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Is having long hair mainly genetics or about length retention?

Pearlfection

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Both. Genetics determines how quickly it will grow and how durable it is.

If you have fine strands regardless of if you're black or white you'll have to be gentle with your hair. I have a white friend and her hair breaks easily because it's fine.

People with fine strands do best when they leave their hair alone. I have seen fine-haired women reach their length goals by ONLY wearing protective styles. The moment they started fiddling with their hair it would all break off.
 

RichNatural

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Mostly genetics. 'Cause there are some women who treat their hair like absolute trash, but it still grows like weed. But there are women who coddle their hair for years, but it grows at much slower rate.
 

Lilly Ghalichi

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yeah they can get scissor happy. Thats why i prefer to do it myself or someone i can really trust but its mostly me trimming them
Have you used a split ender machine? Im too scared. I just dust & cut myself now. It is tedious but its for the best
 

E4zyBr44zy

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Genetics are big partial part
but the main hair care regime for better conditioned hair are worth a change in routine

Less heat ie straighteners, hairdryers, even playing with your hair
Find a product that works with your natural hair, spray a conditioned detangling w/water whlst detangling from the ends to roots before adding prouct & styling

Trims every few months dependant on how damaged split ends are

It works, im a hairdresser and since training my hairs grown so much from new found information

Less heat, correct products

Its trial & error for products on all hair types
 
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beadybeads

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Have you used a split ender machine? Im too scared. I just dust & cut myself now. It is tedious but its for the best

i never heard of that tbh, it sounds scary. i think ill just stick to dusting and trimming. i just cut off any damaged ends
 

M A R S

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I think genetics might make hair grow slower.
I do not believe in a "terminal length" as long as you're alive your hair is growing unless there is an issue with the follicle itself.
 

Bux Heaux

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We black women put a lot of the blame on ourselves but really it’s genetics. I’ve seen plenty of people with very loosely curled hair that can’t grow it last a certain length. Only those super rare people can get knee and floor length. No grease, massage, protective style is going to make that big of a difference. These ten million + methods only work if you’ve been abusing your hair and then it will get it back to normal.

I also see a lot of women put all these natural products in their hair but sit there eat a bag of Cheetos. To increase the ability to get stronger hair you should eat “healthier foods” clearly this will be the new growth not for “already dead” hair
 

Bux Heaux

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its ALL genetics, end of story!

But let these delusional houz tell it its their leave-in conditioner and twistouts, water, and aloe vera leaves and all that other bullshyt.

There bums out here sleeping on the sidewalk who have never used a conditioner in a day in their life with hair down their back.

If you aint born with it, your hair aint gona be an afro running down the crack of your ass.


Let me give you something to ponder on: Look at pictures of black women (pure not these mixed women identifying as black) from the olden days (1700s, 1800's and early 1900's). These women from some african cultures never cut their hair a day in their lives, ate organic food only but never had hair that long. You know why? genetics.

its a hard pill to swallow because yall are under the tight grips of white supremacy and European beauty standards so you refuse to accept that MOST African (non mixed or multi-racial) women cant grow hair as long as Becky's. And you know what? There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with not having long hair as long as its healthy and well looked after.

Black women who are comfy in their own original attributes and wear what they were born with with pride are sexy and absolutely a pleasure to be around.

/rant

I think very extreme long hair is genetics but being stuck at “neck length” hair is not....
You should be able to grow your hair at least bra strap length ...
 

blackstarr360

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I 100% believe that genetics plays a role but not in terms of growth, but retention. I have fine 3c, curly hair that has never been past shoulder length and I assumed it was my terminal length. I've been on a healthy hair program since March 2019, where I go to a salon that specializes in growing hair by getting a weave every three months. My hair is now past bra strap length and the thickest it's ever been in my entire life. Wearing it in a nonstop protective style has taught me that it's not that my hair doesn't grow, it just breaks off when it's exposed to the elements. Some folks don't have that problem because they have industrial strength hair that doesn't break off. I believe coarser hair is much easier to grow because it doesn't snap off so easily.
 

