Interesting survey about the attractiveness of hair

[Simone_Fatale]

Hey guys and girls of the LHC :)

I hapenned to be googling random hair stuff today and I ended up reading a survey on women, their hair and how men percieve the influence of hair to the overall physical appearance. It appears that voters were exclusively men.

Here is the data:

Hair Preferences
 87% of men surveyed indicated that a woman's hair is important when evaluating her overall appearance

 44% of men surveyed indicated that hair is the first thing they notice about a woman, more than her
clothes (26%), legs (25%), or make-up (4%)

 37% of men surveyed chose length as the aspect of a woman’s hair that they loved the most. Other
aspects men loved most included smoothness (21%), smell (15%), shine (14%), and the way it feels (11%)

 82% of men surveyed indicated sexy hair is a key element to a woman’s overall sex appeal

 46% of the men surveyed found long hair to be the sexiest, while 30% indicated the sexiest hair to them
was any hair that looks and feels healthy

Healthy Hair
 80% of men surveyed indicated they considered it a turn-off if a woman has unhealthy hair

 78% of men surveyed indicated they considered it to be a turn-on if a woman has healthy hair

 86% of men surveyed admitted they believe how a woman takes care of her hair is reflective of the way
she takes care of herself

 Men surveyed described women with shiny and healthy hair as being attractive (78%), healthy (69%), and
sexy (65%)

Hair and Dating/Appearance
 74% of men surveyed indicated that they notice women because of their hair

 Most men surveyed would be more likely to approach a woman at a bar with great hair (58%) than a
woman wearing a low-cut shirt (41%)

 60% of men surveyed would rather date a woman with great hair than a woman with big breasts (39%)

 70% of men surveyed admitted that on a first date, bad hair can distract from the conversation

 54% of men surveyed said that if a woman has great hair, it makes it easier to overlook other physical
features that are less attractive

 52% of men (overall) surveyed admitted that if their date had sexy hair, they would try harder to sleep
with her; 59% of men aged 18-25 surveyed admitted they would try harder to sleep with a date with sexy
hair

 48% of men surveyed indicated they would prefer if their girlfriend/date had nice looking hair but it
wouldn’t be a deal-breaker

 40% of men surveyed indicated that having great hair completes the package of an attractive looking
woman they would want to date; older men (over the age of 25) were more likely to identify with this
statement than those aged 18 to 25

 70% of men surveyed admitted that women should put more effort/time into making their hair look nice
 If their girlfriend/date only had time to do one, 80% of men surveyed would rather she style her hair than
put on make-up (19%)

 69% of men surveyed indicated hair care has the biggest positive impact on a woman’s appearance, more
than make-up (22%) or a manicure/pedicure (7%)

 Men surveyed are about twice more likely to spot a bad hair day on a woman (66%) than a zit (33%)


What are your thoughts and do you agree?

I do think that hair is a big part of somebody's appearance and that it can make a difference when it comes to sex appeal of a woman, but somehow I didn't like the overall feel of the survey. I found it a little bit objectifying, but maybe that's just me.

EDIT: I just realized I posted this in the wrong part of the forum by accident, was going for Hair polls and projects. Sorry!

[gus]

Interesting - and it confirms some of the things that I've believed through lived experience, such as guys complimenting my hair even when the rest of me is decidedly less "sexy."

But as a gay woman, I've gotta admit I don't give a fig what guys consider attractive!

[SkyChild]

Ha! I think that's pretty much all nonsense really. Maybe hair makes more of a difference to her overall appearance but I'm fairly certain if you presented most men with a stooped, wrinkled, bearded lady with no teeth but amazing hair he wouldn't be like "I don't care honey, your hair's amazing!"

Sorry to be cynical but it's like the surveys where men go "I prefer a natural woman" but they don't actually have any idea what natural is and will instead pick a woman with subtle makeup, subtle highlighted hair, a big bouncy blowdry, a wonderbra and one who shaves, waxes and plucks everything from eyebrows down!!

I'm not convinced that they notice hair or care about it that much in real life.

To add to this though - My husband watches an advert for some online clothing company. There are shots of several women wearing different dresses and outfits. The only time he commented "That's a nice dress" was when the model was a brunette (which he claims is his personal preference). When asked, he usually says about blondes (films, TV, adverts) that they have squarer jawlines and masculine faces. Even if they actually don't. Odd, the male brain, isn't it?

[Lyv]

Honestly I think most survey's about what a man or woman likes in the opposite sex tends to be mostly bs. If you're looking up any aspect of a persons appearance you're bound to find some survey that 'proves' how much more attractive that quality is. To answer the question though, no I don't agree. My interactions with men have never been different with short hair than with long hair so I'm just going by my experiences.

[Simone_Fatale]

Ha! I think that's pretty much all nonsense really. Maybe hair makes more of a difference to her overall appearance but I'm fairly certain if you presented most men with a stooped, wrinkled, bearded lady with no teeth but amazing hair he wouldn't be like "I don't care honey, your hair's amazing!"

Sorry to be cynical but it's like the surveys where men go "I prefer a natural woman" but they don't actually have any idea what natural is and will instead pick a woman with subtle makeup, subtle highlighted hair, a big bouncy blowdry, a wonderbra and one who shaves, waxes and plucks everything from eyebrows down!!

I'm not convinced that they notice hair or care about it that much in real life.

To add to this though - My husband watches an advert for some online clothing company. There are shots of several women wearing different dresses and outfits. The only time he commented "That's a nice dress" was when the model was a brunette (which he claims is his personal preference). When asked, he usually says about blondes (films, TV, adverts) that they have squarer jawlines and masculine faces. Even if they actually don't. Odd, the male brain, isn't it?

