Growing hair to show off the length and amaze people

[Sarahlabyrinth]

For those of you who have really long hair (subjective, I know) - did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length. Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it? Just a thought?

[jasper]

I don't have the motivation of wowing people with my length, and I didn't really start wearing my hair up to protect it. I grew it out because I don't like maintaining a short style with constant cuts. I started wearing my hair up because I needed a style for work that would keep it out of my way.

But I do have that result now that I don't wear my hair down in public, not for fear, exactly, but because it is really inconvenient.

[Quixii]

I didn't grow my hair out because I wanted to wow people, but I do kind of enjoy that side-effect now.
For most of my growing out, up until tailbone length or so, it was in a ponytail nearly 24/7. I occasionally got comments, but this is also back when I still believed I had to brush my hair once or twice a day, so it wasn't really looking its best. I joined here, stopped brushing it often, started wearing it up - and discovered that when I felt like celebrating the gloriousness that is my hair, I could choose to wear it down or in a ponytail, and expect to get comments and be okay with that. :D Or if I don't feel like being noticed, up in a nondescript bun it goes.
I don't overwhelmingly like the feeling of my hair down, so that rarely happens, but a ponytail gets probably as much attention and I'm okay with that. :)

[HoneyDayTripper]

It's such a paradox because the more I wear it up and protect it the less compliments I get, but the healthier it is. At the start of 2014 I made a resolution to wear it up every other day, because I didn't feel like myself with it up. But then after doing that, I realized how convenient wearing it up was. No more untangling carefully and slowly for 30 minutes every night. So now I probably wear it up 5 days a week.

[Tini'sNewHair]

Sometimes I like walking around with my hair down and be like a walking advertisement for long natural hair because pure natural hair is pretty rare around here but also the length is rare to. I get the kicks when my friends comment about how awesome my hair is but then I get a bit annoyed when after I tell them the “secret”, they just brush it off like its complete nonsense :s Ah well, their loss right :p
I had instances where I HAD to put my hair up for fear that someone might do something stupid to it and ruin it forever – a friend of a friend has been a complete idiot around my hair TWICE – this happened on tipsy nights, one time he was flashing this lighter around my head turning it on and off because he found my reaction to be so funny (I was HORRIFIED!!!!!!!!!!! Couldn’t imagine having it burned!), when I gathered it up in a pony he was pulling on it and another time he was snipping scissors at my hair saying that he wouldn’t really want to cut my hair but hes moves were so clumsy that im surprised he didn’t manage to cut a chunk off by “accident” ahhhhhhhh so I BUN my hair well out of the way when im around him GAHHH!!!!


So yes, i like to amaze people with my totally awesome hair :D

[Effy]

I like it when my hair gets attention because of its length (although it isn't really long yet), but it was not my intention when i started growing it. I want my hair to be long because i think it suits me best and it just feels right. I don't feel well with short hair.
I wear it up 4-5 days a week, but just because it is getting more and more inconvenient, not because I want to protect it so badly.
There are days though when I just HAVE to wear my hair down and want it to look as best as it can get, when I meet certain people and need to impress them...:D

[LadyCelestina]

I guess there will be few people with really long hair that takes years to grow growing it solely for the purpose of wowing other people with length.
It might be one of the reasons,but I think if you are willing to spend such a long time waiting for your hair to grow,caring for it,protecting it,worrying about it and such,there must be a much reason other than just showing off.

[lapushka]

I'm only growing it for *me*, because it is easier to take care of on a day to day basis (excluding the full-on wash cycle). I couldn't care less what people think, honestly. I don't go around flaunting my hair to all passers-by. That's not my thing. I have more serious issues to deal with than that! My great-grandmother had hair approximately and even beyond fingertip, and every time hair comes up, my mom recounts her favorite memories of her grandma bunning her long gray hair, how she could do it "just like that"! So it's not even odd around here!

[shutterpillar]

I don't consider my hair to be "really long" yet, but I am aiming for TBL or classic (I haven't decided yet) and I am growing because ever since I was much younger I've wanted long hair. Up until now I had been experimenting with it, but never really took the time to grow it out beyond BSL.

So, my long hair is for me. If I end up wowing people with it then that is just an added bonus. :)

[Madora]

For those of you who have really long hair (subjective, I know) - did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length. Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it? Just a thought?

Funny, but I didn't wear it down that frequently, even when I was young. Just too much of it, always in the way, getting tangled. I wore it up a lot because it was easier. I've only had a "goal" in mind in the past 5 years (knee length) and am still keeping it up because while I enjoy compliments about my hair, wearing it down (unbraided) at my age doesn't make me comfortable.

