I WANT LONG HAIR!!!

[Cesarina]

I'm a very grown up woman, (I won't see 60 again!), but I yearn for long hair!
My hair is very curly - not soft waves or ringlets, but frizzy curls. Left to air-dry it looks and feels like a Brillo pad and shrivels up. Looking at charts I would put my type of curl as a 2B/2C. It has always been coarse and is still quite thick.
My mum was Italian, and my natural colour was black, but now I have let the grey grow out and I love it.
Thing is - it has never grown past my shoulders, which is where it's at now.
I wash it twice a week, using good shampoo and conditioner.
Every few months I use a hair mask.
Sleep on a silk pillow. I use heat protection and blow it dry smooth, (air-drying or using a diffuser just results in frizz). When smooth, any rain or humidity causes it to frizz up.
I get the ends and layers trimmed every 10 weeks or so.
I have a good diet, but I'm about to research as to whether any vitamins may help.
No hairdresser has ever had anything to suggest, and I'm wondering if some people, (like me?), have hair that is just not designed to grow long?
I know I'm vain and this is a first world problem, but are their any MN hair experts out there? Please?🙏

I would say it’s because you have it trimmed so often. Your hair isn’t going to grow much in 10wks. Give it 6m and see if there is any difference. Because it’s curly it takes longer to notice any growth.

Get hair extensions?

@Plaided Ooh, thanks so much for your quick reply!
I get it trimmed at those intervals because the layers get flat and the ends get split and wispy if I don't.
And..........because hairdressers have always recommended it.........but then I suppose they would, wouldn't they?
But I'm seriously thinking of following your suggestion. Thank you!

I know it's important to keep the ends in good condition.. but have you tried just not cutting so much a year off!? Surely there's a balance to be struck between never trimming split ends and trimming off growth 5-6 times a year?

I have hair that will not air dry...I have no choice but to blow dry and use straighteners. I wash my hair once every ten days instead of twice a week....it's grown so much and I think it's down to the reduction in heat damage. For the last few days, it does get greasy which is grim but I put it up in a clip or high bun for those days.

My hairdresser recommend that if I wanted to grow my hair just don’t cut it. Once it’s at a length you like then have it trimmed into a style you like.

My hair is straight, fine and grows very quickly. The ends get tatty, but if I’m growing it I would only get it trimmed 2-3 times a year.

@WifeImprovementWorksInProgress Your suggestion is similar to @Plaided 's.
That is, getting it trimmed less often! Thank you!

I have hair below my waist. For thr last 40 years it has wandered from a few inches below my bra strap to the bottom of my bottom. I have it trimmed once a year.

Average hair growth in 3 months is 1.5 inches so too much trimming won't help.

However , the ability to grow hair long is about the balance between speed of growth and life cycle length of the follicle - I don't think my hair grows especially fast so suspect my follicles just live longer than some other people's , so it has a chance to grow long before it grows out. I see on line follicle life can be anywhere from 2-7 years. If yours don't live a long time, you won't be able to grow your hair longer.

Keratin treatment?

Yes, I suppose I could do!🤷🏻‍♀️

Honestly, this used to be me until I stopped doing anything to it.
I wash it once a week and let it air dry - absolutely zero heat.
I have it cut once a year.
I went 7 years without having any dye put on at all.
I now have it partially highlighted during my annual hair cut.
My hair is now down to my waist.
If I wanted to “style” it whilst still letting it air dry, I plaited it and sleep in the plait, it was a soft wave in the morning and less frizzy.

@xRobin Coincidentally, one reason I want long hair is exactly so that it is long enough to plait! Thank you.

Honestly, I'm not sure I believe any "treatment" is going to make your hair grow longer. Healthier maybe, but not longer.

Hair extensions are costly and time consuming though. They're heavy, take ages to dry and can get knotty and difficult to brush, especially when wet.

Stop the chop, once a year for a trim up and if I follow hairdressers instructions and go regularly I end up back with a shoulder length bob whether I like it or not.

@Comedycook Reduction in heat damage - good point.
I'm thinking of going back to using rollers or pin-curl clips instead of blow drying - but then I would have to have the time to wait at home for it to dry naturally.......
Thank you!

@Plaided You see, no hairdresser has ever told me not to get my hair cut!
Thank you again x

@Revengeofthepangolins Now that's very interesting. I'm surprised none of my hairdressers over the years made any reference to follicles.
I'll do some research about this, and thank you

I have had keratin blow-drys before going on holiday somewhere hot.
They do help with the frizz, but have no effect on length. But thank you x

Yes, I agree about hair extensions.

@Seas164 You have described what happens to me in a nutshell!🤷🏻‍♀️

@Cesarina the problem (as I am sure you are well aware) is that your hair will grow out until it has enough weight to pull it down. This is exactly what my curly hair does. I looked like Hair Bear during lockdown.

The only time I ever had the perseverance to grow it long was in the 90s. I thought it was OK at the time, but looking at the photos there is undoubtedly a strong resemblance to Brian May 😳. Whilst I have always yearned for long, poker-straight, swishy hair, it just isn't ever going to happen.

Average hair growth is 6" per year straight. If your hair is in tight curls (I assume you mean 3B/C rather than 2B/C) then it may only appear to grow a couple of inches per year, because the coils will eat up the length.

You just need to stop cutting it really if you want to see any progress. Try to take care of your hair, and you can always snip off split ends individually if you have the patience to look for them.

I have very long hair, and like you used to think it can't grow, and hairdressers would tell me trims would "promote" growth- bollocks.

What promotes growth, is growth.

Commit to one year of no heat treatment and no cuts and only brushing about once every few days. Use softening treatments and hair oil.

Wear it in braids or buns to protect it for the majority of the week between washes.

After a year it will be much longer and maybe the bottom inch will need to go because of split ends. And that's it!

I should add it sounds like you are already taking good care of it, and I'm not surprised that hairdressers haven't ever suggested getting it cut less often (that would be bad for business!!)

I wish I could get my hair back 😢

Alopecia … it’s all gone now