new thread
Hello everyone! This is my first post here, I hope to be a regular one if things work out! I'm 19, and I'm growing my hair, but...I live in the Middle East, where long hair on guys is especially uncommon; not only do I have no-one to ask, but I frequently get criticized for it. So I turned to the internet, which brought me here.
First of all, there are all the rumors I get about long hair. Is it true that it causes (earlier) balding? This has me really worried. Also, I understand that hair changes with time, but before my hair used to be much thicker and straighter, but now it's become a bit more nimble, thin, and has less volume, which also has me worried. What do you know/think?
Currently, to take care of my hair, I wash it, use a conditioner (not too much, just a thin layer) that you use IN the shower and then wash off, and hair-dry it lightly (not too much, and I also got an ionic hair-dryer to reduce the heat needed). I'm already looking at my diet to see what I need. Any other tips?
I uploaded a photo of me with my hair being kinda natural with a little bit of hairdrying - back when I was younger (before I started growing it, like two years ago) it was much straighter and shinier though...
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A hearty welcome to you Wael. Your hair looks good and I hope you continue to grow it.
Don't believe the lie about long hair causing baldness. My dad used to believe this lie too. An excess of male hormones and genetics cause baldness.
Hair can change throughout your life. Some people can have brown hair as a child and blond hair as an adult. Some can have blond hair as a child and brown hair as an adult. Hair can change from straight to curly or curly to straight in a year or 2.
A friend of mine who is over 60 years old had curly hair until about 2 years ago and now it is growing in straight. My hair was so dry a few years back that I dared not wash it more than once every 2 weeks. Now it has gotten quite oily and I need to wash it every 5 to 7 days.
A good clean diet is helpful to healthy long hair.
This board has a wealth of valuable information and support for men desiring to grow long healthy hair.
Scott
Hey! Thank you, Absalom and Glasseyes for your swift and informative replies! Now that I got this part out of the way, I'd like to ask about hair trimming/cutting. I really want to grow my hair, and I want it to grow fast, but I don't want to kill/damage it permanently. The problem with frequently trimming my hair is that it doesn't grow fast enough, and that is if it even grows in the first place!; sometimes, I feel that if I keep on trimming it, it just doesn't grow any longer over time (but if I extend the time periods between the trims, then I end up not trimming enough).
Could you please fill me in on the importances and dangers of trimming/not trimming? Also, how should I be able to tell if my hair needs trimming? I don't trust most others, as they're against me growing my hair, so they'll probably end up saying that I need to cut it (that's why I'm hoping I can learn how to tell if it needs trimming myself). And is it true that, if I cut my hair bald, it'll grow again much better than before? And last question as a response to Glasseye's wise advice, is a little bit of hairdrying okay for your hair? If so, how much is the maximum before damaging your hair?
I'm sorry I'm asking to many (sometimes specific) questions, I just really really care about my hair, and I have nobody else to ask around here; not even the doctors will help out, as they end up stereotyping you negatively if you have long hair -_-
I second Absalom's post, with the addition of adding that using elss conditioner is not always conducive to good hair. In fact, it can often be anathema to the desire. I use palm fulls, but then again, my hair is curlier than your's.
Also, hair dryer can cause damage unless you're using it on a cool setting. Heat causes damage, but people use them and some have fine hair, but they can also cause frizz.
Welcome Wael, Scott and Glasseyes's advice is spot on! I would add that you should finger comb you hair first (when dry), followed by a wide tooth comb and a good boar's hair brush.
Good luck,
Bruce
Hey welcome and your hair looks great! hope you are doing well and look forward to hearing more from you. Take care!
Hey Wael,
That's a load of crap about longhair causing baldness. I'm living proof, my dad and both brothers went bald. They all wore their hair short. I've always wore mine long and so far haven't had a problem, I'm 47. I've always believed if I'd wore it short it would have fell out too, of course I don't know for sure but I ain't cutting it to find out.
Paul