new thread
Well I've been trying to grow out my hair for 6 months now and I'm going through the awkward stage. My hair likes to create wings on the side of my head sometimes. I've been reading around and was wondering if my hair looked ok, because I plan to grow it out more than half way down my back possibly and could use tips so I don't mess up half way down the road.
To me, your hair looks way BETTER than just, "ok"; but, there's one thing I want to encourage you to do as you gradually get more and more into what we call the awkward stage, --- and that is to learn to let go of the self-consciousness and worry over how other people may view hair as it's growing out. I had to learn this lesson myself, the 1st time I grew my mane out. I would constantly ask friends if I looked OK. Thank goodness I had supportive friends and family, for the most part at least; but many guys here have experienced negative comments where they live and/or serious resistance and objections to their hair growing out.
You have a nice full head of hair to work with, and the color and waviness only add more, in my opinion! Just let it grow a year or more, and only trim it if you find split ends, --- or if you absolutely can't stand the awkward stage without a few professional trims for slight re-shaping, that's understandable, too. But don't worry about the "wings", --- we all went through that (lol)!!
- Ken in San Francisco
That's really great to hear guys, I've always wanted long hair and got sick of short hair. Right now I can grab some hair on the back of my head and put it into a little ponytail, but the hair tail falls out. My mom is supporting me with my long hair and so is my cousin and his friends, who are all also growing there hair long. Other than that my friends always tell me to get a haircut and I always tell them that I'll never get one because I'll regret it. Thanks for the support, now all I have to do is play the waiting game.
It look fine, just leave it, and don't look in the mirror too much and try and analyse, just let it be and enjoy it.
Good luck with your journey.
Does it look okay? YES!
Tips so you don't mess it up? DON'T TRIM!
Let it grow, let it flow!
Carol
Your hair presently looks fine as it is going through the Awkward Stage. ( How I wish that phrase had never been invented.)
In any event, just stay clear of the shears for a couple of years.
Cheers!
Hello there! You've made some great progress! I'm also in my 6th month now and it seems to about the same length as yours, although mine is straighter.
Keep it growin!
Simon
Hi Tim,
First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you, I am delighted that you have found the hyperboard. Your hair looks great now, and is filled with natural waves and shine. Just remember, the awkward phase does not last forever, and the rewards are WELL worth it. As far as for tips, just avoid scissors for now, and be sure to keep it growing!
Take care,
David
Thanks everyone, these questions have been bothering me forever. I'll post updated pictures every month to show you all my progress. I'm not really sure if it will be wavy or straight when it's long but we shall all see :)
Ahh, the joys of wavy hair. Wings are quite normal, as are random curls and variations in the direction of the wave.
That being said, I think you're off to a great start. Your hair looks healthy and the waves that will drive you nuts for a while will eventually become a nice, thick mane. Just give it time (at about the one-year mark the awkward stage lessened quite a bit for me), and resist the urge to trim.
Good luck!
Mouse
I have some new pictures of the front and sides of my hair if you guys are interested.
Here is a picture of the front.
That's looking very good for six months, Tim. You're going to have very wavy and thick hair when all is said and done. Keep it growing and best of luck to you. =)
-James
Congratulations on your progress so far.
From the looks of your hair you are about to enter one of the most difficult
phases of hair growth; things will get worse before they get better but
if you really want to reach the goal you have set for yourself
all the trouble you will be experiencing will be well worth it.
But remember: everyone is allowed to change his mind. If after a while you decide not to go for your goal, never look at it as failure.
Never forget this: Long hair is supposed to make you happy with the way you look--not miserable. If having long hair doesn't make you feel GOOD
about yourself, then it's time to ask yourself: "Why am I doing this?"
'Genuine' longhairs should like the look and feel of having long hair.
Good luck on your long hair Journey!
Hi Tim. I have posted this before, but I will post it again.
I am also in the awkward phase at about 10 months. And the the sides of my hair also create wings.. sticking out and looking pretty bad. So what I do is after washing my hair, I towel dry it very well and comb it as straight as possible. I then let my hair air dry for a few minutes. With my hair still slightly damp, I then wear a tight beanie winter hat for about 2 hours or so. During that 2 hours, I will remove the beanie hat and comb my hair as straight as possible, then wear the hat again. I probably do this 2 or three times during that 2 hours. After about 2 hours, I remove the hat and comb again. It is fairly straight after that. I then go to bed and all next day my hair is usually much straighter until the next washing.
This all may sound like a pain in the butt, but it has really helped me through the awkward stage. I probably would have cut my hair off by now if it weren't for this technique. That's how bad my wings looked. Of course, later I won't have to do this hat technique because as my hair gets longer, it will start to settle down due to gravity. But for now it has been a life saver for me. But happily I have already noticed that as my hair is getting longer it is started to calm down more than before, especially my wings are beginning to lay down more. So try this technique if you want and hang in there. Just remember, as your hair gets longer, it will start to settle down due to gravity. And your wings will eventually disappear. Good luck!
Oh, I forgot to mention that conditioner types and brands also make a big difference on the straightness and manageability of my hair. Before, I was using a regular conditioner and I noticed my hair still acted bad, sometimes sticking out all over the place, even with the hat technique. Also, my hair wasn't feeling so soft. So I switched to different brand extra moisturizing conditioner that I now use every day. My hair is straighter, softer and lays down much better now. I leave the conditioner in my hair for at least 4 or 5 minutes while taking a shower. That also makes a huge difference. One or two minutes just isn't enough.
Hey Tim ...
Welcome to the board! This is a great place as you may already know if you've been lurking before your post.. Great advice and good people.
Your hair looks great for the first 6 months. It will get alot worse before it gets better. Especially with wavy hair.. I have the same hair type and I am now at 13 months and let me tell you.. some days I look in the mirror and wonder what the heck happened to my head!
Anyway ... again.. welcome..
Be Blessed..
Tristan
Hi Mate, You have nothing to worry about, your hair is coming along fine. I am just coming up to a year , so i know what you mean about wings, but i have noticed with more length they are starting to flatten down. Keep it growing ,all the best Jonny H uk
Among other things I would suggest a read through Bills "On Being a Longhair" There's loads of good info in there that may be helpful to you.
http://www.choisser.com/longhair/
As you are just starting through the awkward stage you may wish to begin contemplating hats, bandanas, gels, sprays, etc. Decide what your comfortable doing and experimenting a bit.
Look forward to your updates
Kevin