new thread
Recently I made up my mind to let my hair grow floor length, longer if possible. My mantra has become, if If I'm going to have long hair I might as well have really long hair. I was talking to a group of friends and aquaintances today about my decision, and they all thought I was crazy. They felt that no normal male would remotely want hair that long. Now I will be the first to admit that I am not you adverage normal guy. I tend to like extremes the more unusual the better. So here is my question: are any of you "Normal guys" aiming or floor length hair as well?
That's a big commitment...10 years +....I'm not aiming for floor length, about shoulders is my goal length for now.
I don't recall that "normal" has ever really been defined. I HAVE heard people every now and then announce that they are "normal," but my own observation was that THEY were the very ones hanging from the chandeliers!
Hair that long probably could not be grown to this extreme length. But..........there is only ONE way to know for sure.
Go for it!
Danny Cecati of Eyefear
A few have gone for terminal length, terminal being the longest their hair naturally grows. As you age, especially if male, terminal length creeps upward to shorter and shorter lengths. So, while quite a few aim for terminal, that may or may not be floor length. The younger males have a much greater chance of reaching this goal, so if you haven't reached your middle-years yet, and are showing no signs of premature MPB, your terminal length could very well reach the floor.
Country singer Crystal Gayle is probably the most well-known person with hair this length. But for a male comparison, Danny Cecati of Eyefear also has this length. Both have stated that they put aside a few hours daily to the care of their hair, so you want to take that into consideration. On another board, a lady poster with calve-length hair posted her secret for how to shampoo and condition hair, then move it oout of the way so you can wash the rest of yourself. She has two plastic hooks with suction cups, that she attaches to her shower wall. She divides her hair into two sections, draping each over a hook. She shampoos one, then the other, rinses, then conditions. While her hair is draped over the hooks slathered in conditioner, she does the rest of her bathing. To shampoo long hair, work up a lather between the palms of your hands, then stroke the hair downwords between sudsy palms.
BTW, Danny Cecati seems quite 'normal', and definitely not crazy. And I don't ever recall anyone refer to Crystal Gayle as being crazy or not normal either. You might want to point out the above celebrities to your critics, and toss a few pictures in for effect. One of the MLHH members is a big Eyefear fan, and often posts pics of Danny Cecati, though you can find them via Google Images. You sound like the anti-establishment nonconformist rock-the-boat kinds guy, just my type. ;) Be prepared to shock the corporate drones and your skeptical family and friends, as you boldly go where few have gone before. Where are you at length-wise now? And, do you do your own trimming?
Great Post - Carol.
On the question of shortening of terminal hair lenght in men as they age being normal, another thing that is normal is for men's testosterone levels to decline as they age.
If according to Scott, that having high levels of testosterone plays a role in limiting hair length in males, then shouldn't mens terminal lenghts increase with age if their sex hormones diminish with age?
Just a thought. Anyone with more scientific/academic learning on this topic?
Best,
Duncan
I would speculate that the reason for this would have more to do with nutritional and digestive efficencies more than anything else. As we age our bodies become less and less efficient in digesting the nutrients that it consumes. Mix in the fact that very few people will actually eat a balanced diet and as we age we eat less making the diet even more unbalenced. So what is available is divided up on an as needed basis. The male body due to it's testosterone levels is more concerned with feeding muscle mass and keeping that structure in good working order, whereas on women that is usually one of the first to weaken. Meaning: it becomes more and more important to take vitamins regularly as we age.
Daniel
I think Daniel is on to something here, but to add: As we age, cell growth also slows down. This is why long hair is more easily acheived in youth, when there is more rapid cell turnover, producing more growth to hair strands. Women also have the protection of Estrogens, and they play a role in a female's hair growth. A female's terminal length will drop post-menopause, accordingly with drops in Estrogen levels. If lowered testosterone as men aged, would mean longer terminal hair length, then why is MPB a result of the aging process?
Interestingly, some transexuals who are male-to-female, who had MPB as males; after adopting a regimen of anti-androgens (typically Flutamide) and female hormones, reported a reversal of MPB. In 2 to 3 years, while very thin, the formerly bald areas became covered with hair. Women who have hormonal imbalances as a result of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), and/or Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), are prone to mild cases od MPB due to high testosterone levels. I have CAH, and a mild form of PCOS, and have been on anti-androgens for years.
I'm one of those rare women on Proscar, though strongly contraindicated in pre-menopausal women of child-bearing age, due to the high risk of birth defects to males in utero. These women must take precautions to not become pregnant, and stop the medication 3 months prior to planning a pregnancy attempt. I have a sister with severe PCOS, who does not use anti-androgens, and she has widely diffused thiness due to MPB, that the crown of her head is clearly visible through her hair. The outline of her scalp is visible through her thin hair. She keeps it in a short perm, and dyes it, in order to give the illusion of coverage.
This is my favorite picture of her:
She was still working on obtaining floor length when this picture was made.
Thanks Carol, the word inspirational is an understatement!
I've never heard of him before, I hope he makes it big!!!
