Hello  :)
I am so glad I came across this forum!

I will start by giving you a bit of my hair history:

I grew my hair from a short bob to mid-back length natural light brown hair in about 4 years. When I was about 15 (I am 18 now) I decided to get some blonde streaks. This soon turned into a full head of blonde hair and within 6 months it started to deteriorate. I remember someone commenting on my ‘new layers’ which were ,in fact, just breakage from the peroxide!
At 17 I decided to bight the bullet and cut off a considerable amount and dye my hair brown so I could try get back to some sort of natural colour!
I am now 18 and my hair is pretty close to my natural colour, it is just below shoulder length, and I AM CRAVING my long natural hair back :(  I also have a fringe I am growing out. I am doing the following things to assist in growth:

1.Trimming regularly (trying to get it all to the same length and as healthy as possible)
2.Using organic care shampoo and conditioner (aussie brand) – sometimes herbal essences because it smells so nice!
3.Doing warm olive oil treatments weekly
4.NO heat styling
5.No products like hairspray, mousee etc. in my hair
6.Wide tooth comb used only and no metal bits hair ties
7.Using a silk pillowcase
8.No hair dye!

Is there anything I am missing or doing wrong? Also , how long do you think it will take for me to achieve mid-back length hair again?
(sorry for the life story!!) I have a few more questions but I will post them in the appropriate board topics.
Thanks :)

Hello and welcome to LongLocks, brownlonglocks.

I think it sounds like you've got a good routine going.  The most important thing is that it works for your hair type.

The greatest factors in quickly achieving length is genetics and diet.  Generally hair grows 1/4" - 1/2" a month.  That should help you determine approx. how long it will take to you to get to mid-back length.  You might want to get a measurement so you know where that falls on your body and then you'll know how far you have to go.

I just measured my hair from my hairline over the crown and down my back (i think this i the right way to measure it?)and it is 23 inches at the moment and my goal is 30!

So in a year it should grow 6 inches, but I will probably trim it in this time.  Maybe 3-4 inches including trims? So with my calculations, in 2 years I should reach my goal! wish it was sooner! :P

Welcome to LongLocks!
You might want to take a tape measure from your hairline at your forehead,drape the tape measure over your head and down your back.  Measure the longest hair and there you have your measurement!  Either wet or dry,but be consistant in measuring wet or dry.  That's one way to measure that alot of people use here.

Hello and welcome to LongLocks. :)

Like you, I have light brown hair and was right around the same length that you're at when I joined these forums. This site is full of ideas to try.

A word of caution about Herbal Essences, if I may. In my experience, their formulas are extremely drying and have caused bad chemical burns on my skin. I don't recommend them.

As for reaching mid-back length, it depends on how quickly your hair grows. It took a few years for me.

Anyway, it's nice to meet you and good luck on your journey.

Angel, how long is your hair now?
I think the herbel essences may be whats drying my hair out when I shampoo everyday (because of sweat!).. It doesn't seem to happen with the organic care.

I just looked at the ingrediants list of the organic care shampoo. There are no sles, sls, als, ales, or parabens....but i just noticed dimethicone about half way down the ingrediants list  :-?
From what Ive read this should be ok as long as a I clarify once a week using ACV, right?

Right now my hair is 29.5" long...very near waist length.

It probably is the Herbal Essences drying out your hair. And incidentally, there's absolutely nothing wrong with SLES and cones. I've used them both daily for over a decade without issue. I do clarify once a week but that's mostly because my routine is conditioner-heavy.

ACV is great, as is clarifying shampoo. I use both, but you'll have to see what works for you. Everything is trial and error.

Cheers!