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?
Wonderful set of tips! It encourages you to be realistic as well as appreciative of what you have now.
Two words “hair extensions”
I think when I was most patient with my hair is when I didn’t have to style each and every day or weekly. So I am going back to that because it covers tips 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 covered in one swoop. I getting either weave or most like braids put in after this months hair measurement and salon assessment.
Oh for anyone keeping track of me, yes, I did bleached a few strands of hair so I could measure my new growth by the end of the month.
That was kind funny to explain to my better half, especially since the bleach streak was a strawberry blond, boy was I shocked my self I wasn’t expect such a vibrant colour.
I 2nd that em0tion
Agree with all but the bit about terminal length… THere is no predetermined maximum hair length :-|
I do agree with what you’re saying :)
+1
why is terminal length only a topic people of african descent have to be knowledgable about? it’s so weird to me.
i meant a topic *only people of african descent have to worry about…
I don’t think its weird at all. Considering how fragile the hair is of people of African decent is coupled with a long history of neglect, poor maintenance, and lack of knowledge of our hair, I see why people are more curious about things like terminal length.
And whose to say NO ONE else is interested in it.
Head over to Long Hair Community and you will see that many white women are also concerned about terminal length
There is a predetermined maximum hair length. Think about the hair of your eyebrows, eyelashes, arms and legs. The hair in those places (eyebrows, eyelashes, arms and legs) never grow longer than a certain length. I’m sure that the hair on your head will not grow longer than a certain length as well.
I have to agree with Amber. I’ve done research on the topic and there is a predetermined terminal length. I was discouraged by it at first, but then I realized that most women (of all races) have never even come close to their terminal lengths because most don’t take great care of their hair. Therefore, the terminal length shouldn’t be seen as a setback. My hair has usually stayed between bra strap and midback length with me not taking any care of it. So, now that I am taking care of it, I can expect to see that my terminal length is at least MBL or longer.
It’s not a predetermined length, but a predetermined growth cycle. Very short hairs, i.e. eyebrows, lashes, etc. have a very short growth cycle. Can you imagine how funny we would look if our eyebrows and lashes grew for 2 straight years? Terminal length is a misnomer, it is only a representation of the actual lenght of time in the growth cycle of the follice, not the lenght of the hair during the cycle.
Thank you! I really wish people would stop spreading this hair myth. I am licensed to do hair in NC and was never taught about a terminal length. There is no such thing. Eventually your hair will go back in to the growth phase and if you are not breaking your existing hair, your hair will get longer and longer with care. And afro hair has more protein bonds than any other hair, it is not fragile but strong. Now traditionally what we have done to it has made it fragile. But God made our hair strong with lots of protein bonds. I wish sites like this would stop spreading this myth. And for those saying they did internet research, please anyone can do internet research, this research is not always accurate. Nothing like studying hair. Ladies do not put this in your minds then you will never achieve your goals. As a man thinks so it he. No such thing as terminal length. Now as you get older your hair does not grow as fast, everything slows down.
A hair that has gone into a resting phase will NOT continue to grow. It will shed. This is the Telogen phase. That particular hair will not grow again, but a new hair will take its place, pushing the old one out and starting over in a new Anagen phase.
There may not be a “terminal length” that you believe in, but it’s just math. If your Anagen phase is 4 years, determined by genetics, and your hair grows 1/2 inch a month, theoretically, you could grow 6 inches a year and end up with 24 inches of hair IF your hair was not cut or damaged at the ends and your hair grew out of a healthy body.
I’m not sure why people don’t understand the math behind the term “terminal length”. Maybe its because they think others mean their hair is “destined to be short”. I have no idea how long my Anagen phase is, but I do understand that any one particular hair will not grow forever, it has a certain length of time on my head, then it’s gone. And I do understand that my hair grows a certain amount on average every month. Considering those two things, there is a MAX length my hair will be. And it’s NOT short.
