new thread
I've been thinking about about this today because of a post a few down. Do you think genes or good hair care is the main factor for one to achieve their ultimate terminal length?
I think good hair care would be the main determanent because if your hair is dry and damaged with split ends then it isn't going to grow much longer. As for genes, well i would probably just have to let my hair grow for as long as possible and find out. I am quite curious to eventually realise my natural terminal length.
Average human has 100,000 hairs on their head > lets average 100 shed hairs per day > the longest(terminal hairs) would be 1000 days old(around 3 years) > results in a maximum terminal length of 18 inches of hair. At this point the old hairs will shed and the new ones will take over in the cyle.
Those with longer than waist length hair musn't shed very much at all, or otherwise their hair wouldn't be as long as it is.
Now that i have minimised brushing i am not loosing as much hairs as before. When i deep condition it might be closer to 150-200 hairs but that is because all the dead hair has built up over the whole week and then it is time to come out when i comb through, perfectly normal. I remember Absalom saying that as hair gets longer, the roots will get stronger as they have to hold the extra weight, thus reducing the shedding rate. The shed rate would have to be closer to 15-20 hairs a day, to sustain such a length.
Hey Brother 80's-Metal,
Your stats I don't agree with as I know too many people with over 18"s of hair including myself. My hair is maybe 2+1/2 feet long and I lose lots of hairs each time I shampoo, and lots on days I don't so I don't now about the 18" rule, or where that comes from.
Follow Ups:
Follow Ups:
Follow Ups:
Follow Ups:
You know what's coming don't ya? EAT A PEACH FOR PEACE! That's right..... everytime! RedTail Wolf
pardon my ignorance,but what does that mean??? *looks confused*
I myself think all is in the genes, and I also think that proper hair care helps to extend needless hair loss.
When my hair was shorter, I always was loseing around 100 hairs per day, enough so that they could just about clog a drain.
With my "average" hair length at 23" long now, I barely shed any hairs. It is really a laugh after washing to see the pitiful amount of loss compared to even a year ago. I believe Absaloms theory to be 100% on target.
One thing has taken me off-guard a bit...........but it is normal, that being the newer growth coming in and presenting to me a tiny Awkward Stage of a hair here or there flying around. But I don't mind and am very happy with what I have.
And the longer it gets, the better I like it.
WOW, really? that just proves Absalom's theory 100%. My hair is still at a mere 10 inches but i think the awkwardness and shedding will gone at another 10 inches. This is just another reason to grow out hair longer than shoulder length, since your roots will be tough and you will seldom shed hair much.
Yes, and my opinion of shoulder length hair is still part of the Awkward Stage. In fact, of all the Awkward Stage when it got to the shoulders for myself it was the most taxing time of all. Flips like you wouldn't believe and lots of hair loss still. Gravity hasn't quite had a chance to do its thing.
"Terminal length" is somewhat of a misnomer. Certain types of hair (on one's arms, legs, eyebrows, etc) grow to a fixed length and then stop. In contrast, hair on one's head can grow very long, but the number of hairs that reach a given length is limited by shedding.
I put together a spreadsheet model to illustrate. We start with 100,000 hairs on one's head and a growth rate of 0.5 inches per month. The spreadsheet makes the assumption that the probability of a hair shedding is independent of its length. Then, the number of hairs that reach a given length follows an exponential decay. With a shed rate of 100 per day, only 11% will make it past 3 feet. With a shed rate of 25 per day, about a third of one's hairs will reach 6 feet. Clearly, to grow long thick hair requires a low shed rate. I shed about 20-30 hairs a day.
I think the spreadsheet is a reasonable approximation to my own hair. The main inaccuracy is in the assumption that the probability of shedding is independent of length. In my experience, longer hairs have a somewhat higher probability of shedding than shorter hairs (although many of my shedded hairs are short as the spreadsheet predicts).
Ed
Yeah, i've noticed that by looking at people myself. The weird thing is...i tend to notice that alot of people with long hair(terminal) have like few single hairs that are quite longer than the rest, and that increases as you move up and finally near the scalp you can see all his hairs.
I really liked that demonstration.
Absalom will love this , hehehe :)
The only unrealistic assumption is the one being, shedding is independant of hair length. I believe it is dependant since the longer hair grows, the stronger the roots become, which means less shedding rates.
..........yes, Wow! I am presently sheding less than you. When I washed today I only lost 3 hairs to it. Finger combing daily averages less than 5. No more clogged drains. No more stuck vacumns.
BUT:
When my hair was shorter the shed rate WAS around 100 a day.
Absalom is right in his theory.
It just HAS to be genetics.
