new thread
Hi everyone,
I've been a long time lover of these forums. In fact, it was reading this forum that inspire me to grow out my hair!
Anyway, I have about 2 full years of growth now, with only a few tiny trims along the way. My bangs go about three inches below my chin and the back of my hair goes to about mid-shoulder blade. I have mostly straight, but slightly wavy brown hair. Sorry for the lack of pictures, but my digital camera is KIA.
My questions are about styling your long hair. Since I've been trying to maximize my hair growth, I have different lengths of hair at different parts of my head. I usually wear my hair loose or in a pony-tail, like most guys. I am interested in getting a trim soon, but I want to keep my hair below shoulder length.
Do you find a feathered or layered look works best? What about trying to evenly cut the hair so its all around the same level? What about other styles? What do you think looks best? Finally, what do you tell your hair dresser to get the look you like?
Thanks for your input!
You tell them exactly this. You tell them what you would like done and instruct them to the best of your ability. That way they will know what they need to do.
Feathering the hair at the front is what alot of females do, so i would be against you doing it.
Having all one length hair or layers is purely down to you, what look are you actually aiming for etc?
Ya, I definitly don't want to come off as feminine.
Still, I really have no idea what I'm aiming for. Unfortunately, I have a real hard time evaluated things like this without seeing them on me.
If you have grown your hair for two years without trims, then by default, you already have natural layers. If your hair is mostly straight, this is probably already a cool look on its own. In my opinion, two years of untrimmed growth looks good as it is. It just kind of flows all downward and has a life of its own.
Feathering or layering is essentially trimming parts of your hair shorter and leaving other parts longer, usually the top layers being cut shorter. This style generally reduces volume and can look good if done right, especially with straight hair. The downside is that with some o' the hair will not then fit into a tail and will not stay tied back. This layered look is best if you prefer to have loose hair most of the time and are willing to keep it combed or brushed frequently to maximize the appeal of this style. Layers can also take a long time to grow back out when you get tired of it.
Jason, who posts here is an advocate of the "all on length" philosophy to hair growth. By this, I mean that he has trimmed over time the lowest portions on the back and sides to end up with mid-back hair that has bangs and front hair nearly as long as the longest hair on the back of the head. He has ended up with a very admirable head of hair.
If you tell a hairdresser or stylist that you want layers, she or he is going to go a-hacking your hair all over your head to shorter lengths, so beware of this. A razor-cut is another form of layering to get the supposed natural layer look (which you already have). To get just the back trimmed, tell her/him just exactly what you want (1 inch, etc.) and no more. Eventually, by just trimming the back a little at a time, you will end up with "all one length." If you tell them you want it even all the way around, you may end up with a "bob" style, which to me is not a flattering style for a guy.
But to recap, to me, and you did ask, two years' growth with no trims looks very cool already. Unless you have raggedy ends, I would not worry about a trim at this point.
Here is a web page of different styles for hair, yes it is for women, but you can get an idea of how different styles look that you might ask for. The "maintenance tips" recommend 4-6 week trims beneath some of the styles; ignore that part, this is the way hairdressers stay in business.
This is another fun web page to get style ideas for longer hair without having to trim anything...
Do you have a trusted stylist? If not, get recommendations from people you know. Don't go to a "walk-in" salon. Some stylists will let you come in for a consultation prior to the actual appointment.
Talk to the stylist. Try to bring in pictures to help explain exactly what you want. You might even see a picture of a woman's hair that helps explain what you want done in the front, or the back, etc.. Most stylists want to give you exactly what you want. Don't be afraid to pay a little for a good stylist...and tip well if you're satisfied!