"Terminal Length" hair

[JustKiya]

Oh gods, this, again???

Noir summed it up perfectly - ALL hair has a terminal length, otherwise the hair on your legs, arms, privates, eyelashes and eyebrows would be as long as the hair on your head - and that's not the case.

Terminal Length = Inch Rate of Growth * Time Length of Growth Phase, very simply.

Very few people ever reach terminal length on their heads, though, for the simple reason that most people don't take immaculate care of their hair for 5-7+ years - and thus breakage and trims/cutting conceals the actual terminal length.

And it's very hard to 'guess' at your terminal length, because it's almost impossible to determine what the length of your growth phase is, and depending on your health/diet, I think that it can actually vary.

That's what makes the caffeine thing so interesting - the studies indicate that it extends your growth phase by 37%, which means it adds 37% more hair to your 'set' terminal time.

 

[locabouthair]

Oh gods, this, again???

Noir summed it up perfectly - ALL hair has a terminal length, otherwise the hair on your legs, arms, privates, eyelashes and eyebrows would be as long as the hair on your head - and that's not the case.

Terminal Length = Inch Rate of Growth * Time Length of Growth Phase, very simply.

Very few people ever reach terminal length on their heads, though, for the simple reason that most people don't take immaculate care of their hair for 5-7+ years - and thus breakage and trims/cutting conceals the actual terminal length.

And it's very hard to 'guess' at your terminal length, because it's almost impossible to determine what the length of your growth phase is, and depending on your health/diet, I think that it can actually vary.

That's what makes the caffeine thing so interesting - the studies indicate that it extends your growth phase by 37%, which means it adds 37% more hair to your 'set' terminal time.

do you mean consuming caffiene? I always heard caffiene slows down hair growth. interesting..

 

[Crackers Phinn]

Yes I believe there is a such thing as terminal length.

I think at the heart of the terminal length discussion is a caution for folks to 'not get their hopes up', but at the same time it also gives others carte blanche to abuse their hair because 'it's only going to grow so much anyway'.

I do not believe 99% of folks who claim shoulder length or below is their terminal length though. I also cast a weary eye at folks trying to grow hair to their ankles. If the law of averages is correct, I think a healthy person who practices healthy hair techniques can expect to get between apl and tail bone.

 

[locabouthair]

Yes I believe there is a such thing as terminal length.

I think at the heart of the terminal length discussion is a caution for folks to 'not get their hopes up', but at the same time it also gives others carte blanche to abuse their hair because 'it's only going to grow so much anyway'.

I do not believe 99% of folks who claim shoulder length or below is their terminal length though. I also cast a weary eye at folks trying to grow hair to their ankles. If the law of averages is correct, I think a healthy person who practices healthy hair techniques can expect to get between apl and tail bone.

thats why I dont like when the topic comes up, even though it is interesting , I can see how people can easily get discouraged, especially for those people who are aiming for really long lengths like MBL, WSL, etc..

 

[JustKiya]

do you mean consuming caffiene? I always heard caffiene slows down hair growth. interesting..

Actually, no - using caffeine topically - there is a thread around here about coffee for hair growth.... seems pretty interesting.

Yes I believe there is a such thing as terminal length.

I think at the heart of the terminal length discussion is a caution for folks to 'not get their hopes up', but at the same time it also gives others carte blanche to abuse their hair because 'it's only going to grow so much anyway'.

I do not believe 99% of folks who claim shoulder length or below is their terminal length though. I also cast a weary eye at folks trying to grow hair to their ankles. If the law of averages is correct, I think a healthy person who practices healthy hair techniques can expect to get between apl and tail bone.

I totally agree with that.....and I don't get why people get discouraged. If you don't ACT like your terminal length is floor length, and treat your hair like terminal length is shoulder length, then guess what? You'll most likely be stuck at shoulder forever. Self-fulfilling prophecies can be a blip!

 

[trj1922]

Yes I believe there is a such thing as terminal length.

