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Some may remember I tried for terminal length about three years ago. I definitely got it to my longest ever but then got discouraged with my ends and cut it shorter. My hair hasn't been cut since last summer and I've been pretty much doing benign neglect. It's starting to feel quite long again now so the thought occurred to me of trying again. I also think of Bill and other longtime longhairs here who have grown to terminal and feel a bit incomplete having never explored that territory. Perhaps this might be my little tribute to Bill.
This was my hair yesterday, a few hours after being washed. The frizz factor is very much in evidence.
This was taken this evening. Day two hair with less frizz...
My son was in the backyard yesterday with me and wanted to get in on the fun. This was his first "hair" picture with me.
For comparison, this was about the longest it got last time. I'm not sure but I'm thinking I'm probably a year away from reaching that point.
I'm not going to change my activities to do this. I know cycling takes a heavy toll. I'll continue to braid it while doing this. What I am going to pay attention to more is detangling with lots of conditioner while in the shower. If I skip this for a few showers, I'm left with severe tangles that are not only bad for the hair but try my patience. I also haven't used coconut oil in ages and might try doing an application of that every so often.
Is there anyone else who has never tried for terminal length who might be interested in joining me?
Hi Jason,
First of all your pictures have always been outstanding and of course that one with your son is awesome!How can you not like a father and son longhair pic :)
I've thrown in the towel on haircuts or trims back in 2005.That was the last time I paid a stylist to trim my hair.I felt letting my hair grow out to its longest length was something I wanted to do at the time and to this day no scissors have touched my hair.Obviously I feel I'm at terminal since the length doesn't change but on the flip side I know its still growing based on new growth seen between henna treatments.Whatever the case I'm satisfied with what I have especially being I have no thinning on top so yes, it's allllll there :)
I think going for terminal is something every true longhair should try for at least once.It's easy to trim it back if you don't like an extreme length and as you know it only takes minutes to destroy awesome longhair.So I'm feeling your on the right track with this thread.Do it....and don't look back my friend ;) Cheers
Mârk
Hi Mark,
I like how you put it that every longhair should try for terminal at least once. That’s how I’m seeing it now. My job situation was tenuous there for a while and that also was in my mind but with it being stable at least for the foreseeable future, now’s the time to seize the moment and go for it. You’ve definitely explored just have far terminal is for you with no cutting in that long.
Haha, my son got a kick out of the photo session. Just this morning he was saying that his hair is getting really long and he’ll soon be able to wear it in a braid like I do.
Thanks,
Jason
Hi Jason,
These are great photos, as always, and cheers to your son on embarking on the journey along with you. It seems that he has similar hair type to yours, with considerable wave. My hair behaves similarly, and the higher the humidity, the waiver it gets.
You have excellent thickness, so I certainly see lots of room for more growth. Of course I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you, that you will be pleasantly surprised how much longer your terminal length turns out to be than you may be expecting.
My hair has been at terminal length for years, and I admit to "benign neglect" when it comes to my hair care routine, mainly letting it do its own thing. Although I would love to be able to grow it longer, I am reasonably satisfied with its length and thickness for someone who will be 63 in August.
Good luck in your latest journey!
David
Hi David,
It’s been interesting to see what type of hair my son has ended up with. It was very curly when he was younger but now it’s more wavy like you said. It’s hard to say if this is strictly because it’s longer and the added weight is pulling out the curls or whether his texture might have changed. His color sure did as he was born with dark hair that all fell out. He was bald for a while and then his hair came in very blond.
It’s nice that you can say you’ve explored terminal length. I’d like to also be able to say that I’ve determined what mine is. You definitely have hair to be proud of as you approach your 63rd birthday.
Thanks,
Jason
Hey Jason,
Awesome! Your hair looks awesome! I'm glad that you decided to go for terminal length. It becomes you.
Your son's hair looks beautiful. Is he going for terminal length also? You must be proud.
I have been growing my hair for sixty-two (62) months. Some hairs are almost reaching my nipples. I love my long hair. I will join you in growing my hair to terminal length.
