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hey all, it's right about shoulder length right now, and it looks fantastic when it's wet, but once it dries it knots up, and my shoulders and neck seem to push the hair that hangs down up, which would be cool if i had straight hair, but cause it's curly, it just scrunches up with the rest of my hair and starts puffing out kinda...8 1/2 inches long? well anyways, i'm convinced that i need a haircut, so many jackasses get a bad impression from it, lots of people call it a fro, led zeppelin fans actually recognize it like jimmy page's, and most importantly, only a few girls have said they'd kill for it! about 2 or 3 inches ago, i got a compliment on it, and was "felt up", heh, by at least a girl a day...but i'm just wondering, if i just got my hair layered, would that really reduce the puffiness? and for how long? could i just cut off 2-3 inches myself? thanks everybody
What I was gonna say - before my computer went bonkers on me - is that pictures would be nice if you have 'em. (I'm curly, too, and need the inspiration!)
thanks for responding so quickly, but i'm not photogenic at all, for some reason, i never look the same in pictures as i do in the mirror, and people have told me i look nothing like my yearbook picture (part of that's the hair, but they said that even before i started growing it, in years past), but whenever i see a picture of myself, it literally shatters my confidence, i'll try to find a picture of someone else who has hair like mine, but i just don't wanna make myself feel bad about the way i look with homecoming coming up and everything. but i just wanna know the experiences of other people with semi-long curly hair (bushy) with trims/layering and such.
Here's my opinion on layering curly hair:
It really depends on what your goal length is, and how long you "want" it to look (as, from what you've accurately described, curly hair does draw up and out as it dries and must be longer to "appear" longer). If your goal is beyond shoulder length, I would not advise layering. As curly hair gets longer is gets heavier and gravity makes it lie down and the curls become less tighter. Layering should only be done by a professional, I believe, because it's a complicated technique. And if your goal is long hair, say, mid back or so, layering now would probably be counterproductive to your goals. And once your hair is layered, even by the most talented stylist, the layers will have to be maintained, which will mean regular trips to the stylist every three months or so. And, over a period of time, the tendency is for a stylist to cut back the layers shorter and shorter. This may be a generalization, but I've been through it. I had shoulder length hair during the 1970s and layering was universal then, but rarely did you see a guy with hair that was past the shoulders... usually it was much shorter. Not SHORT, but shorter.
I guess the question is how long do you want you hair? If you wish it to grow down your back, my advice is to struggle through the next year. Your hair should tame with time, with the added weight. And the curls will become much less tight and may resemble waves.
Meanwhile, I've found, the best styling product for curly hair is a good, alcohol free gell (and used moderately -- too much will make your hair hard and crunchy and helmet-lke) which will give your hair the weight it doesn't have now. My hair is dense and curly and my goal is to my waist. It's past my shoulders now, approaching my armpits, and the difference between last year at this time and now is quite noticeable as concerns being more manageable.
Hang in there! We curly,longhaired guys have it tougher, but the end result can be, I believe, worth it. Your hair will look great.
But I wouldn't try cutting it yourself. I would wait a bit and see how gravity will naturally take care of your hair problems.
wow, two responses in one day, in other forums, it took me a week to get more than one person's opinion, but thanks. i understand what you're saying about the weight of the hair kinda loosening the curls, that's why i love my hair when it's wet, it looks a lot longer, it's not bushy at all, and it's got that actual long hair type style to it. but this length was my goal when i started growing it out. i don't want it past my shoulders, cause i'm not really that kinda guy, and i don't think it'd look good on me. if i could get my hair to look wet the whole day, i wouldn't even think about getting it cut, but i've tried a bunch of alcohol free gels, wet look gels, and coconut oil, among other things, and nothing seems to work. (i haven't gotten the plastic helmet feeling yet though, could it be i'm not using enough?) there's one gel that seems to keep the wet shape, and amount of curliness, except again, my hair in the back just gets pushed up...so if i wanna keep my hair around this length, isn't layering a good idea? and would it help my hair keep its wet shape?
It's hard to say, without actually seeing your hair, but the general rule about curly hair is that if you want the look of shoulder length hair, your hair will need to be several inches longer. My hair, right out of the shower, hits my mid back, but as it dries, it draws up to just past my shoulders. If your hair is 8 1/2 inches when wet, when dry it can draw up to 5 inches. The curls tend to grow sideways some, within the spiral. So whatever your goal length is, when dry, count on needing several more to achieve the look when it's wet. And another thing I've discovered... when you've finished styling it, try to resist the tendency to "touch it up" during the day as much as possible, as curly hair has more body than straight hair. Messing with it after you catch your reflection in a mirror or a plate glass window tends to make curly hair draw up even more and out. Make it look the way you want it and try to leave it alone as much as possible. And if it does become too mussed, pat it down from the outside rather than the inside. If it becomes too bushy during the day sometimes misting it with plain water from a spritz bottle will tame the outer part.
You might want to experiment with washing it less often (maybe every other day or every three days or so) as the natural oils in your hair will naturally tame your hair and may leave it in much better condition.
I have the same problem, and from what I've heard the only way to get past this stage is to let it grow beyond your shoulders. If the problem is your shoulders pushing your hair up, layering it is only going to make some of your hair shorter. So when that hair finally reaches your shoulders, it'll be pushed up and start to poof out. In the end it'll be longer until the problem is solved. Just my non-professional opinion, but I say tough it out. It sucks, I know, but I hear it's worth it in the end.
Good luck!
Jeremy