blackstarr360

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I 100% believe that genetics plays a role but not in terms of growth, but retention. I have fine 3c, curly hair that has never been past shoulder length and I assumed it was my terminal length. I've been on a healthy hair program since March 2019, where I go to a salon that specializes in growing hair by getting a weave every three months. My hair is now past bra strap length and the thickest it's ever been in my entire life. Wearing it in a nonstop protective style has taught me that it's not that my hair doesn't grow, it just breaks off when it's exposed to the elements. Some folks don't have that problem because they have industrial strength hair that doesn't break off. I believe coarser hair is much easier to grow because it doesn't snap off so easily.
 

Lailaboo

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It triggers some people to acknowledge genetics is a pretty big part. Some people are just prone to be harrier. People also say diet is a big part but I have seen morbidly obese people who havent touched anything healthy in years have long hair
 

Lolanumber1

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Genetics only play a role in density and texture. It’s all about moisturizing and deep conditioning . My hair always stayed shoulder length over the years , until the natural hair care movement . I started reading and studying about Black hair care ( The Science of Black Hair) . Once I realized moister and little heat was the key , I grew my hair to mid back length . I’m now working on waist length . Basically all hair grows , unless you are dead or have a skin disease . The issue is maintaining the growth you get .
 

BossladyMAED

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So I (naturally) have hair down to my lower back but my sister has never been able grow hers past her shoulder and she’s very depressed because of it. She always has it in protective hairstyles in hopes of growing it longer but even when she takes it out, it’s still the exact same length. I tried to tell her that maybe it’s because I got my mom’s hair gene whereas she probably got our dad’s (his side of the family also has shoulder length hair) and she went off on me, saying that genetics hardly play a role and that retaining length matters way more. Is this true?

What kind of hair type does your mom have? Your dad's hair type? And also what is your hair type and your sister's hair type.

I do believe genes plays a huge role in hair length.

Our hair care regimen plays an important factor but nothing trumps genes.

LTPS may not be what your sister's hair needs to retain length. Since it isn't working, she needs to switch up her regimen.
 

THE GREAT 1

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I'd say a combination of both. But I think almost anyone can have long hair with deliberate care, nutrition, vitamins etc. (length retention). There are plenty of YouTube videos which show it.
 

Vesperali

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I know a lot people keep stating genetics, which is no doubt true, it's just that in my experience I only had average length hair with relaxers and excessive straightening. I also have Type 4 hair. Genetics help with my growth rate, but it certainly didn't help with too much retention, as it never grew past a certain point.

I have a simple regimen. I simply cut out the bleach and occasionally straighten.
 

ExquisiteMelanin

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Genetics overall but that doesn't mean people can't do certain things to get it to grow.How long or thick etc I think depends on genetics.
 

IrisOsiris

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So I (naturally) have hair down to my lower back but my sister has never been able grow hers past her shoulder and she’s very depressed because of it. She always has it in protective hairstyles in hopes of growing it longer but even when she takes it out, it’s still the exact same length. I tried to tell her that maybe it’s because I got my mom’s hair gene whereas she probably got our dad’s (his side of the family also has shoulder length hair) and she went off on me, saying that genetics hardly play a role and that retaining length matters way more. Is this true?
a mix. for some people genes will dominate, and for others, a solid haircare routine will dominate, in terms of the level of success one has with growing their hair to long lengths. but i wouldn't rule out hair care practices with regards to your sister. It could be that she has hair that's more susceptible to breakage than yours, which means that she needs to be careful with how she styles and detangles her tresses. a lot of women are rough with their ends without realizing it and think that just because they protective styled their hair for two months that they're good to go with a freshly grown 1 inch or whatever. but when they take their hair down, they're traumatizing their hair with hard/rough combing or playing in their hair too much between installs...etc.
 

