Let's discuss "Terminal Length"

[FlawedBeauty]

There is something about "terminal length that doesnt make sense to me. Suppose there is a such thing as terminal length. That would mean at some point the hair just stops growing. So say i then cut my hair from this terminal length to grow it out again. Are we saying that my hair would not grow anymore because it has reached terminal length, or are we implying that our hair somehow knows that it has been cut (even though it is dead) and will decide start growing again. Doesnt make sense.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

No. Terminal length refers to individual strands because each strand has its own growth phase. A strand of hair will shed after so many years. Combine that with your growth rate and you get your terminal length. New strands will sprout from your head but that will be the beginning of a new strand because it is replacing the strand that has already been shed. Terminal length has nothing to do with you cutting your hair and your hair starts growing again because it knows its not at its desired length.

Think of your eyebrows or the hair on your leg. Those hairs have terminal lengths that are much shorter than the hair on your head. You leg hair or brows will not keep growing and growing and growing. After it's growth phase is over, it will naturally shed and a new strand will replace it. This is not the same as plucking your eyebrows or shaving and the same strand continues to grow because it knows that you plucked it. If you don't shave, your leg hair will still only grow so long

I suggest you do a search on here or on google if you want to know the science behind growth phases.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

So are we saying that the 100's of strands that shed everyday are at terminal length? Or are we saying there is a difference between normal shedding and terminal length shedding.

No. Terminal length refers to individual strands because each strand has its own growth phase. A strand of hair will shed after so many years. Combine that with your growth rate and you get your terminal length. New strands will sprout from your head but that will be the beginning of a new strand because it is replacing the strand that has already been shed. Terminal length has nothing to do with you cutting your hair and your hair starts growing again because it knows its not at its desired length.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

I see you added more...i don't recall my leg or arm hairs shedding and being replaced. They just chill til i shave em.

Think of your eyebrows or the hair on your leg. Those hairs have terminal lengths that are much shorter than the hair on your head. You leg hair or brows will not keep growing and growing and growing. After it's growth phase is over, it will naturally shed and a new strand will replace it. This is not the same as plucking your eyebrows or shaving and the same strand continues to grow because it knows that you plucked it. If you don't shave, your leg hair will still only grow so long

I suggest you do a search on here or on google if you want to know the science behind growth phases.

 

[brittanynic16]

I see you added more...i don't recall my leg or arm hairs shedding and being replaced. They just chill til i shave em.

Think about you eyelashes. I'm sure you've seen one fall out, right? That lash has reaches its terminal length. If your hair grew and grew and grew you would look like a camel.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

lol You probably don't notice them shedding but they definitely shed. The only reason you would notice your eyebrows and eyelashes shedding is because they most likely fall in your eyes or somewhere on your face. Otherwise you probably wouldn't notice that either.

Yes the hair strands that you shed everyday has reached its terminal length OR it may have been shed pre-maturely do to any type of stress. Think of it as terminal GROWTH not terminal LENGTH. Most people don't reach their terminal LENGTH because of breakage but you reach your terminal GROWTH regardless of how long it actually is on your head.

Does this make sense? I could break it down scientifically but I'm not sure how much sense it would make to you which is why I think you should just search it and find multiple sources.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

Well you can "search" for everything here. If people did that this forum wouldnt exist. I just wanted to have a discussion about it which is why I started the thread. I think im just one of those people that is not a true believer in terminal length and wanted to know what others thought. Als, what are you trying to imply with the bolded lol
o

lol You probably don't notice them shedding but they definitely shed. The only reason you would notice your eyebrows and eyelashes shedding is because they most likely fall in your eyes or somewhere on your face. Otherwise you probably wouldn't notice that either.

Yes the hair strands that you shed everyday has reached its terminal length OR it may have been shed pre-maturely do to any type of stress. Think of it as terminal GROWTH not terminal LENGTH. Most people don't reach their terminal LENGTH because of breakage but you reach your terminal GROWTH regardless of how long it actually is on your head.

Does this make sense? I could break it down scientifically but I'm not sure how much sense it would make to you which is why I think you should just search it and find multiple sources.

 

[JustKiya]

Ahhh, the terminal length discussion.

Hair has a life cycle, consisting of three separate stages. Growth, Resting, Dead.

Shed hair is hair that has reached the dead stage of the cycle. It dies, and it is released from the follicle, to make room for the next strand of hair. You can tell that your leg, arm, eyebrow, and eyelash hair all have a terminal length, because even if you don't shave your legs for three years, the hair on your legs isn't going to get much longer than 1/2 inch. It dies, and it is shed, and a new hair shows up.

Hair on your head does the same thing, and you have to remember, we are talking on a strand by strand level, and every strand is not on the same 'schedule'. If it was, we would molt/shed like the furred and feathered creatures do.

So. You have a strand of hair that starts growing. It grows for say - a year. Then, it rests for 6 months - not growing, but not dead, either. Then, it starts growing again. This cycle can go back and forth, back and forth, for years. At some point though, that strand of hair IS going to die. When that happens, it's shed, and a brand new strand, on it's own new cycle, starts to grow. This is why we shed so much hair a day - there are anything between 100K and 250K strands of hair on your head - and about 100 of them 'die' daily.

That ties into terminal length, because it is the maximum length that your hair can possibly achieve if it is never cut from the day it is 'born' (in the follicle of a shed hair) until the day it dies, and sheds. We can't calculate our terminal length though, because there is no known way to determine how long gap between birth and death of a hair is.