Oh I totally agree with the point you just made. Men tend to think makeup, nails, hairdos etc all have to look unnatural and fake, but if done properly, all of it can subtly add to somebody's appearance without men even noticing that something was done in the first place.
I'm not sure how much they really notice hair but I can tell that my appearance changes drastically with different lengths of hair and different styles, so I guess hair isn't so irrelevant after all.




Honestly I think most survey's about what a man or woman likes in the opposite sex tends to be mostly bs. If you're looking up any aspect of a persons appearance you're bound to find some survey that 'proves' how much more attractive that quality is. To answer the question though, no I don't agree. My interactions with men have never been different with short hair than with long hair so I'm just going by my experiences.

It's definitely individual and not a rule, although 90% of the men I know have a very similar preference to long hair. It's portrayed more feminine by society norms and we're exposed to those our whole lives, so I'm thinking that must be a big factor.

[Brynja]

I agree with SkyChild here,men don't really have an idea of what natural hair (maybe even a natural woman) might look like,because of the media showing girls with blow dried fake hair,make up and plastic surgery,it's hard to come by a natural woman since most of them (at least where I live) do that stuff but some men will think that it's natural because it 'looks sexy'. Of course a blow dried,straightened hair looks good but by the morning when the girl wakes up near her date looking her natural self,it won't be so pretty because of the damaged hair and skin (if the girl is wearing heavy make up daily that is). I knew a girl who would actually wake up early in the morning,before her boyfriend did just to shower,blow dry her hair,straighten it and get her make up done,she didn't want him to see her natural self! I'm not saying that make up is bad,make up can actually boost your confidence and make you hide those zits but it's a shame when a woman can't leave her house without it.

I agree with the survey,that hair can be important when you want to get a date but I think it's only good for those first impressions. After being with a guy for over 2 months or so,I don't think he will mind a bad hair day or anything. In my experience,men tend to 'stare' more at a long haired woman than her having a short hair,of course it depends on personal preference.

[Kaelee]

Based on the relative rarity of natural and healthy hair in our society, do the guys who responded to this survey actually know what it looks/feels like?

That said, whenever my (male) coworkers happen to catch me with my hair down, they all do double takes. Haha it is past waist length though and I wear it up every day.

[Johannah]

What about the background information about this study?

If a researcher asks a man 'Would unhealthy hair be a turn-off?' it's easy to say yes. But in real life, would they really notice the difference? I'm quite sure if I ask a random guy in my neighborhood whether hair is healthy or not, he wouldn't notice the difference. :p

[StickyMane]

Yeah, guys may mistake hair that has frizz and kinks as unhealthy when it may be as healthy as it gets. My brother and father wouldn't know the difference between natural me and raw me if they saw me. That goes with many other guys I know.. they have no clue how subtle a girl's makeup and other enhancements can be that really do make all the difference in how they appeal to others.
A woman can have her hair professionally bleached and it looks very silky and shiny and healthy. But take away the bleach, extensions, and heat tools and her hair will not look as great. Now I am pretty raw when it comes to looks (raw as in, no makeup and my hair is usually natural in every way), but subtle changes such as curling my lashes and enhancing my waves and concealing a few spots, even combing my eyebrows can make me look more polished and pretty.. but it's not me in the raw and most guys wouldn't know the difference.

[HintOfMint]

I think these kinds of surveys are just loaded with leading questions that make the dude filling them out lean more towards "yes" or "agree" answers than not.

Don't get me wrong, having long thick hair helps in attraction (of course my perspective could be off, and I'm attracting "hair men," not necessarily giving me a leg up with the general population), but I don't think men are really judging all that much with this sort of particularity. I think they notice a pretty, well groomed woman, but not like "oh my god her hair is so...fried."

And plenty of women with bobs and the like get dates.

[Simone_Fatale]

I agree with SkyChild here,men don't really have an idea of what natural hair (maybe even a natural woman) might look like,because of the media showing girls with blow dried fake hair,make up and plastic surgery,it's hard to come by a natural woman since most of them (at least where I live) do that stuff but some men will think that it's natural because it 'looks sexy'. Of course a blow dried,straightened hair looks good but by the morning when the girl wakes up near her date looking her natural self,it won't be so pretty because of the damaged hair and skin (if the girl is wearing heavy make up daily that is). I knew a girl who would actually wake up early in the morning,before her boyfriend did just to shower,blow dry her hair,straighten it and get her make up done,she didn't want him to see her natural self! I'm not saying that make up is bad,make up can actually boost your confidence and make you hide those zits but it's a shame when a woman can't leave her house without it.

I agree with the survey,that hair can be important when you want to get a date but I think it's only good for those first impressions. After being with a guy for over 2 months or so,I don't think he will mind a bad hair day or anything. In my experience,men tend to 'stare' more at a long haired woman than her having a short hair,of course it depends on personal preference.

Yup. A month or two is as far physical attraction to superficial things matters... Then personality comes into play.
It's sad that some girls can't feel okay about themselves without makeup and styling, but it's not surprising considering everywhere we look we see a retouched illusion of perfection.


Based on the relative rarity of natural and healthy hair in our society, do the guys who responded to this survey actually know what it looks/feels like?

That said, whenever my (male) coworkers happen to catch me with my hair down, they all do double takes. Haha it is past waist length though and I wear it up every day.

They probably have a semi-correct perception of healthy hair, probably influenced by the girls they know and how their hair looks. I mean, compared to, for example, a bleached blonde look with regular heat styling, anything looks healthy and natural.


