new thread
I have been growing for 31 months so far but,
for whatever reasons, I have never actually measured my hair!
I've always estimated: 31 months equal about 15 1/2 inches,
but I started out with 1 1/2 to 2 inches, so I have
a basic idea of how long my hair SHOULD be.
Anyway, I wouldn't know WHERE to measure FROM. The back seems to be the longest.
SO THE QUESTIONS ARE:
1. Have YOU ever measured your hair?
2. WHAT part of your head did you take your measurements from?
3. WHERE is your hair the LONGest? The SHORTest?
Yes
The length of my hair was measured from my front hairline, over my head and down my back.
My hair is the longest at the back, measuring at 40cm.
My hair is the shortest at the sides, measuring at 36cm.
Thee Longhaired Gal
TLG,
I have always had misgivings about the measurement technique you described;
So that means if one were to get a short cut, using the method described above your hair length would be something like 8 inches.
Gollan 'the engineer' will step in here...
The 'from the front hairline to the tips of the length' is a standard and consistent way to measure hair length. It is a measurement that can be repeated with good accuracy because it uses an easy to find, fixed reference point (the front hairline) that works for most people. Comparing your individual measurements over a period of time is perfectly valid with this method. Comparing measurements between individuals is dubious (but it is still done of course). Some of the problems with comparing the measurements between individuals are variations in the depth of the hairline, variations in the size of the head, and variations in the stretch of tape measure (people are not using lab-grade tape measures).
It is true that someone with a brush cut might get a measurement of 'eight inches' from this technique. In a month she might get 8.5 inches. The numbers alone are not meaningful (particularly in the early stages) but the *difference* can produce an accurate measurement of the rate of growth. It is my *opinion* that once the measured number gets 'big' (e.g. 20+ inches) then the effects of individual differences are small enough that comparison of the measurements between individuals FOR FUN is reasonable.
Couldn't have explained it better! :o)
Thee Longhaired Gal
Thanks Gollan, I appreciate you stepping in with your explanation :-)
The engineering may make for some sense (except for the fixed starting point, which may not be fixed for some men), but common sense tells me that the "over the head" measurement just won't work here - too many of the participants to this long hair forum measure hair only, not head + hair.
Just my humble opinion! :-)
One reason we do is likely that men have traditionally measured their hair that way. If you tell a barber you want hair three inches long, you and he both know you mean "length of hair strands" will be three inches, not that he is to take some silly measurement off your hairline.
Bill
Hi Oversurf,
Well, Gollan gave a good reply to this. :o)
Thee Longhaired Gal
That is the method accepted in the long-hair community. George Michael salons measure from the front hairline. The point is to have a "standard", so you can repeat the measurement with accuracy and so everyone is doing it the same.
When you go to long-hair sites that have mostly female members and you see a hair measurement listed, it is using this method.
(BTW, mine measures 36" :-)
Hey Mick,
You're right, it is the method being used by hair salons mostly.
I've been doing it this way since I can remember.
Wow, great! Maybe share a pic on here?
Thee Longhaired Gal
YES - I've measured my hair several times presently I'm at about 11 inches at the longest parts. Which considering I started at (longest) 1.5 inches it means during the time I have been growing my hair has grown 9.5 inches which is exactly what you would expect after 19 months of growth.
I measure hairs from the top of my head.
Longest on top, shortest at the back and sides.
Sorted
I don't know, but I am beginning to believe that it does...
because I have NEVER cut my hair so the FRONT SHOULD be
about 17 inches but it isn't!
I resisted the temptation to measure during the "awkward" stage, it would only make the process seem slower.
Now that I am into 2+ years of growth, I measure only when I happen to see a long hair that had been shed that appears to be very long to me. I realize it's not an accurate method of measuring overall hair growth but when I see the hair, I get curious as to its length.
Last time I measured was at the 2 yr mark - it was over 13 inches. Not sure what part of my head the hair came from.
yes
from the lowest part of my head, near the neck
the longest is near the neck, with 31 cm, and the shortest on top and sides, between 20-25cm long
Yes
Bangs
Hair is longest on top, 7 1/2 inches or maybe more.
I think hair is shortest on sides, but I never actually measured it, but it's around 2-2 1/2 inches BELOW my jawbone.
I'm at 9 months growth.
Yes
From the back and sides
The back is about 6 1/2 - 7 inches for longest
The sides are about 6 inches too
My bangs are 5 inches for shortest
Yes. I've even made a chart out of hair. I put a large piece of paper on the back of a door, and each longer comb-out would get taped up there, parallel to the last ones. I aligned the roots all along a horizonal line at the top. The tips formed the curve of the graph. Next to each root I'd write the date. This gave me a chart that got longer and longer as the months went by! I could literally see my progress on my chart, and it was made from my own hair! When I reached terminal length I quit making the chart, but I still have it hanging on the back of the door.
I tried various methods, and the results were repeatedly inconsistent. When I began measuring the longest comb-outs, results were exact. I could see precisely what my progress was. My longest comb-out to date is 22-7/8 inches. That was on 3/14/03 so I'm probably at terminal length.
