new thread
First of all, I've always wanted to grow my hair out, but couldn't, b/c of school.. :( And as you can see in my display picture, my hair is pretty short, thanks to Catholic school regs, =\ but I am going to high school come September, and therefore said school rules don't apply (or at least are less strict) and I have a couple of questions.
1) I am using Aussie Shampoo and Conditioner. Is this stuff healthy/good for my hair?
2) How long does it usually take for hair to grow out?
3) What can I do to make it grow faster?
4) Do people make alot of comments when you have long hair? (Just out of curiosity)
Thanks for the help guys. ;D
*sighs* I'm such a newbie. xD
Should be fine. Different people have different preferences. Find one or two brands you like and use them. If you notice as your hair gets longer that it feels dry or is frizzy or unruly, you may, at that point, wish to consider alternatives. It may sound odd, but if you see a girl with great-looking hair, it is an unconventional means of beginning a conversation (start, of course, with a genuinely-felt compliment).
I recommend you begin to reduce the amount of shampooing as it can strip away natural oils that keep hair naturally conditioned and condition every time you are in the shower. This will be something you have to discover for yourself; the balance between avoiding over-shampooing and looking like a grease ball.
Most people grow at a rate of about 1 - 1.5 cm per month (about 1/2 inch). Curly hair hides length (as I well know), but those with straight hair can go from buzz cut to the hair from the back of their head hanging at their collar, and bangs reaching to the tip of their nose, in one year. In two years, the hair from the back of your head could be hang between your shoulder blades and your bangs could be near your jaw-line or below.
No magic pill, here. A healthy body makes healthy hair. Eat for health, sleep enough, drink enough water, exercise...all the stuff that would make your family doctor proud. Also , by keeping good care of your hair - no frying it with a straightener/bleaching it as well as by keeping it conditioned and being gentle with it, especially when wet - you'll avoid hair breakage and unnecessary shedding, making it possible to keep more of the length you grow.
Hmm.. this varies on many things: Peer group, parental/family acceptance, societal norms in your specific community. By and large, though, your own attitude and confidence level (which would determine any response you give to comments), will predict the amount of comments you receive. I find most people either compliment it or disregard it. Those that negatively comment on it should not be taken overly seriously - they are products of long-held biases and unconscious programming (and probably have a chip on their shoulder anyway). Your conduct and character will help to either confirm or correct any existing long-hair stereotype for these people.
You are welcome! (And glad to have you join us!)
We were all newbies at one time. Better now than never.
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
I said,
" ... but if you see a girl with great-looking hair, it is an unconventional means of beginning a conversation (start, of course, with a genuinely-felt compliment)."
SORRY,
How insensitive of me! Not to assume anything here, but, as I don't know which gender with whom you'd prefer to start up conversations, I'd like to state that the above advice apply for guys with great-looking hair, too, if you prefer that.
No offense meant in either case.
Shawn
XDDD
I sincerely doubt that he'd take offense if he preferred the alternative. It is the general 'norm' after all.
In any case, there's not much you can do beyond staying healthy, keeping your body healthy, and taking care of your hair. Try to get a wide tooth comb when you gain some length and comb from the bottom up to reduce splits.
Anything else I can say has pretty much been said. There are deep treatments and oiling, but I doubt you're long enough to require those. Jsut stick around here, you'll learn a lot.
Thanks for the help, guys! :D I'm honestly amazed by how fast you guys responded! Usually if I leave a message online overnight, at the most I'll only get like 2 replies. And all of you guys totally pwn, so I'm glad to join. :D
There's no crime in being a newbie, Japhrimel, --- we've all been there! I think that Mr. Crow gave you some awesome advise there, including a lot of detail...
Also, be sure to check out the Links page, as there's a lot of great reading there. Bill's, "On Being A Longhair" is my favorite; but, there's a ton of other helpful things to read besides that, too. There's also the archives, as well as a lot of members here hav e their own Hair Page on their websites... Happy reading!
- Ken in San Francisco
I've been using Aussie Moist conditioner for 1.5 years now and it's great stuff.
Everybody's different but the average is about 2 years to get a nice long, full mane.
Nothing. DO NOT get so-called "maintenance cuts".
I've only gotten a few since I'm at 16 months of growing. If I'm not in a good mood and it's a woman making the comment I'll usually respond to "You need to get a haircut" with "You need to put more makeup on." That really pisses them off. :-) Seriously though, who cares what others think as long as you're happy with your hair/appearance. Good luck on your long-hair journey.
--
Splat
HAHHAHAHAHA I bet that pissed them off!! Great comeback...I'll be using that one ;-)) I've always gotten compliments.. I just hate it when some women think it's ok to grab it, touch it or run their fingers thru it.. I'll tell them "Since it's ok for you to play with mine without asking.. I'm gonna play with yours too, and it won't be your hair" If I say I'm gonna do something.. I will.. I am NOT shy.. lol It either gets my point across, or it gets me a phone number ;-))
Tom
First of all, it's good to hear you're finally able to grow your hair like you wanted to. I think everyone should grow their hair out at least once in their life..I started from a buzz cut 13 months ago and havent cut or trimmed it for NO REASON WHATSOEVER..i guess curiosity..maybe
Although i've never used it, i can tell you that as your hair grows, you'll begin to notice it starts acting on its own (especially during the awkward stage). It's just something you'll have to experiment with until you get it right.
My hair grows pretty quick, and just reaches my chin when pulled straight down on my face (19cm)..and that's for 13 months.. the avg. i heard is 1 cm per month, so it just goes to show you that it varies with the person.
Some advice that I got when i began growing my hair was TO HAVE PATIENCE. I can assure you through experience that that is 100% true. Just let your hair be and before you know it, it will be at the length you want it. If you want to aid your hair in growing, you can try what i knew as "horse shampo." It's called Mane n' Tail and can be found in Wal-mart. I started using it because i heard from various sources it makes your hair grow faster. Give it a try.
Yes, and I think they unfortunately always will (at least it was that way when i was growing it). You just need to disregard the negative comments and keep on doing what you want to. I received many comments from so many people who i knew when i started growing out my hair. The awkward stage was like hell for me. But I kept on going, listening to the few ones who encouraged me, and now that im almost out of the awkward stage, most people compliment my hair..it's actually quite funny to me. Well with all that being said, I wish you the best of luck in growing out your hair and keep us posted!
-Chris
It's great your finaly able to do with your hair what you really want!
I don't know that brand, but using conditioner is a must if you want long healthy hair. I didn't use it the first few months but I really can notice the difference.
About 2 years to put it in a low ponytail.
Nothing, just wait and don't get any cuts!
Some people do but in notice less comments the further I get, some people are now positive instead of negetive and even think it looks good on me :)