Bianca666

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So I (naturally) have hair down to my lower back but my sister has never been able grow hers past her shoulder and she’s very depressed because of it. She always has it in protective hairstyles in hopes of growing it longer but even when she takes it out, it’s still the exact same length. I tried to tell her that maybe it’s because I got my mom’s hair gene whereas she probably got our dad’s (his side of the family also has shoulder length hair) and she went off on me, saying that genetics hardly play a role and that retaining length matters way more. Is this true?
You are correct! Siblings can inherit different genes by recombination
 

BeautifulBia

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Solange’s hair as far as I know has never been as long as Beyoncé’s and their mother was a hairstylist.

But didn't Solange say her mother started relaxing her hair when she was like 4 or 5? Of course she's not going to have long hair if she had a relaxer at such a young age and I'm sure excessive heat was being used on her hair as well. Bey had coarser/thicker hair and so her hair was probably more resilient. Solange on the other hand seemed to have a finer texture. That's not to say her hair couldn't grow as long as Bey's, but a different technique/regimen would have been required (that didn't consist of relaxing her hair). I hate to say it but that's the treatment that a lot of fine-textured type 4 black girls got when it came to hair practices.

I think barring some type of disease or condition, anyone can grow long hair (at least mid-back length). Yes, some people's hair is more resilient than others. Some people don't have to do a single thing and their hair will grow to their asses. People with finer textured hair (especially type 4) have to be more careful because the hair is more fragile. If your hair doesn't seem to be growing, make sure you are doing all of these things:

no excessive heat
no harsh chemicals
keep ends trimmed - this is a big one, many people will go for years without trimming their ends and then wonder why their hair isn't growing. You must trim your ends.
moisturize as much as needed (for many it will need to be everyday)
keep hair detangled (use fingers or wide tooth comb)
protective style to keep hair off of shoulders (especially if you are shoulder length, keep your hair up until you're over that "hump")
massage scalp weekly (I do 3x per week)
eat lots of protein
drink lots of water
take a good multi-vitamin
exercise regularly
wear satin scarf/bonnet while sleeping

If you are doing all of these things and your hair still isn't growing, see a doctor. There may be something else that's going on.
 

ItalianFrenchToast

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But didn't Solange say her mother started relaxing her hair when she was like 4 or 5? Of course she's not going to have long hair if she had a relaxer at such a young age and I'm sure excessive heat was being used on her hair as well. Bey had coarser/thicker hair and so her hair was probably more resilient. Solange on the other hand seemed to have a finer texture. That's not to say her hair couldn't grow as long as Bey's, but a different technique/regimen would have been required (that didn't consist of relaxing her hair). I hate to say it but that's the treatment that a lot of fine-textured type 4 black girls got when it came to hair practices.

I think barring some type of disease or condition, anyone can grow long hair (at least mid-back length). Yes, some people's hair is more resilient than others. Some people don't have to do a single thing and their hair will grow to their asses. People with finer textured hair (especially type 4) have to be more careful because the hair is more fragile. If your hair doesn't seem to be growing, make sure you are doing all of these things:

no excessive heat
no harsh chemicals
keep ends trimmed - this is a big one, many people will go for years without trimming their ends and then wonder why their hair isn't growing. You must trim your ends.
moisturize as much as needed (for many it will need to be everyday)
keep hair detangled (use fingers or wide tooth comb)
protective style to keep hair off of shoulders (especially if you are shoulder length, keep your hair up until you're over that "hump")
massage scalp weekly (I do 3x per week)
eat lots of protein
drink lots of water
take a good multi-vitamin
exercise regularly
wear satin scarf/bonnet while sleeping

If you are doing all of these things and your hair still isn't growing, see a doctor. There may be something else that's going on.

I do all of these things and my hair still won't grow lol. I did go to the doctor too and all my bloodwork is great. I am cursed with a short terminal length.
 

BeautifulBia

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I do all of these things and my hair still won't grow lol. I did go to the doctor too and all my bloodwork is great. I am cursed with a short terminal length.

