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This is probably an odd thread to start, for sure; but occasionally I wonder... Just how much does a benign climate help prevent a longhair from being tempted to cut his hair short?
I live in Northern California, San Francisco to be specific. Coastal Northern Calif. (and to a lesser degree, even coastal So. Calif.). has a very cold ocean current that comes down from Alaska, past the Pacific NW states of Washington and Oregon before it reaches our shores. I think it's called the, "California Current" (or something like that), --- and has the exact opposite effect of the incredibly warm Gulf Stream that skirts along Florida's East Coast up to the Carolinas before gradually aiming NE towards the British Isles and Europe.
San Francisco in summer is depressingly cool, due to our famous fog (the result of the clash between the cold ocean and the very hot interior of California). The only reliably "warm" months we have here are right now, in Sept. & Oct.; but even then we can still get fog!!
The good news, though, about cool temperate climates like SF is that i NEVER feel tempted to cut my hair short because of hot and/or sticky summers... Anybody else here live in a, "longhair-frinedly" climate? My guess is that those living in what is called, "Maritime" climates (like coastal Oregon, Washington, far No. Calif., the British Isles, British Columbia on Canada's West Coast, coastal Portugal, coastal Scandanavia, Southern Chile, etc.), as well as cool-summer regions due to high elevations (like Colorado and other Rocky Mtn. states, the Alps in Europe, etc.) and/or nearer to North or South poles.
I admire those longhairs who live in hot desert climates, or worse; sticky, humid tropical or subtropical ones!!!
- Ken
Hey Ken ...
I think this is a great topic! Living here in Colorado really has great hair benefits.. (not just outdoor ones.) The dry climate helps keep my wavy hair a bit more tamed and helps lessen the effects of this awkward stage I'm sitting in right now..
I made a trip back home in Georgia in May and the hair results were disasterous to say the least... Talk about wings!! I really admire those that have the long hair on that south-east side... they have to really want the long hair to succeed down there!!
I've never been to California at all so I can't really imagine tons of fog all the time.. Maybe one day I'll get there..
Be Blessed...
Tristan
Hey Ken ("Gregg is that you?). Northwest lower MI has a relatively cool climate and more conducive to wearing longer hair and facial hair. Actually helps keep me warm during the cold winters we have here. The hot months are typically July and August and they go by so quick that I don't even get the notion to cut my hair. Maybe trim my beard a little. Not sure how well I would fare with hot humidity all the time!
peace, jonalbear
I'll take issue with "depressingly cool"...and if the icy blast of gale drive fog droplets in the dark middays of July get you down, hop on BART and ride the subway out to Pleasanton to get the opening the oven door effect when the train doors open...that usually fixes me for the summer.
I grew up in the hot and humid and hated it, started growing my hair out there, but discomfort was trumped by pissing off my mom. Hiked out of the Hoh River (Olympic Peninsula) a few weeks ago under hot and humid conditions, and you know, past a certain point, you can't take off enough clothes to get comfortable. Ugh. (Great hike anyway). Hair was up, so not too much of a factor.
Alice bands work a treat - I've worn them in Hong Kong when it gets pretty humid and hot at different times - and even in those few hot days in the UK.
Well through-out the summer, here in northern Utah, we get anywhere from 80-100 degree weather. Its not exactly fun, but you learn to deal with it if you like your hair enough.
I've never wanted to cut my hair because of my environment, just because its a pain to deal with some time.
Well, As you probably already know by now, I live in the wretched state of Florida. South Eastern Florida to be precise. The weather down here is definitely not long hair friendly. It is hot and humid all year long. During our "winter" the temperature usually drops to the low 60's and maybe but not very likely to the mid 50's. The average temperature throughout most of the year is usually between the 80's and the 90's. From spring until autumn, We are knee deep in thunderstorms, severe precipitation, and lightning. Summers are cruel, long, and exhausting. The bright scorching sun complimented by the extremely unbearable humidity is definitely not easy to withstand. You have to be nuts to have an outdoor job around here. I would never recommend that anyone live here. Drop by and visit but I urge you not to live here. Avoid this place like the plague because it truly sucksssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hurricane season begins in June and ends in November! Go figure!
yep thats all true i live in south florida.. and its very very hot and humid..
Okay, well the southern part of WI is the border between the "hospitable" states and the "frozen tundra", at least to people who are not cold weather people. I like it however. I could even go hotter.
Anywho, it gets hot but not for long periods of time and not to extreme temperatures. But when the cold comes, I'm gonna like my hair a real lot.
I'm not too far south of you. Yes, I've thought a few times that if I lived in Puerto Rico or Florida or some other steamy hot place I might not make it. Here in N. IL we have about 8 weeks of misery in July and August which I can get through, knowing that it won't last. The rest of the time it's quite comfortable. The head gives off 40% of body heat (I heard that somewhere) and hair traps air in pockets and is surprisingly warm. When I tie mine back and loose this effect I'm surprised at how much cooler my head suddenly becomes.
I live in the desert of southern california, the high desert (antelope valley), not the low desert(palm springs) and it is really not that bad of a place to live. I spend time in the greater la area at work durring the day, or visiting family in orange county, and really don't notice much difference.
