Do longhairs need a new forum?

[SwanFeathers]

Before I go any further, I just want to say that everybody has a right to do what they want with their own hair, and I have worn and can appreciate a wide variety of hairstyles, from buzzcut to hip.
However,
With all the pro-short-hair threads that seem to have invaded a long-hair forum, I personally feel that the community has suffered. Everyone is trying to be nice and supporting to everyone- and we all know the world needs more kindness and love- but it feels like the forum has been diluted down to more generally hair focused place, and it lacks the feeling of being a social refuge that it once had.
I'm not trying to offend anyone who likes or wears short-hair, but short hair is not why I joimed this forum, and I feel like all the longhairs we could learn from are fading away and going elsewhere because of the overcrowding.

[cjk]

How do you define short?

And your signature says you started at pixie and are currently at waist. Should your growth related questions, awkward stage related questions, and so forth have been barred, even banned, until you reached waist length? Takes a lot of care to grow that long, tips and tricks are helpful for all, even when they're not as long as you.

But are you really a long hair? I mean, it's just arbitrary, right? Why not mandate fingertip length?

I always admired Crystal Gayle. Compared to her hair, yours is quite short. You have short hair. You're just a pretender! Get out of this forum!!!

[gustavonut]

I’m always open to more long hair care forums. I will eventually have long hair again, I am just currently in the progress of growing out a cut. I guess I can apologize on the behalf of all short hairs and say I’m sorry we “invaded” the forum.
Try posting more often if you think LHC is suffering. Open up more conversations! That’s what I have been doing recently to try to make time go by so my hair can be longer. :toast:

I will just end my post by saying: We all have a starting point. Every one of us has had short hair at some point. It takes time.

[milosmomma]

Maybe a subforum for non-growing shorties? We do need more acceptance and kindness in todays world that is for sure. This is the longhaircommunity thought so people who are adamantly opposed to long hair I would think wouldn't even frequent the forum.

[Estrid]

I guess I can somewhat understand what you are saying, but I still feel that this forum is for people who are keeping their hair long/growing their hair long.
Everyone start from somewhere, and everyone defines "long" differently.

Sure, I've seen threads with people keeping their hair short, but from what I've gathered they are mainly people who have grown their hair long, spent time here, gotten used to these forums, and then cut it off. I don't see why they should have to leave just because they cut their hair if they really liked the forum.

[Ylva]

Being a longhair is not just about the length of the hair. It's also the mentality. One can be a longhair, yet enjoy shorter hair for the time being. There can be many reasons why someone cuts their hair. I am fine with the forum being as it is. It's a great community, and I wouldn't want to be "thrown out" in case I decided to cut my hair at some point. It would still be the same hair, requiring the same care and knowledge.

[Sparkles122]

I too am fine with the forum as is. However, what I think the OP meant, are the people who come here who do not have a goal of long hair. I dont think she meant the people that currently have short hair. That was my interpretation of it anyway

[Ylva]

I too am fine with the forum as is. However, what I think the OP meant, are the people who come here who do not have a goal of long hair. I dont think she meant the people that currently have short hair. That was my interpretation of it anyway

It's still an excellent place to learn more about haircare in general.

[milosmomma]

That's how I took it as well, how sparkles put it as people who have no goal of growing long hair

[mica]

I’m always open to more long hair care forums. I will eventually have long hair again, I am just currently in the progress of growing out a cut. I guess I can apologize on the behalf of all short hairs and say I’m sorry we “invaded” the forum.
Try posting more often if you think LHC is suffering. Open up more conversations! That’s what I have been doing recently to try to make time go by so my hair can be longer. :toast:

I will just end my post by saying: We all have a starting point. Every one of us has had short hair at some point. It takes time.

Don't apologize on my behalf! As long as we have interesting, positive and kind things to add to this community, we are just as worthy as anyone else :).

OP, there have always been people with short hair in this forum, people just starting out their longhair journey, people with short terminal lengths and those who just like it short. Some of the most helpful people (I'm thinking about Anje) have very short hair, do you feel like they are *invading* the forum?

[akurah]

Our general perception of what long is compared to the average population is grossly skewed. One of my coworkers has decidedly long hair at bsl, and cares for it similarly to me, but her hair is nowhere near as long as mine. She also had no goals of growing it longer.

What we consider long is pretty extraordinary, and I think having a length gate would go against the spirit of this forum.

[SwanFeathers]

Don't apologize on my behalf! As long as we have interesting, positive and kind things to add to this community, we are just as worthy as anyone else :).

OP, there have always been people with short hair in this forum, people just starting out their longhair journey, people with short terminal lengths and those who just like it short. Some of the most helpful people (I'm thinking about Anje) have very short hair, do you feel like they are *invading* the forum?

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
I understand a lot of people don't share my opinion and they like the site how it is now. I am not saying we should throw people out- that would be ridiculous- but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.
my thought was that perhaps we should have two sister-sites. one for the rapunzels and the other for those keeping it short and sassy.
I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

[Begemot]

I don't personally see how this place would have suffered. I doubt it's the fault of the few short haired folks here if it has. They have their own thread(s) and discussions and those don't bother me. I just don't visit them. Forums tend to change, always. I have always considered this place more hair care focused place instead of a safe haven for long hair lovers. It's true TLHC is THE place for those who have super long hair and not just "socially accepted long". I feel women tend to get flak when they go extremes with their hair: super long is bad, super short is bad and only more common longer lengths are valued widely. So super longs and super shorts have that in common :) maybe both sides can have more sympathy for each other because of this. Maybe I feel this way because I never had that HC super long hair mentality :D

edit. I have never seen nor received any snarky comments from short haired people here :hmm:

[Alibran]

How do we define 'long'?

I'm (sort of, maybe) thinking of changing my goal and only growing until my hair is somewhere between BSL and waist, which will probably be hip, or even TB, stretched except that I don't measure like that, so ... Does that mean I'd no longer be welcome because my hair isn't 'long enough' and I've decided to stop growing?

Or is membership of this forum more about our attitude to hair? That's the thing I really love about this forum, and it's the thing that's made me keep coming back over the years. It's something I can't quite define, but I know it transcends actual length, and whether a person is currently growing or not. This is a place where people don't immediately suggest 'cut some off' as the solution to most hair related problems, and that may be the key difference. It's a place where I feel people's personal hair goals are respected, and I wouldn't want to see that change.

[cjk]

I feel women tend to get flak when they go extremes with their hair: super long is bad, super short is bad and only more common longer lengths are valued widely. So super longs and super shorts have that in common :) maybe both sides can have more sympathy for each other because of this. Maybe I feel this way because I never had that HC super long hair mentality :D

Bear in mind, also, that not all long hairs are women. More than a few guys around here.

By guy standards my hair is quite long. Already. Heck, it covers my ears!

But by TLHC standards I might as well have a buzz cut.

Gate keeping is sometimes necessary. But keep in mind that individual variations exist, and not always in ways you can or should predict.

[Estrid]

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
-

I don't think I have ever seen this on the LHC, do you see this often? In the mane forum?

[Alibran]

I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

I haven't noticed any anti-growth threads. I can see one thread on the first page of this forum right now that's about celebrating short styles. Is that the kind of thing you mean?

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

Guys... We have a subforum for people with short hair that intend to keep it short.
Use the search bar, you will find it, I promise.
You dont have to have long hair to be a longhair.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
I understand a lot of people don't share my opinion and they like the site how it is now. I am not saying we should throw people out- that would be ridiculous- but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.
my thought was that perhaps we should have two sister-sites. one for the rapunzels and the other for those keeping it short and sassy.
I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

In all my years of being on LHC I have NEVER seen a short haired person attack the people of this forum.
So I really dont know where this is coming from.

[Ylva]

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"

I can't say I have ever seen anyone write anything even remotely similar to that.

[Begemot]

Bear in mind, also, that not all long hairs are women. More than a few guys around here.

By guy standards my hair is quite long. Already. Heck, it covers my ears!

But by TLHC standards I might as well have a buzz cut.

Gate keeping is sometimes necessary. But keep in mind that individual variations exist, and not always in ways you can or should predict.

I am well aware that there are men here and always has been but majority of us are women. That is why I mentioned only women in my comment. My point was that in my mind any person out there who is into hair stuff and who is respectful towards other members is welcome here.

I agree with Alibran completely :)

[gustavonut]

I think you are referring to the thread that is for non-growth oriented people. I think every “short” hair here is just allowed to be here and post here as any long hair is.

[*Wednesday*]

Oh….you want a strict membership requirement. Exclusivity. Submit photos and be verified a long hair. Think about that for a few and see what standards would be set. What if it is Classic+, where would that leave you? Looking for a new forum?

[MusicalSpoons]

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
I understand a lot of people don't share my opinion and they like the site how it is now. I am not saying we should throw people out- that would be ridiculous- but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.
my thought was that perhaps we should have two sister-sites. one for the rapunzels and the other for those keeping it short and sassy.
I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

Would merging similar threads (or multiple threads asking for help from the same person) maybe solve that, do you think? I do understand where you're coming from, although I've not been here long enough to comment on any change of atmosphere. I have read a few times that it's likely the more established super long hairs have their routine pretty much figured out, or know enough to tweak for themselves if necessary, and are just kind of getting on with life with their hair :shrug: Even the longest length threads aren't terribly active with *only* the members who belong in the thread; if we had separate subforums, who's to say the longer one would be any more active?

According to the most recent poll, I think the average length on the forum was tailbone (obviously out of those who responded) ... does that count as long, or medium? On the first 4 pages of this forum I can see at most 4 threads that might count as pro-short hair, one or mayyyybe two that by their title might be seen as anti-growth? I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I don't think I see quite what you see :)


I don't personally see how this place would have suffered. I doubt it's the fault of the few short haired folks here if it has. They have their own thread(s) and discussions and those don't bother me. I just don't visit them. Forums tend to change, always. I have always considered this place more hair care focused place instead of a safe haven for long hair lovers. It's true TLHC is THE place for those who have super long hair and not just "socially accepted long". I feel women tend to get flak when they go extremes with their hair: super long is bad, super short is bad and only more common longer lengths are valued widely. So super longs and super shorts have that in common :) maybe both sides can have more sympathy for each other because of this. Maybe I feel this way because I never had that HC super long hair mentality :D

edit. I have never seen nor received any snarky comments from short haired people here :hmm:

Completely agree with all of this. Bolded points for emphasis in context of the discussion.

Edit because a load of new posts came up while I was typing:

Or is membership of this forum more about our attitude to hair? That's the thing I really love about this forum, and it's the thing that's made me keep coming back over the years. It's something I can't quite define, but I know it transcends actual length, and whether a person is currently growing or not. This is a place where people don't immediately suggest 'cut some off' as the solution to most hair related problems, and that may be the key difference. It's a place where I feel people's personal hair goals are respected, and I wouldn't want to see that change.

Completely agree with this too. I love that some of the currently shorter-haired people have had long hair even by LHC standards; there's wisdom and experience there regardless of their current choice of hair length.

[Robot Ninja]

You know, when I first started lurking here, there was a One True Way to be an LHCer. It seemed like everybody was aiming for extreme lengths with a blunt hemline, wore their hair up all the time, stretched washes to the point of gross. Using heat, dyeing with anything other than henna, wearing hair down, cutting for any reason other than to get rid of damage, etc, were disparaged. It's a far more diverse forum now, with many varied heads of hair, and honestly is a far more welcoming and pleasant place without the hair police around. The overall focus is still on long hair, and you can always ignore the short hair threads like you presumably ignore any other thread that isn't relevant to your interests.

[EdG]

I don't think the LHC is being overrun by short-hairs. ;)

People with no interest in growing long hair do not get in the door. This is especially true for men. ;)
Ed

[lithostoic]

Two or three threads on the entire forum hardly counts as an "invasion". Interestingly, that same logic is used by the racist regarding minorities appearing in movies, on magazine covers, etc.

[lapushka]

I too am fine with the forum as is. However, what I think the OP meant, are the people who come here who do not have a goal of long hair. I dont think she meant the people that currently have short hair. That was my interpretation of it anyway

Those are few and far between.

I myself don't get it; we've all had to start somewhere. :shrug:

[CrowningGlory]

I've been here for over 12 years now and the forum has changed quite a lot in that time. There is more acceptance over differing hair care methods now but there is also a noticeable absence of some of the really long hairs. Sure they post on the knee and beyond thread occasionally but I rarely see them on the other threads sharing their knowledge. This could be for several reasons (and I'm only guessing here). For most of them, they know their routine inside and out and don't need to change it so those threads don't interest them. They probably don't live and breath hair in the same way that someone actively starting to grow does. But I've also seen some of these long hairs with so much knowledge just ignored or dismisssed or worse on threads. I'm thinking of one thread where a long-time member was answering a question and several newer members argued with her and offered their own ideas. There is nothing wrong with sharing different ideas and advice but in this instance, the long-time member was correct but was basically ignored and shut-down. Since then, I have seen that this "new" idea has become the norm. So while TLHC has changed - and some of that change has been for the better - I think we have also lost some of the knowledge and know-how that we had in the beginning.

[RubberDucky]

I started growing out my hair from a very short pixie. Right now it's down to my shoulders and still growing. How long do I want it? I honestly don't know yet. It has been long enough to sit on before. Do I want it that long now? Longer? Shorter? Again - I don't know yet. YET.

So it pains me to read a topic like this - it makes me feel unwanted. Just because I haven't loudly stated "I'm going to be a Rapunzel!"

Maybe I'm better off on my own.

[Copasetic]

Long hair is a state of mind :)

But seriously, I don't see how a pro short hair thread hurts this forum. I am pro short hair. And long hair. And no hair.

[Begemot]

But I've also seen some of these long hairs with so much knowledge just ignored or dismisssed or worse on threads. I'm thinking of one thread where a long-time member was answering a question and several newer members argued with her and offered their own ideas. There is nothing wrong with sharing different ideas and advice but in this instance, the long-time member was correct but was basically ignored and shut-down. Since then, I have seen that this "new" idea has become the norm. So while TLHC has changed - and some of that change has been for the better - I think we have also lost some of the knowledge and know-how that we had in the beginning.

Would you mind sharing that new norm...? I'm really intrigued. I took a long-ish break from this place and haven't seen behavior that poor here, really unfortunate to hear :(

[lapushka]

I've been here for over 12 years now and the forum has changed quite a lot in that time. There is more acceptance over differing hair care methods now but there is also a noticeable absence of some of the really long hairs. Sure they post on the knee and beyond thread occasionally but I rarely see them on the other threads sharing their knowledge. This could be for several reasons (and I'm only guessing here). For most of them, they know their routine inside and out and don't need to change it so those threads don't interest them. They probably don't live and breath hair in the same way that someone actively starting to grow does. But I've also seen some of these long hairs with so much knowledge just ignored or dismisssed or worse on threads. I'm thinking of one thread where a long-time member was answering a question and several newer members argued with her and offered their own ideas. There is nothing wrong with sharing different ideas and advice but in this instance, the long-time member was correct but was basically ignored and shut-down. Since then, I have seen that this "new" idea has become the norm. So while TLHC has changed - and some of that change has been for the better - I think we have also lost some of the knowledge and know-how that we had in the beginning.

Could you point me to that thread? That is sad, though, not that new members shouldn't have a say, but that *anyone* is ignored like that who has genuine advice? I must have missed that.

About the knowledge and know how in the beginning, I don't agree with you. I think the forum has improved for the better, and everything goes with the times, it is kind of unavoidable. I love the fact that there is diversity now. Where at one time I would have been shunned for the use of sulfates, I think now it is "YMMV", and that is awesome, and a good feeling to have that you are still accepted even though your methods are different.

[Ophidian]

:popcorn:...

[lapushka]

I started growing out my hair from a very short pixie. Right now it's down to my shoulders and still growing. How long do I want it? I honestly don't know yet. It has been long enough to sit on before. Do I want it that long now? Longer? Shorter? Again - I don't know yet. YET.

So it pains me to read a topic like this - it makes me feel unwanted. Just because I haven't loudly stated "I'm going to be a Rapunzel!"

Maybe I'm better off on my own.

Hey, don't feel bad. It's just one person's opinion so far.

I am still welcoming to everyone, even when someone decides that short hair is ultimately what is best for them now. I don't mind that at all. I think people and how kind you are to them trumps the way hair is worn.