Your long haired bro,
Raymond
Hi Raymond,
Thank you! We’ve been trimming the back of my son’s hair so it’s all one length now. I’m not sure how long he’s going to want it but he will have complete hair freedom to wear it however he chooses.
I’m glad that you’re continuing to enjoy your long hair journey. Perhaps you could post some update photos soon!
Jason
Well, the benign neglect appears to not be hurting, your hair looks good. And your son has beautiful hair too. What do you do to protect the ends? Have you tried using a leave-in conditioner on just the ends? You might find that adding a leave-in conditioner to your routine might be enough to protect the ends and require far less trimming of them.
If you are out in a hot, sunny environment - you might want to try plain aloe gel in your hair, which can minimize the drying effects of sun and heat, because it's a humectant, and therefore encourages moisture. Best thing about aloe, it won't leave any residue once it dries, your hair actually absorbs a lot of it.
If you feel strongly about aiming for terminal, you should heed the call and go for it. You'll regret it if you don't. Best of luck to you, as I suspect terminal is a lot longer than you probably think. You still have youth on your side. What's that old saying? Don't put off 'till tomorrow what you can do today?
Other than keeping my hair braided, I haven’t been doing anything to really aid its health. When I was trying for terminal last time, I was using coconut oil a lot. I need to at least start doing that occasionally again. Thanks for the tip about aloe. That could especially prove helpful with summer upon us. I think I’ve come to accept that my ends will have some damage but I just want to see what happens with the length regardless.
Thanks!
Jason
Hi, Jason.
I want to try for terminal length too. Currently have my hair down to my shoulder blades. The biggest problem I have is that the longer my hair gets, the thinner it gets, so I have to trim it. But I want to try for terminal length and see where it takes me.
Hi Markus,
That's great that you're also going to try for terminal. All of us will experience some taper as our hair lengthens. It just comes down to how satisfied we are with our hemlines. I'm willing to have some fairytale ends to see where my terminal length will bring me.
Jason
Cool, this is what I want to have too... :)
by the way, it is great that you let your son wear his hair long.
I just hope he won´t have any hair related problems when he goes to kindergarten/school...
Great pictures Jason. Your son sure takes after you in the hair department. You have excellent hair to go to terminal. I think you'll be surprised at the length you can actually can achieve.
Bruce
Thanks Bruce! It will be interesting to see how my son decides to wear his hair as he gets older. For now, he's very happy with it long.
It brings back a bit of excitement to having long hair for me to now be on the journey again to find my terminal length.
How have you been keeping your hair lately? Did you ever try terminal length?
Hi Jason,
I'm still letting my hair grow as it should with only couple of inches trimmed in the past few years. I guess by default you could say I've gone terminal and I'm probably there. The picture is from two years ago. That's at my longest point. My hair's a little shorter now, about butt length.
Now for the rotated picture...
I'm sitting here on my cell phone and it ain't cooperating! My apologies!
(I could turn it on its side, but I feel I've used too much band width already.)
Bruce
Bruce, your hair looks awesome! I never knew you grew it that long.Even at a shorter length it still is epic.Happy Memorial Day my friend. Cheers
Mârk
Thanks Mârk, and thanks for the assist.
Bruce
Wow, Bruce, I had no idea your hair had reached that length either. Very nicely done!
Thanks Jason.
had reached that length either. Very nicely done!
Great pics there, Jason!! You have excellent looking hair, regardless of how much additional length you achieve in the future. And your son has terrific wavy hair, too!
Here is a very recent pic of me down in the coastal town of Pescadero, about a 45 minute drive south of SF. Larry and I spent most of the day together this past Wednesday, eating lunch at Duarte's Tavern, which is famous for its Cream of Artichoke soup, its wonderful fresh seafood, and their homemade pies -- Larry's favorite being Apricot pie, mine being Ollalieberry! We've had several longhair meet-ups at this restaurant in the past, which was definitely a favorite of Bill's as well as Larry's.