[Long_hair_bear]

I only wear mine down for conventions and festivals. Being an elf, fairy, or steampunk lady, long hair down better goes with my costumes than wearing it up. :)

[DweamGoiL]

My hair was much longer about 10 years ago. Right now it is at Waist. Back then, I always had it up because once it got to be a bit past where it is now, it would get caught on chairs, equipment in the office, etc. In the Fall, it was blowing all over the place and even riding in a car was a hassle since I had to ensure it didn't get caught in the door or go all over the place if I left the window open. I grew it to TBL and once I had a baby, I cut it back to above shoulder. It was very practical back then I am not going to lie, but I always missed having it long again.

Last year, I began consciously growing again, but this time, I plan to keep it at a very manageable length. If I can't wear it down when I want, I will trim it back to Waist. Since I had to wear it up all the time before, now, I am a bit rebellious about the bun all the time. I felt so limited back then having to wear it up so frequently. But, overall, I am growing out my hair for me. At work, I wear it down all the time and there is one other young girl that has hair about just as long and I have never heard anyone compliment me on it except for yesterday, oddly enough when it was flat and limp since it was very close to wash day...go figure!

[Wisé]

I wanted long hair my whole life and tried to grow it exactly as long, so I grow it definitely for me.
BUT, I love to impress people with my hair, even though it is not as wowingly long in LHC standarts, only looking between waist and hip. If I'm going to see people I haven't seen in a while I make sure to have wash day on the day before so I can wear it long & curly. That said, I wear my hair open a lot, because I just love the feel of it on my skin, the way it looks, the sun shining on curls and (I can imagine some of you cringing here) I always absolutely loved the feeling of strong wind in my hair, so I'm not really going out of my way too much when showing it off.
I only bun when I don't care about how I look to protect it, when it is not looking good down (mostly nearing wash day) or when it would be in the way. I do take great pains to protect it at night, under helmets or when bicycling though.
If I ever have the feeling that wearing it up most of the time to protect it will be necessary to get longer or look good, then I will cut back to and stay at a length short enough so I can wear it down again.

[browneyedsusan]

Just putting it out there:

I got more compliments with super-short hair than I do now, but mine isn't very long yet. IMHO, the general public is dazzled by anything that is unusual, whether it's super-short or super-long, or even a great color. (My May 2012 siggy is after growing a couple of months, and a "tail-ectomy".) The middle ground kind of flies under the radar.

[Paranda Belle]

Never grew my hair to get compliments.

An annoying side effect of wow lenghth hair is people asking all the questions (what do you do to it, would you ever cut it, etc). Or worse, people wanting to touch it. I tend to feel slightly vulnerable if I have it down. Not just because of the getting caught on things - it's as if I'm wearing a top that is too low or a skirt length that is higher than I am used to. I do get some joy wearing it down, but only around people I trust or in some sort of half up.

[Jessleigh]

I'm growing mine out because I love the way it looks! If other people happen to like it too, great. But I'm doing it for myself.

[SkyChild]

It's a factor I'm looking forward to enjoying but not the reason I'm growing it.
Similar to Wise I love the feeling of my hair being down when longer, even if it means more detangling time.
I've never had VERY long hair so am a bit nervous about getting it caught in car doors/escalators etc as I'm clumsy enough to have shut my ear in car doors a couple of times...

[Verdandi]

To be honest, I do enjoy the effect when I get home to my relatives (who I see about once every 6 months) and they are amazed with my hair growth when I take the bun out, but I grow it mostly for myself. I always wanted "butt-length" hair as I child but never managed (my hair was usually a tangled messy mat after a day at school) so I want to se if I can do it.

[Kherome]

For me, I find the idea of someone growing their hair to wow people kinda gross. Then again I also think it's gross when they dress in ways that are a cry for attention. So, no, I didn't grow my hair for attention, I am able to happily function in life without being gawked at. I wear my hair up every day. I like it that way as it's convenient and I enjoy learning new updos.

[Maurelle]

I'm definitely not growing my hair out for anyone other than myself. It just feels *right* when it's very long. Short hair feels so alien on me. I won't deny that I enjoy the compliments and general acknowledgement from people when they see my hair down. I have to keep mt hair out of my face at work, so keeping it up in a bun is easiest. I usually only wear my hair down on weekends.

[Idagrace98]

I keep my hair up when I'm out in public I don't like attention.

