How did you keep yours from breaking? Mine is at the small of my back and just gets a mess from sitting again the couch, car seat, etc. i try to keep it up or braided but dont always have hairbands. My son is trying to beat me i thinkHard to say how long it took.I began wearing it long at 16 and over the years I learned ways of protecting it to allow it to grow longer and longer. There are points where it breaks so you have to protect it. From shoulder length to waist probably took the longest but from waist to hip to knee ... maybe about 8 years.

thats where most of my hairbands go. We both stopped getting haircuts during covid.