new thread
Hi all,
I've lurked here for a long time but not posted before.
I'm in my late 20s and really liked the long hair look for a long time and started growing mine a few times before cutting it mainly for work reasons in my earlier 20s. I've regretted not growing it out and keeping it long from college times.
My problem is that you're expected to look smart in the shirt/tie environment I work in. A couple of other guys have quite long hair and get off with it fine by wearing it in a ponytail to work. Was just wondering if it was possible to grow your hair out through certain styles that would be acceptable in a formal workplace until it was long enough to tie back?
Thanks for any advice
Cool to see another guy stepping out of the shadows of lurkdom:) I feel looking professional with a ponytail is no big deal these days anymore.I visit many office buildings with my job and can confirm there are guys in suits who have long hair:) Not saying its a big number but they are there as I bear witness;)So all
you need to do is keep your hair in decent condition and tied back neatly then there shouldn't be any issues.So with that said welcome to the mlhh:)Cheers
Mârk
Cheers guys - thanks for responses!
I'll be very happy when I get to the stage in 2-3 years when I can have my hair tied back in a hopefully long ponytail for work - it's dark and thick so think it'll work well with a lot of length. My problem is the sort of interim - ie the sort of 4-12 month period where it's getting longer and starting growing out - is there a useful way to style it to keep it in line with dress codes while adding length? Sort of anticipate I may have to get it styled which will make growth take longer but guess its a price I'm willing to pay for getting very long eventually!
You could use gel, an alice band, or you could have it styled. I'd greatly recommend the first two seeing as the last one would just prolong the time it took for your hair to grow out, if it even did depending on how often and how much was taken off
Gel and Alice band I reckon would work alright most of the time but I've some meetings in my job it may not...I think if I'm doing it properly this time and getting past the difficult bit I prob need to get it styled much as I don't like to! Just not sure the best way to style it and keep length
Gel is certainly how I coped with the awkward stage first time round. The second time, I just let it grow and put up with it, but by that time, I was self-employed and didn't really have to worry about meetings as most of my business was done over the Internet and telephone.
I did contemplate cornrows/braids second time round, but didn't have the nerve to try such a radical (for me) look.
Another option, which you could consider as a last resort is to thin out some of the hair to reduce the volume.
Many a board member can gallop you not to thin. It's a painful process that prettymuch permanently thins your hair, especially depending on the age you get it done. And with styling you end up being at the exact same place a month or two down the road and go to style it again, and again. The best options are gel or just dealing with it., Any hair modification done by scissors or thinners (basically scissors with two combs instead of blades which rip your hair out at the root) will just prolong the awkward stage. Garnering length requires patience and ingenuity not tools used to shorten and destroy hair.
I am a professional. And yes, I work in a design field, which does make it easier to have long hair. However, I always keep it tied in a tail at work. There are several of us there.
I was in New Zealand and saw at least three male cops sporting longish ponytails. Too bad usa is behind the times. I say just do it, be a ground breaker. I remember a couple of years ago when one football player dared have really long hair, now a lot of em do.
Back in the 70s I worked in that kind of environment and
and still had long hair. Much of the time i wore my hair in
a pony tail, braided or loose. It was waist length when I started the job, by the time I left the job in the mid 80s my hair
was knee length. I never got any complaints from the company.
There were many days where i wore it loose, no complaints. And this was a job where i had to where a jacket and tie.
It also helped that my boss was a huge rock music fan.
After I left that job I got the job I have now where I can
wear whatever clothes i want and can wear my hair the way i want..
Hi. Being a long haired male myself, I would recommend a clean hair. i have seen men wearing their hair loose yet it seemed like the hair is in place. It was straight and smooth looking. with suits, it really looked good & normal. you could do half pony tail, using a narrow barrette would look quite professional. you could also use a normal rubber band for half ponytail but make sure it does not look too high. I have seen african american and even some latino men wearing multiple braids. now a days, i come across a lot of double tight braids among men. i don't know to describe it by name it looks like a french braided pig tails. but it was not that funky to see it, perhaps i came across quite a few wearing it. it became normal. you could wear, normal braid, french braid for sure, buns and french twist. Basically you can wear, any normal monday hairstyle that a woman wears. none of the women wears their hair in pigtails to office or with flashy hair accessories in a professional environment. the bottom line is, you have to make sure it looks decent and clean as well it should make the others working around you to feel uncomfortable. In my experience, people does not really care about the length of the hair until it looks dirty and shabby. Of course the corporate environments have different opinion about this, but it is changing. you should take care of the hair to make it look good.
Rame
Thanks for the replies guys and nice to meet you all. Hopefully I'll find the right way to get past the awkward stage this time. Soon as it can be tied back for work I'll hopefully be keeping my hair very long in future!
Hey all, first time i have posted but figure i would chime in here. Sounds like where in the same boat. Been growing it out for about 15 month at this point and fricken love the look and feel. I also work in a professional environment, what i try to do is just keep it tucked behind my ears. Try to swept it back and around the ears. I have very frizzy/curly/crazy hair so it can be a challenge
depending on the length you could try that, i would really not style you hair it will just take longer to get to the ponytail goal. You can try a bit of gel on the sides to keep it down. Don't get discouraged tho dude, the one advantage you have on your side is you have a job, as far as i know an employer just can't up and fire you from a job just because you want to look good.
I to am looking forward to the ponytail tho :D
Good luck mate