I've seen on some of the websites linked to from here that most people reach terminal length in 4-6 years, or even 2-6 years.

But *many* of the hair lengths by site members seem unacheivable with only six years of growth. I know personally, I didn't cut (not even trims) between the ages of 7 and 14. It took me that long to go from pixie to tailbone, and my hair wasn't showing any signs of being near terminal after those seven years. I'm questioning the accuracy of those claims. How long have you been growing your hair, and are you at terminal length?

If you've grown for a longer period of time in the past, answer for your longest time spent growing.

I know trims and cuts will confound things; please estimate as best you can how much growing time you've had without any trims or cuts.

I didn't cut my hair for 4 years once. It was tailbone and still growing!

I know that one of my grandmothers hadn't had a haircut since she was born, and her hair stopped growing at floor length. The other hadn't cut it in at least 20 years, except for light trims, and it extended beyond her ankles and onto the floor, and as I said, she still had to trim. Personally, I grew my hair for three years from a chin-length cut and it reached to between BSL and waist--closer to waist. But that was with some trims.

So while I have no idea what my own terminal length would be, nor how long it would take to get there, I suspect I could grow it pretty long, due to genetics.

I'm not going to trim it for about a year, even with fairy tale ends (it's blunt cut now). I want to see what my natural shape is, to begin with. Also--how long will it grow in a year?

I've been growing my hair from a pixie, collectively, for 19 years. But, there were many stops and long periods of maintenance along the way. Even with trims, my hair continues to grow at 1/2" - 3/4" monthly, and my hair is just past my knees. I seem to have a very long growth cycle. I guess that, without any trims since I started growing again about 4 years ago at hip length, my hair would probably be to the floor by now, if I wanted it that long. But the ends would not be in a condition I'd be comfortable with.

But, it keeps on growing, and has no signs of slowing either. :rockerdud

I've been growing out for about 4 years after a perm. Had quite some trims too in the last years, except for this last year since I visit the haircare boards. For now it is still growing strong and there are no signs of terminal just yet. Guess I have to wait and see what happens.

I don't believe it either, lyrl. I wonder if the source was referring to the people of a particular country or the whole world? Or referring to both sexes or women alone? Their idea of 'terminal length' may include those whose hair would grow longer if they had better nutrition and/or care for their hair.

It will be interesting to note the results of this poll. Of course, any such poll in this community is not a fair sampling of folk in general. But this does seem too short of time in which most people would reach terminal length, I agree.

Celuriel

I've been growing mine for about 2 years. I know I have not reached terminal length :wink: , but I doubt I will go longer than BSL, if even that length.

I've been growing for 6 years. I started with shoulder length layers. It's still growing a good half inch a month. I haven't seen any signs of it slowing down. The longest I've gone without a trim is maybe 5 or 6 months.

I have been atempting to grow my hair since i was 10, im 21 now so yeah its been awhile, granted during that time i was not giveing my hair proper care, relaxing it, alot even when I did not want to I let others pressure me, probably not washing it enough,and I did not keep my dry 3c curls moistureized so that is what was hindering my growth im sure, now i am an adult and i am dertermind to do this right for myself so i can have the long hair i have always dreamed of!!

I've been growing mine for thirteen years, but it has not been a consistent process. I didn't know what I was doing, so I would have to get monster trims every now and then and lose lots of growth. At least it did eventually make its way from a few inches below shoulder length to just above my navel. Now that I do know what I'm doing and only plan to trim very small amounts whenever I want to even the hemline, I've been consistently adding 1/2" per month, which seems to be the average growth rate. Based on what hemlines typically look like at terminal length, I don't think I'm anywhere close. My hair is blunt cut straight across. A terminal length hemline tends to be a point. The sides of my hair haven't stopped growing, so I expect the entire hemline to advance downward pretty consistently for a while.

I personally believe that "terminal length" occurs due to multiple factors, one is genetics and as Nicolezoie has stated, also depends on a long growth cycle. Of course, I think the right vitamins make a big difference in reducing hair loss, which also helps retain length and therefore allows the hair to reach longer lengths. I believe everyone has a resting period for hair and that it starts back up in growth after a certain period. I know a couple of pentecostal women who have never had their hair cut or trimmed since birth. The first woman is in her 60s and her hair is about thigh length, but very nice. The other, is really a girl, who I believe is around 17 or 18 and has over seven feet of hair. Her family all has awesome hair I guess.

