How to Measure your Natural Hair Length

How do you figure out if your hair is actually growing? 

If you have been secretly aiming for Rapunzel length of hair, measuring your hair length is one way to find out if you are meeting your hair goals.

The absolute reason for doing a hair length check is to see for yourself how many inches of hair you are growing over a year. This helps you to know how well your hair is thriving and if it has been growing thick and healthy.

Categories of Hair Length

1. Short length: Short length is usually anything from a buzzcut to a chin-length bob. The hair length for short hair is usually between 10 cm and 20 cm.

2. Medium length: This is anywhere from the chin to a few inches past the shoulders. This hair length shows from 20cm to 40cm.

3. Long length: Long length of hair is typically hair at the armpits to however long you want to grow it. It shows from 40cm to 55cm. But if you happen to have extra long hair, it would measure from 55cm to 75cm.

How to measure your natural hair length

There are a lot of different ways to measure your hair length. They range from using a measuring tape, a ruler, or comparison shots. The latter involves taking pictures of your hair over a period of time. You could take pictures of your hair in a braid out in 2021 and another of your braid out in 2022 and then compare the length. Taking shots of your hair over a 6 months time span works for this method too.

These above methods may be too hard to do or a bit inaccurate on some occasions. An easier approach has to be the use of your body as a measuring aid. This way your body serves as a hair length chart and you can track your progress while working to meet your hair length goals.

Hair Length Chart

    Photo Credit: queennik.blogpost.com

You can measure your hair length in three stages.

Front

This measurement stage is usually for short hair.

Eyebrow length (EBL): This is when your hair touches the top of the eyebrow when pulled.

Lip length: If hair touches the upper lip, it is measured as lip length.

Nose length (NL) – Hair which touches the nostrils when pulled. 

Chin-length (CL) – This is when hair measures up to the chin.

Sides

The hair measured at this stage is typically considered as medium length hair.

Ear length (EL) – When hair touches one’s ears.

Jaw length – This is when hair touches your left/right jaw when pulled. 

Shoulder length  – This is hair that is long enough to reach your shoulders.

Back

This hair length stage is for measuring long or extra long hair.

Bra strap Length (BSL) – Hair that is reaching the bra strap.

Armpit-length – Hair which touches the armpit.

Midback-length (MBL) – Hair which grows beyond the bra straps.

Waist-length (WL)- When hair touches the waist close to the belly button.

Hip-length (HL) – This is when hair stops at the top of the hips.

Tailbone-length (TBL) – Hair which reaches up to your tailbone, around the area of the buttocks.

Classic length (CL) – Hair which grows past your buttocks.

Thigh-length (TL) – This is the hair that touches the mid-thigh.

Knee-length (KL) – This is when hair stops at the knee.

Calf-length – When hair stops at the calf.

Floor-length (FL) – This is when hair is extra-long and reaches the floor.