How long did it take you to go from SL to APL?

[jnichols61]

Hair will grow about 1/2 inch per month. I am natural and currently at SL (2 years)--so I should be APL in 6 months.

 

[Nonie]

Hair will grow about 1/2 inch per month. I am natural and currently at SL (2 years)--so I should be APL in 6 months.

If you protective style and don't lose any hair to breakage or normal wear and tear, and there are only 3 inches from SL to APL from shoulder then .

But I will have to tell you that for many of us, the journey from SL to APL isn't that straightforward.

Take for instance my own growth progress. When I am dusting my hair every 6-8 weeks, (let's call it 8 weeks to make the calculation easy), and my hair is shorter than APL, I do get to retain 4-5 inches of the 6 I believe I grow a year. That would make sense because dusting off a 1/4 every 2 months, means I lose (1/4 x 6) = 1.5 inches. And the proof is seen in photos below (I add my fivehead measurement to give you a reference for the length you're looking at:

This was the achievement I made in a year starting from 1 inch (August 2001-August 2002):

This was the achievement I made in another year starting from what you saw above (August 2003)--a length that is about SL:

Unfortunately I had a few setbacks after that (mostly my own crazy heat usage but also including a SHS stylist's BC in Feb 2007) so I was down to about 3 inches stretched (Feb 2007):

By June 2008, 16 months later, I was a little past SL--fastest growth I ever had:

By April 2009 (10 months later), I wasn't yet at APL

I don't think my hair is growing slower but I do think I am retaining less due to my lack of protective styling and not sealing my ends, but I'm in no hurry. I'll get there one day.

No but seriously, I say all this to make the point that for many of us, the rate we get to SL from shorter lengths differs a lot from the rate we get to APL from SL. Now beyond APL, as someone else said, it seems it's smooth sailing, probably coz your ends are lying parallel to your back rather than sitting smackdab at ninety degrees to your shoulders as they do at SL. So beyond APL, your ends sorta just get a leaning prop from your back, while at SL, they get filed down by your shoulders.

 

[MsLizziA]

If you protective style and don't lose any hair to breakage or normal wear and tear, and there are only 3 inches from SL to APL from shoulder then .

But I will have to tell you that for many of us, the journey from SL to APL isn't that straightforward.

Take for instance my own growth progress. When I am dusting my hair every 6-8 weeks, (let's call it 8 weeks to make the calculation easy), and my hair is shorter than APL, I do get to retain 4-5 inches of the 6 I believe I grow a year. That would make sense because dusting off a 1/4 every 2 months, means I lose (1/4 x 6) = 1.5 inches. And the proof is seen in photos below (I add my fivehead measurement to give you a reference for the length you're looking at:

This was the achievement I made in a year starting from 1 inch (August 2001-August 2002):

This was the achievement I made in another year starting from what you saw above (August 2003)--a length that is about SL:

Unfortunately I had a few setbacks after that (mostly my own crazy heat usage but also including a SHS stylist's BC in Feb 2007) so I was down to about 3 inches stretched (Feb 2007):

By June 2008, 16 months later, I was a little past SL--fastest growth I ever had:

By April 2009 (10 months later), I wasn't yet at APL

I don't think my hair is growing slower but I do think I am retaining less due to my lack of protective styling and not sealing my ends, but I'm in no hurry. I'll get there one day.

No but seriously, I say all this to make the point that for many of us, the rate we get to SL from shorter lengths differs a lot from the rate we get to APL from SL. Now beyond APL, as someone else said, it seems it's smooth sailing, probably coz your ends are lying parallel to your back rather than sitting smackdab at ninety degrees to your shoulders as they do at SL. So beyond APL, your ends sorta just get a leaning prop from your back, while at SL, they get filed down by your shoulders.

