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Hi, first of all this is a fantastic site! Very intresting. Well a bit about myself, I'm a guy, 15 still at school. I'm growing my hair and thinning it out every month, and have been for the past 7/8months. It's developed in this "emo-ish" type of hair due to the fringe. It seems to be slightly wavy at the ends and it is thick, I'm of an indian background and so have inherited this type of hair as a result of that. What is annoying at the moment is that the hair over my ears, which when stretched at the longest point comes up to just before the jaw, curls a bit and looks like it is upto just a bit past the ear lobe, My fringe curls a bit and even though I can just about put it into my mouth, it now curls a bit and comes up to my eyebrows with the ends of the hair going to one side. The back of my hair is also annoying, at the ends it is a little curly and it doesn't seem that long! At the moment the style is to have completely straight hair, which I can't do because I can't use a hair straightener becuase of parents thinking it to be too girly lol and the fact that it will damage my hair on a regular basis. I have even stopped using the blow dryer (and hair straightening cream) due to a fear of damaging it and causing early hair loss. I really do not know what to do with my hair. I heard that if I carry on growing my hair it will somewhat straighten and tame itself but I can't grow it that long because of school rules! I only want it a maximum of shoulder length anyway and that's the school rules. I want the long hair to be "cool" but at the same time not repulsive to adults etc. Obviously I would face some discrimination just for having long hair lol but what can you do :P? So my question is what do I do with my hair?! I thought my hair was naturally straight but as it has being growing, it has become apparent that it has a natural wave to it. I've even being tempted to cut my hair short :| BUT I hated my short hair and so therefore am looking for alternatives. Any advice lol :P? Thanks in advance.
By "thinning" your hair, do you mean that you have had layers cut into it? I have fine hair and my most troubling areas are at the ends on the sides and around the back, just like you described with your hair. This is partly just due to the awkward in-between stage, but I think also due to the fact that I still have about 2 inches of layered hair at the ends, making it lighter in those areas so that it curls up that much easier. If this is the case for you as well, you might consider allowing those layers to grow out so that you can wear your hair in one solid layer. That's what I want to do with mine eventually, but I want more length in it before I have any cuts made. And once I do start having the layers cut out, it will be a little at a time and only once every two or three months until all of the layering is gone. My goal is also at least shoulder length though I am considering allowing it to go further.
So should I just leave my hair to grow now in one solid layer? It's turning into thick "big " hair again! It's really frustrating!
Thinning is the single worst thing you could possibly be doing if you want to grow long hair. I don't understand even the concept of doing this.
it was developing into this kinda thick afro thing, someone advised that too me :/ I'm guessing it was a wrong decision. Damn :(
It's only natural for hair to puff out as it's growing out - it's called the awkward stage. Once you get through this period, however, the weight of the hair will hold it down and in place and it will look great. Thinning interferes with this because you're taking weight away from the hair.
So that awkward stage is unavoidable? How can I make my hair look ok whilst it is in that stage and how do I have to wait until it is over? Thanks in advance!
I meant "how LONG do I have to wait until it is over" sorry typo.
Due to the thinning, it may be a while. And like Jason said, the longer it gets, the more weight it gains and will eventually pull itself straight. To answer your question as to whether the awkward stage is unavoidable, yes it is. You just have to stay focused on your ultimate goal and not become discouraged by the frustrations along the way. In the meantime, you could try using gel or mousse to at least tame it enough that it doesn't annoy you as badly.
Neither do I understand it either Jason and never have.
Hi Mehej,
does "Indian" mean "from India", or "Native American"? I'm asking because Native American guys have been traumatized by haircut rules in schools already generations ago, and that could be a good "anti-discrimination" court case - just claim the traditions and culture of your forefathers. You'd need to check with organizations like ACLU (www.aclu.org) or GPAC (www.gpac.org) for support.
Having said that, if your parents are from India, you probably could find some religious or cultural tradition as well, that requires you to grow your hair long - which also has a good potential as an anti-discrimination case. And, it is quite normal that people start to discover their traditions at age 14, 15, or 16.
Are your parents generally supportive of your wish to grow your hair?
In any case, you're probably best off just growing your hair as long as you can get away with, without any trims or thinning. If you can't have it past a certain length, grow it right to that limit, and that's where you start growing it to the length you want, once you're done with school. - If I may ask, what state do you live in?
Best wishes, and good luck with your school!
Hans-Uwe
Indian meaning my parents come from india. And there is not that much discrimination over long hair at school, but if it becomes too long then people are told to cut their hair. Not many people grow their hair that long anyway, I live in England . My parents seem to hate every "cool" hairstyle =P lol but I guess they don't mind, even though they pass comments to me :/. My mom can get very annoying, saying my hair is not decent etc etc. But I'm growing my hair no matter what :). I just want to know how to get a good long hair style (not too long), that can be deemed by most people as good.
Hi Mehej,
if you're in the UK, you could ask to see the school regulations. I'd read them (without telling them what you're looking for in order not to wake up sleeping dogs).
If the hair regulations are vague enough, then you can always claim that you are in fact complying, no matter how long your hair is. If there are no hair rules, the school cannot require you to get haircuts in the first place. - I'd contact Mark Ellott about these things. He's one of this Board's users, and he's listed in the directory, see the links at the top of this Board's main site. Mark is very knowledgeable about legal issues involving hair in Britain.
Hope this helps.
Hans-Uwe
P.S. Well, your parents may not be from the Punjab region, because then they possibly would be REQUIRE you to grow your hair long ;-) In any case, I hope you can grow a style that makes YOU feel good every time you see yourself in the mirror...
Thanks, I made that stupid mistake of thinning my hair out though, any way chace for hair still left :P. Also I don't actually want to grow my hair very long, maximum shoulder length.
Well I hope you are going to get past your emo/emu stage. I would just let it grow and as it gets longer the weight of the hair will make it look less like an afro.
Why oh why do people think that thinning is the answer and it's not as if you ever wanted to grow it out to one length it would take longer. Thinning is just a quick fix in some peoples eyes so don't bother.
John.B
What can I say, I was misinformed :P. Thanks for the help, how long would you say I have to wait until it doesn't look like an afro?
If you would just allow ALL of your hair to grow on its own all by itself, when long enough it evens itself out perfectly and looks the best of all.
What John has written below is ever so true.
I wouldn't worry about people not liking it. Plenty of people with longer hair, fringe, etc. look presentable. What matters is that you like it.