In particular, I am one to scoff at the measurement scheme where people measure from the hairline above their forehead to their longest strand. Problems with that method are:
Guys with a buzz cut get a measurement of about one foot. For a guy with a buzz cut to say he has a foot of hair is ludicrous.If you start with two inches of hair, what do you say to people a year later? If you only grew six inches of hair, how do you explain that you now have fourteen?A man's longest hair grows in the back. Two men with identical length will get different numbers if one has a receding hairline.Since the longest hair is generally sprouting from the back, the reading will be too large, but if someone actually does have long strands from the very front, the reading doesn't recognize that fact in any way.It takes two hands to hold the tape measure with this method, leaving no hand to pull down on your hair. Straight-haired people will get longer readings than curly-haired people with identical length.
The forehead to tips method works well for longhaired ladies' hair contests, which is where it likely originated. Winners of such contests almost always have straight hair since straight hair grows longest, don't have receding hairlines since they are female, are far removed from comparing to any inch-long baseline, and have a second party (a judge) present to do the measuring. The method also gives an immediate reading, necessary for a contest. It does, though, give a relative number, okay for judging a winner, not an absolute number, more meaningful when evaluating one's personal hair growth and when talking to men of all hair lengths about what length in relation to theirs YOU have -- topics far more often engaged in by longhaired men.
If one's hair is less than three feet long, one can get a reasonably correct reading by holding a yardstick against his head in various places and by then pulling out on the hair strands rooted there. By doing that, I know my longest strands are rooted on both sides behind my ears. My shortest ones are in lots of places around the edges.
Bill
Well, that is quite a system! Will have to give it a try!
Does the hair at the back generally grow longer than at the front and front-sides? With me, my longest and healthiest growth is on the rear half of my head.
I like that, a real hair progress chart. Very clever. :-)
You should add a bandana to the chart. :-)
Guys with a buzz cut get a measurement of about one foot. For a guy with a buzz cut to say he has a foot of hair is ludicrous.If you start with two inches of hair, what do you say to people a year later? If you only grew six inches of hair, how do you explain that you now have fourteen?A man's longest hair grows in the back. Two men with identical length will get different numbers if one has a receding hairline.Since the longest hair is generally sprouting from the back, the reading will be too large, but if someone actually does have long strands from the very front, the reading doesn't recognize that fact in any way.It takes two hands to hold the tape measure with this method, leaving no hand to pull down on your hair. Straight-haired people will get longer readings than curly-haired people with identical length.
Measuring hair from the front hairline is a method for measuring only long hair, and it's best when used for tracking just your own hair growth rate. Therefore, for those with buzz cuts, it's useless. For those just beginning to grow out, it's useless and shouldn't be employed until the hair reaches probably at least collar length.
I've never heard that hair growing from the back of the head (or a man's head) grows fastest.
For curly heads, they should pull their hair straight to get a correct reading, not leave it curled or still wavy. This evens out the scores between straight, wavy, and curly hair, and makes measuring meaningful. In fact, recent discussion has suggested wetting or at least dampening their hair for a more correct reading.
Of course you need the assistance of someone else to help with this. A long hair gatherings, everyone helps out each other. :-)
As for the receding hairline, I once actually witnessed a GM group measure a man's hair from where his original hair line used to be many years ago. His hair had receded greatly. I thought this was peculiar. I agree that MPB is the main area where measuring from the front hairline is not a perfect way to measure hair.
JE
My hair ties into a 39 inch ponytail and the longest MEASURED shed strand is 44 inches. Absalom
Yeah, I know, you have twice as much as me. When are you gonna come over here so I can be jealous. [grin]
It's cooling off so we can get in some great hiking. I did 13 miles this morning. Took about an hour longer than usual because I got in a LOT of quality time in GG Park with various blackberry bushes.
With blond curls and red fingers,
Bill
1. Have YOU ever measured your hair?
Yes, I used to A LOT when I was in the awkward stage, I seldom do it anymore.
2. WHAT part of your head did you take your measurements from?
I always measured from my bangs, and this makes sense to me because ultimately I'd want my hair completely even with them.
3. WHERE is your hair the LONGest? The SHORTest?
Longest is in the back, like most people. My bangs are only about two inches shorter if that.
I haven't measured my hair in awhile, last time I did was like 3 months ago out of the blue, and it was about 12" bangs then. I imagine my bangs are at least 13", they are two inches longer than my chin.
m: SO THE QUESTIONS ARE:
Yes every month, on the 15th. I now have 25 month of growth at 15 inches.
From the top of my head.
The SHORTest? I don't want to know.
Yes. Lots of times.
I used to measure the longest strand, but I switched to the 'over-the-head' method. It is more repeatable, easier to do, and it is the method that all the women use, so it is a standard. I agree it gives a meaningless figure for short hair, but it's 30 years since I had short hair, so that isn't relevant for me personally.
Longest at the back. Shortest at the front.