I think at the heart of the terminal length discussion is a caution for folks to 'not get their hopes up', but at the same time it also gives others carte blanche to abuse their hair because 'it's only going to grow so much anyway'.

I think a lot of people see the "terminal length" concept exactly this way. It does not make sense to me though. I accept that I have a terminal length somewhere out there but I don't really know what that is so why not just take the best possible care of my hair and see where it goes? My hair is already BSL, with breakage, thinning and all of the random setbacks. For all I know, my terminal length may be waist or tailbone or classic.

I think people confuse the reality that your hair does not grow forever (it WILL fall out at the end of its anagen phase limiting your growth to whatever you can grow in that time no matter what anybody says or no matter what you WANT to believe) with the false folk wisdom they've heard all of their lives that Black women can only grow hair to their shoulders if they are lucky... maybe. The concept of terminal length has nothing to do with that mistaken notion.

 

[Neith]

I don't see why discussion about terminal length should be discouraging.

Everyone knows that a person's true terminal length is really long most of the time. Even someone with a shorter terminal length with still have long hair by any standards.

 

[LovinLocks]

Okay,

I've got it now. My determination = keep taking good care of self and hair.

Now . . . .let me go and sign up at the fitness center here at my job. The way I see it, if I start now, I'll have the bomb physique by summer.

Thanks all.

Namaste,

LL

 

[aribell]

Oh gods, this, again???

That's what makes the caffeine thing so interesting - the studies indicate that it extends your growth phase by 37%, which means it adds 37% more hair to your 'set' terminal time.

Now that's news I can use! 'Cause the growth phase time seems to be the real obstacle. Off to search those threads...

I do believe in terminal hair length because as stated so eloquently by previous posters it's proven that hair sheds and starts over once it's reached it's peak. However, even with that being the case, I still believe that most people can achieve at least shoulder length, if not a little beyond that.

From reading articles on the net, even one that was cited in someone's post mentioning it takes about 3 years to grow shoulder length hair, I'm inclined to say that most people could probably grow beyond shoulder. I was dang near bald this time last year because I'd BC'd in June to less than an inch of hair, and I'm a tad past shoulder length streched now. I've seen many ladies on this site and others that achieve SL well before three years, so to me that seems to be a very generous estimate.

Then again, I guess they're saying it would take someone three years to reach shoulder length even all around. That makes a little more sense, but I'm not sure if that's what they were trying to say.

I think the numbers in that post were really underestimating average growth rates and really overestimaing the length required to get to certain points. 1 cm/month is only .39 inches, where the actual avg. growth rate is .5 in. Also, full SL on me (and I'm tall) is about 10 inches, which would only be a little over 2 years going by the slow growth rate. That post also said that WL is 80 cm, which translates to 31 inches. And again, I'm tall, and WL is no more than 20 inches on me. So I don't know what was up with that...no offense to the original poster.

 

[amara11]

Actually, no - using caffeine topically - there is a thread around here about coffee for hair growth.... seems pretty interesting.

So what's the difference between topical caffeine and caffeine consumes (in terms of hair growth)??

I guess the two ideas clash for me (thinking scientifically) if ingesting caffeine supposedly slows down hair growth (if what locabout hair said is true) but applying caffeine topically extends the phase- how are these opposite effects occuring when the method for delivery of caffeine to the system is still the same (i.e- absorption into the bloodstream)?

Topical or ingested the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream- and from there it's transported throughout the body including the scalp.

Do u see my confusion?

 

[bermudabeauty]

I also don't believe in terminal length. If people's hair continues to grow for a lil bit while they are dead than surely the hair continues to grow when they are alive. LOL I think peoples hair growth may slow down. But I do believe peoples hair continues to grow. Maybe if you document your progress every few months you will notice the difference in length. Although my hair isn't as long as yours, I have found protective styles have helped me out alot. Good luck and stay encouraged.

 

[Caramela]

If we do have a terminal length, it sure doesn't stop at shoulder length. I think that terminal length for most humans is way longer than they believe and if it happens to be shorter that has more to do with lack of proper hair care than an actual terminal length.

