Unified Measuring System?

[Enyo]

Hi Ladies,

I'm new and I've been going through the threads. I see people using different parts of their bodies to mark their hair, which makes sense in a way. However I don't see many people taking into account their height. I'm 5'6" with a long neck and torso (tops are often too short on me). So when I say my hair is "armpit" length, that's going to look much longer or someone who barely clears 5 feet.

I'm just wondering if we should be using inches/centimeters instead of body parts to describe length. It seems more efficient than body parts which can vary extremely depending on the woman. Especially when folks are talking about how much hair they grew from a product or something. If she went to BSL to waist length in 3 months, that's awesome. But if she's 5'2" that's not going to mean as much to a sista that's 6'. Feel me?

 

[PPGbubbles]

There was a thread a while ago that asked ladies to acknowledge their height as they list their hair length.

so you will see some ladies post height....although it has not caught on fully lol


if you do a LHCF search you will see this

also there is a support thread for the ladies who are 6'0'' plus

HTH!

 

[Mz.MoMo5235]

using inches rather than body markers will never catch on unfortunately.

the reason why is cause in all honesty, it doesnt matter. for instance, i'm 5'5 and you being apl has nothing to do with my length. the same goes the other way.

so basically, when you hit your goal, its your goal, and when some one else meets their goal, that's their goal.

why discount a shorties wl because her wl would be apl on you? so long as its wl on her, that's all that matters.

i mean i'm all for listing hight based off the sole fact of time frame. for example- me being 5'5 i may (not always) hit big mile stones faster, like going from apl to bsl, bsl to mbl, mbl to wl in a shorter t/f. so because i hit my goal in 3mos doesnt mean you will because our hight and our growth is different.

but i'm not going to feel any less of my wl cause it doesnt measure up to someone elses wl... i'm still gonna swang my hair and it will look FABULOUS!

anyways... when you read the other thread that's gonna be the main argument that you see, is that it doesnt matter so because of it people wont change.

but as previously stated there is a tall lady support thread which is nice cause then you guys can compare amongst each other

either way, when you meet your goals no matter the hight everyone will be happy and celebrate with you cause that's how we do here. we support each other in what we want in the long term

 

[Enyo]

I got you, though I totally disagree that it doesn't matter in any circumstance. Professional companies put actual numbers on their length-sensitive products.If you look on a box of curlformers, it does not say "for women who have bra-strap length hair". It gives an proper measuring unit. This isn't about disparaging other women for their achievements, so I'm not sure where you got that. I just think it's inefficient - especially when I see "waist-length 2010" threads where no one is specifying how many inches that is for them. Could be 2 or 20!

Other people's goals are just a secondary interest to me. Maximizing my own growth is the first - that's why I'm here. But if someone is saying "this product made my hair grow to waist length!!" and I find out that's two inches because she's short, I'm not going to do back flips to get that product, know what I mean? That's how my mind is thinking. It's not about putting anyone down. It's about knowing where you stand in comparison with another people's results - and I know we all do that.

I'm not tall (as I already, said I'm 5'6"), but it's nice to know the taller ladies have their own support group!

 

[Ediese]

bump..great thread. I'll try to measure when I take out this weave. I've always been interested in knowing.

 

[Solitude]

Okay, so would you measure crown to tip - even though the layers at your crown might not go down as far as your longest layer?

Or, would you measure your individual layers? Like, I measured my top layers and they are 11 or 12 inches and my nape is 10 inches, but since it's in the back it hangs down lower....I need some guidance here!!! I want to start using inches because I honestly don't care exactly where my hair falls on my body.

I've been thinking about this because Rustic Beauty measures her hair in inches. Her bang was around 18 inches at the last measuring video she did and I was thinking this is a great system.

If I had been measuring, I would have been able to keep better track of my growth rate and retention. I measured when I first joined and at that time, my lengths were between 5 and 7 inches (nape/neck length at that time).

ETA: I've also had 2 one-inch trims, and 1 half-inch trim, along with dusting.

 

[NikkiGirl]

Is isn't necessarily about height all the time. I did a thread a while back and asked ladies to post their length from shoulder to waist by measuring in inches. I was shocked to see that some tall ladies had torsos shorter than mine and I am 5"3. So it is more about body composition. Some had long torsos and short legs and vice versa. I measure in inches because when I claim MBL for instance I want to know for sure that it is the middle of my back.

