Anyone else an extremely SLOW grower?

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

Today, I decided to do a length check. I realized I only grew about two inches (I swear it's not an overexaggeration) since April 2009...not April 2010. The picture in my avatar is from April 26, 2009 (my sister's birthday). The pic below is from today. I take EXTREME caution with my hair and 90% of the time i KISS.

Is anyone else an extremely slow grower?

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

BUMP!!!! I know there's someone out there...

 

[4bslbound]

Is your hair relaxed or natural?

If its relaxed then that would have to mean that you have had one or two at the most relaxers in over a year(without purposely stretching). If this is not the case, your problem is retention.

ETA:
Also, it looks like more than 2 inches on your sides........

 

[nikolite]

Are you sure? I'd look more deeply into my regimen/products/techniques before coming to that conclusion. How long did it take for you to grow the hair that you already have? 4bsl has a point too, how many relaxers have you had if you're relaxed?

 

[havilland]

i was a slow grower. so i am chiming in here.

honestly, your hair looks like it grew more than two inches.

anyways, regardless you went from neck length to shoulder length in a year.

let's celebrate that milestone!

your hair looks healthy and beautiful.

(avg. growth is 6 inches a year. some people get more some less. i used to get aboout 4 inches, but this year i had a spurt. so i am hoping for 6 this year)

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

I haven't had a relaxer since March 2009...and that was when i texlaxed. I really keep my regimen simple and easy, i do whatever my hair tells me. I do protein DC's one week, moisturizing DC's the next. I rollerset maybe once a month, and straighten once a month. I don't do too much with it because it's a huge poofball after 10 minutes or so. I use Moroccanoil oil in the morning, even if i'm tossing it in a ponytail. I may co-wash a few times a month, but nothing that I would consider a must-do on my list.

I literally relax and keep it simple. I do take vitamins because i'm trying to grow my nails and i eat very healthy. No sodas, hardly any sugar except a few teaspoons in my oatmeal, fruits and veggies, no red meat or pork, and lots of water. I just don't know what it is. It seemed like it grew a lot the first year i started my HHJ, now i'm lucky if I see an inch in four months.

 

[Mystic]

There are many of us here love. I've been where you are at so I totally can relate.
See below for comments by other slow growers.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=476628&highlight=slow+grower

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=440310&highlight=slow+grower

 

[Nonie]

OP, you mentioned your regimen. But how do you wear your hair? How do you style it from day to day? Do you trim ever? How often? Do you seal your ends? Once you answer those questions, I'll tell you what I think is going on.

 

[Gleek]

I am a slow grown in the from of my head. I am transitioning so it's easy for me to see. I am afraid I will have a mullet by the end of the year at this rate.

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

OP, you mentioned your regimen. But how do you wear your hair? How do you style it from day to day? Do you trim ever? How often? Do you seal your ends? Once you answer those questions, I'll tell you what I think is going on.

A basic ponytail if my hair is dry; if it's wet, i wear buns. I wear my hair out only when i straighten, which isn't often (I just straightened my hair for the first time in a month because the humidity was killing it).

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

There are many of us here love. I've been where you are at so I totally can relate.
See below for comments by other slow growers.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=476628&highlight=slow+grower

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=440310&highlight=slow+grower

Sigh...thank you... This is another reason why I won't trim or BC. I feel like i'll be stuck at SL forever. I should have been SL by May 2009 and here it is July 2010 and I'm barely there.

 

[Nonie]

A basic ponytail if my hair is dry; if it's wet, i wear buns. I wear my hair out only when i straighten, which isn't often (I just straightened my hair for the first time in a month because the humidity was killing it).

You answered my first question.

You didn't answer: Do you trim? If so, how often?

You didn't answer: Do you seal your ends?

So if I'm to guess, your answer is no. So you have shoulder-length hair that is manipulated into styles daily. In a ponytail, your ends are left exposed to the drying air. I tried to see what your wet bun looks like coz lawd knows my hair cannot form a bun when wet and it's a little longer than yours, but I couldn't find one in your album. Do you have a pic of your bun?