[Auburndreaming]

I'm not growing mine long to wow other people, i'm growing it long as it's my own personal preference, i've had short hair alot and disliked it on myself (mostly due to damage) but longer hair suits me nicer, lately all i've done is wear it up as I work with children for a small portion of the day and I had a nightmare about getting headlice haha, not to mention my other job requires my hair to be tied up so its not in my way, I only wear it down at the weekends if i'm going out now, and it doesn't turn any heads anyway as its only just creeping past APL. However when my hair does eventually get longer the odd compliment here and there wouldnt be a bad thing! :)

[swearnsue]

I'm mostly an introvert so I would never let my hair down in public. Of course it isn't long yet but a bit long for my age though. I don't want any comments about my looks, except by LHC members. They are cool. Otherwise I'd rather stay invisible.

[Chromis]

I grew my hair long to say "Screw you cancer!" and to see how long I could grow it. Most people don't even know how long it is. I do get lots of questions about my hairtoys though! Again, I buy them because they do the job and want and they please me, it just so happens that other people appreciate pretty and functional things as well! Or they want to know if it is just one stick holding my hair with no pins because they have never seen one before up close.

[cathair]

Nope, just to wow me and maybe to give the finger to a few other people. Sometimes it does wow me. Because it seemed like it would never be long enough to get near the waist band of my jeans at one point and now the tips hover around there. Good job too, because I don't think I will ever have the texture, hemline or colour that will ever impress anybody else. Probably more likely to make people go 'eek!' than 'wow'... and I let it down when I feel like it, couldn't care less what anyone else thinks of it.

[Islandgrrl]

I definitely have not grown my hair for the purpose of wowing anyone else. But I sometimes do. My hair is my secret weapon at work. I sometimes take it down to wow little girls with my "Ariel Hair." Instantly calms down the hysterics after getting shots. But that's it.

[Jumper]

I am growing my hair for myself. But if anyone wants to be amazed by it, they are welcome to.

[tommyboy]

Nope I just like it.

[Kimberly]

I have long hair because I think it's pretty and I like to play with it. I'm still growing it longer because there are more different ways to have fun with more hair. My goal isn't to impress anyone with length, or length at all. I just want to have a big enough bun to support a huge gorgeous hair fork.

[Violet Raine]

I grow it long because I like it that way and I think it looks cool.

[EdG]

The effect is known as "leaving thudpiles in one's wake." :lol:

It just happens, not on purpose of course. ;)
Ed

[GoddessLocks]

Anytime I've ever had long hair it was for myself. I love when my hair is long and apparently so does my family. Anytime they have ever seen me with long hair is always "you look so pretty with long hair" or something like that. Now that I have been growing it long again I always get "your hair is getting long!" I think it's a little weird to get the comments and when I was younger with hip length people would say stupid things.

[Snidget]

I grow it long because I love long hair, always have. I do enjoy wowing people, it's just not why I chose long hair. I feel I can wear it down without worrying, but for convenience's sake I only wear it down on special occasions.

[LongHairLesbian]

Wowing people with the length is a side effect I look forward to enjoying, I'll admit to that. :P At a time when almost everyone cuts their hair every few months and few people achieve longer than waist, I think that extra-long hair is very special and beautiful. Growing super long hair has the opposite effect on a lot of people though; some people will think you are religious, or dirty, or "unfashionable", or they will treat you like an exhibit at the zoo.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

The effect is known as "leaving thudpiles in one's wake." :lol:

It just happens, not on purpose of course. ;)
Ed

Hehe. I have not yet tried it (wearing my hair loose in public). One day, one day.

[ExpectoPatronum]

I'll admit...I'm growing it long to wow people.

There's nothing really special or striking about me. I'm always just kind of...there. Average. Plain. Insecure. But having super long hair isn't average. Sure, people might remember me only for my hair, but at least they'd still remember me as opposed to me just being another face in the crowd.

[Kimberly]

If there's nothing special about you, why do I always look forward to reading your posts? :-)


I'll admit...I'm growing it long to wow people.

There's nothing really special or striking about me. I'm always just kind of...there. Average. Plain. Insecure. But having super long hair isn't average. Sure, people might remember me only for my hair, but at least they'd still remember me as opposed to me just being another face in the crowd.

[ExpectoPatronum]

If there's nothing special about you, why do I always look forward to reading your posts? :-)

Kimberly, that brought a smile to my face. Thank you so much for that <3

[Crumpet]

Like most of you, my primary reason is to grow my hair for me. I feel most like myself with long hair. I always have.

