Hello,
My hair is about 28" long, and I am 15 years old.  My hair has never been any longer than this, and I've never cut it except for occasional trims of split ends.  I just discovered this site about a week ago, and I don't understand why my hair isn't longer.  I am nearly 100% Irish, with dark brunette slightly thick hair. I've been drinking coffee my whole life, and I've been getting perms once a year every year for all my childhood.  I've always wanted long hair ever since I was very young and I still want knee length (hopefully floor length!) hair.  Could anyone help me understand why my hair is not longer?  I really think I need hair therapy!  

Hi and Welcome Ursusem

28" is by most standards already pretty darn long so congratulations on having achieved that.

But you want it longer and we all sure understand that.

You could post a picture or give us a further description
but if your ends are thick I don't think you are at terminal length and opinions vary about terminal length anyway.

Could your occasional trims be more than you think - some people only grow about .25"'s per month so you could easily be cutting more than is growing.

Others will come in to help ...gabi

Hi and welcome!  I moved your question over here so others can jump in with their suggestions.

Growing long hair takes patience.  28" is already long by most people's standards, but if you want even longer hair, you must understand the basics.  Each hair comes from a single follicle.  A follicle will grow a single hair for 7 to 10 years, depending on your genetics.  Once the cycle is complete, the hair will fall out, the follicle will rest for a while, then grow a new hair.  Most people get about 1/2" of growth a month.

If a hair is damaged before it falls out, it will never reach its maximum length.  Things that can damage the hair include chemical processes (perms, straightening, coloring, bleaching), use of heat (curling irons, flat irons, hair dryers), abuse (combing/brushing when wet, using combs or brushes that damage the hair).  Hair can be lost earlier than the expected rate due to stress, health, or nutritian.  

Not everyone can grow extremely long hair, such as to their knees.  Most, however, can grow hair to their waist, if they work at it.  

Hopefully some of the suggestions you will read on this site will give you some ideas of things you can do help you reach your goals.

O.kay, thank you very much and thank you for moving my post.  So... I take it what you're saying is I lost my chance and I really don't have any hope?  I'm probably going to have to start praying to God, then, for a miracle!  However, another question- I read in the encyclopedia under 'hair' that the most commonly fastest growth rate for hair is from age 16 to 24.  Have you or anyone else ever heard that theory?  Because of this, do you think that I could possibly change my whole lifestyle around and be considerate and I might be able to make my goal?  I am hoping!!

That would explain why all my friends who had long hair in the 80s and then cut it claim they cannot grow it long again.

Welcome, Ursusem!

I've also heard that hair grows fastest between the ages of 16-24. I wonder if that has something to do with hormone levels. Anyway, I think making small or gradual changes in your lifestyle would be easier to stick with in the long-term. I'm not sure what your eating habits are like, but make sure you're getting a balanced diet and cutting back on the caffine(sp) would be good. Oh, and make sure you're getting enough sleep and drink lots of water. HTH.

In my opinion, it is never too late to grow long hair.  You just have to understand what it will take for it to grow to its longest lengths.  Hormones play a signigicant factor in the growth rate with the highest rate usually in the late teens to mid-twenties.  Women during pregnancy will also frequently experience a high grow rate (and reduced shed rate).

At 15, you still have a lot of growing years ahead of you.  If you start paying attention to how you care for your hair, limit the damage you do to your hair, then I am sure you will see improvements in the condition and length of your hair.

Just to start I'd say go buy yourself some good hair cutting scissors so that you can trim your own split ends, and set a date 3 or 6 months out until your next hair cut.  Then start measuring your hair monthly and keeping track of the results.  During that time you'll be able to try different things routines with your hair and you will probably see that your hair is growing even if it isn't very much.  

At 28 inches, its hard to notice an inch of growth, so measuring reminds me that all is not lost when I feel like mine hasn't grown in months.  

Welcome, Ursusem!

I don't think it's too late for you.  I started growing my hair at 30.   Have you looked at this page yet - there are a lot of helpful tips here:

http://www.longlocks.com/how-to-grow-long-hair.htm

Once you get the basic hair-care down, then you can experiment with some of the different methods of washing, conditioning, oiling, etc.  But the main thing is, it takes patience.  Don't try to change everything about your hair habits in one day - try changing a few things at a time so you won't feel overwhelmed.

Cynde