What about the background information about this study?

If a researcher asks a man 'Would unhealthy hair be a turn-off?' it's easy to say yes. But in real life, would they really notice the difference? I'm quite sure if I ask a random guy in my neighborhood whether hair is healthy or not, he wouldn't notice the difference. :p

It was actually Pantene who did the survey. Big surprise - a hair product company praising the importance of hair! But I do believe hair plays a role in attraction. As for telling the difference, I'm not sure - as there are a lot of styling products designed to mask hair damage, you can never really tell.


Yeah, guys may mistake hair that has frizz and kinks as unhealthy when it may be as healthy as it gets. My brother and father wouldn't know the difference between natural me and raw me if they saw me. That goes with many other guys I know.. they have no clue how subtle a girl's makeup and other enhancements can be that really do make all the difference in how they appeal to others.
A woman can have her hair professionally bleached and it looks very silky and shiny and healthy. But take away the bleach, extensions, and heat tools and her hair will not look as great. Now I am pretty raw when it comes to looks (raw as in, no makeup and my hair is usually natural in every way), but subtle changes such as curling my lashes and enhancing my waves and concealing a few spots, even combing my eyebrows can make me look more polished and pretty.. but it's not me in the raw and most guys wouldn't know the difference.

Some people do think of frizz as unhealthy hair, especially guys that never had long hair. I'm glad you're flaunting your natural beauty, nothing sexier than a confident woman! :) I'm somewhat of a makeup freak but mostly because I really enjoy trying out new looks, experimenting and making every look a piece of art. But I agree that discreet 'no makeup' makeup is the best. If it makes people say "You're pretty" instead of "Your makeup looks pretty", it's done properly. :D

[neko_kawaii]

I think these kinds of surveys are just loaded with leading questions that make the dude filling them out lean more towards "yes" or "agree" answers than not.

Don't get me wrong, having long thick hair helps in attraction (of course my perspective could be off, and I'm attracting "hair men," not necessarily giving me a leg up with the general population), but I don't think men are really judging all that much with this sort of particularity. I think they notice a pretty, well groomed woman, but not like "oh my god her hair is so...fried."

And plenty of women with bobs and the like get dates.

I agree.



70% of men surveyed admitted that on a first date, bad hair can distract from the conversation

Define bad, because obviously if it is bad enough to be distracting it is going to be distracting.

And EVERYONE wanted to chat me up when I was bald. So the whole "long hair is attractive" argument holds no water for me.

[StickyMane]

Some people do think of frizz as unhealthy hair, especially guys that never had long hair. I'm glad you're flaunting your natural beauty, nothing sexier than a confident woman! :) I'm somewhat of a makeup freak but mostly because I really enjoy trying out new looks, experimenting and making every look a piece of art. But I agree that discreet 'no makeup' makeup is the best. If it makes people say "You're pretty" instead of "Your makeup looks pretty", it's done properly. :D

Yeah I definitely enjoy wearing makeup, but when I don't feel up to it or don't have enough time I'm perfectly fine going out without any on. I've never worn so much makeup that it looks like I have some on.. I like to keep my coverage pretty sheer and natural, except for the eyes of course! Haha I like dolling my eyes up. What I don't get is why men don't have to wear makeup and do anything special or time consuming to their hair and women either feel obliged to or it seems they have to wear makeup and have their hair done to be deemed as presentable. I've never had a job myself yet, but my mom wears makeup to work and she doesn't need it! There's nothing wrong with her wearing it, but I know she literally only wears makeup because she's going to be working.

[Simone_Fatale]

I think these kinds of surveys are just loaded with leading questions that make the dude filling them out lean more towards "yes" or "agree" answers than not.

Don't get me wrong, having long thick hair helps in attraction (of course my perspective could be off, and I'm attracting "hair men," not necessarily giving me a leg up with the general population), but I don't think men are really judging all that much with this sort of particularity. I think they notice a pretty, well groomed woman, but not like "oh my god her hair is so...fried."

And plenty of women with bobs and the like get dates.

I agree. Although I know straight men who rejected women because they had one chipped NAIL, so I'm guessing it depends on the guy and how superficial he is. And we can't say there aren't plenty of those men around.



Define bad, because obviously if it is bad enough to be distracting it is going to be distracting.

And EVERYONE wanted to chat me up when I was bald. So the whole "long hair is attractive" argument holds no water for me.

Interesting opinions :) Since we're on a forum dedicated to long hair, people would assume hair would be considered attractive here.
I think that some women are apsolutely stunning with pixies and short hair-dos, because when a woman pulls off a pixie, she pulls it off reeeeal good.
On the other hand, long, flowing, shiny waves evoke romantic, Botticeli-esque paintings of feminine beauty. Something very enchanting about long hair if you ask me. :)
P.S. I['m admiring your courage to go bald. Not a lot of women would be brave to do it. :)

[MINAKO]

Interesting - and it confirms some of the things that I've believed through lived experience, such as guys complimenting my hair even when the rest of me is decidedly less "sexy."

But as a gay woman, I've gotta admit I don't give a fig what guys consider attractive!

Although i would be considered straight by general rules i actually prefer to be percieved attractive by other women too, rather than i would care about what i guy says. Most of them are so easy to fool, they could possibly not even tell if i was wearing a different wig every day, lol. And guys who talk about makeup in a way as if it wasn't needed cause their GFs are so natural probably never heard of nude tones. I'm not adressing all of them, but the ones i happen to know personally. Duh, who cares!

