An exerpt from The Long Hair Site

[Suri]

...Of course, you have to take into account those old friends genes and heredity. The kind of hair you are born with cannot actually be changed. No wonder product in the world will turn wispy, fine hair into thick, coarse hair or vice versa. Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long. Of course, you get exceptions to this rule too. So, if your long hair just doesn't seem to be getting any longer, it could be the kind of hair you've got rather than poor treatment.
However, lots of people do mistreat their hair and there's an awful lot you can do to ensure your hair grows as long as possible if really long hair is what you want.

I like this website and all it's advise but this part kinda pissed me off, that's cool cuz so many of us have proved her wrong.

 

[MissYocairis]

...Of course, you have to take into account those old friends genes and heredity. The kind of hair you are born with cannot actually be changed. No wonder product in the world will turn wispy, fine hair into thick, coarse hair or vice versa. Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long. Of course, you get exceptions to this rule too. So, if your long hair just doesn't seem to be getting any longer, it could be the kind of hair you've got rather than poor treatment.
However, lots of people do mistreat their hair and there's an awful lot you can do to ensure your hair grows as long as possible if really long hair is what you want.

I like this website and all it's advise but this part kinda pissed me off, that's cool cuz so many of us have proved her wrong.

ohhhhhh! I cannot WAIT! She doesn't know what she is talking about !

 

[Candy_C]

ohhhhhh! I cannot WAIT! She doesn't know what she is talking about !

she said there were exceptions though!!

i mean shes not implyin that it cant ever happen. i read this ages ago an at first, thought.. "no thats fiesty" ...but really shes right. it is much harder to grow afro hair long than white hair ...esp. if we use chemicals aswell. we need more moisture. its a balancing act and i think its hard 2 grow afro hair long..PERSONALLY. but hey thats just my perception of what she meant

 

[TropicalRose]

Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long. Of course, you get exceptions to this rule too. So, if your long hair just doesn't seem to be getting any longer, it could be the kind of hair you've got rather than poor treatment.

nope. see, theres a difference between being able to grow long hair and properly maintaining the hair. sure genetics determines (for the most part) the rate in which the hair grows and the hair's life cycle duration, but if you cant take care of it, youre not going to see any sort of length change

where was that from? this site or another? sorry for the ignorance (im new here)

 

[Suri]

tlhs.org

She's ignorant to our hair, but the judgement just kinda pisses me off. They use chemicals too, you will see on the website that they credit white 'perms' to damage as well. Not sayin that's she evil or nothin but this statement just reinforces our mission here at LHCF

Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long.

It's like she's solidifying that rumor, by saying afro hair is a good example of some hair roots not producing long hair. Hair that doesn't procude long hair is more attiributed to heredity and genes like she started to say. Yeah well I hear you candy, i'm not tryna nail her to the cross, but why couldn't she just say..."afro hair needs more moisture than others"? which is very true.

 

[Crissi]

its just ignorance ugh, reminds me off a beauty book i was looking at today to help me with my coursework, the writer said black hair should be kept short, and if its long it better off weaved or relaxed. May i add this book had hundreds of pages and only had 2 pages on black hair.

 

[Candy_C]

tlhs.org

She's ignorant to our hair, but the judgement just kinda pisses me off. They use chemicals too, you will see on the website that they credit white 'perms' to damage as well. Not sayin that's she evil or nothin but this statement just reinforces our mission here at LHCF

Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long.

It's like she's solidifying that rumor, by saying afro hair is a good example of some hair roots not producing long hair. Hair that doesn't procude long hair is more attiributed to heredity and genes like she started to say. Yeah well I hear you candy, i'm not tryna nail her to the cross, but why couldn't she just say..."afro hair needs more moisture than others"? which is very true.

TRUE....

 

[MizaniMami]

Maybe I'm the dumb one (being sarcastic); But i just don't see how your growth follicles know "when to stop growing" hair according to your length...

I wish people would think logically: Growth follicles do not stop growing according to the length you are at. For example, your follicles don't say "MizaniMami is at shoulder length, since her family has short hair, and her "growth potential" is this length, we will stop growing."

 

[Suri]

^ ^ aww that sad face...lol she's alright, actually I LOVE the tips from her site but that statement wasn't too cool. Just goes to show ya that we are working not only to grow our hair, but to prove that horrible rumor untrue!!!

