new thread
I've been lurking here for some time and decided that it was time to post. Today I had to come to terms with the fact that my hair was now much too long to be treated like it was short, after spending all day outside in the wind and having it get all tangled. This is probably because I haven't been paying much attention to my hair at all since my last haircut, which was in June I believe. (It seems to grow much faster when you forget about it like this, haha). Accepting that I'm officially a longhair, I think now is a good time to tackle some of the problems I've been having!
First off I have no idea how often I should comb/brush. Many say extensive brushing damages hair, but it seems unavoidable (for me). I have very fine hair, but there is a lot of it, and it tangles, a lot. So far I haven't found a way around the issue, other then keeping the hair restrained, but this is something I hate to do. I didn't grow my hair to keep it in a ponytail! I've already had enough of the ponytail at shorter lengths where it was the only reasonable style. I feel guilty every time I brush my hair (usually 3 times a day), thinking that I'm damaging it! I lose a lot of hair (probably more than what's considered normal) when I brush too, which seems to further justify the issue. Any tips?
Second, I wanted to ask about what you here do with your hair when you're involved in some sort of physical activity. No matter what kind of ponytail, bun, hat, or any combination of those I put the hair into I can't keep it from getting soaked with sweat. After a day of skateboarding with my hair out, I can't even run my fingers half way through it until the the next time I wash and condition it... If I let it dry or just rinse it with water I won't be able to untangle it, at all. This get's really annoying especially when you're hair is clean that day and you're like me, who doesn't like washing it more often then it needs to be washed. It takes a while for my hair to get greasy anyways. Any suggestions? This is something I find extremely irritating... Sometimes this just makes me want to go out and get a haircut, because I'm assuming that this isn't something that goes away as your hair gets longer. These are thoughts that I definitely don't want in my head, as I barely crawled through the awkward stage (for the second time) and I don't need to be starting my third attempt at long hair any times soon :). How do you deal with it? Sorry about the wall of text by the way, and the red eye in the pic, haha.
Hi Stephan, glad you decided to post and a warm welcome. You have a fantastic head of hair and many years ahead of you to grow to classic length - which would look amazing. I'll leave it to other members with similar problems to help with advice, but don't give up on what could be a magical journey! Best wishes, Ian
Thanks Ian. I don't know about classic length; it seems so far away at the moment, I've never considered it. I'm aiming for mid back right now. Then again, I've noticed that many people often continue their journey even after they've reached their goal. So one day, maybe ;)
Hey Stephan! You've got an awesome head of hair. Unfortunately, that also means that it needs to be looked after. But it's definitely worth it.
First off, I'm not sure what's considered too often for brushing, but I'm sure there are other people around who will know better. It should be fine if you need to brush a couple of times a day. The type of brush and/or comb you use is important, but again someone else might have to provide details on that :P The thing to remember about brushing though is to be gentle. If your hair is tangled, you need to be gentle with it, and ease it loose. Pulling too hard on it will just cause damage.
As for losing hair, the thing to remember is that we lose some hair every day, no matter whether it's long or short hair. When you have shorter hair, you don't really notice when a few hairs come out when washing your hair, or in day to day activities. When your hair is longer, it's much easier to notice when the odd strand comes out. I've heard we lose about 20 or so strands of hair most days (or a number close to that), and it really doesn't mean anything. Since you've been growing your hair since June, and since it looks pretty healthy in your photo, you have nothing to worry about :)
I definitely feel your pain when it comes to tying hair up to stop it getting in the way.
Your hair is quite awesome, and it has a great colour to it as well. Hopefully you won't cut it short any time soon, it would be an absolute shame!
Terry
Thanks! And yeah, hopefully I don't. If I every get any ideas I'll make sure to follow the two week rule to avoid any impulsive decisions I'll regret...
Great hair and welcome to the board! I agree with not tying it back--it is a lot more fun down and when it is tied back only other people can see your hair--you can't!
Regarding brushing, I think it is a mistake NOT to brush it a few times a day or when, say, the wind has messed it up. If you do not keep it nice then it will develop tangles, and when you finally do brush it you will lose hairs due to those snarls, hairs lost that would not necessarily be lost otherwise.
Plus, brushing it gives you an opportunity to enjoy and flaunt it!
Take care....