Good tips but i have a science background .. bio, chem … There is no such thing as predetermined length. The real thing is that your hair has a life cycle, look up cell division etc and you will find this info. Everyone’s cycle is different so yes some people will have hair growth for longer periods of time but we all come to a point where the hair goes into a rest phase.. .no growth. but then the cycle starts again after rest. The reason that you may think there is a maximum lenght is that some people’s life cycle is shorter than others. If we all took care of our hair properly and never cut it, it would never stop growing except during its rest phase. The reality is we all experience breakage from time to time and most of us regularly trim our hair. Lack in growth for most is due to lack in care/diet and the genetic disposition that the growth cycle is shorter and the rest cycle maybe longer. However as long as you are alive you will continue to have this cycle.
I recently chopped off 10+ inches off with the goal of having afro (use to have locs) My hair grows slowly and I’ve been working on establishing my regiment. I’ve only had the TWA for a week. I think you gave great advice. I like the idea of looking to hair inspiration from people who have similar length hair.
add… instead of imagining the length of your hair five years from now, try a month. try six months. try one year.
I’m learning to appreciate the length I have now (around 8″ avg.). As much as I long for more length, I have a feeling that I’ll miss having shorter hair sometimes. I’m following the tips outlined. It’s good to know I’m on the right track.
It’s hard as hell!!! I’m growing my BC out & I swear every time I see the sides of my hair growing out i wanta get it trimmed…. but i try and focus on jewelry n makeup. Big earrings, necklaces, new bold eyecolor.. anything to keep me from focusing on my short do!
girl take pride in your short do! I have had short natural hair and short relaxed hair and short natural hair is just so beautiful and flattering and we look REGAL with our short natural hair. It really helps to love your hair at any length, you can’t force it of course but it helps you enjoy your hair.
Check these tumblrs out so you can see your fellow sisters looking fly and beautiful with short hair. They helped me when I wasn’t feeling mine:
http://twasftw.tumblr.com/
http://naturalpixie.tumblr.com/
I don’t believe in the story of genetics and such. In my family, nobody have hair like mine (length) maybe because they just don’t know how to take care of it! So no, I won’t look at their neck length when I’m pretty near to bra strap length…
Agreed!! No one in my family has very long hair either. I’m determined to be the first, so heck no I won’t be looking at them, lol. Love ‘em though!
Yeah, if I look at my family as well, no long hair currently, but I remember a pic of my mom from high school and she had between shoulder and armpit length then, so that’t my first long term goal, full shoulder length, and then move on from there :-)
She meant look at (pictures of) them them they were younger. I had hair at MBL when I was 7 and my mom was taking care of my hair. I was much shorter of course, but we know my hair can grow. In my teens through early 30s, I had neck length hair because of lack of care.
Now I have nearly 11 inches of hair after being natural for 28 months. And I expect it to get longer because of my genetics: my mom had 3 full sisters and all four of them could nearly sit on their hair as teenagers. But you wouldn’t know that now to look at them though.
****LIGHTBULB****
Taking tip 2. to the next Level (and kind of tip 1.)
Why doesn’t BGLH categorize there Style Icons by length and texture?
Hair Types Like (2a-4c)
Hair length ranges like:
shorter than 2 inches, (twa)
2″-4″
4″-6″
6″-9″
9″-12″
12-16, 16 and longer.
Or what ever realistic ranges.
SO WHO IS WITH ME, give me vote: :)
I think that is a great idea.
I could work with that.
Great idea!
+1
also just wanted to request if we could have more hair/style icons with twa or shorter hair!
I agree, but wonder if they’ll do that considering it’s bgLh.
Great tips (even if I don’t agree with #6). Protective styles you can use and style icons with your texture and length are so important in the struggle to stay sane :-)
Love this post very realistic! Although I have been natural for 4 years I am just starting to adopt the idea of protective styles, I loved to wear my hair out all the time but I did not realize how damaging it can be with my enemy (fairy knots).
I think, as the author says, genetics does play a part in hair length. When she said to look at the women in your family, she did say assuming their hair was cared for properly. If it was not, they probably never reached their terminal length. Many people did not know how to properly care for their hair, so it was all a bit hit and miss back then. That means that we may have longer hair than the women in our family because we now know how to take care of it and are reaching our terminal length. I have already reached the longest length I’ve ever had in my life and am going strong. That suggests to me that through bad hair practices I have never achieved my terminal length.