How long is your hair? Also keep in mind that the products you use on your hair are just as important. It took me forever to find the right products for my hair but when I did it made a world of difference. Unfortunately the only products that work for my hair are expensive and so I spend a pretty penny on hair products (high quality, salon brands).
 

BackdoorMat

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I think genetics plays a role but you have to find what works for your hair. You can find many people who have overhauled their Haircare practices and grown longer hair. This lady was never past neck length as a child. In these pics she’s texlaxed.

upload_2020-8-9_10-10-24.jpeg

upload_2020-8-9_10-10-57.jpeg
 

Divinely Loved

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Everyone can grow long hair. Hair does not stop growing unless you're dead or have a condition. The only difference is that genetically, some people grow hair at a faster rate. I used to be friends with someone who cut her hair to shoulder length. Within 3-4 months, her hair was nearly to the mid of her back!

Its about length retention, treating your hair gently, and finding what works for you. When I went natural and started taking care of my hair that's when I saw a difference. My hair got about 3 inches above my waist before I cut it all off a few months ago. I cut it all off because I just wanted a change and to celebrate a new decade.
 

ItalianFrenchToast

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How long is your hair? Also keep in mind that the products you use on your hair are just as important. It took me forever to find the right products for my hair but when I did it made a world of difference. Unfortunately the only products that work for my hair are expensive and so I spend a pretty penny on hair products (high quality, salon brands).

Even
How long is your hair? Also keep in mind that the products you use on your hair are just as important. It took me forever to find the right products for my hair but when I did it made a world of difference. Unfortunately the only products that work for my hair are expensive and so I spend a pretty penny on hair products (high quality, salon brands).

I agree that hair products can make a difference, but I think at the end of the day I just got the short end of the stick (pun intended) genetically. When I was younger I used to keep my hair straightened all the time and get hair trims on a regular basis or wore my hair in a bun with heavy sealing and never got past near armpit length but I keep trying to prove my genetic theory wrong. I think for most people tho its not genetics i.e. just breakage and bad nutrition.
 

SedonaPink

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I think genes play the biggest role, one way or another. Whether its hair texture (1,2,3,4) or coarse vs. fine. Coarse hair retains length ALOT more easily. Looser curl hair textures retain moisture ALOT more easily. Those are two of the major determining factors in achieving and maintaining longer lengths.

I think you told your sister the truth. However, I can understand why your sister got upset. I think her hopes and dreams were dashed. And, with nothing to replace them to make her feel "special," she felt at a loss. She was probably embarrassed that she is trying for something that might not manifest.
 

naturallemons

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its ALL genetics, end of story!

But let these delusional houz tell it its their leave-in conditioner and twistouts, water, and aloe vera leaves and all that other bullshyt.

There bums out here sleeping on the sidewalk who have never used a conditioner in a day in their life with hair down their back.

If you aint born with it, your hair aint gona be an afro running down the crack of your ass.


Let me give you something to ponder on: Look at pictures of black women (pure not these mixed women identifying as black) from the olden days (1700s, 1800's and early 1900's). These women from some african cultures never cut their hair a day in their lives, ate organic food only but never had hair that long. You know why? genetics.

its a hard pill to swallow because yall are under the tight grips of white supremacy and European beauty standards so you refuse to accept that MOST African (non mixed or multi-racial) women cant grow hair as long as Becky's. And you know what? There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with not having long hair as long as its healthy and well looked after.

Black women who are comfy in their own original attributes and wear what they were born with with pride are sexy and absolutely a pleasure to be around.

/rant
you sound like a retar*d
 

THE GREAT 1

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I personally think it can be a combination of both. Most of the time (not all of the time) long hair due to good genetics still has to be taken care of for proper length retention.
 

lover86

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My hair was a little shorter than shoulder length and I have always heard growing up that some people can't grow long hair. I started to do my own research and started actually taking good care of my hair. My hair grew to the apl length and looks healthier.
 

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