I have an irritating question

[cdonald2]

I know that alot of you get asked this question, and i know that keeping your hair up keeps it in good condition, but other than that, would there be any reason not to wear it down once you reach your goal? I have never had long hair before so I was just wondering what other reasons there are for wearing it up. Im sure it helps keep it out of the way.


Ive been dying to ask but i know other people ask those sorts of questions and it gets irritating :X

[Wosie]

The longer your hair gets the more weathered the ends are (from washing, combing, doing updos, leaving it loose, dry weather... just living with long hair), so many want to protect those ends the best they can. Long hair also likes to go on 'adventures' and get stuck on things which further creates damage.

I personally wear my hair contained 70% or so of the time indoors, but 90% when I'm outdoors. It does feel nice to wear it loose every now and then, but my hair has gotten way smoother and less frizzy once I started wearing it up most of the time and I grow my hair for myself, so I don't mind at all that others mostly see me in a bun. ;)

[lazuliblue]

Well I had my hair down today for the first time in ages, and I ran into several problems:

My hair got caught in my rucksack and I accidentally ripped it (my hair!) several times.
It got caught behind me when I sat down against a high-backed chair.
It got caught in my seatbelt.
It hit me in the face many times when it got windy.

And I am only at BSL! So really today the whole of my hair took a beating, not just the ends. I expect if I had it down all the time I'd end up with breakage everywhere and wouldn't simply be able to trim it out.

[McFearless]

Don't be afraid to ask as many questions as you want. That's the purpose of this forum and how we all learned proper hair care.

You don't have to reach your length goals before wearing your hair down. Buns and braids reduce tangling, friction and damage that comes with getting hair caught in places and potentially broken throughout the day. Some people prefer how they look with those styles as well.

[burny]

I myself ALWAYS wear it down, cause I'm lazy, and can't manage to do an up do. Up is clearly more convenient for exercising. As far as I know, it's "protection" isn't only for growing, but also maintaining. For day to day, it would certainly be convenient from time to time, to be able to get my hair to stay out of the way. An up-do would also be good if you don't want random people to know how much hair you have for whatever reason.

[cdonald2]

O_O i had no idea that hair could cause so much mischief! thanks for letting me know :)

[fairy_hair]

My reasons:
1. To protect it from tangles and damage
2. To keep it out of the way
3. To hide oil when I put oil in it for moisture
4. To hide greasy hair between washes
5. To hide length so it looks longer when I decide to wear it down ;)

[melusine963]

I wear my hair up all the time because it irritates me no end when it's loose. At its current length I would accidentally sit on it or get it trapped in inconvenient places. Not to mention it would take me half an hour to get all the tangles out at the end of the day.

[Beckstar]

A lot of people always wear their hair down and are able to keep it in good condition. You have to be aware of where your hair is (make sure it doesn't get caught on the back of a hair or shut in a door to avoid damage). I'd rather wear my hair up because I love the look of fancy updos with a few loose curlies handing down.

[Cania]

Mostly because it gets in the way. DBF sat beside me and managed to sit on my hair in the process literally ten minutes ago. Ouch!

[Carolyn]

I have several reasons for wearing it up other than for protection and to reduce damage.

1. I don't have to wash it daily as I would if I was wearing it down. Wearing it up hides my 2nd and 3rd day greasies.

2. In the summer it's hot on my back and neck.

3. I love my hairtoys and I love wearing them.

4. I live in windy climate and an updo keeps my hair out of my face and it doesn't get stuck in my lipgloss.

5. I don't want comments from inlaws and strangers about the length. Mostly it's the inlaws.

6. I don't like having to detangle constantly. I guess that would come under preventing damage too.

7. I don't like it when my hair gets caught in a car door or in my purse strap. That's painful!

8. I enjoy the process of putting up for the day and taking it down at night.

9. When I wear it up a lot, that makes the days when I do wear it down all the sweeter. It's a treat to wear it down.

[Verdandi]

First and foremost beacuse I want to minimize the damage, but I have a few other reasons too:

- Tangles (especially nape-tangles. I hate them)
- Getting hair stuck in zippers (ouch!)
- Hair gets less dirty = less washing
- I like doing fun things to my hair, and my classmates get's really disappointed when I don't do anything with it, even if it's just a cinnabun with a My Little Pony-hair clip added for decoration (it looked horrible but was very appriciated...) , so... ehm.. fanservice 8) (also, I've inspired a lot of them to try out new hairstyles, that's a great pro! Slowly sneaking n the LHC way of haircare...)

