Reaching goal length and Hair's Life Cycle

[amwcah]

I was wondering last night after washing my hair and seeing long shedded hairs in my hair strainer if I would ever reach my goal length of WL hair. Then, my theory was confirmed somewhat when I stumbled upon a statement that was made in another site about our hair reaching it's natural life cycle and shedding and mentioned in another thread.

Please share your thoughts on hair length and your hair's natural life cycle. Do you find this to be the case for you? Do you feel you have an optimal hair length?

 

[Jynkx]

this is not the case for me, but this is a good question. many times i have felt the way you do. at times it seems like ..ok, so this is as long as its gonna get. but when i ignore my hair it still keeps growing. so i am interested to see what is said on this subject. there is no doubt you are finding long hairs in the shower, if you have length and your not suffering from breakage then the hairs you find will always be long. you just cant go off of that.

if anyone posts on this to say that they have reached the hair growing limit, please tell us how/why you think you at that point.

 

[JustKiya]

I won't believe that my hair has reached it's terminal length until I wear it up for an ENTIRE year, and don't get any additional length.

I've seen too many women of too many different colors with BSL+ hair to believe that somehow I'm the special one who's hair just won't grow past shoulderlength/APL.

But ya know, I could be wrong. The only way to know is to keep on growing though......

 

[laurend]

It depends on your genetic make-up. You might be able to grow your hair to your waist if it's in your genes if not it might only grow to your brastrap.

 

[Jynkx]

It depends on your genetic make-up. You might be able to grow your hair to your waist if it's in your genes if not it might only grow to your brastrap.

have you ever know someone that you know for sure takes care of their hair and it still didnt grow? i just dont know if i buy this theory. i think girls get tooo caught up with cuts and styles and thats why they dont grow.

 

[silvergirl]

well.. hair grows (on average) 6inches per year. with a life cycle anywhere from 2yrs to 7 yrs (maybe even more).

so based on that the average, a person "should" be able to grow there hair to at least brastrap length. and thats on the small end of the scale. of course there will be some ppl may be less than that. but i think brastrap length hair should be an attainable goal for most ppl of any race.

 

[Jynkx]

well.. hair grows (on average) 6inches per year. with a life cycle anywhere from 2yrs to 7 yrs (maybe even more).

so based on that the average, a person "should" be able to grow there hair to at least brastrap length. and thats on the small end of the scale. of course there will be some ppl may be less than that. but i think brastrap length hair should be an attainable goal for most ppl of any race.

with care and patience that should be very attainable.

 

[laurend]

have you ever know someone that you know for sure takes care of their hair and it still didnt grow? i just dont know if i buy this theory. i think girls get tooo caught up with cuts and styles and thats why they dont grow.

If there were the case everyone should be able to grow hair to their ankles it just doesn't happen. Check back in 7 years and let's see what your hear length is.

 

[silvergirl]

have you ever know someone that you know for sure takes care of their hair and it still didnt grow? i just dont know if i buy this theory. i think girls get tooo caught up with cuts and styles and thats why they dont grow.

not to mention bad hair care. before lhcf i honestly thought i was doing the best for my hair, in my eyes i had a good hair care habit and my hair never moved beyond top of shoulder length, so i figure shoulder length was what i was meant to be.

my avatar pic proves otherwise. what someone may think might be their terminal length , may actually just need a readjusting of hair care habits....

 

[Jynkx]

If there were the case everyone should be able to grow hair to their ankles it just doesn't happen. Check back in 7 years and let's see what your hear length is.

let me start by saying that im not here for S-talking. i though we were all here on the same hair mission, but maybe your not! i dont need to come back in 7 years as i am at classic now. so i think i know about putting in the time it takes to do the damn thang. at the same time im not here trying to floss on anyone either, cuz really who cares about my hair but me anyway?!? its the negative attitudes like yours that have folks thinking they cant grow hair. i think they can. so if you wanna talk trash thats cool, but maybe you should put this energy into getting the results YOU want for YOUR hair.

like i said before, with care and patience most can grow crazy long locks

 

[Jynkx]

not to mention bad hair care. before lhcf i honestly thought i was doing the best for my hair, in my eyes i had a good hair care habit and my hair never moved beyond top of shoulder length, so i figure shoulder length was what i was meant to be.

my avatar pic proves otherwise. what someone may think might be their terminal length , may actually just need a readjusting of hair care habits....

you hit the nail on the head with that! most of us have been ignorant in hair care. i know i have been . i am just now learning how to take care of it. so many ladies on here thought they would never have hair like they do. its amazing some of the pix on here.

