big chop VS transitioning hair growth

ProtectiveStyling

New Member
hey ladies, lately i have been curious to why women who get the big chop hair always grows faster than those transitioning... & im talking about the hair from the root more so than length.... let me explain: i have been transitioning for about 22 months now & i get my hair cut A LOT to get the permed ends off. I only have a few inches left, however, on those pieces of hair i notice that my natural new growth only comes to my ear. the parts of my hair that doesnt have any perm is way longer.. it doesnt add up because hair is suppose to grow around 6 inches a year. plus my strands with permed ends are really healthy still.. I youtube other women who are transitioning & it looks the same way with them also. Ladies who get the big chop, on the other hand, natural new growth is atleast shoulder length by now. Regardless if those transitioning have split ends, damage, or this and that.... their new natural hair is still suppose to be longer right??? why is the growth slowing down for those strands?? my hair is very healthy, but i feel i have been cheated some inches or something...
 

LaFemmeNaturelle

Well-Known Member
Hair Grows at the same rate whether you big chop or transition. Growth rates are not the same for everyone. Hair grows at an average rage of 6 inches a year so some ladies will get more and some will get less. You may be one of those who get slower growth butto maximize your potential, you need a healthy diet and regular physical activity. Don't become discouraged looking at other naturals. Every journey will be different. Just make the most of yours.

I'm on my phone so excuse the typos
 
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ProtectiveStyling

New Member
thanks.. but the rest of my hair grows at the 6 inches rate. I got a bang cut and it grew back really long without the permed hair. evey piece of my hair without the permed ends is way longer than the others. i know certain parts of your hair grows at a different rate also, but its like the randomly permed parts grow slowly... idk, & they are really healthy too
 

fashion87

Well-Known Member
I don't know if it's scientically possible....everyone has diff growth rates but i'm pretty sure having relaxed ends doesn't change that. I think if anything you might be paying to much attention to your length, because I too am annoyed with my amount of growth but I'm trying to make a conscience effort not to worry about it too much. The back is longer than the front, the sides is shorter than the middle....I realized it's all in my head. Hope I helped some :yep:
 

ProtectiveStyling

New Member
your random lengths sounds just like mines :lachen::lachen:... ive been so worried about this for some reason:nono:... but i must learn to be patience... thank you guys
 

Qtee

Member
I think it has more to do with retention...the hair with permed ends probably breaks off more..
 

ChristmasCarol

Well-Known Member
I have never heard of BC'd hair growing faster and IMO, it only seems like it grows faster because it's easier to see change when the length is short. For example, if a woman with a 4" TWA grows 3", it radically changes the look of her hair. It almost doubles the length. If a long-haired transitioner (like myself) grows 3", I'm simply adding a small amount to the 18" that are already there. I hope that makes sense, lol.

My new growth is around 12" and I'm 20 months post-relaxer.
 

alive

New Member
I think the other ladies are right on the money. Also, remember that while you're transitioning, it's almost impossible to completely stretch your new growth without heat or without stressing your demarcation line. Your new growth is probably much longer than you think, but it's hard to notice because it shrinks/curls so much

HTH
 

ProtectiveStyling

New Member
im thinking about cutting them all off maybe when i get to two years transitioning.. i have a feeling i will only have 2 inches to cut by then...
 

*CherryPie*

Well-Known Member
This is EXACTLY how my hair is growing!

I don't know if it's scientically possible....everyone has diff growth rates but i'm pretty sure having relaxed ends doesn't change that. I think if anything you might be paying to much attention to your length, because I too am annoyed with my amount of growth but I'm trying to make a conscience effort not to worry about it too much. The back is longer than the front, the sides is shorter than the middle....I realized it's all in my head. Hope I helped some :yep:
 

JuiceMobsta

Well-Known Member
I dont think it really makes that much of a difference whether you BC or not....I was a long term transitioner and my hair didnt some out with crazy lengths(your scalp doesnt know that the hair has relaxed ends:lachen:) , I would think that the relaxed ends would help to retain the health of your natural ends longer whereas if you BC'd earlier your natural ends would automatically be exposed to wear and tear. Here's my thread from my BC:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...th-transition-apl-natural-hair-type-wild.html

ETA: Have you tried stretching your hair out to see the actual length? Maybe what youre seeing could possibly varying amounts of shrinkage?
 

esnedwar

New Member
I know this reply is coming much later than your original post but i just had to comment because I resonated with your issue! When I read your post I was overwhelmed because I truly think there's a lot of truth to having "more recognized" growth post big chop versus transitioning. Scientifically speaking, we all know that our hair is growing at the same rate no matter what but in my case, after the big chop is when I saw better results. Like you, I transitioned for over 18 months and I couldn't believe what little new growth I seemed to have. I thought it was all in my head until I finally chopped the relaxed ends off and realized I wasn't delusional...sadly, still only a few inches after 1 1/2 years of transitioning!! After watching many of the YouTube 1yr post BC anniversaries, I was nowhere near the majority of their results. Now that I am 6 mos post BC and finally see incremental results, I wished I had BC in the beginning so that I would now see that 2-yr growth. At this point, I feel like I just started. I guess the bottom line is retention not growth??? I've heard that the relaxed ends weigh the hair down and inhibit growth...doesn't make sense... I know. Let me know your progress since your initial post!
 
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