I love how thorough you are

 

[MsLizziA]

I've always had the impression that once you make it to APL it's plain sailing for the rest of the goals.. Mainly cos your reg should be on lock by then and you can do a wider range of protective styles, plus no-ones gonna notice all the regrowth from stretches cos you have all the length to draw attention away from it.

i feel the same way... at least it should be anyway

 

[LadyRaider]

Nonie,
Um... call me crazy, but that last photo looks apl to me. You might have hair-rexia.

 

[CherryCherryBoomBoom]

This thread is rather depressing for me; my hair doesn't seem to want to be APL

I'll be watching this thread though, just in case :spy:

 

[cmw45]

About a year. I mean, if you think about it, the distance between your shoulders and your APL is about six inches for most folks. If someone's hair grows at a rate of .5 inches a month then barring trims and other hair setbacks it would take them a year to get to APL. Similarly, the distance between APL and BSL is much shorter so once you are really APL (cause some folks like to claim it before they actually get there and then it seems like forever for them to get to BSL, when actually they weren't really at APL yet) then it doesn't take long to get to BSL comparatively.

 

[LadyRaider]

I'm built funny, I think. I think my APL and BSB are like within half an inch of each other. I have a long road to APL though, but once there... I'm basically at BSB as well.

 

[Sapphire_chic]

Ages Don't believe I am really there in the full sense. My sides have only just reached apl, my nape is a little past it, my front is a little past my chin and my crown is...well my crown is growing at a pace of it's own.
I reached shoulder length a year ago. Like Nonie I think I would have shown more progress If I were a dedicated PSer, end sealer lol

 

[nikolite]

I have no clue. I don't even remember being shoulder length. I wore my hair in PS most of the time or WNG puffs occasionally and next thing I knew I was APL!

I spent some years just having fun with my hair and not paying attention to where it fell. I think if you don't pay any attention to your hair length and focus on other areas of your life, that's when your hair grows the fastest (granted that you take good care of it in the meanwhile, of course).

But I've been stuck at APL for a while now because I didn't take care of my ends properly or use protein. So I'm now starting on the second half of my journey after recently joining LHCF. I'll do the same thing: ignore hair length, water-wash, and PS, but now include protein treatments, baggying and daily moisturizing in the mix.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

I got cut to full sl (maybe a wee bit shorter than chasturner's 2nd pic in her siggy) in April or May. Can't remember because I wasn't on my hhj. I was pissed about the cut so I braided my hair up until June. I'd say maybe I grew a cpl of inches from April to June? I really don't know but I was shocked when I took the braids out. I started my hhj on June 23rd with (idk if this is full sl or closer to apl or what so i will post pic) and I was full apl by the end of august. So that's 4 months if my cut was in April. Staying away from heat was the best thing I could ever do.

 

[MsLizziA]

About a year. I mean, if you think about it, the distance between your shoulders and your APL is about six inches for most folks. If someone's hair grows at a rate of .5 inches a month then barring trims and other hair setbacks it would take them a year to get to APL. Similarly, the distance between APL and BSL is much shorter so once you are really APL (cause some folks like to claim it before they actually get there and then it seems like forever for them to get to BSL, when actually they weren't really at APL yet) then it doesn't take long to get to BSL comparatively.

I think my hair grows a little faster than 1/2 a month to be honest. I know bangs don't last at all in my head. They last a month and a half a the most and then they are grown out.

 

[nikolite]

I don't think my hair is growing slower but I do think I am retaining less due to my lack of protective styling and not sealing my ends, but I'm in no hurry. I'll get there one day.

No but seriously, I say all this to make the point that for many of us, the rate we get to SL from shorter lengths differs a lot from the rate we get to APL from SL. Now beyond APL, as someone else said, it seems it's smooth sailing, probably coz your ends are lying parallel to your back rather than sitting smackdab at ninety degrees to your shoulders as they do at SL. So beyond APL, your ends sorta just get a leaning prop from your back, while at SL, they get filed down by your shoulders.