 

[laurend]

let me start by saying that im not here for S-talking. i though we were all here on the same hair mission, but maybe your not! i dont need to come back in 7 years as i am at classic now. so i think i know about putting in the time it takes to do the damn thang. at the same time im not here trying to floss on anyone either, cuz really who cares about my hair but me anyway?!? its the negative attitudes like yours that have folks thinking they cant grow hair. i think they can. so if you wanna talk trash thats cool, but maybe you should put this energy into getting the results YOU want for YOUR hair.

like i said before, with care and patience most cant grow crazy long locks

If you read my post, I didn't say hair won't grow I said it will grow to her terminal length. Now that might be brastrap or it might be to her waist only time will tell and I'm not getting in a fight with you it's all love my dear -peace.

 

[ShiShiPooPoo]

well.. hair grows (on average) 6inches per year. with a life cycle anywhere from 2yrs to 7 yrs (maybe even more).

so based on that the average, a person "should" be able to grow there hair to at least brastrap length. and thats on the small end of the scale. of course there will be some ppl may be less than that. but i think brastrap length hair should be an attainable goal for most ppl of any race.

Thank GOD! I was starting to get worried!

 

[Jynkx]

If you read my post, I didn't say hair won't grow I said it will grow to her terminal length. Now that might be brastrap or it might be to her waist only time will tell and I'm not getting in a fight with you it's all love my dear -peace.

its all good. im just a bit of a hair fanatic and i can get a lil crazy at times

 

[Rei]

i agree that people do have a terminal length, but its also hard to tell for black folk since so many of us have really bad hair habitserplexed. I don't take locs as 'proof' of hair being able to grow to amazing lengths because most of it is shed hair anyway. All I know is that people should try their best to get to whichever length pleases them If there is a terminal length, its probably not at SL or APL or even BSL for anybody!

 

[anon123]

well.. hair grows (on average) 6inches per year. with a life cycle anywhere from 2yrs to 7 yrs (maybe even more).

so based on that the average, a person "should" be able to grow there hair to at least brastrap length. and thats on the small end of the scale. of course there will be some ppl may be less than that. but i think brastrap length hair should be an attainable goal for most ppl of any race.

right, an average of 6 inches a year. which means it still seems within the realm of possibility that someone's will only grow 4 inches a year. if that person also happens to have a short life cycle of 2 years, that's just 8" of hair assuming they retain every little bit. i don't know if this scenario is actually true for anyone, but theoretically it should be true for some people, no? seems unlikely to me, though. and i think you can't know until you have the perfect routine that keeps you from losing any hair. so maybe it's better to just do your best in hair care and see how long it can grow.

 

[silvergirl]

right, an average of 6 inches a year. which means it still seems within the realm of possibility that someone's will only grow 4 inches a year. if that person also happens to have a short life cycle of 2 years, that's just 8" of hair assuming they retain every little bit. i don't know if this scenario is actually true for anyone, but theoretically it should be true for some people, no? seems unlikely to me, though. and i think you can't know until you have the perfect routine that keeps you from losing any hair. so maybe it's better to just do your best in hair care and see how long it can grow.

very true. however even 8 inches is much longer than neck or shoulder length. there seems to be this horrible myth in the black community(at least where im from) that out hair cant grow past neck or shoulder length.

even if someone retain 3inches for 2 years, thats still past a little past shoulder length..... sigh..... i just wish we wouldnt limit ourselves.

but i get what your saying, someone will get the short end of the stick but why our people think 100% of black ppl will is beyond me...

 

[locabouthair]

not to mention bad hair care. before lhcf i honestly thought i was doing the best for my hair, in my eyes i had a good hair care habit and my hair never moved beyond top of shoulder length, so i figure shoulder length was what i was meant to be.

my avatar pic proves otherwise. what someone may think might be their terminal length , may actually just need a readjusting of hair care habits....

exactly. I dont think anyone should think they are at their terminal length unless they are taking care of their hair inside and out.

If you havent been:
moisturizing daily
DC weekly
using little or no heat
eating properly
drinking lots of water
exercising regularly
and getting enough sleep

then you shouldn't give up and assume you are at your terminal length.

