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I have had a job that required me to keep my hair short for about ten years. I now want to grow my hair out, but would like some advice on styles. I am really open to recommedations on if I should let the back grow long, and keep the sides and front shorter or if all one length is the way to go. How about advice on intermediate haircuts while it is growing out. Any input is appreciated.
Thanks...Steve
many styles work well, but one piece of advice - if you want it all
the same length in back, don't go for half-way styles with the hair
in front - it'll take the longest time to grow, and if you keep it
short up front, or have bangs, or anything like that, it'll just
take all the longer for it to catch up, since it'll be about four
inches shorter in back in any case.
-Coyote Pup
sorry, poor phrasing - the front hairs have about four inches further
to go to be even with the back hairs.
-Coyote Pup
Thanks for the advice. I did not look at it from that angle. I think I'll just wait awhile before I get it trimmed as my hair is layered now and they are just starting to grow out. Any advice on what type of haircut to get until all of these layers grow out?
Thanks again..Steve
Hi Steve,
If you're fortunate enough to have a job where bad hair is okay, you might want to just let it grow, without cutting it.
When I started growing my hair 13 months ago, it was very short and layered. It looks a bit ridiculous now; the back isn't really that long, but the sides are well below my ears and I'm always brushing my former bangs out of my face. There always seems to be something somewhere that tickles; lately it's my former bangs tickling my cheek. I've often thought of going to my hairstylist and asking about some kind of maintenance cut, but I always decide not to, because any kind of cut would just delay the time when it's long enough to tie in the back. I'm eagerly looking forward to being able to tie it back, because that would make it so much easier to live with.
There are 4 strategies I'm aware of for making hair easier to live with until it's long enough to tie back, though none of them are my cup of tea:
-- Grease it back.
-- Wear a hat.
-- Wear a headband.
-- Be a cross-dresser, and wear one of those marvelously practical headbands that women are so damn fortunate to be able to wear.
Funny, I always used to imagine that women wore headbands mainly for esthetic reasons. Silly me!
Anyway, after 13 months, I still think the wisest course is to just live with bad, uncut hair until it's long enough to tie back, assuming that's not a problem at work.
8-)
Greg
I think that at least Nyghtfall will agree there is one more:
-- Wear one of the practical headbands ... (forget the cross-dresser part). It takes some time to find a really good one, but with persistence, it's possible to find one that doesn't look too feminine on guys.
Hi Victor,
I just realized that 'headband' might not have been the right word for what I was thinking of. I was thinking of those plastic half-circles that women wear vertically on top of their heads, so that each end is near one of her ears. I think it's sometimes worn behind the bangs, holding the temple hairs back, and sometimes worn over the bangs, holding them back as well.
Maybe someone can give me a little vocabulary lesson -- what are those things called?
Regardless of exactly how those devices are designed -- size, color, syle, whatever -- the effect they have on hair has always struck me as quite feminine. I find them attractive on women, but I'm not sure I'd want to be seen in public wearing one myself. In terms of practicality, though, I find it hard to imagine a better device for controlling hair while it grows out.
Other kinds of headbands -- made of cloth, and either shaped in a circle or tied to form a circle, and worn horizontally around the head -- usually seem fairly gender-neutral to me (well, unless they're a pink flower print!), but I'm not sure I'd want to wear one in, say, a nice restaurant, or a business meeting.
After thinking about this last night, I decided to try something I haven't used for ages -- hair spray! I plan to (lightly) apply it only to the areas that are annoying -- the front of the sides, and the bottom half or so of the bangs.
I used gel when my hair was short, but as it got longer I realized I seemed to be pulling a lot hair out when I combed it after the gel dried (I don't want a wet, sculpted look). I stopped using gel several months ago, and I now have a substantial sortof undergrowth of short hair growing out that is probably around a year's growth behind the rest.
8-)
Greg
Yeah, I think we're talking about the same thing. Nyghtfall referred to them as Alice bands (from Alice in Wonderland). I have a couple myself that I wear on rare occasion. All the ones I would consider masculine enough are black or dark brown and made out of leather. My problem with them is not the feminine look, but the fact that I can't get one to bisect my head and be vertical (my ears are in the way). This makes one side lift up slightly. If it were twisted somewhat at the top, that would help. I know that sounds somewhat unclear, so how about this mental illustration:
Take a cylinder and cut it in half lengthwise (well not exactly in half, the half you through away will by smaller than the half you keep). Now, any cross section of this piece of a cylinder is an Alice band.
Suppose you were to lay down the cylinder piece on a table with cut surface touching the table. The simplest Alice band would be a cross section that is 1/2 to 1 inch wide made using a 90 degree cut. More commonly, though, you will see bands made with two cuts, one at 91 degrees and the other at 89 degrees, for example. This makes the ends narrower than the top.
What I'm suggesting is to make the two cuts something like 90 degrees and 92 degrees to match the contour of my head.
