new thread
Short intro: not really "long hair" I keep my hair just below my chin length (has lots of waves and curls).
This board has a great mix of differing view which is great but when I see posts along the lines of "by cutting their hair they follow the herd" or "those who cut their hair do not have the true spirit" etc, I wonder about the mental stability of some posters.
People have many reasons to stop having long hair e.g professional reasons, hair loss and so on. Isn't the whole point of this board to have the hair that makes you the happiest?.
Sometimes you have to be honest too, long hair isn't for everyone just as a no hair isn't for everyone, it seems preachy and totalitarian to look down on those who make a change they feel they need.
I think it takes more dedication and effort to have well maintained mid length/ long hair that has some unique style (depending on hair type of the person) rather than uncontrolled growth, and I also refer to the use of hair products and blow dryers.
Sometimes the "men" on this board and worse than women, use of a blow dryer isn't going to absolutely destroy your hair nor is the the of high quality products, they are all used to make the person happy about their hair. Which is why I think many give out wrong and selfish advice.
People have many reasons to stop having long hair e.g professional reasons, hair loss and so on. Isn't the whole point of this board to have the hair that makes you the happiest?.
This is a long hair site, which advocates the growth of long hair on men. You're right when you say that being happy with your hair length is what's most important, but cutting your hair to conform to a company's rules is certainly something I wouldn't do, and neither would others. I don't understand why women can have their hair to their asses (as long as it's properly maintained), but a bloke has to be careful should he dare allow his hair to grow beyond a length that fits the conventional 'norm'. How on earth does hair length affect a person's ability to do a job?
Sometimes you have to be honest too, long hair isn't for everyone just as a no hair isn't for everyone, it seems preachy and totalitarian to look down on those who make a change they feel they need.
Correct. But if you have no hair, then this really isn't the place for you.
Sometimes the "men" on this board and worse than women, use of a blow dryer isn't going to absolutely destroy your hair nor is the the of high quality products, they are all used to make the person happy about their hair. Which is why I think many give out wrong and selfish advice.
People who have used the devices you speak of are talking from experience, and can vouch that excessive blowdrying and styling is detrimental to the quality of your hair. Remember - hair is not indestructible, it has to last for years, and the general consensus here is that in order to ensure maximum continued growth, it's best to take good care of it.
Well, I will be the first to admit that I have a few screws loose, BUT...
I would never look down on anyone who decided to cut their hair. It is not for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with that. If that person decides that he is no longer satisfied with the length that he has grown, he is the one who lives under that hair each moment 24/7. For me or anyone else to say that he should do this or that, and this or that is contrary to that persons wishes, then, yes that is wrong. If the decision is well thought out and weighed and considered, then that person has done his due diligence, and should always act within that area to keep himself at peace, or happy as you put it. Just because someone has not the passion for long hair like I do, that does not diminish them in my eyes in any way, it just means their passion lies elsewhere. What a boring world it would be if it were that all thought and liked the same things!
Now, what I do not approve of is the cutting when it takes place by means of coercion or force, and the decision is not that of the individual. If someone submits against their will for whatever reason to the removal of his hair, this is the beef I have with it. I am not going to go into all that just because there is no use to do a two page rant about what is so obvious.
I don't use a blow dryer just because I am lazy. And I certainly admit that hair products in moderation are very useful. Some can get by very well without them, but others can't.
Thanks for posting!!! Usually posters will give out advice that may seem biased, but as each person only usually has their own frame of reference to advise from, individual advice will be biased toward what they know.
Bragi
Hello Everyone,
I have yet to find any link with having long hair and mental illness. In the 1950's if a man refused to cut his hair, his sexual orientation was put to doubt, and the "wrong" sexual orientation was considered a mental illness.
In the heyday of the "new age" movements of the eighties, it was common for "new age" gurus, and adepts to tell me that my attachment to my hair was unsound (Or bad for my "evolution"). I should detatch from my ego, and my hair to evolve spiritually. Sometimes "pop psych" culture would play on "attachment" as well.
Today, long hair is a choice, and it has its consequences, like not easily being able to work with the public in a lot of spheres. Sometimes it can require relocating to a less conservative part of the country, or to a carreer where it is more accepted.
Nothing "crazy" about that, one makes choices and assumes.
Maybe feeling unhappy when everyone around us cuts their hair, or about the prospect of losing one's hair either through oblication or incompatible genetic baggage. Expressing that kind of unhappiness can pass as an "unstable mind". Usually if one humours the pro-haircutting fascists would pass less as an "unstable mind", that constantly bickering about them.