 

[Neith]

Okay, the BIG problem here is that people are just not understanding the phrase "Terminal Length"

We don't mean that GROWTH TERMINATES. Your hair will continue to grow until the day that you die (not after that!)

However... we all know that HAIR SHEDS.

What happens when you've been growing your hair, then it gets shed out? Lots of the LONGEST hairs that have been there growing in the follicles are going to FALL OUT.

It is HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE for us to grow hair without it SHEDDING at some point. We do not have ever growing hair, each individual hair SHEDS at some point.

Therefore, everyone has a length at which their hair won't get any longer.

That length can be two times as long as the person's body or tailbone length, but it won't be anything very short.

I think that not everyone gets that.

Excuse me for being in an all cappy mood.

 

[JustKiya]

So what's the difference between topical caffeine and caffeine consumes (in terms of hair growth)??

I guess the two ideas clash for me (thinking scientifically) if ingesting caffeine supposedly slows down hair growth (if what locabout hair said is true) but applying caffeine topically extends the phase- how are these opposite effects occuring when the method for delivery of caffeine to the system is still the same (i.e- absorption into the bloodstream)?

Topical or ingested the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream- and from there it's transported throughout the body including the scalp.

Do u see my confusion?

The topical application of caffeine stimulates the hair follicles, and the body reacts differently to external use vs. internal use - which, applies for a lot of things. Digestion tweaks a lot.

The thread is on the first or second page though - you can check it out and read the studies and draw your own conclusions...

 

[amara11]

The topical application of caffeine stimulates the hair follicles, and the body reacts differently to external use vs. internal use - which, applies for a lot of things. Digestion tweaks a lot.

The thread is on the first or second page though - you can check it out and read the studies and draw your own conclusions...

???? at bolded- but okay (shrugs)


Off to read the thread...

 

[trj1922]

Okay, the BIG problem here is that people are just not understanding the phrase "Terminal Length"

We don't mean that GROWTH TERMINATES. Your hair will continue to grow until the day that you die (not after that!)

However... we all know that HAIR SHEDS.

What happens when you've been growing your hair, then it gets shed out? Lots of the LONGEST hairs that have been there growing in the follicles are going to FALL OUT.

It is HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE for us to grow hair without it SHEDDING at some point. We do not have ever growing hair, each individual hair SHEDS at some point.

Therefore, everyone has a length at which their hair won't get any longer.

That length can be two times as long as the person's body or tailbone length, but it won't be anything very short.

I think that not everyone gets that.

Excuse me for being in an all cappy mood.

I agree Neith,

I think that people really don't understand what is meant by terminal length because I don't think we'd constantly be debating on this board about a simple scientific/biological fact as though it were somehow up for revision if they did. As other people have stated, terminal length is a property of all hair on the body or we'd have to have lash and brow trims. Either that or the hair would grow on into infinity. We'd have to wrap our pubic hair around our bodies to walk.

Maybe the term is misleading and people think that it means that your hair overall hits a certain length and just "shuts off" or something. It is true that at the end of the anagen phase of an individual follicle, it does stop growing, lies dormant for a couple of weeks and falls out. That fact will automatically limit your length to whatever you can grow in your 2-10 year anagen phase even if you have NO breakage at all. In most people, that is significant length, however.

I guess I'm confused about how people are viewing this topic because it seems so plain to me. erplexed

 

[amara11]

We'd have to wrap our pubic hair around our bodies to walk.

Maybe the term is misleading and people think that it means that your hair overall hits a certain length and just "shuts off" or something. It is true that at the end of the anagen phase of an individual follicle, it does stop growing, lies dormant for a couple of weeks and falls out. That fact will automatically limit your length to whatever you can grow in your 2-10 year anagen phase even if you have NO breakage at all. In most people, that is significant length, however.

I guess I'm confused about how people are viewing this topic because it seems so plain to me. erplexed

You alluded to it in the bolded- I think the term is just misleading in and of itself- but the concept is very simple.-->The terminal length is whatever length you can grow during the growth phase--after which, the hair sheds, new cycle).