[nycelle]

I've only been a member for a year, but I have not seen any short haired people be aggressive, or any anti-growth threads.. I mean none, zero, zilch. And I check in every day.

This is still a long hair forum with most of the members trying to grow their hair long, way longer than the average. So I'm not sure why you're feeling it's changed so much? I haven't seen anything you're ascribing too.

[lapushka]

I've only been a member for a year, but I have not seen any short haired people be aggressive, or any anti-growth threads.. I mean none, zero, zilch. And I check in every day.

This is still a long hair forum with most of the members trying to grow their hair long, way longer than the average. So I'm not sure why you're feeling it's changed so much? I haven't seen anything you're ascribing too.

The way I see it is we've all had to start somewhere.

And yes some people decide to stay short, but those have a right to be here too, IMMHO! And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. I see LHC more of a forum for long hairs *and* good hair habits. But that's me.

I have been teetering around classic a while, still not feeling a part of "the club", whatever that "club" is, somehow. Now that I am growing towards knee, I feel like I am finally enjoying the length of it, but that is all very personal. I can see that not everyone is wanting beyond classic, I mean the OP herself is not that long either... which is why I don't get the thread at all. :( I've been here 10 years longer than the OP (I'm truly one of the oldies here) and I don't get it at all. :shrug: Maybe that's just me.

I don't feel that "shorties" are invading the forum at all! It's a place for *everyone* trying to grow "some" length to the hair; it's not called the extremely long (knee) hair forum. Right? Long hair is "long hair", it has different definitions for us all.

[sugar&nutmeg]

The OP has said, and then clarified, if perhaps a wee bit more hyperbolically than absolutely necessary, what she meant. She definitely DID NOT mean "you must have long hair before you make your first post, and if you cut your hair, GTFO". She was NOT saying that.

Regarding posts and threads where people have cut their hair. Well, THAT'S FINE! Yay! I'm glad you like it! No, you needn't grow it back down to your butt, if you'd rather not. There's no reason for you to leave LHC. But perhaps saying things akin to, "I'm so glad I don't have all that long, annoying hair anymore! It was such a PITA! I feel so freeeeee now, and I'm never, never, ever growing it again!" could be considered a teensy bit...off-topic, disrespectful, or at least a failure to 'read the room'. Not to mention short-sighted. Never say never.

When I came back in 2015 after leaving in 2012 when I cut my hair into a pixie (which I enjoyed for several years), I almost couldn't recognize the place. And that's to be expected, I guess. Things change. But it's also why I'm not around here much. It's goes beyond my already knowing how to care for my hair. I'm definitely open to new ideas. I just find many of the threads now --whether the OP is super-long-goal-oriented or not-- often do not contain helpful or useful information pertinent to my 'hair journey'. WHICH IS FINE. Just saying.

Bottom line: the thread topics, as they pop up now, seem to serve others in new, different ways, so...okay. It's a member-driven site. Things change.

[Ylva]

Regarding posts and threads where people have cut their hair. Well, THAT'S FINE! Yay! I'm glad you like it! No, you needn't grow it back down to your butt, if you'd rather not. There's no reason for you to leave LHC. But perhaps saying things akin to, "I'm so glad I don't have all that long, annoying hair anymore! It was such a PITA! I feel so freeeeee now, and I'm never, never, ever growing it again!" could be considered a teensy bit...off-topic, disrespectful, or at least a failure to 'read the room'. Not to mention short-sighted. Never say never.

I am not bothered by someone writing something like that, personally. It's not my hair they talk about. They speak of their own hair type and texture on their skin and head, and their experience might be that their hair was getting annoying indeed.

I just really don't mind.

[Begemot]

Regarding posts and threads where people have cut their hair. Well, THAT'S FINE! Yay! I'm glad you like it! No, you needn't grow it back down to your butt, if you'd rather not. There's no reason for you to leave LHC. But perhaps saying things akin to, "I'm so glad I don't have all that long, annoying hair anymore! It was such a PITA! I feel so freeeeee now, and I'm never, never, ever growing it again!" could be considered a teensy bit...off-topic, disrespectful, or at least a failure to 'read the room'. Not to mention short-sighted. Never say never.


I don't see why a person shouldn't say those things here. They would be talking about their own hair and own feelings, not trying to hurt anyone's feelings here by implying that long hair is always annoying and a PITA? You seem to read those type of comments as insults geared towards those who have long hair. Someone genuinely feeling that their long hair was annoying them and they feeling free with shorter hair is about them, not about you or the long hair lovers here. There is no need to take offence.

[The-Young-Maid]

I honestly feel like thats a pretty nasty attitude to have.

If you want a forum to die that's how you do it. LHC has been around this long because its welcoming and always changing. Every new member is what keeps this forum active. We have so many members who experiment and try different routines, products, styles, colors ect. Those threads are super fun to read even if I have no intention of trying for myself. How boring would it be if everyone had the same hair, style, routine and goals? Thats why we have so many threads - for whatever you find interesting.

Besides, what qualifies as long hair? Only classic or longer? IRL or LHC long?

If a topic like someone getting a haircut bothers you... that's your problem. You can keep scrolling. Nobody is saying "Everyone should cut their hair!", they just wanted to share their experience going from long to short and their reasons. They should be allowed to do that on a HAIR FORUM. It's often people realizing that they don't need long hair to make them happy. Long hair isn't everything.

Old members that have reached their goal length and figured out their routine probably don't feel the need to post much. They don't have new questions. As for a member being "ignored", ever thought maybe they were wrong? Just because you've been here forever doesn't make you right about everything.

Not digging this elitist attitude...

[lapushka]

Old members that have reached their goal length and figured out their routine probably don't feel the need to post much. They don't have new questions. As for a member being "ignored", ever thought maybe they were wrong? Just because you've been here forever doesn't make you right about everything.

Not digging this elitist attitude...

I'm around this site a lot and I haven't come across that thread - I think I would have noticed something like that, which is why I asked for the link.

[Entangled]

I'm around this site a lot and I haven't come across that thread - I think I would have noticed something like that, which is why I asked for the link.

The only thread that comes to the mind is the recent “Why have long hair if you only wear it up thread,” but somehow that seems to slant in a different direction than was referenced above.

[MusicalSpoons]

The only thread that comes to the mind is the recent “Why have long hair if you only wear it up thread,” but somehow that seems to slant in a different direction than was referenced above.

And that was by a longtime member :laugh: no, definitely not a longtime longhair giving advice and being shot down.

[Entangled]

In respons to the OP, I would say a seperate forum would only be necessary if
A) there were sufficient threads to merit a new thread. I can only think of two threads for short, non-growth oriented threads
B) short hair posts posed a non-punishable disruption (aka, fully within the guidelines but causing some sort of distraction or ruckus)

However, I feel like these criteria haven’t not been met. Also, it’s difficult to define what a “short hair thread is, due to differing standards of short and long hair. Such specification might be discouraging to those looking for longer or healthier hair.

[Glitch]

It's still an excellent place to learn more about haircare in general.

Yep. It's been exactly 2 years for me here, to the day :D I joined with fried ~collarbone length hair with literally no idea of how to care for it or what to do. Eventually I became a lot more knowledgable and felt encouraged enough from everyone here and now, well, here I am with much healthier and (to my pleasant surprise) long hair :)

[MusicalSpoons]

A forum is driven by its members, pretty much. If you want to revive some of the hardcore longhair habits discussion (or whatever it is you want to see more of), start relevant threads! If the interest is there, longtime members will probably contribute as well as newer members. If you're interested in hearing from members who've been here x amount of time or have / had hair a certain length or longer, say so in the thread title as well as the OP. I don't know how well it would be received necessarily, but you can only try :shrug:

[The-Young-Maid]

Does anybody really want long hair if they get triggered by people enjoying short hair? :confused:

[SwanFeathers]

Oh….you want a strict membership requirement. Exclusivity. Submit photos and be verified a long hair. Think about that for a few and see what standards would be set. What if it is Classic+, where would that leave you? Looking for a new forum?
This is NOT what I meant, and there is no reason to twist my question.

I've been here for over 12 years now and the forum has changed quite a lot in that time. There is more acceptance over differing hair care methods now but there is also a noticeable absence of some of the really long hairs. Sure they post on the knee and beyond thread occasionally but I rarely see them on the other threads sharing their knowledge. This could be for several reasons (and I'm only guessing here). For most of them, they know their routine inside and out and don't need to change it so those threads don't interest them. They probably don't live and breath hair in the same way that someone actively starting to grow does. But I've also seen some of these long hairs with so much knowledge just ignored or dismisssed or worse on threads. I'm thinking of one thread where a long-time member was answering a question and several newer members argued with her and offered their own ideas. There is nothing wrong with sharing different ideas and advice but in this instance, the long-time member was correct but was basically ignored and shut-down. Since then, I have seen that this "new" idea has become the norm. So while TLHC has changed - and some of that change has been for the better - I think we have also lost some of the knowledge and know-how that we had in the beginning.
This is more in-line with my concern.


I started growing out my hair from a very short pixie. Right now it's down to my shoulders and still growing. How long do I want it? I honestly don't know yet. It has been long enough to sit on before. Do I want it that long now? Longer? Shorter? Again - I don't know yet. YET.

So it pains me to read a topic like this - it makes me feel unwanted. Just because I haven't loudly stated "I'm going to be a Rapunzel!"

Maybe I'm better off on my own.

STAY!!! I in absolutely no way want to make anyone feel unwanted. I harbor no malice towards anyone here, I only wondered if there is a better way to organize the forum so people can have LESS FRICTION. The search function is terrible and the main page is bogged down.

[neko_kawaii]

SwanFeathers, how are you using the user subscription options? You have great power to follow existing threads, put them in categories, and check for new posts in those topics that interest you. I can look at my subscription list sorted for "new posts" and see every thread I'm subscribed to that has a new post since I last visited each thread, or I can look in my categories for specific subscribed topics that particularly interest me: hair toys, hair styles, crafts, etc. I rarely look at the individual forums because I check my subscriptions and if I'm still bored I scroll through the "Whats New" feed to see what is under current discussion. Looking at "Whats New" allows me to see the first sentence of individual posts, and I'm often more likely to pop into a thread based on the current discussion than the thread title.

[MusicalSpoons]

I only wondered if there is a better way to organize the forum so people can have LESS FRICTION. The search function is terrible and the main page is bogged down.

Well that sounds a lot more reasonable than 'should we have a different forum?'!
Possibly more a question for the mods though in the first instance, because they know what's possible with the site software whereas we don't.

Edit: didn't see neko_kawaii's post before I commented so this is probably fairly moot now.

[lapushka]

STAY!!! I in absolutely no way want to make anyone feel unwanted. I harbor no malice towards anyone here, I only wondered if there is a better way to organize the forum so people can have LESS FRICTION. The search function is terrible and the main page is bogged down.

I'm confused. What "friction" are you addressing?

[The-Young-Maid]

I'm confused. What "friction" are you addressing?

Same here.

[Shell]

Well, as a former long hair, and a current short hair, I don't think having long hair is or should be a requirement for this forum. I think everyone here has an appreciation for long hair--whether theirs is long or not. So, I respectfully disagree, and I think I'm qualified to offer an opinion (as are you ;)), as I've been here for 14 years now, and have had both long and short hair. :flower:

[lapushka]

Well, as a former long hair, and a current short hair, I don't think having long hair is or should be a requirement for this forum. I think everyone here has an appreciation for long hair--whether theirs is long or not. So, I respectfully disagree, and I think I'm qualified to offer an opinion (as are you ;)), as I've been here for 14 years now, and have had both long and short hair. :flower:

Good on you, Shell! I haven't had long hair my whole life either. I think it's rare the people that do, and should they then not come to this forum when the hair is short(er)? This is just weird to me. :hmm:

[cjk]

I actually own and run a Facebook group called "Bald Head and a Beard." Yes, I do have some very minor vetting questions, basically I ask whether they currently are bald and bearded or want to be, and in plain language why they want to join.

The answers almost universally take two forms. The first is supportiveness of the look, the other is a desire to advertise hair restoration to bald men.

The first group gets in without much problem, the second is rejected automatically.

I'm not against a little relevant vetting.

But I've not seen very many posts, if any, who came across as clipper-happy hair cutters looking to enforce buzz cuts on a majority, here.

Consequently, I'm not sure why this thread even exists.

[littlestarface]

I see where the OP is coming from and I agree with her. This forum is a lot different now especially then say like over 10 years ago and the responses from people pretty much confirms what shes saying.

[sugar&nutmeg]

^This.

Well said.

[PixieNixie]

Personally I think this comes off as being a hair elitist esp from a person who formally had very short hair and has used this forum as advice to grow it. That is just my opinion. I think everyone should be welcomed into the discussion no matter what their hair goals are. I know I was nervous at first joining this group because I am a dyed longish (by my own personal standard) haired person and have no intention of growing the dye out or stopping dyeing my hair. I was still welcomed with open arms by many on here. Just because we have different hair journeys doesnt mean we can all get along and learn things off of each other.

[lapushka]

I see where the OP is coming from and I agree with her. This forum is a lot different now especially then say like over 10 years ago and the responses from people pretty much confirms what shes saying.

I've been here since 2005 and whereas there used to be more of an emphasis on natural hair care, henna, the like, chemical, sulfate, shorter is now accepted, but I don't see this as a bad thing, just a YMMV thing. I much rather be part of something inclusive rather than exclusive.

[Nini]

Nope, can’t say as I do.

Finding a routine that works for you doesn’t necessarily require long hair. New products come, old ones go. What’s fashionable changes before you have time to blink.

Do you enjoy hanging around,good. If not, maybe this place isn’t for you :)

After fifteen years here, and two years of lurking before that, I find it a bit tiresome to reply to obvious newbie questions. So I don’t ;)

The forum changes with the seasons and there are cycles it goes through. If it didn’t evolve it wouldn’t still be around, much the same as us members!

[MusicalSpoons]

I've been here since 2005 and whereas there used to be more of an emphasis on natural hair care, henna, the like, chemical, sulfate, shorter is now accepted, but I don't see this as a bad thing, just a YMMV thing. I much rather be part of something inclusive rather than exclusive.

I agree with this - I like the fact that there is advice for ways to do things in the least damaging way (I've also learned a ton! Despite having no desire to chemically process my hair ever) but the warnings are always there of the reality that you cannot have very long hair whilst damaging it. This is a good thing, because it's realistic, but for those who don't want to stop their chemical processes they can still enjoy much healthier hair than if they'd been shunned. I don't know, maybe a subforum for chemically processing hair would be active enough to merit its creation, and would declutter a bit?

(Tbh my only annoyance in my time here has been when newbies pop up and post lots of basic questions seemingly without having bothered to read much, if anything, of the existing info here. The stickies are there for a reason peeps!)

[sugar&nutmeg]

For me, the biggest thing that's changed, overall, is the tone, and what 'tones' are acceptable in posts. This used to be a place where people were almost never (for lack of a better word) subtweeted, and never-ever dragged, certainly not in the ways I now see happening daily at LHC.

That's the part that makes me sad. I hardly care about the subject matter of threads at all, compared to the way LHCers have started being okay with talking to (or obliquely, about) one another. That's new. It makes me sad to see 'THE Internet' writ large begin to infiltrate what used to be our perpetually-civilized corner.

FWIW, I lurked for well over 5 years before joining.

[neko_kawaii]

For me, the biggest thing that's changed, overall, is the tone, and what 'tones' are acceptable in posts. This used to be a place where people were almost never (for lack of a better word) subtweeted, and never-ever dragged, certainly not in the ways I now see happening daily at LHC.

That's the part that makes me sad. I hardly care about the subject matter of threads at all, compared to the way LHCers have started being okay with talking to (or obliquely, about) one another. That's new. It makes me sad to see 'THE Internet' writ large begin to infiltrate what used to be our perpetually-civilized corner.

FWIW, I lurked for well over 5 years before joining.

If you see something that violates KNIT guidelines, report it! Mods can't read every single post.

[akurah]

I'm confused. What "friction" are you addressing?

I'm curious about this too. I won't lie, I've gotten my fair share of pushback from newbies who are so determined to do things their way and forget the consequences, but... those people usually are gone almost as quickly as they came.