[Simone_Fatale]

Yeah I definitely enjoy wearing makeup, but when I don't feel up to it or don't have enough time I'm perfectly fine going out without any on. I've never worn so much makeup that it looks like I have some on.. I like to keep my coverage pretty sheer and natural, except for the eyes of course! Haha I like dolling my eyes up. What I don't get is why men don't have to wear makeup and do anything special or time consuming to their hair and women either feel obliged to or it seems they have to wear makeup and have their hair done to be deemed as presentable. I've never had a job myself yet, but my mom wears makeup to work and she doesn't need it! There's nothing wrong with her wearing it, but I know she literally only wears makeup because she's going to be working.

It's all a part of our culture I guess. Women are expected to be the 'pretty flawless dolls' while it's considered okay for a man to look less than perfect. It's sexist and unfair, but hey, welcome to the 21st century. :< Objectifying women and judging them by their appearance is not a new concept, although women have so much more to offer than plain skin and meat. That's probably why a lot of women wear makeup when they don't have to - it's not rare that a woman is considered a slob or seen as somebody who doesn't take care after themselves just because she doesn't wear makeup or try to polish her look. I'm like ... It's a workplace, not the runway. Please.

[StickyMane]

It's all a part of our culture I guess. Women are expected to be the 'pretty flawless dolls' while it's considered okay for a man to look less than perfect. It's sexist and unfair, but hey, welcome to the 21st century. :< Objectifying women and judging them by their appearance is not a new concept, although women have so much more to offer than plain skin and meat. That's probably why a lot of women wear makeup when they don't have to - it's not rare that a woman is considered a slob or seen as somebody who doesn't take care after themselves just because she doesn't wear makeup or try to polish her look. I'm like ... It's a workplace, not the runway. Please.

Heyyy... are you calling me a slob? Hahah, I'm just kidding. I don't care what people think or say about me anyways. I know that if it became illegal to wear makeup and do anything unnatural to your hair or body, guys would be flabbergasted at how such sexy women can look so Plain Jane. I would know, because I can transform myself. ;)

[Simone_Fatale]

Heyyy... are you calling me a slob? Hahah, I'm just kidding. I don't care what people think or say about me anyways. I know that if it became illegal to wear makeup and do anything unnatural to your hair or body, guys would be flabbergasted at how such sexy women can look so Plain Jane. I would know, because I can transform myself. ;)

Ahah :D That is a great attitude to have! :) And yes, makeup can make a drastic difference, although some women are really pretty without makeup even with average facial features. I think it's because their personality shines through, a little charisma goes a long way :o

[Nedertane]

Echoing the other comments here - I was chuckling to myself throughout the list, because I'm pretty sure that most men (excluding lhc men) have no idea what healthy hair looks like, much like many of them have little to no idea what "natural" or "no makeup" looks like.

Also - "70% of men surveyed admitted that women should put more effort/time into making their hair look nice"? Um, them first. Again, though, excluding lhc men, haha. Men often (but not always, obviously) have this entitled mentality that all they need to do is make sure they don't smell, while expecting women to be dressed to the nines.

And if I may add my oh-so-terrible anecdotal evidence, lol, I've had long hair since my teens (like, at least bsl, which is considered long by most people), and I can count on one hand the number of guys I've dated, or have asked me out ;)

[shinyred]

dbf often reads posts with me, and he wanted to write something himself about this thread. Here is what he wanted to say.

As dbf of a LHC member i've been "taught" - or "brain-washed" into knowing a lot more about hair than i ever used to. I have a much better appreciation of what it takes to look after hair now.
I'll agree that most guy's that i know are shallow and sexist, i know that i can be to a certain extent. But i am in favour and always have been of "natural" women. By natural i mean women that don't have plastic surgery, that either use no make-up or so little that it isn't noticeable. I've always believed that everyone should be who they really are and not hide behind makeup, revealing/sexy clothes, fake tans and surgery. Don't get me wrong, there are some occasions when more makeup, if it's done well, can look really nice.
With regards to hair, i still have no idea how to tell if hair is damaged by looking at it. My preference for hair is long hair - yes that means BSL or longer to a guy - and either brunette or red head. But, no matter what the woman may look like, to me anyway, it's the personality that's important. You don't live with or marry someone's hair, dress sense or makeup, you stay with the person for who they are.
I don't have long hair, i'm pretty much bald across the middle of my head, but i am kind of growing the rest a bit to see how it comes out.

With regards to the survey, trust me, the majority of time men notice a woman's clothes and/or figure, then maybe hair. I think guy's liking the length most is true.
 Most men surveyed would be more likely to approach a woman at a bar with great hair (58%) than a
woman wearing a low-cut shirt (41%) - Don't believe this one, sorry.

 60% of men surveyed would rather date a woman with great hair than a woman with big breasts (39%) - Most of the guys i know would go for the bigger breasts. Me personally i don't like big breasts, i like breasts that are in proportion to the rest of the body.

 54% of men surveyed said that if a woman has great hair, it makes it easier to overlook other physical
features that are less attractive - I don't know, but i guess it's probably true? I still think personality is more important.

 52% of men (overall) surveyed admitted that if their date had sexy hair, they would try harder to sleep
with her; 59% of men aged 18-25 surveyed admitted they would try harder to sleep with a date with sexy
hair - The hair would make absolutely no difference to most of the guys i know. This did make me laugh though.

The rest of the survey i think is complete rubbish.

I have to admit that i do, now, notice hair a lot more. In fact i find i notice a woman's hair more than what she is wearing, what she looks like or even her makeup.

Anyway, i want to say thank you to my GF for letting me write this and give a guy's opinion on this thread. Hope no-one minded?