What's not clear is how caffeine can speed up growth if applied to scalp but slow down growth if you ingest it. I'm a physiologist at heart -- and the mechanism of that is not making a lick of sense to me . Back to studying though maybe I'll get a *lightbulb* later


PS- Gee thanks for that visual of pubic hair wrapped around our bodies to walk. I really don't need that before I eat!

 

[ebonylocs]

Yes, of course. Simple math. The answer to that question is the same as the answer to the question: "Does your hair shed?"

I don't believe that people have a TERMINAL LENGTH. The reason why i believe this is because if you look at people that relax, they HAVE TO KEEP ON RELAXING because they have new growth. If we all had a terminal length, then people would relax and never again need a touch up. Hair can't STOP GROWING.

Yes, hair is always growing, but it's also always shedding. So if your maximum growth phase is 6 years, no strand on your head will ever grow for more than 6 years before shedding. So if it grows at 6 inches per year, the max length of any strand is 36 inches. But it doesn't even mean that strand will be 36 inches long when it sheds - that's the *max* - in that 6 years, you would have broken off a bit of it now and then, trimmed it a bit now and then. And at any one point in time, all your strands are at different stages of the cycles - some are just beginning to grow, some are halfway through the phase, some are shedding, etc.

I hope one could, because if my ultimate hair length was based on genetics I would be stuck at SL for the rest of my life.

That's not necessarily true. It is very likely that your relatives' hair is stuck at shoulder length because of inappropriate care, diet, etc. It's stuck because of *breakage*, not because of the natural cyclical shedding. So before you even think of extending your genetically influenced growth phase, you should be thinking of *care* - preventing your hair from breaking off, because really, most of us have not reached even close to the max lenght of our hair, i.e. we still have a lot of breakage / trimming.

Thanks for the insight...Does this mean Polyesterdiva, that not all BW can have bsl plus hair even with growth aids etc. ​

This is not about blackness. This applies across the human race. There are white women who can't grow their hair past shoulder length. The reason many black women have shorter hair that seems stuck is not that it has reached it's terminal length - it's because of how *fragile* our hair is, which causes it to *break* easily. This is completely different from terminal length caused by natural cyclical shedding.

I accept that I have a terminal length somewhere out there but I don't really know what that is so why not just take the best possible care of my hair and see where it goes? My hair is already BSL, with breakage, thinning and all of the random setbacks. For all I know, my terminal length may be waist or tailbone or classic.

Yeah, my hair, with it's super fragile self, is MBL now. I know that it breaks, and that I'm always having to trim splits of the ends. So I know my terminal length is beyond MBL. My hair is not yet at the max it could be if I retained all my growth before shedding. That's probably somewhere around WL. So I'll keep trying to baby my hair and keep it strong so it won't break as much, and I won't have to trim as much. So who knows where it will end up. There *is* a limit. But I haven't reached it yet.

 

[*Muffin*]

Speaking for me personally, I don't believe my hair has a terminal length. I believe that if I wanted to grow my hair down to the very floor I could with time and proper care . LHCF has me spoiled. I've seen way to many pictures and profiles of sistahs who started off with hair that could barely reach past shoulder length and now they have hair that's waistlength and beyond .... The same goes with people not of african descent. And if there is such a thing as terminal length I don't believe that it's anywhere near shoulder length (which is what a lot of women of african descent find their hair stuck at). It has to be longer than that.

 

[silverlotus]

Yes, I do believe there is a terminal length for scientific reasons already presented in the thread.

I agree Neith,

I think that people really don't understand what is meant by terminal length because I don't think we'd constantly be debating on this board about a simple scientific/biological fact as though it were somehow up for revision if they did. As other people have stated, terminal length is a property of all hair on the body or we'd have to have lash and brow trims. Either that or the hair would grow on into infinity. We'd have to wrap our pubic hair around our bodies to walk.

Maybe the term is misleading and people think that it means that your hair overall hits a certain length and just "shuts off" or something. It is true that at the end of the anagen phase of an individual follicle, it does stop growing, lies dormant for a couple of weeks and falls out. That fact will automatically limit your length to whatever you can grow in your 2-10 year anagen phase even if you have NO breakage at all. In most people, that is significant length, however.

