Thread: Growing hair

I'm *positive* I've seen threads on this in the past, but I thought I'd post one again. ;)

I have long hair, but I really want *very long* hair (past my waist). I see dancers with 'bellydancer hair' and I want to know their secret! :) Are there any tips for getting it to grow? Also, my hair is ringlet-curly, and that makes it shorter than it actually is.

Is it also possible that some people can't grow their hair past a certain length?

there's a forum at longhaircommunity dot com. I think they may know everything about hair there, lol.
I have hair between hips and knees. some folks have a shorter "terminal length" than others, but mostly it seems to be about hair health and general health.
There are a number of things to help keep breakage down.

I would suggest the Long Hair Community:
The Long Hair Community. Lots of tips and tricks, and a message board.

Yes, how long your hair will grow depend on you...how fast your hair grows, how long each hair grows for before it falls out naturally. I've been growing my hair for about ten years (from chin-length back in high school) and it's to my knees now, and is quite obviously done growing. Other people can get their hair to grow longer because their hair grows faster and/or each hair "lives" longer. And its the opposite with those who can't grow hair as long.

The way you care for your hair also matters. My hair tends to be dry and tangly, so I probably lose length due to damage and in reality might be able to grow longer hair if it were in really good shape and never broke off (this is why some people think trimming your hair makes it grow faster--in reality you're just trimming off damaged split ends that, if left, might keep splitting/causing damage, and end up breaking off short rather than continuing to grow as they would if healthy. So trimming can eliminate these splits before they become a problem, and the growth of your hair isn't hindered).

ETA: Haha, Nadya and I pretty much posted the same thing at the same time.

I second longhaircommunity dot com and also look into the curly girl method if you don't already follow it.

Basically, if you want your hair to grow to terminal, you have to REALLY minimize any and everything that you do to it that causes it to accrue damage. Absolute no-no's would be flat ironing, blowdrying on hot setting, curling irons, hot rollers, bleaching, highlighting. And of course chemical straighening or perming. Also, pony tales are not good for everyday because they lead to breakage (even with the no-break bands).

People tend to think that these things are not so bad, and they often arent up until you want to grow out to terminal. Then each hair strand has to last for years and years, instead of just a few months or a year, so you really have cut down on the rate of wear and tear you are putting on it.

my hair is currenty somewhere between bra strap length and waist. Waist is probably going to be long enough for me, so I'm not planning on growing to terminal.

So...ahhh...if your hair gets to terminal, how much of it dies at one time. I just have this vision of a tree in fall.

I've always enjoyed having 'wild' hair. I do follow the curly girl method now, and it has helped immensely (I also use the L'oreal Curl anti-frizz stuff, which makes it look really nice, with the ringlets rather than frizzy). I never blowdry, straighten, dye, etc. I do put it in ponytails from time to time, but I actually really love my hair so I like to have it down as much as possible. I think the worst I've done to it is brush it. Still, it never seems to want to get down past my shoulderblades.

I've signed up with that community, thanks for the link!

How often do you have it trimmed, and how much do you get trimmed off?

I'd say about 1 inch, every 6 months or so, if I remember, or it's getting easily tangled.

Is that an inch of ringlet or an inch pulled out straight?

You might try getting your stylist to just dust the ends off (1/2" or so). Trimming really eats into growth, especially if the stylist cuts more than you ask (all to common).

I think that most hair grows about a cm per month. If you hair is tightly curled, this would only translate into a few mm change in how long it hangs down your back.

Dr. Oz says to eat walnuts to encourage growth.
(I lost a lot of hair from stress...I haven't noticed a change since I've been eating walnuts...yet)

I read in a magazine that he also suggests, to take 1 cup of olive oil, put in a double boiler, add rosemary (leaves only), heat until warm.
Strain out the leaves. Massage oil into scalp.
Leave in a few minutes.
Wash.
(I'm pretty sure it was rosemary, I will have to find the article to double check)
It's supposed to stimulate growth.
I haven't tried it yet.

I have wavey to curly hair, once it got to a certain length, the weight pulled the curls out, except for the very ends (then it would naturally curl under. :-)....)

probably the best piece of advice I got from long hair community is this: treat your hair like antique lace. detangle it only with a wide comb, and do it gently and with patience. start at the tips and gradually work up to the roots. Don't ever rip through tangles, and never brush tangled hair, especially wet tangled hair.

Don't let your stylist rip through tangles either. Most stylists will hold some slack in a section of hair with one hand while they rip through the tangles with the other, so the client doesn't feel how violently they are detangling.

So...ahhh...if your hair gets to terminal, how much of it dies at one time. I just have this vision of a tree in fall.

Same as any other time. Remember, your hair is all being "born" at different times, so you'll always have different lengths of hair all over, you just don't see it. And so you have a bunch of hairs die every day, but new ones grow in their place, so you do not see bald spots or anything. Terminal just means it's not going to grow any more just like eventually you reached the tallest height you'd ever get to; you'll know you're there when you're not seeing any more growth and the ends are thin (because some hairs will reach terminal length before others, so the longest ones will only be the ones that lived/grew that long, and as you reach terminal length, only a few have lived that long. Hair lifetime is sort of a bell curve, just like human lifetime! If you consider "terminal length" to be equivalent to living to be 100, it's easier to understand. It's not that everyone turns 100 and then a bunch of people drop like flies....it's that people have been dying at 60, 70, 80, etc. and only a few live to 100, so if you lined everyone up according to age, your groups would thin out the older they got)

I'd say that I haven't found a stylist who will cut it dry yet (even if asked), so probably an inch of it straight. I keep reading about the 'wide toothed comb' idea but I worry that I won't feel like it's untangled that way. I like to be able to put my hands in my hair and not get them snagged (although this may be an unfounded worry, of course).