May as well post my first update in this thread... Unfortunately I've lost track of how long it's been growing and my last haircuts. So I'll start now (officially)! I don't really have a specific goal in mind, I guess I'll just stop at a length I like. For now I'm hoping to reach mid back length by next summer.
that's beautiful hair you got. What's your routine?
Hey thanks unreal... I shampoo the scalp, condition the hair, and wash it out with cold water every 2-4 days depending on how dirty the hair gets. I also use a boar bristle brush after combing to do a better job of moving the oils down to the ends (keeps the scalp from getting too greasy). Nothing special.
Hi Stephan,
Let me also welcome you here and compliment you on a very nice mane:)I know you've been dealing with tangling issues but most important is to keep that under control even if it means more combing or brushing.Leave in conditioners work well if your hair is dry to help get a comb through your hair.Thanks for your update as it does look grand my friend.Cheers
Mark
Wow, dude, your hair is awesome. It's so thick and healthy. May you always keep it long!
Welcome to the board.
I can relate to your problems because I had the same.
My solution for the tangling problem is put it in a ponytail when you go outside or do sport or whatever. As soon as your just sitting, like reading or talking with friend you can put your hair down. Maybe not the solution you like but with your hair down you will get more tangles. You've got to think about what you think is more important, having your hair down or reducing tangles.
For sport I use at least a tail, but if I want to reduce the tangles even more I use multiple hairties (segmented ponytail). I've gone on camping trips with hiking and after a week of not washing and combing there are almost no tangles! There are a lot of shed hairs to comb out after a week but the difference in tangles is awesome.
Now on to your second problem. Instead of washing and conditioning you can also only use conditoner on the end to get the tangles out. You don't wash or touch the top part because that is already clean! This way it's easy to get the tangles out.
Good luck!
btw I never use shampoo and only comb my hair in the shower when it fully conditioned. Other than that I just let my hair do whatever it wants.
Excellent hair, guy.
Brushing is good and bad. It's good because it pull oils down the scalp to the dryer ends, but it's bad because you pretty much always break or pull some when you do it. The best thing is to only brush when you think your hair really needs it and then do it carefully. Always start with fingers and a wide toothed comb, then a brush. Don't ever pull the brush through. Work from the ends to the top. A rolling motion with the brush helps, too.
You're right about ponytails also. They, too, cause tons of breakage. Rubber bands are the worst offender. Those super tight little PT holders are a close second. Find a not-to-tight wider elastic and don't use it often.
As for athletics, look around. Lots of long haired people work out and do sports. A terry headband is a good option.
Hi Stephan,
Welcome to the hyperboard, and I am glad that you have decided to "de-lurk" and share your progree with us.
You have an excellent head of hair to work with, thick, straight, and in really good condition, and should have no problems growing it a lot longer should you choose to do so. Good luck to you in your future hair growing journey!
Keep it growing,
David
When i'm doing physical activity or on windy days I tie it either in a pony tail, or braid it. Yeah it's a shame to confine it but
it's a trade off, either confine it or risk damage to the hair.
And since you're talking a few years to reach your desired length
it's wise to protect that investment and tie it in a pony tail
or braid.
Yeah it's a shame to confine it in a pony tail but remember when
your'e getting a blizzard/storm and the winds are blowing at 60 mph it do a lot of damage to your hair.
Actually, longer hair is less greasy, because the same amount of grease gets distributed over more hair. You may find it's more greasy than when it was short, because your scalp gets hotter, but going on from your present length it will get dryer if you grow it longer than that.
I normally comb rather than brush my hair, and do it as often as needed to untangle it and keep it looking good. This also redistributes the grease (actually it's sebum, to give it it's proper name).
Hey, great head of hair!
Re physical activity I use two techniques which are both not mentioned: after I've tied my hair in a ponytail I often put a sweatband 'around my hairline' (top of head at the front to the bottom of head at the back), under the ponytail - which is higher up, so hair doesn't get sweated down onto my neck, and also because my hair to bounces around more and attracts attention.
And the other, which I think might work for you is a HeadBuff. This is a brand name, but if you buy a non-branded version then they're cheaper and just as good, and you can wear them in a LOT of different ways. Can't post a link, sorry. Technical difficulties :( Google it.
Both of these should hopefully ease your sweat problem and you can get several colours/styles of sweatbands and HeadBuffs on the market, or a million on Amazon, you should be able to find something you like (remember only YOU make your style!).
Hopefully this helps :)
Logan