when to accept you have a short terminal length? :(

[cat-lady]

Hi everyone
so I have been trying to grow my hair for about 5 years now starting from shoulder length. I have only had one cut during the time (about an inch) as my hair was in bad condition, other than I've pretty much left it other than trimming split ends. I gave up hair dye and heat, take vitamins, changed my hair products to natural and pretty much wear up dos everyday apart from the odd occasion.

Almost waist length is the longest I have reached and I reached this last month (which isn't actually very long as im very short!) unfortunately I had to cut back to midback as my ends were awful. and this is the problem I have, despite all my efforts, as soon as I reach past mid back, my hair starts shedding, the ends start getting uneven and thin and the ends get tatty and dry so I have to cut it back to mid back.

my plan currently is to keep my length midback until all my layers have caught up as my hair is feathered around the front. but what then? should i just accept mid back as my terminal? I have dreamt of hi length hair all my life I would be happy at mid back but as my hair is so naturally fine it doesn't even look long!

any advice?

xxx

[Nique1202]

If your hair is getting split and damaged and ratty by the time it hits waist, then it's not really your terminal length, it's accumulated damage from somewhere along the journey. Natural isn't always the best choice for hair products. Some people really benefit from silicones and sulfates and all that kind of stuff. It could also be a protein or moisture issue, or the way you fasten your updos (using thread-covered elastics every day gave me horrible splits and ends by the time I reached waist) or any number of other things. Switch to spin pins and hair sticks, try switching out one of your natural products for something from the drug store, if you don't already then try spreading a single drop of coconut or baby oil on your hands and fingercomb it into your ends every day or two. I'm sure you can grow longer, but you may have to experiment for a while to find the right combination of products and routine.

[Marika]

Yeah, it sounds like a false terminal. I would trim more often, just a little bit. I've started to trim every 3 months (instead of every 2 years) and it has helped a lot with breakage/velcro ends etc. -> longer and healthier hair. I would probably go back to more conventional products instead of natural. I've tried the natural route several times and it just doesn't work for me. Or like Nique1202 said, switch just some of your products. Good luck, I'm 99 % sure, you're not at terminal

[cat11]

I think if you follow your pla nof maintaining for awhile, you will find that after you've cut out damage and evened the hemline the hair will be able to grow longer when you're done increasing it's integrity. Also, the protective updos help alot for people who feel they are approaching terminal, though I doubt you are

[Agnes Hannah]

Hi I am a finey too, my hair also thins as it grows down, I am currently at hip which is the longest it has ever been and I didn't think it would grow this long. I don't think you are at terminal either, as Nique1202 says it is probably accumulated damage that is all. This is my routine, I wash, condition and condition again (from ears down) and dry in a turbie towel til damp then finish off naturally. At night I oil the very ends, side braid it but don't fasten off the ends and put it into a silk sleep cap. My pillow case is also silk just in case! I wear it up everyday in either a nautilus, cinnamon bun or french pleat using a ficcare or fork to secure. I rarely use a brush but when I do it is a mason pearson one, but comb everyday. My favourite comb is my hand made Kent one. I wash twice a week, less if I can get away with it! Am trimming the ends off 0.5cm every three months to help with my fragile wispy ends. They are almost transparent at the very bottom so I hope this trimming regime will help to thicken up the ends whilst maintaining some growth. I am going for tailbone at the minute, and will probably think about classic after that. It is possible to grow longer with our hair type but we have to be even more gentle with it. Other long hairs that I can think of right now are Maria_asa and Aspensong. They have the most amazing hair. Also Kerome and RapunzelKat. I have probably missed some others (so if I have missed you please accept my apologies)
My fave poo is a DrOrganix one with lavender. My conditioners, anything really, usually coney on the very ends, or protein stuff, and tresemme to seal in moisture. Thats about it really. Good luck and keep growing!

[Silverbrumby]

I'm a short terminal as well here, shorter than yours as my avatar is close to the longest I've ever grown in my life. Waist terminal is my goal now. I know hearing me say this isn't helpful but some women (waves hands) are not ever going to make hip or fingertip length. I do agree with others saying that if you are getting damage you might want to look at your routine but really, unless we cover or heads with a silk scarf and never touch it from one wash to the next i think there isn't too much more we can do except; 1. Enjoy the hair we have. 2. Learn cool updos at this length. 3. Beautiful hair toys look wonderful. 4. Trim more often as the bad ends are probably snapping off. 5. Get a satin pillow slip. 5. Try some of the hair healthtips here eg inversion, massage, vitamins biotin and biosil. Rinses etc.

I've used most methods and feel good about how I've taken care of my hair and I've really tried over the past 4 years to grow, it just wasn't in the stars for me (outside of pregnancy that is).

I hope I'm wrong btw about our terminals.

[spidermom]

Post your routine so that more experienced hair growers can suggest beneficial changes. Also, instead of waiting until your ends are a mess and need to have inches cut off, try trimming a small amount on a regular basis. For example, if you get 1/2 inch trimmed off every 3-4 months, it might keep damage under control. Otherwise splits travel right up the hair shaft. You start off with a tiny little Y of maybe 1/8 inch, and as time goes on the split gets wider and breaks off.

[Deborah]

I agree that you need to trim more frequently to slowly get rid of your damaged hair. Until you have trimmed off all the hair that has been dyed or heat damaged, you cannot really tell what your final length will be. It might be a lot longer than you think!

[j88]

I'm a short terminal as well here, shorter than yours as my avatar is close to the longest I've ever grown in my life. Waist terminal is my goal now. I know hearing me say this isn't helpful but some women (waves hands) are not ever going to make hip or fingertip length. I do agree with others saying that if you are getting damage you might want to look at your routine but really, unless we cover or heads with a silk scarf and never touch it from one wash to the next i think there isn't too much more we can do except; 1. Enjoy the hair we have. 2. Learn cool updos at this length. 3. Beautiful hair toys look wonderful. 4. Trim more often as the bad ends are probably snapping off. 5. Get a satin pillow slip. 5. Try some of the hair healthtips here eg inversion, massage, vitamins biotin and biosil. Rinses etc.

I've used most methods and feel good about how I've taken care of my hair and I've really tried over the past 4 years to grow, it just wasn't in the stars for me (outside of pregnancy that is).

I hope I'm wrong btw about our terminals.

We reach aprox the same length. Mine is a little thinner than it can be because of masse amounts of henna, where I lost so much hair every time I used it. Hope I can grow it l little longer. http://www.myalbum.com/GroteFoto-UQRGHRFS.jpg

[Panth]

If your photo is your "ratty" ends at waist length, then nope that is not terminal. That's hardly even fairytale ends. I think you need to let go of the idea of a blunt hemline.

I agree also with Spidermom - post your routine! What actually is "changing your hair products to natural"? Are you, by any chance, doing "no poo"? That really wrecks most hairtypes after a year or so of solid use.