tkj25
Member
i was recently at a family reunion. with me, i always hear from my relatives about how my hair grows so quick. (i was bald a year and a half ago.) no matter what i say to the contrary, the truth is my hair doesn't grow quick. in fact it grows at a below average rate -- about 5 in a year (average being @ 6 in). but because i've developed a regime that allows me to keep every inch that grows from my head, it seems like it grows quickly. all i'm doing is retaining its length.
i was reminded of all the misconceptions about our hair and its ability to grow, or not grow. so for the sake of all the newbies out there, and anyone interested in the topic of growth & retention, lets share our experiences & knowledge. really how long will it take to reach collar bone, armpit, brastrap or midback length?
here's what i've measured for my hair starting from a bald head/big chop, measuring from front hairline stretched downward towards my chest/front. (my hair grows @ 5 in a year as long as i'm keeping up with my vitamins/supplements/nutrition
):
1 year = nose length (5 in)
2 years = chin length (10 in)
3 years = collarbone/shoulder length (15 in)
4 years = midback(brastrap length for the ladies) (20 in)
5 years = waistlength (25 in)
here what i've measured for my hair starting from a bald head/big chop, measuring from nape stretched downward towards my waist/back:
1 year = neck length (5 in)
2 years = shoulder blade length (10 in)
3 years = midback(brastrap length for the ladies) (15 in)
4 years = waistlength (20 in)
5 years = waistlength and beyond ... (25+ in)
(all these are assuming i don't have any major cuts or setbacks/regime changes. the longest my hair has ever been was 18 inches layered, a little past midback in the back. i plan to grow it to waistlength, and see where i can go from there.)
i do want to clarify to the newbies out there, so we don't set up unrealistic growth expectations & possible disapointments, most people will not grow hair from ear length to full bsl in 1 year, that would take about 2 years minimum. most people start with some hair, not from scratch like myself, so i'll use some other examples:
scenario 1 -- maintained "blunt/even" cut: if you start out with a blunt cut, ear length bob -- and your hair grows an avg. of 6 in. a year -- in a year your hair will be collar bone/shoulder length. in two years your hair will be bsl/mbl. this is all assuming that your hair is getting the cqc (consistant, quality, care) it needs to retain its growth, and you don't have any setbacks.
scenario 2 -- maintained layered style: if you start out with a layered style, say the hairline falls to your ears & the nape rests on the top of your shoulders -- in a year your hair will be collar/shoulder length in the front, but apl to bsl/mbl in the back, albeit a thin one. and assuming that your hair is healthy, it's not that your ends are really "thin", it's just that your hair naturally grows in layers -- the top layers just haven't reached that length yet. the bottom ones will always seem to outgrow the rest of your length, giving that usual v or w shape unless you cut it even. so in another year the front layers will be bsl/mbl and the back will be close if not at waistlength.
(please note that in both these scenarios we're starting from an ear length bob or a basically shoulder length style -- about a year to a year & a halfs worth of growth. to go from a big chop/bald head to waist length is going to take @ 5 years -- depending on growth rate/retention)
if you don't keep your hair blunt cut/trimmed, the bottom will always get to your length goals quicker, just because of the fact that your nape is closer to your brastrap/midback then your crown, or hairline. so you then have the choice of growing to your hair length goals then trimming, trimming as you go, or somewhere in-between.
i fall more into the grow to your hair goals then trim camp, i think mainly because with my hair i'm not to much concerned with clean lines, precision, or having a set style. besides, natural hair doesn't do precise, or cut-even very well. it pretty much will draw-up, shrink, curl or stretch with a life of its own
. so i do occasional search & destroys as needed. since i mainly wear braids or twists, this is enough to keep my mane in check.
now on the rare occassions when i wear straight styles, i notice the urge to trim, cut-even comes like a roar
. when my hair is straight i notice the unevenness & mad layers. even hair straightens with your flat iron much easier, because all the hair stops/ends at the same point -- allowing you to maintain consistent tention as you glide the flat iron across the length. there's safety in numbers when it comes to heat, versus having those layered, scraggilers messing up the tension, , i always find myself dusting my ends to even them up more when i wear straight styles. luckily i rarely wear them anymore. or i might never see any growth
.
