It's Not Stick Straight, But Which Wave Is It, And What Official Length? :)

[FennFire911]

First pic is left conpletely alone to dry. No styling, no styling products. Air dried uninterrupted. There is NO change from this look if I finger comb. In the second pic I brushed it. I'm guessing this is wavy, 1b?
And is this length MBL or waist length? Or can't tell because my shirt is in the way?
The first picture is also a prime example of what I mean when I say my hair looks piecy and dishevelled without being brushed. Within 15 minutes or so from a brushing, it looks like the first picture again.
3rd pic is the same first two pics put together for easy comparison.
See how clumpy and ratty the ends are in the first pic? I'd love to wear
my hair down more, but I revert back to disheveled in minutes.
I'll take new pics in the next few days examining if my hair is fine or medium. For now I'm curious your opinions on texture and official length.
Tanx everyone!

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9689_zpsdd68yby2.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9689_zpsdd68yby2.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9691_zpsrit5llu4.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9691_zpsrit5llu4.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/93575CDB-70EA-4F89-95E2-D2CDA952B929_zpsvvbyc3ej.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/93575CDB-70EA-4F89-95E2-D2CDA952B929_zpsvvbyc3ej.jpg.html)

[RavenRose]

I am seeing some visible body waves, even brushed.

From the hairtyping Guide (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=116252) I would say 1c, but I am no expert, so take with a grain of salt...

1a - stick straight
1b - straight but with a slight body wave, just enough to add some volume, doesn't look wavy
1c - straight with body wave and one or two visible S-waves (e.g. nape of neck or temples)

[hayheadsbird]

Waist is you natural waist, under your ribs so I'm guess you're there or almost there!
I'd say 1b/c.
It doesn't look ratty to me in the first pic btw, but it does look pretty:)

[hypersensitive]

I think you are not 1b since I am 1b and I never get waves like yours. I have to put effort to get any kind of wave. Maybe 1c, perhaps even 2a.

[hanne jensen]

To me it looks like you are in the waist area.

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

I think you are too harsh on yourself. Your hair is gorgeous.
I cannot tell if it is waist because of the t-shirt and I am viewing on my phone. But I can definitely say your hair is gorgeous

[lapushka]

I'm going with 1b majorly, but 1b/c would probably be more accurate. Only the 1st pic counts. ;)

And I think it's probably waist as well.

[FennFire911]

Well I'm just going to change my profile to say 1b/c! Woohoo!
I guess I'm very critical of my hair because my entire childhood my mom spent countless hours exasperated with it. And it WAS stick straight, it wouldn't even hold a set curl. She frequently criticized my decision as an adult to have beyond typical long hair. She once told me with my hair in a bun I looked like an old school marm and that without bangs and layers it looked too severe. I was in my mid-20's then. She ALWAYS wanted me to have a pixie, and she cut it that way a lot when I was a kid. So my perception of my hair is based on the feedback I get. She's given up on trying to get me to cut it lol
Thank you all so much for your compliments and reassurance. Hopefully my perceptions will change with positive feedback. :)

[lithostoic]

I agree with 1b/c. I'm 1c and your hair is not quite as wavy. Welcome to LHC!

[Andthetalltrees]

I'd say 1c if your hair is clumpy but not really wavy(Does it frizz any?) and the description of disheveled. It's an interesting hair type ;P

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Well I'm just going to change my profile to say 1b/c! Woohoo!
I guess I'm very critical of my hair because my entire childhood my mom spent countless hours exasperated with it. And it WAS stick straight, it wouldn't even hold a set curl. She frequently criticized my decision as an adult to have beyond typical long hair. She once told me with my hair in a bun I looked like an old school marm and that without bangs and layers it looked too severe. I was in my mid-20's then. She ALWAYS wanted me to have a pixie, and she cut it that way a lot when I was a kid. So my perception of my hair is based on the feedback I get. She's given up on trying to get me to cut it lol
Thank you all so much for your compliments and reassurance. Hopefully my perceptions will change with positive feedback. :)

Never give anyone the power to put you down.
Sometimes the ones we love and depend on the most are the ones who hurt us the most without really meaning to.

You take care of yourself. You are beautiful and unique

[Anje]

I can see calling it 1b/c or 1c, honestly. It's definitely straight hair with some wave, but the waves are present.