I agree. But I think once you get to SL or APL, the ends take more abuse from the shoulders. I can't do the things I used to be able to do anymore with my hair when it seemed to grow really fast. Also, the ends are just plain older (meaning more weak and worn even if they were taken care of perfectly). And I've learned that I have to protect my ends a lot more and up the time in PS.

That SL to APL is probably the most critical stage of length retention.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

If you know your growth rate, then you should be able to estimate the time to get to your next goal. You just have to retain most of your growth, as you already know. But going by other people's growth won't get you very far.

You also have to know your back measurements. From sl to apl on ME is NOT 6 inches as was previously stated. And no, I'm not short. I'm 5'7. I also don't have a ruler lol I just measured against my boyfriend's shoe so I'm def less than 6 inches.....

 

[MsLizziA]

If you know your growth rate, then you should be able to estimate the time to get to your next goal. You just have to retain most of your growth, as you already know. But going by other people's growth won't get you very far.

yea i know... i just wanted to get an idea of what time frame i might be workn with here

 

[PearlyCurly]

Well im just guessing..

It took me around 8mths to get from SL to APL. When i check to see if i was SL i was 2in past SL. I usually get 1/2in a month(in the summer its more). So yeah, i added it all up.....

But i do know that it took me just about 17mths to get from a little above EL to APL

Sorry the pic might be a little on the big side

 

[Nonie]

Nonie,
Um... call me crazy, but that last photo looks apl to me. You might have hair-rexia.

That's very kind of you to say, but I want to claim APL when most of my strand are there. Also I hate thin ends and so I had to dust/trim a bit to be happy with my ends.

If my hair could look like Spring's or Supergirl's when at APL, then I'd claim it out loud. But a few strands do not to me APL make. I think this was put more into perspective when I undid a braid at work the other day and showed a friend who asked to see how long my hair was, and she was so excited and exclaimed, "OMG, that's so cool. It means if you were to straighten your hair, it would be up to your shoulders! Yay!" Of course she isn't a hair fanatic or one of us so she doesn't realize that if nape reaches a goal we call it but it did make me realize that it takes a lot of strands to get beyond shoulders for the majority to see it as being beyond SL.

 

[vainღ♥♡jane]

an entire year. ♥

 

[MsLizziA]

this just pushes me to keep on PSing

 

[Newtogrow]

Thanks for asking this question. I am awaiting APL!!!!

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

I'd say 8-9 months..but I did a LOT of cutting/dusting and I think had I not been doing that it would've taken 6-7 months instead.

 

[Janet']

I'm 5'7'' and i was one to two inches beyond SL...It took me 4 months to graze APL and 6 months to full APL.

 

[NikkiQ]

I'm 5'7'' and i was one to two inches beyond SL...It took me 4 months to graze APL and 6 months to full APL.

Okay that's good to know b/c I'm 5'7" too

 

[NikkiQ]

 

[ScorpioBeauty09]

Great thread! I've been trying to get my hair fully APL for the longest time, at least a year. The front of my hair seems to not want to retain length no matter what I do but I almost don't care since I'm more focused on the back anyways. I'm not sure what my growth rate is because my hair's pretty erratic on retaining length. I am trying to keep my hair pulled back so my ends don't get caught in anything or are suffer the wrath of the weather and keeping my hair moisturized at all times.

 

[Boujoichic]

Thanks lizzia for this thread. I have been wondering this myself I hope I can get there in 6 mos like some of the other ladies here.

 

[AlliCat]

It took me 1 year. But it felt amazing when I was able to claim APL. Slow growing sucks but it really makes you appreciate the hair u have on your head!

 

[MsLizziA]

I love how you always bump my thread

 

[NikkiQ]

^^^Well you always post threads with the best questions

 

[Glamiam]

Wow, I think it may be different for petite ladies. The distance between my shoulders and armpits seems waayyy less than 6"

maybe it depends on how the person is builterplexed