The other thing is that I like having a different side of beauty -- one that is based on natural hair that isn't dyed or permed or styled with all sorts of kit. I'm not saying that kind of beauty is bad, but I feel like its everywhere these days. I feel like a bit of a renegade with my long hair. Its usually up, but when I do take it down people are always amazed that it looks healthy and happy. This is success!

[Larki]

I just really enjoy having long hair. I've had it cut short twice (the first time was to shoulder length, the second was an awful bob) and hated it both times. Shoulder wasn't as bad, but that bob was just...ugh. I really like the feeling of long hair on my arms and back, and how it can kind of function like a sweater. :p

Plus my dad really likes long hair so it's kinda like a public service to grow it long. ;)

[Silverbrumby]

For those of you who have really long hair (subjective, I know) - did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length. Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it? Just a thought?


I'm wowed by your hair now!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I'm wowed by your hair now!

Thank you Silverbrumby - if only every day was a good hair day. I dream about every day being a good hair day. Today is not a good hair day....

[Silverbrumby]

Also I have nothing against the wow factor and always appreciate the beautiful hair I get to see around me where I live. There are many women in their 50's, 60's, 70's all sporting long (for the norm) hair BSL to mid back, healthy and loose. It's a pleasure to see well taken care of natural hair in all age groups. I live in hippy land or Marin County.

[Silverbrumby]

I totally get the bad hair days. Over the last 4 years I've lost 50% of my volume and it's hard to take. Luckily the massive hair shed seems to have finally stopped about 4 months ago. I'm curious to see if I can get back the longer, thicker hemline. I'd be so happy with BSL and not too fairy tail! hehe.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I totally get the bad hair days. Over the last 4 years I've lost 50% of my volume and it's hard to take. Luckily the massive hair shed seems to have finally stopped about 4 months ago. I'm curious to see if I can get back the longer, thicker hemline. I'd be so happy with BSL and not too fairy tail! hehe.

I'm sure you can do it Silverbrumby! :)

[LauraLongLocks]

Mine isn't wow-length yet, but yes, I want to be able to wow people on the occasions that I wear it down. I like wearing it up on a daily basis. There are so many styles to choose from, and I find it very interesting to do different styles all the time.

[ashke50]

Like many here, I'm growing my hair for me, because I've always felt more like me with long hair, and because I want to see how long it can get. I do admit that I enjoy letting my hair down occasionally and impressing people with it - but I also enjoy having it up in a bun and only me knowing how long it is - it feels like a secret identity I am keeping hidden in day to day life!

[Agnes Hannah]

Nope, growing it purely for my own pleasure! I wear it up mostly anyway. Yesterday I put it in a paranda made with extensions, and my friends pulled it a bit. Really annoying!

[Remi]

I am growing it for me. I am uncomfortable being the center of attention, with people staring and all. Once it gets really long I would only wear it down around a situation where I know all the people and feel safe. (I like to have my boundaries).

[chen bao jun]

I'm almost 57 years old and people have been 'wowed' (at least paid attention to) my hair my whole life because its thick and has curls (or a whole lotta frizz, depending). the longest it's ever been is brastrap. so there is no way I would be growing my hair long to get even more attention.
Attention can be nice but it is also exhausting and tiring and means repeating the same thing over and over ("yes, my hair just does this")nd a surprising amount of the time involves people touching my hair, not necessarily with permission. And the last time someone did that, they left a big ole scratch across my forehead with their fingernail that lasted for DAYS. I want MORE of that? Nope.
I am growing my hair in honor of getting old and because my granny and aunts had really long hair(by my standards, anyway--my granny could sit on her hair)and I feel an odd urge to reconnect with my family ways of behaving as I get on in age. that's it.
Also--I've always preferred my hair at least long enough to put up (when its short, I can't hide it and have no way of avoiding the attention at all. Plus its in the way then).

[Crumpet]

Chen -- its so rude when people touch hair uninvited...and yet, I might not be able to hold myself back if I saw your hair in person. It is pretty freaking spectacular!

[spidermom]

I've seen so many threads around here about people criticizing long hair and saying things like "when are you going to cut it?" that wowing people with my long hair is about the furthest thing from my mind. I generally hold the idea that it's nobody else's business how long my hair is. Of course I wear it down when I want to, but it's for me, not for anybody else.

I do remember once taking the stick out of my bun and shaking my hair down when I approached the counter of a fast food restaurant because there was a man there with about waist-length hair. Mine was about tailbone length at the time, and I thought "he obviously likes long hair; he'd probably like to see this". But I don't know if he looked at my hair or not because I didn't want to be caught looking at him, being an old lady and all (I had the impression he was much younger).

[Arciela]

I'm growing mine for myself for a few reasons..

