new thread
Hey there everyone, google happened me upon this wonderufl messageboard. Greetings to everyone!
Ok here's the deal, ever since I was a kid I've always had my hair cut short, either buzzed or very close to it. Longest I ever go w/o a cut is 1 months. After that I start to go crazy cuz to me, it's too long. I've decided now, that for the first time in my 20 years, I would liek to try and grow my hair out. Here's a pic of what it looks like now. Pardon the goofiness of the pic, I was messing around for a friend hehe. It's not the greatest pic but you get the idea. Just copy and paste cuz I'm not sure If I can use html on here.
http://myspace-280.vo.llnwd.net/00709/08/25/709365280_l.jpg
That's basically what it looks like now, it may be a little longer now though. The sides basically just "poof out" when my hair grows long and it looks ridiculous. The tops seems to grown down OK-ish but like I've said, I've never let it go long enough to find out. I'm not sure what it will looks like once is grows out but I guess I'll find out.
What I want to go for is basically something like the typical "shag" haircut you see on kids my age these days.
Here's a pic with a couple examples of what I'm thinking of. Specifically the guy in the middle with the "Keep It up" shirt and/or the guy with the Red "Hurley" shirt.
http://myspace-330.vo.llnwd.net/00373/03/31/373721330_l.jpg
What I want to know is what should I do? Where should I go? How do I start? I'll do whatever I need to do. Cut it first a certain way then let it grow? Basically just advice/suggestions of what worked for others who did something like this. How long am I looking at this taking? Any and all advice is awesomely appreciated. Thanks guys (and gals)
-John
Hi John,
it's obvious, until now, you have been into the short-hair habit, and I commend you for trying something new. I'd start out by simply foregoing further cuts for a long toime to come. There's nothing wrong with your hair looking a bit "poofy" as you traverse different lengths - seriously! Your hair will settle as it gets longer, sides included.
If you don't like the look at a certain time, just wait a bit longer, and it'll look differently, and, who knows, you may even enjoy the (sometimes surprising) little changes of your appearance. You got the kind of face that looks great with quite a variety of hair styles.
If you want, just let three months pass and post another picture - see what kind of comments you get here.
Also, make sure you read the hair-growth info you find behind the links on the top of this board.
Best wishes, and happy growth!
Hans-Uwe
let it grow out , ive been letting mine grow for 3 months its been one of the best things ive done.. it has a better effect on my emotionally i think more positive and feel more positive about myself , but im starting too notice some guys looking at me as my hair is getting more ackward i have a long journey ahead of me , but so far its been worth it.. and i hope u have the same satasifaction i have right now...
take care ,
rob the hitman
Hey thanks bud for the kind words and advice. That's more or less what I figured, just let it grow. I appreciate it alot. If anyone else wants to chime in with something different, that would be cool.
Thanks!
-John
John, I wanted to second Hans-Uwe's great advice, and just add that it's important to stick with it, and learn to deal with the little bit of discomfort you might feel with having your hair seemingly stick out in the wrong places. Especially if you've never had your hair long before, you're going to experience this, but trust me -- it's not as bad or as weird-looking as you might think it is. Just live with it and enjoy. You're going to have some killer long hair, I can tell!
peace,
dino
Thanks Dino! I hope you're right about the killer long hair thing. I'm pretty apprehensive about this whole thing but I'm willing to ride it out and see what happens 6..7...8 months from now. I figure, at the very least, I'm saving about 20$ a month in haircuts so it's not all bad, hehe.
Right on... well, keep posting progress pics here. I hope you like this community -- it's a very supportive group of guys (and a few gals too).
peace,
dino
You'll probably find that as your hair gets longer, especially during the first year, that you'll go through a few stages, each one different in the way you deal with your hair so it doesn't look so bad, before it gets long enough to just hang down.
there are links from this board to some websites that give pointers on proper hair care. just because it's short now doesn't mean you can scrub away at it--it's actually a good idea to start taking care of it because what you have now will be out at the ends eventually. when you wash it use cool water; don't scrape at it with your nails; use your finger tips. If you're using strong shampoo (has amonium lauryl sulfate) get rid of it and start using something very mild like Johnson's baby shampoo, no kidding. you may have a poof problem because you blow dry your hair, if you do. You can help your hair a lot by not using a blow dryer--on hot, they damage hair; air blowing on hair charges each strand and makes them repel each other, thus the poof effect. Just rinse it out with cool water, pat it down with your fingers, after about 10 or 15 minutes comb it down and let it air dry. the poof will be a lot less, plus, if you have the problem of wing dings where your hair does a right angle at your ears (the dreaded Flying Nun effect, i guess i'm showing my age) and sticks out, this will reduce that also.
good luck
Thanks for those tips. As far as washing it goes, I do suppose I'm rough with it cuz it's short and well, I never cared lol. As far as drying, I always use the old fashioned "air it out" method. I will check out these links too though, thanks alot!
-John
Hey John!
Welcome to a wonderful commmunity. I applaud you on your decision to grow your hair out. It's a boundary that only a relative few take, but most if not all enjoy.
At 22, I am currently growing my hair out for the second time. Big differences in the 2 experiences, including the fact that this time I seem to be growing out very wavy hair, while the first time it was only slighlty wavy. The first time I also had much more modest hair inspirations, guys like Robert Smith and the lead singer of Incubus.
Anyway, my hair has really 'poofed out on top' this 2nd time growing, but even though it is still changing as of today (28 months growth) the boofiness on top has gone.
I am posting these pictures so you can see what I mean.
Long hair is a different journey for everyone. Welcome to yours!
(a great band by the way and great live-I live in Australia)
Awesome! Great pictures, thanks alot! The look/length I'm going for is basically what you have in your 7-10month pictures. Sorry to those of you who were looking forward to seeing shoulder-length hair or longer, hehe.
I will say though that you look pretty good with long hair. Oh and I definitely agree that Incubus is a great band. Though I have never seen them live, I like their music. Thanks again
-John
At first it's a bit weird, going through the awkward stages, but you have a face that will work well with long hair. Stick it out through the beginning and in the end you will be happy with it.
-m