This photo of me that Larry took after lunch that day shows a wild rose climbing the trees in the background. If you look real closely at the hair falling in front over my shoulder, you can see a thin lock of hair that hangs down the longest out of all the other sections of hair... This is how my terminal length has looked for quite awhile now, the only trimming I do being that of using the "Search & Destroy" method of going after individual split ends.
- Ken
Same day (just this past Wed.), same wild roses in the background, just that in this shot Larry was standing much closer when he took the picture...
I forgot to mention that occasionally I do use Faye's method of self-trimming (or does she spell it Fay?), the woman from The Long Hair Community website. I cut off very few hairs when doing this, just find that occasionally (only about once a year, for example) a little self-timming in this manner helps to keep a natural "V" shape in the back.
I have one more pic I'd like to share from 2 days ago, when Larry asked if I'd be interested in seeing Bill's gravesite, which of course I did....
- Ken
Driving back north from the coastal town of Pescadero, before Larry & I returned to San Francisco, he asked me if I'd be interested in seeing Bill's final resting place. This was in the town of Colma, a suburb just south of SF. The cemetery where Bill is buried is just beautiful, a very peaceful setting with gorgeous tall trees, lush green lawn, and terrific views of the city in the background.
Bill was buried just last Sat. I was surprised when Larry & I got to the gravesite that the red roses which had been placed on top of the ground there still looked amazingly fresh and vibrant with color. I kneeled down to smell the roses when Larry took this photo...
Good-bye, my friend Bill, you will be sorely missed around here!
- Ken
Hi Ken,
This is a lovely and very touching photo. I thank Larry for taking it and you for posting it. I am sure those beautiful roses smell great! I can't help but believe Bill's great character is keeping the roses looking wonderful. I will miss you always Bill. RIP my friend.
Ted
Thanks Ted (am text meshing from my iPhone, at work instead of home computer --a new experience 4 me - LOL!)
Hi Ken, and of course Larry if you are reading the mlhh ;) I can't wait to get back to California as I would be so honored to also visit Bill's final resting place.I'm happy to know your staying in touch with Larry and will continue to do so in spite of Bill's absence.My next trip out west I'm hoping the three of us can still get together during your days off from work Ken.I will sorely miss Bill on my next trip as it's just going to leave this huge hole concerning our meetups.How fitting you two went south to Pescadero and ate at Duarte's.That's the first time I ever met Bill in person back in 2008.You weren't there on that meetup due to a commitment if I recall correctly.I've included a picture taken that day and you might even recognize a couple other characters from the past:) Anyway thank you for sharing your day with Larry.You and Larry are the greatest!Cheers
Mârk
Hi Mark,
This is a great pic with Bill and Larry! Thanks for posting it! Was this taken right outside the Duarte's restaurant? Could you please tell me who the two guys are in the middle? One of them isn't you is it? Hope you're doing fine my friend! I probably won't have a decent hair update until at least October of this year. I will have 1 year without a haircut at that time:). Take care! Long live Bill!
Ted
Hi Ted,
Glad you liked my throwback pic of my first mlhh meetup with Bill,Larry, and others.To answer your question neither of those two longhairs in the center are me as I was actually taking the picture.The guy in the green T shirt was an mlhh member known as SteveNoVa and the other in the white T shirt was also an mlhher known as Rick.When word went out about the meetup
they both showed up together along with others who aren't shown in this pic.I recall it was a good turn out that day so quite impressive with all the longhairs at Duarte's which was across the street from where this picture was taken.Hope your enjoying the Memorial Day weekend my friend.Cheers
Mârk
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the reply! That's pretty cool about the good turnout at Duarte's! I sure would have loved to have been there! I thought you might been the photographer, but wasn't sure! Interesting thing though. The guy named Rick looks like my Dad with long hair! My Dad never had long hair. But he wore glasses and looked like Rick. Love the pic though! Yes, I am enjoying the long weekend. Even though I have to go to dialysis on Memorial Day! Grrr. No holidays for life-saving treatments! Please enjoy your long weekend and be safe my friend!
Ted
This photo seems to be a fitting tribute to our long haired friend.
Rest in peace Bill.