Scott

I've seen on some of the websites linked to from here that most people reach terminal length in 4-6 years, or even 2-6 years.

But *many* of the hair lengths by site members seem unacheivable with only six years of growth. I know personally, I didn't cut (not even trims) between the ages of 7 and 14. It took me that long to go from pixie to tailbone, and my hair wasn't showing any signs of being near terminal after those seven years. I'm questioning the accuracy of those claims. How long have you been growing your hair, and are you at terminal length?

If you've grown for a longer period of time in the past, answer for your longest time spent growing.

I know trims and cuts will confound things; please estimate as best you can how much growing time you've had without any trims or cuts.

I've often wondered myself about the accuracy of the "terminal length" figures that are touted around. But I would imagine it's a difficult thing to research - you would need a large group of people who are both willing to grow their hair to terminal, and willing to participate in such a study. And even if you could find those people, there doesn't seem to be any money in long hair research, so I doubt the study would be done. I guess LHC needs a rich benefactor!

Myself, I've been growing for 5 years, and I'm almost at BSL, with no signs of terminal yet (as far as I know!) There's been a lot of trims along the way, but most of the problem is my slow growth rate. I keep reminding myself of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare! :lol:

Growing with a purpose since joining LHC. God, I hope I haven't reached terminal!
Must. Have. Long. Hair.

"I've seen on some of the websites linked to from here that most people reach terminal length in 4-6 years, or even 2-6 years."

What?!?

Hmm, I had a loose strand. I guess I cannot floss with just one :cry: Can't even double up and do it. It's sooo brittle :wail: It used to be soooo strong (well whatever that meant as a perm pretest).

I can't recall when I last cut my hair, sorry. Maybe I have hit terminal length? It doesn't seem to be getting any longer.

I've often wondered myself about the accuracy of the "terminal length" figures that are touted around. But I would imagine it's a difficult thing to research - you would need a large group of people who are both willing to grow their hair to terminal, and willing to participate in such a study. And even if you could find those people, there doesn't seem to be any money in long hair research, so I doubt the study would be done. I guess LHC needs a rich benefactor!

Myself, I've been growing for 5 years, and I'm almost at BSL, with no signs of terminal yet (as far as I know!) There's been a lot of trims along the way, but most of the problem is my slow growth rate. I keep reminding myself of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare! :lol:


Great point Ali! I believe it is very much like that, terminal length is close to impossible to make a study on, refering to the fact you provided.
- And as for slow growth rate.. uhh, I experience the same thing too.. I shall think about the Tortoise & the Hare to keep me motivated! :D

As for myself, I have with purpose grown my hair for 1½ years. The hair I had already grown before I started, would be about 1-2 years. So all together my hair at the ends is about 3-4 years old. (very roughly counted.)
I have not seen any indications yet that it is reaching its terminal length. The ends are thin, but that is because of the way I used to treat that hair. I have only just recently started to baby my hair and care for it the 'LHC'-way.. 8)

I voted: Reached terminal length after 10 years.

I started in 1995 with growing out my hair.
I remember that I let it cut very short in summer 1995, kind of a man's cut. It thought it looked cool ... for about 2 weeks. Than I regretted it badly that I let my hair cut that short. I had bob length before.
I decided that I want long hair, really long. This was at least BSL to me back in 1995.

So, it's been 10 years that I'm growing out my hair. I've never had major cuts in all these years.

I'm almost at classic length now. And I think I'll stop there. But I'm not quite sure yet.
I'm also curious to see how long it will grow. I can always cut it if I think it's too long.

Growing for 1-3 years, haven't reached terminal.

I started growing my hair from a bob 2 in August 2003. My goal was hip length, and I've just reached it. I don't have another goal, I just want to see where it will stop! I can probably reach classic (at least), since my mother and grand-mother reached it.

