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Whether to keep it long or not. I've been debating this for a long long time as it grows longer and longer. At the moment it's probably 18 inches, 2.5 years of growth. The thing is I don't know if I am really a 'longhair' by personality or just by chance. I didn't grow it out due to any particular desire, more out of curiosity than anything else. I do identify with some of the longhair sterotypes and I enjoy being in a sort of club that takes dedication to join. In other words it's a way for me to stand out from the crowd. All in all I would say that half the time I enjoy love the hair, and the other half I hate it.
The things I don't like are mainly related to the appearance and inconvieniences related to maintenance. I miss being able to hop in the shower whenever necessary without regards to having wet or poofy hair for the next 6 hours. It needs to be washed every morning to control oil (I've tried showering less and it doesn't really help), and I don't like smelling sweaty after a workout of playing outside. My hair looks really great for about 2 hours out of any given day, before that it's frizzy and poofy, and afterwards it's stringy and greasy looking. I couldn't care less whether people judge me on having long hair (being in Boulder Colorado makes that mostly a non-issue) but I'm not entirely comfortable with people thinking I don't take hygeine seriously. Especially when I need to maintain a professional appearance
I'm forcing myself to make up my mind within one week, because I've been questioning this for many months and it's time to get it off my chest. My main worry is that I will discover once I've cut it that I want it back, and going through the growing stage again would not be fun, especially since I will be seeking a job at an engineering firm in less than a year. I don't think they would take me seriously with the awkward stage shag going on!
If anyone has any advice or just an opinion I would greatly appreciate hearing it. Lately this has just been stressing me out way too much and I need to find a way to justify a decision either way.
Thanks,
Keith
Hi Keith,
18 inches is a great length, that should look phantastic! The fact that you debated for a long, long time but still kept it growing says something in my eyes - quite probably it does suit you VERY well. If you feel comfortable with that, you might just post pictures with the "good", the "poofy" and the "stringy" look, and get some comments. I suspect your hair looks a LOT better than you perceive it yourself!
I think the practical "hair problems" are solvable. Your hair might not be that oily after all if it looks "poofy" after drying. In that case, using shampoo only at the portion closest to the scalp and using a good conditioner on the lengths may be a good solution. And, you could try some "anti-frizz" gel (clear oily fluid with dimethicone and cyclomethicone and not much else) after letting it dry in order to see whether that takes away some of the "poofiness". After a while, it'll look either normal, or, if it does look "stringy", it may turn out to be a kind of "geled back" look, and not look like "lack of hygiene" at all. I find it perfectly normal for hair to change the looks somewhat over the course of the day.
Are you sure there were no "bad hair days" when your hair was short?
And, when I just want to hop into a shower, I just use shower caps whenever I don't want to get all my hair wet - some water at the hair roots in the front, back, and sides of my head wouldn't cause the drying time to last for hours.
O.K., I'm biased, I think long hair looks great on most men - but having patience for 2.5 years says a lot about your inclinations, I'd think. For me, that's a strong reason to advise you keeping it, you'll find solutions for any problems at hand.
Good luck, and happy growth!
Hans-Uwe
Believe me, bad hair days with short hair is even worse! At least with frizzy or poofy hair you can use things like water to get it down and then tie it. Try having a "chicken" head as a short hair that wont stay down no matter how much gel you use! that is bad hair day.
Dear Keith,
I was in a similar situation a few months back, in the sense that half of the time I was hating my hair! I had been growing it for 4 years so it was pretty long as well. In the end, I came to the conclusion that if I was thinking about it that much, then it can't be healthy. It is, after all, only hair and so shouldn't become a problem in your life. I got my head shaved, and felt very liberated! I am growing it back, probably only to about 9 inches or so this time, but do not regret my desicion one bit.
Hi John,
good that it worked out well for you, you did take quite a risk. Then again, no-one outside of you could gauge that risk as well as you could, and I see you are not necessarily implying that your solution is right for others. Some people are in a prolonged shock after such a "radical" solution, thinking "OMG what did I do???" and getting depressed - I guess, that, even though problems look similar on the outside, everybody has to find out what is right for him. - By the way, I'm sure you were prized for your decision at the "buzzboard", they are into that kind of solution ;-)
Hava a good day
Hans-Uwe
If you're washing it every single day you've washed out all the natural oils which keep it clean and are now relying on shampoo. Its a vicious circle. Now you need to keep washing with shampoo to un-grease it.
If you ever want to get back the oils you've got to stop shampooing - and you've got to put up with it looking like sh*te every day for a while. Wash it once or twice a week instead and, since its long, pull it back into a ponytail when it looks terrible.
Have a shower and tie it up out of the way so it doesnt get wet (keep your bod clean) then you wont have the frazzle frizzle problem.
Honest, I went through this too a few years ago and it does get better. Why not try it for 2 months, if you've been growing it for 2.5 years thats not much to try. If you cut it you may well serisouly regret it and it sounds like its the washing thats driving you mad, not the hair itself.
p.s. incase you missed this
http://the-light.com/longhair/messages/148549.html
Here's how it appears to me: Firstly, you are right at the point where your hair is probably just beginning to look decent as far as length is concerned. Also, I have a hunch you are just about through the awkward stage and some of the problems related to poofyness will begin to go away over the next 6 mnths or so. keep in mind however that we, or I, don't know what kind of hair you have because you didn't mention that. curly hair takes longer. But I bet if you wait you will be glad you did.
to me your main difficulty is logistical. two points: A. there's no way around it, long hair causes some changes in your daily routine. for example, you may have to rearrange your morning routine, showering first, then doing other things like eating, reading email, etc. second, while your hair dries. maybe you like to workout--you may find yourself doing that after work instead of before because after work your hair can look like a rats nest and it won't matter. so, yes, you may have to make some changes. B. I think it's okay to shampoo every day (gasp) but the key thing is finding the right shampoo and conditioner. I can tell you what works for me but unfortunately, it might not work for you. you're simply going to have to try combinations. the good news is that this stuff isn't vastly expensive--you can try a few kinds of shampoo and conditioner for 15 bucks. i've tried garnier fructis and pantene clarifying--both were too harsh for daily use. I'm using johnson's baby shampoo, it may very well be the mildest shampoo on the market, just once each day, none of this lather repeat nonsense, and Aussie conditioner. If you want oil in your hair, get some jojobba oil ("ho hobba") and put a tiny amount on your palms and work them over your hair. a little goes a long way. You can get it at vitamin shops and health food stores. The Vitamin Shoppe chain has a house label of jojobba oil for $5 for 120 ml. hope this helps.
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll take it all into consideration. I haven't made much progress towards a justification either way, but I did wear a ponytail while driving the other day, and while it felt kind of strange it helped a lot (although it looked pretty disgusting and sweaty).
Someone said that I'm just getting into the final stage and I think I agree. It's finally long enough that ALL of it can be tied back, but the result is a ponytail about a foot long with hair ending all along its length, so probably evening out the length will help. When I had it trimmed a few weeks back they barely took anything off, just the split ends.
I'll keep you guys informed.
