Hello folks!

My name is Chanda (it's really Chanda, not just a nickname I made up), and I am 27 years old, about to turn 28 this month.  I currently have layered, collar-shoulder length hair that I have decided to grow long.

Yesterday, in fact.

My hair is very fine and thin, and I always have hairdressers telling me that cutting it in between my chin and neck is a good length. The last time I had long hair, was when I graduated highschool. The day after, I cut it off in a chin-length bob, in rebellion to my mother.

I should have listened to my mother.  Bye bye, long hair.

But anyway, I'm starting anew! So I have a question. I've read the 20 steps to long, beautiful healthy hair. Step number one says to cut off the damaged parts... Well, I need to know... How do I know if my hair is damaged? Am I just cutting off the split ends, or is there more to it? I recently used an Herbal Essence hair dye, which claims that there is no... Ammonia, but it does have peroxide. The 20 Steps says peroxide is bad. Do I need to shave my head?

Welcome!

Congratulations on your decision to grow your hair.  Starting to take care of your hair now will pay off in the long run.  Peroxide is hard on your hair, but many people manage to color their and still grow it long.  You just have to do lots of extra conditioning.  You will also want to avoid coloring the ends repeatedly if at all possible.

Good luck and welcome to the club!

Welcome! 

I have actually grown my hair from shaved head. It is a possibility, though it has taken me nearly 4 years to reach my current length a bit above bra strap (I suspect that if I had stayed farther from hairstylists from the beginning, my growing would have been faster, though). Hairstylists aren't necessarily evil, and there are some notable exceptions...but in general, they aren't there to make one's hair healthy and long.

Health of your hair is actually quite difficult to determine at first- eg. I thought that my hair wasn't doing too badly when I joined these boards, yet looking back now I realize that it wasn't in prime condition. It looks SO much better now. Truly healthy hair is rare in these days, so the chances are, that your first healthy hair sight will be spotted in your home mirror. 

If you decide to stop coloring (which I kinda recommend), and you start conditioning your hair very well, in a few months you can see better, if there's damage. If there is, it doesn't mean that you have to cut everything- just trim a little every month until worst damage has gone. You won't gain much growth this way, but you don't lose anything either, and gradually your hair will turn healthier.

There are also a few longhaired people who color and who still manage to do well. If your hairtype is fine and thin, I would still suspect that you might not be one of them. In my country, most people have fine and thin hair, and it doesn't seem to react well to any chemical treatments (save henna, maybe). Good news is, that fine and thin hair can look great when long.  It has sleek and shiny look that other hairtypes can only dream of.

Welcome to the "growing" population here! 
(bad joke, sorry...)
Sounds like our hair is about the same length so we'll be able to commiserate together.    
Happy growth to you!

By the way, where do you all get those cute little hair meters?

Edit: Nevermind, I figured it out!

Belated Welcome here!

Getting through the first bit of time in the growing out process is the hardest for many, but worth it  .

I believe that keeping your hair from being overworked going through tangles is a huge help in getting and keeping the condition good.  Experiment around for what it takes to keep it from being over stressed ... products, less manipulation, putting it up, whatever works ...g