“she did say assuming their hair was cared for properly. If it was not, they probably never reached their terminal length. Many people did not know how to properly care for their hair, so it was all a bit hit and miss back then”
very interesting point…
While I agree that genetics plays a role, your post actually argues in favor of environment (i.e. hair care/regimen) as a primary factor in hair length. My hair is much longer and healthier in my hands as an adult than it ever was in my mom’s (and others’) hands as a child.
Could I theoretically grow it to WL even though nobody on ANY side of my family has ever done this? Possibly…if my environment (regimen) consisted of my leaving it almost completely alone. I’ve learned the hard way that this (less-is-more, KISS, etc.) is the reality for MY genetic gift of fine, tightly-coiled, mostly-4b hair. All I do is try to provide a reasonable environment that will ensure I retain length while the rest of me is having something of a life… ;)
i think my terminal length is probly somewhere around my waist or hip area. my great great grandma had hair that long, which she wore in two braids like pocahantas all the time. no one else has had hair that long since but me, when i was a child. my hair still wasn’t as long as hers though- it was at my mid back. i’ve been on a quest for the past few months to rediscover that family trait for long hair and set the example for hair care. i can’t wait what fruit my labor yields in the upcoming months to years
I totally agree. When I look at photos of style icons I like, I purposely find their youtube/blogs to figure out where they are in their natural hair journey.
Not staying sane. Still crazy! I can’t go by my family. They processed and pressed back in the days.
I managed 15 inches of hair from the nape but then cut it to 13 because the majority of the hiar was at 10 due to breakage from flat ironing last year so I’m not starting from square 1. Well, not exactly cut with a goal of at least 18/19 inches I have to now wait longer due to past mistakes.
oh well. you live and learn.
I just want long hair
In my experience, the best thing for growing out African hair and minimizing breakage is keratin straightening–even if you plan to wear it natural as opposed to straight. Brazilian keratin is not a chemical straightener like lye or thio, which strip the cuticle and rearrange the hair molecules, causing damage and breakage. It’s more like a protective glove that holds hair in a straightened position and gradually wears off over a 3-5 month period. It super-conditions hair, leaving it straighter, shinier, and frizz-free, even in high humidity.
It works BEST on hair that’s already damaged, like from lye or thio, because the porosity they cause means more places for it to adhere to. And you can still wear your hair natural because it only straightens when it’s heat-activated. That is, if you air-dry your hair, it may or may not look any straighter than normal. But with the smallest bit of blow-drying or flat-ironing, it straightens, which allows you to use much lower heat and much shorter styling times.
But if you choose not to straighten it with heat, you still get the benefits of the keratin glove–strengthening against breakage, softening to the touch, super-conditioning, frizz control, color protection. So it’s great either way, straight or natural.
The problem for most people is the outrageous cost. Salons routinely charge $300-400 for a Brazilian blowout but if you can obtain the professional keratin salons use (which is not sold over-the-counter to the public), you can easily do this at home for about $15 per treatment which, again, last 3-4 months. Uncurly.com is committed to selling the highest grade professional keratin to home-users so that this life-changing treatment can be made affordable to all. While I wouldn’t cut my own hair because that takes professional expertise, keratin is one thing that you can and should consider doing for yourself. See UNCURLY.com for products, further discussion, and instructions.
i think that a few herbs can help with hair growth, e.g shear butter , it may not work if you use the processed one . it has done wonders to my hair. it was like a miracle, another thing that helps alot is indian hemp , i havent tried it yet but alotta ma friends use it nd their hair is freakin long, i hope this has helped
what i have a problem with is my texture , i would like a much softer texture and pillow soft curls, pity i dont know any products that can do that without application of heat, ANY SUGGESTIONS ???
BTW Dats how long ma hair is now with the help of shear butter
First let me say I love the article:) but umm..my sanity has been my husband. He doesn’t bother me about how my hair looks if I don’t do anything to it for days, rock a puffy pony, wash n’ go, etc. And he tells me I’m beautiful everyday:) so that’s all I need to give me a little extra patience and keep me focused on my journey of maintaining healthy hair growth:)