My hair... thoughts?

[lapis_lazuli]

I feel like I've been emitting so much negative energy lately so I'm sorry to AGAIN make a complaining type post about my hair :-(
I guess I'm just searching for opinions - I've never posted just show off the mess of hair I've got on my head. And I'm really nervous...

What do you all think about it? I'm worried about my ends. I know I have a 'normal' amount of taper but look how frizzy they are!
I took so many to show the difference when I move around or touch it.
I'd love to wear my hair loose in public but I don't know if it looks decent enough :-( I'll constantly worry the ends are frizzing up.

http://i1040.photobucket.com/albums/b401/kristen-elizabeth/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-29%20at%206.11.58%20PM_zpsi6v1q5k1.png (http://s1040.photobucket.com/user/kristen-elizabeth/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-07-29%20at%206.11.58%20PM_zpsi6v1q5k1.png.html)

*Note: The 2a waves are an effect of the English braid I always wear. My normal texture is a bit straighter.

Personally #4,5 are the only ones that look decent to me... I did an english braid at the end to show taper. Uh, I hope my bare back doesn't offend anyone.......?:confused: For reference, my skirt comes to my bellybutton (the slimmest part of my body so I guess that's waist...?)

What do you think? Is my hair looking thin or frizzy at the ends? Are my medications seeping into my brain and making me crazy? Could I wear it out in public like this? Thank you, now I'll go...

[Becs]

I think your hair looks great. Your ends look absolutely fine and based on that braid photo, your hair is quite thick and has very little taper. If I were you I would definitely not worry about wearing it out in public.

[bonbon58]

lapis, your hair looks BEAUTIFUL. your taper and frizz are nothing compared to mine. plus, your braid is so neat and thick!! go out there with your hair and stun us all :o

[lapis_lazuli]

I think your hair looks great. Your ends look absolutely fine and based on that braid photo, your hair is quite thick and has very little taper. If I were you I would definitely not worry about wearing it out in public.

Thank you, Becs, that is so kind! I've just been so insecure about myself lately and know LHC is the one place that won't think I'm a complete nutcase. :flowers:

[lapis_lazuli]

lapis, your hair looks BEAUTIFUL. your taper and frizz are nothing compared to mine. plus, your braid is so neat and thick!! go out there with your hair and stun us all :o

Ahhhh thank you :couch: I'm still not really confident about it at all... but there are so many inspiring manes here that motivate me to keep growing..

[kidso]

I think you have gorgeous hair, especially with the wave. If you trimmed a few inches of the end, it would make a nice thick hemline. However, that being said, I see nothing wrong with your English braid. It is thick and stunning. How often you want to wear your hair loose is up to you, but your braid is definitely elegant and can be showcased with varied accessories.

[bonbon58]

^i have to respectfully disagree, i think lapis's hemline is perfectly fine. IMO, i don't care for extremely "thick" hemlines, i think it looks more natural and effortlessly graceful this way :o

[Aurum]

I think your hair is beautiful just the way it is. I love the subtle ombre you have going on. :) Do you have any non-braid wave pictures? Sometimes I think braid waves can distort one's hemline and make it look different than it appears naturally.

If your ends still bother you, perhaps use a little oil on them to tame any frizz?

[supermanok03]

Your hair is beautiful. You can absolutely wear it out in public like that. My ends are much thinner than yours (my display pic is old). I think it's because I tie my braid off too tightly but I can't help it because otherwise it would slip out when I run.

I am also self-conscious about the small amount of hair that I have and the thin ends, but I still love to wear it down. Usually I just pull it all over one shoulder because that makes the thin ends much less noticeable.

