Is it just genes???

[chicacanella]

it says AVERAGE ladies. not "definitive for everyone in the African diaspora." there are Africans who have faster growth rates than this, just like there are people of non-African descent who have slower growth rates.

i posted that because there are many women i've met on these hair boards who only get 4 inches a year. i don't want them to be discouraged, it isn't abnormal and if this is indeed your growth rate AND you only have a 3-year anagen you can still achieve a decent length of hair... you are not stuck at chin or barely brushing the shoulders as many women feel they are.

Not trying to be discouraging but they kind of are. I heard the lowest cycle was about two years and if someone hair grows at 4 inches a year, then two years would mean they have 8 inches. Then you have to considering trimming which may be an inch. So, they would have 7 inches of hair.

Three years would mean 4*3 = 12 -2 for trimming which is about at the back of their neck.

 

[JustKiya]

Not trying to be discouraging but they kind of are. I heard the lowest cycle was about two years and if someone hair grows at 4 inches a year, then two years would mean they have 8 inches. Then you have to considering trimming which may be an inch. So, they would have 7 inches of hair.

Three years would mean 4*3 = 12 -2 for trimming which is about at the back of their neck.

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

 

[AtlantaJJ]

www.loreal.com states that Asian hair grows at a rate of 1.3 cm per month... Caucasian hair grows at a rate of 1.2 cm a month... and African hair grows at a rate of 0.9 cm a month.

yes, you read that right... on average, we have a slower growth rate.

let's assume that 3 "average" subjects from each of the 3 races shaved their heads and retained every inch of growth in a year. the Asian would have 15.6 cm, the Caucasian 14.4 cm and the African 10.8 cm. in inches, that is 6.1 inches, 5.7 inches and 4.3 inches respectively.

if all 3 of them had the "average" anagen phase of 3 years, the Asian would be able to achieve 18.3 inches, the Caucasian 17.1 inches and the African 12.9 inches.

now obviously there are people who fall outside of "average." very few people will be at an extreme of very short hair or very long hair. most of us will fall in the middle. just to give you a visual example...

my hair is 13 inches here (layers):

(keep in mind that i am 5' 9" so for women who are the "average" height of 5' 5", 13 inches will probably look longer on them.)

as long as you are doing things to prevent your ends from breaking off or needing to be cut off (which is what we mean by rentention), i believe most of us should be able to grow at least 12.9 inches of hair within 3-year span.

In my little sister KeKe's (the new MBA) voice...."You broke it all the way down to the science of the thing for us!" That good, I'm banking on that very same math.

Plus due to less scientifc methods...I grew my hair to BSL when I had some kinda curl (it was a specific dude in LA that had his own curl shop) When I got it blow dried it was "way down my back" and I'm 5' 11" tall, so that was some hair for sure. The thing that did for me was retention using all that Jerry Juice errryday!! LOL

 

[AtlantaJJ]

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

I belive I'm going to grow my hair again but even prettier than when I was using Jerry Juice every day! and longer too!!

 

[locabouthair]

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

Let the church say amen!

 

[clever]

Let the church say amen!

AMEN!!!!

 

[Reinventing21]

www.loreal.com states that Asian hair grows at a rate of 1.3 cm per month... Caucasian hair grows at a rate of 1.2 cm a month... and African hair grows at a rate of 0.9 cm a month.

yes, you read that right... on average, we have a slower growth rate.

let's assume that 3 "average" subjects from each of the 3 races shaved their heads and retained every inch of growth in a year. the Asian would have 15.6 cm, the Caucasian 14.4 cm and the African 10.8 cm. in inches, that is 6.1 inches, 5.7 inches and 4.3 inches respectively.

if all 3 of them had the "average" anagen phase of 3 years, the Asian would be able to achieve 18.3 inches, the Caucasian 17.1 inches and the African 12.9 inches.

now obviously there are people who fall outside of "average." very few people will be at an extreme of very short hair or very long hair. most of us will fall in the middle. just to give you a visual example...

my hair is 13 inches here (layers):

(keep in mind that i am 5' 9" so for women who are the "average" height of 5' 5", 13 inches will probably look longer on them.)

as long as you are doing things to prevent your ends from breaking off or needing to be cut off (which is what we mean by rentention), i believe most of us should be able to grow at least 12.9 inches of hair within 3-year span.