Paul
Don't feel bad Paul, I hadn't either. But I thought it was just a case of me being out of touch with reality (which is usually the case) It's good to know that I'm not the only one that hadn't heard of him before.
Daniel
Until Uwe began posting pics of him. Uwe is an big Cecati/Eyefear fan, and has posted numerous pics over time. Obviously, it's hard to forget that mane, and therefore the name. Sooooo, that was who popped into my head, upon reading this thread.
Hello Kai,
I can't say I'm aiming for a goal length, but I'm just letting my hair/beard grow as long as they will. I'm perfectly content with whatever length my genetics endows me with.
Where are you at lengthwise now? I recall you were about at shoulder blade length when we met in Dec 2007.
- Oren
depends on the luckiest possible toss of the genetic dice. I inherited great hair genes and it reaches my knees at age 56. (see photo)
My estimates for men of average height are:
Maybe 1 in 5 guys can grow their hair to waist length.
Maybe 1 in 20 guys can grow their hair to classic length.
Maybe 1 in 100 guys can grow their hair to mid thigh length.
Maybe 1 in 500 guys can grow their hair to knee length.
Above are the more common lengths, but to grow hair to floor length would be in my own estimation at least 2 or possibly even 3 orders of magnitude less likely to occur. (1 in 50,000 to 1 in 500,000)
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but being realistic, floor length is way out of reach for most of us.
Also, I don't think we have seen a photo of your hair yet. It would be nice to see your progress so far.
Scott
Hi Scott,
So very few men ever grow their hair past collar length that it is difficult to access the chances of men growing super-long hair.
I do believe that women have much better chances of growing longer hair then men, as
1) as society is more accepting,often supportive
2) women generally have a lot less testosterone then your average guy,(they have spoonfuls as we have shovefuls),the more testosterone the less hair length -supposedly.
3)they have other girlfriends who can offer them tips for growing longer hair and it's care , whereas your average guy doesn't exception being longhaired male relatives/friends and of course the MLHB)
Duncan
"So here is my question: are any of you "Normal guys" aiming or floor length hair as well?"
That surely is a pretty nice and flattering ambition, Kai, but as for me, I think it's way beyond my reach, plus I don't think I want some really big length. It would require a hell of a maintenance and I don't quite have the amount of nerves needed. Some ten-or-so centimeters below my shoulderblades should suit me decently enough.
I was wondering that myself. I don't know if I've ever met a normal guy. (or gal for that matter)
Floor length hair is a worthy goal, and I hope you can do it. This is about as long as I can manage:
They just don't get it.
As others pointed out, what is normal? Their idea of normal is probably very different than mine or yours. I hope you make it.
I'm growing mine out as long as it will get but I already know my terminal length will be far short from that.
I've had a similar conversation but I told my clown a** friends that I was going to tie a fish hook at the end and flip my hair around and catch one of them in the cheek with it and take off running. hehe. Try that next time.
Paul
Hey KMF! Another great line...LOL I may have to use that one myself. Hope you are doing well.
Cheers,
Your FIR
Max
Well, the best of luck to you, my friend. I hate to put a damper on your dream; but, I'll believe it when I see it!
Personally, if my genetics permit, I wouldn't mind knee-length. But, since my hair is already at belt-length now, the reality of my terminal length being probably less than butt-length is already evident to me. I've been growing my mane out for almost 9 years now, --- and with each passing year, my hair is growing slower and slowwwer and s-l-l-l-o-o-o-o-w-werrrrrr... (as well as the ends are getting thinner and thinner and thinner...) This is a sign that my natural terminal length is very very near.
Very few human beings have the amazing genetics that Danny Cecati has; but, if you do, my best to you, --- and please then share a pic of yourself, even if you only arrive half-way there!!!!
- Ken in SF
I say go for it! Personally, I don't want hair that long. I would find it hard for me to take care of and hot in the summer.
Waist length is the longest I have ever grown my hair.
Good Luck!
Darrin
How long is really long? For years I had shoulder length hair and thought it was long, until a girl (a mere housemate) pointed it that it was only "long for a guy". I took that to heart for some reason, and decided to grow it until it was really long. However, I had many trims, some excessive, and only stopped trimming four years ago, many years after she had gone home to Switzerland and I had emigrated to America. My hair passed her definition of long quite some time before that.
My hair now passes my natural waist, or some of it does, and a few hairs may even reach my tailbone. It is very tapered, and grows very slowly, but still keeps growing. My hair is fine and thin, always was, not a result of aging, so nothing to miss there. I think the apparent slow growth is mostly breakage, and that the breakage is mostly because the hairs aren't very thick. Basic physics there.
So. It will obviously keep growing a bit longer. How long could I grow it? I don't know. How long do I want to grow it? I'd probably be happy if I could trim it evenly at tailbone length, but the sides are so much shorter than the middle that it could be years before I could do that. By then I might not want to, because then it would probably be a lot longer in the middle.
Do I want to grow it to the floor? Honestly, no. If I start to trip over it, then for me that's too long.
Am I a normal guy? Well, I have a wife, kids and a mortgage, so maybe. Whatever that means anyway.