silly question from a newbie

[Steph0087]

I noticed from a lot of the posts that most of you almost always wear your hair up -
so this is probably going to sound dumb, but what is the point of having long hair if you never wear it down?

[Zombiekins]

This has been asked a lot, actually. I'm pretty sure most of the answers you'll get have to do with tangles and hair getting in the way. Plus having it down all the time contributes to damage, and what's the point of having long hair if it isn't pretty? :p

[Annushka]

Actually, my biggest reason for growing my hair out long is so that I can wear it up - there are so many pretty up-dos! (and hair toys!!)

[ChloeDharma]

Lots of reasons. Damage limitation....the more hair is down the more tangled it gets which risks more breakage and also the more friction damage it's exposed to.
It also can be a real pain getting in the way when it's loose.
Also peoples reasons for growing vary, some want to show it off, others might not and are happy just growing it for their own enjoyment.
For me i it's all of the above really, plus i like to keep my hair heavily oiled alot of the time so a bun works best for that.

[Cereus]

When I was younger and had long hair I never wore it up. Not even a ponytail. Now I have to wear it up for work and I really enjoy different updos on myself and others. One can change their look daily. Even have various looks in the same day!

[UncommonTart]

I like wearing my hair up and a good updo can be hard to manage with short hair. Honestly- I love my length, and I do like wearing it down on occasion, but I really enjoy wearing it up. And there are so many ways to wear it up, too. Look through some of the photos up here. There are a lot of very different ways to wear your hair up. When my hair was shorter, I did wear it down more often, but a lot of that was simply for lack of a better option. There were maybe two ways to wear it up that would work for me. Now, with all these options, why wouldn't I wear it up?

It is true that wearing it up will cut down drastically on the tangles. (I swear, I still get a few.) It is also true that sometimes, long hair can be "in the way." As far as damage, I am sure that wearing it up will minimize the damage that very long hair can be particularly prone to, but I'm hardly an expert there so I'll leave that to someone who knows more about it. Any or all of these are good enough reasons to wear my hair up, and certainly are secondary reasons. Mostly though, I think that longer hair is more versatile, and I like to take full advantage of that by wearing in a full range of styles. For that matter, you could ask of anyone who wears their hair down all the time, "What is the point of having it if you're not going to do anything with it?" It's all a matter of taste.

Sorry to have rambled on so.

[ChatoyantLocks]

There is also the WOW! factor. :) If you wear your hair up most of the time, it will make more of an impression on the few occasions where people do see you wear it down!

[prosperina]

Also, it depends upon your idea of long. If arm pit length is all you want, why not wear your hair down all the time? But with just about anything longer than that, I think wearing it up a lot or at least half the time is really healthy. Updos protect, and if you want long hair you'll be living with the hair on your head for a long time; it's better if those hairs are in good shape and not constantly being caught on purse straps, backpacks, or being rubbed up against the backs of rough chairs.

[CurlyOne]

There is also the WOW! factor. If you wear your hair up most of the time, it will make more of an impression on the few occasions where people do see you wear it down!
So very true! Every now and then I would have to fix my hair at work and when it was down they were stunned by how long it was (which wasn't that long, BLS at the most) but it is still fun. My hair stays up to protect it and it only comes down on special occasions.

ETA- a lot of us here don't use cones on our hair, which can equal more tangles, so keeping it up helps keep it in order.

[psycho]

There is also the WOW! factor. :) If you wear your hair up most of the time, it will make more of an impression on the few occasions where people do see you wear it down!

Precisely! I wear my hair up most of the time...it keeps tangles out, stays out of the way, allows for different looks, and I still get compliments on "Wow, your bun/braid is so thick!"

But then there's times I feel really icky or a bit depressed or...you name it. I wear my hair down on those days because it is a tremendous ego-boost! I can't believe how many people I see every day stop to comment on my hair and tell me how much better it looks down :p (I have a lot of Latin American friends, I think that helps with the open compliments a bit more)

I've almost always had long hair, I love working with it and experimenting with it even if I'm the only one who ever sees it, besides I find it a lot easier to get a secure updo with more hair to anchor it...but knowing I can get compliments whenever I want them is a great added bonus ;)

[sapphire-o]

Ya if you have to wear the same shirt everyday for several years, wouldn't you want to be very careful about not damaging it? Hair is the same. It's natural fiber and you wear it all the time.

[Samikha]

There is also the WOW! factor. :) If you wear your hair up most of the time, it will make more of an impression on the few occasions where people do see you wear it down!

Yes! I love wearing my hair up for a number of reasons, but the fact that people often compliment me on my hair down now is actually encouraging me to keep it up, even at this length. I never ever got hair compliments before. When you see something rarely, you appreciate it more.

And also, I think updos show off your creativity (and hairtoys!). In my area, the only form of updo I see are really messy braids (often with a lot of mousse in the hair. Mousse. For a braid. o_o) or exceptionally ugly scrunchie buns. I admit I feel a bit superior when I've mastered a new fancy style:cool:

But there are a lot of people who agree with you, and think wearing it down is the whole point. If you want to do so, continue! Just be aware that updos are more protective - tucking in ends help preventing split ends, and just keeping it contained will reduce mechanical damage. In the end, it's all about what you like best and are comfortable with.

[Arctic_Mama]

I find I like to save it for special occasions, and if your hair snags and tangles really horridly, like mine, the longer it gets the less worth it the tangles become. They get harder to remove, more damaging, and time-consuming to deal with. It's easier to oil and prevent damage with updos than try and stem/mask the damage with it down. If you're not going for an extreme length or have delicate hair then wearing it down is FINE! And it's all about your goals. My goal is to have it look stunning and healthy the few times I DO wear it down when it's long enough, and to get there I have learned from past experience benign neglect and minimal mechanical damage/handling is the best way to get to my goal quickly and with a quality result.

[Arctic]

I grow my first ever long hair, and I love all kinds of hairdos and braids, they are an important reason for me to grow my hair out. I don't like having hair on my face and neck, and updos are a perfect answer. I enjoy learning new updos and braids.

Also I have a slowly growing hair and I want to keep as much of my growth as I can so contained hair is one solution to that.

[sexyjacksparrow]

Generally seems to be a combination of playing with lots of updos and also damage limitation. I wear mine down about half the time though. I don't get to enjoy my curls so much otehrwise!

[aisling]

If you've never had very long hair, all the updos and so can seem strange at first. But once you've experienced long hair, shoulder length is short in LHC perspective, then you start understanding the need for keeping your hair up and away. I have tailbone length hair, my hair is lightweight and fine and it doesn't stay behind my shoulders very well, it always fall into everything if I don't keep it up. I can't work really well with it loose, it just gets in the way all the time. Updos are very practical and that's one of my main reason for wearing a bun.

[winter_star]

When I first joined LHC I found myself asking the same question. I rarely wore my hair up, partly because of the fact i'm hair illiterate! But there are so many beautiful hairstyles and things you can do with long hair. It is so much healthier to wear your hair up. And the WOW factor when you occasionly take your hair down is worth it... such an ego boost.

[brok3nwings]

I actually love the see long hair down and free! But of course, my hair isnt long yet and probably i will use it a lot with up-dos cause i am now much more aware of my hair ;) everytime i do something that does damage to my hair, like playing with my friends, they grab my hair without the intension of pulling but they do and it is soooo frustrating. eheh

[harley mama]

My hair is banded in my Avatar photo. But, IRL I seldom wear my hair back or in a bun.
It is loose unless I am doing something that required it to be put up for safety. Oh, I always wear it braided or banded when I ride my motorcycle.