By Cipriana of Urbanbushbabes.com
How many endless pictures across the internet of length crushing hair have you lusted over, fantasizing about the day when you have finally reached your hair length goals but let’s be real, keeping your eyes on the prize can be every bit as frustrating as actually waiting for your hair to grow a couple of those precious inches, especially when you want your hair goals TODAY! These are tips I have accumulated over the years to help me reach my hair length goal…Patiently.
1. Do Protective Styles that You Can ROCK Right Now
Admiring styles you want to rock in the future is cool and like I mentioned, keeping your eye on the prize can be motivating but sometimes motivation needs to be balanced with the satisfaction of the here and now. Finding a protective hairstyle that you love can calm the strong yearning of your future hair goal, making the waiting process easier. So whether it’s a wig, updos, braids, twists, etc, finding a protective style you love will not only calm the storm but will help with low manipulation since your hair will not be a daily focus.
2. Find Hair Crushes with Similar Lengths
Similar to finding a hairstyle you can rock at the moment, finding women with similar hair lengths that you love will make you appreciate your hair in the moment, inspiring you and taking the attention off of what you don’t have.
3. Hide the Measuring Tape
Similar to losing weight, you are not going to miraculously lose the pounds you want in a day so why give yourself false hope in going on the scale every day? Well the same applies to your hair. I would suggest checking your length every 3-6 months.
4. Understand that Hair on Average Grows ½ inch every Month
On average your hair grows ½ an inch every month which translates to 6 inches a year but for some the growth rate could be anywhere from ¼ to 1 inch a month, adding up to 3 or 12 inches a year. But most of us can achieve up, a little less than or a little more than ½ an inch of growth every month.
5. Learn to Take Care of your Hair
Nothing helps you reach your hair goals faster with fewer setbacks than healthy hair care practices such as reducing or eliminating heat, sealing, moisturizing (watering), use of silk pillowcase or scarf, patience while detangling and styling, low manipulation, product usage, etc. Also as I always enforce, what you put into your body is just as important as what you put on or do to your hair topically. Remember “healthy” hair starts from the inside so watch your diet and stress levels.
6. Understand Terminal Length
Yes, due to genetics everyone has a predetermined length their hair can ultimately grow. Our hair growth or Anagen phase not only includes the hair on our scalp, but every hair on our body as well. Terminal length simply means the length your hair can actually grow if it was never cut or damaged in anyway. On average the Anagen phase (which is pre-determined by genetics) is anywhere from 2-6 years. Though some of us may even have a little longer or shorter terminal length, on average most of us are capable of growing at least 12 inches of hair (bra strap from nape area) and this is the shortest growth phase.
You will not accurately know your terminal length unless you are truly taking care of your hair and have found a regimen that works. If you want answers sooner a big clue is your family. Look at the women in your family or photos of female family members who were natural in their youth. See how long it took them to grow their hair out (assuming that, in childhood, their hair was being cared for properly.) For instance my mother is in her 50’s and has extremely thick and waist long hair as well as many of my cousins from the past on my mother’s side.
7. Low Manipulation
Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money…everyone wants mo money! Well if you want mo length then you need Lo Manipulation, Lo Manipulation, Lo Manipulation! Keeping your hands out of your hair on a daily basis decreases your chances in breakage that constant manipulation does not protect you from.
Ladies, how do you stay sane while work towards your length goals?
I would add a) take pictures and b) understand shrinkage!
Sometimes it may not seem as if your hair is growing until you look back on older snaps or pull that piece of hair and find it’s now past your lips!
I agree with most of these tips except for #6. If hair constantly grows at a rate of 1/2″ per month— how can there be terminal length?! How would one explain women with hair down to their bums or ankles? Looking at my family, the women do not have “long” hair, however I attribute that to poor hair practices and lack of knowledge how to properly care for our hair. I am the only woman in my family with long, thick hair– and I am basing this on my acquired knowledge and practices, which not only includes how I handle my hair but also what I ingest. Stop misleading the masses about terminal length. Plateau levels I could understand– similar to a person trying to lose weight, but eventually the person reaches their goals. Same thing with growing longer, stronger, healthier hair.
