new thread
Dear Long-hairs and affiliates,
I am getting into my akward phase and am not sure how to keep my hair looking professional - I am a teacher- between now and the time I can either pull it back into a pony tail or it is long enough to sit on my shoulders. These possible styles (or lack thereof) seem to be about the best I could come up with. (I have avoided straightening - not an option for me as I want to avoid damage - and I don't plan on using a quarter cup of sports gel each morning, unless it comes to that.)
Alright, alright, I know that there isn't much difference between the attached pictures: The curls kind of hide any style options, I attempt. I am hoping, though, to get a bit of feedback about which (if any) of the styles here looks best in your opinion. I am asking because it seems that I can no longer count on the "wet hair, condition, lighty towel-dry, shake head, run fingers through hair with small amount of styling product if desired" method of combing my hair which, for years as a short hair, has worked fine.
So, if you have any other options (or pics of how you other curlys did your do during this phase), please post them.
I really appreciate your feedback.
Thanks!
-Shawn (Mr.Crow)
You have got great curls man ... you look good in all the snaps especially the wet hair shaken one ... I think thats your natural look and stick to it ...
Srini
Thanks for the compliment, Srini. Oddly, I had very straight hair until puberty, if you can believe it. I like the natural look whenever I am around the house or shopping or whatever. It does make me look a bit more wild.
Thanks again,
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
Mr. Crow,
Saved but the curls! I don't think you need to do anything. Your 'fro is just going to get begger and bigger for a while. Do whatever enables the curls to tighten up to keep your hair cose to your head. In time the weight will loosen the curl.
Thanks for your suggestion, Caledonian. I find that 'e' keeps my curls most tightly against my head and less prone to poofing out than the others...and it is also the one least likely to show any length. (which will make the eventual unveiling more spectacular)....I'll keep you posted....watch for sometime at the end of 2007.
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
dude you look so much like kevin federline.....he had long hair too you know.
I had never thought of it before, but I just googled him and I can see the resemblance, too. Since my paterninty is unknown, perhaps I should see if I can't cash in as his long-lost half-brother?
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
If you do, you know you have to give me some cash right?
C looks the 'neatest' and most 'professional' but E looks the most 'stylish.'
Anyway, those are my choices for you.
Thanks, Luckskind, for your reply.
Since 'c' only stays that neat for a few seconds, I think I will lean more on 'E' when I am wanting to be a bit neater in appearance. For looking big and hairy, though, I will go with White Tail on the a + b.
I appreciate your suggestions.
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
Let your curls grow naturally....looks just fine and with length will be staggering.
Thanks, White Tail. I look forward to posting pics one day of curly manlocks resting on my shoulders.
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
I would say to just let your hair do it's own thing for now. It doesn't look bad at all in A and B. You look more free in those pics =)
A. looks the best. The curls should keep you looking profesional enough until it's well and long. No one seems to care about fros. At least you don't have to constantly push your straight hair out of your face at this stage like me. :P
F looks pretty neat to me.
I hate to break it to you this way, but...
In my opinion (based on my own experiences of having gone through the "awkward stage" twice), you are not yet truly into the infamous "Awkward Stage". When your hair starts falling into your eyes and eventually all over your face, and sticks out at least twice as far and 3X as wildly... THEN you are "there"!!
But, be that as it may...
I think ALL of the styling options you presented look just fine. In fact, in a couple or 3 months from now, none of those styles will matter, anyway, --- because your hair would have grown and changed in its look and degree of manageability considerably by then... AND, 2 or 3 months after THAT... your hair will change yet again...
Prepare yourself for a wild roller-coaster ride and a viscious, scarey circle of changing and re-arranging one temporary style after another, --- until you can FINALLY tie it all back into a ponytail. Some days you'll totally hate your hair; other days you'll wake up shocked & delighted! But, the true test is to just "hang in there", and NOT give into the temptation of scissors...
Good luck!
- Ken in San Francisco
Thanks, UrbanCowboy, for your help.
Ok, I'll admit, I am jumping the gun by a few months. I guess I am rather nervouis about just how scary my hair will get before it gets better. I am only starting into the doubt....rare and fleeting, but it is starting to poke its ugly, short-haired head. The support here is great and will likely by the only thing standing (alongside my will) against the temptation to go to what was easiest in the past...short 'shake-N-go'hair
Thanks again,
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
Totally understandable about being nervous! If it helps any, I'll tell you my own story...