I've not been continuously at this forum for the past decade+, but I have popped in and out over the years. The same people I've interacted with then, by and large, are still around now--there's some notable saddening exceptions, but the crowd's still largely the same, with a lot of new folk. Some trends are different--people don't wash with baking soda anymore (for the most part) thank god, people are (generally) no longer are hypercritical of chemicals like sulfates because OMG THEYRE CHEMICALZ, but... in general? it's kind of the same that it's always been.

I think your frustration stems from not knowing how to navigate VBulletin, and the solution for that case is not a new forum, it's someone showing you the tricks of how to use the forum in a way that will be easier for you to digest.

I would also suggest staying out of short hair threads if they upset you so. My biggest pet peeve is henna, and I'm terrible about staying out of those threads because they send me into a rage (because they want to try it without understanding the significance of it, then six months later you get "help! help me get it out!"), but if I get upset because I read those threads? That's on me.

[sugar&nutmeg]

If you see something that violates KNIT guidelines, report it! Mods can't read every single post.


neko_kawaii

I wasn't able to find a definition for KNIT by searching LHC, but I'm going to assume it's similar to THINK, and means

Kind, Necessary, Inspiring(?), and True.

If so, I'm puzzled. Because, imo, if you've read all the posts in this thread alone, you've found a number of non-KNIT posts. Or am I using a different dictionary for those words? Please advise. I want to understand.

[Spikey]

For me, the biggest thing that's changed, overall, is the tone, and what 'tones' are acceptable in posts. This used to be a place where people were almost never (for lack of a better word) subtweeted, and never-ever dragged, certainly not in the ways I now see happening daily at LHC.

That's the part that makes me sad. I hardly care about the subject matter of threads at all, compared to the way LHCers have started being okay with talking to (or obliquely, about) one another.

Newbie speaking here, I started poking around about a year ago, so I can't speak to any longer-term changes. However, I really don't know what tone you guys are talking about. I log in pretty frequently, and while I don't post much, I've read most of the recent threads on this forum. Out of everything I've read this year, this thread is actually one of the more negative ones, and even this isn't bad. This community may not have as good of a tone as it did when you joined, but I still think people here are way nicer and more welcoming than in real life.

OP I do understand your point, but I think the short hair anti-growth threads are basically lost in the rest of the forum, so I don't consider it a problem. And besides, those are still interesting and fun threads.

[AmaryllisRed]

This is a bit of a side-bar, but can someone link me to how to view only my subscribed threads and do the categories thing?
Every time I come here, I'm scrolling through every single forum or subforum or whatever to find the threads I'm interested in.
Also I should mention I do not own a computer but I can use the desktop version of the site.

[TheLuckyLurker]

I'm going to be very blunt, and say this is whinging about a non-existent problem. Where are these hostile invaders? If you don't like posts about short hair, don't read them. That sounds a lot simpler than convincing everybody that a whole new forum is needed because there are a handful of people talking about something you disapprove of.

[MusicalSpoons]

This is a bit of a side-bar, but can someone link me to how to view only my subscribed threads and do the categories thing?
Every time I come here, I'm scrolling through every single forum or subforum or whatever to find the threads I'm interested in.
Also I should mention I do not own a computer but I can use the desktop version of the site.

Using the desktop version of the site, click on 'settings' in the top R hand corner. Subscribed threads with new posts should show up automatically, and to see all of your subscribed threads click on 'subscriptions' in the L hand list to the side. Categories ... I guess from the subscriptions thing you can sort then into folders, or something like that? (I haven't bothered with that, so far)

[goneJackal]

The threads about short hair have never bothered me, maybe because I had short hair - buzzcut, really - for most of my life before joining.

But, since someone stated this, I'm going to agree: I do read far more non-KNIT posts than when I joined (2015), and that indeed bothers me more than a bit.

[AmaryllisRed]

Thank you, MusicalSpoons!
Time to start subscribing to threads! :thumbup:

[dyna]

I haven't been here long, but I've been around (and maintained, and moderated) forums since before there was an Internet (yes, Virginia, we Neanderthals had our own social technologies... first it was arranging rocks in piles that had meanings, later it was computers tied together with phone lines). Some of those forums involved seriously hot-button issues, whereas it's hard for me to imagine LHC inspiring barroom brawl behavior. I really don't have an opinion on the "who should be here" issue, except that administering criteria sounds like a nightmare, and that if you narrow audience down to the extreme, it's going to just be you and nobody else. So I'd just like to mention a few points that are rather generic.
1. There will always be topics one isn't interested in, or objects to. Those can best be dealt with by staying out of that particular thread or subforum (LHC isn't really organized into subforums, but some other places are). Nobody's going to like everything. And here, there are so many posts that you won't have time to read everything anyhow.
2. There will always be a few people who are jerks. Sometimes those are otherwise nice people who're having a bad day, and those you need to cut a little slack for. Some others are congenital jerks who just like fights, and ultimately moderators have to deal with them, sometimes by throwing them out. That's the hard bit of a mod's job, but people here are so danged nice that I haven't noticed our mods actually having to wave their sticks at anyone.
3. Back in Neanderthal days (otherwise known as FidoNet) we had a rule: "Don't be easily annoyed, and don't be excessively annoying." It recognized that life has unavoidable annoyances, but there need to be limits.
4. Don't take things too seriously. Life ain't permanent nohow.

[cjk]

4. Don't take things too seriously. Life ain't permanent nohow.

https://pics.me.me/you-have-been-visited-by-the-jeff-goldblum-of-happiness-38515139.png

[JennGalt]

neko_kawaii

I wasn't able to find a definition for KNIT by searching LHC, but I'm going to assume it's similar to THINK, and means

Kind, Necessary, Inspiring(?), and True.

If so, I'm puzzled. Because, imo, if you've read all the posts in this thread alone, you've found a number of non-KNIT posts. Or am I using a different dictionary for those words? Please advise. I want to understand.

The “I” in KNIT stands for informative, as per this thread in the site support section: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=114999

(My phone is being a butthead and won’t link things properly, so apologies if the link has to be copied and pasted instead of clicking on it.)

[Michiru]

I wouldn't mind. I've been here since 2003. Joined in 2004. What would the starting length be for long hair? My definition would be waist or tailbone and longer.

[renia22]

I have kind of a side comment..It can feel kind of weird when things change, and become crowded. I know it’s different because this is the internet and not actual territory/ physical space, but I feel that way sometimes about other things.

For example I liked to go to this yoga studio when it was this small hole in the wall and no one really knew about it. Now all of a sudden everyone is doing yoga, and it’s so popular, the owner had to move to a new building, and the parking lot is overflowing, and you have to have a dot on the floor to mark your space. Not that there’s anything wrong with more people doing yoga, good on them, and for the owner’s business. But it’s just not the same for me anymore, I just practice at home now and haven’t been there in years.

I feel the same way about concerts, haven’t been to one ages. I liked going to see certain people perform when few people knew about them. Now it seems like everyone has the same idea, including people who might not even like it. Things just seem so much more crowded and different.

[Michiru]

The main change I've seen since the early 2000s is people use to experiment a lot more. I feel like everyone has their routine and knows what they're doing now.

[Corvana]

Idk I guess maybe I'm missing some of what you've been seeing? Or I don't take it the same way, perhaps. Anyone saying things such as "I'm so glad I cut my hair! I feel so free! It was so annoying!" I take as their personal thoughts on their personal hair. And I often agree with long hair being annoying, even though I'm not even halfway to my goal :laugh: It is annoying! It gets in the way sometimes! It gets caught in stuff! It tangles! It can be heavy! For some, the annoyances aren't counterbalanced enough by the pleasures, so cutting it is freeing and wonderful and whatever. I've never seen anyone say that everyone should cut their hair, or that long hair is bad or anything like that. Those statements I'd consider "anti long hair". But even if they outright state "I don't like long hair", unless they add that they mean for everyone period, then I just assume they mean for themselves and leave them to it.

Is there occasionally snark in the forum? Yeah, sure. And sometimes posts that read ambiguously that could be taken as snark but may not necessarily be. But the only times I've really read posts that come across as truly harsh were towards people who were being purposefully obtuse, and straight up creepers/spam accounts. Perhaps some "ignore them" type advice would be better instead of responding to obtuse posters, but it's a bit understandable for that sort of interaction to cause frustration and shortness.

The only short hair threads I've really seen are the super shorties (I think that's from like 2009?) and the non growth oriented thread (uuuh 2015?), and then the bob/lob thread that just popped up. There've been threads about getting a haircut, but I think those have popped up here since forever. Perhaps they haven't, though, I don't know. I haven't particularly noticed any increase, though. It seems to be about the same as it's been since I've joined, honestly.

[Crystawni]

*rambling alert..!*

I'm just curious, but without any linked references, what is actually being said here? Is this recent thread on lobs and bobs (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148873) an example of wearing/embracing short-hair over long (for the OP of that particular thread)? The opening of it does smack of embracing shorter lengths, but the overall vibe of the thread has morphed into likes, haves, hads and the like. Can we please have linked examples to clarify?

Personally, I'm all for all the lengths and colours, but prefer nattering about long hair and all that it entails, with a sidestep towards colour transition thanks to my invading whites. (sugar&nutmeg, as one who's inspired me over the years, I'd love to see you post more!) I just don't relate to shorter hair so much anymore, so gravitate to the stuff on here that works for me (while slowly drifting away due to the "hair we go again" factor). However, I've made some great friends who've been here a while and bounced around in length, and I'd be lost without their experiences and advice (and am sad so many have flown the coop).

Old threads can be such an education, that's for sure, but can also be a bit outdated. As can some hair practices. We morph. But we still need input from those whose experiences tell them more than googled facts; those that have and/or are travelling the Road to Longhair. But I guess this more about those who have diverted off that road and have no interest in lengthy lengths (any more) or how to "get there" due to their own experiences. Is that the issue, and why push them away, bottle them up and/or exclude them? Or is it about those who have no interest in longhair from the start? That's where I get stumped and need linked clarification, because I haven't seen that here for myself.

As for KNIT, that's a hard one. We all need room for cultural differences, so can't quite box everything neatly. I've seen the ebb and flow of the forum, and have reported what irks me to the mods, but realise my sensitivities will not always be addressed, and rightly shouldn't be. Things die off in the end. Lessons are learned. Information is shared. I think I've grown more than hair being a part of the forum. :p

/ramblefest

ETA: just read Corvana's response with the lob/bob. :lol:

[Corvana]

*rambling alert..!*

I'm just curious, but without any linked references, what is actually being said here? Is this recent thread on lobs and bobs (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148873) an example of wearing/embracing short-hair over long (for the OP of that particular thread)? The opening of it does smack of embracing shorter lengths, but the overall vibe of the thread has morphed into likes, haves, hads and the like. Can we please have linked examples to clarify?

Personally, I'm all for all the lengths and colours, but prefer nattering about long hair and all that it entails, with a sidestep towards colour transition thanks to my invading whites. (sugar&nutmeg, as one who's inspired me over the years, I'd love to see you post more!) I just don't relate to shorter hair so much anymore, so gravitate to the stuff on here that works for me (while slowly drifting away due to the "hair we go again" factor). However, I've made some great friends who've been here a while and bounced around in length, and I'd be lost without their experiences and advice (and am sad so many have flown the coop).

Old threads can be such an education, that's for sure, but can also be a bit outdated. As can some hair practices. We morph. But we still need input from those whose experiences tell them more than googled facts; those that have and/or are travelling the Road to Longhair. But I guess this more about those who have diverted off that road and have no interest in lengthy lengths (any more) or how to "get there" due to their own experiences. Is that the issue, and why push them away, bottle them up and/or exclude them? Or is it about those who have no interest in longhair from the start? That's where I get stumped and need linked clarification, because I haven't seen that here for myself.

As for KNIT, that's a hard one. We all need room for cultural differences, so can't quite box everything neatly. I've seen the ebb and flow of the forum, and have reported what irks me to the mods, but realise my sensitivities will not always be addressed, and rightly shouldn't be. Things die off in the end. Lessons are learned. Information is shared. I think I've grown more than hair being a part of the forum. :p

/ramblefest

ETA: just read Corvana's response with the lob/bob. :lol:

I was actually going to add more, but didn't want to ramble :laugh:

Your point on the lob/bob OP goes with mine in that the post is quite clearly a "for me" post. She even says a couple times that she thinks it's the best length on her personally. I have no personal use for that thread right now, so I just posted a small bit (it was always my go-to style, and if I cut my hair will likely be what I cut to) and will likely not open it again at all. I don't wander into the other shortie threads either, because they're not for me and that's fine! Just like threads for 3-4 type hair isn't for me, so I don't wander in there, or threads for WO or whatever doesn't pertain to me and my goals and my routines.

It's such a small portion of the forum, the short hair threads, that I just can't personally find an issue with them hanging around. In the last week there have been posts in approximately 100 threads in the Mane forum alone, and 99% of those threads pertain to long hair, hair growing, or routines/textures/problems/styles, and the last 1% to shorter hair and general hair "stuff" (such as the random hair thoughts thread, memes, etc). I wouldn't call that a takeover in any sense, honestly.

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

I still havent seen any links or proof of comments or forum posts where short haired people are picking on the long hair?
:confused: Or really any evidence that comments are "different" now.

I cant agree with something that has no factual evidence.
And KNIT, is interesting because it something being "judged" by how its being perceived via text. Which is the hardest to translate, especially since not all of us are fluent english speakers.
I mean when someone is obviously bullying, yes. KNIT should apply and it should be obvious when it does.
But with posts like this? I dont find any of the comments breaking any KNIT rule, being rude, or having some tone.
I think theres too much being put behind what readers perceive the tone to be - to which there is none. Its all your own perception.
Its like that saying, how curse words only have the power you give them. A word is just a word, until you give it meaning.
If you want to perceive something as negative, you will. Im sure this comment will come off to people as "having a tone."

I know because, I am told time and time again "dont get upset with me please!"
Im not upset, this is just how I type... lol for some reason, because I type like an aNgRY person... :eyeroll:

Everyone just should enjoy the internet for what it is while we still got it.
No other forum has stood the test of time the LHC, so enjoy it.

[gustavonut]

Oh boy this is still going on :cheese:

[Joules]

I don't think this mentality is ok here. There have been an occasional what-the-hell topic here, like the recent lobs abd bobs lovers unite, or "I cut my hair and I love it", but it wasn't annoying in any way, I just questioned whether it was really necessary here on this forum. Again, it didn't bother me at all.


(Tbh my only annoyance in my time here has been when newbies pop up and post lots of basic questions seemingly without having bothered to read much, if anything, of the existing info here. The stickies are there for a reason peeps!)

Yes. This. This is one of the two things I wish could be changed. Maybe we should write PLEASE USE SEARCH BAR BEFORE CREATING NEW THREADS in bald red letters right below the forum logo? Every day there are dozens of new topics, and half of them are absolutely unnecessary.

Oh, and also the chemicals-are-scary mentality. That's just silly. Some people act like a bottle of conditioner is going to kill them. I wish it just stopped. Maybe the phrase "sulfates abd parabens are safe" should be written right below the "please use the search bar".

Those are two things that bother me. An occasional shorthair is just another forum member for me, with their tastes and preferences. Who knows, maybe they would get inspired and decide to grow their hair to extreme lengths too. As long as a person is nice, they deserve to be here as much as everyone else. Besides, like someone has already said, our understanding of what is long and what isn't is skewed, armpit length is technically long, too.

[Kake]

The idea of a length requirement rubs me the wrong way. I think the forum works as it is right now. The topic is long hair, and the vast majority of posters either have, or are going to have, long hair. I can definitely see that the "purity" of the forum is diluted by short hair threads on the front page, but I wouldn't expect those threads to be long running.

I think it's important that long time members are retained. Former long hairs are still valuable IMO, I want them to feel welcome. People cut hair for various reasons, not always by choice.

[Crystawni]

As an aside, the forum is full of various topics--it's sooooo not all about hair (of any length). It's a community. We come here to discuss all kinds of things. Does it detract? I think it enhances, honestly.

[Alibran]

You know, when I first started lurking here, there was a One True Way to be an LHCer. It seemed like everybody was aiming for extreme lengths with a blunt hemline, wore their hair up all the time, stretched washes to the point of gross. Using heat, dyeing with anything other than henna, wearing hair down, cutting for any reason other than to get rid of damage, etc, were disparaged.