Your braid is also nice and thick! I'm really jealous :P

[wilderwein]

^i have to respectfully disagree, i think lapis's hemline is perfectly fine. IMO, i don't care for extremely "thick" hemlines, i think it looks more natural and effortlessly graceful this way :o

Finally someone expressed exactly what I think about the natural taper. IT LOOKS NATURAL! Wich I so much prefer! Even when I used to cut my hair to shorter lengths to have "healthier" hair, I hated so much the blunt hemline on me. It's something it didn't suithttp://cdncache-a.akamaihd.net/items/it/img/arrow-10x10.png (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/#93959755) me. Makes me look just unatural, and robotic.

You and your hair looks tottaly perfect this way! Just keep in mind that some years ago I was trying to achieve through layers that hem look!

[sourgrl]

There's not a thing wrong with your ends. Absolutely gorgeous hair :flower:

[Robot Ninja]

Your ends only look thinner because they don't have braid waves in them. Your braid picture shows some taper but it isn't that much, and doesn't look bad at all. It doesn't really show when your hair is down, although it is hard to judge without seeing your natural texture.

If the ends are frizzy, and you wear a braid all the time, maybe the elastic is causing some damage. What are you using to tie them off?

[lapis_lazuli]

Thank you all for being so nice :flower: I really appreciate it.
Robot Ninja, I use (what I would call) a standard elastic from Walmart... there's no metal piece in it though.
But I have to say I don't think it's damage that's causing my hair to fly out at the ends - it's just the length of it + the nature of my hair. :?

I do oil my hair, but I can easily go overboard and drench my ends, attracting herds of lint and looking greasy all day :sad
So I'm still at a loss for what more I can do.. oy vey...

[spidermom]

Your taper is very natural and doesn't look bad. The only thing I see "wrong" with your ends is that you had a hair tie holding your braid, so the ends are a different texture than the rest. I like to use a small amount of coney serum - CHI silk infusion - to smooth my hair. Oil draws lint to my hair, but this product does not.

[alexis917]

Your hair looks awesome. :)

[DweamGoiL]

Beautiful hair...stop feeling insecure about it. There is no need!

[Frankenstein]

I don't see a single thing wrong with your hair; in fact, I'm super jealous of it!

[lapis_lazuli]

Everyone, thank you a lot, it's rare to get compliments like this in real life. I really appreciate it.
I will try not to obsess over this so much as I know it's becoming a problem- I'm checking my mirror constantly to see how my hair looks which is usually a 'too-short scraggly frizzy mess'-I know, such kind words.

And Spidermom, thank you, I will try this coney serum you mentioned! Oily, linty hair is the bane of my existence :rolling:

[spidermom]

If you try CHI, use only a teeny tiny bit near the ends at first. A little goes a long way, and if you use too much, your hair will look oily.

[Horrorpops]

Totally agree with PPs, your hair looks lovely! The ends don't look thin or frizzy, they look great! :)

[Alien Girl]

Since you ask for personal opinions...

IMO your ends DO look thin to me. BUT! Some people like it like that. I personally like thicker ends and if I had your hair I would probably trim an inch or two to make my ends appear thicker. I recently did a half inch trim and my hair looks a lot thicker at the ends because of it. BUt I'm a person who admires thick ends! Some girls like their thin ends :)

[Jo Ann]

Lapis_lazuli, your hair TOTALLY rocks! I wish my taper were as good as yours.

Whatever you're doing, keep on doing it!

[kirby]

Please grace everyone around you and WEAR IT LOOSE if you like that!! Because its absolutely stunning :joy:
Of course, no matter how beautiful everyone has their insecurities. If you think your ends look frizzy, I always oil my ends with just a couple drops of jojoba oil right after my shower when my hair isn't dripping wet but still damp. It never looks greasy, but my ends always look a little softer when I do this

[Bill D.]

Lapis_lazuli, I've seen a lot of damaged hair over the decades. Your hair is *gorgeous* with a beautiful taper, and I wish my hair were that thick and long!

Bill D.

[AZDesertRose]

I think your hair is lovely. There's not a thing wrong with it.