The first time I grew my hair long (in the early '90s), I wasn't sure I'd make it, either, --- especially considering I had tried many times when I was younger, and here I was starting in my late 30s. I was extremely self-conscious about it, used tons of gel and hairspray, hats, etc. For me, that first time of growing it out seemed to take FOREVER to get it ponytail-length...
9 years later (first day of summer in Y2K, to be exact), I impulsively cut off what had grown out to be near-waist length hair. It was a stupid decision, and I was devastated (another story, --- too long to tell in full right now)... But, I knew immediately that I was going to grow it back! The 2nd time I went through the "awkward phase", it was actually quicker for me (or at least SEEMED so), and a lot more fun, --- because the self-consciousness wasn't there, and all I cared about was getting my long hair back! I knew how I looked with long hair by then, and knew how much I liked it, --- as opposed to my first-time growing it out, when everything felt so uncertain.
It's a "journey" (although probably feels more like an "experiment" by trial and error right now - lol). And just like travelling through any unknown territory, you don't know for sure how rough the ride will be until after you reach your final destination. AND... if you find at the end that you don't really like that "final destination" after all, you can always go back to your original starting point, --- and surprisingly quickly, in fact!
It takes YEARS to grow one's hair out long; but, unfortunately, only a minute or so to cut it! My suggestion is to keep growing that great-looking curly mane of yours until either you reach your goal, OR... you just can't stand it any longer, and decide to return to short again. I hope you can hang-in there for the long haul, --- and I wish you the best in doing so!
- Ken
Thanks, Ken, for sharing a bit of your story and for your encouraging words.
Shawn
Ken you summed up the awkward stage very well. I'm in the middle of it right now. hope to be out of it in about 9 to 12 months. I finally reached the point last summer where everything settled down but during the first 9 mos or so, the situation seemed to change every month requiring new coping strategies. I have a theory that if you can make it through the first year, you're home free. I bet around 80% of budding longhairs give up during the first year.
Hahah man I know what your going through. Im 3 months and a week into it my hair is 2 inches or a little more. When its dry I just look like an unkempt beast/homeless person. Someone asked me if I was dressed as an escaped convict today. WhaT!?
Like you I figured, eh Ill just slick it back. Why not right.. just slick it back untill it's long enough for a pony tail. But as I'm learning myself, after slicking back with gel, within a minute it quickly releases and gets curly on top. Im contomplating myself whether I want to go the route of using enourmous amounts of ultra strength gel to keep it straight slicked back and frozen in place.
I havent decided what I'm gonna do myself yet, I know this doesn't help you with your problem but if you manage to solve your problem let me know what you did. I was using this loreal shine gel for strength.... it isn't strong at all. I experimented with it one day. It came out looking like this picture. I shouldve taken after picture a few minutes later, it sure as hell didnt stay like that.
Also since I've grown my hair out before I think you'll find that once you get 5-6 inches of growth you will be able to slick it back much better. Till then just bear with it and continue doing what you're doing, it doesn't look bad at all for the "awkward stage"
Happy Hallowe'en, Helgast (not sure where you live, but in Canada we have a bit of a holiday here on October 31. (It is primarily for kids, but taken more seriously for Wiccans -- like a new year's eve -- it is called Samhain...though, truth be told there are few followers of Wicca comparitively speaking...)
While, I must admit that I think the slicked-back picture does look OK, like you mentioned, the curls 'pop up' after a couple minutes of struggling against the gel. Also, now that the hair is about 4 inches long (uncurled), the back can't be gel-fastioned to look straigt and ends up being a large, curly, mullet-looking 'poof' at the base of my neck.
I guess that going out in the regular curls is the way to do it -- bigness be damned! Otherwise I am fighting a losing battle anyway.
I am glad I've got a few other curly-hairs out there that are in about the same stages of growth. Thanks for your help and support,
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
a is the best
I would say A, I think if your hair is very curly (as mine is) then during the difficult stage you should go with the unruly natural look, it's a form of ordered chaos and looks good!
Hey Shawn, I think A looks the best by far, natural is best because you know whatever happens be it rain, wind or headbanging it will always look the same. If you 'tease' it into an unatural state you will always be 'tweaking'.
Don't take this the wrong way, but the picture at the bottom left looks a bit like Borat!