new thread
Steve NoVA mentioned below that he didn'r realize I once had very short hair. I always liked long hair, but due to job restrictions was never really able to grow it really long. I had a good start back in 2000-2001 and was butting heads with the district manager over a dress code that said nothing about men's hair. I really do not remember why, but I can only guess I screwed up trying to even something up, but I ended up with a very, very short haircut for the summer of 2002.
I have since changed jobs and now work in a civil service position where hair length is not an issue - one of the best moves I ever made!
Getting to my current length was not easy. I made the cutting sideburns above the ear too high mistakes as well as shaving the back of my neck mistakes as well. Finding a great stylist who has been supportive of my long-time desire to grow out my hair has helped alot. I have no doubt my hair would be longer (and I would be a wee bit richer) if I did not get "maintenance trims" from him every 8 to 10 weeks, but I cannot say for sure what condition it would be in. I have never in my whole life gotten as many compliments on my hair as I have in the past few years, and especially now that it has reached waist length.
I love my long hair, and to those frustrated with growing it out just stick with it as the rewards that await you down the road are worth any hassles in getting there.
(Now if I could just decide on a cool beard style to compliment my mane.)
Karsten
Your hair is so breathtaking (makes me patient and willing to wait) :)
As for the beard… how about a full beard that is neatly trimmed? I think it would suit you
I have gone back and forth on the full beard look. I am leaning right now towards a long goatee, but who know what I will actually end up with as I get going.
Karsten
Hey Karsten,
I'm glad you grew it out! Much, much better!
Those Hair Nazis have a way of getting in your head, that's why you cut it that short! They make you feel like your doing something wrong.
That's one cool mane dude!
Paul
When I did cut it short I made it clear to the district manager that the choice was mine. I once had to attend a meeting of managers in NYC and he pointed out how I was the only one with a ponytail (I was able to tie my hair back at the time) and how his superior mentione it to him. I didn't care, I was not like the other clones there and didn't and did not want to be.
I make it a practice now to try and not to give my business to any company that I am aware of that has a policy against long hair on males. I can't say that I have always beeen successful, as I do not ask dress code policy to each place I patronize. But if I see or hear of such discrimination them I let my opposition to such policy be known to those in charge.
Good luck with your fight against your son's school. It's so very sad that in 2009 there are still those so concerned with the length of a guy's hair. Those people need to get a life.
Karsten
I am really glad to hear that you don't do business with these idiots.
Recently me and my family (6 or us then) eat at the local Applebees. Our waiter had a short ponytail so of course I asked him if he was planning on growing it longer. He said his boss wanted him to cut it, so when our meal was over we give this guy a 25% tip and ask him if we could talk to his boss. He comes over and asked how we enjoyed our meal, we told him everything was great and complimented the waiter. I then told him I wanted to compliment him for not making the waiter cut his hair. I then went on about how some bosses made such a deal over it and it was good to see everybody wasn't so shallow. He honestly looked surprised and stammered around not knowing what to say.
I did have my hair down and I'm glad to say it was a good hair day! I'm sure this guy never heard that before. lol.
Thanks for the well wishes in my personal war with Hair Nazis.
Paul
haha, thats a great story man!
now i bet the manager won't pressure that waiter about cutting his hair, good job!
That's a great thing you did - and hoepfully it had a positive outcome. Too many bosses think their customers are going to be so offended by an employee with long hair , tattoos, or piercings (and some narrow minded people are) when the majority of people really do not care as long as they get good service and/or what they paid for.
Karsten
Greetings Karsten. Your hair is amongst the best! What a monumental change since 2002...wow. You are a true inspiration to us baby-longhairs. Thanks for sharing. Hope your new year is off to a great start!
Cheers,
Max
Thanks Max,
And might I say that you have an awesome build, an inspiration to those of us who would like to get in better shape for 2009.
Karsten
Hi Karsten,
I didn't realise they you had hair as short as that. What is it with some of these management morons and there precious little dress codes they need to force on people, they really should get a life.
As I've said before you have an amazing head of hair there and a wonderful inspirataion to others. It's great you stuck with it grew you hair out and I'm sure others will make note. Keep it growing mate.
Cheers,
John.B
Thanks John,
I agree with you about management morons. They sit behind their desks and decide that the company's profits will be affected because some patron may be so offended by the length of a male employee's hair that they will take their money elsewhere.
Karsten
dude, your hair is awesome!
i love the way it looks, very natural kind of way
Thanks!
I think it's looks best flowing in natural settings.
Karsten
Karstan; Thanks for the pix. What a difference a few years can make! Your hair makes you look soooooo wise, sage like. Why not grow the beard super long as well to complete the look. The Gandolph look would suit you very well.
