new thread
Hello everyone.
I have figured something out that those who are wishing to grow out their hair extremely long should take this in consideration. This is not to say that you should not grow out your hair to terminal or cut your hair for any reason.
You know about the awkward stage that your hair is getting long, but still not long enough to put it in a ponytail, meaning it gets messy easily.
To my point of view, there is also an awkward stage for people with extremely long hair. Once a person's hair goes past his/her waist, he/she would need to be careful about sitting on his/her hair or closing the door behind him/her so his/her hair does not get stuck. Not being careful may mean a person's hair would get years of growth ripped off. By the way, most people reach terminal length before this becomes a major issue.
Other possible obstacles
-- Really long hair could get tied up in the bushes if hiking/jogging in the woods.
-- Wearing a backpack would be an issue when putting it on/taking it off.
-- Really long hair would get heavy enough to start creating a drag when running or playing sports.
-- When the hair hits the floor, it is at risk for being stepped on.
I call this situation an awkward stage for a different reason: a person's hair may get in the way of common obstacles that can rip off years of growth if he/she's not careful (and it can hurt with the hair being tugged from the follicles).
This is not to discourage those who wish to reach terminal length or to tell people to get haircuts, but it is something I figured out and wanted to share with you guys.
Even though long hair is very common for women, I very rarely see a woman with longer than waist hair, let along a man with such length.
Matthew aka Regardless
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Hi Matthew, I have gone through a lot of what you describe. My hair is a good 18 inches past my waist. It reaches the crease in the back of my knees. Hair past waist length is rare for guys. There are 2 or 3 guys here at MLHH with hair as long or longer than mine. AFAIK Ed G. walking on my right has the longest hair. Cameras don't always show things with total accuracy. Although he appears taller than me in the image, I am, in fact, one inch taller than him. What is factual is that his hair is considerably longer than mine. His hair is amazing.
I agree, super long hair is not for everyone. I have slammed the door on my hair, and yes it hurts. Sitting on it is a problem for me too. I keep it in my lap when driving my car. To minimize accidents I keep it in multiple hair ties as you see in the photo. In addition, I have to fold and secure it above my butt when riding my bike to keep from sitting on it.
You have 3 or 4 years before these problems will be an issue for you, Matthew. Even 3 or 4 inches past waist length does not cause a problem with sitting on it. For playing sports, just keep several hair ties on it at about 4 inch intervals. Growing it to 3 or 4 inches past your waist should be fine, should you desire to do so.
Scott
You and Ed G. both have such beautiful long hair, I wish you'd both post photos more often. What a great inspiration. I know Ed works in the computer industry, and he doesn't appear to have any problems having long hair in his line of work. What do you do?
Even though long hair is very common for women, I very rarely see a woman with longer than waist hair, let along a man with such length.
This is indeed true.
I think it has a lot to do with maintanence.
It's funny because most people think long hair doesn't need to really be maintained, that it's far easier than using moose/gel to tame short hair.
But do you know how long it takes for long hair to dry?
And to brush it?
(That is ofcourse if you intend to make your hair look good)
And most of the time you have to wear it up, or in a braid, which I guess, for some is no big deal.
That's why it seems to be more practical for most genders who wish to have long hair, to have it at shoulder length. It's still long, but just doesn't take as much maintanence.
That's my 2 cents.
Hey Matthew,
you made some interesting points in your post. I had not really thought about any of these things since my hair is not really long enough for any of them to apply to me, although sometimes my backpack does pull hairs when putting it on/off.
But I suppose you learn to deal with and solve the new problems that come up as you grow your hair out.
Anyways, good post and keep growing that hair out man!
Matthew, Like the other awkward stage I have found little tricks to help me through the day. One example is that my hair gets caught in the seat belt mechanism when I get out of my van. After an initial couple painful and destructive jerks I now simply, gently pull my hair out of the device before I get out of the vehicle. It has become a daily ritual. I wont be cutting my hair anytime soon!
peace, jonalbear
There is some truth to this, but there is also a major difference...the early awkward stage happens quite quickly...past waist length, the issues come on very gradually...over years, and you have plenty of time for reflexes and routines to be formed to avoid most of the problems. Sure you have some minor mishaps, but soon enough, you establish the safe way to do stuff...so that you hair is protected during various activities.
It is rare to loose a lot of hair to an accident...more often you are brought up short, rather than ripping it out.
I don't know about the terminal length issue...there are so few men who grow very long...certainly, cultural groups that traditionally have long hair, it doesn't appear to be so (Amerind men tend to have the taper of the usual ~6 year growth).
