new thread
Hello all, you've got a great website and wonderfully diverse community here. IÂ’ve been lurking for a while and thought IÂ’d introduce myself. First, IÂ’m one of those wannabes--my hair right now is about 3 inches max, and my last haircut was just a month ago.
But, I have had long hair, shoulder-blade length at its longest, from about 1992-1995. Back then, without the resources and good advice available today, I did things to my hair that probably count as abuse. I used 2-in-1 shampoos, I blow dried it, I put harsh gels like Studio Line into it to contain the frizziness. I also got it trimmed as soon as I could so that all of the hair ended at the same level (I think this is called a “blunt cut.”) My hair is thick and medium-coarse with some wave in it, and the result of the way I handled it is that it tended to really bush-out around the shoulders when I wore it down. As a result I wore it mostly in a ponytail. And when I did, I pulled that ponytail really tight.
I would do none of those things today. IÂ’ve found out that my hair looks best when I donÂ’t even towel-dry it, and I use better products that give the effect IÂ’m looking for without looking too artificial or more importantly, drying out the hair.
I hunted through my old pictures to find a representative image and came up close to empty. I’m not much of a photographer, and that period of my life I seem to have even fewer pictures than before or after. Maybe my friends were trying to communicate something? In any case, picture sharing wasn’t the effortless thing that it is now-—these days I get almost too many pictures from friends and family. I found this one--unfortunately with a hat on--at the windy Outer Banks.
Speaking of hats, when I was growing it out the first time, I had this mania for keeping hair off my forehead. The hair on the top of my head grows naturally forward toward the hairline, so as the hair got longer keeping it off the forehead became an effort. While growing it looked like this:
For a while, I even took my damp hair, pulled it back, and then plopped a baseball cap on top and let it dry underneath. In retrospect, not good.
Although I loved the feeling of long hair and liked the way it sometimes looked, I decided to cut it, based mostly on a set of pictures taken IIRC during Christmas 1995. My hair was tightly pulled back, and while these pictures donÂ’t bother me much now, I was appalled by them at the time--I thought I looked like a pinhead and that it wasnÂ’t working for me.
I did apply the two-week rule, though I didnÂ’t think of it as such. I simply waited a while knowing how much time the hair took to grow and how little time it would take to have it cut off. After a while, though, the decision stuck and off came the hair.
Since then, IÂ’ve had hair at lots of shorter lengths, including some fairly long periods with buzzcuts and a short period of shaving my head. IÂ’ve also had highlights and full platinum bleach jobs (ridiculously easy with a buzzcut but not something I would do today).
Hair has always been important to me in that itÂ’s almost always the first thing I notice when I look in the mirror and it probably has a greater impact on how I think I look than it would for the average guy. IÂ’ve liked almost all the lengths and styles IÂ’ve had, while I had them. My fatal flaw, so to speak, is that I do tend to get bored with the same thing after a couple of years.
So now IÂ’m growing it out, hopefully with a much smarter approach than the first time around. This board and all the linked pages have already been a fantastic help in that regard. Right now it's so early that nobody really notices. My goal length is below the shoulders, while keeping some layers in it. The next two pictures show what it looked like this summer,
and today:
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. I'm looking forward to participating and posting the occasional update.
Chris
Hi Chris,
What a great way to tell your story! If you have 3 inches now a year from now you should have a great head of hair and be well on your way to where you are going. And, it sounds like you've figured out the things that work for you.
Welcome, and and happy re-growing (which is what I am doing right now, too).
Bob
Thanks Bob,
Yeah I'm hoping that treating my hair better will allow it to behave better when it actually gets long.
Chris
Thanks Walter, I appreciate the welcome and am definitely looking forward to the new year.
Chris
Chris, Welcome aboard! Bon voyage into longhairedome.
peace, jonalbear
Thanks, jonalbear---I appreciate the welcome.
Hi Chris,
I would like to welcome you to the hyperboard, and I am delighted that you have joined us. You will find a genuinely caring and supportive group of people here, and I hope you stay! Thank you for sharing your hair history with us,a nd you have a good start now to a great head of hair!
Keep it growing,
David
Thanks David...you've got great hair that's been an inspiration to me reading the board these past few months.
Chris
Welcome Chris and if I amy say a very good introduction on
your part. We get many intros with little info and no pics
and they never post again. I'll say the ususal things like
longhair will look good on you and so on and so fourth, but it
will look good so keep at it.
You know your in for a interesting ride growing it out with
the awkward stage and all, but we have lots of ideas on how
to deal with that. The simple one of course you learn to love
hats.
The cool part of having long hair is it's not common we're
a rare breed. Not that being different is so important it's
just fun and people remember you a lot easier.
Happy growing and keep us updated
Kevin
Thanks Kevin--
I've read a few of those brief intros and sensed the frustration of some of the regulars on here, and that's one reason I wrote more. Once I posted it, though, I started to wonder if it was too much me, me, ME...if you know what I mean. I'm actually not that self-absorbed, but I do think a lot about the hair on my head.
Anyhow, thanks again. That was a very nice welcome that you wrote.
Chris
Hi Chris,
Welcome to the board :) You already have a bit of a jump on most of the people who come on here, you already know what to expect ;) I just want to wish you good luck, infinite patience and tolerance of your hair and let you know that we are all here to help you through the hard times. Of course, I'm sure I'm not the only one that likes to hear from people during their good times too hehehe Take care and Happy 2008!
Danny
Thanks Danny--I appreciate the support.
Chris