K
I have toyed with the idea of a super long beard - and who knows, once I get going I may just let it grow as long as it wants.
Karsten
Karstan, Should you need a jump start or a bit more encouragement, I can reccomend
www.beardcomunity.com.
It's a community very much like this one which supports guys as they grow long beards. They are very friendly and open to new members. Perhaps they can help you grow a loooooong beard and
you can help them grow looooooong hair.
Thanks, took a look and wow, what a group of great lookin' beards. And your're right, some would look really awesome with a long mane.
Karsten
Hi Karsten. Your hair has really nice waves in it, and my hair would look like yours once it is long enough (although a little browner).
That is a lot of progress in the last seven years. You look a lot better with longer hair. The problem you had seven years back is just a distance memory. Once a man's hair is long enough, he forgets about past incidents and mistakes.
As for me, if a job tells me to cut my hair, I will not do it. Period.
Matthew aka Regardless
As for me, if a job tells me to cut my hair, I will not do it. Period.
Good for you Matthew! I always have said I so wished I had grown my hair long when I was younger. You have, and are going to have an even greater mane. Keep it growin' and flowin'!
Karsten
You have very awesome looking hair! But I'm guessing the texture of your hair is wavy, as opposed to straight?
Or do you use special oils to give it waves?
I use jojoba oil a couple of times a month, but I think the waves are just my hair doin' what comes natuarally. I wash once a week and air dry.
Karsten
Your recovery from 2002 has been tremendous. Where I work they refer to a required "conservative hair style" on men but that doesn't explicitly refer to longhair in any way. Thus if I pull it back in a tight tail I consider that conservative. it must be ok with them as I've been there over a year now and not a word besides they hired me with it so what more can be said.
Take care and happy new year
Kevin
That's great that you are luckly enough to have a job that does not hassle you.
Have a great new year also!
Karsten
Well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. You're not smiling in either picture. The contrast might be more apparent if you were smiling in the longhaired pic.
I don't really smile much.
Karsten
--------------------------------
Your hair is absolutely gorgeous, Karsten. It is good that you got a civil service job where hair is not an issue. I can remember longhair post office employees back in the late 60s and early 70s. A lot of government jobs are longhair friendly. Slowly but surely other employers are permitting long hair too.
Why not just let your beard grow natural? Take a look at mine for inspiration.
Scott
Scott, you are an inspiration in so many ways. I need a change for 2009 and a longer beard may just fit in with the longer hair.
Karsten
Hi Karsten,
You know that's a very interesting history of how your hair evolved since 2000 or so.Actually that short hair pic of you is a bit scary.LOL.Just joking as you are not scary.But like you, during my earlier years of growing long hair I too did maintenance trims often as had I not done that my hair would probably be on the floor by now!Even so you mane is absolutely gorgeous in spite of all your experimenting along the way.It was fortunate that you hooked up with a stylist who understood your goals.Anyway it was cool to read you story and better yet it had a happy ending:)Your are a true inspiration my friend!Cheers
Mark
I agree with you that I look a bit scary in the short hair pic - not someone one would want to meet in the woods. I think I look kinder with the long hair.
Originally I only wanted shoulder length - then it was mid-back - then no longer than waist-length - now I hope it grows past my butt. Once I got going I don't want it to stop. (Floor length may be the limit as I really hate dusting.)
Still hope we can meet up someday.
Karsten
You know that's exactly how I feel that short hair makes guys appear.Long hair has a way of softening ones appearance making them seem actually human:)Your short hair pic makes it look like you are ready to go to war!LOL.Seriously it sad that guys just don't get it as longhair is still rare amongst us.
Yea,I kind of did the same thing as when I first started growing my hair out in the early 1980s going waist length was not even on my radar.It wasn't until 1999 that I made the decision to go for really long hair and even then I still messed around too much with maintenance trims.Not so anymore.Oh, and as for meeting up someday that would be very cool.I don't think we live all that far apart.Have a great weekend Karsten.
Mark
I don't think we live all that far apart.
I'm, 3 hours from NYC and 90 miles from the Poconos. We'll hace to plan some get-together this year.
Karsten
Hey Karsten,it doesn't sound like you are all that far from me.Maybe we can get together when the weather breaks in the spring.Feel free to send an e mail if you'd like as well.It would be cool to hear from you and I like getting mail:)
Mark
That's really impressive. Before-and-after pics like yours are inspirational, and a nice thing to see on the umpteenth day when my hair seems too much the same (i.e. not growing fast enough!)
Thanks,
Chris
I like before and after if it from short to long ... but not the other way around.
There was many times I felt my hai rwas not growing fast enough, or looked terrible. Just let it do it own thing and you will get to the point where you do not think so much about it.
