new thread
I would like to introduce myself to you fine ladies and gentlemen.
I have spent the last four hours - when I should have been working, LOL - scanning this site and all the posts. What a wealth of ideas that I have been looking for for ages! Techniques for caring for my hair, what products do what, what to avoid, how hair actually WORKS, and so on. Thank you all so much.
I have also really enjoyed and related to the accounts of the struggles we have all had with the social (and in some cases religious) stigma of long hair. When I was a kid in the early 70's it was definitely a statement. We've seen a lot of societal changes since then. Isn't it amazing that this is still an issue? I really like the positive stubbornness seen in these posts. Thanks for that, too. I'm not decided yet whether this hurdle is actually a pain or a blessing - if everyone had long hair I may not be so attracted to it. I may just get stupid and start a thread on "Why I Like Being a Longhair".
I plan to be a regular visitor and reader. You have helped me with the first step - reconciling to the awkward stage for now - and I hope this to be the start of a long and beautiful (you should pardon the pun) friendship.
-- George
Oh, and one more thing - where else can I get advice on caring for my hair that doesn't involve treating the hair with some product that costs money? There are a zillion places I can get THAT advice. Thank you MLHH!!
Right here actually! There are a good bit of people on here (myself included) that try to keep their hair care as natural and cheap as possible. As for how I can help you...
shampoo less: the more often you shampoo, the more oil your head will produce. If you start shampooing less and less then your head will get used to it and produce less oil. Also, the shampoo won't be drying your hair out as much so you end up with softer, nicer hair!
cold water: It may sound scary, but its not as bad as most seem to think it will be. Just end your showers with a couple minutes of cold water. It closes the hair making is softer and locking in moisture and oil. The cold water is better for your skin and circulation too. And cheaper than running hot water for those couple minutes.
Thats about as detailed as my hair-care gets. I'm down to using shampoo once every monday max. sometimes a week and a half to two weeks apart. I always condition the day of the wash and sometimes the day after. I can tell before I get in the shower what I'll need to do that day. Last 2 shampooings were monday 3/29 and wednesday 4/7. Saturday and sunday I didn't even bother to brush my hair or get it wet at all. Monday and today I did usual warm then cold water wash. I'm determined to make it atleast till next monday (4/19) till I shampoo again. Yeah my hair is a little oily, but it doesn't look bad and its good for the hair.
Peace,
~Jarvis~
I cannot agree with this enough! In fact I stopped using shampoo and conditioner completely several years ago, and I will never go back. Instead I dilute baking soda in water and scrub it on my roots in the shower, rinse it, and then rinse again with diluted apple cider vinegar. A lot of people think it sounds crazy but I've been doing this for three years now and my hair has been drastically more healthy than when I used shampoo and conditioner.
Yup - thanks to MLHH I'm finally starting to get that less is more when it comes to long hair care. Thank you guys for sharing your experiences!
Welcome!
If you have not already read this info I am sure it would be quite useful:
On Being A Longhair
Ryan - thanks for the pointer. I not only have heard of it, I spent ecstatic hours yesterday poring over it and soaking up information I've needed for years and had no way of knowing where to find it. That essay pointed me to this board. For so many years I have asked women how to take care of my hair and for some reason I cannot fathom they cannot address my concerns. The way women take care of their hair seems to be completely different than the way men do, even in simple health maintenance. So I've wandered in the wilderness with an unruly mop that nobody except me likes, and even I have had moments... but you know that!
That essay was nothing less than inspirational to me.
Welcome to the mlhh George as its great to hear your enthusiasm
for longhair:)It's really fun when newbies like yourself discover the board and dive into it head and hair first:)By the time I found this awesome board I have already been a veteran longhair.When I started my journey there was no internet to run to and virtually no support other than my burning desire to have this mop:)Guess you can say I was inspired by the 1980s metal scene back in the day.Good luck with you journey and I hope your longhair dreams are fulfilled my friend:)Cheers
Mark
Hello George!
I'd like to extend a warm welcome to you for joining us here on the board. I've found that this place was absolutely vital in toughing it out during the awkward stage when it seemed like everyone else was against me. Whenever I would feel like giving in, I would remember the strong wills of those men here and my passion would be renewed.
The process of keeping true to yourself even if it means going against the mainstream is enlightening and it will help you grow as a person, too. I never would have believed how much I would change just by growing my hair out! Guys with long hair that I've met have almost always been sincere, tolerant, and open-minded people; this board is no different.
I hope you enjoy your time here with us.
-Dan H.
Thanks, Dan, having spent a lot of time perusing the posts I already know the truth of your words.
-- George
Hi George,
I LOVED your intro (including your pun)!
So glad to hear that this place has helped you get through the awkward stages already -- which is indeed probably the toughest thing to get through in becoming a longhair.
A lot of wonderful people here. I've even had the prililedge of meeting several of them in-person (we occasionally have "meet-ups").