Bruce
You talk of your natural V shape. I am very fond of that shape when I look at it in the mirror. I have had no cutting of any kind since September 2013 (my last haircut) except for occasional spilt end snip-offs. I wondered whether I would like the rounded style, but I'm not so keen. I definitely don't like the straight-across. My singing teacher (female) had that done, but she seems to be open to my suggestion of having a V shape.
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
I'm with you as I prefer the natural V shape too.To each their own but its just my preference:) Cheers
Mârk
I've often wondered why hair forms that natural V shape?
Personally I prefer a straight across cut.
Hi Ken,
You are looking fabulous in these pics! I am so happy to hear you and Larry had a great time at lunch. You're making me miss Northern Cal now! One of these days I hope to get back out there. I have never been to Duarte's, but it sounds good! Thanks for posting these pics and please take care!
Ted
Thanks Ken! When thinking about going for terminal again, I remembered that you were able to eke out a bit more growth after a while. If where you're at now is indeed terminal, it's a very impressive length.
Thanks too about my son's hair. It's a pleasure for me as a parent to be giving him complete hair freedom. As you well know, it's an unpleasant experience to grow up in a situation where you can't express yourself through your desired hair length.
Glad that you were able to spend that time with Larry. Sharing memories of a someone who has passed is a healing activity.
I can't speak of terminal length from experience. As you know, I have been growing mine for 2 1/2 years, 3 years in September 2016. I therefore don't know how long my hairs "live" before falling out. So, for myself, I have no appointment with any scissors, nor do I really have a fixed objective. What I do know is that I want my hair at least two thirds down my back.
You have great hair, and you are a lot younger than us "oldies", and I encourage you to be yourself and do what you really want in life. I'm sure you can tie it up and do nice buns for going cycling or other outdoor sports. When I go sailing, I do a ponytail or my "half fold" like for taking a shower on days when I'm not washing my hair. I use a headband, because I still have a lot of front hairs pulling out of my hair band. You are already used to protecting your hair.
Go for it and keep us all posted. As our dear friend Ken says: Long Locks For Ever!
Anthony
Hi Anthony,
I've really enjoyed following your journey and look forward to seeing your hair reaching that length down your back. It's quite a journey of self-discovery in more ways than one.
Thanks about my hair. Haha, I'm not that young anymore at 44 but hopefully my terminal length won't be that much less now that if I had tried in my 20s. I wish I could have experimented then but am thankful that the shackles were finally taken off around age 33.
Best,
Jason
I love this thread! So inspiring. Here I am at classic length with lots of hair needing to catch up forming a natural taper since I haven't had a major trim since I did a Buzzcut, that natural tapering I found out wasn't "fairy tailing" so I still have hope. I will not give up and this thread has given me a boost to not trim until I reach a length I will be happy with if that ever happens...... I will continue to grow even if my ends look like it's "fairy tailing." You have lovely hair! You can do this and you got this.
As my own saying goes "Keep on bunning it, ignoring it and go with your own flow to let it grow."
Peace out!
Thank you! I'm glad this thread can serve as inspiration. I'm not sure but did you try to attach a photo? We'd love to see how your hair is looking.
I say, "Go for it!" I'd be interested in seeing what your terminal hair length ends up being, and wouldn't be surprised if it went quite a bit further than you might anticipate. Great Father-Son picture, too!
--Val
Thanks Val. I'm definitely noticing increased length as I have to extend my arms quite far to do my daily braid. It will be interesting to see if eventually I'll have to alter my method somewhat to accommodate the new length.
My longest-haired son, now 8, has been taking over more of his own hair care routine lately. Over the course of his lifetime, he has had two small trims to removed damaged ends, having about 1 inch removed with the first one, and about 3 inches removed with the second. Up until now, my wife or I have done most of the brushing and all of the braiding for him. It is interesting to watch him troubleshoot how to reach all the way to the ends. If you come up with a reliable method of braiding your own hair at or beyond waist length, I'd love to hear if you have any tips or tricks that he might find useful.
Thanks!
--Val