Grow Very Long Hair

Girl with very long brown hair — Photo: Depositphotos

Q: I am 22 and I would like to grow superlong hair. Waist length with a center part. My hair is shoulder length now, and I do not want to use extensions. Am I too old to grow hair this long? Does hair stop growing after a certain length or age?

A: Very long hair on a woman has been enviable since the dawn of time. The maximum length that your hair can grow is predetermined by a few factors:

Hair grows an average of 6 inches per year, and most hair has a lifespan of 2-7 years. This means that if your hair’s lifespan is two years, your hair can only grow about 12 inches long. If your hair’s growth span is 7 years, your hair can grow up to 42 inches, which is extremely long.

The speed at which your hair grows is mainly determined by genetics. You’ll notice that people from Asia and India tend to have very long hair that is extremely strong, straight and healthy. This is a genetic characteristic.

It’s also interesting that the human hair extension industry is mainly supplied of hair by women from India. The girls and women in India often grow their hair long and have it cut and sold to human hair extension manufacturers. Whole families can survive on the money made from the hair of the women and girls in this country.

There’s nothing that you can do about your genetics, but there are certain things that you can do to encourage your hair to grow faster and to improve the length of its lifespan. 22 is by no means too old to try and grow your hair past your waist, but it is a difficult age in anyone’s life. You’re probably in college or already working, experiencing a lot of new obstacles that come with being a young adult while trying to juggle many things you have going in your life.

One of the biggest reasons peoples’ hair falls out prematurely is because of stress, and young adults find themselves in a very confusing, stressful and fast paced phase in their lives. You’ll often hear college girls or twenty-something colleagues complain about the large amount of hair that they shed each month and how their hair has become thinner.

This is mainly because of the intense life style that people have at this stage. You’re either studying, partying, getting little sleep and worrying about the future, or you’re at the beginning of your career, facing corporate challenges and trying to make a name for yourself without stepping on too many toes.

Girl with very long blonde hair — Photo: Depositphotos

Either way, twenty-something people don’t rest enough, don’t eat right, don’t get the right amount of vitamins and minerals, and don’t take care of themselves like they should. The first place that this shows is in your hair. If you want to have long healthy hair, take care of the following:

- Take a daily supplement with enough vitamin B and calcium.

- Make sure you get enough sleep and try to minimize your stress levels.

- Brush your hair with a boar bristle brush.

- Never brush hair when it’s wet and at its most fragile state.

- Follow a healthy and balanced diet.

- Don’t blow-dry, cut or color your hair often.

- Use a weekly intensive moisturizing mask on the ends of your hair.

- Use a heat-protection product

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

Hair lengths

How fast hair grows

The hair growth phases