Hi LadyLibra! BTW, you are one of my favortite naturals!
QUESTION: When comparing lengths with the various races over a certain time, do you & the scientists (do you think) consider the degree of straightness factor? I mean, say I was comparing a Japanese woman with you and you guys had a pic side by side where her hair is hitting the top of her bra strap like yours, wouldn't yours be longer in reality cuz your hair even when pulled has curliness to it? Does that make sense? I guess I want to know are the scientists ironing completely straight (and even then....) the kinky & curly hair to do an accurate measurement/comparison?

 

[JustKiya]

Hi LadyLibra! BTW, you are one of my favortite naturals!
QUESTION: When comparing lengths with the various races over a certain time, do you & the scientists (do you think) consider the degree of straightness factor? I mean, say I was comparing a Japanese woman with you and you guys had a pic side by side where her hair is hitting the top of her bra strap like yours, wouldn't yours be longer in reality cuz your hair even when pulled has curliness to it? Does that make sense? I guess I want to know are the scientists ironing completely straight (and even then....) the kinky & curly hair to do an accurate measurement/comparison?

In most studies, they don't watch people for that long. They shave a section of the head bald, and measure the growth over 7-14 days (I think it was in the studies I saw) and then extrapolate the growth rate from that. So, at the lengths they are checking, the amount of curl doesn't really factor in as much.

 

[Reinventing21]

In most studies, they don't watch people for that long. They shave a section of the head bald, and measure the growth over 7-14 days (I think it was in the studies I saw) and then extrapolate the growth rate from that. So, at the lengths they are checking, the amount of curl doesn't really factor in as much.

Hmmm......I see. Food for thought. Thanks for explaining! I don't disagree that people or some groups on average can have faster growth than others. I was just wondering too cuz as LadyLibra was saying in her pic that her hair is 13 inches and I am thinking her hair would be longer than that if fully straightened. You know if a natural is pulling her hair is to midback and saying she can't wait till waist length, I would think she is already there. I have seen other naturals do that too, so maybe it is assumed among naturals the length is counted only as long as gently pulled.

 

[africa]

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

ITA with everything you said here. In regards to the L'Oreal study, there seems to be too much missing information. Were the participants of African descent relaxed or natural? We already know the impact a lack of moisture (4 naturals and relaxed heads) and chemicals can have on hair growth, so we can't be sure that some of the black participants showed a lower average because of breakage/and or retention problems. A good number of us need to do a little extra to retain our ends and many in our community do not have the best hair care practces.

I'm not dismissing the study out of hand...it could very well be true, but for me, more questions need to be asked before I believe it just because L'Oreal said it. It could REALLY go either way, so for those who may be a little discouraged becasue of this "scientific" study, take heart. Some of us may have relatively short growth cycles,and some of us may not. You just can't know until you try .

Although I know for a fact (I'm from there) that the continent of Africa is very diverse, and the idea of "pure Africans" is problematic (I won't even go there now)...I am what some would call 100% black. Ain't no "mixture" up in here, and I get 1/2 inch a month. Others in my family have faster growing hair. I just chopped off a few inches this summer and the longest hairs at my crown are about 15 inches, and I'm still growing.

 

[Reinventing21]

ITA with everything you said here. In regards to the L'Oreal study, there seems to be too much missing information. Were the participants of African descent relaxed or natural? We already know the impact a lack of moisture (4 naturals and relaxed heads) and chemicals can have on hair growth, so we can't be sure that some of the black participants showed a lower average because of breakage/and or retention problems.

I'm not dismissing the study out of hand...it could very well be true, but for me, more questions need to be asked before I believe it just because L'Oreal said it. We already now our history and how careless "researchers" can be with us as subjects.

Although I know for a fact (I'm from there) that the continent of Africa is very diverse, and the idea of "pure Africans" is problematic (I won't even go there now)...I am what some would call 100% black. Ain't no "mixture" up in here, and I get 1/2 inch a month. Others in my family have faster growing hair. I just chopped off a few inches this summer and the longest hairs at my crown are about 15 inches, and I'm still growing.

Yea!!!!

 

[chicacanella]

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

Yeah, I was just going off of what the study says. For someone my height, they would probably end up between APL and BSL. For someone taller, it would probably be APL.

 

[aribell]

ITA with everything you said here. In regards to the L'Oreal study, there seems to be too much missing information. Were the participants of African descent relaxed or natural? We already know the impact a lack of moisture (4 naturals and relaxed heads) and chemicals can have on hair growth, so we can't be sure that some of the black participants showed a lower average because of breakage/and or retention problems. A good number of us need to do a little extra to retain our ends and many in our community do not have the best hair care practces.

