Jealous of A Cancer Survivor's Hair Growth: Growth vs Texture

[Xerxes]

Ok, I am so glad for the anonymity of the internet because I have a rant to get out.

Why does black hair (specifically my 4b,z hair) grow so much freaking slower than nonBlacks' hair???

At work, I have a friend who literally just got off of chemo about 4.5 months ago. She's doing well and she asked me constantly during her treatments what to do about her hair and how to handle it when it began to grow back. Since I have dealt with people in her circumstance and I am always playing in my hair, I was a great resource to her. I even told her about MT! LOL

The crazy part is that she didn't need any growth stimulant at all. I am so proud of her recovery and great health, but her hair growth has got me kicking rocks! And I have noticed how she now looks at my just finally past my shoulder-length hair with a bit of glee!

She went from bald to the base of her neck-length (nearly shoulder length) in just 5 months!

And here I am slowly growing just my .5 an inch a month. What is up with that?!

Then I looked around and looked at my other nonBlack co-workers and their hair has grown well over an inch per month too, despite the fact that they routinely get their hair cut.

One other friend had the same ear-length hair cut as I did back in October 2008, and now her ponytail is 6 inches long! She's nearly APL and I should not expect to be APL until June 2010!

WTF?!??! :rant:

I seriously believe that genetics is the major determinant to hair growth (and perhaps retention). I know we argue about this alot, but the nonBlacks are not taking care of their hair at all and it seems like if they would stop cutting it, they could all be waist length in 1.5-2 years.

So have you noticed the same thing? Do you believe that genetics (race or hair texture) or nurture (how you style your hair, relaxed vs natural) is more important? And finally answer the poll so that I can see if texture correlates with hair growth rate.

 

[yaya24]

I don't think our hair grows slower. Its just breaking off at a faster rate due to different factors (dryness, manipulation, chemicals, bad habits etc). My hair grows about .5-1 inch a month sometimes more, and I'm in the 4b catagory (natural). My sister (also type 4 hair) gets almost an inch a month without trying.

 

[Hairsofab]

I believe hair growth and retention is 70% genetics 30% nuture/care.

 

[Taina]

I believe that the hair usually starts to grow more when you leave it alone - in my case it does - and i had nonblack friends that could not gain more growth than me, so it's not necesarily race.

What i do think, and actually helped me as well, is to eat well. Have a well balanced diet not only can get you in shape, but help your hair to grow longer and faster (most if you eat proteins, as the hair is protein).

And also to trim the hair every two or three months had helped me in the past, when the hair is healthy, it has no more option to grow right?

 

[Xerxes]

I don't think our hair grows slower. Its just breaking off at a faster rate due to different factors (dryness, manipulation, chemicals, bad habits etc). My hair grows about .5-1 inch a month sometimes more, and I'm in the 4b catagory (natural). My sister (also type 4 hair) gets almost an inch a month without trying.

OIC, you just did a BC. When I had a fade, my hair grew like a weed, then once it got past 6 inches, that fro' just seemed to stay the same length for years (it just had so many tangling and single strand knot issues that it prevented further growth), hence my return to relaxing. I wish you the best of luck on growing yours out. But for fun, track your growth against a 3c's growth who has just BC'd recently, you might be shocked...

front row seats.​

LOL

 

[Reecie]

Unfortunately....

I actually agree with the OP. Sorry ladies!!

 

[JayAnn0513]

When my mom was recovering from cancer back in the mid 90's my whole family was amazed at how fast her hair grew back. She went from no hair at all to shoulder length in 12 months or less. I was also amazed that her hair grew back a totally different texture. She was 4a/3c before and she is now 3c/3b.

 

[Xerxes]

Sorry about the poll, I can't figure out how to edit it, so decide which question you'd rather answer.

 

[Neith]

Whoa ...

Tell me you did not clump 1-4a together like that. :rofl3:

ETA:
To answer the question, I don't believe it is related to race. Some black people's hair grows really quickly too. There are a small amount of people percentage wise that have really fast growing hair.

PLUS, the kinkier the hair is, the weaker it is, the more babying it needs and it's harder to retain.

but... it's not like type 1 - 4a have a free pass. We all have our hair issues.

 

[msa]

I do think hair growth is based on genetics (and how your genetics respond to the environment ie "nurture"), but not race.

 

[MrsHdrLe]

Other races have been rocking wash-n-goes their whole lives and probably don't do very much to their hair on a daily basis (low mani)! Their hair comes out sraight (even when curly), but our hair grows too, it's just tightly curled at the root. Don't be discouraged. Just keep protecting your hair and enjoy the journey as much as possible. (side note, when I start to "hate my hair" I hide it, then I miss it. So I treat it better when i see it and by golly it's often times grown a lot!)

