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Thread: Terminal length

  1. #1
    Member Lesley8's Avatar
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    Default Terminal length

    Hi
    I was wondering how do we know when we reach terminal length? I've noticed for the last few months my hair has only grown a cm? And I feel stuck at this length.
    I don't see any breakage and always protect my ends.
    Thank you

  2. #2
    floating waves baanoo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    I can’t speak from personal experience but I think it takes quite some time to know for sure - I recall Neko thinking she had reached terminal and then after quite a long stall grew another few inches.

  3. #3
    Member Lesley8's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Quote Originally Posted by baanoo View Post
    I can’t speak from personal experience but I think it takes quite some time to know for sure - I recall Neko thinking she had reached terminal and then after quite a long stall grew another few inches.
    Thanks, I'm not sure myself it just seems to have stalled. Maybe as long as it will grow.

  4. #4
    Learn more. Know less. foreveryours's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Interesting question. If observable length increase stops then, by definitiion, you've reached the terminal length achievable given your circumstance. Change your conditions and terminal length may differ.

    I expect my terminal length to be just above my ankle, probably within a year. While my length hasn't stopped, my ends have become extremely thin.
    scalp > SL > MBL > TBL > FTL > KNEE > KNEE+

  5. #5
    Long tea-time for hair neko_kawaii's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Quite a few people here have thought they hit terminal and then after a few years of no additional growth gained a few more inches. Usually some sort of environmental factor such as health or mechanical damage or trimming is the reason for a false terminal, but in my case I really can't point to any reason why after four years of staying at knee my hair grew past knee.

    58.5 in, 2a, F, ii (3 in)
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  6. #6
    Member Lesley8's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Thanks everyone, I'll just have to wait and see what happens hopefully I'll get to knee!

  7. #7
    Learn more. Know less. foreveryours's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Quote Originally Posted by neko_kawaii View Post
    Quite a few people here have thought they hit terminal and then after a few years of no additional growth gained a few more inches. Usually some sort of environmental factor such as health or mechanical damage or trimming is the reason for a false terminal, but in my case I really can't point to any reason why after four years of staying at knee my hair grew past knee.
    Is your height the same (many people shrink as their vertebral column compresses with age)?
    scalp > SL > MBL > TBL > FTL > KNEE > KNEE+

  8. #8
    Lullaby of Obliteration
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Apparently I hear we start shrinking after 30 but I'm not sure if that's actually true or not

  9. #9
    Member floridaorchid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    Quote Originally Posted by foreveryours View Post
    Interesting question. If observable length increase stops then, by definitiion, you've reached the terminal length achievable given your circumstance. Change your conditions and terminal length may differ.

    I expect my terminal length to be just above my ankle, probably within a year. While my length hasn't stopped, my ends have become extremely thin.
    To piggyback off of changing conditions, I believe someone on here had a false terminal. I can't remember who though.
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  10. #10
    Member cadaverinna's Avatar
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    Default Re: Terminal length

    It's most likely not terminal length. That goes for 99% of the people who wonder if they've reached it.

    Terminal length(I'll abbreviate as TL) does not mean hair that just doesn't seem to get longer, it is always accompanied by extremely thin, sparse, see-through ends at any length that might be your TL -- be it around floor length(rare) or APL(very rare). Said ends must not be the product of breakage to be a "symptom" of TL.
    Alongside this, you will notice a big difference in thickness/volume(not so much girth of the individual strands, but you might) between ends and scalp bc the follicles don't produce hair all at the same time, they're always in different stages(if they were, we'd have a lot more hair for a while, but then it'd all shed and leave us completely bald when the time comes) and the longer, sparser ends might be around 10% to 20% of the hair.
    If you've had a big shed in the last 12-ish months, I wouldn't be too worried, bc that'll probably be the culprit.

    This specific example is most likely from breakage, but hair that's approaching TL looks exactly like this:

    (This is a before and after from extensions, so ignore the second picture)


    Hair that's "stuck" at a certain length is usually dealing w breakage(+ trims, which make it harder to grow longer), too much attention being paid to it(you won't notice the difference if you watch it's length every day), or some nutritional/hormonal imbalance(but then you wouldn't notice hair growth at the roots as well, not just in length).
    Last edited by cadaverinna; September 3rd, 2023 at 11:47 PM.
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