However, I like seeing other ladies and their progress, but I compare my hair to no one. My hair is my own and I judge by what is has done in the past and what I know it can do in the future.

 

[LynnieB]

using inches rather than body markers will never catch on unfortunately.

the reason why is cause in all honesty, it doesnt matter. for instance, i'm 5'5 and you being apl has nothing to do with my length. the same goes the other way.

so basically, when you hit your goal, its your goal, and when some one else meets their goal, that's their goal.

why discount a shorties wl because her wl would be apl on you? so long as its wl on her, that's all that matters.

i mean i'm all for listing hight based off the sole fact of time frame. for example- me being 5'5 i may (not always) hit big mile stones faster, like going from apl to bsl, bsl to mbl, mbl to wl in a shorter t/f. so because i hit my goal in 3mos doesnt mean you will because our hight and our growth is different.

but i'm not going to feel any less of my wl cause it doesnt measure up to someone elses wl... i'm still gonna swang my hair and it will look FABULOUS!

anyways... when you read the other thread that's gonna be the main argument that you see, is that it doesnt matter so because of it people wont change.

but as previously stated there is a tall lady support thread which is nice cause then you guys can compare amongst each other

either way, when you meet your goals no matter the hight everyone will be happy and celebrate with you cause that's how we do here. we support each other in what we want in the long term

Agree for the most part.

These types of things always start out so innocently and with the best of intentions but soon devolve into ultimately negating another woman's accomplishments.

Oh sure there's lots of "oh no it won't" but let's be for real and totally honest here on a board full of ladies, as wonderful as most of them are it will become an issue, eventually.

I'm not into that. Your milestone is your milestone and I'm happy for you.

Measure how ever you want is fine with me and if you wish to start a competition (because that's what it will turn out to be) than feel free to start a thread about it but please don't make it mandatory.

There are a ton of comments on the board that show how people continuously ignore the fact that everyone measures differently. Why is that?

 

[Enyo]

Okay, so would you measure crown to tip - even though the layers at your crown might not go down as far as your longest layer? Or, would you measure your individual layers? Like, I measured my top layers and they are 11 or 12 inches and my nape is 10 inches, but since it's in the back it hangs down lower....I need some guidance here!!! I want to start using inches because I honestly don't care exactly where my hair falls on my body.

I measure by section. I essentially have two areas. The hair that grows in the front reaching down to the middle of my head is softer and less defined and grows slower. It's about 12" right now, and I measured from the root to the tip. The back portion (from the center of my head to the nape) is well defined, slightly more coarse, and grows much faster. That section is measured from middle to tip, then nape to tip, and then averaged out. Right now I have about 14" of hair in the back section. I have one sad little pic in my album if you want to see.

 

[Eritreladiee]

I'm an in-betweenie (I'm 5'5) and I agree-- measuring in inches/cm is important if we're sharing information about growth products, time spans for reaching goals, etc. Personally though, I'd probably state it in terms of "my hair grew X inches/cm in X amount of time-- using the distance between my body parts as the basis. For me, pulling out a ruler every so often to measure each section of my hair would be too much work, and serves no real purpose, esp when my hair goals are in terms of where my hair falls on my body, not how many inches I have.

If other people want to measure in inches, that's for them to decide. And I don't see how the inches system would better help someone dismiss another persons accomplishments-- that could easily be done on the basis of their height anyway.

Someone could dismiss the progress of another on the basis of height, another can do so on the basis of hair texture-- some 4b's do that to 4a's, some 4b's and 4a's do that to 3c's, some 4b's, 4a's, 3c's do that to 3b's, etc. So what's the big deal? If I hit WL unstretched, I wouldn't give a damn anyway

And maybe it's not even about dismissing someone else's accomplishments. We all have hair inspirations, who are generally people with similar hair textures/hair profiles so what's wrong with them being the same/similar height as well?

 

[Janet']

Hmm...Interesting concept...not sure if it will catch on truly, though

 

[fletches]

*scratches head*

I think this is really over analyzing/over thinkikng. You know about where you want your hair to grow. That's all that matters. You shouldn't have to report your length in inches to prove anything.

As far as using products other users suggested b/c they have BSL or WL hair, you should probably only take suggestions, but still use what's best for you. I don't think the inches matter for that.