[Beatrixity]

You have such amazing hair! There is no such thing as perfect, we're human after all, but your hair is beautiful! I'd love to have hair like yours. I wouldn't worry about it being "presentable" because who even makes those rules up anyway? Be exactly who you are, beautiful long hair included. We all feel down and insecure at times, don't feel alone or apologetic in that. Please excuse my many words, I guess I'm just making up for not being able to send a hug. :)

[Dessi]

I think your hair is absolutely beautiful! I wouldn't worry about anything. It looks perfect to me! And I love that length! :)

[iYaap]

I would murder a few people for your hair. ;)

[restless]

"Thin"? "Frizzy"? Seriously, what are you talking about? It looks gorgeous to me! :)

[Gamma Vector]

I agree with everyone else in here. Your ends look absolutely fine. Everyone's texture changes a bit towards the ends. Can't help it, that hair is years older than the stuff at the top. But your ends don't look damaged or thin to me. Just normal. I think maybe because you have what appears to be glossy, naturally straight hair, the very slight and totally normal frizz at the ends looks like the frizzpocalypse to you. Don't worry. Just like your own voice probably sounds weird to you, you're the only one who thinks your ends are bad. They're fine.

EDIT: About the voice thing, I meant hearing yourself on a recording and thinking, "WTF is wrong with my voice? I sound terrible!" when everyone else thinks you sound fine and normal. It's just because it doesn't match what's in your head that you think it's bad. Not because it actually IS bad.

[Nellon]

Oh! Beautiful hair! Immediately I thought it looks like hair of a female elf in The lord of the rings movies (Think Arwen or Galadriel-style) :) So if you don't mind having elven hair, you're set to go ;)

[Unicorn]

My thoughts? Beautiful hair. The graduated taper is the norm and looks great on your hair, the ends aren't too thin at all. In fact more fairy tailing proper would still look good on your hair.

Unicorn

[RockyLvsAdrian]

My first thought on seeing your pics was pure unadulterated jealously!! I would love your hair! It's glorious! Beautiful and flowing and ethereal and just gorgeous! Please don't be down on yourself!

[Anje]

Honestly, your ends look fairly thick and I really wish my braids tapered as little as yours does. As others have said, if the ends look a little wispy, it's probably because they're straight from not being braided.

Your hair is really pretty and healthy-looking. You've clearly done an outstanding job caring for it. :)

[RUNAWAYCHIC006]

I had a similar issue and was able to fix it. I used a dark brown henna on the bottom portion of my hair only. It helped to reduce frizz, liven up the faded color, and made the ends thicker.

[missblueeyes]

Your hair looks wonderful! I personally like picture number 1 and the braid best. :) Whether hemlines look good or not is always a matter of how well draped they are. If you're wearing your hair down, it won't always look perfect, but that's just how it is. I wouldn't worry too much about it. :) Your hair is pretty and if wearing it loose makes you happy, please go ahead and do so!

[martyna_22]

Wow, your hair is magnificent! Whether you decide to trim, or not, I'm sure it'll look amazing down either way. :)

[ladycaladium]

I think your hair looks quite nice. As others have said, it could be how you tied off your braid. Try a paranda. There is a thread about them on the boards.

My hair is thin and has major taper, yours looks thick with only a slight taper which is natural.

If you want to see some real bad frizz and taper, take a look at my blog!

[ghost]

Your hair is beautiful! The taper isn't extreme. It looks natural, and the ends aren't drastically thin or splitting. You have a nice shiny, smooth texture going on, too. Honestly I *wish* my hair behaved like yours!

[lapushka]

Your hair will lay differently with every movement, every brushstroke, every other day, but you took great pictures - they're all great. And for the record, I don't see any frizz whatsoever; just nice hair. It looks *lovely*. :D

[lapis_lazuli]

Thank you all A LOT ! :heartbeat I appreciate your kind words very much. I honestly wasn't sure where my hair stood by LHC standards, so thaaaank yoooou for your opinions, advices, and compliments! I am very touched :-)

[Micayla47]

Just thought I'd chime in to say that your hair looks perfect!