Very often I use humour, like I often say things like "I used to have long hair before", or "In my long-haired days" when talking about the past, even though today I have long hair.
Sometimes I tease other new longhairs with comments like "I just want to tell you: You know, personally long hair doesn't bug me, be we have some folks that may be offended by it, and you should get a normal haircut like I have now", that makes him smile, and voila, instant friendship. At the university where I work we get a few new students, and sometimes long-haired ones. I "initiate" them with this kind of funny statement.
I do think, that a lack of a sound sense of humour, is a sign of an unhealthy mind. Taking things too seriously is not always good.
Have a nice day,
Georges.
Since this is a site for those who want to grow and keep long hair, it makes sense for people here to post as you stated above. They are expressing their opinion. Why do you consider it "mentally unstable" to post their opinions about long hair on a long hair site? If that's the case, we're all on the brink here.
No, the whole point of this board is to address the needs of those who have decided that long hair is what makes them the happiest. If other styles make you happiest, there are boards for them, such as the "Buzzboard" for those who chose that look.
Correct. So why do exactly the same and label us as mentally unstable?
Definitely possible, depending on the styles being compared.
What may be wrong for you may be right for me. That is why a variety of opinions from several sources allows the reader to choose what is right for him, and go in that direction. That is what we get here. For example: there are several here who only wash their hair once or twice a week with shampoo. My hair and lifestyle dictates otherwise. That doesn't mean their input is useless. It may be beneficial to others on here. Everyone is different. What you may consider "wrong and selfish" may have been the one post that directly addressed the issue of another.
You raise some valid points. You just need to look at the bigger picture.
Big George
I think your response was well put also.
Nik,
Like any other group with common interests, there are "purists" here and others whose ideas about hair are more ecclectic.
Whichever of the catagories a guy might fall into has little if any bearing on his mental ability. It might reveal something about his emotional state, or how passionate he is about his hair, his ideas about hair, and what his hair means to him. That's all.
I tend to agree with you that it is largely about what makes a person happy. That's my "prepared response" to anyone who might want to make a disparaging remark about my hair--why do you wear your hair the way you do? Oh, because you like it that way? Same here.
No one ever does make such remarks to me, so my prepared response goes unused.
Nice thing about this kind of board is that you don't have to read threads that don't help you.
Robert
there seems to be more new people comeing on and being somewhat negative about the board lately....interesting.
....of course no offense to you nik
No it isn't. This is the Men's LONG HAIR Hyperboard. How'd you miss that one? Of course we want people to be happy with their hair and if they arent happy having it long then they arent really a long hair. But this board is here to support and help long haired men or those wishing to achieve long hair, and that sir, is the point of this board.
I think you still view long hair as a thing for women. Men have every right to be just as passionate about hair or "worse". Alot of women use products that harm their hair to fit certain styles. When we talk about hair dryers and products we're trying to achieve the healthiest hair possible. Not be selfish. I dont even see where selfishness plays in here. Also products aren't made and sold for people to be happy with their hair. They are made and sold because a company wants money, and usualy the products they make are based strictly on how it makes your hair look and not what it actually does to the hair itself.
Well said.
Well, not the "whack job" part, but that some people just don't look good with long hair. I started growing mine out because I don't look good with short hair. It's only logical that there are people in the opposite situation.
I also agree about being overprotective of hair, but there's a reason.
I mean, women put and do all kinds of garbage to their hair and somehow it still looks good.
But the thing is, most women have had long hair longer than they can remember. For a guy, spending 2-3 years growing your hair so that it's long is a lot of hard work. The stigma that goes with it, the awkward phase, and just the anticipation of it all. That makes it a lot harder to have to deal with suddenly ruining it.
There is a video somewhere down here in the thread list of a guy getting his hair cut off while he sleeps. That made me shudder, because after spending so much time on it, suddenly it's gone.
same here. I always thought I looked like a complete dork with short hair. Another thing about long hair that may not have been mentioned here before is that (in my experience at least) people you never really liked to deal with start leaving you alone. When I had short hair I would get invited to things I didn't really want to go to, or find myself in tedious conversations with boring people I didn't want to talk to. Then I started growing my hair. All those people started acting like I was radioactive, leaving only the cool people who were interesting and fun to spend time with. It was an unexpected fringe benefit.
There's a reason why I don't reply to "GAH! He cut his hair," threads. I couldn't care less how others wear their hair. When I see those types of threads, my only thought it, "Yeah? And?"