Well, over all I have been growing for close to 13 years. At the longest my hair was hip lenght, then the scissor happy accident happened and my hair was just under BSL. Currently at waist again.
Haven't reached terminal. But then again I had a semi major cut in there, even if it was by accident.

i never shaved my head so rather based on my growth rate i'd say my hair is at least 4 years old and far from terminal (which i don't seek to know btw). i suppose one could calculate terminal length on how much volume is lost over a certain length, assuming tapper rate stays the same.

Just a newbie here...

i suppose one could calculate terminal length on how much volume is lost over a certain length, assuming tapper rate stays the same.
Oh this sounds logical styg:thumbsup:
Hmm I think my hair's ~11-13 years old calculating from my growth rate and real length( measured from a loose hair) and still growing and I haven't cut it since 4-5 years... My taper says I'm very close to terminal length though.:scared:

All good luck in growing it to whatever length you want to or to "terminal". Ever thought 10 years ago that you would be talking about "terminal length" or many of the thoughts here in a message board? So cool.

Scott

I have been growing out from a slightly above shoulder-length cut since July 2003.

Now I am at waist-length (after about 6-inches of trimming throughout the past 2 years). :smile:

Oh this sounds logical styg:thumbsup:
Hmm I think my hair's ~11-13 years old calculating from my growth rate and real length( measured from a loose hair) and still growing and I haven't cut it since 4-5 years... My taper says I'm very close to terminal length though.:scared:
hmm, i might have to correct my former quote: i think it only counts for hair trimmed in one length. tapper on natural ends tends to get more pronounced on the last 4 -8" since it has collected all the differences in hair growth rate of individual hairs and different hair zones over a certain time. tapper rate will make a jump here but might not necessarily indicate approaching terminal length.

I have been growing my hair out for the last three years. I doubt I'm even close to terminal length, but since I only want my hair about 3 inches longer, I probably don't have much to worry about.

I suspect that the only way to be certain is to grow without cutting or trimming for as many years as it takes until your hair stops growing.

In my case, I have not had een a trim for almost 11½ years (June 1994). My hair grew at around 2½ inches a year for just over four years, and since then the longest hairs are no more than 11 inches long.

I don't think that the lack of further growth is due to ill health, lack of nutrition, or breakage - I'm just unlucky in having a short terminal length.

Wish I didn't!

I have grown my hair from about 4 years, and started growing from shaved head. The first 3 years, I had my hair regularly styled, and I suppose that during first two years the annual growth was quite slow.

This year my hair has grown a little less than 6 inches total (actual growth is a little less). My ends are fairytaling a little, but I think that's more due to that my hair is fine and I've trimmed it only twice this year. My hair has never been really long, so I don't know how long it will get...but I'm dreaming of great lenghts!

I voted "Reached terminal length after 10 years"

Of course, I started from nearly nothing... just a typical male execu-cut circa 1991...

While the longest strands might in the next year get closer to the floor, I think it's fair to say that for the purposes of this poll, I am at terminal length.

I wasn't quite sure what to vote. I've been basically grown my hair all my life, but I've had regular trims until joining LHC in April, when I decided to really see how long my hair will get if I don't trim and pamper it a lot. I thought before that I had reached terminal, since it seemed like it wasn't growing, but now that I've started measuring I know it is growing, even though very very very slow.So I hope I'm not at terminal yet, cause I want to get to at least classic!!

I voted for more tham 10 years without reaching terminal length.
I started growing out my hair from a bit more than a pixie in 1994.
I only had it trimmed once a year, although the periods between trims have become longer during the past years.
It's now covering my ankles and still growing amazingly well.

Kisses,
Emmy.

I started growing my hair out at 16, so it's been around 7 years now. Mind you, short my hair is curly and when I hit a certian length, I decided to let the top catch up with the bottom, length wise, so I was stuck at one length for about a year, if I can remember correctly. I wanted it to be all one length before I grew it out any longer. Had I just continued growing, I'd be at classic by now with a drastic v hem line.

But, if you consider I started from a buzz cut, and buzz cut to bsl my hair was curly, 7 years isn't that bad at all.

I've been growing my hair for about four years and I have not reached terminal length.

I hope I haven't reached my terminal length yet, I've growed my hair for 3 years now. It's waist length and I'm shooting for hip length!