[truepeacenik]

P
I know that alot of you get asked this question, and i know that keeping your hair up keeps it in good condition, but other than that, would there be any reason not to wear it down once you reach your goal? I have never had long hair before so I was just wondering what other reasons there are for wearing it up. Im sure it helps keep it out of the way.


Ive been dying to ask but i know other people ask those sorts of questions and it gets irritating :X

For me it is more a matter of when to wear it down, rather than if.
I will wear my hair down for a while, at home, and occasionally out and about.
Or in a half up.
I will always, always, always let it down at a concert. I love to dance and it feels freer to dance with it flying.
Plus I get less elbows to the eyes.

[ExpectoPatronum]

My hair is only BSL and I wear it up more often than not just because it likes to get in the way.

[lunalocks]

Currently I wear my hair up 95% of the time or more in order to protect it and gain length since I am on a no trim plan. I want to get to classic. Since I have not been trimming, my ends are fragile and thinner than I would like. If they were great and my hair looked wonderful down, I would probably wear it down more often for special occasions. But right now I am in grow mode. At least for another year. I suspect then I will microtrim for another year and hopefully by the end of that year my ends will be thicker and I will wear it down more often for special occasions.

The hair I have been growing for the past 2 - 3 years and having it up most of the time and eliminating pony tails has resulted in some great and healthy growth.

At this length, just past TB, having it down is a nuisance. Sometimes at the end of the day driving home I will take it down to give my head a break, but have to be very careful for it not to rub against anything, get in the way, get tangled etc. Wind = tangles and breakage. Winter is a good season for me to just keep it up all the time.

[Federica]

Feel free to ask whatever question, if you do it in a polite way! :)
My hair has always been long, the shortest I can remember was when I was 11 and got my hair cutted from WL to a chin length bob, then I grew it to classic+, now I'm growing it back to that length (currently at hip+).
I keep it confined in a braid or in a bun 90% of times when outdoor and 50% when I'm at home or in an indoor, friendly place.
My reasons, in order of importance, are:
1 - to keep it out of the way: long hair get caught in everything (doors, zippers, buttons, clothes, bags etc - yours, and of course also of other people's you just cross in the street).
2 - to not play with it/check it/touch it
3 - to protect the ends from damage
4 - to prevent fizz
5 - so people who know you since a couple of years suddenly see you with your hair down and their jaws drop down like :agape::agape::agape:

[captaincrunch]

My hair is tailbone length. If I leave it down it gets caught in everything. Things you would never think of at shorter lengths. Corners of door latches, bathroom to dispensers, any kind of a pack with a latching strap, etc. If someone gives me a hug they end up hurting my neck and head by inadvertently pulling on it.

Also someone else mentioned this but you will need it up to hide oiling the ends. If I were to start leaving my hair down it would get dried out and tattered. This would cause sections of the strands to break off.

[Larki]

For me, part of the appeal of long hair is all the styles you can do with it! So many fun braids and buns, it's simply more fun to DO something with it than to brush and go.

[Aderyn]

I wear it up out of sheer laziness. The convenience is unbeatable, especially on a day-to-day basis.

Takes less than a minute to put my hair in a nice updo, allows me to stretch washes without getting weird clumpiness and greasiness, don't have to worry about it getting in my way, significantly less tangles to deal with, it's more discrete, doesn't get stuck to my skin when it's hot out, and because of wind (which is rather common where I live..).

I like wearing my hair down, but I rarely if ever do, and if I do wear it down it will most likely be when I'm inside my own home.

[ChloeDharma]

I have a similar hair type to you and I find my fine hair breaks really easily if I wear it down. It also dries out and gets tangly. As others have said, it catches on things, handbag straps cause breakage as do zips, seat belts etc.
As it turns out I like the look of a sleek bun on me plus as any hair in my face drives me mad so keeping my hair in a contained style works best for me. In fact the main reason I keep my hair longer now is so I can keep it in a bun all the time and have nothing covering my face.

[Amapola]

I have a friend who has knee-length hair and she wears it down all the time. HOWEVER. It's also very coarse, like a horse's tail, and very, very strong and stick-straight. If even one of those things were not the case I doubt she'd find it comfortable to wear it down all the time.

I've got the stick-straight part, but mine is super, duper fine, thin to boot and very fragile. If I wore my hair down all the time, it would break off and I'd be back where I started.

