my hair grows soooo slooooooowwww

[getmoore]

On June 11th 2002 I dyed my hair a light brown (out of boredom, never again)Anyway, I marked June 11th 2003 down on the calender so I wouldn't forget to measure. On that morning I measured my hair from my scalp to where my color began only to find out that my hair had grown exactly 4 1/2"!!!

I've always known that my hair seems to grow slowly but NO WAY did I think I was only getting that little bit of growth a year!! When I read about all of the progress you ladies make in a year's time it makes me want to go out and buy every vitamin on the market!!! My hair growth goal is 25".My hair is now 9"!!It's really hard knowing that my goal is almost 4 YEARS AWAY!! Do any of you long haired ladies have slow growing hair. I hope that having slow growing hair doesn't mean that your hair can't grow long.I get bummed just thinking about it

Thanks for reading my rant

 

[Nonie]

Getmoore, that's what happens when you watch it grow.

No, seriously, I didn't pay attention to how my hair grew until I joined this board. In two years, I gradually got rid of my six inches or so of relaxed hair. And from the tiny growth I had two years ago, I grew my hair to (as I discovered when I joined this board) 7-9 inches! This was a pleasant surprise to me, considering I didn't think I was doing anything special (just frequent washes and conditioning - not even deep; no supplements; no leave-in). So my growth rate was just 3.5-4.5 inches a year, but do you think I care? No siree! Thinking that 6 inches is all I was destined to ever have (never went beyond that before) and finding I had passed that was so exciting that it never occurred to me in July when I joined the board, that I had slow-growing hair.

Well...not until I joined this board and then started taking a ruler to my hair as often as the word hair crossed my mind. (No prize for guessing how often that is.

) Talk of a watched pot that refuses to boil! So I made up my mind not to measure my hair for a long time. (I kinda liked the surprise I got in July and so want to get another.) My distraction thus far: a determination/drive to perfect my hair care regimen so that when I have a mane like DreamyB, I will know exactly how to manage it to keep it looking its best.

And hey G, in 4 years time when you have your dream length, tell me how much the rate at which you got there will really matter.

You know what I think, slow growing hair may not be such a bad thing. It's a good preparation for later. Imagine waking up with Rapunzel's head of hair tomorrow... How overwhelming that'd be? If you're not an expert at taking care of your hair now or protecting what you have now perfectly, wouldn't you wind up with a tangled mess, headache,...even a madly obsessive fantasy of letting scissor-happy stylists have a hayday at your head? I think I would.

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

Nonie, that was so encouraging! Thanks!

 

[getmoore]

Thanks Nonie, This is the second time today you've come to my rescue!

I've just been so bummed about my progress feeling like I'm the only one with slow hair growth.I'm just glad to hear that I'm not the only one and that long hair could still be possible! I guess keeping it Healthy and trying not to measure (we'll see )

will help me get over it.Thanks again for pointing out the bright side!

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

Get More, I stoped measuring too. It really helps.

 

[localhost]

I agree, DSD. Stressing over how fast your hair grows only makes matters worse...I thought my hair grows really slow because it would take months to notice any big difference in newgrowth, but I realized that things weren't as bad as they seemed. Frequent washing (for me, twice per week) made a huge diffence in my *perceived* growth rate, considering when I was clueless about haircare, I'd wash once every perm only!

So whatever your growth rate is, make sure the growing environment is clean and that you're getting the nutrients you need to feed your body and your scalp.

 

[leejure]

That is exactly the amount of growth I am left with after a year, so don't feel bad! After my trims, breaks and what-not, I am usually left with less than 5 inches a month (I beleive that the average person gets 6 inches a year) so you are pretty-much on schedule. But my hair also grows slow. So that is why it is extra imporant to take care of your ends so that you are not wasting your growth by having to get "deep trims"

-lee

 

[dontspeakdefeat]

Yes Sweetpea, when you stop watching that's when it seems to really take off! HHG

 

[EbonyEyes]

I always thought that the average hair growth rate was between 1/4-1/2 inch per month. Your hair grows a little more than 1/3 inch per month so you are right there within the average which is great!

I actually know one girl who only grows 2 inches a year; that's 1/6 inch per month which is well below the average. I asked her if she was positive about that, and she said that is just how her hair grows and she can't do anything about it. I'm not sure about that though. It could be genetics but then again it might be poor nutrition/health.

But anyway, I wish you luck on reaching your hair goals!

-Ebony