 

[Xerxes]

I believe hair growth and retention is 70% genetics 30% nuture/care.

ITA!!!!

I believe that the hair usually starts to grow more when you leave it alone - in my case it does - and i had nonblack friends that could not gain more growth than me, so it's not necesarily genetics.

What i do think, and actually helped me as well, is to eat well. Have a well balanced diet not only can get you in shape, but help your hair to grow longer and faster (most if you eat proteins, as the hair is protein).

And also to trim the hair every two or three months had helped me in the past, when the hair is healthy, it has no more option to grow right?

I'm not trying to be funny because I am admittedly annoyed right now, so I'll just say please PM me when you meet your next hair growth goal.

I just think that as long as you aren't giving yourself bad relaxers (overprocessing) and/or frying your hair with heat, your hair regimen doesn't matter.

Your hair will grow at it's pre-ordained growth rate regardless of what you do and then retention is probably 50/50 genetics and nurture.

Unfortunately....

I actually agree with the OP. Sorry ladies!!

YAY!!!

When my mom was recovering from cancer back in the mid 90's my whole family was amazed at how fast her hair grew back. She went from no hair at all to shoulder length in 12 months or less. I was also amazed that her hair grew back a totally different texture. She was 4a/3c before and she is now 3c/3b.

You know, my mom and I joked about this when her hair grew back softer and longer. Chemo is like the ultimate perm in that it lasts forever! LOL I just don't need "better" hair that bad. As far as the growth rate goes, my mom's hair nor any other black woman cancer patient's hair that I knew about has ever grown as fast as my non Black friends.

 

[Princess4real]

I with the people who believe it's genetics.

 

[crazydaze911]

Unfortunately....

I actually agree with the OP. Sorry ladies!!

me 2. and no one can convince me otherwise. im in NYC and around all races and its just not that hard for everyone else. must be the dryness issue

 

[Encore]

I don't care what anyone on this board says, different hair types grow at different rates. PERIOD. There is always the exception of a few people but in my experience 98% of the time this is the case.

I wanna see a 2b and a 4a BC the same day and watch whose hair grows faster regardless of eating habits and such.

 

[cmw45]

1.
2. I agree with the OP. In 99% of cases those with looser textured hair grows at rate.
3. Example. There are tons of international students at the University I went to, so I have definitely witnessed this more than oncee. My best friend is Taiwanese and her hair growth rate is definitely faster than mine. Some would say, outside factors. She is significantly overweight, whereas I exercise for an hour a day, six days a week. I eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of protein and vegetables. She is a takeout junkie. She has been known to wash her hair with soap and does not condition. I take great care of my hair. Despite all of this her hair grows at a significantly faster rate. I was more than able to measure this when I wore my hair in braids and was able to actually see the amount my hair grows each month. I get a half an inch.

 

[crazydaze911]

When my mom was recovering from cancer back in the mid 90's my whole family was amazed at how fast her hair grew back. She went from no hair at all to shoulder length in 12 months or less. I was also amazed that her hair grew back a totally different texture. She was 4a/3c before and she is now 3c/3b.

i heard chemo can change hair texture - make it straighter or curlier b/c it permanently changes the shape of the follicle or smthg like that...

 

[TCatt86]

I think hair growth is genetic, I come from a family of slow growers...but I know other people's whose hair can grow circle around me.

 

[Neith]

Would type 1 hair grow faster than type 2 hair or type 2 grow faster than type 3 or does this only apply to kinky hair vs. non kinky hair?

Would it apply to non blacks with kinky hair?

:scratchch

 

[Xerxes]

Whoa ...

Tell me you did not clump 1-4a together like that. :rofl3:

ETA:
To answer the question, I don't believe it is related to race. Some black people's hair grows really quickly too. There are a small amount of people percentage wise that have really fast growing hair.

PLUS, the kinkier the hair is, the weaker it is, the more babying it needs and it's harder to retain.

but... it's not like type 1 - 4a have a free pass. We all have our hair issues.

Oh, yes I did clump all of those types together! LOL

Firstly, I was not going to type out all of those possible hair type options and then secondly, I see a marked difference in the numbers of women with BSL hair with Type 4B+ hair compared to others. Also, Type 4As are a heterogeneous group filled with what I consider poorly defined 3Cs. Hair with curls get a pass in my 4b-z worldview.

For the record, I have never seen a woman with cottony-textured hair like mine ever reach MBL+. So that is why I try to keep the true kinky, devoid of all definition hair separate from the others.

And yes, we all have issues, but I'm focused on my hair type. lol

I do think hair growth is based on genetics (and how your genetics respond to the environment ie "nurture"), but not race.

Explain how you don't see genetics as having anything to do with race, surely most see the two as having something to do with each other despite the whole social construct thing.