So what's happening is your retention is bad. Friction from styling tools/manipulation wrecks havoc on ends. So does their just being in existence over time. And if you're not sealing, you leave them even more vulnerable to the effects I just mentioned. Add to that the absence of trimming and you have a sad story of no progress whatsoever as the ends just fall away on their own, taking with them a portion of hair that might've been saved if you'd made a nice clean blunt cut. You see ends don't break off like a twig if left to their own devices. Instead they tear off, a split extending up the strand into areas that were nice and whole till it tears off, thus affecting a section of the hair that didn't need to be damaged. And before you know it, what's left is a "mist" of hair that blows away unnoticed leaving you right where you were.

I will let you process that for now, and then if you are interested, I'll be happy to share my own journey in pics so you can see how the things I mention above really do affect retention. And if it's any consolation, my retention is not very different from yours--which is 1/4 of what it is supposed to be--for the same reason I mention above.

 

[Aireen]

I'm a slow grower, my hair grows at about 0.25 inches/month. I'm trying to up my vitamin and water intake or at least cut down on the pop to try to see if that will bump up my hair growth. For me retention is not an issue but from what you and others have stated I really believe that it might be a problem for your hair.

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

You answered my first question.

You didn't answer: Do you trim? If so, how often?

You didn't answer: Do you seal your ends?

So if I'm to guess, your answer is no. So you have shoulder-length hair that is manipulated into styles daily. In a ponytail, your ends are left exposed to the drying air. I tried to see what your wet bun looks like coz lawd knows my hair cannot form a bun when wet and it's a little longer than yours, but I couldn't find one in your album. Do you have a pic of your bun?

So what's happening is your retention is bad. Friction from styling tools/manipulation wrecks havoc on ends. So does their just being in existence over time. And if you're not sealing, you leave them even more vulnerable to the effects I just mentioned. Add to that the absence of trimming and you have a sad story of no progress whatsoever as the ends just fall away on their own, taking with them a portion of hair that might've been saved if you'd made a nice clean blunt cut. You see ends don't break off like a twig if left to their own devices. Instead they tear off, a split extending up the strand into areas that were nice and whole till it tears off, thus affecting a section of the hair that didn't need to be damaged. And before you know it, what's left is a "mist" of hair that blows away unnoticed leaving you right where you were.

I will let you process that for now, and then if you are interested, I'll be happy to share my own journey in pics so you can see how the things I mention above really do affect retention. And if it's any consolation, my retention is not very different from yours--which is 1/4 of what it is supposed to be--for the same reason I mention above.

Sorry girlfriend, i overlooked the question (late night). I trim once a year (I have a phobia), but I do seal with Moroccan Oil. I may just go back to the days of co-washing three times a week, wet bunning, spraying with S-curl and sealing with castor oil or coconut oil. Oh and my MT and OCT. It seems like when i had a bunch of different things going on, my hair was growing in faster and thicker (at least compared to now).

Also, I don't even know if I am doing my wet buns properly. I take a ponytail holder and tuck the ends under there, is there a better way to do wet buns? does anyone know of a good wet bun tutorial that i can watch on youtube?

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

And yes, please share... i need some support...

 

[fatimablush]

I am a slow grower.

My hair is natural and i just cut the the rest of the relaxer in feb or mar. my hair is the same length..I am going to comb it out tinite before i wash just to check..also it could be that i am anxious to have my hair the same length that it was before that stylist messed up my hair.

I did go thrigh a bad shedding period where most of my hair landed on the floor and the sink..thankk goodness that is over.

Myhair does retain length...i just grow slow..i just learned to accept it..good thing come to those who wait..so mother keeps saying.

 

[Nonie]

Sorry girlfriend, i overlooked the question (late night). I trim once a year (I have a phobia), but I do seal with Moroccan Oil. I may just go back to the days of co-washing three times a week, wet bunning, spraying with S-curl and sealing with castor oil or coconut oil. Oh and my MT and OCT. It seems like when i had a bunch of different things going on, my hair was growing in faster and thicker (at least compared to now). [ (/FONT]

Well, your previous regimen probably worked because your ends were drenched in moisture ( from CWing and S Curl) and then sealed so they were not drying up and breaking.