[molljo]

This stuff always cracks me up, because I got, by far, way more attention from dudes with a pixie than at longer lengths.

One thing about this survey that stuck out to me, was this

80% of men surveyed would rather she style her hair than put on make-up (19%)
Really, dudes? Really?
I absolutely agree that most guys would not be able to recognize natural makeup if it danced provocatively in front of them screaming "I AM MAKEUP".

[LauraLongLocks]

My husband thinks that long healthy hair is sexy, and if a woman is homely or plain otherwise, she can at least have nice hair. Interesting, because he married me when I had very short hair. So, I can rest assured that he is attracted to my other qualities, not just my hair (but I know that the long hair is visually pleasing for him, so I'm glad to have it for myself and for that purpose, ha ha). From talking to him, I know that he doesn't like fairytale ends, and that he notices damaged hair and says it's better to have short hair than to have long, damaged hair. He says having me on his arm when we are out does a lot for his self-image. He likes to show off my long hair, my figure, and my youthful skin. He sometimes calls me his "trophy" wife, and says he never need look further than me for that sort of thing... he already has it. Gotta say, he builds me up a lot in the looks department. I never have to wonder whether he likes what he has. I used to worry that he just thought I was a good piece of meat because he would go on about how good looking I am, but then I realized he DOES compliment me on the other things... he says I'm smarter than he is (a big fat lie, he has a lot more education), that I'm so full of faith, and good with the kids, and always says I'm a good cook. I am truly blessed to have a man who is so smitten by me, even with all my shortcomings and imperfections. I'm glad I can please him with my long hair. It's really a small thing I can do for him, and it pleases me as well, so bonus!

[HintOfMint]

dbf often reads posts with me, and he wanted to write something himself about this thread. Here is what he wanted to say.

As dbf of a LHC member i've been "taught" - or "brain-washed" into knowing a lot more about hair than i ever used to. I have a much better appreciation of what it takes to look after hair now.
I'll agree that most guy's that i know are shallow and sexist, i know that i can be to a certain extent. But i am in favour and always have been of "natural" women. By natural i mean women that don't have plastic surgery, that either use no make-up or so little that it isn't noticeable. I've always believed that everyone should be who they really are and not hide behind makeup, revealing/sexy clothes, fake tans and surgery. Don't get me wrong, there are some occasions when more makeup, if it's done well, can look really nice.
With regards to hair, i still have no idea how to tell if hair is damaged by looking at it. My preference for hair is long hair - yes that means BSL or longer to a guy - and either brunette or red head. But, no matter what the woman may look like, to me anyway, it's the personality that's important. You don't live with or marry someone's hair, dress sense or makeup, you stay with the person for who they are.
I don't have long hair, i'm pretty much bald across the middle of my head, but i am kind of growing the rest a bit to see how it comes out.

With regards to the survey, trust me, the majority of time men notice a woman's clothes and/or figure, then maybe hair. I think guy's liking the length most is true.
 Most men surveyed would be more likely to approach a woman at a bar with great hair (58%) than a
woman wearing a low-cut shirt (41%) - Don't believe this one, sorry.

 60% of men surveyed would rather date a woman with great hair than a woman with big breasts (39%) - Most of the guys i know would go for the bigger breasts. Me personally i don't like big breasts, i like breasts that are in proportion to the rest of the body.

 54% of men surveyed said that if a woman has great hair, it makes it easier to overlook other physical
features that are less attractive - I don't know, but i guess it's probably true? I still think personality is more important.

 52% of men (overall) surveyed admitted that if their date had sexy hair, they would try harder to sleep
with her; 59% of men aged 18-25 surveyed admitted they would try harder to sleep with a date with sexy
hair - The hair would make absolutely no difference to most of the guys i know. This did make me laugh though.

The rest of the survey i think is complete rubbish.

I have to admit that i do, now, notice hair a lot more. In fact i find i notice a woman's hair more than what she is wearing, what she looks like or even her makeup.

Anyway, i want to say thank you to my GF for letting me write this and give a guy's opinion on this thread. Hope no-one minded?

Thanks to your DBF for such a rational response!

[MINAKO]

By natural i mean women that don't have plastic surgery, that either use no make-up or so little that it isn't noticeable. I've always believed that everyone should be who they really are and not hide behind makeup, revealing/sexy clothes, fake tans and surgery. Don't get me wrong, there are some occasions when more makeup, if it's done well, can look really nice.

No offense to DBF and i know many women would look at this in the same way, but i really wonder why these thing are being percieved as fake, evil, mischievous, hiding behind XY, not being ones TRUE self and such... i don't get it! YOu can be your true self with a a triple full face of makeup on, giant silicone boobs and a rainbow color wig if that's what you choose to be and be completely real about it, ya know. Being natural doesn't always work so well, i've been pointed at as a deceitful b*tch, where somethings just doesn't fir my entire life simply because of my mixed ethnicity. People are just throwing assupmtion on what the would percieve as not natural and judge you anyways, so i don't really think it's any use trying to serve them. And a girl can sure feel amazing about herself without the idea of having to catch some guys attention.

[Larki]

I don't care what anyone else finds attractive.

[Simone_Fatale]

dbf often reads posts with me, and he wanted to write something himself about this thread. Here is what he wanted to say.

