Growing long hair

[LoveHeartHug]

I decided in the mid 00s to grow my hair long. That was about 15 years ago.

I'm not long after a trim and my hair is at armpit length. The longest my hair was, would be bra strap length but the ends were bad and ratty and needed much more than a trim.

I was able to identify the threats in my life that would cause damage and breakage to my hair and I eliminated so much like heat drying and going to bed with wet hair (the horror).

Over the past month I paid more attention to my hair and I'm paying it more TLC with a weekly hair mask. My diet is also good. I changed my diet to a better diet a few years ago. It was carb heavy before. I ve also started talking biotin and collagen supplement to add to the range of supplements I already take for general health.

I always wore my hair down. That probably would have contributed to some damage and breakage perhaps due to static from hair, hair getting caught in zips, walking in the rain and getting wet hair. I started styling my hair into ponytails/buns/plaits over the past month. This is after 17 or 16 years of wearing my hair down.

I suppose I'm just a litt3bit down about my hair. I know it isn't the biggest problem or concern in the world and I should count my blessings for all the good in my life.

Would the extra TLC I'm implementing help me grow my hair longer and better? Any more tips for longer hair? My goal is elbow length. It's fine, straight hair. It used to be so thick when I was younger but I'm finding now that I'm approaching 40, it's thinner. I reckon that's probably from a life of stress.

Any tips to grow hair longer and thicker and better hair?

Get some powdered/liquid collagen supplements (bovine if you’re not veggie/vegan). It’s the one thing that has helped my hair endlessly.

Diet and looking after it will help.
Adeguate protein intake and good oils will help.
Tie it back with a non-snagging band like a scrunchie.

Olaplex. It won't make it grow faster or thicker but it will stop it breaking and going dry and scraggy at the ends which will stop you needing to have as much taken off at the hairdressers. I also swear by the nioxin range for hair growth.

• tie it up on top of your head loosely to sleep.
• use a satin or silk pillowcase
• try a conditioner with protein in it and see if your hair likes that - fine hair often does
• wear it up rather than washing it too often
• don’t brush when wet. I don’t brush mine at all, just fluff with a pick.

My hair is wavy, fine and almost elbow length. It used to be the bane of my life and wouldn’t grow past my shoulders without breaking; now I love it. Following a modified version of the curly girl method (with much lighter products) has honestly changed my hair’s health beyond measure.

Honestly, it's not worth the amount of thought and effort that's going into it. If, in 15 years, you haven't managed to get it to grow to the length you want and it's getting you down then extensions are probably your best bet. You can have the length you want and move on to other things.

Everyone's hair has a terminal length. It has a growth phase a rest phase and a fall out phase.. I'm afraid if in 15 years it hasn't got past bra strap, it's not going to... not everyone can grow their hair really long!

Mine's the same.. I'm letting mine grow (due to covid) Mine's bra strap length I I don't think it is going to get any longer. I'd just concentrate of keeping the length you have healthy :)

I think you need to extend the growth cycle if you want to grow your hair longer. As StillMedusa mentions everyone will have a maximum length to which their hair will grow because of the phases. I think Nourkrin claims to extend the growth cycle. Perhaps look at this.

Everyone's hair has a terminal length. It has a growth phase a rest phase and a fall out phase.. I'm afraid if in 15 years it hasn't got past bra strap, it's not going to... not everyone can grow their hair really long!

This, mine grows super fast until about mid back & then kind of stops.

I tried that Bovine collagen powder regime for 3 months. Zero results.

I'll tell you what does make my fine hair feel thicker and stronger - a weekly coconut oil mask. The pure virgin coconut oil in a glass jar. (about a fiver) That all over my hair kept on for a couple of hours as a mask had exactly the same effect as Olaplex on my hair.

I'm no hippy home remedy girl - i love an expensive product - but in this case the coconut oil is just as good as the £££.

Do you colour your hair? I decided to embrace my grey a few years ago and stop colouring it. This has been the single most effective way or having good conditioned hair. It's grown longer than ever and I think it's primarily down to it not breaking at the ends.

My hair grows to about that length and then stops. I have tried various things to keep it growing but it makes no difference. I have accepted that mine does not get longer.

I've always struggled to grow my hair long but since the first lockdown I've managed to grow mine and keep it healthy.

I wear a silk cap to bed (could also use a silk pillowcase), didn't colour or use heat on my hair for around 10 months, use olaplex at least once a week and make sure that I use a salon quality shampoo and conditioner.

Is there anything harmful in Olaplex that can damage hair?
I want to try but am super wary after trying the Brazilian blow dry and it completely ruining my hair about 10 years ago!

I like the coconut oil mask too. I just use coconut oi from the £1 shop, and hair feels much nicer afterwards,

Thank you so much for all of the replies. I wanted long hair for years but I did very little to care for my hair and encourage the best hair health. Life was rushed for so long. Hair was a wash and go. I did very little to actually care for my hair. The ends were so dry and raggy at times and sometimes my hair looked like straw. I never dyed the hair.

I'm doing some of these already. I added them into my life/routine over the past 4 or 5 weeks and already my hair is showing an improvement in its condition. I washed my hair last on Saturday and it still feels so smooth and silky.

I suppose my goal for the next few more months will be to grow my hair back to bra strap length but to do so as healthily as possible so that the hair doesn't look dry and ratty and bad. Maybe then after that I could possibly think of a little bit longer to my elbows.

I'm going to add more of these suggestions.

Mine stops at bra length only when I fall under a certain weight. Otherwise it grows and grows.

So it's not always a set cut and done that yours will grow a certain length.

I’m going to use some of the suggestions my hair is bra strap length when straight but I’ve got pictures of me as a teen and it’s waist length when curly so I’m gonna really try and look after it I haven’t been looking after it properly for years now and it shows so good luck op and thanks for this thread!

Also I follow a YouTube channel called holistichabits the women has the most amazing long thick hair and it’s all natural hair care.

My hair only grows to my collar bone, but when I was teenager it was to the middle of my back! I cut it short and it never grew back the same 😔 I don't use heat, don't colour it apart from highlights at the salon (when open) so not sure why!!

MSM powder (along vit c powder) taken orally makes a massive difference for me. helps also with the painful joints that come with 40+..