 

[angaliquew]

Maybe I'm the dumb one (being sarcastic); But i just don't see how your growth follicles know "when to stop growing" hair according to your length...

I wish people would think logically: Growth follicles do not stop growing according to the length you are at. For example, your follicles don't say "MizaniMami is at shoulder length, since her family has short hair, and her "growth potential" is this length, we will stop growing."

Good point

 

[Neroli]

Unfortunately that is a view shared my many people, including a lot of black folks, right or wrong . . .

We're just gonna start proving them wrong -- don't get mad, get even by growing!

 

[ChasingBliss]

Unfortunately that is a view shared my many people, including a lot of black folks, right or wrong . . .

We're just gonna start proving them wrong -- don't get mad, get even by growing!

Exactly!!!

And I the part about that genetically predetermined stuff that seems to be left out is ( I read on this board a few years back) that each person has the ability to grow their hair at least 25 inches....and that pertains to all races. I wish I could find it...

 

[Suri]

^ oh we know the truth...again grow out and prove them wrong..when they see all this afro hair down to our a$$es...nuff said.

 

[Amina]

Maybe I'm the dumb one (being sarcastic); But i just don't see how your growth follicles know "when to stop growing" hair according to your length...

I wish people would think logically: Growth follicles do not stop growing according to the length you are at. For example, your follicles don't say "MizaniMami is at shoulder length, since her family has short hair, and her "growth potential" is this length, we will stop growing."

ITA I don't think genetics have anything to do with the length of a person's hair. If genetics was the case many of us would not be on this forum trying to grow our hair healthy and long. MizaniMami the way you put it had me laughing really hard. Maybe I need to talk to my follicles about length.

 

[sweetcashew]

Exactly!!!

And I the part about that genetically predetermined stuff that seems to be left out is ( I read on this board a few years back) that each person has the ability to grow their hair at least 25 inches....and that pertains to all races. I wish I could find it...

I actually understand what this woman was trying to say. How many black women are walking around with butt length hair? Or knee length hair? Chemically processed or not.
25 inches of hair is not long according to other races. She did say there are exceptions and she's right.

 

[PrettyBrownEyes]

she said there were exceptions though!!

i mean shes not implyin that it cant ever happen. i read this ages ago an at first, thought.. "no thats fiesty" ...but really shes right. it is much harder to grow afro hair long than white hair ...esp. if we use chemicals aswell. we need more moisture. its a balancing act and i think its hard 2 grow afro hair long..PERSONALLY. but hey thats just my perception of what she meant

I agree with Candy_C.

 

[HairPhoenix]

Exactly!!!

And I the part about that genetically predetermined stuff that seems to be left out is ( I read on this board a few years back) that each person has the ability to grow their hair at least 25 inches....and that pertains to all races. I wish I could find it...

This may be the thread you are talking about:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=76287&highlight=interesting+hair+growth

I say ignore those comments about what people who don't know your hair say you can't do and keep doing what you are doing. Let everyone watch and learn how your hair grows. I have seen women with natural afro 4a/b hair that when stretched it reaches BSL to waist length. So I personally feel encouraged.

Those people don't know. How many times have you heard a white person say that Black people don't tan? We all know that we do, but they are willing to speak out on it when they know NOTHING. It's the same with hair.

 

[vaqtea]

Maybe I'm the dumb one (being sarcastic); But i just don't see how your growth follicles know "when to stop growing" hair according to your length...

I wish people would think logically: Growth follicles do not stop growing according to the length you are at. For example, your follicles don't say "MizaniMami is at shoulder length, since her family has short hair, and her "growth potential" is this length, we will stop growing."

Why wouldnt hair follicles know when to stop growing?

Leg hair, Arm hair, Armpit hair, eyebrows etc. seem to stop growing at a certain length. How do they know when to stop?

I just read your post and starting thinking about this .....

Are the hair follicles on our head different?

Im not trying to be pessimistic or anything but . . . .

These questions were running through my mind

Does anyone know the answer?

