It seems that lot of guys here only care for the lenght, i don't want no hair to my waist (not that there is anything wrong with it offcourse), and i espically wouldn't want hair to my waist when its all damaged and sh*t, i want shoulderlenght hair that is healthy and stuff. But it seems that for some guys here the lenght is more important than the healthyness.
I guess that may be true of some people. Personally, every girl I meet always compliments me on my hair and wonders how I keep it so healthy looking. They always want to run their fingers through it, which is a great way to promote them getting physical with you ;)
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to comb your shampoo and conditioner through your hair. That allows it to get to every strand and prevents tangles and knots. It should never be difficult to comb or brush your hair if you do this. You should also use your comb to massage your scalp while shampooing, especially if you have dandruff, since it loosens the dead skin in the shower where it can be washed away instead of letting it flake into your hair. This also promotes follicle health and growth. Finally, you can use your comb to coerce the loose water out of your hair to prevent the need for excess towelling. Lightly wringing it with your hands by holding at the ponytail position with one hand and squeezing and pushing the water down the length of the hair with the other hand works well too. You do less damage and use less towels that way.
I've read that some guys condition only from the shoulder down. Is this best, or should you condition (say) the long hair falling over the ears and the long bangs too? I understand that you want to *thoroughly* wash the conditioner out of your hair, but the devil is in the details ....:)
After you wash out the shampoo, put the cond. in and leave it there till you're done with all the other washing and shaving you're gonna do. Then take a wet comb and comb the knots out, starting at the ends and working up to the scalp. Then run the shower with very little in the way of water presure. If you have a tub and not just a shower, adjust the middle knob-handle-thingy so that most of the water is running out of tub spigot and just a little bit of preasure is running out of the shower head. Stand there for what will seem like a million years and it will rinse clean. Too much water pressure will just matt the hair up again, defeating the purpose. I choose to braid it wet with a little bit of conditioner in my palms. this takes planning as far as the rest of my day is concerned. If I have worn my hair loose for a gig or to flirt with the ladies (I'm a bigger flirt with my hair down), I have to leave the conditioner in for 15 minutes durring the next shower.
I think that with proper care its possible to have healthy hair that's extremely long. Follow the tips people post on this board. Use common sence and stay out of the wind and sun. Although maybe a person's genes may play a part also...
Whereas I DO want hair down to my waist or longer, I only want it if its healthy. If it gets scraggly, full of split ends, and stops growing because its damaged, I'll take the blame for not caring for it properly. And then I'll cut it and start over...
That reminded me of a discussion a while back about shape vs. size.