Growing your hair can often feel like a tedious and time-consuming task.
However, one woman had the opposite experience and admitted that she was shocked to see how long her locks had become.
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In her Reddit post, user Solid-Oligation-620 showed a side-by-side comparison of her hair lengths.
Her curls reached just below her shoulder blades in the first picture, while the next picture showed the progress of her hair growth.
In the last picture, the author’s long curls reached almost to her tailbone.
“(I) just wanted to share my progress!” the Reddit user explained in the caption.
She revealed that her goal was to reach coccyx length, which she has almost achieved.
“(I’m) basically there, but (I) want to improve the thickness down there,” she explained.
The Reddit user added that her hair was damaged by dyeing it before she started growing it out.
She revealed exactly what steps she has taken in her hair care over the last five years.
Before breaking it down, the Reddit user admitted that she is not particularly meticulous about her hair care.
“Honestly, I’m not the BEST when it comes to my hair, nothing compared to anyone else on this (haircare) subreddit,” she explained.
“I generally don’t use heat tools on my hair, except for the occasional blow-dry.”
She explained that she usually wears her hair down and doesn’t style it.
“If I need to put it up, I use a silk hair tie and a low ponytail,” she revealed.
The Reddit user added that she also sleeps on silk pillowcases to prevent frizz.
However, it is her hair washing routine that is probably the most controversial among hair care fanatics.
The 4 phases of the hair growth cycle
Hair experts at Philip Kingsley shared the four phases of the hair growth cycle: Anagen, Catagen, Telogen and Exogen
Anagen phase: Also known as the “growth phase” or “active phase,” this is the phase when cells in the hair root divide most rapidly, producing more new hair.
During the anagen phase, hair grows about half an inch per month (about 15 cm per year) and grows faster in summer than in winter.
This phase of the hair growth cycle lasts an average of three to five years.
Catagen phase: After the anagen phase, your hair cycle enters a brief transition phase called the catagen phase. It signals the end of active hair growth and cuts individual hairs off from the blood supply and the cells that produce new hair.
About three percent of all hairs are in this stage at any given time; it lasts about 10 days.
Telogen phase: The third phase of your natural hair growth cycle is the telogen phase, a resting phase during which strands remain in their follicles but do not actively grow.
It is estimated that 10-15 percent of your hair is in the telogen phase at any given time.
The telogen phase lasts about three months or 100 days.
Exogenous phase: The final phase of the hair growth cycle in which individual strands of hair are released from their follicles and fall out.
Now the whole process starts again.
She revealed that she washes her curls daily, which hair experts say is generally a no-go.
“When I wash my hair, I wrap it in a microfiber towel and am careful not to move it around too much and create friction,” she explained.
The poster shared that she uses the Briogeo Cherry Shampoo and Conditioner, which are available as a combo for £36.05 at Sephora.
She also uses the Neuma Repair Leave-in Conditioner, which retails for £26.
Finally, she revealed that she “occasionally” oils her hair with rosemary oil.
Reddit users shared their thoughts on their hair growth in the comments section.
“Beautiful! I still have such a long way to go,” wrote one impressed reader.
“I reached your 2019 length and (I) feel like it’s in my chest area (and) I haven’t gone past that in the last year or two, my target is the tailbone as well,” another person shared.
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