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Could use a bit of advice here. I've been growing my hair out for about a year now, it's about shoulder length in the back with front bangs that are dwon to the tip of my nose and sides well past the ears.
My problem is my hair is very thick and wavy. No gel or mousse seems to able to tame it. Any little breeze just destroys what bit of style I've managed to get in it. I can't the front to grow back like most guys end up with. I've even tried sleeping with a bandana on holding it all back, but no luck. The hair is constantly in my face, and it's a real pain while working. I'm a technician for a communications company and have to make a good apperance to the customers.
I've been considering cutting the front and sides back to a manageable lenght, but don't really want to. I've seen other posts here that say that style is out or no good, but I've got to do something.
Any suggestions on how to control this mop or a more suitable style.
Thanks
Eddy
Could you wear a hat while at work to hold it in place?
Guess I should have mentioned that I've tried hats, and believe me, I do not look good in them, both my opinion and others. And get this, a hat doesn't even stay on that well when my hair is this thick, it just tends to slide off.
Thnks anyway
Yup! Hats to a large extent stay on your head in wind because the band is rubbing your hair against the grain, sort of like petting a dog in the wrong direction. Well, this only works really well for people with short hair - put your hand on the side of your head and rub upwards and you'll discover for us longer-haired folk our outer hair strands easily slip against the inner ones. This means in the slightest wind a cap will fly off. Quite a few longhairs discover a ball cap won't really work for this reason and get a hat with a chin cord instead.
Have you tried a hat where the size of the brim is approximately the same as the bulk of your hair falling out underneath it? On a guy with thick wavy hair, that can look really cool.
Bill [who wears bandannas] types: Yup! Hats to a large extent stay on your head in wind because the band is rubbing your hair against the grain, sort of like petting a dog in the wrong direction. Well, this only works really well for people with short hair - put your hand on the side of your head and rub upwards and you'll discover for us longer-haired folk our outer hair strands easily slip against the inner ones. This means in the slightest wind a cap will fly off. Quite a few longhairs discover a ball cap won't really work for this reason and get a hat with a chin cord instead.
Bill: Have you tried a hat where the size of the brim is approximately the same as the bulk of your hair falling out underneath it? On a guy with thick wavy hair, that can look really cool.
There is a tennis player from Brasil (Gustavo Kuerten), who puts a head-band around his big hair. His hair still sticks out around the head-band. Frankly, I'm wondering what hair is he trying to hold down!
What sort of look are you going for? I first had long hair in the 1970's, and my hair is thick and wavy also. The solution then was to find a good stylist who would cut one's hair in layers (which could be almost any length, depending on one's want). The result could be really fantastic. The clue is to make sure the stylist knows EXACTLY what you want, and not be willing to give them carte blanche with your hair. If you decide to go to a stylist, do your research, and bring them pictures, and tell them also what you DON'T want. Otherwise, they may do what they deem acceptable, which is many times what many people don't want.
Good luck. Thick, wavy, long hair can be a beautiful sight to behold. And there is always a way for it to work.
Thanks for the suggestion, I do think I've finally found someone that will cut the way I want and not what they think is right. The only real decision I have to make is weather or not to get it cut, but after this weekend I think I will. Darn wind just made a total mess of it constantly. I spent the entire weekend with my hand in my hair trying to keep it out of my face.
Thanks again
If you're going for ponytail length, don't cut the front and sides. You will just be facing the same unmanageable length in a few months when it grows out again. This is the time to tough it out and look messy for a few months until your hair grows long enough to tie back.
Professionalism has more to do with attitude and being good at your job than with appearance.
My suggestions would be to try combining gel with a small ponytail tied high up on the back of your head. That worked for me. It keeps the hair on the top and sides under control and doesn't look too bad.
I know this, but unfortunately, first impressions still hold a lot for most people, I don't worry about it too much as I usually make for the nearest bathroom and straighten it out, but it's still a pain.
OK, tried this, and I'm currently wearing it. Works pretty good, keeps everything in place whole working, but neither my wife or me is thrilled with the look. She says I don't have the right shape of face to pull the "all pulled back" look off, and I think I agree with her. For now at least, I'll be wearing it this way until I decide if I want to layer the front and sides, need to get a few more opinions on how it currently looks, but the 2 most important opinions have already spoken.
By the way, according to my wife, my hair is actually down to my shourlder blades, a bit longer than I thought ;-)
Thanks for the suggestion.
I have hair a lot like you describe. I have partially solved the problem by leaving my hair sopping wet after washing and conditioning it. No towel drying and certainly no blow-drying. It tends to dry in ropes that tend to be much heavier than the individual strands. Sort of like dreadlocks without the matting and tangling. Of course, it takes a while to dry like this, and so this isn't a solution if you don't have time to let the stuff air dry. These curls are much more resistant to weather effects such as frizzing from humidity or going crazy from wind. After completely dry, I sometimes tie my hair back in a tail; it's much more bulky than a combed out slick-look pony tail, but with your length, you probably have a ways to go before that look will work. In the meantime, try the super-wet-head look.
Eddy,
Hey man, the style sounds very interesting. Care to post pics? Would love to see some. Thanks.
Nope. Sorry. Last thing anybody will ever see is my mug on the net.