And can't you just look at rollers and tell if they'll be too big or small for your hair.

 

[Solitude]

wow, I didn't realize it was that crucial erplexed. I plan to start using inches because it's much more realistic in my opinion.

@ those saying that it will never catch on - it will if the LHCF superstar hair growers start using inches to measure . However, I'm not one of them .

 

[Enyo]

In the end, it's all about what works for people. I think inches is more accurate and that's what I'll use. If I'm really curious as to how long someone's hair is, then I'll ask for the measurements.

 

[LadyRaider]

Technically, all that matters is the personal measures. The only reason to standardize measurements is if we are planning to have a competition.

 

[Enyo]

Technically, all that matters is the personal measures. The only reason to standardize measurements is if we are planning to have a competition.

I disagree for the reasons stated in post #4. I'd really just like to find people who need the same amount of hair that I do. People who want MBL isn't definite enough for me because that can mean anything. But if you don't want to use inches, then don't. This is not a dictatorship.

 

[dachsies_rule!]

Okay, so would you measure crown to tip - even though the layers at your crown might not go down as far as your longest layer?

Or, would you measure your individual layers? Like, I measured my top layers and they are 11 or 12 inches and my nape is 10 inches, but since it's in the back it hangs down lower....I need some guidance here!!! I want to start using inches because I honestly don't care exactly where my hair falls on my body.

I've been thinking about this because Rustic Beauty measures her hair in inches. Her bang was around 18 inches at the last measuring video she did and I was thinking this is a great system.

If I had been measuring, I would have been able to keep better track of my growth rate and retention. I measured when I first joined and at that time, my lengths were between 5 and 7 inches (nape/neck length at that time).

ETA: I've also had 2 one-inch trims, and 1 half-inch trim, along with dusting.

I measure my hair from front hairline to back tip just as a way of measuring my progress. I'm 5'8" and MBL was 26" and WL will be 31". I started in June '09 at 22.5" and am now 27.5". Three and a half inches to go! Woo-hoo!

 

[RocStar]

Just isn't that serious to me...but everyone needs to do what works for them.

 

[Nonie]

I am on the same page as MzMomo, Fletches, LynnieB, NikkiGirl, Rocstar and LadyRaider. If you're really into measurements then growth rate is all you should care about but I don't even know how someone else's growth rate would affect you. Just because someone got 2 inches in 2 months drinking a protein shake doesn't mean you will get the same growth rate they got. Our bodies process things differently and respond to products differently so I'm not so sure how knowing another's stats would really help you or me or the next person. I think long hair looks beautiful whether relatively long is ten inches on one person or 20 inches on another.

This is as crazy as someone announcing that she dropped from a size 10 to a size 4 and instead of us applauding we challenge her with "But how many pounds in weight did you really lose?"

It's late and so I think I'm too tired to process things and I think I forgot what we're talking about...coz I'm so confused now. Sorry, but why are we bothered again about who has a neck and who doesn't?

 

[sharifeh]

Like a poster said upthread, height doesn't matter that much. Torso length does. I posted in the thread where ladies measured from shoulder to waist and sure enough ladies that were taller than me had shorter torsos than me...So don't assume a short person has a short torso that may not be the case and some tall people have really long legs with short torsos, if anything it makes sense to measure your torso like distance between mbl and wl on you etc....makes me more sense to me than measuring the actual hair...

 

[dachsies_rule!]

It's late and so I think I'm too tired to process things and I think I forgot what we're talking about...coz I'm so confused now. Sorry, but why are we bothered again about who has a neck and who doesn't?

 

[Enyo]

I measure my hair from front hairline to back tip just as a way of measuring my progress. I'm 5'8" and MBL was 26" and WL will be 31". I started in June '09 at 22.5" and am now 27.5". Three and a half inches to go! Woo-hoo!

Wow, I'm so jealous! Three inches is nothing, girl. You will be there in the blink of an eye...and then you'll take pics! Right?

 

[Solitude]

I am on the same page as MzMomo, Fletches, LynnieB, NikkiGirl, Rocstar and LadyRaider. If you're really into measurements then growth rate is all you should care about but I don't even know how someone else's growth rate would affect you. Just because someone got 2 inches in 2 months drinking a protein shake doesn't mean you will get the same growth rate they got. Our bodies process things differently and respond to products differently so I'm not so sure how knowing another's stats would really help you or me or the next person. I think long hair looks beautiful whether relatively long is ten inches on one person or 20 inches on another.