And to be honest, this REALLY is a topic that you should have done a search on - there are multiple threads here on the same topic - and it's not a matter of belief. That's like saying "I don't believe people die" It happens, whether you agree with it or believe it or not. And if you don't understand what's actually happening, then what you think you don't believe isn't what's actually going on, anyway.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

Kia: LOL, you know us old long time members gotta keep it interesting

Would you guys say that all shed hair is hair that has reached its terminal length then?

 

[JustKiya]

Kia: LOL, you know us old long time members gotta keep it interesting

Would you guys say that all shed hair is hair that has reached its terminal length then?

Yes.

The problem is - you don't know when that hair was born. It could have been born 8 years ago, and just shed today. That means that all of the 'shortening/damaging' processes you've done to your hair over 8 years would be reflected in the final length of that strand.
So that haircut in 2005? It counts.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

I'm not implying anything, there is no need for you to get defensive. From tutoring highschool students, I've discovered that I dont have the gift of being a teacher and I do not explain things well. Learning science is like learning a foreign language and I don't know how to explain science in a way that a non-scientist or a non-science major would understand. I assume you are neither of those two since you don't believe in the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases of hair growth. I also assumed that me explaining it scientifically would sound much more complicated than trying to give real life examples.

I also honestly don't see the point in having a discussion about something that has been discussed numerous times. I've seen more than 10 discussions about growth phases and terminal length. It's kind of like making a new discussion about wanting to know what a protective style is. Sometimes searching for things is a good thing.

 

[Tif392002]

i dont know my terminal length, but i hope its at least MBL, damnit.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

it was a joke, hence the LOL. believe you me defensive, i am not. maybe you need not be so serious.

also, i've been here since '06 and EVERYTHING on this board has been discussed numerous times. If everyone here did a search there would be no forum.

I'm not implying anything, there is no need for you to get defensive. From tutoring highschool students, I've discovered that I dont have the gift of being a teacher and I do not explain things well. Learning science is like learning a foreign language and I don't know how to explain science in a way that a non-scientist or a non-science major would understand. I assume you are neither of those two since you don't believe in the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases of hair growth. I also assumed that me explaining it scientifically would sound much more complicated than trying to give real life examples.

I also honestly don't see the point in having a discussion about something that has been discussed numerous times. I've seen more than 10 discussions about growth phases and terminal length. It's kind of like making a new discussion about wanting to know what a protective style is. Sometimes searching for things is a good thing.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

LOL Daaarrrnnnn yooooooooooooou!!!!!!

Yes.

The problem is - you don't know when that hair was born. It could have been born 8 years ago, and just shed today. That means that all of the 'shortening/damaging' processes you've done to your hair over 8 years would be reflected in the final length of that strand.
So that haircut in 2005? It counts.

 

[Love~Above~Color]

i dont know my terminal length, but i hope its at least MBL, damnit.

LMAO...ME TOOO!

 

[lilikoi]

Does this make sense? I could break it down scientifically but I'm not sure how much sense it would make to you which is why I think you should just search it and find multiple sources.

Yes, it makes sense. You've provided good explanations (and excellent analogies) in your posts. Thanks!

 

[FlawedBeauty]

Does anyone belive that some folks may not have a terminal. Like these folks? Or do you think they just have a crazy loooooong terminal length.

 

[brittanynic16]

So. You have a strand of hair that starts growing. It grows for say - a year. Then, it rests for 6 months - not growing, but not dead, either. Then, it starts growing again. This cycle can go back and forth, back and forth, for years. At some point though, that strand of hair IS going to die. When that happens, it's shed, and a brand new strand, on it's own new cycle, starts to grow. This is why we shed so much hair a day - there are anything between 100K and 250K strands of hair on your head - and about 100 of them 'die' daily.

Wait, I didn't know this. I thought is was just grow, rest and then die. I didn't know hair jumped back and forth between rest and grow. I always wondered why people said the rest of their growth has to catch up. Interesting...

 

[JustKiya]

Does anyone belive that some folks may not have a terminal. Like these folks? Or do you think they just have a crazy loooooong terminal length.

I think they just have a really long terminal length. If you were missing the 'switch' that told your hair to die and shed, I suspect it would be considered a birth defect, and you would be one of those 'furry' people, as your entire BODY would be covered with hair that has grown far too long I can't remember the name for the actual syndrome, though.

Wait, I didn't know this. I thought is was just grow, rest and then die. I didn't know hair jumped back and forth between rest and grow. I always wondered why people said the rest of their growth has to catch up. Interesting...

Yeah, I never realized that either! I was reading - something - and picked up that little nugget of information. I don't think it was anything scientific, I actually think it was from the ladies over on LHC - they were in 10+ years of growing, and had assumed their hair had reached terminal because it ws gaining like an inch a month - and then just STOPPED growing. And then, 6-18 months later - it would start growing again. *shrug*

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

I don't know how tall those women are nor do I know their growth rate. She doesn't look very tall, maybe about 5 feet. So hypothetically speaking, her anagen phase could be 8 years and she could be getting 2 inches a month. That would equal 24 inches a yr so that would be 192 inches in those 8 years (or 16 feet). Does that mean she does not have terminal length? No, it means her terminal length is 16 feet of hair, which in that picture it is not. So yes, I say she does have a terminal length, we don't know what it is and we don't know all of the factors that are apart of her growth.