I guess I'm confused about how people are viewing this topic because it seems so plain to me. erplexed

I think part of the reason is some people don't want to accept the concept b/c they think it automatically shatters their dream of having long hair. What some aren't getting is that even though terminal length does exist, unless you have been taking meticulous care of your hair for years without trims, you probably aren't at terminal and won't be there anytime soon either.

At an average growth rate of 1/2 in per month & the minimum anagen phase of 3 yrs, terminal would be at around BSL on the LOW end. You can measure the distances yourself & see. So yeah, unless you want hair down to your ankles, terminal length is of no real relevance and it's nothing to get worked up or disappointed about.

 

[tenjoy]

I don't believe that people have a TERMINAL LENGTH. The reason why i believe this is because if you look at people that relax, they HAVE TO KEEP ON RELAXING because they have new growth. If we all had a terminal length, then people would relax and never again need a touch up. Hair can't STOP GROWING.

^^^ This makes no sense.

Of course hair grows, but it also sheds. Shed hair is at that hairs terminal length, you just broke it off 5000 times. Thats why it dont seem so long. All folicles dont shed at the same time.

There are about three stages of hair growth: Growing, Resting , and Shedding.

 

[tenjoy]

I think each follicle can have a different terminal "length" . So Terminal Period is probably the best word. And its years and shouldnt even matter. But like someone else said, how can you not beleive in terminal periods yet you have shed hair?

 

[trj1922]

I think part of the reason is some people don't want to accept the concept b/c they think it automatically shatters their dream of having long hair. What some aren't getting is that even though terminal length does exist, unless you have been taking meticulous care of your hair for years without trims, you probably aren't at terminal and won't be there anytime soon either.

At an average growth rate of 1/2 in per month & the minimum anagen phase of 3 yrs, terminal would be at around BSL on the LOW end. You can measure the distances yourself & see. So yeah, unless you want hair down to your ankles, terminal length is of no real relevance and it's nothing to get worked up or disappointed about.

I bolded the part that seems so obvious to me. I guess it really is just wishful thinking based on a faulty premise. I keep watching this thread in wonder because it literally has me confused. I agree that it really is simple math, every hair on your head will shed one day and it will have reached x length by then. The possibility for length is NOT infinite because of the limited growth cycle of each follicle. The good news is unless you're sick or a genetic anomaly your terminal length is probably as much hair as you'd want or be able to care for if not way more. If I'm at BSL with all the breakage and thinning I have, there's got to be hope for everyone else. It's like we're having a poll on whether unicorns exist and there is a divided opinion. erplexed

 

[My Friend]

Subscribing

 

[equestrian]

I don't think it's about the maximum length your at it's about whether or not your hair is in the growing or shedding phase. I've heard taking MSM should help extend the growing phase.

 

[Nonie]

I don't believe that people have a TERMINAL LENGTH. The reason why i believe this is because if you look at people that relax, they HAVE TO KEEP ON RELAXING because they have new growth. If we all had a terminal length, then people would relax and never again need a touch up. Hair can't STOP GROWING.

I saw your question was answered as I was reading so this might be redundant. But if it's not, I'll reiterate: Every hair on your hair is at a different stage of growth. So say your growth phase is 3 years long, some of the hairs are already at 3 years and have stopped growing. Some are at 2 and are still growing some are shedding coz their resting phase is over. Some are just at zero hours as the hair just shed. So as time goes on, the hairs continue on their journey to 3 years. So in that time you will see new growth on the hairs that were not yet at 3 years stage the last time you relaxed since they continued to head on to their 3 year goal.

So when you're hair reaches a certain length, it sends a message to your roots saying STOP GROW NO MORE...than when you cut it, it sends another message saying OK COAST IS CLEAR GROW BABY GROW...
Hence, I dont believe in terminal length. Length has nothing to do with growth.