Trimming once a year when you aren't PSing 24/7 isn't enough IMO. I will show you in my next post how going from trimming once every 2 months to trimming once in 4, cost me 2 inches of hair.

Also, I don't even know if I am doing my wet buns properly. I take a ponytail holder and tuck the ends under there, is there a better way to do wet buns? does anyone know of a good wet bun tutorial that i can watch on youtube?

Hmm... :scratchch When you say ponytail holder, do you mean like an ouchless elastic? People have had breakage on their hair from wearing their ponytail in the same spot all the time due to the styling tool causing trauma to their hair, so I imagine it could cut into ends too.

Check out DSD's tutorial and see if that can work for you. I'm guessing if you dipped the scrunchie in oil or some moisturizer before adding it at the end, it'd provide some TLC to your ends. The only other "PSing" I can think of for hair your length is braiding it and tucking the braid under. Or do what I used to do when I was relaxed (below).

When my hair was this length:

...I would cross wrap it at the back and tuck the ends under the hair on either side, and use hairpins to keep it in place:

I used to love the look of having very short hair, so that when I'd wear it out, folks would be like One guy at my job was surprised the day I wore my hair down, bless his naive butt. He said, "Wow, I didn't think people from Africa could have long hair!" I remember how flattered I felt that he thought my hair was long. I didn't take offense coz I honestly believed he was sincere in his ignorance. But yeah, hiding your hair for a while can make the "reveal" such a fun experience.

ETA: I'll be back later to share how my lazy hair habits cost me retention.

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

It's a Goody Ouchless elastic band (?) and I put my hair in a ponytail and wrap the ends underneath. Today, I tried to do it the SouthernTease way but definitely missed the mark. I used bobbypins for the end so it could stay in place. I am going to go back to my previous regimen of co-washing and using S-curl or Carefree Gold (Any suggestions of which one is better?) and sealing with Castor Oil and Moroccan Oil (until I run out then I'll go back to coconut oil). I'm also going to jump back into my OCT and MT fix. I thought I was doing better by keeping my regimen simple, but I guess that's not the case for my poor hair.

 

[melissa-bee]

My hair grows so slow. I am a year post either today or next wednesday (I've just stopped counting now because it's just annoying me). I have just under 4 inches of new growth. Nothing to to with rentention cos I still got relaxed ends hanging of it.
I'm gonna take up running soon, so hopefully that will boost my growth rate.

 

[TLC1020]

I am also a slow grower but I also think that my issue in the past was retention. When I learned how to keep that in order my hair thrived however I still believe my hair grow at a slow rate...

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

My hair grows so slow. I am a year post either today or next wednesday (I've just stopped counting now because it's just annoying me). I have just under 4 inches of new growth. Nothing to to with rentention cos I still got relaxed ends hanging of it.
I'm gonna take up running soon, so hopefully that will boost my growth rate.

Maybe I need to go back to exercising daily or every other day. Get my blood circulating and pumping, plus it doesn't hurt to be healthy, in shape, AND have gorgeous hair

 

[africanqueen456]

Umm I heard that bunning by tucking the ends in the scruchie could wreak havoc on your ends( break them)...I think you should use bobby pins or a clip for your bun...here is a tutorial of how I do my fav bun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPlTUo0MtgA

 

[africanqueen456]

Maybe I need to go back to exercising daily or every other day. Get my blood circulating and pumping, plus it doesn't hurt to be healthy, in shape, AND have gorgeous hair

exercising will definitely up your growth...that and healthy eating

 

[*closer*2*my*dreams*]

I have the small bobby pins which i wil start back using; I really want to use the big bobby pins in the Southern Tease method. I'll have to watch the link you sent me later, I'm at work and don't have the flash player/plugin to view youtube videos.