but the basic truth is cqc, find what works for your hair & stick with it, and you will see results in growth & retention.
i was reminded of all the misconceptions about our hair and its ability to grow, or not grow. so for the sake of all the newbies out there, and anyone interested in the topic of growth & retention, lets share our experiences & knowledge. really how long will it take to reach collar bone, armpit, brastrap or midback length?
here's what i've measured for my hair starting from a bald head/big chop, measuring from front hairline stretched downward towards my chest/front. (my hair grows @ 5 in a year as long as i'm keeping up with my vitamins/supplements/nutrition
):1 year = nose length (5 in)
2 years = chin length (10 in)
3 years = collarbone/shoulder length (15 in)
4 years = midback(brastrap length for the ladies) (20 in)
5 years = waistlength (25 in)
here what i've measured for my hair starting from a bald head/big chop, measuring from nape stretched downward towards my waist/back:
1 year = neck length (5 in)
2 years = shoulder blade length (10 in)
3 years = midback(brastrap length for the ladies) (15 in)
4 years = waistlength (20 in)
5 years = waistlength and beyond ...
(25+ in)(all these are assuming i don't have any major cuts or setbacks/regime changes. the longest my hair has ever been was 18 inches layered, a little past midback in the back. i plan to grow it to waistlength, and see where i can go from there
.)i do want to clarify to the newbies out there, so we don't set up unrealistic growth expectations & possible disapointments, most people will not grow hair from ear length to full bsl in 1 year, that would take about 2 years minimum. most people start with some hair, not from scratch like myself, so i'll use some other examples:
scenario 1 -- maintained "blunt/even" cut: if you start out with a blunt cut, ear length bob -- and your hair grows an avg. of 6 in. a year -- in a year your hair will be collar bone/shoulder length. in two years your hair will be bsl/mbl. this is all assuming that your hair is getting the cqc (consistant, quality, care) it needs to retain its growth, and you don't have any setbacks.
scenario 2 -- maintained layered style: if you start out with a layered style, say the hairline falls to your ears & the nape rests on the top of your shoulders -- in a year your hair will be collar/shoulder length in the front, but apl to bsl/mbl in the back, albeit a thin one. and assuming that your hair is healthy, it's not that your ends are really "thin", it's just that your hair naturally grows in layers -- the top layers just haven't reached that length yet. the bottom ones will always seem to outgrow the rest of your length, giving that usual v or w shape unless you cut it even. so in another year the front layers will be bsl/mbl and the back will be close if not at waistlength.
(please note that in both these scenarios we're starting from an ear length bob or a basically shoulder length style -- about a year to a year & a halfs worth of growth. to go from a big chop/bald head to waist length is going to take @ 5 years -- depending on growth rate/retention)
if you don't keep your hair blunt cut/trimmed, the bottom will always get to your length goals quicker, just because of the fact that your nape is closer to your brastrap/midback then your crown, or hairline. so you then have the choice of growing to your hair length goals then trimming, trimming as you go, or somewhere in-between
.i fall more into the grow to your hair goals then trim camp, i think mainly because with my hair i'm not to much concerned with clean lines, precision, or having a set style. besides, natural hair doesn't do precise, or cut-even very well. it pretty much will draw-up, shrink, curl or stretch with a life of its own
. so i do occasional search & destroys as needed. since i mainly wear braids or twists, this is enough to keep my mane in check.now on the rare occassions when i wear straight styles, i notice the urge to trim, cut-even comes like a roar
. when my hair is straight i notice the unevenness & mad layers. even hair straightens with your flat iron much easier, because all the hair stops/ends at the same point -- allowing you to maintain consistent tention as you glide the flat iron across the length. there's safety in numbers when it comes to heat, versus having those layered, scraggilers messing up the tension, , i always find myself dusting my ends to even them up more when i wear straight styles. luckily i rarely wear them anymore. or i might never see any growth.but the basic truth is cqc, find what works for your hair & stick with it, and you will see results in growth & retention.
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