LOL No that's not what happens. Hair is always growing through its growth phase to some length then shedding. Think back to a time when you or someone you knew only ever had shoulder length hair relaxed. They always needed a touch up--and not just when they trimmed the hair. And the reason for this is the fact that every hair is at a different growth stage and so those hairs that haven't completed their growth phase continue to grow regardless of what other hairs are doing.

I take it from everyone's comments that people may not understand what "terminal length" actually means.

It doesn't mean that the hair grows to a length, and then stops shooting out from the root. It means that the hair grows for a certain length of time before ending it's life cycle and falling out (to be replaced with a new hair). Noir sums it up well.

It's already been scientifically proven that all hair on our bodies does this, and each type of hair has a different length for their cycle. The hairs on our bodies that remain the shortest have very short life cycles (eyebrows).

So sadly, we can't grow (even the hair on our heads) for miles. I think the Guiness World BoR has the longest human hair ever at 12 feet on a woman who'd lived a very long time.

The longest hair is actually 18 feet and the lady isn't old. But why anyone would hold onto hair that looks so thin and just not cute, I dunno. (Pic)

I hope one could, because if my ultimate hair length was based on genetics I would be stuck at SL for the rest of my life.

That wasn't genetics. That's improper haircare, diet or whatever. That's why when people join LHCF or learn more about hair care, they see longer hair because they are retaining more hair and also because they probably get their growth rate to its optimum due to better health practices, better circulation and hence nutrient delivery (exercise massage), etc.

I do believe in terminal length for the reasons stated above. It is a FACT that hair only grows for a certain period of time, then it sheds. Your growth rate determines how long your hair will get during that fixed period of time and that places a natural limit on how long your hair grows overall. If you have an anagen (growth) phase of 2 years and a growth rate of 1/2 inch per month, even if you retain every bit of growth, that would cap your length at 12 inches before the hair sheds and that follicle starts over. If your anagen is 4 years with the same growth rate, you can get up to 24 inches. I don't even see it as a point of debate honestly as it is just plain ole' math.

It IS true, however, that it is difficult to determine just what this terminal length is in a given person. Especially for Black folks with hair that is prone to breakage or subject to chemical and styling abuse, breakage at the ends means that we rarely retain all that we grow. Better hair care can lead to more retention and overall length leading some of us to believe that terminal length is a myth because our hair is now longer than we previously thought it would grow when our potential was being masked by bad hair care.

Rest assured though, that terminal length is still there though it is probably longer than you may have thought possible. One day each hair on your head will inevitably shed and the cycle will repeat placing an overall limit on your total length prospects.

AMEN! Every post of yours in this thread has been the gospel. Thank you! :notworthy

I don't believe we have a terminal length. My oldest aunt is currently 86 and everytime I see her, her hair is longer! Her hair is currently waist length and she does those beautiful wrap around your head buns.I can't wait to be able to do that!

Then your oldest aunt may have a long growth phase. If she didn't have a determined growth phase, then her hair would not have stopped growing at waist. She'd have 400 inches of hair she'd have grown over her life if she never cut it. If her hair was growing at 1 cm a month, for her to get to waist length, retaining all she grew (assuming 31 inches is waist) she'd need just 6 years. So if hair didn't stop growing, then she'd be way ahead of where she is, assuming she didn't chop her hair to bald six years ago.

Thanks for the insight...Does this mean Polyesterdiva, that not all BW can have bsl plus hair even with growth aids etc. ​

I personally like to be modest and look at it like JC does: Every human can achieve at least APL--even those with the shortest growth cycle. Perhaps if it is true you can increase your growth rate, then maybe BSL can be achieved, but APL is so long to me that I don't see why anyone should be discouraged by this info.

So what's the difference between topical caffeine and caffeine consumes (in terms of hair growth)??

I guess the two ideas clash for me (thinking scientifically) if ingesting caffeine supposedly slows down hair growth (if what locabout hair said is true) but applying caffeine topically extends the phase- how are these opposite effects occuring when the method for delivery of caffeine to the system is still the same (i.e- absorption into the bloodstream)?

