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Hey guys!
I've been really depressed lately about my hair... You know, I love it's colour, it's shape and it's texture but I'm so unhappy about my growth... It seems it's taking forever for it to grow. And the worst is that I think I need to trim, I wanted healthier ends, but I can't lose lenght.
I look at my hair everyday from the back in a mirror I have in the bathroom, and maybe that is why I don't get those surprises on how it grew for the last months, but I just took a picture, tomorrow is the 23rd month of growing, and compared to my last month's picture, my hair just hasn't grew! And compared to other people's progress on the 23rd month mine's much shorter as well...
I know I've made so far, but mid-back would be such a relief now... I can't stand that my hair is growing this slow =( Or at least that it seems so for me. Every day I look at my sister's gorgeous hair, and look the net to lok at more gorgeous hair and I have been so obcessed with mine for the past two years that it seems it had to be longer... I have put so much efort on it, and will in the future as well, but I just needed my hair to be longer now... *sigh*.......
I've been so worried about my ends, I really think they need to be trimmed just to even up a bit and remove a bit of the thin thin thin thin THIn ends... Tomorrow you'll se the pictures and I hope that someone will notice a diference, since I don't, unfortunatly =(
I gotta thank you guys for reading, I needed to ramble, I have set a goal that is too hard to achieve and for the worst I started with an almost buzz cut and so it's taking like forever! It must also be a thing of the holidays, I got nothing to do at home and all I can think is about my hair... How I miss the cols school days......... Does it felt strange??
Either ways, thank's for all the suport you gave me in this last months... You may be sure some day I'll achieve my goal... But I'm aiming THIS much for mid-back now... I hope I'll get there fast!
Thank you, and sorry =( I needed to ramble...
Long hair forever =) =) =)
As far as my own experience has gone, my advice would be to simply ignore growth. Limit your observations to haircare and not growth, and just let it be. I thought about my hair all the time for the first 18 months, then I got bored of waiting for my target length and just stopped checking. The time disappeared and before I knew it, I 'remembered' that I was growing it out and I thought 'Christ, it really is long now'.
It may seem hard to give up this sense of urgency, but ask yourself 'Really, what difference would an extra 6 or so inches of hair make, right here right now?'. Your hair WILL reach your goal length, and then you can maintain and enjoy that length for years and years. Possessing such a length X months/years earlier will not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Next time you walk past a mirror, where you'd normally stop and check your length, simply walk on. Next time you show us your update pictures, focus on the condition of your hair instead of how much it's grown since last time. Your mind will soon let go of the importance it places on length.
Good luck.
Matt
"I thought about my hair all the time for the first 18 months, then I got bored of waiting for my target length and just stopped checking. The time disappeared and before I knew it"
That's EXACTLY how it was for me too. Then I just forgot about it and let it do its thing, and look what happened..... it grew!!
JD
Stop worrying and setting targets for monthly growth. It will get there and one day you will be especially happy because it has. Only your hair/body can determine its rate of growth - not your planning skills.
Sit tight loose the scissors and one day...
In addition to the very good advice already given... don't obsess over what you have yet to attain. Appreciate the hair you already have. Your progress has been remarkable.
We are often our own worst critics. The best thing is to heed the support from those who offer it and stop worrying. Good life advice is to take things for what they are, not what they aren't.
Hey, Joao. Perhaps it would help if you think of it like this - your hair is a good deal straighter than some people's hair on this board (like mine), so yours at least shows a fair bit of its actual length. My hair grows, but it takes forever for the length to actually show up. So in other words, sit back and relax a bit, and remember that you have it easier than a lot of people out there.
And sometimes it's better not to have something immediately. It's fun to see your hair change as it lengthens - once you reach your desired length, you no longer get to enjoy these little changes. So don't feel bad - there's always some kind of light at the end of those dark tunnels.
Peace, man, and just remember that you'll reach your goal eventually. It'll be in less time if you stop worrying about it every day.
