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I have been growing my hair now for nearly 4 years, I am concerned that my hair wont reach my goal as it has gained little in length since last summer. So what I am trying to do now is take more care of my locks in the hope that it will grow longer. I very rarely tie my mid back length hair back into a tail. Would it be better if I kept my hair tied back from now on?
I think it would be helpful to tie your hair back when possible, but a braid would be even more protective.
Thanks for the advice, I suppose the main issue with me is having the convidence to do these things with my hair. For example I have tied my hair back in the past and have had mixed responses, I am infleunced majourly with bad comments people have said e.g I look like a girl with my hair tied back.
I know I should really ignore those with nothing good to say and not care about what others think
I hardly ever tie my hair back. I have a clamp (see pic -- mine isn't solid silver!) which I use when I'm shaving or brushing my teeth (otherwise I get hair in my mouth, it's too smooth to stay behind my back). Sometimes I use it if I'm washing dishes, or other household chores. I don't put the clamp in properly, I just clip my hair into a ponytail.
I tie it back with a proper hair tie if it's really windy outside in the same direction that I'm walking, or if I'm in a nightclub drunk (and dancing...), since it annoys me too much then.
If they're you're friends, that's unkind and a problem -- but surely it isn't your friends saying this?
If it's people you don't like (or don't care about) saying you look feminine then shrug it off and ignore them, they're just picking the easiest part of your appearance to make fun of. I get people saying this occasionally, but they're never people I care to talk to.
(Irrelevant anecdote follows)
Over the summer I took a train every day in the afternoon at the same time, just after school had finished. Most days, there was a group of kids waiting at the station for their friend to arrive, acting "tough" (for 12 years olds who know they're on CCTV anyway), but they never said anything. Sometimes they'd point at me, and probably make some joke to each other. One time they all had bikes, and shouted "you're a girl! Gaaaay!" before cycling as fast as they could away from the station. It made me laugh that they felt they had to get away after saying it :-)
I'd say a braid is probably going to protect your hair better than just tying it back. I noticed with mine that if I had it in a pony tail, I was getting hair breakage where it had been tied, but as soon as I started wearing a braid most of the time I had a lot less breakage. Another alternative would be a bun. An advantage of that is that no-one knows just how long your hair is until you let it down.
Actually, I saw a guy a couple of months ago in London who had his hair clubbed and wrapped, so that might be another option for you. I didn't have the nerve to ask how long his hair was, but the club reached about 9" down his back.
Good luck with your long-haired journey.
cheers for the advice, I dont think I can braid hair or tie a bun for that matter but I think I may try it
cheers
Braiding isn't as difficult as people seem to think. The hardest parts are getting the sections even and what you do once you get as far as your arms can reach down your back if you're doing it yourself. There are a couple of youtube clips which give demonstrations of how to do it. Another option is to ask someone to do it for you. It can even be an ice breaker.
Your first few attempts will look a bit scruffy, but once you get the tension right, it's pretty straightforward. Try practising with string or rope first to get used to the technique. When you think you can do that well enough, try it with your eyes closed. Then do the same with your hair. Having your eyes closed makes it easier to concentrate on what's going on behind your head. I've taught myself to do French and Dutch plaits, braids and corn rows (they're murder on the arms. It's much easier to get someone else to do those.)
I must admit I'm not too good at doing buns. I can do one that's good enough to keep my hair dry when I'm in the shower, but I wouldn't trust it to stay in if I went out to dance or play sports for instance.
Experiment with it and find what you like and what suits you.