ITA. So many testimonies on these boards show not just that women can retain length, but that they can get more length during their specified growing phase by taking vitamins, exercising, growth aids, etc. Even if there is someone who will only get 8 in. on average, they could still up their growth rate to .5"-1"/year through vits. and aids and washing, etc., and up their length to 12 or 15 inches. So, I agree with people who say that no one should be worried about only being able to grow NL or even SL hair.

 

[oldcrayons]

I don't think it's genes. I think it depends on how you take care of your hair. My hair was all the way down to my waist for the majority of my life, but I also never did much to my hair. I often just wet it and let it be. I have discovered that when you leave your hair alone it's healthier and grows much quicker.

 

[oldcrayons]

I don't think it's genes. I think it depends on how you take care of your hair. My hair was all the way down to my waist for the majority of my life, but I also never did much to my hair. I often just wet it and let it be. I have discovered that when you leave your hair alone it's healthier and grows much quicker.

Nevermind, forget what I said. I just read the boards and you should disregard what I said, lol.

 

[Evolving78]

ITA! My hair is currently the longest it has ever been. Whenever my mother looks at my hair she always says, "Your hair was never this soft when you were younger. Your hair was never this long." I really believe that it has more to do with good hair care practices than hereditery for gaining a decent length.

ita! my mother thought my hair would grow either, but she didn't know what she was doing with my hair anyway. my mother sisters have different texture than my mother and i think my grandmother did a lot more damage to my mother's hair trying to style it. then she had to take care of her hair at an early age since her mother died when she was 14 and my grandfather was raising her by himself before that even happened. your terminal length might be bsl or wsl. just keep taking care of your hair right and watch it grow!

 

[MonPetite]

So....

I get 1/5 to 3/4 of an inch a month WITHOUT growth aids....

Does this mean I AM mixed with something, since I have an "Asian" growth rate according to LOreal? erplexed

Have I been lied to my whole life?

Am I really...an alien?

From a planet of Honey-toned humanoids that have fast growing hair?

EGADS!




On a more serious note though...this does make me want to research my background more.

I DO have Commanche and Apache heritage (and the old photographs to prove it) within one to two generations of myself...is what I've referred to as "CRAP" about "mixed" ancestry = long hair true?

I sure as daylights hope NOT.

I like to believe we can all get to BSL AT LEAST.

 

[titan]

It is in the genes. Some women will never have butt long hair because they are not genetically predisposed to having very long hair. my mother always had thick , SLH ,her mother had BLS, while my great aunts had waist lenght hair. It is weird how nature works.

 

[kblc06]

Hello everyone. I was just wondering if it is possible for me not to have long hair because of my genes. I remember looking at my mother's hair before she had me and it really didnt get not that much longer (maybe a 1/2 inch to an inch) longer thanmine is right now.I am chin length. Any scientific reasoning behond this or is it just me???

Based upon how many of us care for our hair prior to hair boards or have any knowledge, there is no way to determine your hair's maximum capacity

btw, I'm in rochester too

 

[Kurlee]

I don't think it's genes. I think it depends on how you take care of your hair. My hair was all the way down to my waist for the majority of my life, but I also never did much to my hair. I often just wet it and let it be. I have discovered that when you leave your hair alone it's healthier and grows much quicker.

me too! if i bother my hair too much it gets annoyed. When i leave it alone, it grows/retains like nobody;s business

 

[kblc06]

That's only if you go for a blunt cut - with all your hair the same length as the shortest section of hair....ie, all crown length. If you leave your hair in natural layers, 7-8 inches of hair from the nape = at least APL.

I don't know why this topic keeps coming up - do so many women really want to have an excuse to just give up? Is stopping the cycle of abuse to our hair really that hard? It's seems so self-defeating to me...

"Oh, I believe I can't grow long hair because the law of averages says that I MIGHT only have 8 inches of hair total." *eyeroll* The law of averages also says that MOST of us shouldn't be online, and we managed to buck that one, eh?

*sigh*

You achieve what you believe.

I think you are spot on. Plus, the fact is every hair follicle on your head is independent (on any given day 50-100 are in sync in their telogen phase, and they shed at different lengths); just because a few follicles on the sides only grow 13 inches doesn't mean the hair at the crown will only grow to this length. Someone said it best when terminal length should be defined as terminal "time". It's not so much a matter of your hair will only grow to X length, but the number of years in which it remains in the anagen phase is crucial. If your growth rate speeds up during this anagen phase, due to diet, exercise, etc., then your hair would have acheived the maximum amount of length in the time span that it remains in the anagen phase. This could very well be the difference in 18 inches of hair and 24 inches of hair