Other races have been rocking wash-n-goes their whole lives and probably don't do very much to their hair on a daily basis (low mani)! Their hair comes out sraight (even when curly), but our hair grows too, it's just tightly curled at the root. Don't be discouraged. Just keep protecting your hair and enjoy the journey as much as possible. (side note, when I start to "hate my hair" I hide it, then I miss it. So I treat it better when i see it and by golly it's often times grown a lot!)

I know our hair grows, I just hate being on the wrong side of the bell curve! LMAO

I just wish I could slow everyone else's hair growth rate down and then catch up. Or if I could just jump to June 2010 and if I'm still not APL, I'll take a hostage or succumb to getting my first weave, but then I'll feel like a RHOA... I don't want to look like Kim or Nene!

Ok, I think the rant is passing, I'm smiling again.

 

[Encore]

I don't know why is it such a crime on this board to say that genetics/hair types play a role in rate of growth.
Whateva.

 

[mscocoface]

I don 't know if it is genetic or not but I do KNOW for sure that some people experience quicker growth than others even when both have healthy hair.

I consider myself to be a moody hair grower. Most months it is slow and then I can get a growth spurt.

It is what it is. I am learning to accept that. It is diifficult when you see folks growth progress and you know you have had no setbacks your hair is healthy but it did not grow like the person posting those pictures.

It gets real frustrating when the people who have the same hair texture can grow hair quicker than you can.

 

[Kawaii1]

I agree with genetics. Just like sisters (with the same parents) look different, you will each get different gentic qualities. My twin sister's hair grows super fast. Mine not at all.

 

[lilyofthevalley]

I think genetics do play a role in hair growth. But I think it's wrong to lump all black people or all white people together because of their race. The genetic differences within races, especially the black race, is much larger than between races. So just because one black person's hair grows slow does not mean that every black person is going to have slow growing hair. If you take a look at the members on this site, you'll notice differences in the rate of hair growth even though many of us are black. I think we need to pay some attention to individual genetic differences not just racial differences.

 

[Sapphire_chic]

erm if you say you haven't seen true 4bs, cnapps with beyond mbl hair you should check out fotki and youtube, they are out there there was a long thread on here (it was a sticky) about one such lady.
eta: sera252

 

[Neith]

Oh, yes I did clump all of those types together! LOL

Firstly, I was not going to type out all of those possible hair type options and then secondly, I see a marked difference in the numbers of women with BSL hair with Type 4B+ hair compared to others. Also, Type 4As are a heterogeneous group filled with what I consider poorly defined 3Cs. Hair with curls get a pass in my 4b-z worldview.

For the record, I have never seen a woman with cottony-textured hair like mine ever reach MBL+. So that is why I try to keep the true kinky, devoid of all definition hair separate from the others.

And yes, we all have issues, but I'm focused on my hair type. lol

Erm. Yeah... type 1 hair and type 4a are much more closely related texturewise than type 4a and 4b.

Oookay. erplexed

Just because you have never seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Also... have you ever done a search for long haired 4b's on this site?

Here is a thread that lists several:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=214279

 

[Encore]

I don't believe its so much race as is genetics. Not all black people are 4 a's and b's

Same for yt folks. With proper care I believe we all have the possibility to grow long hair. Just at diffrent rates.

 

[Neith]

I don't know why is it such a crime on this board to say that genetics/hair types play a role in rate of growth.
Whateva.

It's not a crime at all!

I just disagree.

Not trying to come down on anyone or change anyone's mind. (hope no one thinks that) Just having a discussion.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

I believe that the hair usually starts to grow more when you leave it alone - in my case it does - and i had nonblack friends that could not gain more growth than me, so it's not necesarily race.

What i do think, and actually helped me as well, is to eat well. Have a well balanced diet not only can get you in shape, but help your hair to grow longer and faster (most if you eat proteins, as the hair is protein).

And also to trim the hair every two or three months had helped me in the past, when the hair is healthy, it has no more option to grow right?

I am with the OP on this rant!

Non-black people do as much if not more damage to their hair as well do. Heat, not sleeping on satin, junk food.

This is like the magic question that this board tries to avoid, but the OP is right, is a cause for a rant. Our hair ain't that dry and brittle, if it was, it wouldn't stay on our head!

 

[AvaSpeaks]

Would type 1 hair grow faster than type 2 hair or type 2 grow faster than type 3 or does this only apply to kinky hair vs. non kinky hair?

Would it apply to non blacks with kinky hair?

:scratchch

Yes. Because this word "kinky" is not the same as "nappy".

Non-Blacks with kinkier hair, it seems like their hair grows faster too.

Or Black men with the kinkiest or nappiest or whatever you want to call it, their hair grows or "seems" to grow faster too.