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Hi Everyone! Well, it's been about four months since I started to grow my hair long. I have always gotten a low-and-tight haircut, as once it starts to grow out, it starts go do the "puffy thing", driving me nuts, and back I go to Joe the Barber for my usual. As of now, when I pull the front of my hair in front of my face when it's wet, it goes to the tip of my nose - which for me is a new record! I like to have my hair kind of close to my head, not all 'froed-out - I guess you could say I wish I had straight hair, instead of this controlled bird's nest I was born with. I had my hair thinned-out about six weeks ago, making sure not alot of length was taken off, but now it is starting to puff out again. I read alot of messages saying not to cut hair at all while it is growing out, so should I NOT get it thinned out again - UGH!!!? I have fledging success with leave-in conditioner followed by a pomade (and sometimes followed by hairspray,too), to give it a (can you say helmet head??!!)wet and not puffy look, but sometimes even that doesn't seem to matter on most days (I also do the hat thing). I guess what I am getting at is: once the awkward stage is over and my is longer, will the puffyness go away, or should periodic maintainence thinning be done? I seem to recall hearing that if a person with long straight hair cuts it short, it goes curly (wavey, puffy, etc...). So..... if a person has curly hair when it is short.....?? Also, are there any web pages that show some styles you can do with your hair while it is growing out, but is not long enough for a ponytail (my goal)? I can't decide whether to comb it straigt back, part it on one side, part it on the middle, etc.....The natural way my hair falls is straight forward - oooh yeah, the dork look! So when I comb it straight back, against the grain, it puffs up!Thank you for any advice-it is greatly appreciated!
Sorry, the awkward stage really stinks, doesn't it? I hope you have some hats to wear! ANyway, I wouldn't get it thinned if I were you, but I did get a couple of maintenance trims when I first started growing it out (once at 3 months, again at 7 or 8 months) to give it some shape...it was either that, or back to short, it was driving me crazy! (make sure the stylist knows what your goal is) The good news is, I haven't had to get another trim since then, it has now been 14 months since my last short haircut and I finally have enough length to get a ponytail. My hair is the wavy/curly/frizzy type, too, and more good news is that the length pulls a lot of the fullness out, it also helps to be able to pull it back when wet to straighten out some of the curl. So gel it down for now and don't give up, it's worth it when you get there.
I have the wavy/curly/frizzy hair type! When my hair is wet it reaches half way down my back (slightly more). It's red - I'm a REAL Scottish red head. I'm trying to grow it longer than this but it doesn't appear to be able to do that - perhaps this is the longest length that it will grow to - maybe I'm wrong! Does anyone know otherwise?
I've been through the awkward stage too! Hang in there, it just a phase! Wearing a hat does help, or a headband during the summer months.
It's been a LONG time since I had short hair. I am 36 going on 37 and have had long hair (of various lengths) since the age of 15.
I have thought of putting my hair into dreads (it is too thick for pleats)but I'm not too sure. I don't want to loose too much in length. Can any readers advise?
Ken.
I have hair a lot like yours, Ken, though black/brown instead of red. A lot of people have asked me if I were going to dread it.
When really wet, it dries into tight curls that look a lot like dreads. However, I've never been able to go the last step and make it dread, though it would be easy to do.
Dreading is really permanent. It's not the sort of hair style you can change once you get it. The only alternative is cutting your hair really, really short.
I've thought about getting my hair professionally braided into tiny tight braids as an alternative to dreadlocks. African-american friends tell me that's a good choice as an interim. And I could probably get away with it at work (I'm a graphic designer and already look weird.)
But consider other alternatives.
Frank
Hi Frank,
Thanks for your feedback. A lot of people have wondered why I haven't dreaded my hair too. I am fully aware that if I got fed up with it I would have to shave the whole lot off which doesn't really make it a viable option for me but I thought mentioning it here might offer another more viable option.
I've thought about this too and have had slim, tight braids done to my "fringe" in the past. I may go for this again but have the two braids meet at the back to become one. Hmmm... yeah I could do this I suppose. It would help to keep my hair out of food and from my face...
Ken.
Hi Randi,
I decided like you to grow out my hair, I have always had short hair and I want long hair. I learned from you that there are web-pages that show some styles you can do with your hair while it is growing out. Can you give me the URL-addresses of these web-pages.
Thanks and a lot succes with your growing out stage!
So I hope that within one year, we have both beautifull long hair!
It would be the first time in my life!
You've gotta love your afro. It makes a big statement if you exemplify it. Brush it forward, you'll look like you have 2x the hair you have. Best of all; no gel, no hat, no nothing.
The afro is just a phase (unless you happen to be Black, in which case, you HAVE to braid in order to get length). Eventually your afro will collapse on it's own weight, but until it does, be proud to be 'fro.