 

[ladylibra]

yes, i believe in growth cycles and terminal length. growth cycles i think are easily understood because as our hair grows, it doesn't grow out evenly. some are growing, some are resting, some grow faster than others, etc.

terminal length is always the hot-button issue.

i personally know a white girl who has not been able to grow her hair past shoulder length since i've known her. as a little girl she was about APL. when we shared a dorm my freshman year, my hair was already growing out from the cut i got at graduation. her hair was at shoulder length during graduation. from August to May my hair grew and hers didn't. i was still relaxing every 8-12 weeks and i was a heat fanatic (flat iron/curling iron EVERY day). the only heat she used was a blowdryer, and not every day either. she didn't color her hair, she used higher-quality products, she slept with a satin bonnet... i swear her hair didn't budge from shoulder-length. she finally gave up and cut it into a bob again. maybe if she had done a few other things she MIGHT have retained more length... but i think she is proof that everyone has a terminal length and i personally doubt she would ever make waist length. (of course i don't know her total reggie and i wasn't up in her head looking for damage or split ends either. i'm not saying i know everything...)

that being said... i compare it to body type/weight loss. even if Queen Latifah loses a good amount of weight i doubt she will ever be shaped like Halle Berry. does that mean she shouldn't try to reach and maintain a healthy weight? OF COURSE NOT! shoot i may not ever reach waist length either, but at least i'll know how long i can grow my hair and still have it healthy, thick and beautiful. i'm not gonna throw in the towel and say all black women are doomed to ear-length hair, just like i wouldn't say i'm overweight cuz all black women are doomed to be big and overweight.

i think that is the point of LHCF. not for everyone to grow hair to their ankles, but for everyone to try and reach mini-goals in the hopes that we will discover our terminal length is something much longer than we would've ever thought otherwise.

 

[DivaD04]

let me start by saying that im not here for S-talking. i though we were all here on the same hair mission, but maybe your not! i dont need to come back in 7 years as i am at classic now. so i think i know about putting in the time it takes to do the damn thang. at the same time im not here trying to floss on anyone either, cuz really who cares about my hair but me anyway?!? its the negative attitudes like yours that have folks thinking they cant grow hair. i think they can. so if you wanna talk trash thats cool, but maybe you should put this energy into getting the results YOU want for YOUR hair.

like i said before, with care and patience most can grow crazy long locks

With the violin playing in the background....I want long hair but I'm just now buckling down to grow it!
Okay since January but shoot I'm on the same mission...to grow, grow, grow!

 

[Jynkx]

yes, i believe in growth cycles and terminal length. growth cycles i think are easily understood because as our hair grows, it doesn't grow out evenly. some are growing, some are resting, some grow faster than others, etc.

terminal length is always the hot-button issue.

i personally know a white girl who has not been able to grow her hair past shoulder length since i've known her. as a little girl she was about APL. when we shared a dorm my freshman year, my hair was already growing out from the cut i got at graduation. her hair was at shoulder length during graduation. from August to May my hair grew and hers didn't. i was still relaxing every 8-12 weeks and i was a heat fanatic (flat iron/curling iron EVERY day). the only heat she used was a blowdryer, and not every day either. she didn't color her hair, she used higher-quality products, she slept with a satin bonnet... i swear her hair didn't budge from shoulder-length. she finally gave up and cut it into a bob again. maybe if she had done a few other things she MIGHT have retained more length... but i think she is proof that everyone has a terminal length and i personally doubt she would ever make waist length. (of course i don't know her total reggie and i wasn't up in her head looking for damage or split ends either. i'm not saying i know everything...)

that being said... i compare it to body type/weight loss. even if Queen Latifah loses a good amount of weight i doubt she will ever be shaped like Halle Berry. does that mean she shouldn't try to reach and maintain a healthy weight? OF COURSE NOT! shoot i may not ever reach waist length either, but at least i'll know how long i can grow my hair and still have it healthy, thick and beautiful. i'm not gonna throw in the towel and say all black women are doomed to ear-length hair, just like i wouldn't say i'm overweight cuz all black women are doomed to be big and overweight.

thanks for posting about the white girl. since you were rooming with her, was she a trimmer?

 

[ladylibra]

^^^nope. she only trimmed her bangs.