Part of the charm and fun of having long hair is all the FANTASTIC hair toys! To me, at least. Why else would you buy a Ficcare? I get a real thrill every morning when I decide which hair toy to use and how to use it. I LOVE putting my hair up. It's really fun! There are times when I wear it down, but when I'm out in public, it's up.

[Sharysa]

Don't be afraid to ask questions! That's what we're here for! My hair is hip-length at the moment, and I wear it braided most of the time. On average it's down for about one or two days a week. I have thick wavy hair and it gets EVERYWHERE--it's gotten caught in my shirt, my zipper, under my bag strap, the car door, and the backs of chairs. Eventually you learn to move it out of the way, especially if you like wearing braids as opposed to updos. I braid most of the time outside the house, and always when sleeping. I move a lot when sleeping, since my sister has waist-length hair and she doesn't have near as many tangles as I do when sleeping with loose hair. Plus, LONG HAIR GETS HOT. It's nice in winter when I can use my hip-length hair as a cape, but in California summers? I've gotten sweaty from about ten minutes of having my hair down. Then, I just like having loose hair for special occasions or when I specifically want to feel nice. Braids are nice, but hip-length bohemian waves or a really nice Game of Thrones half-up? They feel awesome after a week of classes where your hair's up or braided.

[TrapperCreekD]

Besides all the usual suspects, it also depends on hairtype/length and your lifestyle. I live/work on a farm, and I have wurly hair that is TBL. Wearing my hair down a lot in this environment isn't easy or very fun; its too much work to be hyper aware of my hair and keep it from getting caught and/or dipped everything, and turning into a filthy, frizzy, tangled bird's nest. Plus, you can get your hair up out of your way in a pretty updo (which may be hiding frizz, greasies, or an oil treatment) that only takes a couple minutes AND wear gorgeous hairtoys - what's not to love?

[YGDW]

I always hated having hair in my face. When it's down, it hits me. It gets into my eyes, stealing my contacts. It gets into my mouth. Into my nose. It's just no fun. Even when it was shorter, around SL, I often kept it out of my face because it annoyed me so much. Now that it's a bit longer, it's actually easier to contain it. It's either this or a buzz cut. ;)

[two_wheels]

Like many others here, my hair is really annoying down. Escapes, fuzzes, tangles in things, generally gets in the way... for me the point of growing it is to be able to put it up! (this was even before I fell down the hairtoy rabbithole :D)

[Madora]

I know that alot of you get asked this question, and i know that keeping your hair up keeps it in good condition, but other than that, would there be any reason not to wear it down once you reach your goal? I have never had long hair before so I was just wondering what other reasons there are for wearing it up. Im sure it helps keep it out of the way.


Ive been dying to ask but i know other people ask those sorts of questions and it gets irritating :X

Tangle City, pure and simple! God in Heaven, I abhor tangles with a passion. I always wear my hair up and ergo, rarely have to deal with tangle problems. Also, I'd look rather peculiar..at my age..wearing my hair down. I didn't mind being gawked at when I wore my hair down when I was much younger. Now, not so much, because some people think I'm "trying to capture my youth" when I wear it down. Yeah, like that is gonna happen...NOT! Most people, regardless of age, can't seem to deal with someone having "long" hair. They regard it as "odd" or "freakish". I am NOT a freak. Thank you, rant over!:)

[lapushka]

Past BSL it starts getting in your way pretty bad, especially after reaching waist. You just don't want the hassle, at least I don't. :)

[Santi]

That's a good question, cdonald2. I've always thought the same thing (prior to LHC). The longest length I maintained for years was just below BSL. It was too much for me to handle when it was longer. I didn't know about hair toys, different types of buns or ways to sleep w/ long hair. I miss the feeling of long hair on my back. I wear my hair up for work, wearing it down on my days off was always a treat. I'm looking forward to having long hair again, it'll be different this time around. My ultimate goal is WL. I've never had it & wonder how i'll feel about it.

[Dreams_in_Pink]

I'm looking forward to doing the Helix bun. It requires to have TB-classic hair. In that case, the reason for doing that bun will be the looks of the bun and also proving that i have enough hair for a majestic bun :cool:

[LadyCelestina]

I want to have pretty hair at my goal length...plus the longer my hair gets the more 'private' it feels when I wear it loose.

