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Hi all mlhh!
Just wanna post some late May update of my hair. as usual, i'm having a serious annoying period of "awkward length" because i can't get all my hair to be tied into a ponytail yet. and i'm also can't even get my bangs to be tucked behind my ears properly because when i made that, the bangs will drop eventually. so all my hair now are left loose annoyingly ( i don't want to use headbands at home as my parents will probably nag about getting my hair cut. *sigh*
On a similar story, i went playing badminton the other day and this left me in dilemma because how am i gonna deal with my hair when playing? so i went on just playing without using any hair accessories (i don't want using hairclips or bobby pins because those will look weird on guys, and i won't wear a cap because it's an indoor game) and let my hair loose and i felt a bit terrible because my bangs will get into my eyes most of the time so i can't really focus on the game (that's why all men badminton players has short hair). the same thing happens when i played soccer and street soccer but for those game, i can just use a rubber headbands to keep my hair away. can i get you guys' opinion on how i can deal with my hair especially involving indoor games like table tennis and badminton?
thanks :D
p/s : sorry if the pictures are way too many that make the composition way too congested. ahaha
Hey, first of all i want to say that this is not a problem that you will have during the awkward stage ONLY, even once your hair is long, you will have the same problem whn playing sports .
You will have to either use a ponytail or a headband . You have no problems on using a ponytail , then I dont understand whats the problem with using a headband.
I think its all about getting used to the fact that your hair is getting longer and that eventually it will be long, and you will have to do something about it. I still dont use headbands or ponytails in public because i am not used to that and because i feel like people are gonna stare at me and i will look weird. But its only MY perspective. I have friends who suggest me to wear ponytails , but I still denny to that haha.
But the difference between you and me, is that I dont play sports haha If you play sports and you feel like this is a problem, then you have two options: cut off your hair, or start getting used to hair accesories .
Rubber bands? Hell no. Dont bother to wear robber bands. They damage and break your hair.
Here are some pics that might give you an idea on how to style your hair to play sports:
When it comes to headbands, this is the type of headband that i prefer for men:
As you can see, they are more discreet than the other type of headbands. They will suit good on you because since they are black, and your hair is dark, it will not show that you are using one.
I hope these tips help !
Hey Dave!
What do you think of elastic bands? elastic bands seems to have different materials to those of rubber band and will less likely to damage the hair, right? Thanks for you opinions BTW :D
You mean elastic bands like this one?
I think they will do just fine, as long as they dont damage or break your hair, then its fine.
Just wear an Alice band - keeps your hair under control and nothing wrong with a man wearing one.
I second that. A lot of professional tennis and soccer players with long hair wear Alice bands. A Temple University student doing his residency at a clinic I go too, often wore an Alice band to keep his long blond curls out of his face. He's completed his residency and is (hopefully) practicing somewhere. Alice bands look very masculine on guys with long hair.
When i'm doing sports activities I just tie it in a pony tail,
braid it, put it in pig tails, or bun it.
And at the ripe old age of 58 and having had long hair since 1964
I don't really give a hoot what others think. i wear it the way
I want to and don't care what others think or want or suggest.
On a side note I wsa marching in the Memorial Day parade at out
local National Cemetery, I wsa in my civil war uniform and had
my long hair down and loose. It was a bit windier than i'd like
but the long hair is my trademark so I opted to have it down and
loose despite the wind. I had no problems with the hair getting
in my eyes. I was expecting some tangles with the wind being
stronger than I like but to my surprise at the end of the
ceremony there were no tangles, knots, or it getting caught in
anything.
But the bottom line here is I wear my hair the way I want to,
and don't give a Rats *ss what others think. It's my hair,
my life, my choice. And at the age of 58 I long ago gave up
caring what others think.
My hair is also long enough that I can put all the hair into
a pony tail, braids, pig tails, or a bun.
I know what you're going through. To be honest, it's a few years since I went through the awkward stage, but I do still remember what it was like.
Like you, I didn't like the idea of headbands etc for general wear, so I avoided using them and got through the awkward stage by using gels and hats. However, on court, it's a completely different story. As you say, most badminton players have short hair for a reason! I got tired of my hair getting in my eyes or sticking to my face every time I turned round too quickly, and eventually gave in and used a headband while playing - and put up with all the comments about looking like Andre Agassi!
Until your hair is long enough to tie back I think a headband is the only way to secure it on court. You could use a band similar to that suggested by Dave_Argentina, but, personally, I didn't find them secure enough for use while playing badminton because of the pace of the game. They're OK in sports like football (soccer) where you don't have such intense activity, but I found I was having to reposition it after almost every rally.
I used a rolled-up length of fabric knotted around my head as I found that to be the most secure. It also helps to keep the sweat out of your eyes! I did experiment with using a baseball cap too, but, while it did keep my hair fairly secure, it also made my head feel too hot and had a tendency to pop up if I tilted my head too far back. Another possible option would be corn rows or similar braids, but they take a long time to put in and take out, so I didn't actually try that out for sports.
When your hair does reach a length when you can tie it back securely, I'd avoid using elastic bands or bands with metal clasps. Try to find a fabric-covered band as they cause much less damage.
Nowadays, I wear my hair in a braid and tuck it down the back of my T-shirt while playing, because it can really hurt when you hit yourself in the eye with your braid and I've also lost points because of my braid hitting the shuttle!
I've only seen one other player of my standard with long hair, and he wore it in a pony tail, and loose down his back. I'm not sure how he managed to play like that, but his hair hardly seemed to move, whereas mine goes all over the place!
Good luck with the badminton and with growing your hair.
In my case it's been alot of years since I went through the awkward stage. I started growing my hair in 1964, so the awkward stage was many years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed those early years,
awkward stage and all. i thoroughly enjoyed the exhilirating feeling of having long hair, getting lots of hassles from teachers,
school administrators, employers, etc. I'm 58 years old now and
have very fond memories of those early years. If i had to do it all over again i'd still have started growing my hair in 1964.
One thing that helped me through the awkward stage it was in the era of the hippie. And this hippie thoroughly enjoyed the journey. And if you had said back then that this hippie would be a member of a civil war group I'd said you were crazy. Yet there I was on Memorial Day weekend with the civil war group honoring those buried at our national cemetery.
During all of my 49 years with long hair i've thoroughly enjoyed
every day as a long hair. I wouldn't trade that experience for
anything.
So ax you enter the awkward stage enjoy every minute of every
day on your hair farming journey.
Hi Viking!
I also don't really opt for cornrows though, and yes, because of the time spent to make it even though i think my hair is long enough to get into cornrows. But i likes the idea of using rolled-up length of fabric knotted on the head. might try it sometimes.
If you notice, there are also several women players that have longer hair but only tie their hair in ponytails, not braids and it seems that their hair doesn't mess much to them in the game. To be honest, i rarely find women badminton player that wear braids but instead, opt for ponytail. it's a different story in tennis where most longhaired women players wear only braid to keep their hair out of the way.
BTW, thanks! :D
I also tried a bun once. Never again. I kept hitting it when going for round-the-head shots!