new thread
I've been reading some threads and noticing a lot of people warning people not to use hairspray, not to use gel, not to straighten etc. Well, can we be a little more realistic?
If you grow your hair out and it's a curly, tangled mess, of course you're gonna straighten it. The point of long hair is to make you happy. Not just to have it long and let it hang there like a rag.
As for hairspray, I don't see the major foulup. It washes out. I do not know of people suffering from using hairspray. Honestly. I personally hate the crusty feel hair takes on when sprayed, but it's nessesary during growth. Face it. It's easy to say "just let it be", but it's a lot harder to do when you go out and you know your hair looks absolutely horrid. There's no point in having long hair if your journey towards it will make you miserable. There is no huge danger in hairspray.
As for gel or misc. hair products, if people want to use them I just don't see the issue. Some people actually grow long hair to style it, not just have it hang in some limp, messy mane. I'm not trying to attack anyone! I'm just saying that products make life easier for long haired females, and should be ditto for males.
I'm about 5 months into growing, but my hair grows pretty quick so I'm not doing too shabby. The entire back of my hair ties into a ponytail at this point. I'm guessing about 3 more inches for most of the front, excluding bangs, to fit. With me, that should only be about 4 months or so. I can tell you that my hair really started looking CRAPPY about a month ago. I changed the part to a center part, brushing it equally to both sides, and spraying to hold it that way. Not only does it look 100000x better (otherwise, I looked like i had a huge lump/bubble), but it gives me more confidence and helps me tackle the growth process with ease.
I just don't see the paranoia over products. Yes, there are horror stories about straighteners. But even if it truly WRECKED your hair, which I seem to doubt knowing how many females use them and have very beautiful hair, the worst case is that you chop off the damage. As annoying as it is to grow hair long, it's not forever, and it comes back. I just don't understand the fuss. Sorry to offend anyone.
you gotta understand that straighteners are so damaging that it's necessary to chop off the ends every so often.you yourself said it.well,for a guy growing out his hair,he can't afford to chop off the ends every month or so now can he?otherwise he would be making no progress.Now,is it a coincidence that you don't see many women these days growing out their hair?It's becuase of these damn straighteners!!their ends are in splitsville.I'm not making these things up?I asked a woman one time why doesn't she grow the hair?you know what she said?she said she needed a maintenance trim!!
as for hairsprays,I never said they're damaging..but they DO dry out the hair...I say do whatever works for you!!if hairspray makes the awkward phase less unbearable,then use it!!
I myself use a blowdryer every so often,others here swear such a thing off!!the moral of the story is:you gotta do whatever works for YOU!! :)
women can get away with using straighteners because they're not growiing their hair out-they chop off any damage that occurs from the staightening!!
I agree. My mom uses hairspray often and has never had any damage to her hair as a result. In the last few years, I've used gel frequently while keeping my hair cut short and never had any damage or other problems. Since deciding to once again try to grow it out, I've continued to occasionally use gel to help with the wackyness I've experienced, with no ill results.
I use hairspray each time i wash my hair to straight it a bit and to control volume and my hair are not dry at all even if i used to have dry hair.
Im gonna ask girls who has really long hair if they use straightener and if they have to trim frequantly , so i will know the truth :)
i really love my hair but not the way they behave so i'm looking for a solution to get better looking hair without damaging it maybe time will change my hair...
Cya
A bit off topic, but your hair is amazing! I checked your site and I really like the volume and thickness, it looks really good. Keep it growing!
-Mihnea
As I've said elsewhere, the longer you are trying to grow, the slower it grows, or the more fragile your hair is, the more careful you have to be. If you get 1/2" per month, and you are aiming for past shoulder or less, you probably can do almost anything with it since the longest strands are only going to be a few years old (and most younger). If you are aiming for past mid-back, then you are looking at accumulating 4 or more years of damage.
Personally, I didn't use products, but I still have damage in my longest strands (7+ years old) from exposure to high elevation sunlight/UV...it doesn't affect my length too much, but that damage is the source of most of the tangling and split ends (and thus split end maintenance) in my hair.
As will everything hair, YMMV.
I agree with much of what you're saying. However, my hair started acting really strangely after using hairspray for a few weeks.
But I've never had any noticable damage from day-to-day things like towel drying, hair gel and combing (unless done incorrectly). I don't care about sun or salt water either.
Not sure about straightening as I've never done it. If you use a hair dryer, use a low setting.
As soemone posted on their site (Hair religion?) the way you
keep your long hair in good shape is to be careful. After
all when it gets down to waist length you've had the hair
for alot of years. So if you're carelesss with the hair by
whatever means the hair will be in less than desirable condition.
The bottom line: if you're growing your hair treat it with great
care. It will be around for a number of years.
It depends on how long you want to grow it, and exactly what you do to it.
I have a cousin who straightens her hair, and it looks good, but she never grows it longer than her shoulders. Straightened hair can look longer, and actually hangs a bit longer without the curls or waves, but shoulder length is about the limit for it, and for quite a few other things that we advise people to avoid doing to their hair.
If that's as long as you want to grow it, then fine, but mine is much longer than that _now_, never mind how long I would like to grow it, so I have to take a lot more care of it than that.
Gel and hairspray may not be so bad, but they certainly make your hair feel nasty!