Everyone has a terminal length, if that was not the case you would never shed hair. We are all individuals and like weight, everyone’s bmi index differs which is why some women are able to grow their hair below waist and beyond. This info is not misleading, just scientific fact. The shortest terminal length is quite long at bra strap length. Hope this info helps you understand terminal length a bit better.
Terminal Length does not mean length added but the time it takes to complete a growth phase. 2-6 is the time limit but the cycle does repeat. It’s not impossible to everyone to reach wl hair.
I DON’T BELIEVE TERMINAL LENGTH ITS A THEORY THAT IS NOT PROVEN
Again if we did not have a terminal length we would not shed hair. You shed hair because the strand has reached the end of it’s growth cycle. Of course diet and malicious manipulation of strands can cause a shorter cycle growth. This includes every hair on our body. If terminal length did not exist we would have arm, leg, eyelashes and eyebrows reaching to the ground. Of course our body hair has a much shorter cycle growth but terminal length still applies. There are no exceptions to shedding therefore no exceptions to terminal length. Terminal length for everyone varies just like a fingerprint. Hope this helps on understanding terminal length better.
Agreed. I believe the wording in the article is what is rather hard to comprehend for many of us. I will admit that I thought the same way as other readers did when you initially explained terminal length within the article.
Thank you for the clarification.
The term “terminal hair length” is the confusing part. It’s easier to understand the concept if you focus on the hair follicle (u can find hair follicle studies via Google scholar that discuss this, but it’s been scientifically proven):
So the hair grows from the follicle (we accept that) but the hair follicle itself has an ON and OFF phase. The ON phase (Anagen) is the time period that the follicle is actively putting out more hair at the root. As long as the follicle is in this phase (which typically lasts 6 or so years) it will be putting out hair, which to us is seen as adding length/hair growth.
Ultimately at the end of that period, comes a transition into Telophase–the OFF period where the follicle will rest and reboot. Unfortunately, that means it will completely shed the individual hair shaft that it was growing for the past 6+ years.
Every healthy head has ~100k follicles and each is going through these on/off stages but not simultaneously, which is why we always have hair on our head.
But the key is that each of us has genetically controlled follicle activity: hair growth rate (1/4 – 3/2 inches per mo), and anogen phase time period (5 – 8 yrs). Knowing this, we can estimate that each of our follicles can only produce a hair strand with a maximum length = (growth rate) x (anogen phase).
Now u can imagine why personA (rate of 1in/month, anogen phase of 8 years) can achieve wl hair of:
[1in x 12 mo/yr x 8yr] 96in, and personB (3/4 in/mo, 6yr anogen) is maxed @54 in.
I agree with you Osh B’gosh. I put a perm in my hair on Jan 20th 2013 and I have at least 3 inches of new growth on it I carry out my perms as long as I can go. I am firm believer that hair grow longer than 1/2 inch a month I am living proof my hair is about 23 24 inches now an longer in some places, the reason I don’t cut it I let it do what it do. I am not one that is pron to split ends never have been and i keep my hair very moisturized,. hair is like a potted plant if you moisturize it it will grow if you don’t then it dries out and break off
terminal length scares the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me!!
You know what’s weird! I didn’t realize how fast my hair actually grows until I got it dyed auburn. Other than color now, I have no other chemicals in my hair and I try to refrain from using products full of chemicals. I also don’t apply heat to my hair except once in a blue moon and I moisturize it daily, washing twice a week. My hair is worn natural 99% of the time. The dye has grown out half way at the roots and through out my hair however its grown out approximately 66% around the edges. My hair was dyed back in June yet my color is almost gone. Testament to no matter what you do to your hair (color, cut it, weaves, protective styles etc) how low manipulation plays a huge part. Another huge factor is diet, sleep and hydration. I get my rest and eat as healthy as I possibly can, improving my diet more and more as my knowledge and funds grow. Hair regimen, products and protective styles may vary from naturalista to naturalista but rest, healthy diet, low stress and low manipulation are synonymous with every natural.
good article
I have 2 daughters,they are mix,i am a beautiful black woman and my husband a handsome Indian*smiling*my daughters both have different type of hair,the elder one hair is very thick and a little course,but was very long,but the younger one who is 10 yrs old, her is a little softer with a little wave and at 9 yrs her hair is was pass her knees,i cut off 7″ of her hair so it’s now under her butt..and it’s all natural..i do have pic’s of her hair but it’s on my face book photo…