As dbf of a LHC member i've been "taught" - or "brain-washed" into knowing a lot more about hair than i ever used to. I have a much better appreciation of what it takes to look after hair now.
I'll agree that most guy's that i know are shallow and sexist, i know that i can be to a certain extent. But i am in favour and always have been of "natural" women. By natural i mean women that don't have plastic surgery, that either use no make-up or so little that it isn't noticeable. I've always believed that everyone should be who they really are and not hide behind makeup, revealing/sexy clothes, fake tans and surgery. Don't get me wrong, there are some occasions when more makeup, if it's done well, can look really nice.
With regards to hair, i still have no idea how to tell if hair is damaged by looking at it. My preference for hair is long hair - yes that means BSL or longer to a guy - and either brunette or red head. But, no matter what the woman may look like, to me anyway, it's the personality that's important. You don't live with or marry someone's hair, dress sense or makeup, you stay with the person for who they are.
I don't have long hair, i'm pretty much bald across the middle of my head, but i am kind of growing the rest a bit to see how it comes out.

With regards to the survey, trust me, the majority of time men notice a woman's clothes and/or figure, then maybe hair. I think guy's liking the length most is true.
 Most men surveyed would be more likely to approach a woman at a bar with great hair (58%) than a
woman wearing a low-cut shirt (41%) - Don't believe this one, sorry.

 60% of men surveyed would rather date a woman with great hair than a woman with big breasts (39%) - Most of the guys i know would go for the bigger breasts. Me personally i don't like big breasts, i like breasts that are in proportion to the rest of the body.

 54% of men surveyed said that if a woman has great hair, it makes it easier to overlook other physical
features that are less attractive - I don't know, but i guess it's probably true? I still think personality is more important.

 52% of men (overall) surveyed admitted that if their date had sexy hair, they would try harder to sleep
with her; 59% of men aged 18-25 surveyed admitted they would try harder to sleep with a date with sexy
hair - The hair would make absolutely no difference to most of the guys i know. This did make me laugh though.

The rest of the survey i think is complete rubbish.

I have to admit that i do, now, notice hair a lot more. In fact i find i notice a woman's hair more than what she is wearing, what she looks like or even her makeup.

Anyway, i want to say thank you to my GF for letting me write this and give a guy's opinion on this thread. Hope no-one minded?

Thank you for a honest opinion from a guy's perspective. Much appreciated! :)

[Simone_Fatale]

My husband thinks that long healthy hair is sexy, and if a woman is homely or plain otherwise, she can at least have nice hair. Interesting, because he married me when I had very short hair. So, I can rest assured that he is attracted to my other qualities, not just my hair (but I know that the long hair is visually pleasing for him, so I'm glad to have it for myself and for that purpose, ha ha). From talking to him, I know that he doesn't like fairytale ends, and that he notices damaged hair and says it's better to have short hair than to have long, damaged hair. He says having me on his arm when we are out does a lot for his self-image. He likes to show off my long hair, my figure, and my youthful skin. He sometimes calls me his "trophy" wife, and says he never need look further than me for that sort of thing... he already has it. Gotta say, he builds me up a lot in the looks department. I never have to wonder whether he likes what he has. I used to worry that he just thought I was a good piece of meat because he would go on about how good looking I am, but then I realized he DOES compliment me on the other things... he says I'm smarter than he is (a big fat lie, he has a lot more education), that I'm so full of faith, and good with the kids, and always says I'm a good cook. I am truly blessed to have a man who is so smitten by me, even with all my shortcomings and imperfections. I'm glad I can please him with my long hair. It's really a small thing I can do for him, and it pleases me as well, so bonus!

I'm really happy that you found each other and compliment each other so well. It's also great that you both can enjoy your long hair (which is beautiful by the way). It can only bring you even closer together :)



No offense to DBF and i know many women would look at this in the same way, but i really wonder why these thing are being percieved as fake, evil, mischievous, hiding behind XY, not being ones TRUE self and such... i don't get it! YOu can be your true self with a a triple full face of makeup on, giant silicone boobs and a rainbow color wig if that's what you choose to be and be completely real about it, ya know. Being natural doesn't always work so well, i've been pointed at as a deceitful b*tch, where somethings just doesn't fir my entire life simply because of my mixed ethnicity. People are just throwing assupmtion on what the would percieve as not natural and judge you anyways, so i don't really think it's any use trying to serve them. And a girl can sure feel amazing about herself without the idea of having to catch some guys attention.

It seems that people believe you're born how you're born and changing or evolving to fit your needs and desires is unnatural or deceptful. It's discouraging and wrong. Nobody is born with a college degree and yet education is not considered unnatural. If a woman likes heavy makeup and it is considered unnatural, well - it would be against her nature to be all simple, no makeup and raw. In that case, using makeup is not decieving or hiding, but actually putting it out in the open and staying true to oneself.

[woodswanderer]

This survey sort of surprised me. I don't know how wide the sample is, but while I am aware that a lot of men prefer long hair, I never had the idea that it was of such importance. They clearly didn't survey my DH....I'm pretty sure he is aware that I have long hair. :D

[florenonite]

No offense to DBF and i know many women would look at this in the same way, but i really wonder why these thing are being percieved as fake, evil, mischievous, hiding behind XY, not being ones TRUE self and such... i don't get it! YOu can be your true self with a a triple full face of makeup on, giant silicone boobs and a rainbow color wig if that's what you choose to be and be completely real about it, ya know. Being natural doesn't always work so well, i've been pointed at as a deceitful b*tch, where somethings just doesn't fir my entire life simply because of my mixed ethnicity. People are just throwing assupmtion on what the would percieve as not natural and judge you anyways, so i don't really think it's any use trying to serve them. And a girl can sure feel amazing about herself without the idea of having to catch some guys attention.

There seems to be this general perception that if you don't keep it 'natural', you're either insecure and hiding something, or else you're deceiving others, aka men, by looking prettier than you 'really' are. Either way, the idea that you could be doing these things because you happen to enjoy it doesn't cross people's minds.

