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Not sure if I buy this whole terminal length stuff......
- Thread starter ebonyhair
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msa
New Member
Terminal length is not about whether your hair stops growing.
Think of it this way, hair is always growing but there is a predetermined length of your growth cycle based on your biology. Some people's growth cycles are really long and some people's are short. The average is between 2-6 years. You also have a growth rate based on your biology (though there are supposedly other things that can affect it like diet and growth aids).
Now if you have a 2 year growth cycle and only grow/retain 6inches that means your hair will only be 12 inches in length before it starts to shed. No matter what you do, it won't grow any longer before it starts to shed at the end of your two year growth cycle. 12 inches would be your terminal length.
Think of it this way, hair is always growing but there is a predetermined length of your growth cycle based on your biology. Some people's growth cycles are really long and some people's are short. The average is between 2-6 years. You also have a growth rate based on your biology (though there are supposedly other things that can affect it like diet and growth aids).
Now if you have a 2 year growth cycle and only grow/retain 6inches that means your hair will only be 12 inches in length before it starts to shed. No matter what you do, it won't grow any longer before it starts to shed at the end of your two year growth cycle. 12 inches would be your terminal length.
Keen
Well-Known Member
Your hair has a life cycle. Once it reaches that cycle, 2 to 4 years on average, it will shed and a new hair will start growing in that follicle. That's why the lenght is terminal because after a certain time (not lenght) the hair falls off. Hair life cycle is scientific.
ETA: I don't know if speed of growth affect the life span. Apparently some people's hair grow faster than others just like some people's hair have shorter life span. If a person have fast growth and long lifespan, they can grow their hair much longer than a person with small grow and shorter cycle. There are products to increase the cycle. Don't know how well they work though.
ETA: I don't know if speed of growth affect the life span. Apparently some people's hair grow faster than others just like some people's hair have shorter life span. If a person have fast growth and long lifespan, they can grow their hair much longer than a person with small grow and shorter cycle. There are products to increase the cycle. Don't know how well they work though.
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ladylibra
New Member
here we go with the terminal length stuff again... 
hair has a genetically pre-determined terminal length, just like your body had a genetically pre-determined terminal height. the only difference is, once a hair follicle runs its lifespan and dies (aka SHEDS)... another one will regenerate eventually, and grow again for its genetically pre-determined terminal length until it dies.
all of your hair isn't on the same growth cycle. the majority of it is growing, but a small minority of it has stopped and sheds when you wash, comb or manipulate your hair.
it's not really a difficult concept. it's the same as your skin. you don't shed all the skin on your body like a snake does... you shed random cells when you shower, or when you're "ashy"
and scratch your skin.
certain factors affected how tall you ended up actually growing... overall health and diet during childhood and puberty, for example. you might have been able to grow to 5' 8" but let's say you grew up in a third-world country... you might have maxed out at 5' 5" or something. same with hair. if your follicle's lifespan is only 5 years, but you have an unhealthy diet or do a lot of damage with heat or chemicals or just do a lot of cutting... it might not grow the maximum 30 inches (assuming you get 6 inches a year).
hair has a genetically pre-determined terminal length, just like your body had a genetically pre-determined terminal height. the only difference is, once a hair follicle runs its lifespan and dies (aka SHEDS)... another one will regenerate eventually, and grow again for its genetically pre-determined terminal length until it dies.
all of your hair isn't on the same growth cycle. the majority of it is growing, but a small minority of it has stopped and sheds when you wash, comb or manipulate your hair.
it's not really a difficult concept. it's the same as your skin. you don't shed all the skin on your body like a snake does... you shed random cells when you shower, or when you're "ashy"
and scratch your skin.certain factors affected how tall you ended up actually growing... overall health and diet during childhood and puberty, for example. you might have been able to grow to 5' 8" but let's say you grew up in a third-world country... you might have maxed out at 5' 5" or something. same with hair. if your follicle's lifespan is only 5 years, but you have an unhealthy diet or do a lot of damage with heat or chemicals or just do a lot of cutting... it might not grow the maximum 30 inches (assuming you get 6 inches a year).
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ebonyhair
Well-Known Member
Angelicus
Well-Known Member
It's Lorraine's. She used to be a member of this board.
whitedaisez
Active Member
Ur hair doesnt STOP growing wen it reaches the terminal length. The old hair FALLS out and the new hair replaces it. The word "terminal length" is a misnomer because the hair does not shed by calculating the length of ur hair. The hair strand grows in stages/cycles. Each cycle has its own time period depending on the person's genes. Telogen is the last hair cycle and based on ur genetics, when its time is up, whatever your hair length was at that time is what your terminal length is because then the hair will fall and another one will take its place. Hair on ur head are at different stages. So some (about 15%) are at telogen stage and the rest are at diff stages. If all ur hair strands were at the same stage, then EVERYONE would be bald at some point. Each stage has an internal clock. So NO, ur hair does NOT stop growing. It sheds and ANOTHER one takes its place. That is why you will ALWAYS be having new growth on ur hair.
Hmmmm, I think I may have reached my terminal length. Since Dec 08, my hair is at the same length. As a matter of fact, it seems a couple inches shorter. Funny thing is, I barely trim the ends (maybe once every 2 months), I do not see shedding on the bathroom floor, I do not comb my hair daily (wear half wig often with hair braided underneath), do not have tangles and I know it is growing (I'm not dead) so where the heck does the length go?? I am very puzzled about this, lol. I hate weaves and braids but I do not know what else to do to see my growth potential. I didn't have this problem when I was relaxed.
At the back of my head though, it's hard for me to give up and succumb to this terminal length thingy. What's the point of being on this forum if that's the case?
At the back of my head though, it's hard for me to give up and succumb to this terminal length thingy. What's the point of being on this forum if that's the case?
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