Your hair doesn't look bad or even particularly clumpy air-dried, for what it's worth. I know that frustration though -- mine loves to re-form stringy clumps the moment you finish combing it. I think it's just a quirk of that slightly wavy texture; it clumps like waves do, but without the big obvious waves.

Oh, I'd probably call it waist, or elbow length. (Elbows seem to be waist for a lot of people. Me, they're at my hip bones, but I've got a short torso and it looks like you have a long one.)

[Mirabele]

I think your hair is very pretty!!! Looks like waist or almost waist to me! I am no expert at hairtyping, but you are some place between 1b and 1c, i guess.
I' ve been having 1a hair all my life, i now sometimes get an ocassional body wave but i grew up hearing from my mom and my grandmother how "poor" and "bad" my hair was and how unlucky i was because my hair was flat, straight and thin. It took me many years to accept my hair how it is, but everytime my mom tells me to cut, style and curl my hair i feel like that little unhappy girl again.
My hair is very piecy like yours, brushing helps some, but in less than 1 hour my hair gets into clumps again. I really dislike that on my own hair, but i do think yours look so good. In fact it looks so inspirational, i will be happy if my hair will look like yours one day!

[FennFire911]

I'm so sorry for not responding for a few days. I haven't been home, and it is SO annoying trying to reply on my phone. If I go to scroll the screen, sometimes I swipe it wrong and end up going back to the list of threads and lose everything I said. I gave up.

I can't thank you all enough for your kind words and encouragement. As much as I try to not let people get me down, and they don't see that they get me down, but it happens. It's great to be among like-minded people where I know I won't be told my pigtail braids are for kids under 12, or my hair is so long I should donate it to Locks Of Love or something. Yes, those things have actually been said. I do pigtail braids semi-regularly and one of the other firefighter's wives made a comment on Face Book that unless you're 12 years old or an adult movie star, you have no business wearing pigtail braids. And of course her closest friends "liked" it and laughed along with her.
And one of the moms of another boy on my son's football team told me I *should* donate my hair because poor cancer patients deserve to be pretty too. That gnawed at me for a bit and I eventually went and made a 16" donation.

I lurked for a while before joining in, and have been put at ease at how understanding and reassuring people are here toward each other. I see the braids as a cultural thing, not an age thing. I still wear them because nobody is going to tell me to ignore my ancestry. I've on occasion seen women here with grey hair in pigtail braids. Haters can sit down and shut up. And I saw an entire thread here about people commenting how long hair should be donated, so I know I'm not alone in that boat! People out there in real life aren't always supportive of long hair, and I'm so glad I found LHC!

On another note, I got my first hair fork in the mail the other day. I was skeptical. How could two prongs actually keep an entire bun in place? lol But I love it. I can't wear it to my ambulance service job, but I'll be wearing it today when I go in to work at the emergency clinic. The fox carving on one end is kind of big and it might be a hazard in an ambulance setting. I'm going to order a few more conservative ones. I've been converted, I'm a believer. lol I'll post a pic of it in a few minutes. Just wanted to drop in and say hey and thank you. I can read posts every day, replying from my phone is just a pain. I'm still around, cheering for all your accomplishments and sending good vibes. For now, I'm in a rush to get ready for work. Ya'll have a great day!

[alimc]

Just wanted to sneak in to say I agree with everyone else on this thread, your hair is gawjus!

Negative comments from others is them allowing the nasty parts of their character leak out. Nobody has the right to make horrible comments on your appearance, ignore the bitchy ones, they only end up looking weak and silly... (and possibly jealous, and lacking in self esteem).

ALSO I wanted to say hi to another emergency services worker!! "HI!" *waving* great to meet you sister :D

[FennFire911]

Thanks eveeybody! For some reason I can't logged into PhotoBucket so I can't upload any pics. I'm so excited about my first hair fork and it's killing me to not show the pics! Lol
And heeeyyyyy to my sister in emergency services! I know you know the feels of trying to maintain hair AND strange job demands. Heh heh

[animetor7]

You might also try 4 or so smallish claw clips to hold up a bun in the ambulance. That's what I use for my job in a lab which also has safety hazards associated with hair toy size or sticking out. :)

[Hay_jules]

I just wanted to chime in about snide comments from friends and family. I experience it about colour as opposed to length but it's still frustrating. Your hair is beautiful the way it is and ultimately the only thing that matters is what we decide is right for us. :)
Besides, who decides what's age appropriate? It's all arbitrary anyway.

