I was wondering how everyone (especially those with really long hair) started growing their hair.  How long was it when you decided to growit.  Has anyone cut their hair short before growing it fresh?  Or did most of you just start growing it despite whatever length it was at the time and then trimmed the ends later to get rid of old damaged ends?

I had a couple of bad cuts when my hair was short, sot I gave up getting it cut.  I had a few cuts to eaven up the ends so it would grow out better.  I had no real goal in mind other than to be able to wear it in a pony tail.  When it reached about my shoulder blades I started to think about growing it long. That's when I started hunting for information about hairstyles for longer hair, and voila!  I found several long hair sites that led me down this path.   :D

Simple.  I forgot about my hair between the ages of 15 and about 18!  At 14 I had my hair cut to my shoulders, then by the time I noticed it again it was just past my waist!!!  :D  Now I'm 22 and it's brushing the tops of my thighs.  Ignoring the length can really do wonders for your growth  :P

This is a particularly touching subject for me even these many years later.

During the week between my wedding and honeymoon back in early 2000, I decided to dye my waist length hair black (naturally, it's light brown). The store was out of my usual Level 1 dye, so I wondered what the harm would be in boosting it up to Level 2. Perhaps it would stay in longer. I didn't have a problem with that, really. Or so I thought...

So I brought home the Level 2 box and soon my hair was midnight black. I liked it that way for about a week, then I began to realize how dreadfully unnatural it looked and longed for my natural colour again. But alas, no matter how many times I washed, the black never came out.
   Because there was such a huge difference between the black and my natural colour, the black had taken permanently, ruining the waist length tresses that I'd spent at least 3 years growing forever.  :'(

Not only that, but soon, my natural roots began to show, and I realized what a burden it would be to keep colouring the roots as they grew out. So after one more shot with a Level 2 (indigo black this time, which gave the midnight black a gorgeous moonlight sheen), I decided to just let the roots grow out and eventually take over.

So when they finally began to show again, I gathered my black tresses into a ponytail and handed my husband (at the time) the scissors.  :o  He didn't want to do it, but I made him, and soon my waist length Morticia Addams hair was gone, severed at shoulder length, at a terrible angle.

After having my sister immediately recover my husband's horrendous hack job, I vowed to never again colour my hair, and to start growing it all over again. From square one. Giving it the best care possible along the way until it was back at my waist again.

Now, it was awkward walking around for about a year with funky 2-tone hair. Light on top, black on the bottom. But I didn't want to strip the black out and I most certainly didn't want to keep touching up the roots with a Level 1 colour. So I left it be, and when my light brown roots were 6" long, I took up one tiny little section of my hair at a time and simply cut the black off. I did this all over my head until all of the black was gone. God, what a relief!

Anyway, ever since then, it's been decent hair products (at least for the most part), regular trims, etc. etc. I began researching how to grow long, healthy hair and that is, of course, how I found this place.

After almost 7 years, one might think that I'd more than gotten my waist length stands back, but sadly, that couldn't be farther from the truth. When I was first growing my hair out, I used to get trims every 3 months religiously. Then every 6 months once it passed my shoulders. At times, I would be particularly daring and ask my Scissor Lady to take it back to shoulder length again. So...it's been a slow process. But we're getting there.

It's currently at 23" and I've been creeping up on my first short term goal of 2 feet for a long time now. The husband that I mentioned is no longer around and I've had plenty of other adventures between then and now, but my hair has been with me through it all and will continue to be. I like to think of it as one of my "steady constants" in life. Something that I know will always be there, that I can count on.

The journey continues...

After leaving my job of seven years on a cosmetic counter and dying my hair once a month.  I decided enough was enough.  I thought there must be a better way for me.  I personally did not want to be like the people I worked with, who, looked so fake with there over processed hair and face lifts and additues to match.  I use to have long hair and my hubby and I loved it.  My hair when I started this jounery was shoulder length and dyed blue-black.  I let it grow out, I had it trimmed once then did the rest of the trimming myself or had hubby do it.  I was sick of having unnatural looking hair.  The customers I dealt with regarding hair care and color all wanted there hair to look healthy yet would not stop bleaching or blowfrying.  So I knew these were things to stop and with the help of this board and the wonderful people here, I now have the healtjhy hair I wanted! :)

I started with a "peach fuzz" length. So, though I didn't cut for starters, I grew a "fresh" head of hair. One day, over 5 years ago I decided that when I am 30, I want to have a long hair- I think I had something BSL-ish in mind. So, I started to grow. When my hair was long enough to be put up, I discovered that I didn't know how to put it up, and so I started searching for hairtoys and hair care instructions and so...here I am!

I will turn 30 next month, and my hair is almost waist length. :D And it's even more fun than I ever thought it would be.

My hair is just below my shoulders and i dont class it as long however i think my story may be relevent. In the incipent i had bsl hair and it was platinum blonde. When i came across the amiable hair care boards the ramifications of my platinum hair ended up on the floor at home.

I had gone from bsl to a bob i fought to restrain it in an updo. Eventually i also turned to more chemical dye. I opted for light brown which matched my natural colour perfectly and i have continued to grow my hair ever since.

I now have the determination to go a whole year without cutting my hair, after i lobbed off some more recently. This time next year my hair will arive at between bsl and waist. Once i reach my goal of waist i wil  then trim out off the dye.

Thats my cacophony lol