Mindread, much?
I've ALSO had the idea to tint my hair to see if roots come in. That way, I can see that my hair IS actually growing, but that it's just not retaining length. I've noticed that I do have individual strands with knots/ bulbs on the end, and I recall hearing that this can indicate damage or split ends. Splits will continue up the hair shaft if they're not trimmed, so that could be my problem. In any event, I find it hard to believe that barely shoulder length curly hair is all my hair is capable of!
I'm definitely going to look into the Kal's supplement. I looked into it last year, but opted for the GNC Nourishair instead, for some reason.