This is as crazy as someone announcing that she dropped from a size 10 to a size 4 and instead of us applauding we challenge her with "But how many pounds in weight did you really lose?"

It's late and so I think I'm too tired to process things and I think I forgot what we're talking about...coz I'm so confused now. Sorry, but why are we bothered again about who has a neck and who doesn't?

But, how is that a challenge? It's just the truth. She lost _ number of dress sizes and _ number of pounds. Soandso has _ length hair, which is about _ inches on her.

Nobody has to share their hair growth information, at all. It's just a personal choice. I find the body part measurements to be arbitrary. Neck, nape, shoulder, armpit, below bra strap, below shoulder blade, above bra strap, middle of back, waist, tailbone, thigh...I think there is even a butt-length.....they all sound so random to me.

I look at my hair and see - it's past my shoulders, now it's down my back. I think, "Oh, I've got a little more hang-time."

All those other measurements just sound kind of made up. People don't even agree whether armpit means at your arm pit, slightly below your armpit, wrapped under your armpit. It's so random that I don't even care about "claiming" armpit-length . But, that's just me. I keep using the body part measurements because that's what people mostly reference.

 

[Nonie]

But, how is that a challenge? It's just the truth. She lost _ number of dress sizes and _ number of pounds. Soandso has _ length hair, which is about _ inches on her.

Nobody has to share their hair growth information, at all. It's just a personal choice. I find the body part measurements to be arbitrary. Neck, nape, shoulder, armpit, below bra strap, below shoulder blade, above bra strap, middle of back, waist, tailbone, thigh...I think there is even a butt-length.....they all sound so random to me.

I look at my hair and see - it's past my shoulders, now it's down my back. I think, "Oh, I've got a little more hang-time."

All those other measurements just sound kind of made up. People don't even agree whether armpit means at your arm pit, slightly below your armpit, wrapped under your armpit. It's so random that I don't even care about "claiming" armpit-length . But, that's just me. I keep using the body part measurements because that's what people mostly reference.

OK, maybe poor choice of words, but people post pictures. Pictures speak a thousand words. I don't understand why knowing EXACTLY how many inches your SL, APL, WL is compared to the next person is that important. If you see a photo and someone is at SL (whether she has a neck or not ), why the heck do we need to know "but really how many inches is that?"

Communication is a matter of interpreting what other people say from our own point of view. So if someone tells me they are at SL, without a photo, I imagine my own hair at SL. Whether it's accurate or not, coz we're not the same height, I don't really know what that has to do with the price of eggs. Now if someone tells me, my hair is ten inches, that conveys little info to me. Ten inches on a midget is a lot. On a tall person it's not. And for me, what I consider long is what LOOKS long on a person...not what the exact measurement is.

Perhaps my example wasn't that great. But this obsession with measurements makes no sense to me. It's like people saying an hour glass is 34-22-34...when I can show you someone with those measurements who looks nothing like an hourglass. However, I can show you someone whose measurements make you think pear but they look so perfectly balanced and the perfect hourglass.

What's more, when people say, "I want to get to waist length by December", they are talking about their own goal, not yours. So AGAIN what the heck does the distance from their crown to their knees have to do with you? If they were asking you how long you think it will take them, then I see the measurements becoming a necessity so you can give a good guess (you'd also need to know their growth rate). But when people share their successes or hopes or achievements, and then post a pic, it is what it is. They reached THEIR milestone, and just because their "journey" happens to be a few miles shorter than yours, is neither here or there.

It is not that bloody serious y'all.

Oh and BTW, I did drop from size 14 to size 4 once, but don't ask me how many pounds I lost coz that is a challenge for me to answer. I hate scales and never ever stepped on one during my journey so it's a really tough question for me to answer. And by the same token, a lot of people who measure their progress by body parts are using that mode of measurement and probably don't even have a clue what that length is in inches. For some of us, it isn't that serious or we are too lazy to do all o' dat work for someone else's satisfaction when it doesn't serve us in any way we see necessary.

 

[Enyo]

It is not that bloody serious y'all.