Don't forget silicones and sulphates were evil, and everyone had to brush their hair daily with a boar bristle brush, even if your hair wasn't suited to brushing and it made you look like you'd stuck your finger in the electric socket. (On a positive note, my cats loved the expensive boar bristle brush they inherited.)

I loved it then because I was part of that clique then, but I can imagine how intimidating it was for people who had different ideas about what enjoying their hair meant.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

No, I see nothing wrong with this forum, so many people love it. It's like a second home for many.

[vampyyri]

Honestly, the witch hunt attitude is what keeps me away nowadays... people have opinions, and everyone is entitled to have theirs.

The whole internet is basically has a "If you don't like x, then I don't like you!" kind of attitude. Life is too short to be offended by every little thing, and there's bigger issues out there to worry about.

I do agree with OP to an extent. Things have changed, but I believe it's for the better that we're inclusive here. It's not so much the Long Hair Community as it is the Healthy Hair Community.

[Sid0rela]

Rebeccalaurenxx agreed!

[lapushka]

I think your frustration stems from not knowing how to navigate VBulletin, and the solution for that case is not a new forum, it's someone showing you the tricks of how to use the forum in a way that will be easier for you to digest.

Yes for example a *very* useful tip when searching is to "search by title" or "titles only" as it says right there next to the advanced search box when you click on that link. You will actually *find* stuff, rather than needing to have the board run through all messages that mention that word, you go straight to the core of it.

[lapushka]

I still havent seen any links or proof of comments or forum posts where short haired people are picking on the long hair?
:confused: Or really any evidence that comments are "different" now.

I cant agree with something that has no factual evidence.
And KNIT, is interesting because it something being "judged" by how its being perceived via text. Which is the hardest to translate, especially since not all of us are fluent english speakers.
I mean when someone is obviously bullying, yes. KNIT should apply and it should be obvious when it does.
But with posts like this? I dont find any of the comments breaking any KNIT rule, being rude, or having some tone.
I think theres too much being put behind what readers perceive the tone to be - to which there is none. Its all your own perception.
Its like that saying, how curse words only have the power you give them. A word is just a word, until you give it meaning.
If you want to perceive something as negative, you will. Im sure this comment will come off to people as "having a tone."

I know because, I am told time and time again "dont get upset with me please!"
Im not upset, this is just how I type... lol for some reason, because I type like an aNgRY person... :eyeroll:

Everyone just should enjoy the internet for what it is while we still got it.
No other forum has stood the test of time the LHC, so enjoy it.

I agree with you fully. Conveying meaning over text is hard, and sometimes we "read" a tone in there (as I probably wrongly did with one of the last posts you posted, if I was wrong, I am very sorry).

But yes, it is sometimes difficult. :flower:

[lapushka]

So far I have seen two extremely long hairs (littlestarface, Sarah) respond. The rest haven't yet. Maybe we should ask all of the longhairs who are knee length or longer, eresh, quixii, shepherdess, gossamer to name a few. Ladies, I hope you don't mind me calling you to this thread. ;) :p

[Sarahlabyrinth]

See, the way I see it is that we need both the shorthairs AND the longhairs here, the shorthairs can get inspiration and hopefully sensible advice from the longhairs, and the longhairs can help the shorthairs from knowledge of their own experiences good and bad. Also, all the longhairs here were shorthairs once, and many of the shorthairs will become longhairs, so IMO it really is a forum for everybody, whatever hair length.

[littlestarface]

Honestly, the witch hunt attitude is what keeps me away nowadays... people have opinions, and everyone is entitled to have theirs.

The whole internet is basically has a "If you don't like x, then I don't like you!" kind of attitude. Life is too short to be offended by every little thing, and there's bigger issues out there to worry about.

I do agree with OP to an extent. Things have changed, but I believe it's for the better that we're inclusive here. It's not so much the Long Hair Community as it is the Healthy Hair Community.

Yea maybe it needs to change to that title instead cuz this place for sure aint the long hair community at all, not by a long shot.

[gossamer]

Oh boy, lapushka, I'm not sure if my voice is necessary here, and also I tend to write novels that are automatic tl;dr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TL;DR)material.

First, regarding the comments about tone: I've not been on LHC as long as many here, but as long as I can remember the community has been 95% pleasant with 5% snark erupting at various moments. Would anyone like to revive the thread I started during one of those snark eruptions back in Jan 2011? Come have some tea and a baked good with me! (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=64448) Also, at this point I don't remember what the heck the drama was about back then, but I do remember it was nice to talk about tea and baked goods with friends...

Secondly, whatever tensions (real or assumed) there are between people who have shorter hair lengths and people who have longer lengths is not going to be solved by exclusion of any kind. We should talk honestly about hurt feelings when they come up and remember to adhere to the KNIT policy. Sometimes listening instead of going on the defensive is one of the best things we can do.

Third, hair length is not a competition. At one point there was a thread asking if we could get some kind of badge-system in place for lengths reached, and the discussion in it pointed out two things that are really important to note here - we're not trying to collect as many badges as possible to see who wins at long hair here, and when people with exceedingly long hair are celebrated as great achievers then it can lead to people with shorter hair feel as if they aren't welcome here or their own happiness with their hair isn't really valid. That's the opposite of the spirit of LHC and we need to work hard, I think, to continue to let people know that all lengths of hair are welcome here if the goal is healthy haircare, community, and thoughtful exchanges of ideas.

That leads me to my final point - I want to apologize for any time that I have unintentionally caused a shorter haired member of this community to feel like I was excluding them because of my hair length. I have gone through periods in the past where I am concerned that I have contributed to the tensions described above in points 2 & 3 because I have not made it clear with my posts that I think shorter lengths are wonderful too. I do not think everyone should aspire to extreme lengths. I think that the best kind of hair for you is whatever kind of hair you feel happy with so that you can celebrate yourself and also celebrate others without tearing anyone down.

So no, I do not think longer haired members need their own forum, I do not think the tone of LHC is any "worse" than it's been in my almost 9 years here, and I hope that users with shorter lengths will feel welcomed by people with longer hair, not excluded.

[gustavonut]

See, the way I see it is that we need both the shorthairs AND the longhairs here, the shorthairs can get inspiration and hopefully sensible advice from the longhairs, and the longhairs can help the shorthairs from knowledge of their own experiences good and bad. Also, all the longhairs here were shorthairs once, and many of the shorthairs will become longhairs, so IMO it really is a forum for everybody, whatever hair length.

I agree with you 100%

[lapushka]

Oh boy, lapushka, I'm not sure if my voice is necessary here, and also I tend to write novels that are automatic tl;dr (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TL;DR)material.

LOL! ;)


Secondly, whatever tensions (real or assumed) there are between people who have shorter hair lengths and people who have longer lengths is not going to be solved by exclusion of any kind. We should talk honestly about hurt feelings when they come up and remember to adhere to the KNIT policy. Sometimes listening instead of going on the defensive is one of the best things we can do.

^^ Totally agree!



That leads me to my final point - I want to apologize for any time that I have unintentionally caused a shorter haired member of this community to feel like I was excluding them because of my hair length. I have gone through periods in the past where I am concerned that I have contributed to the tensions described above in points 2 & 3 because I have not made it clear with my posts that I think shorter lengths are wonderful too. I do not think everyone should aspire to extreme lengths. I think that the best kind of hair for you is whatever kind of hair you feel happy with so that you can celebrate yourself and also celebrate others without tearing anyone down.

So no, I do not think longer haired members need their own forum, I do not think the tone of LHC is any "worse" than it's been in my almost 9 years here, and I hope that users with shorter lengths will feel welcomed by people with longer hair, not excluded.

There was a time I sort of felt excluded, this was way back in the day, and that was when I was still growing my hair, but I *knew* I was going to get there at some point, and so that hurt, I have to admit. And I think of all those people here in the same position. :flower: I was experimenting with dyes at the time, had to cut back, got it permed, etc. etc. But I learned from my experiences and I am glad there was a place for me, not that I was cheered on in my "bad" practices, but I guess that's only normal, right? :)

[neko_kawaii]

So far I have seen two extremely long hairs (littlestarface, Sarah) respond. The rest haven't yet. Maybe we should ask all of the longhairs who are knee length or longer, eresh, quixii, shepherdess, gossamer to name a few. Ladies, I hope you don't mind me calling you to this thread. ;) :p

*snif* what am I, chopped liver?

*tease*

[The-Young-Maid]

Yea maybe it needs to change to that title instead cuz this place for sure aint the long hair community at all, not by a long shot.

I disagree. This forum has been and still is overwhelmingly in favor of long hair. It's only recently that the attitude has changed from "Super long hair is THE best guys! It looks amazing on EVERYONE. It's EASY." to "Long hair is great, but if you don't/can't grow that long no biggie. Healthy hair is really pretty! YMMV.". Almost all the newbies I've seen recently post are looking for LENGTH. Sure they get tips to keep it healthy but they also want tips for fast GROWTH. Most members just want to settle into a healthy hair routine so that they have the POTENTIAL to grow long, even if they aren't going for it right now.

I challenge you to find any other place on the internet the you can comfortably talk about hair (of ANY length). And no I'm not trying to bully anyone so don't read my post like that please. Everyone has an opinion. But really this is the calmest and most... PG place on the internet. But without all the new members and their obvious questions this would be a slow forum.

So yes this is still the LONG Hair Community. We've just realized that super long hair is not practical for most people.

[littlestarface]

I disagree. This forum has been and still is overwhelmingly in favor of long hair. It's only recently that the attitude has changed from "Super long hair is THE best guys! It looks amazing on EVERYONE. It's EASY." to "Long hair is great, but if you don't/can't grow that long no biggie. Healthy hair is really pretty! YMMV.". Almost all the newbies I've seen recently post are looking for LENGTH. Sure they get tips to keep it healthy but they also want tips for fast GROWTH. Most members just want to settle into a healthy hair routine so that they have the POTENTIAL to grow long, even if they aren't going for it right now.

I challenge you to find any other place on the internet the you can comfortably talk about hair (of ANY length). And no I'm not trying to bully anyone so don't read my post like that please. Everyone has an opinion. But really this is the calmest and most... PG place on the internet. But without all the new members and their obvious questions this would be a slow forum.

So yes this is still the LONG Hair Community. We've just realized that super long hair is not practical for most people.

Long hair community insinuates nothing but long hairs gathered in a forum which its not, its many lengths from shaved to floor, that is not a long hair community its what vampriyy says it for sure is a healthy hair community and no one can disagree with that when that is what is preached here the most in almost every thread. Nothing wrong with it being a healthy hair forum either.

And I can, at the perfume forum we talk about long/short hair and no one gets mean or bullies lol i'm sure there is more places but thats the only other one i'm on as a forum.

[goneJackal]

Maybe the LONG in LHC refers to Community, not to Hair. It's a long community about hair! https://felipesv.websiteseguro.com/forum/k_sorriso.gif

[MusicalSpoons]

I understand what you're saying, littlestarface, but again there are a number of problems with wanting to segregate - primarily, of course, what should we define as 'long'? But also, lots of the shorter-haired members are aspiring longhairs - or those who previously had long hair and are currently enjoying short hair - and those who aren't are a minority (again, depending on what definition of 'long' one wants to use). It would be awful to throw people out because they cut their hair an inch too short yet previously grew to knee, for instance, and IMO totally wrong.

Even if, hypothetically, the forum were organised into shorter and longer hair, are yoy going to stop a shorter-haired person posting in the longer-haired part? Or longer-haireds barred from posting in the shorter-haired part? What about those who hit the defining milestone where they suddenly qualify as long enough - they're on that line, where do they belong? Who's to say whether the milestone has to be called stretched or unstretched? Yes those questions could be hammered out and answers agreed, but it still seems elitist to me. What about those with genuinely shorter terminal lengths; how unwelcoming it would be not to be allowed in the longer part of the forum!!

I just ... I do see your point, but I agree with The-Young-Maid. It's a bit like Deaf clubs who shun people learning sign language until they reach a certain level of proficiency - the learners would find it exceptionally hard to master the language enough to be accepted without being exposed to everyday use. The same with people growing their hair and being exposed to the longhair mentality and good routines that get people to the lengths they want :shrug:

Edit: forgot to say, gossamer: :applause

(Edit 2: maybe one thing that would declutter the Mane forum would be to move all the product threads to the Products forum? Several have sprung up recently - I don't know if people just don't know about the products forum or if they think they'll get more of an answer in the Mane forum.)

[Robot Ninja]

Yea maybe it needs to change to that title instead cuz this place for sure aint the long hair community at all, not by a long shot.

I disagree. The presence of a few shorties who don't plan on growing longer (many of whom are former long-hairs) doesn't change the fact that the vast majority of members either have or aspire to have long hair. It's just not the "as long as you can grow it" hair community anymore.



That leads me to my final point - I want to apologize for any time that I have unintentionally caused a shorter haired member of this community to feel like I was excluding them because of my hair length. I have gone through periods in the past where I am concerned that I have contributed to the tensions described above in points 2 & 3 because I have not made it clear with my posts that I think shorter lengths are wonderful too. I do not think everyone should aspire to extreme lengths. I think that the best kind of hair for you is whatever kind of hair you feel happy with so that you can celebrate yourself and also celebrate others without tearing anyone down.


I think if shorter-haired people feel excluded because of your hair length, that's their problem, not yours. I understand that some people might be discouraged because they'll never achieve extreme lengths, but taking that out on someone who has achieved those lengths is just mean and counter to the spirit of the forum. Many people whose hair is shorter than yours are inspired by your hair, and if there's anywhere someone should be free to post all the photos they want of extreme lengths, it's a Long Hair Community.

[bparnell75]

I have felt the over abundance of those who are not BSL or longer.

Here is my take. Many of us who have reached our goals do not post as often as we have absorbed much knowledge on our own journies. The "still growing out" gang just seem to be more active and verbal and excited. I have enjoyed seeing some of them post growth pics.
s sometimes I come on [much less than before] wanting to admire some really long hairs [waist and below] and they are hard to find.

[Alibran]

The "still growing out" gang just seem to be more active and verbal and excited.

That's a good point. I've always been more active here when I'm growing that when I'm maintaining.

[Chromis]

1. If you would like such a forum, go ahead and make it! I am not being at all sarcastic, I feel like the more the merrier, seriously! That's not the direction we are heading here, but that doesn't mean someone else can't fill that niche.
2. Calf length here - I post about my routine plenty, but mostly I am just saying the same things over and over which feels a bit silly. Also the method I use works really great for me, but is not currently "LHC popular" since I feel there is currently a backlash against natural products. (This swings back and forth, no biggie)
4. There are probably more long-long haired people posting that you are recalling. Not everyone has a profile pic showing their full length or chooses to fill out the inches thing. I don't even have any idea how many inches mine is, I can't measure it by myself anymore! And some of us are bad at remembering to update them, oops.
People being grumpy about the newbies who come in looking for natural hair care - Please to be seeing the front page https://www.longhaircommunity.com/ :lol:
5. The majority of short haired posters here are either growing their hair out or had previously been longhairs and are long time members who have since cut their hair but stay for the community.
6. KNIT, you can find this in the stickies, but I will repost it for good measure:


"I came for the hair care advice, but I stayed for the friends."

It has been said more than once that TLHC is one of the nicest sites on the 'net. That's because we have exceptional members who genuinely care about each other and terrific moderators who strive to make sure everyone has the best experience possible. The feeling created is very much like an extended family.

On occasion, however, a quarrel will occur, or a bit of snark will creep into people's messages, and this note is a gentle reminder that the best antidote for that is for everyone to monitor their own posts. Using the Report Button is a great help to the moderators by alerting us to problems, but prevention is a way that everyone can help maintain that warm community spirit. So, as we like to say, KNIT before you post.

Before you hit the "Submit" button, review what you're about to say.

Is it Kind?

Is it Necessary?

Is it Informative?

Is it True?

Read your words as if someone else were saying them to you. How would you receive them? Would you be offended, hurt or angry? If your post doesn't pass those tests, try again. If you simply can't compose something, let the thread go, and maybe try again later.

Every once in a while, there will be something that you cannot agree with. No one expects there to be a complete meeting of minds on every single topic discussed here. In those cases, we ask for tolerance - not acceptance, but tolerance. The other person is always worthy of respect. If you post, do not attack. Agree to disagree, and let your words be civil and even as kind as possible.