You might also check out longhaircareforum.com It is mostly for women of color but if your hair type is tightly curly you might find some good advice there that is applicable to your hair type.

another secret of "bellydance long" hair = extensions ;)
instant gratification, the luxury of real hair & color matching

Going to agree with Sabrina. I have pet hair. My natural hair is now below my bra strap. First time in my life! Would be longer but in Feb. I had a Ninja hair dresser go nuts on my hair! Anyway, even with that length, I wear clip ins, 1/2 wigs, etc. Right now I am looking for a Genie ponytail!

The other thing I would suggest is prenatal vits. Or a hair and nail formula.

The formula Gothique gave actually works pretty well for clearing you scalp. but you might also do well with a god shampoo like mane and tail. All Blades of Glory joke aside.

{{{HUGS}}}

I've got hair down to my butt. (I'm about to cut quite a bit of it off tomorrow)
Don't use heat or color or anything damaging. Otherwise the best thing you can do is wait. Nothing will make your hair grow faster than it naturally does. I tried biotin, oil massages, you name it. It's going to grow as fast as it's going to grow.

I'm lucky enough to have very sturdy hair so I don't worry so much about how I brush it and comb it, but if your hair is more delicate then be careful with it. Only have it trimmed when you need to and only a minimal amount.

But the key to really long hair is patience.

WALGREENS !!...the house brand of organics, " skin, hair, nails"...we swear by these antioxidents...keeps the hair folical clean for nutriants.

Originally Posted by BreaMorgiane

I'd say that I haven't found a stylist who will cut it dry yet (even if asked), so probably an inch of it straight. I keep reading about the 'wide toothed comb' idea but I worry that I won't feel like it's untangled that way. I like to be able to put my hands in my hair and not get them snagged (although this may be an unfounded worry, of course).

I think that is an unfounded worry. I'm talking about this kind of comb: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_AODxqR7SG6...tooth-comb.jpg

This will untangle your hair plenty well.

Originally Posted by zamora

WALGREENS !!...the house brand of organics, " skin, hair, nails"...we swear by these antioxidents...keeps the hair folical clean for nutriants.

ETA: Oh, yeah--I also second the idea of prenatal vitamins! :)

good advice so far- & rosemary infused oil just feels & smells good anyway!
my terminal length is about at my waist, & that's true for other women in my family too, so I know it's not just what I'm doing. Thinking about clip ins too, but I'm worried my hubby would freak- just because our house has already been kidnapped by costumes, hats, etc, not by the hair itself! There is only so much I can ask my husband to be willing to wake up to, & hairfalls pinned to the head on my vanity might be pushing it!

You ladies are probably going to hate me... I've had butt-to-knee length hair for half my life. I've never had to make any witches' brew to get it to grow insanely fast. In fact, I started bellydancing because people kept telling me I look like a dancer. (unfortunately hair doesn't make one automatically talented...)

My routine: wash with Herbal Essences from the scalp to the shoulders. Condition with L'oreal cuti-liss hair mask from the shoulders to the ends (and don't wash it out like it says). Brush it out carefully only after conditioning. Don't wash hair more than twice a week... preferrably only once a week.

Other than that, keep it in a braid or loose bun most days to keep it from tangling.

Now here's a question for you girls... how long is TOO long?

Too long for me was the point it stopped being fun and a talking point, and started being a royal pain in the ****. Or, more precisely, 3 inches above the knee.

I hadn't had it trimmed at all, for religious reasons, so the end six inches were ratty and damaged. It was costing me a fortune in henna to keep it all the same colour, and I was having trouble styling it because it was so long.

Once my religious observation was over I cut the whole lot back to above the shoulders. I liked the change, but I miss long hair, so I'm growing it back to about waist/tailbone length, and babying it with good shampoo and not too much hot styling.

I have a question along these lines-what about layering? For years I had tailbone straight blonde hair, but it being fine and prone to tangling, I cut it to about bra length and layered it to give it more body and fullness. I was so much easier to care for, and I could wear it down much more often. However, I've been letting the layers grow out a bit, and I feel like my hair looks thinner now. I can't even braid it because of all the layers now. If you want super-long hair, should you layer or no?

My hair is fine. I wear it bra strap length and has deep layers. I have no problem braiding it. My experience is like yours: layers help to make it appear fuller. This might mean that you won't be able to grow it out as long, though.

{{{HUGS}}}

How do you longhaired girls wear your hair for sleeping? Do you braid it or wear it down?

Originally Posted by gisela

How do you longhaired girls wear your hair for sleeping? Do you braid it or wear it down?

I braid mine when I sleep gisela... pigtail braids work if you like to sleep on your back.
As your hair gets longer be prepared to have your braid strangle you in your sleep but it's better than sleeping with it loose, in which case your arms [and your significant other] become completely entangled in it!! ..l;,

Originally Posted by gisela

How do you longhaired girls wear your hair for sleeping? Do you braid it or wear it down?

I usually do a single French braid. If I want nice waves, I'll do two Heidi-style pigtail braids when my hair's slightly damp, spray the living daylights out of it, and go to sleep

Thanks for the answers. I am so bad at doing stuff like braiding before going to sleep. I tend to forget or not really "feeling it" at that time of day. I'll try for a while until I forget again ;)

Originally Posted by Lesgemini_Zafirah

ETA: Oh, yeah--I also second the idea of prenatal vitamins! :)

Just be careful with prenatal vitamins if you take other supplements, there is a possibility of certain vitamin and iron overdoses if you take both a prenatal, multi-vitamin and other supplements at once.

But not to rain on anyone's parade, isn't a lot of this genetic? Some people, depending on hair type, effortlessly grow their long. Others, like myself try, and no matter what, my hair doesn't really get past my upper back.