What I don't understand is why the people who are making looooong statements and over analyzing are the ones who are objecting/saying it's not that serious. If you don't think it's a good idea, then don't do it. No one is being forced. Like you said, it's just not that bloody serious.

 

[Nonie]

But, how is that a challenge? It's just the truth. She lost _ number of dress sizes and _ number of pounds. Soandso has _ length hair, which is about _ inches on her.

Nobody has to share their hair growth information, at all. It's just a personal choice. I find the body part measurements to be arbitrary. Neck, nape, shoulder, armpit, below bra strap, below shoulder blade, above bra strap, middle of back, waist, tailbone, thigh...I think there is even a butt-length.....they all sound so random to me.

I look at my hair and see - it's past my shoulders, now it's down my back. I think, "Oh, I've got a little more hang-time."

All those other measurements just sound kind of made up. People don't even agree whether armpit means at your arm pit, slightly below your armpit, wrapped under your armpit. It's so random that I don't even care about "claiming" armpit-length . But, that's just me. I keep using the body part measurements because that's what people mostly reference.

Just want to address the bold: that's why photos help. SL, APL, BSB, WL are all "estimates" not science and that's exactly what they are supposed to be. That we don't all agree on what's what is OK, because no one ever agrees on estimates. These so-called arbitrary measurements mean a lot to those of us who've never had long hair. Just being able to see the hair reach a part of your body it never reached before is a cause for celebration...and if we get past that...it's exciting to be able to see it reach the next zone determined by another "landmark". So maybe you may not care about this, but some of us do. And even if the distance is only an inch, it's an inch I never thought I'd ever see myself get past. And knowing it's an inch or six doesn't make me as excited as knowing my hair finally reached my shoulders. And I'm more concerned about getting to where I never thought I'd get not in how short or long a distance I traveled.*shrug*

 

[Nonie]

What I don't understand is why the people who are making looooong statements and over analyzing are the ones who are objecting/saying it's not that serious. If you don't think it's a good idea, then don't do it. No one is being forced. Like you said, it's just not that bloody serious.

I beg your pardon but I'm a rambler and I can't help it. And I apologize because my elaborate posts were hopefully to show you why I and others couldn't care less...and find measurement a real pain in the derriere. My point was to make you understand why it isn't that serious to us. I probably could have just said, some of us don't care about inches as much as you and been clear enough. But I love to explain things. So I rambled to explain why we don't care. I'm sorry to have bored you with that explanation of why it isn't serious to me and others.

 

[afrikurl]

On occassion, I take out the ruler just to see how many inches it is. It's too much work to do all the time. I just want how ever many inches till my dry stretched twists reach my waist.

 

[Enyo]

I beg your pardon but I'm a rambler and I can't help it. And I apologize because my elaborate posts were hopefully to show you why I and others couldn't care less...and find measurement a real pain in the derriere. My point was to make you understand why it isn't that serious to us. I probably could have just said, some of us don't care about inches as much as you and been clear enough. But I love to explain things. So I rambled to explain why we don't care. I'm sorry to have bored you with that explanation of why it isn't serious to me and others.

I wasn't bored. I was just...bemused. It was like you were saying "This is way too much over-thought...and here is my thesis on why". It was funny in an ironic way. I have to give you respect for your eloquence, though. I read the whole post before I snatched that one little sentence.

 

[Nonie]

I wasn't bored. I was just...bemused. It was like you were saying "This is way too much over-thought...and here is my thesis on why". It was funny in an ironic way. I have to give you respect for your eloquence, though. I read the whole post before I snatched that one little sentence.

OK, I see what you mean, but I wasn't thinking of it as "over-thought" but rather too "strict" a process about a venture that's supposed to be more of a hobby than science and also one that serves the person giving it very little purpose if "actual measurement" isn't a concern of theirs.

As someone else said, measure if you prefer to. I once used to when I was interested to find out how much growth I got a year. Once that question was answered, I no longer saw any use in it. I get excited when I see a picture of my hair and see it stretch to a place I never thought it could reach. Hence my finding measuring too much work and a bit extra.

Now that I think about it, perhaps the question of measurements ceases to be important once you get your questions answered. Like does this product really make one get more than 6 inches a year, or did you just get 6 inches and it sounds like a lot coz you're a squirt? Which would mean I'm better off sticking to my regimen which also gives 6 inches a year, yanno?