Thank you, everyone, for making this such a wonderful community.

We the volunteer moderators do a lot of our work behind the scenes, so in the majority of cases our work is invisible, as it should be. It's a funny spot being a mod, if we moderate super, super strictly people complain that the forum is unwelcoming and that they are afraid to say anything. If we are more lax, you get the complaints in this thread. We do our best to be moderate moderators anyhow! You can help! If you see a thread you think should be in a different forum, go ahead and report it! There are a lot of threads here and we don't read every one of them (this is because LHC'ers are generally super awesome so we don't need to and also super posty haha so it's pretty hard to keep up some days). The report button is pretty nifty, think of it as an alert button if that helps. It doesn't have to be for anything bad. We don't mind moving posts or merging things or fixing titles so please don't feel like you are bugging us! That said, if you do see a problem with a given post or just the general direction a thread is going, please please let us know. Especially if it is spam. We hates Spam! If you realllly need to let off some steam, you can also hit the report button and vent at us instead. (We recommend also using the block feature. Hey, sometimes people just don't get along! Unlike real life though, here you can put em on mute.)

Also, I feel like there is this slump every year about now after a long winter where the Northern Hemisphere peeps are just a bit grumpy. The sun is coming back though, days are getting longer! (Southern Hemisphere peeps, sorry you are so outnumbered, I'm not forgetting you)

[Joules]

I challenge you to find any other place on the internet the you can comfortably talk about hair (of ANY length). And no I'm not trying to bully anyone so don't read my post like that please. Everyone has an opinion. But really this is the calmest and most... PG place on the internet. But without all the new members and their obvious questions this would be a slow forum.

So yes this is still the LONG Hair Community. We've just realized that super long hair is not practical for most people.

The outside world loves short and trendy hairstyles, and I can't think of a place other than LHC that would favor (or at least tolerate) really long hair. Like, Classic length and beyond. I have been on hair-related forums before, and my dream of having hair so long that it covers my butt was called medieval and gross by pretty much everyone except my Mom. Hairdressers straight up bully anyone who doesn't want to dye and cut in layers. The LHC, apart from being the nice and friendly place it is, provides a nice alternative, something to inspire thought and maybe change someone's perspective on hair and beauty standards in general.


Long hair community insinuates nothing but long hairs gathered in a forum which its not, its many lengths from shaved to floor, that is not a long hair community its what vampriyy says it for sure is a healthy hair community and no one can disagree with that when that is what is preached here the most in almost every thread. Nothing wrong with it being a healthy hair forum either.

The overwhelming majority here is still in favor of long hair. Some people cut it short, but end up wanting long hair back. That's the point, I think, it's not about how many people here want floor length hair, it's about how many people like and want long hair. And considering the fact that by "professional" standards long hair equals anything below shoulders...yeah, it is a long hair community. People who have pixies and plan to maintain them don't come here.

[lapushka]

*snif* what am I, chopped liver?

*tease*

Oooooh LOL I'm sorry, neko_kawaii, :p I really didn't mean to skip people. :o

Should we have a running list of people's lengths / usernames in a chart? :hmm:

[lapushka]

2. Calf length here - I post about my routine plenty, but mostly I am just saying the same things over and over which feels a bit silly. Also the method I use works really great for me, but is not currently "LHC popular" since I feel there is currently a backlash against natural products. (This swings back and forth, no biggie)

I would not call it a backlash. At least, I haven't noticed.

There's a few people on here who use sulfates (bad scalp, honestly) because they need to or have to somehow. I have nothing against natural products, in fact, I would be using them, where it not for this "scalp" issue. But I am quite outspoken and on this forum a lot, so it may "seem" that sulfates are the way to go. That is not my intention at all; just to make that clear. :flower:

[lapushka]

Long hair community insinuates nothing but long hairs gathered in a forum which its not, its many lengths from shaved to floor, that is not a long hair community its what vampriyy says it for sure is a healthy hair community and no one can disagree with that when that is what is preached here the most in almost every thread. Nothing wrong with it being a healthy hair forum either.

And I can, at the perfume forum we talk about long/short hair and no one gets mean or bullies lol i'm sure there is more places but thats the only other one i'm on as a forum.

I think if we were to "seclude" the *real* long hairs, it's gonna be a lonely forum... fast!

[EdG]

I think if we were to "seclude" the *real* long hairs, it's gonna be a lonely forum... fast!There used to be a floor-length hair club (FLHC) on Yahoo. Its traffic was always light, and I suspect it has vanished.
Ed

[Ligeia Noire]

No one called me here but I'll reply anyway.... I haven't been here for that long and when I joined, my hair was very long, already. I always enjoyed silicones and sulphates and I don't really own any hair toys but I enjoy long hair and that's why I joined. I enjoy the fact that that's not ill favoured anymore but what is slightly annoying around these parts, are super long hairs apologizing for posting their pictures.
I think I lost count of the times someone with very long hair posts a picture and someone feels like they are not good enough or gets rubbed the wrong way due to the amount of praise the person gets. Not even talking about me.

Point number two- all these threads about -why don't you wear it down, why do you wear it in buns all the time-, at first it seemed liked curiosity and then like hmmmm enough already....

On a different approach when someone was praising thick hair, because that is their preference and someone got offended over that or that we should compliment short or thin hair too. No, we should compliment what we like. I am not a hypocrite and I comment on what is aesthetically pleasing to me. I don't want people that dislike very long hair or brown hair to give me fake compliments for the sake of -we are all friends here- but that's my approach on life.

Also, the threads that instantly popped after this one was created. No, I don't think we need a new forum but to me that felt like someone needed to prove a point.
This is still the long hair community and people will favour the sight of long hair and that is not inherently a threat or dislike to short haired people. Where do we gather, the super long haired ones, if not here?
You probably have tons of cut bsl Pinterest pictures and fb groups that you can check... we get disgusting looks and comments if we show off our hair outside of very specific crowds....you can count with the fingers of one hand the amount of people with very long hair that comment here on regular basis.
Half of it because they don't have anything else to learn or add or maybe because they cut it or maybe because they have long hair and that's not that big of a deal.
Forums are more for mingling and talking anyway... but i do wish some of the threads dedicated to longer lengths were more active.

Regardless and to end this rant, again, we do not need a new forum, we can all get along here if we all respect each other's opinions and preferences and remember this is free and it is a treasure, we should value the work the mods put in here but until the name changes it is still a LONG hair forum.

[nycelle]

Long hair community insinuates nothing but long hairs gathered in a forum which its not, its many lengths from shaved to floor, that is not a long hair community its what vampriyy says it for sure is a healthy hair community and no one can disagree with that when that is what is preached here the most in almost every thread. Nothing wrong with it being a healthy hair forum either.

And I can, at the perfume forum we talk about long/short hair and no one gets mean or bullies lol i'm sure there is more places but thats the only other one i'm on as a forum.

To the bolded; I don't read it that way. To me, it's a forum for long hair. How to grow it, care for it, etc. But it doesn't imply it's only for "long haired people". At least that's not how I interpreted it when I was looking for a hair care forum. If I had thought it was only for long haired people, I wouldn't have joined, and I bet many others wouldn't have either.

Having a few threads for shorties isn't a big deal either. Forums evolve through the years, that's what keeps them going. If this stayed the same as when it was first created, it probably wouldn't have lasted this long.

[lapushka]

No one called me here but I'll reply anyway.... I haven't been here for that long and when I joined, my hair was very long, already. I always enjoyed silicones and sulphates and I don't really own any hair toys. I enjoy the fact that that's not ill favoured anymore but what is slightly annoying around these parts, are super long hairs apologizing for posting their pictures.
I think I lost count of the times someone with very long hair posts a picture and someone feels like they are not good enough or gets rubbed the wrong way due to the amount of praise the person gets. Not even talking about me.

Point number two- all these threads about -why don't you wear it down, why do you wear it in buns all the time-, at first it seemed liked curiosity and then like hmmmm enough already....

On a different approach when someone was praising thick hair, because that is their preference and someone got offended over that or that we should compliment short or thin hair too. No, we should compliment what we like. I am not a hypocrite and I comment on what is aesthetically pleasing to me. I don't want people that dislike very long hair or brown hair to give me fake compliments for the sake of -we are all friends here- but that's my approach on life.

Also, the threads that instantly popped after this one was created. No, I don't think we need a new forum but to me that felt like someone needed to prove a point.
This is still the long hair community and people will favour the sight of long hair and that is not inherently a threat or dislike to short haired people. Where do we gather, the super long haired ones, if not here?
You probably have tons of cut bsl Pinterest pictures and fb groups that you can check... we get disgusting looks and comments if we show off our hair outside of very specific crowds....you can count with the fingers of one hand the amount of people with very long hair that comment here on regular basis.
Half of it because they don't have anything else to learn or add or maybe because they cut it or maybe because they have long hair and that's not that big of a deal.
Forums are more for mingling and talking anyway... but i do wish some of the threads dedicated to longer lengths were more active.

Regardless and to end this rant, again, we do not need a new forum, we can all get along here if we all respect each other's opinions and preferences and remember this is free and is a treasure we should value the work the mods put in here but until the name changes it is still a LONG hair forum.

How could I forget my "example", or whose hair I aspire to. ;) :o

The thing about posting long hair pictures is that, what I find most annoying is that you get the "same" reaction from a very few couple of members who *only* seem to be coming out of the woodwork when extremely long lengths are posted. It's hard not to single out certain members by saying this, but... That is what I find "difficult" for *me* personally and what has made me not post mine for a while. :o :( I was almost fearing that sort of a "drooly" reaction almost. I hate that. A smiley, OK, but the full-on thudpile I can do without. ;) It feels like you are revered for the wrong reasons... my feelings if I were to be singled out like that. I don't like it; but maybe that's me. I'm very icky and odd with these things. I had classic hair as a child, and had awful reactions from some... NO! I'm not gonna go into it!


Maybe the very long hairs can get their own (separate) LHC facebook group? But it's hard to do so officially because it would "feel" like a select club of members, and I fear it would get the wrong attention too.

[Kake]

I have felt the over abundance of those who are not BSL or longer.


The specific growth threads for those of us who are shorter than BSL have been around for a long time, and I think are probably among the most active threads in the forum. Many members are in, or have been in, those threads.

[Ligeia Noire]

And I respect your preference Lapushka but people are not all the same and have to learn how to deal with other people's preferences too. Yeah I don't need exclusive fb groups they all turn into the wrong kind of approach. Talking for myself and probably all that enjoy long hair on themselves. We have it regardless, groups won't make a difference. But it helps with sharing tips and tricks and this is surely the place where I come for that.

[lapushka]

Yes I believe the shorties (the real short shorties) have their own threads; and then there are the various length growth threads, chin to shoulder, shoulder to APL, APL to BSL, so it is separated already. :shrug:

I don't know what more you could ask for, really. :hmm:

[Begemot]

You probably have tons of cut bsl Pinterest pictures and fb groups that you can check... we get disgusting looks and comments if we show off our hair outside of very specific crowds....you can count with the fingers of one hand the amount of people with very long hair that comment here on regular basis.
Half of it because they don't have anything else to learn or add or maybe because they cut it or maybe because they have long hair and that's not that big of a deal.
Forums are more for mingling and talking anyway... but i do wish some of the threads dedicated to longer lengths were more active.

Regardless and to end this rant, again, we do not need a new forum, we can all get along here if we all respect each other's opinions and preferences and remember this is free and it is a treasure, we should value the work the mods put in here but until the name changes it is still a LONG hair forum.

People with super long hair are responsible for keeping those threads alive. This place being more crowded with people who are not solely here to grow super long has nothing to do with that. You listed the reasons for why there are so few of those with super long hair who comment here regularly. Also it just happens that wanting and having super long hair is somewhat rare. This forum would be kinda dead if this was a place only for people who have super long hair or who aim to grow super long. No one here is trying to say that long haired people need to go away because there's more short hair folks (??). I have yet to see something like that seriously implied. Hopefully the threads for super lengths get more active. This is the only place I have seen people celebrate hair, all kinds of hair and it's important to work keeping this place alive and thriving :)

edit. dang, messed up the quote and don't know how to fix it...

[Chromis]

If people want their own FaceBook groups, again they can have that, but the LHC has no interest in starting a sooper seekrit ultra-long only club or really having much of anything to do with Facebook. I think the official one was started mostly because people thought the unofficial one was somehow forum-approved and it is more of a spot for people to get updates if the forum goes down from server glitches or whatnot. The last round of updates seems to be working pretty well though *crosses fingers*

I don't really post in the knee-length and longer thread since I don't really have anything new to say there and I don't often take length shots and yeah it does feel a little weird to post them very often! (Note: I am not saying it is weird for other people to do so, more just that I am not really a "selfie" kind of person to start with, but that is more me being shy than judgy).

(Oh, and Lapushka, I meant more that there are a lot of people who are very anti-shampoo bars and as you know, I have used them a very long time and grown my hair a great deal longer in that time. There are a few more of us very longs in the shampoo bar thread too actually! I think more what I keep seeing now is people who think all of us using "natural" products must be afraid of "chemicals" but for some of us they simply work better. I have the opposite problem to you though, my scalp is so dry that I simply cannot wash so much or with such harsh things. Other side of the coin :flower: )

[ExpectoPatronum]

I still think this is a forum for long hairs - no matter what stage of the process you're at. If we only allowed members with super long hair, this would be a very lonely place indeed.

[littlestarface]

To the bolded; I don't read it that way. To me, it's a forum for long hair. How to grow it, care for it, etc. But it doesn't imply it's only for "long haired people". At least that's not how I interpreted it when I was looking for a hair care forum. If I had thought it was only for long haired people, I wouldn't have joined, and I bet many others wouldn't have either.

Having a few threads for shorties isn't a big deal either. Forums evolve through the years, that's what keeps them going. If this stayed the same as when it was first created, it probably wouldn't have lasted this long.

Nice reply. When I first heard of this place I thought for sure I would have the shortest hair but nope lol. I don't mind the short threads either or that their is short hair here, that's why I was like, it would do better as a change of name to the forum(I know it wont but i'm just putting my opinion out here too) but I guess to different people long hair just means hair with any type of length to it and to me long hair means ankle and beyond.

[spidermom]

First, I would like to reinforce what Rebeccalaurenxx said earlier about "tone". That is one of the disadvantages of reading over speaking. We have no idea the tone of voice intended when something is written. It is helpful to me when I get irritated about a post to tell myself that whatever was said was intended in the nicest way possible. Now I know that's not always true, but it's a way to control my own reaction. I've been admonished by the mods more than once for not being KIND in my comments, and that's partly due to the fact that I'm rather blunt. I don't want to tiptoe around my opinion, I want to get my truth out there, no emotional undertone intended. I've had to learn the tiptoe thing and haven't been admonished for years.


I've been here for 12 or 13 years, and in that time I've grown to just beyond classic length and cut back to collarbone length. I started a thread before I cut my hair because I was afraid that it would change my relationship with the forum. Unfortunately, many took that thread to mean that I resented the people who posted pictures of their impressively long hair and got lots of compliments on it. Some people even got hurt feelings over it. That wasn't my intention at all. I was trying to work through my fear of exactly what happened - some people that I thought of as "friends" quit interacting with me completely.

[MusicalSpoons]

Begemot you need to put a square bracket at the end of the string of numbers

"[QUOTE=Ligeia Noire;3639902]<-- there
You probably have tons of cut bsl Pinterest pictures and fb groups that you can check..."

Interesting responses, but not much brainpower to engage for a while. spidermom I really like that you often have almost an opposite perspective/experience to the prevailing opinion on some hair issues and I've really learned a lot from reading your comments on various things :flower: :)

[Begemot]

Begemot you need to put a square bracket at the end of the string of numbers


Thank you, all fixed now!

[harpgal]

Well, this is an interesting thread! I haven't seen this much excitement around here in ages. :)

I too, have wondered about a “shorty” thread being here. But there could be several reasons why someone wants/keeps their hair short. I do not know because I don't read those threads. I guess that is the bottom line. If a thread does not interest you, why read it? However, there are times when I stumble upon knowledge in the most unlikely places.

I'm all for other forums about long hair, or even hair care in general. However, having been a mod here several years ago, I can say that it is a very expensive and time consuming thing to do.

