new thread
Hi all,
I am new here and have been growing my hair out since 12-09-05 from a buzz cut. I would describe my hair as straight and very full. And when I say full I mean it has A LOT of volume, which is something I don't really care for. I use Redken moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and wash it every couple days. I also wear a baseball cap more than I really want. This may sound weird but I actually prefer "hat hair" since it seems to tame it a bit. So on to my questions:
1) Will regularly wearing a baseball cap prove to be detrimental to the health of my hair?
2) Are there any ideas or alternatives to help flatten out my hair? I am hoping that as my hair gets longer it will be weighed down by the length. But, to be honest, I'm not completely sold on that completely solving my problem.
I'd appreciate any input or advice. Thanks!
Ryan,
Regularly wearing a cap will prove detrimental in the long run as your scalp isn't receiving enough oxygen while you have the cap on.
Do you have naturally thick hair? And do you blow dry or just allow your hair to dry naturally?
You're right that the longer your hair gets, the more it will weigh itself down. And as it gets longer, you may better appreciate having some body in it.
In the meantime, you could try putting some styling gel or mousse in it while it's still wet so that once it dries, it might be a little more to your liking.
Thanks for the reply Patrick. I guess I could say I have naturally thick hair, I dunno. I also let my hair dry naturally . I've found that blow drying it only makes it bigger.
I don't particularly like the gelled look, but I may just have to settle with it at least for now. I just bought a digital camera. Once it gets delivered I'll post some pics to more easily show what it's like. Thanks again.
Maybe you should just wear the cap when you go out. And a conditioner with protection from harmful UV rays might be a good idea too. I don't know about the whole scalp needing oxygen thing, but just be safe and try not to wear it everyday.
And your right, your hair will eventually 'fall' down when it gets longer. Because it will get heavier, of course.
So, in a nutshell, it sounds like your hair is in what's often called, "the awkward stage!"
Baseball caps are an understandable temporary solution; but I think bandanas or half-tails are better. Bill Choisser has a website covering the topic of bandanas. If you want to check it out, go the the Links page, and then click on, "On Being A Longhair".
And as far as more length helping to "weigh down" your hair, --- yes, it does tend to be easier to deal with then (especially once long enough to put all back into a ponytail).
Happy Growing!
- Ken in San Francisco
It can't be heathy hiding it in a baseball cap all the time. Either for the hair or for your pride as it probably only will make you feel even more embarresed and uncomfortable with yourself. Just let it flow, man.
I had the same problem with hair thickness. I solved it in the early stages thinning it every second month or so allthough that is not a technique I would recomend. After the haircut you will feel a part of you is missing and after two weeks it will look even worse. The best, and only really, advise I can give you is to bear with the akward stages and just let it grow long and thick. Gravity will handle the thickness in time. Still you may want to trim it once in a while as it makes it look more proper. I made sort of dreads look in college (gymnanisium) with a very hard type of hairwax and it looked allright when the proportions where right. But, I wouldn't recomend that either as it will probably do a lot damage on the hair in the long run.
Gels and other leave-in stuff never worked for me. Obviously avoid any shampoo and conditioner that says it is for hair that needs volume, as you seem to have enough of that as it is. You probably want s and c for normal or thick hair. blow dryers tend to poof out hair so you are probably better off carefully combing it down and letting it air dry. by the way, I think redken "moisturizing" may be a code word for "adds volume." Try something else--try Aussie Mega Conditioner and some kind of shampoo for hair that already has volume--something mild. I hate to keep repeating myself but I have tried a number of shampoos and my best experience has been with baby shampoo. seems to be very mild. I personally don't think a hat especially if loose, is going to damage your hair (scalp) unless it's a plastic swimming cap worn all day. Length will help a lot with your problems. Your next problem will likely be when your hair wings out over your ears. We can help with that too. good luck and don't give up.