 

[remnant]

...Of course, you have to take into account those old friends genes and heredity. The kind of hair you are born with cannot actually be changed. No wonder product in the world will turn wispy, fine hair into thick, coarse hair or vice versa. Some hair roots just don't produce long hair. Afro hair is a good example of this. It just doesn't seem to grow very long. Of course, you get exceptions to this rule too. So, if your long hair just doesn't seem to be getting any longer, it could be the kind of hair you've got rather than poor treatment.
However, lots of people do mistreat their hair and there's an awful lot you can do to ensure your hair grows as long as possible if really long hair is what you want.

I like this website and all it's advise but this part kinda pissed me off, that's cool cuz so many of us have proved her wrong.

!

 

[Sazzy4Evr]

But also what I think is deceiving to a lot of people, especially to people who don't know anything about Black hair and natural Black hair, is that natural Black hair shrinks A LOT. How many times on this board have we seen people with natural hair that is shorter than shoulder length but when stretched reaches bra strap and longer? So,in many people's eyes they just see the unstretched hair and assume that it is short and conclude that Black people can't grow long hair. Black hair does not show length, unless relaxed, like other races.

Black people CAN and DO grow long hair. Generally, what hinders our growth is the misuse of chemicals and lack of knowledge on our type of hair.

 

[caltron]

Exactly!!!

And I the part about that genetically predetermined stuff that seems to be left out is ( I read on this board a few years back) that each person has the ability to grow their hair at least 25 inches....and that pertains to all races. I wish I could find it...

Wow! That's encouraging.

 

[MizaniMami]

Why wouldnt hair follicles know when to stop growing?

Leg hair, Arm hair, Armpit hair, eyebrows etc. seem to stop growing at a certain length. How do they know when to stop?

I just read your post and starting thinking about this .....

Are the hair follicles on our head different?

Im not trying to be pessimistic or anything but . . . .

These questions were running through my mind

Does anyone know the answer?

Your hair follicles do not "know" where your hair is at a certain length. Follicles do not have a mind of their own. That was the poitn that I was trying to get at. Your hair goes through active and inactive phases. As long as you are living (and breathing) everything on your body continues to grow from your cells to yes your hair follicles. It's just that the hair may fall out from being mistreated to just being "old". It's never stops for good. It goes through it's growth phase. Then it will stop for a period of time (the rest phase), and then restart the growth phase again.

Hair cells are different from say cells on the arms. The cells that make the hairs on your arms are programmed to stop growing every couple of months, so the hair on your arms stays short. The hair follicles on your head, on the other hand, are programmed to let hair grow for years at a time, so the hair can grow very long. This cycle continues until basicly, you are dead. It's just that some of these phases (the rest phase) last longer than others)

 

[Neroli]

Why wouldnt hair follicles know when to stop growing?

Leg hair, Arm hair, Armpit hair, eyebrows etc. seem to stop growing at a certain length. How do they know when to stop?

I just read your post and starting thinking about this .....

Are the hair follicles on our head different?

Im not trying to be pessimistic or anything but . . . .

These questions were running through my mind

Does anyone know the answer?

I was thinking the same thing -- genes MUST know when to stop, I mean I'm 4'11 so who told my body to stop growing? LOL!!

People think we can't grow our hair long 'cause a lot of us DON'T have long hair (my bad, DIDN'T!) I mean, a lot of BLACK WOMEN themselves think they can't grow long hair. I encounter black women, especially, who think I have a weave, so why get upset with white folks when our own thinks this way?

Though I believe genetics play a crucial role, I think we just didn't know how to handle our hair until now and the *stop button* on our hair is a lot further down our backs than we’ve thought heretofore. Before we started straightening, the shrinkage of our natural hair caused it to look short -- then when we figured out how to straighten, the pressing and perming, etc. we didn't know how to properly care for it and heat and chemical damage did us in.

But no more, sisters, WE'VE got this sucka licked and it's just a matter of time. I know I'm a source of complete and absolute *wonder* in my family since I hit brastrap last fall cause we ain't suppose to have long hair - why, I've always had these bantu kinks, even as baby, never did have no hair (that's my Aunt B marveling, touching, stroking my hair over the holidays) – so how it get long like this after lo these many decades? My answer, I now KNOW how to take care of my hair.

I'm *schooling* anyone who wants to know how I did it, including Aunt B who now thinks I’m her personal stylist – LOL!

Seriously, the only way to destroy the myth is by proving it wrong. Grow ladies, grow . . .

