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I've been growing my hair for a long time now. At one point, it was easily beyond the middle of my back. Now I find that it doesn't quite reach the middle of my back. I haven't done anything really different as far as hair care goes; but I'm getting a little worried (no, I haven't cut my hair or trimmed it in years).
Currently, I'm using Pantene Pro V (shampoo + conditioner), but it doesn't seem to be helping (for a brief time, I used a really cheap-ass shampoo that seemed to cause damage). My hair has always been straight. Now, it seems to want to curl around a bit at the back (only). It appears to have some split-ends. I thought that this shampoo would fix that, but it doesn't seem to be helping. I don't trim my hair except for underneath. I have always brushed my hair out when wet -- it gets too thick and breaks a lot when dry. My hair tends to be dry. However, my choice of shampoo really hasn't seemed to matter until now (I'm 35).
Anyone know what I can do to help this and how I can get my hair longer? Typically, I wear it in a pony when at work -- and down at home. Am I using a bad shampoo? What would y'all recommend to fix this? At this point, my hair is about 18 to 19 inches in length, but I want it a few inches longer. It just doesn't seem to GET any longer. Any advice is much appreciated.
Pantene is cheap ass shampoo. The comercials are basically a flat-out lie. I'd switch to something good. My personal favorite is Aussie products (and I have some pretty long hair). Works really good and costs very little, plus you can get it just about anywhere.
Plus, get it trimmed now and then so it doesn't just wear away.
No, don't trim it. The idea that that makes it grow is a myth. It will grow quicker for a while but it won't make the terminal length (the maximum length of each hair if it is never cut) any greater. Often the terminal length reduces as you get older (not good news, but true)
Believe me, I tried a trim 8 years ago and the only result was that it took nearly a year to grow back to exactly the same length as before.
Getting trims is about taking care of your hair. If it took you a year to grow back what was trimmed then it was cut and not trimmed.
Thanks all for the advice. I'm only 36 (next week), so I wouldn't think that my terminal length would shorten this quickly. I'm sure it's possible though. As some of you have stated, I'll try switching to Aussie products. Take care.
The terminal length can, and often does, decrease as we age. It's a sad but true fact of life. About all you can do is make sure that you eat right, get regular excercise and plenty of rest. If you are not already taking Biotin, maybe you should start. Not the mega doses that people take to increase growth rate. Just a lite dose to make sure that you are not deficient in it should suffice.
WE all have a different terminal length. For some, it's waist length. For others, it's mid back or so. For some, it's even less than that.
I'm afraid you've reached terminal length. And the truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter what vitamins you take, what shampoo you use, whatever...you're maxed out.
If you have split ends, trim them off yourself. There is no such thing as repairing split ends. Can't be done. Think of your hair as a water hose. Once the hose is split, you can't actually repair it. You can throw on some duct tape to make it work for you, but the hose itself can't be restored to its original state. Same goes with hair.
Don't listen to the "don't trim at any cost" crowd. If you have split ends, trim them while they're little and short. They will only get worse if you don't.
99% of all shampoos are basically the same. Some will work better for you as far as manageability, but it all depends on your hair. We're all different, and the shampoo that works great for me may not work well for you. Take the Aussie line. Works great for some, but it turns my hair into an unmanageable frizzy mess.
Be happy with what you have. Remember, there are people balding and people who can't grow more than a few inches. At least you have a bunch. My hair is mid-back (used to be waist), and I like it right where it is.
You may or may not have reached your terminal length. I recommend a tiny trim to get rid of the splits. Get someone you trust to do it with very sharp scissors. Wash very gently to avoid tangling. Also, don't brush while wet! (a big no-no, my sister taught me this, the hair is weakest when wet) Detangle carefully with an afro pick, you might even want to do this with your conditioner in, before you rinse it out. In fact, you should detangle with the pick before you brush it dry, too, to avoid breakage. Wear a protective style, like a braid, or a series of ties down the length of a ponytail, to avoid damaging the hair. Try a leave-in conditioner, or a bit of jojoba oil, on the ends to keep them supple and less prone to splits and breakage. Now, my hair isn't real long (yet!) but I've learned these things from sites for women's long hair. It may help you grow your hair longer.
Hey, you're just getting older, man! As a longhair in his fifties, I know several other longhairs in my generation who have watched their terminal length lessen over the years. This journey mostly has been from waist to mid-back. For some of them this started in their mid-thirties and occurred quite rapidly. Then the shortening slowed way down. One man who had a terminal beard said it, too, shortened at the same time his hair did and by the same amount, and this was particularly irritating for him because it began to drag through his food, while it previously would bump up against the edge of the table. :-)
Since this happens to beards and hair in unison, don't fret about MPB here. It's a different mechanism. Beards don't get MPB.
Split ends are a sign of damage, and "putting chemicals on your hair" is the most common cause of damage we get. I have fine curly hair, and it used to split and break off at half the length I have now. When I cut way back on shampoo the splits ceased and now my hair is twice as long, and there are NO splits at all. I never trimmed a strand to get to this point; I just cut way back on shampooing.
>I don't trim my hair except for underneath. I have always brushed my hair out when wet -- it gets too thick and breaks a lot when dry. My hair tends to be dry. However, my choice of shampoo really hasn't seemed to matter until now (I'm 35).
All you care is your hair not pull when you comb or brush. Guys with very curly hair cannot brush ever, and cannot comb it if dry. The brush or comb will hang, and if they force it, they will break hair. If they aren't going to put conditioner on it that day to provide lubrication, it will have to be water. Water can help move the scalp's oil down into your ends where tangling mostly happens, especially if you use cooler water. That oil lubricates much more than does plain water. Just be careful because hair is weaker when wet. Your hair is straighter than that of some of these guys I'm mentioning, but it may no longer be straight enough, or oily enough, to comb dry. Oiliness decreases with age, so our techniques may have to change from those of trashing the oil to those of preserving it. To be healthy our hair needs a certain amount as a minimum.
You're at a length where a considerable number of "men past their early thirties" encounter a slow-down. The Good Lord sees to it that we each get our own unique combination of color, curliness, thickness, coarseness, and yes, length. Your awesome 19-inch red hair is "you", and if that is as long as it gets when you aren't getting splits anymore, that's what the Lord intended for you. You've still got 19 times as much hair as most guys we see! :-)
I don't know who you hang with, but in my crowd we don't sit around and measure manes. If a guy's givin' it his best shot, he's got his membership card, and it's a full membership, even if he's bald on top. :-)
Bill