I have seen in all the years I have been here, many new folks coming here to learn how to grow their hair long. Yes, it seems like the same questions come up and I certainly don't mine helping. Sometimes, a person can only grow to a certain length and that is it. Those pesky follicles just do not want to hold onto that hair shaft any longer. I say, do the best you can and perhaps you can help someone else along the way, i.e., encouragement, tips, etc.

As far as some of us who do not post so much anymore...well, we do try. Since our retirement, my hubby and I are very busy out here in the real world. I have very little presence on the web anymore. But I am always approachable by PM.

[spidermom]

Thank you MusicalSpoons; I appreciate that more than you know.

[ladyfey]

Well, I was a super long hair, and hit floor length while a member here. Now I have a pixie. I tend to just be done with long hair suddenly and want it gone. This is the third time in my life I have gone from knee length of longer to short. Obviously, I have always grown it back out eventually. I am here less than I used to be, for a time I was not visiting the site at all, but I am starting to grow the pixie out again, so I've been coming back a bit. It bothers me to think I am not welcome because I am not a long hair now. It looks like most people do not feel that way, though. I certainly have experience with long hair, I haven't forgotten it just because I got it cut.

[femmefatale]

I think I lost count of the times someone with very long hair posts a picture and someone feels like they are not good enough or gets rubbed the wrong way due to the amount of praise the person gets. Not even talking about me.

Point number two- all these threads about -why don't you wear it down, why do you wear it in buns all the time-, at first it seemed liked curiosity and then like hmmmm enough already....

On a different approach when someone was praising thick hair, because that is their preference and someone got offended over that or that we should compliment short or thin hair too. No, we should compliment what we like. I am not a hypocrite and I comment on what is aesthetically pleasing to me. I don't want people that dislike very long hair or brown hair to give me fake compliments for the sake of -we are all friends here- but that's my approach on life.

Also, the threads that instantly popped after this one was created. No, I don't think we need a new forum but to me that felt like someone needed to prove a point.
This is still the long hair community and people will favour the sight of long hair and that is not inherently a threat or dislike to short haired people. Where do we gather, the super long haired ones, if not here?
You probably have tons of cut bsl Pinterest pictures and fb groups that you can check... we get disgusting looks and comments if we show off our hair outside of very specific crowds....you can count with the fingers of one hand the amount of people with very long hair that comment here on regular basis.

Regardless and to end this rant, again, we do not need a new forum, we can all get along here if we all respect each other's opinions and preferences and remember this is free and it is a treasure, we should value the work the mods put in here but until the name changes it is still a LONG hair forum.
I'm just like :bowtome::agree:
This is quite true
For me I feel that most of the others I know are not as obsessed with their hair as I am and the one time I started a conversation on hair with my friend and in the end she was like "why are you telling me all this ?'' and that was the last time I attempted such a convo

And about the compliments ,
I have been an active member for like one month maybe and in that time I have like categorised the members in my mind like this
The legends (super long hair the lengths I haven't seen in real life )
The always available (friends)these are the people I compliment not because others don't have beautiful hair (I find all kinds of hair beautiful)but it never strikes my to compliment them
Sometimes when I read my posts I'm like why didn't I post about her hair ???
Then the rest (the unknown &??????)

For a conclusion
This is a long hair community
It is first and foremost an inspiration to many
But the longer you are an member you realise that all types of hair is beautiful
Long /short/none ,thin /medium / thick,fine/coarse/medium
I personally am completely jealous of every single persons hair (specially all these beautiful colours :thud::thud::thudpile:)
As for the compliments what she says is true
The only thing is even if it's not what you prefer don't put out any negative comments

[cathair]

Long hair is a journey. When I think of short haired people on this forum, most of them have had very long hair at some point and since cut it. They enjoy their short hair in comparison, but still have valuable contributions to make, since they've been through the long hair growing journey.

That said, I'm finding more and more people don't keep to the KNIT guidelines, jump to conclusions and make very harsh judgements of each other. I log on see snarky comments, log back off again for a few weeks. There's giving advice, then there's just being mean because you can.

[lapushka]

(Oh, and Lapushka, I meant more that there are a lot of people who are very anti-shampoo bars and as you know, I have used them a very long time and grown my hair a great deal longer in that time. There are a few more of us very longs in the shampoo bar thread too actually! I think more what I keep seeing now is people who think all of us using "natural" products must be afraid of "chemicals" but for some of us they simply work better. I have the opposite problem to you though, my scalp is so dry that I simply cannot wash so much or with such harsh things. Other side of the coin :flower: )

Understand perfectly! :flower: My mom has very dry scalp (washes monthly). As a child they used to have bars in the house, which is why she has grown to... well, not like them as much, I guess. I have talked about it now being different, and have talked about more natural shampoos too, because... hey, her scalp can take it. So... why not? But she has no interest in it at all and would rather use her regular shampoo because she happens to like washing monthly and most times now she even goes longer. If regular shampoo allows her to do that, well, all the more power to her (and I just stopped mentioning it to her).

[harpgal]

I've been here for over 12 years now and the forum has changed quite a lot in that time. There is more acceptance over differing hair care methods now but there is also a noticeable absence of some of the really long hairs. Sure they post on the knee and beyond thread occasionally but I rarely see them on the other threads sharing their knowledge. This could be for several reasons (and I'm only guessing here). For most of them, they know their routine inside and out and don't need to change it so those threads don't interest them. They probably don't live and breath hair in the same way that someone actively starting to grow does. But I've also seen some of these long hairs with so much knowledge just ignored or dismisssed or worse on threads. I'm thinking of one thread where a long-time member was answering a question and several newer members argued with her and offered their own ideas. There is nothing wrong with sharing different ideas and advice but in this instance, the long-time member was correct but was basically ignored and shut-down. Since then, I have seen that this "new" idea has become the norm. So while TLHC has changed - and some of that change has been for the better - I think we have also lost some of the knowledge and know-how that we had in the beginning.
CrowningGlory, this is so true. I have seen this very thing and have even been that long-time member. Perhaps, this is the result of the decline of manners and respect? I remember well, a very kind lady who came here with 100 inch hair. She posted some very good ideas about hair care and some folks argued with her and were very disrespectful. She left. What a shame, because she took along with her so much knowledge.

[Quixii]

It's been interesting to read through the opinions on this thread.

When I first heard of LHC, I had tailbone length hair and suspected I couldn't join because my hair wasn't long enough. I was so intimidated by the idea that I stayed away for at least another week, before I was finally tempted to at least look around and see if that was the case. I was surprised to find that my hair was already "really long" by many people's standards! :laugh: So I joined. I'm glad it wasn't the exclusive place I'd feared it would be.

LHC got me over my first hurdle, being stalled at tailbone for years. They were where I learned about caring for curly hair, rather than trying to treat it like misbehaving straight hair. I checked out the Curly Girl and such forums, but didn't feel welcome there, because I had long hair first and curly hair second, and not all methods are compatible.
I even had times of feeling lonely here - I didn't know anyone else who had hair my length and wurly/curliness like mine. But I learned new things from people of varying lengths and curlinesses. It was fun!

Now I've been here nearly a decade and yeah, I don't post as much. Partly because I absorbed a lot of the advice and felt pretty good about my routine. Partly because there's only so many times you can share your own experiences/advice before you feel like a broken record. Partly because it felt unnecessarily show-offy to share pictures of my hair, especially when it's not really changing much at this point. Partly because by this point, I don't know that I'm doing the best thing(s) for my hair, but I'm doing what I'm okay with for now. I don't necessarily feel good recommending it, because I'm certain there's something better. But at this stage in my life and my hair, this is what I'm doing!
So I tend to just not visit the Mane Forum.

I stick around for the community. Which has also changed over the years. Sometimes I don't post for a long time because nothing that appeals to me has happened. And that's okay! LHC isn't "Quixii's personal wondersite with only things that appeal to Quixii!" I pop in, read most of the blog posts, pop around a bit, pop out. Some personalities clash and that's okay. It's all part of being part of a big community, you know?

[Ophidian]

....I think more what I keep seeing now is people who think all of us using "natural" products must be afraid of "chemicals" but for some of us they simply work better.

This. I wasn't here in the days of Ye Olde LHC except as an occasional lurker, but I think the pendulum has swung a bit past YMMV in this regard. When some poor newbie comes in and asks about washing without shampoo there tends to be an instant response something along the lines of there are chemicals in everything just use normal shampoo it's there for a reason. And this includes in the herbs and recipes subform, which is theoretically the place to go to discuss that sort of thing. I figure it's normal in the scheme of things for there to be ups and downs like this, but I would like to take this opportunity to go on the record and state that it's not always an easy place to be if you're not into sulfates.


...I log on see snarky comments, log back off again for a few weeks...

Also this. I come here to nerd about about hair, not bicker. But I'm not really comfortable arguing about why we shouldn't bicker (which happens anytime you put a group of people together anyway), so I tend to just avoid threads that aren't about sharing information and log out for a while when I realized I've had to start dodging threads to the point where it stops being fun.

[lapushka]

I stick around for the community. Which has also changed over the years. Sometimes I don't post for a long time because nothing that appeals to me has happened. And that's okay! LHC isn't "Quixii's personal wondersite with only things that appeal to Quixii!" I pop in, read most of the blog posts, pop around a bit, pop out. Some personalities clash and that's okay. It's all part of being part of a big community, you know?

I think it's all in how you deal with it. IRL not everyone gets along either, but we're all grown ups, right? We can look past that, IMO. And then there's always the ignore button (even though I use it only when it gets too too much for me to bear, and sometimes I use it on and off). I don't have that many people on ignore, most have left I think; and if I do still have someone active on ignore, I can't help but read the posts anyway. :lol:). Why do I bother. Hahaha!

[sugar&nutmeg]

cathair said:


That said, I'm finding more and more people don't keep to the KNIT guidelines, jump to conclusions and make very harsh judgements of each other. I log on see snarky comments, log back off again for a few weeks. There's giving advice, then there's just being mean because you can.

^This is what I was trying to say. This is the difference I've noticed happening. More knee-jerk reactions. More snark. I'm thankful a few others have noticed, too, and said so. Thanks!

I get confused when KNIT is laid out in the official standard of conduct, and I'm told "yes, please do tell us if people are not adhering to the KNIT standard", and the KNIT standard is thread-quoted in its entirety...and yet I see non-KNIT posts every time I visit. All over the place. The cognitive dissonance makes my little Aspie brain spin 'round. Am I...seeing things?

It might help to know how the KNIT elements are defined. Perhaps most importantly the K for 'kind'.

Does Kind simply mean, in practice, anything less than an outright personal attack is 'kind enough'? Is 'kind enough' determined solely by the 'opinion' of the person posting? If anyone's reaction to that post differs, is that solely the reader's 'problem'? Is that definition of Kind okay, because "hey, it's like that, out there on the internet"?

So, KNIT? Or not? I'd appreciate some further official clarification. Thanks!

[bokeh]

I am still rather new here. I've been exploring the site and have found sooo much useful information. There is a lot to learn about routines, products and mindsets such as 'benign neglect'. I have learned from the comments of people of all hair types and lengths. Of course, I especially pay attention to people that have hair similar to mine but would miss out on many good comments if I limited myself to just them. It is clear to me that there is much information here that would benefit people of all lengths and that the structure of the site allows me to read or ignore any threads as I choose. This is a much calmer, steadier, more sensible group than some of the fb groups that I explored earlier in my journey. To be clear, they were great groups of people and I learned a lot but the producty hair, complicated routines and the daily morning angst about how my hair weathered the night was not for me. Mostly, I am grateful to the people here, of all hair lengths, who share their knowledge. I hope that I can be helpful to others with the things that I have learned. Now, to more specifically address the OP's question; no I don't think that we need a new forum for short haired people. Short hairs and long hairs have much in common that they are trying to learn about hair and can learn a lot from one another. I don't find it overcrowded here and I've never read anything here that seemed to insult or discourage growing long hair. Oh, and I would like to mention here that I really appreciate the work that the forum administrators do quietly behind the scenes.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

CrowningGlory, this is so true. I have seen this very thing and have even been that long-time member. Perhaps, this is the result of the decline of manners and respect? I remember well, a very kind lady who came here with 100 inch hair. She posted some very good ideas about hair care and some folks argued with her and were very disrespectful. She left. What a shame, because she took along with her so much knowledge.

Wow, who was this lady with 100 inches of hair?

[lapushka]

cathair said:



^This is what I was trying to say. This is the difference I've noticed happening. More knee-jerk reactions. More snark. I'm thankful a few others have noticed, too, and said so. Thanks!

I get confused when KNIT is laid out in the official standard of conduct, and I'm told "yes, please do tell us if people are not adhering to the KNIT standard", and the KNIT standard is thread-quoted in its entirety...and yet I see non-KNIT posts every time I visit. All over the place. The cognitive dissonance makes my little Aspie brain spin 'round. Am I...seeing things?

It might help to know how the KNIT elements are defined. Perhaps most importantly the K for 'kind'.

Does Kind simply mean, in practice, anything less than an outright personal attack is 'kind enough'? Is 'kind enough' determined solely by the 'opinion' of the person posting? If anyone's reaction to that post differs, is that solely the reader's 'problem'? Is that definition of Kind okay, because "hey, it's like that, out there on the internet"?

So, KNIT? Or not? I'd appreciate some further official clarification. Thanks!

I think virtually everyone is *very* KNIT around here, personally. Have you been on the rest of the net. ;) Yikes!

[cathair]

I think virtually everyone is *very* KNIT around here, personally. Have you been on the rest of the net. ;) Yikes!

Everyone has their own perspective. I don't think that offers the clarification sugar&nutmeg was looking for though.

[lapushka]

Everyone has their own perspective. I don't think that offers the clarification sugar&nutmeg was looking for though.

I'm leaving that part to the mods. :) Not my place to clarify that. :flower:

[spidermom]

Hmmm; I don't see it that often, so I think snark must be in the eye of the beholder. Since you can't hear the tone of voice or see the facial expression, how can you come to a "snark" conclusion based on the printed word alone?

[cathair]

Hmmm; I don't see it that often, so I think snark must be in the eye of the beholder. Since you can't hear the tone of voice or see the facial expression, how can you come to a "snark" conclusion based on the printed word alone?

I agree the tone is often lost in the written word. But sometimes the intention is very clear when it's repeated in different situations for example, or in context. I don't think that should excuse all behaviour, it's really on the writer knowing that, to do their best to be clear.

Some places people mark their sarcasm with s/. Sometimes that helps.

[Robot Ninja]

This. I wasn't here in the days of Ye Olde LHC except as an occasional lurker, but I think the pendulum has swung a bit past YMMV in this regard. When some poor newbie comes in and asks about washing without shampoo there tends to be an instant response something along the lines of there are chemicals in everything just use normal shampoo it's there for a reason. And this includes in the herbs and recipes subform, which is theoretically the place to go to discuss that sort of thing. I figure it's normal in the scheme of things for there to be ups and downs like this, but I would like to take this opportunity to go on the record and state that it's not always an easy place to be if you're not into sulfates.


I don't use sulfates or cones and have never noticed any backlash. But then, I don't really spend a lot of time talking about actual hair here anymore, since I'm another one of those people who have been here for a while and have my routine pretty much down. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some snark directed at people who avoid sulfates because of the general "all natural everything" trend and because some Pinterest-mom-turned-blogger said to wash your hair with baking soda; if you're basing your hair care routine on bad science and woo, there are plenty of people here who aren't shy about telling you so.

[akurah]

cathair said:



^This is what I was trying to say. This is the difference I've noticed happening. More knee-jerk reactions. More snark. I'm thankful a few others have noticed, too, and said so. Thanks!

I get confused when KNIT is laid out in the official standard of conduct, and I'm told "yes, please do tell us if people are not adhering to the KNIT standard", and the KNIT standard is thread-quoted in its entirety...and yet I see non-KNIT posts every time I visit. All over the place. The cognitive dissonance makes my little Aspie brain spin 'round. Am I...seeing things?

It might help to know how the KNIT elements are defined. Perhaps most importantly the K for 'kind'.

Does Kind simply mean, in practice, anything less than an outright personal attack is 'kind enough'? Is 'kind enough' determined solely by the 'opinion' of the person posting? If anyone's reaction to that post differs, is that solely the reader's 'problem'? Is that definition of Kind okay, because "hey, it's like that, out there on the internet"?

