new thread
I just passed the five-month mark since my last hair cut (October 6, 2006), so here's a little update.
Probably the biggest frustration I have with my hair as it grows out is how it builds up in the back. It never seems to grown downward, but instead just seems to pile up at the top of my neck and puff up. (This is usually what would always discourage me in the past and force me to give up and get a haircut.)
This morning, before getting in the shower, my mom suggested using a hair band to tie the hair back until it dried. She said years ago when her hair was longer, that's what she used to do, and it always helped in getting the hair to hang down straighter once it dried. So I decided to give it a try. I was afraid my hair wasn't long enough in the back to work, but to my surprise, once I got the band on, I had about a two-inch little tail at the base of my head. I let my hair dry, then when I removed the band, my hair did indeed hang down much straighter.
Here's how it would normally look, in all its puffy ugliness.....
And here's a couple shots from earlier today, showing the results of letting it dry with the band on.....
I was just so excited! I seem to have finally found a way to deal with the puffyness at the back of my head, and I will continue to use the band after each wash. (I just wish I had thought of this before.)
Now if only I could find a way to deal with my other frustration, the way my hair hangs in the front. One side will manage to look okay, but then the other will have a big annoying curl in it, as you can see in this pic.
Your mom had a good idea, I could of used something like that a few times. When you say hairband, do you mean a rubber band type tie? (i use them but forgot the name) scunchee? scrunchie?
I used to think srunchies were just the big colorful frilly ones that girls used, but I guess that's what this is, too. It's much smaller than those, though, comparable to size of a rubber band, but has--I guess--a cloth covering as opposed to just being rubbery. My mom had a pack of 10 made by a company called Scunci.
Scunci that's it , I bought a pack of 50 about a year ago but can never remember that name.. Lol
Moms:
An endlless source of wisdom (and or criticism).
I am glad your mom was able to help you. She was right! The hair is much less poofy at the back. Ask her from some tipe for the front of your hair (and then share them with us).
Shawn (Mr. Crow)
(http://www.myspace.com/manlocks) - Mr.Crow's photo archive of growing hair
Haha!! No kidding. :)
My mom has known all too well about my attempts to and frustrations with trying to grow my hair out over the years, so she's been very supportive. I was telling her about the front of my hair earlier, how one side will be fine but the other not so much, and she said she has the same problem and tends to just deal with it. "Some days are good, some days are bad, and some are just okay," she said. :)
Minor "happy moments" add up to "major happy days"
Bruce
Cool! I'm glad you found a solution for the time being. I wouldn't stress too much about the uneven bangs either. I have the same problem (looks almost exactly like yours, and even on the same side). It seems to be sorting itself out, and I have a hunch that it's more noticable to me than to anyone else.
Mouse
Thanks. I wish this board was around years ago during my earlier attempts to grow my hair out. I could have used it's vast source of encouragement. (But then, I didn't even know what the Internet was back then. Haha!!)
I guess the problem with my bangs isn't too bad. I always wear a hat when I go outside anyway, so that helps cover them up. And now that I've found a way to control the puffyness in the back, I can feel better about wearing my hat in public without having it look like a bird's nest is hanging out from the back of it. Haha!!
And a great up-date it was! As long as I have been with this board, your moms idea has never been brought-up. And here we see proof of how it has worked for yourself.
If it has worked for you, no doubt it will work for many others in process of growing out their hair.
A superb hair tip indeed to pass along to the other guys.
Thanks!
Triumph. Great outcome. How are you going to reward you mom?
Triumph. Great outcome. How are you going to reward you mom?
Haha!! Didn't really start out as a reward, but I vacuumed the entire house for her today. That's usually something I help with anyway, but have slacked off on it the last couple weeks and decided now was a good time to make up for it. :)
You seem to be getting to know your hair and how best to work with it, well done and keep the faith, its looking really nice.
Hi Michael,
I have to say you are making great progress for only 5 months of growth, the hair really looks thick and healthy, with lots of shine. Congratulations on a great tip from your mom, that will be a real help to other guys at a similar stage of growth who would otherwise give up in frustation. Hang in there, and keep it growing!
All the best,
David
Thanks for the encouragement. I keep thinking it should be a little longer but I guess (as you or someone else said elsewhere) once the hair reaches about this point, additional growth is kind of hard to notice for awhile.
I've always had thick hair. Whenever I would go in for a haircut, the barbers would always comment on how much they loved my thick hair and would always tell me to be thankful for it.
I am glad you found a way to get past the problem that would normally have you cutting at this point. You can usually count on longhaired or former longhaired women for advice on hair since they have been there long before us.
Your hair looks very thick and should be interesting when it gets longer. It definitely has a will of its own, but it looks great even with the curl to it. Glad you are sticking it out.
Thank your mother.
Not a single picture you posted is unatractive
Hair sticking out in the wrong direction temporaril;y is evidence of living and growing hair.
No one is going to be as critical or your hair as you are, except:
Proto fasist, dominating persons who feel insecure when someine is different from the convention which they think is ordained by their primitive notion of ?god? or the KVD.
Strategically, we do no need to formalize our hair religion as a means of protecting ourself from overiding civil aand eduational authorities, with certificates of membership and pledges to ethical standards.
I am willing to the originaly peleoethicist and theoriticiam, But we need to identify the paatron saints, and have each edit a capter from their rpevoiious writings as our holy scriptue., We need to lellect the ancient writings about men;s hair and putlish all this in our bible.
As ethicist and theoritician, I woul be willing to establish an evolving et of rules to which our membership would concent:
First, I would wish to articulate do under others.
Second,m that long ahir is an affirmation of the possibility within the natural world into which we are born.
Third, I would wish to proclaim the beautty of our bi-sexual world which for creation has created sith few exceptions two forms of humanity, and to affirm their full equality, along with tht minority which biology has denied a clear caategorization.
Fourth, I would wish to proclaim that it is in the intrinsic nature of hbuman beings to loive particular others of their species, staatistically most frequently a person of the other gender, and less frequently of the same gender.
Howeverm I would want to affirm that the ethical , moral, quality of a bond between two persons and the generativity in communbity suypoort bthey produce is the criterian of the health of the relationship between these peosons and tnot their biological, anatomy.
I would want to affirm thaat on some occasions people make errors in choices of individual relationships, and they whould be facilitated in unravelling their connexctions without mutual harm or destructiveness.
I would wish to proclaim that sometimes there cme into being families in whjicj threek 0r four, or five adults establish a bonded family who can raise healty persons of their own biological production or adoption
I would ish to affirm that long hair is no obligatory for mnemership in this religios society, but it is encouraged as a sacrament in the protestent sense as an outward sign of an inward act of respect for all persons.
I would suggests that bi-lateral earrings be another sacrament, simple studs or bamds to show others that we are just and loving persons who do not follow the conventions of our competivive aggressive society.
I sugest that our hypersiste be open for educational purposes, but tose who wish to affiliate with our religious, spiritual, or whatever movement pay an annual due of at least $200., and then I think we can become with some modivications a society which has standing to protect our youth in court.
This is not proof read, nor corrected, nor complete, but I think it is a way we can come cloer together as long haired men, including women who do not suffer the repriasals we experience, and which will give us standing in courts when we are challenged by the silly conformists.
Submitted for critique and revision, and proposing Bill, Gavon, Hair relgion, Samuel, Sampson, and others: you know you who are to be designated as our prophets.
I am too tired to continue ton ight, and to tired to correct typos, but let's organize into the chruch of natural men and womenm and thus week protection.
James Harrison