Everyone always asks me if my hair makes me feel hot in the summer, but actually it's never bothered me, it's the clothing that does...I just want to take it all off and just wear a pair of loose shorts and nothing else.
I lived in Savannah Ga for 4 years, and that was very sticky, felt like i was pushing my way through liquid air. My hair never bugged me there either, although the humidity made it huge! Very volumnous.
The heat and humidity have not tempted me to cut my hair, but it makes having long hair a living hell. I live in Arkansas and I travel to Florida almost every week. When I get out of the truck in Florida my hair tangles up almost instantly and it's about the same here in Arkansas, except for the fact that we are starting to cool off here and Florida will still be hot and humid for a good while.
jeffrey.
I live in San Francisco also, and the climate here is perfect for a man with long hair and a thick, full beard. Most days of the year the high temperature is in the sixties (16-21C) and having all the hair I have enables me to go outside all day wearing just a longsleeve shirt over my T-shirt to stay warm. People without all the hair complain it's a bit cold here, and they carry jackets around all day. I don't have to. The climate here is ideal for me!
Growing a full beard at least two inches (5cm) long really matters. That's the magic length - with your hair, a beard that long will provide protection for all of your neck. Hiking manuals all say a man loses a lot of heat from his head, and sealing off your neck from heat loss makes a big difference. Doing that is equal to an entire layer of clothing.
Believe it or not, the bandanna I often wear matters, too, in keeping me warm. It holds my hair close to my head trapping a layer of air that provides insulation, and it keeps cool breezes off of my hairless forehead. If I do feel hot, one way to cool down is just to take off the bandanna.
I often can be seen walking around my neighborhood dressed just like in the photo above. That was not taken in San Francisco, of course; I was in Death Valley then.
Bill
I live in central Europe. Recently, the weather really gone crazy, the global warming is real. To summarize it, withers are either spring-like, or very cold (record was recently -32), even in one season. Times of tough, but regular and normal winters are history. In the summer temperature often reaches 35. When possible, there are minor or major droughts and floods. And between all this are normal, common, days, either nice or cloudy.
Thanks God I live in a region which is aside of these floods on the big rivers. Here, the worst thing which can happen is a flooded cellar (unless you have an automatic pump). But out there, there are jokes like:
"Germany suffers by extensive flood on the Vltava river! Damage is enormous. Fortunately, Czechs are sending humanitary help, mainly wood, livestock and houses!"
So, in the last summer, I rather didn't go outside except for suntanning or sporting, which both is not very comfortable with long hair, so I really can't recommend this climate.
Minnesota isn't bad. It can certainly get hot and sticky in the summer, but I'm already enjoying the past few days because it's been in the 50s and 60s (40s in the morning)[Degrees Farenheit]. And I REALLY like the feeling of my hair tucked into a hooded sweatshirt. That's gonna be awesome in January.
In the end, we have enough variety here that I'm bound to be happy for at least part of the year.
Mouse
Mouse. Yah, dat sounds alot like da nord of Michigan!
peace, jonalbear
You betcha!
Mouse
Well as you know Ken and a few others I live in Washington, and more central then western. Where I live as apposed to the Seattle area it gets HOT!! and it is still HOT! but there is not humidity. Also where I am it gets cold, not uncommon to hit weeks in a row in the 20s or much lower, so we have quite the temp range here. So I look at ti like this. The long hair I don't feel is any hotter then short, in fact for me it may be an insulator and it keeps my neck from getting sun burned. In the winter, especially when I snow ski alot it keeps me warmer and when I wear a tight neck coat and all the ski stuff, it is a nice barrier between the cloths and my skin and neck, so over all I see it as an advantage here. LOL plus I just like it LOL take care!
Well for me living in New Jersey we get all sorts of different weather patterns as being on the east coast gets you the four seasons effect! I personally do not like cold weather period!LOL However high humidity along with high heat is no pleasure but fortunately I don't sweat a whole lot which does help. I will say that no matter how hot or humid it may get I never had the urge to cut my hair for some temporary comfort.Basically I just keep my hair tied back so it doesn't get too bothersome on those really bad hair days.So I guess the short answer is no matter how bad the conditions get the hair stays:) Mark
Like Mouse and Jonalbear I live in the upper midwest east central Wisconsin to be specific. As hot as it gets my hair still doesn't bother me and during the bitter cold winter the only thing is I can't wash and go as my wet hair freezes.
I think some people tolerate a bit of discomfort more than others which influences things a little.
Kevin
I've really learned to work with the sticky, hot, and humid weather. Really, I don't know much else as I've been other, drier places, but only for short amounts of time.
Sometimes, the higher the humidity, the better the hair, especially if you want it to curl well. One of the best hair days I ever had was in 2005 when a hurricane was in the Gulf of Mexico and the humidity was 100% and it was super-damp!
High!
Cologne, Germany has a longhair-friendly climate most of the year - Winters are not Siberian, but cold enough to make me benefit from my mane and beard (I really would fear catching cold easily if anyone ever would manage to talk me into cutting), especially when riding my bicycle.
But summers here can be annoyingly hot, up to 100°F (I live in one of the warmer parts of Germany), then having long hair is quite a tribulation. However, this year, it has been not really bad...
See you in Khyberspace (I wonder what it means to be long-haired in Afghanistan - most Afghans are not, and they have their reasons!)!
Yadgar