Personally, I do like what could be called an 'enhanced natural' look, where make up, hair, clothing, and one's own natural features all work together to create a complete look. That being said, this is personal preference, and has no bearing on what other people actually choose to do.


I don't care what anyone else finds attractive.

QFT. I hate all these "What guys think about X aspect of a woman's appearance" things, because the general assumption is that women wear make up/do their hair/dress a certain way for men. Newsflash: we don't. I mean, sure, most women will put in a bit more effort for a date, and that's partly because they want to make a good impression, but it's as much about feeling confident in themselves as anything else.

[MINAKO]

There seems to be this general perception that if you don't keep it 'natural', you're either insecure and hiding something, or else you're deceiving others, aka men, by looking prettier than you 'really' are. Either way, the idea that you could be doing these things because you happen to enjoy it doesn't cross people's minds.

Personally, I do like what could be called an 'enhanced natural' look, where make up, hair, clothing, and one's own natural features all work together to create a complete look. That being said, this is personal preference, and has no bearing on what other people actually choose to do.


Yes, i hate this too, the assumption that the sole reason we do anything about ourselves, or even breathe the very air we do, would be to get the approval of some guy.
i actually have no interest to be one of those girls who would be followed around by many guys because she meets their taste, like uhmmm no thanks, i don't want to fit the scheme, lol.

They all should take a look at this once in a while, before overestimating the value of their opinions, hehehe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism

[thistledown]

Hmmm I don't know, you have to remember that what they refer to as long hair is waist or shorter.......longer then that and people can assume your religious or just weird. But anyway if a man has ever commented on my hair (2 times in my whole life) it's always an older gentleman. Maybe they look when I don't notice? I can hope......
I admire girls who are good with makeup.....in no way do I feel the need to wear makeup every day, but I'd love the option to really glam up if I wanted!

[Toffeemonster]

Ha! I think that's pretty much all nonsense really. Maybe hair makes more of a difference to her overall appearance but I'm fairly certain if you presented most men with a stooped, wrinkled, bearded lady with no teeth but amazing hair he wouldn't be like "I don't care honey, your hair's amazing!"

Sorry to be cynical but it's like the surveys where men go "I prefer a natural woman" but they don't actually have any idea what natural is and will instead pick a woman with subtle makeup, subtle highlighted hair, a big bouncy blowdry, a wonderbra and one who shaves, waxes and plucks everything from eyebrows down!!

I'm not convinced that they notice hair or care about it that much in real life.

To add to this though - My husband watches an advert for some online clothing company. There are shots of several women wearing different dresses and outfits. The only time he commented "That's a nice dress" was when the model was a brunette (which he claims is his personal preference). When asked, he usually says about blondes (films, TV, adverts) that they have squarer jawlines and masculine faces. Even if they actually don't. Odd, the male brain, isn't it?

hehe I have to laugh in agreement, re: men knowing about hair. I think when they say they want hair to look healthy and good, the really do mean LOOK healthy, and what is good, if not open to interpretation? They probably do mean freshly styled beyond redemption without even realizing it.

That said I've noticed a big difference in the attention/looks I garner if I wear my hair down(same effect as wearing a skirt) So based on that I'd 100% believe the survey.

[Toffeemonster]

This stuff always cracks me up, because I got, by far, way more attention from dudes with a pixie than at longer lengths.

One thing about this survey that stuck out to me, was this

Really, dudes? Really?
I absolutely agree that most guys would not be able to recognize natural makeup if it danced provocatively in front of them screaming "I AM MAKEUP".

Think you're onto something there, it's a very individual thing, I think my hair suits me down/long but I've definitely known people who suit shorter cuts better.

And lol!!!!!!!!!

[chen bao jun]

Pantene having done the survey pretty much says it all.
I'm glad the DBF put his take on this in.
I pretty much started laughing too when I saw the bit about men noticing nice hair more than a low cut neckline or larger bosoms. This is not to say that all or most men are so shallow that they end up dating/marrying a woman for the size of her chest, but do an experiment and have two women walk up to a group of men, any men, and one has long beautiful hair and not much of a figure and one is as bald as an egg and has a large chest, even one not exposed with a low neckline and push up bra and see who they all turn around to look at.
Men are wired to notice your appearance first but more longterm they do care about other things, so while the girl in the pushup bra has the advantage in a bar setting, she doesn't in terms of a lasting relationship, you have to work on your personality for that. It's a balance. and I do think most of us (with some exceptions) do want a man in our lives and want to attract one and I really don't see what's so shameful about that, it does make the world go round. If men weren't attracted to women and vice versa, wouldn't we as the human race cease to exist pretty quickly? It's a natural thing.
On another subject, as for men having a a clue if a woman is natural or not, I think its very rare that they do. And as for if they care one little bit...They will say they do, but all they mean by that, is don't have the makeup screaming at them. They notice too MUCH makeup, like when you cake it on in strange colors or put rings around your eyes or something like that. I personally don't wear makeup because I can't (severe allergies) and have never had a leg up on anybody because of this. As a matter of fact, men usually assume that I must be wearing some makeup, because its so standard to do so and they are so used to women who can put it on so that it doesn't appear that they are wearing any which they are quite fine with. My husband was pleased to learn that I was not wearing it when we first met (he also assumed I was, until he popped by my dorm room one day and saw me in hair curlers and glasses and realized that I was the natural me) but it wouldn't have been a deal breaker if it had turned out that I had on foundation and all of the other whatever, men expect it.
And trust me, they have no idea whether or not you are blowdrying or flatironing or dyeing your hair and they do not care. A lot of men like to touch women's hair (men are very tactile with the women they love) but I don't think they care if it is100% natural and I don't think too many of them have a set length they like, although obviously some of them do (and they would tend to be the SO's of women on this board if they like really really long hair), I can't see men who like pixies being LHC boyfriends and husbands for obvious reasons.