I haven't seen my natural color for years, I'm used to it always being super long, never grown it out healthy till I joined LHC a couple years ago. :flower:

[veryhairyfairy]

For those of you who have really long hair (subjective, I know) - did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length. Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it? Just a thought?

Well, I don't have really long hair (almost BCL), but I've been interested in the answers given so far, thought I'd contribute. :)

Did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length?
Partially; Yep. I mainly set out (and am) growing because I feel more like myself with long hair, but part of the reason I'm growing super long is for the unique/wow factor. :shrug: It's nice to have something that sets me apart, which I can also hide.


Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it?
I haven't reached my goal length, but yes. For years now I've worn my hair in almost nothing but braids and buns (hair down maybe once every 3-4 months). So number one: it feels odd and uncomfortable to have loose hair all around me when I'm out and about in public, and number two: now that I'm outside of the realm of mainstream long I worry about spiteful/hateful/crazy people doing something. It seems so paranoid (and maybe even a little narcissistic) but I've heard too many stories of strangers spitting gum into long hair etc!! shudder:

But all is not lost, because I actually really prefer the way I look in a single braid pulled over my shoulder over any other hairstyle. My original goal was always a long braid: easy to keep track of, easy to contain, easy to protect, easy to put up, and no extra detangling required! My goals have kind of changed with my length, and now wearing my hair down is something that I could easily do without 99% of the time. :)

[PraiseCheeses]

For those of you who have really long hair (subjective, I know) - did you set out to grow it with the intention of "wow"ing everyone with the length. Did you wear it up in protective styles and updos and look after it carefully, only to discover that when you reached your goal length you were so used to keeping it up you couldn't bring yourself to wear it down in public at all for fear of - something - happening to it? Just a thought?

Like most of the respondents to this thread, I'm growing mainly for me. I like that very few people know how long it is, and most of the time when someone sees it down for the first time, the attention and comments make me uncomfortable; they're mostly observational and neutral ("Your hair is so long!!!) and I don't know how to respond. First of all, it's not long (only just past hip). Second, saying "Thank you" feels weird... so I mostly just look away and say quietly, "Yeah, it does that...." :oops: So I mostly keep it up - partially to protect it, partially because having it down drives me CRAZY, and partially to avoid comments. It's not so much that I fear something happening to it, but more that it just feels so weird and I don't know how to maneuver it gracefully when it's down.

However, there are those moments when I shamelessly exploit the wow factor of the bun drop. A couple nights ago, I was at a restaurant where the hostesses (extensions, highlights, flatironed, NTTAWWT) COULD NOT LEAVE THEIR HAIR ALONE. Flipping, stroking, twirling... and not paying attention to guests. I pulled out my stick as we were leaving and heard them audibly gasp. :twisted:

Sometimes my students ask me to let my hair down. :) It's pretty adorable. Sometimes I can bribe them to do extra exercises with the promise of seeing loose hair and showing them a few stick tricks. :cloud9:

So it wasn't my intention to "wow" people, and it isn't now, but I do admit to enjoying the power of the "wow" factor from time to time... even though my hair is nowhere near wow-worthy just yet. :p

[molljo]

My hair's still pretty short, but lately my reasons for growing are more for curiosity's sake than anything else. It's been short the majority of my life, and at its longest I was a clueless teen who had no concept of haircare, plus I was in a huge awkward stage at the time, so I looked pretty bad. Now, I just want to know what my hair even looks like long and babied. What do *I* look like with long hair? Am I the type of person who can deal with/tolerate/enjoy the kinds of things in the "You know are a long hair when..." thread? Everything about having long hair is basically foreign to me, so growing it has nothing to do with other people and everything to do with self discovery.

[IGIT]

@op
Your hair grew like crazy!
Forgive me Lord I 'm envious...

[chen bao jun]

Thank you, Crumpet, you are so sweet.
PraiseCheeses, that must have been a hilarious moment (when you did the bundrop)

[meteor]

Sometimes my students ask me to let my hair down. :) It's pretty adorable. Sometimes I can bribe them to do extra exercises with the promise of seeing loose hair and showing them a few stick tricks. :cloud9:
That's so cute! :)


I am growing it out only for myself (and I always wear it up), but when I get that "wow" reaction from people, it's certainly a nice side effect and I'm always grateful to them.

Here's what I think: ALL extremely long hair has a major "wow" factor. It doesn't even have to have an interesting colour or be thick or shiny, just the mere fact of having very long hair (e.g. classic+ or knee+) will probably make people fixated on that hair. It's just that rare in our society.