long hair

i would love to have long hair again.i cut my hair from kneelength to a short bob about 6 months ago.i strongly now regret my actions.i howevr am determined to grow it again despite knowing i`ll be probably about 50 by the time it reaches its previous length.i would love to hear from any one in the same boat as myself.i heard of a site in hairboutique called noreens photos.she grew her hair from short to very long in the space of about 10 years.her hair pics were fantastic.are there any other stories featuring pics of people who have grown their hair in such a radical fashion from short to very long.i despair at times thinking how so long itis going to take me to regrow my hair.does any one know of a good wigmaker as i yearn of the days of having hair in excess of 50inches in length.

Hi Sandra,

I hate to rehash the same old boring "Karen Shelton" long hair story but in 1988 I went to a long hair expert with overbleached brittle blonde hair that was "stuck" at the top of my bra strap. It would NOT grow at all. So a friend at work literally made me go see a long hair expert in Dallas. She sat me down and said...OK, either get this mess fixed or cut it all off. My high school reunion was looming in about 1 1/2 years so I decided to go get it "fixed" and grow my hair long...really fast. LOL.

I still laugh about that. I was one of the people that thought I could grow really long hair really fast. :-) DUH.
Anyway, the guy cut my hair to just my chin. I cried and cried but he promised that if I followed his plan to grow my hair it would be really pretty.

I did everything he told me. Stopped blow drying, took hair vitamins, used George Michael (didn`t work for me but I did try) and got trims every 6-8 weeks. I also threw away the Nice n Easy and let my dark blonde hair grow back. After about 10 months he agreed to do some highlights around my face but only if we used a cap and no bleach. It turned out great. By my high school reunion in 1989 my hair looked incredible. It had grown to below my shoulders but it was soft and healthy and super shiny. I got lots of compliments on it.

That was in 1989. Now it is "stuck" again at about 3 inches below my waist. I can almost sit on it. Even though I religiously take H37 (which keeps it thick and healthy) it is not growing very fast. I had a brush with my thryoid about 1 1/2 years ago and now have to take meds for that. My doctor told me that with my age and my thryoid my hair would probably thin and might completely stop growing. Well it has not thinned at all and is still very thick and it still grows (because I get roots) but not super fast. So I am happy with that. I think with some patience it will eventually get to my knees, maybe not, but I looks very healthy now so I think that is great.

I encourage everyone to grow their hair if they want to. Think of it like a diet. If you focus on losing one pound at a time it is so much easier than thinking of losing 20 pounds. Hair growth is the same way. It takes time but even 1/2 inch a month is so great.

Please continue to post here. There are lots of great people who can help and encourage you. I know that they will. And you can always email me at shelton@hairboutique.com.

Best wishes,
Karen

Don`t despair, Sandra! You might try keeping a "growth chart" or "milestone log" or some such record of growth for encouragement. My wife and I have been doing that since she cut her hair short in April 1998. Although nowhere near your 50 inch length, her hair was about 20 inches long. She was 38 years old, and she wanted to cut it short while her grandmother (who bugged her off and on about cutting it off) was still alive. She got a short, layered cut, just 2-3 inches all over. Her grandmother loved it (and lived to the following January), so I guess it served its purpose, but my wife and I did not like it! She immediately began growing it out, with periodic trims (4 more that year, 6 in 1999, 5 in 2000). After each trim, we measure the growth. We also keep track of milestones such as first ponytail, first braid. Anyway, after 33 months her hair is now 17 inches long again, still shy of its former length but getting there and healthier than ever. So, although reaching 50 inches will take a lot more patience than that, before you know it you`ll have a length you love. Hang in there!

Hi,

Hang in there. As Karen said, you have to commit to doing this but the rewards are worth it. One good thing, HairBoutique.com is the best site on the planet for helping people with their hair. I have learned so much here in the past 2 years that I can not begin to express how much. Keep posting and yes, there are many here who will help with questions and comments. Listen to your own heart and grow your hair as you wish.

Hi Sandra,

Wow what a shock to come in here and see my name mentioned. I didn`t even know any of those pictures were still around. If they are the pictures on the Hair Boutique, those pictures are really some that have been taken all through my life. I wish I could say that my hair did grow that long in 10 years, but in reality, it took more like 20 years to get from very short to knee length. Though that sounds like a long time, Karen is right in telling you to just be patient. My hair grew very slowly, but I do know of some people that have been able to grow their hair in much shorter time than me. Now I am 46 and I just lost the best friend I will ever have. He was the reason for my having hair this long and without him it just doesn`t seem worth it anymore. Though I will always have long hair, I am thinking about taking off some of the length. For now I am thinking thigh length (one of my personal favorites), but my best friend is telling me that she always loved my hair at waist to hip length. I don`t know, but whatever I do it will be what makes me happy. Take care and happy growing. It can be a very rewarding experience.

Noreen