[Nedertane]

No offense to DBF and i know many women would look at this in the same way, but i really wonder why these thing are being percieved as fake, evil, mischievous, hiding behind XY, not being ones TRUE self and such... i don't get it! YOu can be your true self with a a triple full face of makeup on, giant silicone boobs and a rainbow color wig if that's what you choose to be and be completely real about it, ya know. Being natural doesn't always work so well, i've been pointed at as a deceitful b*tch, where somethings just doesn't fir my entire life simply because of my mixed ethnicity. People are just throwing assupmtion on what the would percieve as not natural and judge you anyways, so i don't really think it's any use trying to serve them. And a girl can sure feel amazing about herself without the idea of having to catch some guys attention.

Omg, this this this. I absolutely cannot STAND when dudes (and sometimes ladies) hold this opinion. Its usually pretty well-rooted in misogyny, from what I've observed.

[MINAKO]

Omg, this this this. I absolutely cannot STAND when dudes (and sometimes ladies) hold this opinion. Its usually pretty well-rooted in misogyny, from what I've observed.

Exactly, i mean what on earth is natural after a human steps out of the shower, we dress ourselves, get tattoos, have out teeth done, use all kinds of personal hygene and cosmetic product that are anything but necessary to survive. So please, these people should not be pointing at anyone who decides for themselves to look more avantgardistic, freaky, have false lashes, nails, some extensions or even surgery or body modifications of any kind. People today are entitled to design their own looks without the need to feel guilty about it. And negative examples given are just as much in the eye of the beholder as (natural) beauty is.

I personally love the elegant and unusual things, but we don't even need to go that far. Most cultural tradition too is a very unnatural thing in itself and sure as hell i wouldn't want to miss it. Who cares what some guys in a bar think about women to potentially get laid, like omfg?

[blue_eyes]

In my experience I have found that I got a lot of male attention when my hair was anywhere from BSL to WL. My boyfriend has told me on several occasions that he loves long hair on women, and doesn't find short hair (APL or shorter) sexy at all. My hair is pretty damaged with thin ends, and I'm also growing out dye, so my hair looks pretty bad right now. Despite this my BF doesn't want me to cut it. He'd rather I have long, ugly hair than short pretty hair, hahaha. All that tells me is that guys don't noticed dye or damage nearly as much as length, well...at least my BF doesn't. :P

In regards to the subject of makeup, I always think of this experience I've had: I heard one group of guys I knew stating that the only way to know if a girl is truly beautiful is to see her in sweatpants, a baggy shirt, with her hair in a messy bun & not wearing makeup. On a separate occasion, I heard another group of guys I knew complaining that women who wear sweatpants and baggy shirts, with their hair up & no makeup are complete bums who make no effort, and are thus gross and unattractive. An ex of mine used to complain when I got dressed up everyday, but if I didn't he'd complain that I didn't make an effort and looked like a bum. He'd complain if I wore makeup, and then he'd complain if I didn't. It is impossible to win, and this is exactly why women should do whatever makes them happy.

[CremeTron]

In my experience I have found that I got a lot of male attention when my hair was anywhere from BSL to WL. My boyfriend has told me on several occasions that he loves long hair on women, and doesn't find short hair (APL or shorter) sexy at all. My hair is pretty damaged with thin ends, and I'm also growing out dye, so my hair looks pretty bad right now. Despite this my BF doesn't want me to cut it. He'd rather I have long, ugly hair than short pretty hair, hahaha. All that tells me is that guys don't noticed dye or damage nearly as much as length, well...at least my BF doesn't. :P

In regards to the subject of makeup, I always think of this experience I've had: I heard one group of guys I knew stating that the only way to know if a girl is truly beautiful is to see her in sweatpants, a baggy shirt, with her hair in a messy bun & not wearing makeup. On a separate occasion, I heard another group of guys I knew complaining that women who wear sweatpants and baggy shirts, with their hair up & no makeup are complete bums who make no effort, and are thus gross and unattractive. An ex of mine used to complain when I got dressed up everyday, but if I didn't he'd complain that I didn't make an effort and looked like a bum. He'd complain if I wore makeup, and then he'd complain if I didn't. It is impossible to win, and this is exactly why women should do whatever makes them happy.

This exactly. I second this and this is the sort of thing we need to tell each other, our daughters. our nieces etc...

[butter52]

When I cut my hair short I experienced 2 things:
-Males complaining to me why on earth I had done it and that long hair was sexy.
-Those same males hitting on me once I told them with a big confident smile: who told you I want to look sexy to you.

So yes, I totally think the survey is true, and that long hair is like big boobs or wide hips in a big percentage of cases. But short hair also shows off a selfconfidence that even some sexist idiots were very atracted to.

So ya, we should do whatever we feel like, we are beautiful anyway.

[queenovnight]

Well! That was certainly interesting to read. I've known for quite some time that men prefer long hair, but just how much they care? That's slightly disturbing.

[HintOfMint]

Well! That was certainly interesting to read. I've known for quite some time that men prefer long hair, but just how much they care? That's slightly disturbing.

Considering it was a survey done by Pantene and no doubt engineered to generate more "yes" responses than not, I think these results are severely overblown. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Savvyhorsez]

Wow. I honestly don't think a lot of that is true. In my personal experience they care more about something else.