Question for J from Tasha:
Hello ladies, I just want to say that I am in love with the blog. As a new natural of three months, the site gives me hope and inspiration. I am curious about something, and I’m not sure if it has been answered on your blog in the past. I have been getting relaxers since I was seven years old and I am now 29. Before receiving a relaxer, I remember not having long hair as a child. My mom kept my hair in small braids with hair grease and pressed what hair that I had every morning. Even though I was a small child, I remember how I felt having friends with long hair and mine not even reaching my ear. I would feel ashamed like there was something wrong with me. My mom tried everything she could to help my hair grow, including keeping it in braids. I did, eventually, obtained more length just past my ear. Once older, I cut my hair. I wore it short for years with growth here and there, then I would cut it again. Although I always had short hair, I do come from a family of women with long thick hair. Now that my hair is natural, I would love to see its length possibilities. Is it possible for someone who never had a load of hair growing up to obtain long hair in its natural state?
-Tasha from Atlanta
J’s response:
The short answer is: YES!
The long answer is:
Being that this blog is entitled Black Girl with Long Hair, it is inevitable that we will receive many questions on how to obtain such a perceived feat. Tasha, your question by far gets right to the issue! It is a very common question.
Some of you may be familiar with the concept of terminal length. Some interpret this to mean that the majority of hair on an individual’s head reaches a certain length and then that’s it. I don’t personally believe in a limit to hair growth. Furthermore, all of the hair cannot reach a terminal length at the same time, because they weren’t “born” at the same time. Besides, hair is always growing. But it is also always falling. It is believed that the life cycle of growing hair is anywhere from 2-7 years before the hair falls out. So faster growing hair can accomplish more in this time. This is where genetics factors in to determine the length of the growing phase and how quickly the hair grows during this time. Keep in mind that the rate of hair growth also slows with age. Some women on the hair forums describe their hair reaching a terminal length of shoulder length or arm-pit length(apl), because it always breaks off at this particular length. I believe this limitation is due to poor care practices (or in extreme cases fragile hair types that are more susceptible to damage). These include the use of chemicals, rough handling of hair, inadequate moisture and not using protective styles (although not everyone needs to use protective styles to achieve long hair). Tasha’s childhood experience with pressed hair is an example of this. I discussed these ideas fully in the tough love haircare series.
Many factors come into play in determining hair length. One factor that I will not include singularly is hair type. I mention this because many black women believe to achieve long hair they must relax/straighten the hair or that they must have a looser hair texture. Yes, looser/straighter hair is usually easier to detangle and tends to knot up less (less damage=more retention), but it does not grow faster. The average rate of growth is 1/2 inch a month with some individuals averaging more or less. Because of the fragile nature of kinky hair, issues often arise with how to detangle and care for the hair properly. This leads to most never achieving their possible length potential. There is also a theory that coily hair growth may be slowed down upon exit out of a curved follicle (the follicle shape determines the strand texture). In curly-headed individuals, the hair follicle below the scalp has a hooked end. More hooks produces even curlier hair. Genetics determines the rate of hair growth, so it is sometimes helpful to look at family members experiences with hair length, but not always. For more on terminal length and genetics, check out this informative article on Terminal Length and the Role of Genetics in Black Hair Care by Audrey Sivothosy.
My hair was long as a child and long when it was relaxed. Being natural now for several years, my hair length now is longer than both of those periods. My hair has grown healthier and longer because the ends are healthier and better taken care of. In contrast, I also know of many naturals who have never had long hair as a child, but have long hair as an adult because they have learned the techniques to keep their hair healthy, preventing breakage so that they achieve full length potential.
Enjoy the short natural Tasha, it looks gorgeous on you! Give your hair time and plenty of good care and you will see your hair surpass what you never dreamed! Thanks for submitting your question and these lovely pics!
What about you guys? Is your hair longer now natural than relaxed/pressed? What are some of your experiences with “terminal length”? (I would especially like to hear from some of you who had short hair as a child/all your life and now have long natural hair.)
~j~
@anonymous September 8, 2009 10:47 AM
i believe that it's not about texture; it's about genetics, but we can agree to disagree :) besides, there are so many more variables that would need to be considered between these two girls that point more towards length retention rather than growth…
yes, there are some studies that show that asian hair averages out to be the fastest growing group, followed by whites, followed by those of african descent. but remember these are averages. even among individuals of same race, dna profiles can be so varied (different genetic makeup). however, i have met people of all races that average out growth of less than .5 in a month.
@adribaksh
you brought up a good point about the sikhs. however, it depends on how you interpret terminal length.
if hair has a life cycle of 2-9 years before falling out, your hair IS in essence limited to a certain length that it will reach. so depending on how fast your hair grows and how long your hair's life cycle is (both determined by genetics), yes you may be limited. but i don't buy that "my hair will only grow to shoulder length" business. also each strand has its own life cycle and(luckily) most of the strands stay on the head at around the same time. however, some hairs are programmed for shorter life spans (baby hair and body hair) which is why they only reach a certain length.
sikhs are not allowed to cut their hair. most of us are styling, profiling and cutting our hair (more wear and tear leading to some breakage even under the best conditions). then factor in level of coiliness which leads to more abuse (detangling and the like). that's why protective styling can be so helpful even if just a bun or ponytail everyday.
also, we haven't even touched on the issue of height. i know a natural who is 5'0" with 31 inches grazing butt length, but at 5'8" with long limbs and an incredibly long torso (lol), 31 in. is only about waistlength for me!
she has beautiful skin
Re anonymous@10:47:
Looser textures show length faster and more easily than tighter textures. That does not translate to their growing faster. As for length retention, it's likely that the two girls probably aren't using the same products or tools, or wearing their hair in the same way.