Karsten
wow...truly inspirational hair...just like i remember it...keep up the good work! :)
How are you? How's Greece treating you?
Tell us what's going on...
hey Matt!!long time no talk...how's it goin? :))
I'm doing great!!currently living and working here in Greece.
as you probs already know,I cut my hair about a year ago,in the heat of the moment...(god I still regret that decision).can't regrow it right now though,still have some military service to do (darn it!!).
it's good to be back here though,(god I missed this forum!!)I see it as an inspiration for my future regrowth!!hope that doesn't bother you guys,me being a short hair in the meantime and all (now that i have internet i'll be here more often :) ):((
Glad to see you around, Jacob! Good to hear that things are going well in Greece. Best of luck on the military service and stay well. =)
-James
Thanks ... and hope you can eventually start on the long road to regrowing.
Stay well!
Karsten
Hi Jacob,
What a pleasant surprise to see you posting again, and I hope to see you around more often! Hopefully, things are going well for you in Greece these days.
Take care,
David
Karsten, your photos are always an inspiration, --- an understatement if there ever was one!!
Re. beard style(s) and length(s), I'm dealing with the same predicament. Everytime I grow my beard out, I get to a certain shaggy point that I like; but, not long after that, I look like a billy goat and/or Santa Claus, --- and then can't stand it anymore, trimming back to a close-cropped full beard or even short goatee.
Recently I decided to just accept the fact that my facial hair is for experimenting with and changing my "look" around; however, my hair on my head is NOT to be messed with! Like you, I cut my hair short in Y2K (although not a buzz cut, --- just an "average" short men's hairstyle)... But, just like you, I grew my hair back to long as quickly as I possibly could, --- my only regret being that I wish I had grown my hair this looooooong when I was younger!
Keep up the good work, Karsten!! I may not always reply as frequently as I used to post around here before; but, your artistic pics, gorgeous natural backgrounds, creative hair poses and just awesome shots in general are one of the reasons I still lurk around here at MLHH!
- Ken in San Francisco
Hi Karsten,
Since you've openly shown your haircut disaster pic, I might as well show mine... This pic was actually taken 6 weeks AFTER my infamous Y2K short haircut, --- the actual haircut itself being in June, happening on the first day of Summer, 2000; while this pic was taken in early August, 2000.
Apologies for the ex-b/f being included in this pic; but, it's really the only pic I have of my hair this short... I wouldn't permit anybody else taking any pics of me immediately after that haircut, because I was just too damn mad that I cut it in the first place (lol)!!
And to think that just 8 and 1/2 years later, my hair is now down to my belt!!!.... I think your hair grows faster than mine does, though, Karsten!
- Ken
I wouldn't permit anybody else taking any pics of me immediately after that haircut, because I was just too damn mad that I cut it in the first place (lol)!!
Been there, done that!
Well, some say hair grows faster in the winter so perhaps the cold weather here in the Northeast contributes to some of my growth.
I think we have both learned our lessons the hard way, keep it growin' my friend.
Karsten
Exacty my same thoughts and problem, but I'm now shooting for a style I have in my mind so have to wait and see how it pans out.
But, just like you, I grew my hair back to long as quickly as I possibly could, --- my only regret being that I wish I had grown my hair this looooooong when I was younger!
AMEH to that!!!
Thanks, Ken ... but I'm running out of ideas of where and how to throw my mane around.
A great New Year to you and your loved ones!
Karsten
Hi Karsten,
First of all, happy New Year to you, and thank you for providing this inspirational update for us. Your hair has always been an inspiration to me, and is among the best on the hyperboard. You are fortunate to have found a stylist who genuinely understands your desire to have long hair, and that is a real gift. I could only dream of having hais as long and thick as yours.
Keep it growing,
David
Happy New Years to you too David.
Hopefully your dream will come true, but I think you have a awesome mane yourself!
Karsten
Hey Karsten
Great words of inspiration for all of us and your mane is looking so outstanding. So glad you got out of that other job and found one where there are no longer issues with long hair.
Happy New Year! :-)
Justin~
Thanks Justin,
Happy New Years to you also. Looking forward to some new hair videos from you, loved the ones you have posted!
Karsten
Quite a big difference from '02 Karsten. Wow!
Seeing the picture of your 2002 haircut makes me wonder how many other flat-tops secretly long for longer hair and just don't take that first easy step...stop going to the barber! Well to all those in that situation, take that step. You won't regret!
Bruce
I think alot of guys would like to have long hair, but for various reasons can't or do not follow their natural desire.
But then again, we would not unique if everyone grew long hair, we would be just another clone in the crowd. LOL
Karsten
Yikes! Long hair definitly suits you MUCH better.
Mouse
You look so much better with long hair!