Most people with very long hair put it up or control it when engaging in activities that would be damaging. *shrug*
To each his own, just noting that the second awkward stage is vastly less unpleasant and difficult than the first one.
Issues I'm starting to have to deal with:
- Hair falling into my eyes when I bend down to pick something off the floor.
- Windy days when the wind is from behind me or from the side.
- Pulling my hair in back when leaning my head forward while seated on the couch - it's long enough to reach the cushion.
When mine gets that long, I'll probably just tie a ponytail and wear my shirt over it when running. In the winter I use a treadmill at the gym so that isn't an issue.
There's an Oriental woman I see in the cafeteria at work sometimes whose hair is calf-length. I can't help but stare in envy and amazement every time I see her. There are two men with waist-length hair I see on occasion.
Hi Matthew,
I think those are some very good points, I can't wait to find out. lol.
It seems to me that even when long hair was common place (pre-Roman Europe and parts of Europe during the middle ages) women's hair was still longer than men's. If men's hair was shoulder length, women's hair was waist length, if men's hair was waist length, women's hair was past their butts. I'm just going by what I've read in history books and seen in drawings.
I think that maybe women have a longer terminal length than men.
Paul
Hi Paul,
I agree with your hair theory that women's hair terminal hair length is longer in general then men's which I have suspected for a long time.
I read an article on one of the womens' long hair pages that said that if hair is cut or shaved in places the rest of the hair slows down in growth to even up the shortened patches. As most men do not wear beards and hence shave this might have an effect on the overall hair growth rate. Women generally don't need to shave on their faces and so more of the vitamins/food intake would be absorbed into their scalp hair.
PS found a article on the net about a 5 year old indian boy who has similar hassles from the school hair nazi's whereas his hair is waist-length due to religious reasons as the tribe has a mandatory policy for it's males to not cut hair. If you don't have article will post up link for it?
Best,
Duncan
Hey Duncan,
I saw that too. Here is the ACLU report on the case.
There is not the only one either, just put in "hair" or "dreadlocks" and all kinds of stuff come up. There was also another Native American kid in Louisiana that had the same problem.
It seems like there is some kind of movement to stamp out longhair in schools.
Cheers,
Paul
Men's and women's hair is the same, except that women don't get male pattern baldness or grow beards.
The real differences are not physiological but psychological. Women do tend to spend more time on their appearance, sometimes too much (some of the things they do to their hair are actually damaging). Men tend to be more active. I say 'tend', because these are just tendencies, not something completely fixed.
Terminal length can be extended a bit if you are careful. That is, if you can stop it from breaking you can get it a little longer. Men tend to be physically rougher with our hair, but OTOH we are less likely to straighten it or bleach it, which are just as bad.
The real reason that fewer men have very long hair is simply that fewer of us have even moderately long hair to start with, and this has zero to do with physical differences.
Hi Elecktros,
I do agree with you that male and female hair is the same. And in history men were less likely to give their hair TLC as were the ladies.
However Men in general have more body hair then do Women, and the biochemistry between individuals and the sexes are different to a degree.
In essence I feel that the materials used by the body to grow hair would be rationed out and someone with less hair folicles would grow faster then someone with a hairy chest and beard. Also pubic hair as well as beards the hair is generally much thicker and coarse then the hair on your head. (with the exception of people of African descent)and require more amino acids to grow.
I should find that article I read talking about this on one of the Long Hair sites I visited and post it up.
Regards,
Duncan
Untrue! Women most definitely DO get MPB, however they tend to not get it as severely as males. And women are absolutely capable of growing beards. There are two medical conditions that women can have, that cause hirsutism. One is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome/Disease, the other is Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. Other medical conditions can also cause women to develope MPB and grow beards.
I happen to have latent (Non-classic) Adrenal Hyperplasia, as I have mentioned before. Were it not for daily anti-androgens, I would be quite capable of growing a full beard, and would probably loose a lot of hair on the crown of my head, which is on the thin side. With anti-androgens, the hair-loss from MPB was put to a halt, and even reversed somewhat, and I have to shave off some face hair every other day, or so. The face hair I have, is not as course and thick. But it is definitely noticeable if not removed. It's texture/density is similar to a pubescent male growing his first beard. The growth is much slower, and the terminal length much shorter, than a male's. When it was neglected, following major surgery several years ago, it basically was terminal at around an inch.
A women with Classic Adrenal Hyperplasia, can grow a beard like a male. Montel Williams had a show featuring individuals with intersexed conditions. One of them was a bearded, balding middle-aged woman who had Classic Adrenal Hyperplasia, for which she never sought to treat with hormones and/or anti-androgens. She looked exactly like a man, even chose to dress like one, and found using restrooms to be challenging (she used female ones, but was acosted on more than one ocassion). She was genetically a female in every way, right down to the XX chromosomes, but the high circulating androgens coming from her hyperplasic adrenals, caused her to strongly develope secondary male sex characteristics.