So, KNIT? Or not? I'd appreciate some further official clarification. Thanks!

If you're seeing non-KNIT posts, you can report to the mods. As they've said themselves, they can't read everything and stuff can be missed. You also can't assume an inappropriate post was reported already because we have no visibility into that.

Additionally, we have no visibility into mod actions and decisions. It's possible that whoever made the inappropriate post got a warning from a mod, or even an infraction. (enough infractions can lead to bans)

[Ophidian]

I don't use sulfates or cones and have never noticed any backlash. But then, I don't really spend a lot of time talking about actual hair here anymore, since I'm another one of those people who have been here for a while and have my routine pretty much down. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some snark directed at people who avoid sulfates because of the general "all natural everything" trend and because some Pinterest-mom-turned-blogger said to wash your hair with baking soda; if you're basing your hair care routine on bad science and woo, there are plenty of people here who aren't shy about telling you so.

I don't feel like it's backlash so much as just an increased popularity in conventional products over the diy stuff.

The Pinterest mom-turned-blogger bit illustrates my point well though - there's a lot of territory between that end of the spectrum and the other, and not everyone experimenting with alternative methods is drinking the cool-aide just because someone on the interwebs said sulfates are poison. And sometimes it feels like the assumption is that those are the only people who are drawn to the "natural" stuff, when as Chromis ​said, sometimes it's a matter of efficacy.

[Robot Ninja]

I don't feel like it's backlash so much as just an increased popularity in conventional products over the diy stuff.


Conventional products have been popular for as long as I've been on the forum. There used to be a thread every time a major company introduced or discontinued or changed a cone-free conditioner, and tons of "I'm sulfate free/cone free, are these ingredients okay?" posts. It's just that there used to be a lot more people CO-washing or using the mildest shampoo they could find.

[lapushka]

Conventional products have been popular for as long as I've been on the forum. There used to be a thread every time a major company introduced or discontinued or changed a cone-free conditioner, and tons of "I'm sulfate free/cone free, are these ingredients okay?" posts. It's just that there used to be a lot more people CO-washing or using the mildest shampoo they could find.

Really? I don't see a lot of people discussing how they wash their hair these days, though. Maybe it's that?

[Alibran]

It's just that there used to be a lot more people CO-washing or using the mildest shampoo they could find.

Back when I joined, cowashing was the 'one true way' of hair care, according to this forum. If you were doing it any other way, you were 'doing it wrong'.

[Ophidian]

Conventional products have been popular for as long as I've been on the forum. There used to be a thread every time a major company introduced or discontinued or changed a cone-free conditioner, and tons of "I'm sulfate free/cone free, are these ingredients okay?" posts. It's just that there used to be a lot more people CO-washing or using the mildest shampoo they could find.

So then when was this time when people using conventional products felt they were swimming upstream? I don't necessarily have a point to prove here, I'm just questioning the idea that there is such a stark difference between "old" and "new" LHC in terms of openness to a variety of ideas (not saying I find this to be an intolerant community at all, for the record, just playing devil's advocate and saying that as someone who has been interested in the alternative stuff, it often feels hard to find a place to seriously get into it - mostly because there just aren't that many people into it, and somewhat because if you have a problem, 9 times out of 10 there is someone more than happy to suggest just using conventional products instead).

[lapushka]

So then when was this time when people using conventional products felt they were swimming upstream? I don't necessarily have a point to prove here, I'm just questioning the idea that there is such a stark difference between "old" and "new" LHC in terms of openness to a variety of ideas (not saying I find this to be an intolerant community at all, for the record, just playing devil's advocate and saying that as someone who has been interested in the alternative stuff, it often feels hard to find a place to seriously get into it - mostly because there just aren't that many people into it, and somewhat because if you have a problem, 9 times out of 10 there is someone more than happy to suggest just using conventional products instead).

Maybe it's just not understood well enough then how deep the issues are? Could be. Maybe it warrants more clarity then.

I know LHC when I joined was more natural, Madora was active a lot, still. BBB'ing was popular and more natural ways of approaching hair, including baking soda! And boy, am I glad that latter part has changed!

[Ophidian]

Maybe it's just not understood well enough then how deep the issues are? Could be. Maybe it warrants more clarity then.

I know LHC when I joined was more natural, Madora was active a lot, still. BBB'ing was popular and more natural ways of approaching hair, including baking soda! And boy, am I glad that latter part has changed!

That does make total sense :). In the herb threads anyway it does seem like there was a heyday in the mid 2000's, but since then people have either left or switched to other methods. Either way, the interest is just much lower than it used to be. Which is of course fine, things ebb and flow. I just get nostalgic sometimes, even though I wasn't active then. I think baking soda ruined the party for a lot of people :p

[Entangled]

Maybe it's just not understood well enough then how deep the issues are? Could be. Maybe it warrants more clarity then.

I know LHC when I joined was more natural, Madora was active a lot, still. BBB'ing was popular and more natural ways of approaching hair, including baking soda! And boy, am I glad that latter part has changed!


That does make total sense :). In the herb threads anyway it does seem like there was a heyday in the mid 2000's, but since then people have either left or switched to other methods. Either way, the interest is just much lower than it used to be. Which is of course fine, things ebb and flow. I just get nostalgic sometimes, even though I wasn't active then. I think baking soda ruined the party for a lot of people :p


I know that who’s posting makes a big difference! Frequent posters affect the “feeling” of a community. I’m before I joined I lurked and read a lot of older threads from when Mardora was still on and learned a lot about BBBs. I read a lot of threads circa 2008? and got the sense that I should quit cones if I could, stretch washes as long as I could, avoid sulphates, and use a BBB. But I experimented a lot, and then found the tone was much different when I read current and not old threads, and now I’m more or less in a benign neglect routine.

[lapushka]

Same for me, I know my routine works and for the rest it's benign neglect for me. I weekly wash, use the methods that I use, but still... I can't stop myself from blabbering on. ;) :p

[The-Young-Maid]

I know that who’s posting makes a big difference! Frequent posters affect the “feeling” of a community. I’m before I joined I lurked and read a lot of older threads from when Mardora was still on and learned a lot about BBBs. I read a lot of threads circa 2008? and got the sense that I should quit cones if I could, stretch washes as long as I could, avoid sulphates, and use a BBB. But I experimented a lot, and then found the tone was much different when I read current and not old threads, and now I’m more or less in a benign neglect routine.

This. When I first started lurking all of that was drilled into my brain. I mean it had to be correct right? Everyone with super long hair said so. But nothing works for everyone, it took me way too long to figure that out. Lost a LOT of hair in the process cause nobody talked about scalp conditions.

I just don't want people to make the same mistakes I did. So I try to throw my :twocents: into topics where I might be able to help. I think that's what people have started to do instead of just assuming they did something wrong. You can't make something work if your hair/scalp doesn't like it.

That's why it's so important to have members with all different kinds of hair/goals. You get a better idea of what may/may not work for you without all the pain of experimenting.

[lapushka]

This. When I first started lurking all of that was drilled into my brain. I mean it had to be correct right? Everyone with super long hair said so. But nothing works for everyone, it took me way too long to figure that out. Lost a LOT of hair in the process cause nobody talked about scalp conditions.

I just don't want people to make the same mistakes I did. So I try to throw my :twocents: into topics where I might be able to help. I think that's what people have started to do instead of just assuming they did something wrong. You can't make something work if your hair/scalp doesn't like it.

That's why it's so important to have members with all different kinds of hair/goals. You get a better idea of what may/may not work for you without all the pain of experimenting.

^^ Very true & very useful!!!

[AmaryllisRed]

I've only been here a year, but I read a lot of old threads (like I spend an embarrassingly large amount of time combing through them) and just based on that, I would have thought I was in the minority using traditional shampoos and conditioners with sulfates and cones. I still sort of feel like it's not "The Long Hair Way" to use mainstream stuff in a mainstream way.
It's interesting to me that people say sulfates and cones are what the majority here are using because I didn't think that at all. Not that I've ever felt judged for my routine.

[ReptilianFeline]

There used to be a forum called Untamed Tresses. I joined that after trying to get in here at LHC and the signup had a hiccup and activations took months. There were posts and threads made by people who found LHC to be too snorky or elitistic at the time, and that UTT was a lot more friendly.

I'm glad that LHC isn't exclusively for the long hairs any more, even if the bulk is about growing it long or caring for it long or making hair toys for long hair. Hair has to be cared for, long or short, and getting advice from others is part of why I am here.

I sometimes feel that I can't call myself a long hair since most of my hair isn't the full butt crack and beyond lenght (last time I checked in the shower it actually reaches below my butt). Do I cut it back and call myself a below bra strap? No. There is nothing wrong with the hair I've got and the ends keep my bun in place, but it also mean I hardly wear it loose... but when I try at work, I usually end up bunning it to get it out of my work... I don't want to end up having it get caught in the scanner, do I?

Now... for me, being civil is essential. Today's internet climate is many times far from civil though, and I think that gets transfer do this place as well. People these days are used to a differnet way of writing posts than 10 years ago. That is how things change, and we can accept it or try and inform them on how we like things to be said. Keeping it civil, think before you hit the "Post" button, read it through, and then post.

OK... one more thing... at this point in my hair growing life, I'm more concerned about my scalp than my hair. I'm trying to keep my scalp happy because if I do, my hair will be happy too. Therefor I will accept and give advice to people no matter the lenght of their hair, if is is about their scalp. At the moment my scalp seems to be happier with a no-poo routine, and I don't have the means to try out any scalp friendly shampoo there is until I find one my scalp will go bonkers over. I try, I test, I analyse and I share. Then I try again. Without this forum I'd be lost.

My 2 SEK (Swedish krona) :)

[DaniGirl]

This thread was enlightening might be the best way to describe how I felt reading it. I’m a newbie here and try to avoid posting the questions that can be answered by reading the stickies posts. That’s the whole point in having them.

I’m glad this place is opening my eyes to all the options available for hair care rather than what I’ve done my whole life. I’m trying new things experimenting, trying curly girl. I would hate that having short hair above shoulder length means I need to be put somewhere else and I’m not welcome.

It’s actually been quite hard to read from posters that I generally like as well as appreciate their comments and insight that people like me aren’t welcome and we’re an annoyance.

[languagenut]

As an aside, the forum is full of various topics--it's sooooo not all about hair (of any length). It's a community. We come here to discuss all kinds of things. Does it detract? I think it enhances, honestly.

I mostly live in the off-topic section myself, lol :p.

As for the community, I haven't noticed any bad vibe, or disparaging of long hair; I've always noticed what an incredibly diverse membership we have here and thought that was cool. When it comes to hair, there are people who wanna grow as long as they possibly-ossibly can, and those who just want to grow to waist or so, and those who grow for a while and conclude they're happy with a bob. There are those who are really into treating their hair like antique lace and trying to avoid breaking a single strand, those who are like "this is my keratin mop and it can do its thing and I'll do mine", and those who want to have their hair as healthy as possible while still enjoying fun colors and stuff. And everything in between. And I think that's great, it's a big part of what makes the forum interesting, and I haven't noticed any attack on anybody's way of managing their hair, whether long or short, super protected or more relaxed. :shrug:

I think it can still be well described as the "long hair community" in contrast to other hair-care forums, because it's a place where long hair is widely aspired to, and appreciated even by those who prefer to keep their hair shorter.

But maybe there's something going on I haven't seen? Since as I said, I mostly live in the off-topic section, coming to the mane forum to read random hair thoughts, mostly. (I don't have any profound wisdom on hair-care, and am content with a very basic routine for my own, so I don't feel much need to spend time in more hair-care-oriented threads)

[mwallingford]

Wow, this thread is certainly polarizing! I can see both sides of the argument but I can't help but think that maybe the OPs words are being taken a little out of context? She did say, "I just want to say that everybody has a right to do what they want with their own hair, and I have worn and can appreciate a wide variety of hairstyles, from buzzcut to hip" before continuing and she stated that her wish was "not to offend anyone who likes or wears short hair".

I can't help but agree that there have been a few more threads than usual with short hair related topics. But that comes and goes as many others have said. And everyone does indeed need to start somewhere. Newbies and shorties are MORE than welcome IMO, it wouldn't be as exciting without you guys! :flowers: (DaniGirl, please don't feel bad. You are very welcome and far from an annoyance and this goes to everyone not trolling the forum). As long as we are kind and considerate with what we're posting I don't see why this should be a big deal. Every single one of us has had short hair at some point and I wish I would have found TLHC sooner to avoid a lot of frustration.

Just one voice/opinion out of many, but maybe someone will find this helpful :flower:

[Ophidian]

I don't think that anyone feels or is truly suggesting that someone who wants to be a part of the community isn't welcome just because they have shorter hair, DaniGirl - we all start somewhere :).

[Ophidian]

Wow, this thread is certainly polarizing! I can see both sides of the argument but I can't help but think that maybe the OPs words are being taken a little out of context? She did say, "I just want to say that everybody has a right to do what they want with their own hair, and I have worn and can appreciate a wide variety of hairstyles, from buzzcut to hip" before continuing and she stated that her wish was "not to offend anyone who likes or wears short hair".

I can't help but agree that there have been a few more threads than usual with short hair related topics. But that comes and goes as many others have said. And everyone does indeed need to start somewhere. Newbies and shorties are MORE than welcome IMO, it wouldn't be as exciting without you guys! :flowers: (DaniGirl, please don't feel bad. You are very welcome and far from an annoyance and this goes to everyone not trolling the forum). As long as we are kind and considerate with what we're posting I don't see why this should be a big deal. Every single one of us has had short hair at some point and I wish I would have found TLHC sooner to avoid a lot of frustration.

Just one voice/opinion out of many, but maybe someone will find this helpful :flower:

I think that very eloquently sums up my general impressions and feelings as well :flower:.

[Robot Ninja]

I've only been here a year, but I read a lot of old threads (like I spend an embarrassingly large amount of time combing through them) and just based on that, I would have thought I was in the minority using traditional shampoos and conditioners with sulfates and cones. I still sort of feel like it's not "The Long Hair Way" to use mainstream stuff in a mainstream way.
It's interesting to me that people say sulfates and cones are what the majority here are using because I didn't think that at all. Not that I've ever felt judged for my routine.

You would have been in the minority using sulfates and cones (and probably still are) but there were definitely a lot of people using cone-free and sulfate-free (for the ones that didn't CO-wash) mainstream products. Suave and VO5 conditioners had cult-like status at one point.

[Servana]

I like how LHC has changed. I joined in 2012 but lurked and read threads from probably 2006-onwards. I took a break for quite a few years and I've just recently come back.

When I was active here many people were quite militant and staunch in their hair care beliefs. And yes, there were more long-hairs. But people change and therefore so do the forums they frequent! I like that the forum is more inclusive and varied now. I think everyone should be accepted here. I personally cycle between maintaining at waist-hip and then cutting to my shoulders. It's like clockwork! I neglect my hair and it grows like a weed, then it starts annoying me too much and I chop it all off :) I usually love it for a few months, proclaim I'm never growing it again and then realise that long hair works much better for me and grow it all out again!

Personally I see LHC as a community for people who want healthy hair, whether they intend to grow it or not. So what if they have short hair? I have never seen a short hair thread that has been disrespectful, nor have I felt any "tension". If you only want to read comments from people with tailbone+ hair then only click on those threads! Simple.

[Crystawni]

You know what's funny? I came here via Google when looking for alternative methods of trimming my hair (even though I've been cutting others' hair for most of my life), and look what happened. It greeeeeeeeeeeeew on me. And back then, I thought my hair was already lengthy (at APL+), but then... well, LHC happened, and now I'm swishing the hair of my childhood dreams. :lol:

I've read tonnes more threads here, ancient, old and new, from start to finish than I've participated in, and got well and truly hooked. I'm betting a fair few others have had similar experiences. I for sure saw this as a forum for people with long hair, and lurked for a bit before dipping my toe into the cheesy koolaid. And I still see it as a forum for people with long hair--AND the rest of us who didn't even know what we truly wanted until we stayed a while.

