it grow and not thin it out see how it looks naturally.We're on the same wavelength; this is my plan. It needed thinning at APL to achieve the haircut shape I wanted. But that's no longer required at BSL and beyond. I will probably always have layers because it's heavy and I love how layers look on me. I don't mind braids with layers sticking out. I think it's cute. :agree:

maborosi
July 7th, 2012, 01:09 PM
I thought I'd read on here one time that most people's terminal length is usually much longer than waist?

If that's the case, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I do occasionally wonder what my terminal length would be, but it's something I try not to stress over. I try to enjoy my hair at every length, though I know that's easier said than done.

~maborosi~

spirals
July 7th, 2012, 01:31 PM
I don't stress about my hair. It was a passing thought. I guess I'm glad to have hair at all, really (thinking of the strong ladies here who've survived cancer). If it stopped growing now, I'd think, "Well, I like my curls, so..." But thank you all for the encouragement. That's what I like about this board.

Zesty
July 7th, 2012, 01:43 PM
Well, it's probably not, so no reason to dwell on sad thoughts. :flower: I think tailbone is completely achievable for most people, and it'll look beautiful with your curls. :D

Lady Neeva
July 7th, 2012, 02:13 PM
I agree that there seems to be LHC stages. These were mine.


Stage 1: Reading for hours trying to absorb all this information.

Stage 2: Insanely trying everything to fix the mess on my head!!

Stage 3: Purchasing mountains of hairtoys because if my hair wasn't cool at least the hairtoys would be.

Stage 4: Settle into my own routine.

Stage 5: Detox. Avoid all product/method/hairtoy threads because I realize I am an insane person I need to stop shopping.

Stage 6: Hanging out with my friends and watching other people go through my previous stages.

I'm in Stage 6...

long&blonde
July 7th, 2012, 02:24 PM
I agree with those who say wait and see what happens,consistently treating your hair well. This is from experience. Before LHC I was a terrible hair abuser:constant home dying, blow drying,crimping iron. My hair stayed BSL. My dream was waist. Enter LHC. Exit blowdryer and All heat. Exit home dying:estimated 8 times a month! Permanent drugstore dyes! Enter once every 2 months:salon touchup of white roots. Only other thing I noticed seemed to make huge difference? I did take 3 months,maybe 4 of health food store top quality prenatal vitamins. The kind that smell bad. At the end of the 4? Months? My hair was a bit past waist,and had seemed to grow so much length and thickness,I didn't even get more prenatal vitamins,as I was like "Enough!" Adjusting to the need to wear hair always up,rather than down;not to protect my Hair:just the Need to! Lol! So! Today;after a 5/2012 of my then lower butt crack length ripped up,never trimmed hair, I ended up Waist again. My old "goal". Of course now revised to Tailbone. If I didn't have a brolen ankle,I'd be out buying the prenatal vitamins that smell bad right now! LHC definitely works! I've found when you are most disgusted,feel you aren't getting growth? Its the "darkest before the dawn." I was Just like this,bsl,wishing for waist. Suddenly I was waist,and I was like "Whoa!!!" (For a couple days,lol) Tailbone!!

islandboo
July 7th, 2012, 09:04 PM
I used to think I was terminal at waist. I have always taken reasonably good care of my hair - I didn't use chemical treatments or blow driers or curling/straightening irons and I did the occasional hot oil treatment. However, my hairtype is pretty delicate (fine, thin, dry) and I didn't keep it up as often as I do now and when I did put it up, it was often with ponytail holders on the same spot over and over so I was probably getting lots of breakage I didn't realize. Since getting serious about growing it out and learning good hair habits here I have gotten down to BCL amd am hoping to get all the way to classic. I don't think I will get that far without a fair amount of taper, but I do think it is possible - time will tell!

catamonica
July 8th, 2012, 01:24 PM
I know how you feel. It took years for me to get it to waist. Started wearing it up. Now it's at hip.

Amarante
July 8th, 2012, 01:39 PM
I'm in Stage 6...

This is so true! ...I'm still in stage 4 lol... :o

spirals
July 14th, 2012, 02:04 AM
I'm in stage 1. Everything I've been doing has been fine: sulfates and silicones and color, and my hair has no splits, no white dots, no damage. So why am I considering shampoo bars and oiling and herbal rinses and giving up gel? I'm spending waaaaay too much time here. Stage 2 doesn't even apply to me. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

swearnsue
July 14th, 2012, 08:49 PM
I'm in Stage 6...

I'm at stage 5! Great stages!