[LadyCelestina]

(snip) Then, I just like having loose hair for special occasions or when I specifically want to feel nice. Braids are nice, but hip-length bohemian waves or a really nice Game of Thrones half-up? They feel awesome after a week of classes where your hair's up or braided. (snip)

this and some characters

[Panth]

Having done things both ways, I guess I can comment. (I'm a 1b/F and vary from i/ii (current) to ii/iii (best), yes this is relevant...)

Hair worn down daily:
Pros:
- elfin! looks nice
- stays straight (not braidwaved, which is not my preferred look)
- get a fair amount of "your hair's long!" semi-compliment/statements
Cons:
- massive weathering --> fairytaling, damage and taper, reduced thickness and a false terminal around TBL
- massive tangles --> detangling is at least 10 mins or (if I've done something like gone to the beach or swum or been in high wind/rain or gone to a concert) it's often over 30 mins of tear-inducing pain and a lot of lost hair
- gets caught in EVERYTHING - clothing, bag straps, car seatbelts, Velcro, people when you hug them,
- rainy days (of which there are many where I live) are a recipe for semi-dreadlocked snake-like hair and tangles
- ditto for windy days
- there are occasional creepy (and/or annoying) strangers who think they can grab my hair
- it makes me very recognisable, which can be a bad thing especially if you walk home late at night alone
- it's an absolute hazard in my job (scientist) and stuffing it down the back of your lab coat creates basically a single dreadlock in very little time at all

Updos:
Pros:
- looks professional and work-appropriate with nearly no effort
- gets hair out of the way with nearly no effort
- detangling is never a problem, as there are no tangles getting in to start with - it's quick, easy and painless
- doesn't get caught on anything
- no false terminals - grown to knee and still going!
- much better quality of hair / less damage
- (barring other problems) increased thickness
Cons:
- boring (but this is only because I'm rubbish at updos)
- constant braidwaves (ditto)

Of course, if I wore it with updos to get to knee (or whatever) and then started wearing it down all the time, never mind the annoyance it'd quickly accumulate damage and weather back up to TBL-ish. Hence, updos most of the time and down occasionally.

[iluvbooks]

Not really. I have classic length hair and I wear it down all the time. I only put it up when it's hot, when I'm working, or when I don't want to be bothered by hair in my face.

Long hair is fun to wear down :) You get lots of compliments.

[leilani]

Not really. I have classic length hair and I wear it down all the time. I only put it up when it's hot, when I'm working, or when I don't want to be bothered by hair in my face.

Long hair is fun to wear down :) You get lots of compliments.

Exactly.

But my hair doesn't tangle. I spend about 5-10 minutes per week on detangling total & it's down all the time. Plus being down doesn't damage my hair, it's strong. If I had delicate hair I'd think differently. For example, I used to bleach highlights every 10-12 weeks and lots of overlap with 40v and left it on for two to three hours, and THAT caused taper on the canopy where the highlights were done so frequently (underneath got done only twice a year), but even then I could grow to hip and even the totally bleached sections that had such chemical abuse made it to APL before tapering to nothing so i guess my hair is tough. Stopping the bleach/dye seven months ago or so has been really helpful in getting rid of splits and white dots, breakage /taper and now I have really smooth blunt ends (layered but you get the point). I microtrim often and with very sharp shears, and lay off chemicals. That's the key to hair health for me, not hiding it up away from the world. I love half ups, they make cooking more convenient, and of course buns for exercise or heat and humidity. But my default is down, long and straight. When I make it to tbl let's see if I feel differently.
Oh and layers might help keep my tangles away, it eliminates some of the length on the front /top which of course helps decrease tangling. My longest hair is from the nape and I guess if anything were to tangle it would be the ends of that.

[martyna_22]

The very reason I grew my hair long was to wear it down. I doesn't tangle much, and generally I have strong hair that doesn't split. But I'm not going to grow it to super-super long lenghts, so there's that :D
ETA: I feel much prettier and more confident when my hair's down. If you feel the same way, remember that you grow your hair for yourself, not for the sake of having miles of hair that you don't enjoy. :)

[Savvyhorsez]

Honestly mine stays up because it tangles when you even look at it, plus the cool look of an updo looks very sophisticated in my opinion.

[DreamSheep]

I like to have the option of having it down, and also having it up in fancy dos. :)
I like the versatility, as I feel I have a choice.

I admit I do like having my hair loose - it doesn't tangle easily, but it does break and damage easily, as well as get in the way -so now hair down is usually for sleeping (though sometimes I tie it up), when I'm by myself and for "show" occasionally.