"False Terminal Length"

[Chevelure618]

I came upon this term when I was googling about the phases of hair growth. I think it is something that many black women who are trying to grow their hair out might be encountering.

From how I understand it "False Terminal Length" is let's say you have a 3 year growth phase (anagen phase), and halfway through at 1.5 years you cut your hair. OK, so in 1.5 years you go into catagen phase (rest period). At that time you feel like your growth has stopped and that you are at your terminal length, but actually you just cut off half of your whole anagen phase. Now when the new hair grows in, in order for you to see your full length you will have to wait 3 full years without cutting at all. The other hairs will never get that long.

I found this interesting because it is another good reason not to trim if you want to see your hair's full length potential.

What do you all think?

 

[8HoursFromHome]

I think it's another reason supporting my decision to not trim... And thank you for it!!

 

[newbeginnings2010]

Interesting...I may forgo my "really good trim" in November then, and just stick to dusting.

 

[JinaRicci]

Never heard of that but I do know that while most of your hairs are in anagen at any given time, they're not synchronized. So when you cut your hair, some are only 1 yr into the growth phase, some 1 yr & 1 day, 1 yr, 2 days etc.

They're all on their own clock so you won't see most of your growth stopping because you cut. The majority is always growing.

 

[Fine 4s]

Never heard of that but I do know that while most of your hairs are in anagen at any given time, they're not synchronized. So when you cut your hair, some are only 1 yr into the growth phase, some 1 yr & 1 day, 1 yr, 2 days etc.

They're all on their own clock so you won't see most of your growth stopping because you cut. The majority is always growing.

Agreed!
All your hair will never be in the same phase at the same time.
Not sure of how these hair strands are distributed on the scalp but I'm sure you'll see a free strands holding on Maybe concentrated on the back or the front or the crown etc. But somwhere, somehow, they'll be growing still....

 

[FearfullyMade]

Hello Chevelure618, I would think that would be true if every single strand grew at the same time; since each strand has a "terminal length", then each strand would have different lengths, it would never "catch up". I would think that the only way it would get the same length is to trim or cut it.

 

[alive]

I agree. not all hair strands will be in the same phase at the same time. This just gives me yet another reason not to trim

 

[Nonie]

I think the only way "false terminal length" would make sense is when you consider that until many of us learned good hair care practices, our retention was so bad that we probably only got as far as shoulder length. So it was easy to assume that that was our terminal length.

So hair shed at shoulder length leaves room for new hair which will now get the TLC that it takes to get better growth (internal health) and retention (external care), thanks to your new knowledge. But it will take a few years for that hair to grow to what its max is. So for a few years, you may feel as if your hair is crawling or not growing because the hair you have now is pretty unhealthy from years of bad diet and care. So it may be breaking as fast as it's growing.

But if you don't despair, and keep up the good habits you've now developed, that baby hair that started its journey at optimum health will grow through its cycle, as more new baby hairs join it and get the same TLC...and in time, you'll have shed all that sad hair and have hair that is at the best health it can be and that is being cared for better than ever. And you come to find what you thought was your terminal length was really false and that you are indeed capable of reaching greater lengths.

In short, it takes a few years for one who wasn't doing right by her/his hair, to actually get to see how long her/his hair can grow, just because the abused hair has to run its course and move out of the way so that the healthier, stronger hair can do its thang.

BTW, I don't understand how not trimming is going to help. If you don't trim, your hair splits and thins and breaks on its own anyway. I do dust and my hair is longer than ever.

 

[ZkittyKurls]

i dont really believe that all hairs stop growing at the same time, becasue what about those shed hairs...dont they shed for a reason..sometimes and does that show you at what phase that strand of hair was at??? im just curious if shedding has anything to do with the last phase of hair growth...havent really researched it yet..so be gentle

 

[lea86111]

i was wondering about this terminal length shabang. I was thinking, if hair does indeed get to terminal length then there's gonna come a time when we won't need a touch up? (for the relaxed ladies) i highly doubted this, but if not all the hair goes into this resting phase then, it makes sense

 

[Nonie]

i was wondering about this terminal length shabang. I was thinking, if hair does indeed get to terminal length then there's gonna come a time when we won't need a touch up? (for the relaxed ladies) i highly doubted this, but if not all the hair goes into this resting phase then, it makes sense

That isn't the way to look at it, because every hair is growing at different stages. Some are just now poking out of your head, others are halfway, and then there are those at the end of the growth cycle waiting to be shed.

OK, let's take three hairs on your head and call them A, B, C. So A is approaching end of its growth cycle, and hence the longest your hair will grow to. B is halfway and C is just a new baby taking the place of hair that has been shed. Because of this, by the time B reaches the length A was and C reaches where B (halfway), the roots will be "NEW GROWTH", then the cycle repeats all over again.

So because of this renewing process, you cannot expect that hair will not need relaxing if it has terminal length, because as each hair reaches that length in its own time, it gets shed and new unrelaxed hair starts to grow from scratch, also in its own time. So that throughout your life time, there's always hair growing out of your scalp and being shed when it reaches the end of its cycle, only this is happening at different times for different hairs.

 

[Nonie]

i dont really believe that all hairs stop growing at the same time, becasue what about those shed hairs...dont they shed for a reason..sometimes and does that show you at what phase that strand of hair was at??? im just curious if shedding has anything to do with the last phase of hair growth...havent really researched it yet..so be gentle

You're right, hairs don't stop growing at the same time. All your hair are at different stages of growth, so only 10% or so stop growing and rest for about 2-3 months before they are shed. These are the hairs at the end of the growth cycle which you would say at the "terminal length". The other 90% or so are still in their growing stage which can last anywhere from 2 years to 6 years. And so each hair in its own time goes through this growth cycle, and when it's shed, it gives way to a new hair that starts from scratch and the process repeats itself.