My hair is healthy, and no matter what I do it won't grow as long as I want! There are a few reasons this can happen.
Terminal Length
Breakage
Malnourishment
perception
Terminal Length is the maximum length any hair on your body can grow. This varies based on the type of hair because of how quickly the hair turns over and it's function on your body.
There are 3 main types of hair on our bodies:
Lanugo Hair: If your babies were anything like mine they were born looking like hairy little monkeys with soft hair on their back, forehead and ears. This is lanugo hair and it sheds shortly after birth and typically won't get very long.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
Vellus Hair: This is our adult peach fuzz, often found on our cheeks, earlobe or forehead. It is very popular these days for women to shave the vellus hair off their face to help their makeup go on smoother.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
Terminal hair: This is the more coarse hair that tends to grow long. Typically found on our head, eyebrows, eyelashes, underarms, pubic area, etc. Sometimes we will see terminal hair pop up in wanted areas as we age, *cough cough* hello whisker on my chin. This is the hair that we really worry about when it comes to terminal length.
We don't claim ownership of the pictures, it is for educational purposes only.
The Terminal hair on our head is typically what we wish would grow longer or past a certain length. Things affecting terminal length, affects how often the hair sheds and regrows. Our eyelashes and eyebrows typically turn over more often which is why we aren't braiding and putting ponytails in our eyebrows.
The hair on our head has a much longer turn over time which is why it grows much longer. Most people's hair will stay in the growing phase for up to 6 years, which can be up to 36 inches in growth on average.
So if you feel your hair isn't growing as long as you want, consult with your stylist and see if it's a terminal length issue. If it is you will want to be sure you're eating a balanced diet and cleansing your scalp well (once a week or more). If you're still not reaching the length you want, you'd likely love hair extensions. Extensions allow you to have the length of your dreams with various attachment options based on what works best in your lifestyle.