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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Can You Grow Your Hair Longer With the Curly Girl Method? My Results.

September 11
September 11
The first thing you should know is my hair has a short terminal length and grows very slowly. The pics from September 11 are the longest my hair had ever grown before the Curly Girl Method.  I've tried to grow long hair several times in my life (At the age of 5, 5th grade, High School, and in my late 20's).  In the past, as soon as I could feel my hair start to touch my shoulders, it  would break off.  My Grandma's had the same issues with her hair.  I think my Dad had the same issues with growing his hair in the early 70's, but he refuses to discuss this with me.  :)  I was hoping with the CG method and my new found knowledge about protein and moisture balance, I could gain some extra length.

December 11
December 11
 What is terminal length?  This link explains it in a few paragraphs.  If you are too lazy for all that readin', here is a shorter explanation:  You know how your hair on your arms only grows so long?  It stops because of genetically programmed terminal length.  Same goes for the hair on your head.  It only grows so long before it won't grow any longer.  I'm on the short end of the spectrum, but some people have a very long terminal length for their hair (think Crystal Gayle).  My plan was to stop breakage, split ends, etc.  so I can retain more of the length my genetically slow growing hair has the ability to grow.
 
April 12
April 12
I  cut my own hair which is a big part of my successfully growing my hair longer.  I trim very small amounts off the ends at one time, like an 1/16-1/8 inch at a time.  Doing these micro-trims means I was able to only trim about 3/4 inch total off the length last year.  Try to get your stylist to only trim a total of 3/4 inch in a year.  Probably not going to happen if you are like me and need 4-5 trims in a year.  The bad part of cutting your own hair and only doing small trims is I made a mistake cutting my hair last year (see side pics) and the mistake is still there because I won't cut off enough length to fix it.  To do the micro trims I take 1/16-1/8 inch sections of hair and trim 1/16-1/8 inch off the length at a time.  (See video at the bottom of the page.)  I attack my hair in sections (left front, left back, right front, right back) and use clips to separate trimmed hair and hair that is awaiting a trim. Since I cut very small pieces at one time and make micro trims, it doesn't matter what angle I hold my hair when I make the cut.  I pull the back sections toward the front or over the top of my head so I can see them to trim.  It takes me about a half hour to do this, but my hair is fine and thin.  It will take you longer if you have thick hair.
August 12

August 12
I think my hair is getting about as long as it can get.  My ends don't seem to be in great shape, and I suspect it is going to start breaking soon.  But you never know, I thought it wouldn't grow anymore 6 months ago and it did.  So maybe there is more length in there yet.

August 13

August 13



Edit:  August, 2013.  I think I'm still gaining some length.  My ends are difficult to keep in shape at this length.  They are prone to splitting.  My ends almost always look stringy when I wear my hair wavy and don't want to stay clumped.  I should cut it, but I'm not ready to yet.    









February 2014

February 2014
Edit:  February 2014.  It's still growing.  I was diagnosed with a mild thyroid condition and my hair seems to be shedding less now.   It may be growing a little faster, but it is hard to say.  My hair curls/waves much when it is shorter, but I like having it "long" for a change.  My hair is too thin to be have enough layers cut into it at this length.  As always, I should cut my hair shorter, but I"m not ready yet. 


Edit:  May 2015.  I'm almost certain this will be my last update.  My hair has definitely grown too

May2015
May 2015
long for its thickness.  You can see in the back the bottom layer is very scraggly.  It doesn't look as scraggly when I wear it wavy.  It is about an inch past arm pit length.  Arm pit length was my dream goal length that I never thought I would actually achieve.  I toyed with the idea of  letting it grow until it was arm pit length when wavy, but that would be a couple more inches when straight.  What would be the point when it doesn't look good?
  I cut off an inch after taking these photos.

3 comments:

  1. Nice results found here.Thanks a lot..

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  2. I guess I am lucky, my hair grows fast.

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  3. Hi!
    Firstly, congratulations on reaching your goal length. I actually happen to have almost the same problem as you. I don't know about the terminal length part, but breakage is my real curse. I have been stuck at the same shoulder length for a little over a decade. I used to be so frustrated and had come to terms with the sad notion that my hair cannot and will not grow beyond my shoulders. Little did I know that my hair wanted to grow but breakage was stopping it to. The real culprit behind this was me religiously combing my hair thrice a day. My hair used to be a split-ends galore and i used to see small broken ends all over me every time I ran that darn fine-toothed comb through it. Then I got acquainted with the curly girl method and this wonderful concept of finger detangling. My curl type is 2C-3A. I have been comb-free since early last December. My curly hair routine has been through its fair share of trial and error since and I think I've finally deduced what's best for me. I finger detangle my hair with conditioner every other day. I do not shampoo and intend to reserve that to only once a month. I scrunch my leave-ins once I rinse my conditioner-detangled hair. I sleep on a satin pillowcase. I sometimes use a satin bonnet too, especially during the colder months. So lately the breakage I get isn't even a fraction of what I used to experience in the past. My ultimate goal is tailbone length. Over-ambitious probably? Well, rather than obsessing with length-checks or self-portraits, I just plan to continue with my current routine and see how far my hair goes with it.

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