Men's and women's hair is the same, the distribution and amount depends on genetics, hormones and ethnicity. Men who have Klinefelter's Syndrome (like adrneal Hyperplasia, this is an intersexed condition), tend to have little or no body hair, and often cannot grow beards. Native American and Asian males tend to not grow full beards easily. Women of eastern European and Italian descent, develope moustaches very easily, and exessive chin hair as well.
We can't control our genetic and ethnic makeup; we can, with modern medicine, manipulate hormones. And we can influence the hair we grow by our diets (eating a nutritious diet improves hair length and quality, and density if there was a deficiency), and how we care for it. Excessive use of chemical processes to change texture and color, are going to cauase damage. The above is true wether one is male or female.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Hirsutism
Hi Matthew,
Well, I hate to say it this way, but: you have a long way to go before needing to worry about this issue (lol)!!
Even I have a long way to go before I get to experience any of the concerns you voiced here, --- and my mane now reaches just slightly below my belt!
I think what Trolleypup and Scott (Absalom) have already said gives you the best idea of what it's actually like "on the other side"... They definitely have the most first-hand experience with mega-long. Two other mega-longhairs that are long-term members here that haven't yet responded to your thread are EdG and HairReligion. And then there's Dave Decker, who I don't think has ever posted on MLHH; but, some members here know him. His hair goes all the way down to his ankles or so... Now THAT's what I call "looooooooooooooooooooong hair!!!"
- Ken
You know, Ken, my hair is shorter than yours, and yet I do experience many of these problems. OTOH, the full length of my hair is down even if I braid it, whereas I know you wear a bun at work, but I never do. Mind you, I work in an office, LOL!
Hi Matthew,
What you described all have valid points but I personally want hair that's that long.Right now ,at waist length,I really love brushing my length with the boars bristle brush and having hair that long is such a wonderful feeling.I love to flip it,when I have it loose or even tailed.I do this a lot at my gym when I need to move my hair from the front to the back during exercises.I think that draws some attention to me but who cares!LOL.So in short that's a problem I'd love to have.Come on, admit it, you want your hair that long too......RIGHT!Have a great weekend my friend:)
Mark
I would even suggest it's not actually an awkward stage when it's that long. The awkward stage is awkward because the person has to figure out ways to deal with a different and often unappealing appearance. As in the hair sticking out, being uneven, or in the eyes, etc. When the hair gets as long as Scott and Ed G's they have had years to adapt gradually to the length. Not to mention their hair's appearance isn't unappealing to them or us, if that were the case they would cut it.
After 5 years you'll have had the ongoing experience and acquisition of knowledge to adapt to life's little hair moments such that it won't seem awkward at all just routine.
Kevin
I think what is more likely is that hair often stalls at the waist because it snags on things, i.e. not that you lose length so much as it doesn't get longer. This is from my perspective as someone whose hair is stalled at this length.
Yes, but it isn't all that bad. I have an acre of woods on my own property and other woods adjoining, so this does happen to me, but it is often more annoying when clothing gets snagged, because it doesn't re-grow itself. With even longer hair there are many ways to restrain it to prevent the problem being any worse.
Yes. I hate backpacks for this reason. I would use one for hiking, but nothing else can persuade me to wear one at any other time. It is hard to get them on without the straps pinning my hair.
I don't find this very likely. Mind you, I have had fine and thin hair all my life, so the weight of my hair could never become significant. Thicker and coarser hair could be different.
Agreed, but I doubt if mine will ever get that long. If it did, I would trim it. Women with floor length hair wear it up, but I find it hard to see the point of having long hair and having to do that.
You just have to be careful. You get used to it as it grows.
Alun
Having really long hair is not a problem in practice. One has many years to learn to avoid hair hazards.
This board has so many posts about awkward stages, social pressure, and other perceived problems in growing long hair. Let me offer my perspective.
In my experience, there is only one insurmountable obstacle in growing really long hair, and that's genetics. One thing that Absalom, Trolleypup, Dianyla, Elektros, and I have in common is that we have all grown our hair as long as our respective genetics allow. Once one has encountered one's terminal length, all other hurdles seem minor by comparison.
I wish you the best in your hair journey.
Ed
Yeah, hair below the waste can get in the way from time to time, but once you have it, you sure don't want to do without it.
Thanks for the replies. I am only planning to grow out my hair to mid-back, so those things will not be a problem for me.
Matthew aka Regardless