[FennFire911]

Well my mom's attitude toward my hair has changed dramatically over recent years. She used to think I was being dramatic by not liking her having my hair short as a child. We had a long talk the night I posted this thread because it was a surprise to both of us that I have any natural wave. A big "ah-ha" moment for her happened with my nephew a few months ago. He has a particular hair style he likes, but his dad, my sister's ex husband, didn't like it and took him to have his head buzzed to "be a boy instead of a sissy." (What a winner her ex is.) And it finally clicked to my mom that people get used to their hair being part of their identity. She herself has her hair in a pixie because she never enjoyed longer hair. Her remark about me looking like a schoolmarm was that without bangs it looked very severe. I don't have a soft face. It was also kind of frumpy and lazy, and I wasn't using the right hair products at the time and my hair seemed flat if it wasn't in a bun.
But the night I posted this thread showing the slight waves, she explained to me her reasoning for fighting with my hair all my childhood. As a child my hair was very thick, but super fine. She shouldn't get it to hold a cute curl and she thought a pixie would suit me. She told me that one day I was playing with a little boy on a playground, and we played for a good while. When he asked my name, he realized I was a girl, and was offended. He didn't want to play with me anymore, we were still in the "girls have cooties" age. My mom said my feelings were hurt. They took me out a few days later to have my ears pierced, it's more immediate than the months it takes to grow hair. But then she started growing my hair. And fighting it. It stayed between shoulder and APL for a while, but she permed it a lot to try to look more feminine. I was SUCH a tomboy, I needed my hair to be feminine. But it just never seemed to behave.
I wanted it as long as it would go, but she wouldn't get it get LONG.
6th, 7th, and 8th grade we lived in Hawaii, where traditionally the girls have amazingly long hair. Classic and knee length hair is very normal there. She let me grow it out to about BSL/mid back. In 9th grade we moved to Nebraska, and she had me cut it back to a chin length bob. Which I hated.
I explained to her the other night, my hair when I let it down wraps me up. Almost like getting a hug from my hair. lol Silly analogy I guess, but my hair is like my version of a child's security blankie.
She finally gets it now.
And it's been years since anyone has told me I should donate it. And I actually have a good response for it now. I have taken cancer patients to the big cancer treatment facility here in Georgia, and I saw in the boutique just how much those patients would have to pay if they want a wig of human hair. I do NOT appreciate my donation to Locks Of Love becoming a $300 luxury item. The patients aren't given the wigs out of charity. Sorry, but just, NO. It's a sham.
As for whether or not my pigtail braids are age-appropriate....I'm going to be of partial German descent my whole life. I didn't stop being part German when I was 12. I do get mostly positive remarks about my braids. That particular firefighter's wife is passive aggressive to dang near everybody. Every day she's calling out someone on FB without actually saying who she's calling out. We all know her for what she is, and only her tiny handful of cohorts snicker along with her.

K, that's enough rambling this time around. I'll try the claw clip thing and see how it goes. I'm honestly so dang pleased with the hair fork I'm going to be ordering a shorter one that's less attention-grabbing. I'll still want to take it out and redo the bun with a scrunchie when I know I'm on the way to pick up a psychiatric patient so I don't unwittingly provide a weapon. But I'm so smitten with hair forks right now, I'm going to be a bit fixated on practicing with them for quite a while I think. My days of frumpy scrunchie buns are coming to an end, and it's thanks to everything I'm learning right here! Y'all rock!

[FennFire911]

This makes me so happyyyyyy!!

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9712_zpsgobkp5vn.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9712_zpsgobkp5vn.jpg.html)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9712_zpsgobkp5vn.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9712_zpsgobkp5vn.jpg.html)

[FennFire911]

Oops, shared the same pic twice. Here's the other one I meant to add.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j188/foxfire_ga79/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9708_zpsm7dqv5kw.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/foxfire_ga79/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_9708_zpsm7dqv5kw.jpg.html)

[Entangled]

Ooh! That's cute. I love hairtoys with curves.