Is it me or my hair is not growing?

Hi all

I haven't posted anything in a long long while. Blame it on the new semester! Engineering school is harder than hair care now.
Anyway! The topic I want to write about today is hair length. I know it's been talked over and over again, but I just want to have your opinion about it.
I have been challenging myself since April to let my hair grow. I've been natural for over a year now but I have been going to the barber often to get it cut until I took the decision in april to let it grow, after all the inspiration I found on CN.
I have to say that my hair grew very much between april and now. But lately I've been noticing very little gain in length. On the contrary my hair as been getting thicker and thicker. Kinda reminds me of how my hair was before I relaxed in when I was in middle school. It's so thick now that it takes me about 1 hour to put in 8 cornrows which used to take me about half an hour before.
The last time I measured the length of my hair it was about 4-5 inches long in the middle 3-4 in the front and about 2 in the back and that was around 2-3 months ago. Now it's 5-6 inches long in the middle and the same for front and back.
Anybody has been noticing that sort of growth with their hair? I have to agree that I haven't been taking care of my hair as much as I used to during the summer but I thought leaving it along would do the trick.
I really want your input on this guys.

Much love

gigi

Hello Gigi. I read somewhere that hair has a growing phase and a resting phase. Your hair, although you're not messing with it, may be in it's resting phase. Or maybe you're styling your hair in a way that's rubbing on the front and back stunting the growth. I'm no expert though, just trying to be helpful.

Hair grows on average about 1/4-1/2 inch a month, about 6 inches a year. So based on what you said above, you are right on schedule.
Like Alanija, I've read about the growing phase and the resting phase.

Our hair is always growing. The key is retaining that length. Protective styles are great for retaining length.

Hope this helps.

Hi Gigi. I just wanted to stay keep your hair in protective styles to retain the length. Also, I remember the challenges of being in an engineering program. Just remembervwork is not as hard as school. Best wishes!

In your avatar you have color in your hair. Do you notice the color growing out? I think that your hair is growing, but you're probaby not retaining length.

My resting phase is spring and summer, gurl I hate it. I thought I was going crazy, lol.

My hiar grows super slow, no getting around it, it's just what it is. I don't get 6 inches in a year, 2-3 at best.

I talked to so many hair guru's here and following their orders to the T but my hair just wont grow like everyone elses. I get to be the one with the difficult diva hair with a serious attitude problem.

You hair is probably in it's resting phase and some single strands might fall out

You hair looks Fab. @gigihaitiancurly

psbest wrote:You hair looks Fab. @gigihaitiancurly

Thanks!!!

Well considering that my roots are super long and super black my hair is growing. But I have also noticed stands falling out too. So maybe you are right that I'm not retaining length.

I have not read about growing and resting phases but I'll do the research. Maybe my hair is in deed in a resting phase because the wild growth of the summer is just not happening anymore.

About protective styles, I get so discouraged! Every time I try my arms hurt so bad and the amount of time that it takes me to do it is so long that I feel i'm wasting the time that I could use to do something more productive. Also the thickness of my hair scares me. It takes me almost 10 minutes to do a decent puff! I don't even want to try putting my fingers through it
Oh and I am also bad with keeping my hair in one style for long. I get antsy.

Thinice wrote:Hi Gigi. I just wanted to stay keep your hair in protective styles to retain the length. Also, I remember the challenges of being in an engineering program. Just remembervwork is not as hard as school. Best wishes!

I've heard work is not as hard as school! I hope it's true! Because I'm getting very little sleep and a lot of frustration in school!
Thanks for your support!!

gigihaitiancurly wrote:Well considering that my roots are super long and super black my hair is growing. But I have also noticed stands falling out too. So maybe you are right that I'm not retaining length.

I have not read about growing and resting phases but I'll do the research. Maybe my hair is in deed in a resting phase because the wild growth of the summer is just not happening anymore.

About protective styles, I get so discouraged! Every time I try my arms hurt so bad and the amount of time that it takes me to do it is so long that I feel i'm wasting the time that I could use to do something more productive. Also the thickness of my hair scares me. It takes me almost 10 minutes to do a decent puff! I don't even want to try putting my fingers through it
Oh and I am also bad with keeping my hair in one style for long. I get antsy.

my hair is very thick too. I mean extremely. And long. The only way I get through styling my braids/twists is that I remember that once I put them in, I won't have to do my hair for a long time--AND I'm letting my hair take a break from manipulation, so I'm retaining length as well. They're a lot of work putting in but once you do, you won't have to think about styling for a while. I highly recommend at least trying it =]

And about getting antsy, I can relate, because I'm working on that right now too. My hair gets frizzy very quickly. I have box braids in right now, I've had them in for 3 weeks and I have another week left to go before I take them out, and they got frizzy just a week after I put them in. Its so hard trying to get used to frizz, but I'm trying!
But don't let that stop you from protective styles =]