I'm convinced the reason why my hair is as long and healthy as it is is because I quit taking the word of cosmetologists as gospel.
(As I said in my previous post, most of my hair is between SL and APL. It's been just over two years after my BC, and in those two years I've done three trims, each of which resulted in removing at least 1/2" of hair. And you have to go back five generations before you reach a nonblack ancestor in my family tree. It's far less about genetics than it is about EDUCATION.)
Hey guys,
I wanted to clarify that I was speaking of both girl's in the natural state, unstretched. My niece's hair is about 7 inches stretched and my daughter's hair is about 22 inches stretched. My niece's hair grew 5 inches in a year while my daughter's hair grew about 14 inches in the same time period. My caucasian husband and I also had the same length hair when I did the bc and his hair also doubled mine in growth. My best friend is Asian and her hair is past her butt. She also regularly cuts her hair and her hair probably triples mine in growth. These are just specific examples but I see it daily in my practice. My clients with 2-3ish hair grows faster than MOST of my 4 type hair clients. There are always exceptions to the rule and retention certainly plays it's part since type 4 hair is the most fragile but hair type and race certainly plays a major part as well. Of course race and hair type is determined by genetics so yes it is the genectic factor. But black hair can certainly grow long and I am a huge advocate for natural hair b/c I feel it is the most healthy state for our beautiful but fragile hair.
@ anonymous 10:11… i would actually agree that genetics plays a role in hair growth. and that other "races" (though race is a socially constructed category and has little biological basis) have faster-growing hair.
but honestly — to me — the overriding factor is not RACE but CULTURE. I think that black women have developed a TERRIBLE hair care culture, and I agree with a previous commenter that this is fairly recent.
in a perfect world — if black women stopped using so much heat and chemicals, and stopped manipulating their hair so much, and made sure to moisturize and deep condition regularly, and didn't use fine tooth combs every day, and protected their hair when necessary, and weren't trying to style their hair like white/asian/hispanic women — i TRULY believe that the "differences" in hair length would NOT be as obvious as they are today.
i did my big chop in nov. 06 and my hair is now between 7 and 10 inches long. not a whole lot of length, i know, but 2 of the 2.5 years i've been natural i've had some pretty bad hair practices (even while maintaining this blog!)
as my regimen improves, my rate of growth improves. and i see differences in the length on an almost bi-weekly basis.
i'm 24 now. and it really makes me wonder how much length i could have retained had i been EDUCATED about good hair practices — that are very UNIQUE to black women — as a child.
i really think this issue of genetics and hair growth needs to be rectified. it makes me uncomfortable because it's often used as a standard for femininity and desirability.
i can't count how many times i've heard ignorant black dudes say they would marry a black girl EXCEPT that they want their kids to have long hair.
this shit goes deep, and i had that in mind when i named this blog.
This is the story of my life. But, I've learned that if I'm going to have short hair forever, it looks good on me so I'm going to rock it and love it.
I never had long hair as a child. Never more than 2"-3". My mother braided my hair until I was about 10 years old. Then she pressed and curled it until I decided to get a perm at the age of 15. I relaxed my hair for the next 29 years, never reaching a length more than 5" with lots of breakage along the way. It has been 4 years since I last relaxed my hair. My hair is healthy and about 10" long and growing. So yes it is possible. Eating well, developing a good haircare routine and little patience will help you achieve goal. Good luck.
Ok, this is probably an old post but here is my 2 cents worth. I believe that even with the very best handling and products and education and whatever else we as African American woman can do to retain length, other european and asian races of people are able to grow their hair at a much faster rate than that of our hair. Sorry ladies but it is just a fact, sorry, nobody said that life was fair!!!
i agree with melinda. generally speaking, whites, asians and hispanics have faster hair growth than people of african descent, but it is possible for people of color to have long hair. hair length is determined by the length of one’s hair growth cycle, rate of growth of hair, outside factors (ie. health and environment) and hair care. Black hair needs moisture and should not be manipulated a lot. Why do we need to compare our hair to other people. I accept that my hair will never be down to my waist no matter how well i take care of my hair. Some things aren’t meant to be, but my hair is beautiful nonetheless!
I disagree with Melinda and Antava. I know plently of black women with hair down their backs. And I do believe that Black Hair grows just as fast as other races. It is just not apparent because it is not retained. It is not retained because of chemicals, hot combs, flat irons, perms, ect.
I have two black roomates both perm free, both with beautiful hair down to their mid-back. They take care of it and keep chemicals out of their hair.
I feel liberated now, I believe that my hair will do just the same, when I simply leave it alone (dont perm it, handle with care) and let it grow
HI THERE SWEETIE …I WOULD LOVE TO SEE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE NOW(HAIR)…ANY NEW PICS?