Wal Mart has a nice selection of Alice bands (at least they did the last time I was there). I've noticed the selection varies quite a bit around the country. I've seen them up to about 3 inches wide.
Hmmm. How is the effect on the hair different from, say, a pony tail?
I occasionally use Citre Shine gel. I first rinse my hands with water to get them wet. Then I squirt a small amount of gel on one hand. I then massage my hands together to spread the gel around. I now have a dilute solution (about 50%) of the gel on my hands which I apply where needed. This imparts hold without a wet look. Furthermore, there's not so much hold that combing is a problem like you suggested.
If you reaslly feel the need to gel-back (and I did a few moths ago), there's a quite good product I got here called NEXXUS Liquid Gel. You should be able to get it (if I can in Australia, you can in the States, because it's made by Nexxus Products Company, Santa Barbara CA.
It's like gel, but much lighter. You just work a teaspoonfull into your hair, and magically, it styles just how yoyu wamt without the gel look, or the gel pull-out.
Good luck!!
Steve
I can't seem to articulate a good answer to that, so I guess my perception that it's feminine is completely subjective. Maybe it's just because I've never noticed a man wearing one.
Say, since you have some, how about posting a picture?
8-)
Greg
Will do, but first I have to take some pictures. I'm holding off on scanning things because I'm on the verge of getting a film scanner.
And I'd add a sixth:
-- Wear a bandanna. They come in many colors, and people do not read them as feminine. Fold the bandanna diagonally and then fold it several times more until it is about an inch in width. Wrap it around your head and tie it tightly in the FRONT, otherwise your hair will get caught in the knot and when you pull it off you will break some strands. Of course you want the knot in the back, so just lift it off and reinstall it that way. If you get to a place that it is not windy, or you otherwise don't want the bandanna on your head, you can just shove it down until it rests around your neck, as a sort of neckwear, and flip your hair back out over it. And while your hair is still short in front, part it to the sides. The hair has a lot less distance to travel to the bandanna that way, and is more likely to be held down by it.
Also:
Another bit of advice when tying the bandana is to learn how to tie a square knot [see any boy scout manual at your local library] it looks neater than the double granny knot and by pulling on opposite ends it comes off your head easier.
HELP ME!! I have very short hair. Two-three in. on top, one-two in back. I have very wavy-curly thick hair. It's starting to stick up a little and puff up. Also curl up. I know I have to be patient, but please help me out. What can I do? I also have a smaller head. Will long hair look acceptable? Should I straighten it out? C'mon guys, pitch in and help this poor guy out.
There are two ways to hold your hair down until it grows long enough to hang off your head and thus hold itself down - physically holding it down and putting stuff on it to. I never cared to put stuff like gels and sprays on mine; others here who went that route may pitch in to help you out. I've used bandannas and pony ties to physically hold my hair down. If you part your hair in the middle, a bandanna will be the first thing that works to restrain it. Later it will all be long enough to be caught up in a hair tie in the back.
I feel like having more hair has made my head look bigger, so long hair should probably look good on you! As to straightening, I've refrained. It can damage your hair and thus interfere with getting your length, which is what you want most. Just read all the tales on here from the guys with short hair and what they do to give their hair more bulk, and then take a moment to give thanks for your wavy curly hair!
The best piece of advice, and one that you would get very consistently from the folks here is this: Do not cut your hair in places, such as on the top in front, with the thought that will make it look neater. The problem with that tack is that to do the various things one can do with long hair, you will eventually want it long all over. When you realize that, and start growing out the patch you were cutting, you'll discover that the "awkward phase" will last much longer because you now have to wait for this patch that lags all the rest of your hair to also grow out.
Hang in there guy! You're not alone with enduring the "awkward phase". All longhairs have gone through it, and emerged on the other side. The awkward phase is a bit tougher to endure for folks like you and me than it is for the straight-haired set, but it WILL pass. I can now sport really bushy thick hair, or I can tie it back into a tail and make it really neat, though I'm not into that. I've grown to like it BUSHY!
One other thing - when folks in the shorthaired set see you as a sheep about to wander from the flock, they will make comments - call it social pressure - to try to bring you back into the fold. When your hair gets longer and they see you have long left their flock and are a committed longhair, those comments will subside. ((grin)) So just wait that out too.
As I said, it's all a waiting game, but one that everyone on here will say is worth it....
Good luck!
Bill
I will hide no more. Guys, (BILL specifically) you've all been a great
help in making my decision. I've straightened it out, much `to the
dismay of a few people I'm sure. But I have decided to go all the way.
Thanx for all the great info.
go for it!!!!.
I want to grow my hair down to my chin i an fifteen and i think i should have that right the only problem is my parents i'm open for suggestions.
I want to grow my hair back long what vitamins do I need to take? What else should I do?
If you want to grow your hair do it I'm 14 and when it comes to things like that I do what i want. You are your own person you know what I'm sayin
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Tell me about the price and the way that I can get the medicine.
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