I let myself forget about it. When I first started growing my hair, I was all into it, and everyday I thought to myself, "My hair just won't grow!" This went on for a long time until one day, I just stopped thinking about it. Just let it do its thing! You are only 17 years old. I know I'm not too much older than you (I'm about to turn 21), but think about it like this- you have a HUGE one up on me! When I was 17, I had shorrrrrrrrt hair!!! And don't worry about getting a trim. They won't take off anything that will make a huge visible difference, and if they do, guess what?? Hair grows back!!! It might set you back a little bit, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that!! Just enjoy your hair. It's already pretty long, and in time, it WILL be longer. However, for now, just enjoy it how it is. Think about it- a year from now, it'll be LONG! But, everything good takes time, and sadly, growing one's hair takes a lot of it. It also takes a lot of patience too, so just hang in there and it will all turn out OK :-).
Yes, Justin, I thought Weston's comments were right-on!
Hi João,
I agree with the others - just live your life and forget about hair length for a while - it seems that everybody has that problem at 20-24 months of growth.
And, if you do need to trim, there are one or two threads below (eg Dean) where several people gave good advice.
Hey João, you're young enough, and you look outrageously good - the absolute model look! I'm sure a lot of both straight women and gay men start drooling when they look at you ;-)
And, lets modify a proverb of Don Bosco, a streetworker saint from Italy about 150 years ago: "Be cheerful, do good things, and let the sparrows whistle their tune" eg into "... and let the hair grow at its rate" :-) i.e. go about your life, and further hair growth will follow you like happiness...
Happy life and happy growth!
Hans-Uwe
We all second ... :-)
Since you started from a buzz, you seem to have excellent length for two years. I would guess from your picture that you have over 12" (305mm) in length; which exceeds the normal 1/2" (13mm) per month.
I am beginning also not to notice additional length, even though my hair is only at 7-8" (180-200mm)at the longest point. As your hair gets longer, it gets harder to discern additional growth in relation to what you already have in place.
There will always be someone out there who has seemed to exceed the normal growth rate. Should you be disappointed if you are not the greatest tennis player, or the greatest artist? Of course not. Look at it from the point that many on here wish they had hair as you do; I have seen it expressed many times.
Sometimes the things we most appreciate are those that we have to work hardest for. We have all experienced the impatience of youth; many of us wish we were still at that age to be able to do so. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders along with an excellent head of hair atop that; sometimes you just have to accept that things are the way they are, and only time can make a difference. Growing long hair is one of those things.
With your length, a MINOR trim should not be a problem. Even after the trim I doubt you will be able to tell a difference in length, since it is relative to what you have now.
Goals set too low do nothing to motivate us. If you have nothing to strive towards you put out the requisite effort to get there.
I'm 52 and I still miss them; they were a wonderful part of my life
With your attitude I'm sure you will. Just don't let the short term uncertainties detract from the long term successes.
Big George
Dont get depressed Joao E-mail me Ill always be glad to help you like I have done so before
Zig
Some old parables:
A watched pot never boils.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but you still have to mow it too!
Seriously, your hair looks great. No use to dwell on what you don't yet have, because what you do have is wonderful and quite and achievement as far a hair growing. You in this very moment is all that you actually have. Just enjoy it right now.
In a big city like yours, I can't imagine not having anything to do!
There must be all kinds of museums and shops and libraries to visit and spend lot of time learning and seeing new things.
I imagine that your progress picture will look just as good as they always do when you make the post tomorrow.
I think a lot of long hairs have this experience so you are not the only one. you have great hair. many would like to have hair like yours.
Hi João,
Your hair is nothing short of awesome -- and I mean that it looks so good that it strikes awe into people.
Don't fret about the growth. I say that for several reasons. First off, working yourself into a lather over the matter will do nothing to affect your hair's growth speed; in fact it may actually hinder it if you get too stressed out. Secondly, all you're doing is beating yourself up over something that only biology can control, not thought or wishes. And finally, you should be quite happy with it just the way it is -- I know I would be ecstatic to have such healthy vibrant locks; in fact I might trade length for it, but I'm not going to get all worked up over it.
The advice given by the other fellows in this thread is dead on. Next time you see a mirror, just walk by it. Next time you start fretting over length, celebrate what you have now. Next time you log for hair down to your backside, bear in mind that only time can make it happen, and that at only 18 years of age, time is on your side.
Best of luck with it, although you seem well blessed in that regard anyway!