My last hair cut was February of 2005, so I guess I've been growing my hair since then. Although I just found tlhc last month. I've made the committment, but of course, I want it now!

As for terminal length, I have no idea what to expect. My mother had her hair to her waist when I was born, and toddler-hands forced a pixie cut. My son doesn't have grabby hands, so we'll see where we go from here!

-k

I voted for 1-3 years. There's no way I have reached terminal length yet. :grin:

I started to grow mine out the spring of 2003...nowhere near terminal length. Current length: the line after 27"...lol.

I got it cut once to even up the ends, and a trim or two.

Here is what I started off with:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y10/Ariansnow/scan0031.jpg

I figure I've been growing mine for about 2 1/2 years, with a few trims in there. I sure hope my terminal length isn't less than BSL. I would like to go for waist length.

I've been growing out for almost 2 years, and in the past 10 months have gained maybe 1". I'm an inch or two shy of BSL, and would like to go for waist length. This is about the longest I've ever had it; the last time I grew out this far it might have been an inch or two longer.

In the beginning I was a bit upset that this may be terminal length for me, but after thinking about it, it wouldn't be bad. I like French and peacock twists and cinnamon buns, all styles I can do with my hair as it is right now. If this is indeed as long as my hair will get, I'll just concentrate on trimming out the damage and making it as healthy as I can :)

I have been growing for about four years now, with trims to get rid of layers. At BSL, I can't imagine being anywhere near terminal length.

I decided to grow out my hair in 1990. It was chin length at that time. I had several trims over the years, and last summer I cut off 8 inches in a fit of discouragement. Won't do THAT again. :( My ends were getting scraggly but my hair was still growing then. Now I'm not trimming, I'm keeping my hands off the scissors as much as possible. ;) I'm just growing. Micro-trims, S&D, or dusting maybe in a few more months, but 8 inches? *No way*!

I've often wondered myself about the accuracy of the "terminal length" figures that are touted around. But I would imagine it's a difficult thing to research - you would need a large group of people who are both willing to grow their hair to terminal, and willing to participate in such a study. And even if you could find those people, there doesn't seem to be any money in long hair research, so I doubt the study would be done. I guess LHC needs a rich benefactor!

On top of that, what about breakage due to poor hair care in the past (or present), adverse conditions (sun, chlorine, soap scum from hard water, etc.), spit ends, etc.? Breakage is the wild card in measuring hair growth and would be hard to control for in a study. In retrospect, breakage caused by poor hair care and exacerbated by soap scum is probably why my hair didn't get beyond waist-length, back in the days before male pattern baldness ravaged the strongest- and longest-growing portions of my mane.

To answer the question posed in the poll, my hair grew from shoulder to terminal length (waist) in 4 years when I was a teenager, and I'm very long-waisted. The longest hairs on my head were 28 inches long, and my hair reached 30 inches from the back of the top of my head and 36 inches as customarily measured.

When I grew my hair long again in my 40s, it took maybe 5-6 years for the longest strands to reach my lower back which is as far as they'll grow, but there was a trim of 3 inches or more along the way to remove damaged hair.

Bill D.

I've grown hair since late 2000 when I started from a pixie. Now five years later I'm closing in on hip length and still no terminal length in sight.

I picked 1-3 years. Went back to wearing my natural texture in My 2004...I grew my hair out for a couple of months and then cut off the relaxed hair until my hair was a little less than an inch. Since then, I have been growing it out. When stretched my hair in the lower back of my head is at armpit length... It may be above now because I had to do a trim.

I really don't know what to vote, I've had hair down to my elbows my entire life with once yearly hackings off. I've only consciously decided to grow it in the last year or so. It's to my waist (35 inches from hairline) and I can touch my hipbones with it. But I prefer to call it waist. No sign of terminal.

Been growing my hair for a long time, but I've been mean to it for years (sorry, hair!) and have had many a stylist decide to chop it off (one took nearly nine inches off... when I asked for a trim.) But, no terminal length in sight yet! :)

I've been growing from a chin length bob for about two years and recently hit waist. My grandmothers always had short hair and my mother never had hair longer than elbow length so I have no idea what my terminal length would be. However, since my mom's hemline was really thick, I probably won't hit terminal for a while. *I hope*