Anyway, a warm and hearty WELCOME to MLHH!!!
Long Lox 4ever,
Ken in San Francisco
Ken -
Thanks for the warm intro. I swear I responded to you somewhere else but I can't for the life of me figure out where it is. Anyway, I really feel like I already know you after reading all your insightful essays and posts. You add a LOT of warmth and cheer to the board. There are a lot of really positive, confident men here but you really stand out. Please keep doing it.
BTW that intro pic of me was over a year ago - my hair is quite a bit longer and messier now, but thanks to this board and "On Being A Longhair" I've got "grand plans" to remedy this and power through.
Thanks again!
George
Welcoem to the friendliest place on earth (seriously!.
First off, you do look great for your age (which isn't *that* old regardless).
Second, it's cool that you are giving long hair a real go after always giving up at the awkward stage before.
What are your 'grand plans'though? e.g. how long do you plan to grow it?
And let usknow how it goes for you in the dating world. Best of luck!
Dean
Thanks so much, Dean, for the compliments and kind words. It's great to be here!
Hi George,
Welcome to the hyperboard, and thank you for sharing your enthusiastic introduction with us, and also your photo. You have a great head of hair, and I look forward to your future progress!
Welcome aboard!
David
Thanks, David. I feel like I already know you after reading all your insightful and cheerful posts.
-- George
You guys TOTALLY ROCK!
It was so cool to open MLHH this morning and see all your kind replies. I'm home! It's funny, it was as if I already know you after all the hours yesterday reading your previous posts - I already can tell who it is just by the writing style and personality. For a bunch or hairy, macho guys, there is a LOT of warmth and authenticity on this board.
Somebody asked what my "grand plans" are - good question - just to get out of the awkward stage for now, and to start caring for my hair using the advice on this board rather than reading the backs of shampoo and conditioner bottles and listening to hairdressers. Thanks for asking!
I think I've been a closet longhair forever. It was shoulder length all through high school and college in the 60's and 70's when long hair was a poignant political and lifestyle statement. I've always grown it out when it didn't interfere with career or romantic plans. This is the first time I've just said F*** IT and done it anyway. Some people are just late bloomers!
Long hair forever!!
George, 'da snakedog !
Great name and thank you for the wonderful introduction.
It is obvious that you have taken very good care of your hair. Lookin' good, my friend !
We look forward to you being an active member of the MLHH.
Thanks for Sharing
WWT (Walter White Tail)
Thanks for the kind words!
I think I did take better care of it when it was shorter. That pic is over a year old and I have been growing it ever since. Now it's really thin and flyaway, kind of Woody Allen without the curls. I hope this is due to not taking proper care of it which is changing after reading "On Being A Longhair" and all the great posts on this board. It's still in the awkward stage, just past shoulder length, but already looking better since I stopped shampooing it.
Thanks again!
-- George
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Wow, I just realized, I forgot to extend you a hearty welcome to MLHH. It appears that we are from about the same generation. I was in high school in the late 60s and early 70s. I tried to grow my hair long back then and never got quite to the length that you currently have. Finally back in 1992 I just stopped getting it cut. Growing it out was trial and error for me. MLHH did not exist back then so I had to go it alone. I discovered this site back around 2002 and lurked for a year or so. Finally, on 9/30/2003 I posted for the first time and have been here ever since. Over the past 6+ years I have learned a lot.
From the archive:
Re: Hair Length Poll
Posted by Absalom on September 30, 2003 at 05:43:29:
38 inch ponytail. It reaches to mid thigh. I am 50 years old and have been growing it since 1992. This is my first post ever.
Scott
Scott -
Then you truly are the grandaddy of 'em all. You're probably one of the guys who keeps things going around here.
I think we are the same age - I'll be 58 in October.
Thanks for the welcome, and I look forward to more of your posts!
George
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Hi George, I do help to maintain this board.
You are 4 months older than me, which means we both came of age during the 1960s. It was a great time, a golden age for kids. It was a time when comformity was shunned by many and free and independent thinkers spoke their minds. It was a time of the best rock music ever. It was also the dawning of the environmental movement, which continues to this day. Hopefully free thinking will continue to reign in this 21st century.
I would like to chat with you in the live chat room some time.
Scott
Thanks, Scott. I'll check into the chat room occasionally and look for you. Yeah, the sixties were very dynamic. I think then and the present time are the most polarized I have seen this country, but then the liberal movement was pretty focused on peace and individual freedoms; now it seems to be more about economic policies. It's not quite as pure somehow. Still, like in the sixties, there seems to be a really entrenched conservative component that is hanging on for dear life and pulling out all the stops to stay alive, while the mainstream seems to be drifting away from it. Interesting times.
-- George
The advice on here can't be beat that's true. I know from personal experience.Welcome to the board.
Charlie
Thanks, Charlie!