 

[Jynkx]

^^^nope. she only trimmed her bangs.

wow....well i feel completely put in my place on the subject now..............lol

 

[Jynkx]

^^^nope. she only trimmed her bangs.

how often did she need to trim bangs?
i know, i am being crazy about this, but i just dont understand the concept of not growing at all. i wonder if she were to dye her hair, would she never have roots showing?
i do find this interesting

 

[MissLawyerLady]

yes, i believe in growth cycles and terminal length. growth cycles i think are easily understood because as our hair grows, it doesn't grow out evenly. some are growing, some are resting, some grow faster than others, etc.

terminal length is always the hot-button issue.

i personally know a white girl who has not been able to grow her hair past shoulder length since i've known her. as a little girl she was about APL. when we shared a dorm my freshman year, my hair was already growing out from the cut i got at graduation. her hair was at shoulder length during graduation. from August to May my hair grew and hers didn't. i was still relaxing every 8-12 weeks and i was a heat fanatic (flat iron/curling iron EVERY day). the only heat she used was a blowdryer, and not every day either. she didn't color her hair, she used higher-quality products, she slept with a satin bonnet... i swear her hair didn't budge from shoulder-length. she finally gave up and cut it into a bob again. maybe if she had done a few other things she MIGHT have retained more length... but i think she is proof that everyone has a terminal length and i personally doubt she would ever make waist length. (of course i don't know her total reggie and i wasn't up in her head looking for damage or split ends either. i'm not saying i know everything...)

that being said... i compare it to body type/weight loss. even if Queen Latifah loses a good amount of weight i doubt she will ever be shaped like Halle Berry. does that mean she shouldn't try to reach and maintain a healthy weight? OF COURSE NOT! shoot i may not ever reach waist length either, but at least i'll know how long i can grow my hair and still have it healthy, thick and beautiful. i'm not gonna throw in the towel and say all black women are doomed to ear-length hair, just like i wouldn't say i'm overweight cuz all black women are doomed to be big and overweight.

i think that is the point of LHCF. not for everyone to grow hair to their ankles, but for everyone to try and reach mini-goals in the hopes that we will discover our terminal length is something much longer than we would've ever thought otherwise.

Perhaps your roommate had an internal (endocrine, hormonal, etc.) problem, that she may not have known about, which stunted her hair growth?

 

[JustKiya]

how often did she need to trim bangs?
i know, i am being crazy about this, but i just dont understand the concept of not growing at all. i wonder if she were to dye her hair, would she never have roots showing?
i do find this interesting

Someone ran this past me on my blog - it's not that it's not growing, it's just that the growing STAGE is short.

Hair has a growing stage, a resting stage, and a falling out stage, as well as a growth rate.

The growth rate is what we usually talk about - getting 1/4, 1/2, or 1 inch a month.

The length of the growing stage is almost impossible to time, unless you keep an eagle eye on ONE follicle from start to done - which is why none of us can REALLLY put our finger on our 'terminal' length, without having kicked it there for a while.

So, lets say that her roommate had a growth rate of 1/4 inch a month - about 3 inches a year. Let's also say that her growing stage lasted 2 years. The total a SINGLE strand would get would be 6 inches, then that strand would fall out, and another would start growing from the same follicle - and all of her hair is doing this staggered.

So, (exaggerated and simplified) if she dyed her hair, she should get roots of about 1/4 inch a month - and every month, all of the hair on her head that was 6.25 inches should also fall out......

 

[locabouthair]

Perhaps your roommate had an internal (endocrine, hormonal, etc.) problem, that she may not have known about, which stunted her hair growth?

Thats what I was thinking. I just can't accept that somone's terminal length would be to their shoulder.

 

[SparklingFlame]

This is very intriguing. We have discussed tis before and I still dont really have an opinion on weather I believe in terminal length or not.

 

[_belle]

I just think it's weird to think hair has a length that it will stop growing. . . like i will NEVER stop having new growth, so it is obviously coming out of my scalp. it's not like my roots know whether or not my hair is SL or classic length

 

[JustKiya]

I just think it's weird to think hair has a length that it will stop growing. . . like i will NEVER stop having new growth, so it is obviously coming out of my scalp. it's not like my roots know whether or not my hair is SL or classic length

It's not length, that's the thing - it's TIME. It's like your follicle has a lil egg timer - it starts when it sheds the old hair (which is caused by a NEW hair pushing it out) and once it beeps - that hair is done, and gets pushed out by another new one. Even if you shaved your head the day before - it's done.