 

[MeccaMedinah]

I actually understand what this woman was trying to say. How many black women are walking around with butt length hair? Or knee length hair? Chemically processed or not.
25 inches of hair is not long according to other races. She did say there are exceptions and she's right.

I understand what she meant also. And I think that she is right.

 

[Eiano]

She is misinformed. It's not that we don't grow long hair it's that a lot of us DON'T know how to take care of our hair to retain the length.
I know hwite people see us and think that none of us can grow our hair long.

There are a few of us day in and day out who actually do have long hair, that is our own, not Chim-Lee's or Shetal's. But at least in my neck of the woods it's all short, brittle, broken, fried, nasty, thin hair..

It's easy for me to be realistic and see why white people AND BLACK PEOPLE think this about our hair.

 

[NewYorkgyrl]

She is basically saying that black people do not have the potential to grow kong hair. I guess she has never seen blacks with dreds down to their knees or the floor. That is a perfect example that blacks CAN and do have the potential to grow their hair.

 

[Sistaslick]

Your hair follicles do not "know" where your hair is at a certain length. Follicles do not have a mind of their own. That was the poitn that I was trying to get at. Your hair goes through active and inactive phases. As long as you are living (and breathing) everything on your body continues to grow from your cells to yes your hair follicles. It's just that the hair may fall out from being mistreated to just being "old". It's never stops for good. It goes through it's growth phase. Then it will stop for a period of time (the rest phase), and then restart the growth phase again.

Hair cells are different from say cells on the arms. The cells that make the hairs on your arms are programmed to stop growing every couple of months, so the hair on your arms stays short. The hair follicles on your head, on the other hand, are programmed to let hair grow for years at a time, so the hair can grow very long. This cycle continues until basicly, you are dead. It's just that some of these phases (the rest phase) last longer than others)

ITA. Length does not determine when your hair stops growing (goes into resting phase). TIME does. Your arm and leg hair go into a resting phase within a few months from the onset of growth- so it doesn't get very long. Your follicles don't go into resting phase as soon as the arm or leg hair hits 1/2 inches or a certain length... they go into resting phase when the 1-2 month time frame has expired.

The same with the hair on your head. The average growth phase is 4-6 years. Some have more, some have less. If your growth cycle is 4 years, no matter how long your hair is at that point it is going to be shed at that 4 year mark. You could either have gained as much length as your growth rate will allow you within that 4 year time period... or you could shave it to bald at 3 years and 355 days in and it will still shed at that 4 year expiration date. I agree with Mizani, length itself isn't the indicator of when the follicles go into a resting phase... time is. Make the most of your 4-6 year growth phase

 

[Bunny77]

Ok... if black women can't grow hair long, then why are numerous black children (boys and girls) walking around with beautiful long hair?

Like we all pointed out, if black hair doesn't appear to grow, it's usually because we're taking care of it the wrong way, particularly when we start pressing or relaxing more frequently -- which of course, usually happens when we leave childhood and go into our teenage years.

The fact that so many young black girls have such beautiful, thick and LONG hair is proof right there that black hair CAN and DOES grow. It might have to be handled more carefully because of its fragile nature, but it GROWS!!!

 

[Crackers Phinn]

Though I believe genetics play a crucial role, I think we just didn't know how to handle our hair until now and the *stop button* on our hair is a lot further down our backs than we’ve thought heretofore.

I agree with this 100%.

The genetics question comes up often on this and other sites and I always maintain that there probably is a 'stop' button, but most of us haven't been taking care of our hair long enough to get a real sense of where that is.

A year ago my hair was at the base of my neck, where it had been for almost 30 years. Today my hair stretched is about an inch and a half from armpit. So I'm like apparently neck length wasn't my stopping point.

What I find upsetting is that there always seems to be someone who is a bit too gleeful to tell somebody their hair won't reach a certain level.

 

[sweetcashew]

The woman said that black hair doesn't seem to grow very long. Long is relative. As I stated before, 25 inches might seem long to one person but it won't be long for another.
Yes our hair has that 4 to 6 year growth cycle but how much hair do we grow in that4 to 6 years is genetically predisposed.
My hair usually grows 1 inch to 1.5 inches a month, but one of my sister-in-law , who is Indian hair grows about 2.5 or more inches a month. I swear! So no matter how much I manage to hold on to all my growth, if both our hair grew for 5 years her hair would be way longer than mine. It's genetic.