Topical or ingested the caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream- and from there it's transported throughout the body including the scalp.

Do u see my confusion?

Where did this rumor that caffeine stunts growth come from? Caffeine is high in antioxidants which if I remember correctly help repair cells and are actually good. The thing I think that gives caffeine a bad rep is the posse it hangs out with. Coffee rarely seems to go anywhere without bringing along sugar which IMO is da debil. It has zero nutritional value and just takes the place of what your body could probably have benefited from. IMO caffeine is good for hair both inside and out. The thing though is, for you to see the effect of coffee you drink on hair, you would need to drink oodles of it. Hence the discovery that applying it topically actually makes a difference to hair follicles. It's also how come people found out that having caffeine in beauty products is good for the skin, because again, antioxidants are good for you.

ETA: Caffeine has been found to treat baldness so I don't know if that equates to increasing growth rate. I think of it the same way as MN. People with fungal infections may notice new growth where there was none due to fungal infection, but I don't know if that means that someone without any issues will increase growth rate using MN--although I'm sure there are many who swear it does. Perhaps in the case of caffeine, repairing of cells means keeping them in better health so optimum growth?

I also don't believe in terminal length. If people's hair continues to grow for a lil bit while they are dead than surely the hair continues to grow when they are alive. LOL I think peoples hair growth may slow down. But I do believe peoples hair continues to grow. Maybe if you document your progress every few months you will notice the difference in length. Although my hair isn't as long as yours, I have found protective styles have helped me out alot. Good luck and stay encouraged.

Hair doesn't continue to grow after you die. Neither do nails. It's the skin at the base of the hair and nails that dries and shrinks away from the hair/nails exposing more of the hair/nails giving the impression of growth. Hair only grows coz hair follicles are alive. Once they die, then no more growth occurs.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

Yes there are terminal lengths....science has proved this in certain populations....

BUT no one really KNOWS their TRUE terminal length, so its not even an arguement worth having in my opinion. I was explaining this about black women on ANOTHER site for "NATURALS" and got chewed out. People think black women naturals with WL hair are OUTLIERS....or special cases.....but I say BS.....since we don't know what these so called lengths are....why worry?....I can bet with patience I can get to classic length if I want to.....

 

[CherieMarie]

Great thread!

I am on the fence with this one. My great grandmother had hair so long that it hit the floor, came up and wrapped around her arm and hit the floor again. With that being said I am on the fence with this one.

 

[jupitermoon]

Terminal length does exist, but I think most people can at least grow bra strap length hair. Waist length isn't uncommon either, but I think growing tailbone length hair and beyond may not be possible for everyone. For example, I don't think I'll ever have thigh length hair.

I also agree that it's hard for most of us to know our true terminal length because most of us at least trim our hair and also breakage is another problem. To see your true terminal length you would have to start off with new hair and never cut your hair and/or experience any major breakage----you'll have to retain ALL of your length.

 

[arosieworld]

Thanks Noir, I'd also like to add:

Anagen lasts between three and seven years in most people.

• As we have seen, a hair grows at a rate of about 1 centimetre a month.
• After one year it will be 12 cm long. After five years it will be 60 cm long.
• Waist-length hair is 80-90 cm long, and will have taken about seven years to grow.
• Shoulder-length hair will have taken only about three years. Thus only people with long anagen times can expect to grow their hair down to the waist.

Can you beat genetics with nutrition and growth aids?

(pg.com)

I just have to say that I have never seen this proven true in real life. It could just be my own experiences but my hair grew from shaved to sl in 14 months (check siggy) and both my mother and sister have MBL and my mothers was hip length when I was growing up. She would trim it once a month and in the spring she would cut it from hip to MBL and by christmas it was back.
I get about and inch a month on the regular. My personal opinion (not at all based on fact) is that hair is dead and the follicle is the only important thing to growth. If your body is working at its best level and you're feeding it correctly, you hair should be growing

Also because people seem to wonder, my sister is 5'11" mom is 5'5" and I'm 5'5 1/2"