And yeah, I'm guilty of some rare, obtuse passive aggressiveness when my intelligence and patience have been more than tested and I can't keep my fingers from the keyboard any longer (I do try to sit on them most times, and have deleted more than one reply before posting). I know I can't argue with (what I perceive as) stupid, but sometimes my hair ties me in knots and slaps the words down anyway. I'm sorry to anyone who has been offended by me at these times, and really only wish everyone here the very best in their hairy journeys.

On the other hand, to those who do think being blunt and brash is the way to go on here (and no, I don't mean when there's good reasoning and valid experience behind it, I mean off the cuff, sharp, smartarse crud) please don't. That's the stuff that gets nasty. That's the stuff that's anti-KNIT.

As always, this is only my opinion, and is not directed at anyone in particular, and is certainly not at anyone I've personally interacted with here (I'm happy to avoid those who irk me). Take it with a bar of (shampoo) soap. :p

[Longlegs]

I only recently joined, and I joined because I want long hair. It's just past shoulder length now (sorry, I have'nt got the hang of all the abbreviations yet) . I don't know why someone would want to join a Long hair group if they don't want long hair. However their is advice and tips to keep your hair in good shape that would benefit almost everyone with hair on their head. I belong to a hair group on FB for people who dye their hair, they are a bit fussy about who can join, one thing they say is that they don't want any "Hair Tourists" ie someone who has no intention of dying their hair and just wants to look, I think it's a bit mean. Maybe you should be flattered that all hair lengths want to join your community.?

[browntatis]

Its sad to know that some actually feel that way.

I joined a few years ago but I am not very active, especially because I feel like I may not be accepted because of my short hair (almost BSL), sometimes I even feel embarrassed to post my pics too. But I joined because even thought I dont have long hair, I WANT long hair and I have find motivation in this forum and I have learn alot from those with experience.

And most experienced ones are very nice and supportive with those of us in this journey. Thank You.

[zashin66]

Well I saw this thread topic and felt I didn't have any opinions on it. I saw it kept popping up so it must be very active. So I decided to see wthat was going on. I have read every post from start through to finish/current.

I started LHC as a waist length and am now past classiic working on fingertip length. (I decided to not use the acronyms). I felt awe of those with hair at knee and ankle and floor. I joined here because I thought that I would learn from the Masters....... I did but the most important thing I learned was to do what worked for me and my time needs. I learned an acceptance of others hair goals for themselves. From that I was able to have the courage to go for the top (or bottom,. Depends on your perspective). I decided to shoot for the floor instead of my original goal of classic ( check-classic accomplished).

There is so much niceness here that I appreciate. I found friendship and camaraderie here. I'm happy. So what if I don't agree with everyone or their tone. They are still so nice in their differences. It is like seeing kittens playfighting rather than an outright cat fight.

[Lady Stardust]

There have been a couple of threads that seemed to be anti the usual LHC sentiment - for example one particularly awful one saying that people with thin hair shouldn’t grow their hair long. (That thread led to another one showing the beauty of long thin hair - and gave me inspiration to keep growing :)) Another couple of threads about updos spring to mind. I think those anti-LHC mentality are the kind of threads that Swan Feathers was referring to? I might be wrong though, and maybe it is more to do with the number of people here with shorter hair.

I can only think of 2 threads dedicated to shorter hair, other than the growing out threads. Are people referring to those growing out threads? It feels like they are to me, otherwise I can’t see where the reference to multiple threads for shorter hair comes from.

I’m proudly making my way through the growing out threads at the moment - I started in super shorties and I’m now in the shoulder to APL thread. I have to say, those threads are among the most welcoming, encouraging, friendliest, kindest places on the forum. Zero snarkiness. I really appreciate the graduates popping back in to encourage us all too.

I definitely see this as a forum for long hair. Maybe us short hairs feel that more keenly. I remember a couple of threads recently asking whether LHC is the last long hair forum, and whether people visited any other hair forums. The answers seemed to point to LHC having outlived other forums. I don’t think that would happen without us long-hairs-in-training joining, with an innate love of long hair, and then being infected with LHC-itis.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I've been here just 2 years (my forum birthday is sometime in february); I came here after destroying my hair with dyes, while looking for henna recipes. I really wanted to grow my hair long again (i was MBL), being waist-hip my idea of long. The Spanish forums that I found about hair care were, well, really nasty with tons of people knowing better and not knowing nothing at all, just showing off their ignorance, so I ran away for good. But I came here and felt very welcomed like I never was in any kind of forum (I'm a collector, so I've been in international forums +10years now). I learnt a lot, and I felt inspired to grow much longer than I never dreamed of (Classic-FTL are my goals now), and letting my natural brown hair shine alone without henna or dyes. Sometime this year I'll hit lenghts I was never able to grow before (i've been BCL at most, and cut inmediately to waist - did that several times), and I'm incredibly happy because of it.

What I'm trying to say is that I inmediately felt this forum like a forum dedicated to grow long hair, and the way to have really long hair is to have it healthy - at least I understand it this way. I love both short and long hairstyles (actually a reversed bob with straight hair is my fav style for me), but with my texture only long hair suits me without having to depend on irons and such -yuck.

Of course we all can't get along, and sometimes mean comments are posted here and there. I try to ignore it, because i'm not a patient girl in any way and try to avoid problems (esp because I don't want to be dropped out of this forum :rolling:); and also there are things lost in translation, since english is NOT my first language so sometimes I get some comments the wrong way - or understand them in a nicer way than they are intended :lol:

But i still think that this forum is a treasure, and it's not needed to have another one for long hairs only - that sounds elitist and not inclusive in my head. And sometimes the best advice come from people that have short hair ATM (I'm thinking of spidermom's trimming method, for example, I loved it!). We just have to be very open minded: here we have people that come from very different backgrounds, countries and cultures, and from different ages too. I get along here with people that I would have never thought, because they have very different lives and views to mine. And it's so great.

We all share the same hobby/love/whatever you call it, that is hair. And everybody should be welcome and have an opinion, at the same time that they should also stop and listen to others that might know better due to real experience. So. That was me rambling :p

[Sarahlabyrinth]

That was a very excellent ramble, Milady :) I agree.

[Joules]

There have been a couple of threads that seemed to be anti the usual LHC sentiment - for example one particularly awful one saying that people with thin hair shouldn’t grow their hair long. (That thread led to another one showing the beauty of long thin hair - and gave me inspiration to keep growing :)) Another couple of threads about updos spring to mind. I think those anti-LHC mentality are the kind of threads that Swan Feathers was referring to? I might be wrong though, and maybe it is more to do with the number of people here with shorter hair.

To be fair, all those threads quickly turn into the "OP vs everyone else" situation. Like it was with the most recent updo thread. The owervhelming majority of people here are (sorta) on the same page.

TBH, I don't think those threads are necessarily bad. They start conversations, however silly and annoying they might seem. Again, as long as most of the members here appreciate long hair, it's still the Long Hair Community.

[lapushka]

I've only been here a year, but I read a lot of old threads (like I spend an embarrassingly large amount of time combing through them) and just based on that, I would have thought I was in the minority using traditional shampoos and conditioners with sulfates and cones. I still sort of feel like it's not "The Long Hair Way" to use mainstream stuff in a mainstream way.
It's interesting to me that people say sulfates and cones are what the majority here are using because I didn't think that at all. Not that I've ever felt judged for my routine.

I don't think I'd go that far. I'm unsure of that; maybe we need a poll. ON IT!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I don't think I'd go that far. I'm unsure of that; maybe we need a poll. ON IT!

I don't really know what others are using, but I use them myself.

[lapushka]

Its sad to know that some actually feel that way.

I joined a few years ago but I am not very active, especially because I feel like I may not be accepted because of my short hair (almost BSL), sometimes I even feel embarrassed to post my pics too. But I joined because even thought I dont have long hair, I WANT long hair and I have find motivation in this forum and I have learn alot from those with experience.

And most experienced ones are very nice and supportive with those of us in this journey. Thank You.

Now *that* is sad. Please don't hold back and fully join; I love reading your posts. And I love your hair, my God, 1a sleek hair is simply amazing and you don't see that often either.

[Lady Stardust]

To be fair, all those threads quickly turn into the "OP vs everyone else" situation. Like it was with the most recent updo thread. The owervhelming majority of people here are (sorta) on the same page.

TBH, I don't think those threads are necessarily bad. They start conversations, however silly and annoying they might seem. Again, as long as most of the members here appreciate long hair, it's still the Long Hair Community.

I agree that the LHC mentality prevails. I’m just trying to see where Swan Feathers was coming from.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Browntatis, BSL isn't short :) And you are just as welcome here as everyone else, so please don't feel unwelcome.

[Joules]

Its sad to know that some actually feel that way.

I joined a few years ago but I am not very active, especially because I feel like I may not be accepted because of my short hair (almost BSL), sometimes I even feel embarrassed to post my pics too. But I joined because even thought I dont have long hair, I WANT long hair and I have find motivation in this forum and I have learn alot from those with experience.

And most experienced ones are very nice and supportive with those of us in this journey. Thank You.

Don't feel embarrassed! BSL is definitely not short, and progress pics are the best regardless of lengths! It's always inspiring to watch someone with shorter hair turn into Rapunzel :)

I've been lurking here on and off since 2011. I was hesitant to join because I didn't feel good enough. My hair was to my waist at that time, and it stayed at that level for many years. The fact that there are so many extreme longhairs here is intimidating enough for newbies, there's definitely no need for any length standards. Had I joined back then, I could have hit my dream length years ago, instead of being discouraged by everyone around me.

[Eireann]

I don't know how old the OP is, but I suspect that so-called "digital natives" (Millenials and younger) might take things on the internet more personally than than old folks like me do. I enjoy the interactions I have here, and I have learned a lot, but I am also totally comfortable ignoring things that don't apply to me. For instance, I never read the knee length + threads, not that I have anything against knee length hair, but simply that it doesn't apply to me (at least not yet!) There are lots of people here who I am sure have very different lifestyles, politics, religions, you-name-it than I do, but I wouldn't know it because we are here to talk about hair. I have never read anything here that really offended me, but I generally give people the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to be helpful even if they say something awkward. JMHO.

As far as any "long hair is weird, gross, ugly etc" threads, I haven't seen them, but that sort of thing also is common on the internet. I was lurking on a site dedicated to one of my favorite musicians who passed away and occasionally someone would post something like "who is this guy?" or "aren't you over it yet?" Some people on the forum would "feed the trolls." I prefer to just chalk it up to human nature and click on.

[Natalia_A00]

You know, when I first started lurking here, there was a One True Way to be an LHCer. It seemed like everybody was aiming for extreme lengths with a blunt hemline, wore their hair up all the time, stretched washes to the point of gross. Using heat, dyeing with anything other than henna, wearing hair down, cutting for any reason other than to get rid of damage, etc, were disparaged. It's a far more diverse forum now, with many varied heads of hair, and honestly is a far more welcoming and pleasant place without the hair police around. The overall focus is still on long hair, and you can always ignore the short hair threads like you presumably ignore any other thread that isn't relevant to your interests.

I totally agree with this. It's better if we understand that people have preferences, and what works for you may not work for everybody. And I honestly think the forum is still focused on long hair, nobody has "invaded" the forum. There may be a couple of threads but that's it, people here still want to take care of long hair. Everybody is welcome here and that's nice.
I mean, I'm not sure how the forum was before because I'm a relatively new member, but I don't have that perception at all. There are "traditional" LHCers and others who have other methods. I like the diversity.
Also, some people have really short hair now but their goal is having long hair.

[Natalia_A00]

So no, I don't think people with really long hair need another forum, because basically most people here still want long hair. This forum is special compared to other hair forums.

[Ligeia Noire]

People with super long hair are responsible for keeping those threads alive. This place being more crowded with people who are not solely here to grow super long has nothing to do with that. You listed the reasons for why there are so few of those with super long hair who comment here regularly. Also it just happens that wanting and having super long hair is somewhat rare. This forum would be kinda dead if this was a place only for people who have super long hair or who aim to grow super long. ***No one here is trying to say that long haired people need to go away because there's more short hair folks (??).*** I have yet to see something like that seriously implied. Hopefully the threads for super lengths get more active. This is the only place I have seen people celebrate hair, all kinds of hair and it's important to work keeping this place alive and thriving :)

edit. dang, messed up the quote and don't know how to fix it...

And no one said short hairs should go away. That's ridiculous. This forum welcomes everyone and it's fine to create your own threads. I know and see the ones I am in, not that active which I've always found surprising in here but maybe, lately, there aren't that many wishing to grow that long and that's fine too. I simply pointed out what I have seen when very long hair pictures were posted or different opinions about what one prefers were stated. Again, we can't like everything, we cannot please Greeks and Trojans.
Again, if I made anyone feel like you are unwelcomed read my post again. That's not what I meant and you're probably extrapolating.

[eadwine]

Before I go any further, I just want to say that everybody has a right to do what they want with their own hair, and I have worn and can appreciate a wide variety of hairstyles, from buzzcut to hip.
However,
With all the pro-short-hair threads that seem to have invaded a long-hair forum, I personally feel that the community has suffered. Everyone is trying to be nice and supporting to everyone- and we all know the world needs more kindness and love- but it feels like the forum has been diluted down to more generally hair focused place, and it lacks the feeling of being a social refuge that it once had.
I'm not trying to offend anyone who likes or wears short-hair, but short hair is not why I joimed this forum, and I feel like all the longhairs we could learn from are fading away and going elsewhere because of the overcrowding.

Posts like these are not fitting the kind and supporting community I know and love. So.. maybe you should look at your post here first before shooting flames at others?

[eresh]

I think it is ridiculous to want a forum without shorthairs.
They want to learn about haircare too and they are WELCOME here.
Everybody has to start growing at some point, you yourself started at pixie.
Who are we to jugde anothers hairlength and if they should or should not be allowed to be here or start threads......

[eresh]

but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.



Constantly?
I have NEVER in all the years that I've been here gotten a snarky comment about having my hair this long.
Maybe you take things too personal. I dunno.
I for one would not like a sistersite especially for LONG hair, who defines what is long...
I think everyone should be welcome here no mattter what length their hair is, as long as they follow the communities guidelines.

[akurah]

I don't know how old the OP is, but I suspect that so-called "digital natives" (Millenials and younger) might take things on the internet more personally than than old folks like me do. I enjoy the interactions I have here, and I have learned a lot, but I am also totally comfortable ignoring things that don't apply to me. For instance, I never read the knee length + threads, not that I have anything against knee length hair, but simply that it doesn't apply to me (at least not yet!) There are lots of people here who I am sure have very different lifestyles, politics, religions, you-name-it than I do, but I wouldn't know it because we are here to talk about hair. I have never read anything here that really offended me, but I generally give people the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to be helpful even if they say something awkward. JMHO.

As far as any "long hair is weird, gross, ugly etc" threads, I haven't seen them, but that sort of thing also is common on the internet. I was lurking on a site dedicated to one of my favorite musicians who passed away and occasionally someone would post something like "who is this guy?" or "aren't you over it yet?" Some people on the forum would "feed the trolls." I prefer to just chalk it up to human nature and click on.

The oldest millennials are approaching 40, and the oldest millennials are not digital natives, they were born before almost every household had a computer. Perhaps you're thinking of Gen Z?

[bokeh]

I'm not quite clear on the definition of "forum". Is the OP referring to a forum within the community? Such as the "Mane Forum", "Hair Polls and Projects", "Conventional Products and Hair Accessories", "Off Topic", and "Swap Board", or does this refer to a whole new community? To me it looks like these forums withing the community allow us to separate subjects for better organization. That's great but let's only separate by 'subject' not by 'people' whether it is hair length or any other reason.

[cestlavie]

I am still rather new here. I've been exploring the site and have found sooo much useful information. There is a lot to learn about routines, products and mindsets such as 'benign neglect'. I have learned from the comments of people of all hair types and lengths. Of course, I especially pay attention to people that have hair similar to mine but would miss out on many good comments if I limited myself to just them. It is clear to me that there is much information here that would benefit people of all lengths and that the structure of the site allows me to read or ignore any threads as I choose. This is a much calmer, steadier, more sensible group than some of the fb groups that I explored earlier in my journey. To be clear, they were great groups of people and I learned a lot but the producty hair, complicated routines and the daily morning angst about how my hair weathered the night was not for me. Mostly, I am grateful to the people here, of all hair lengths, who share their knowledge. I hope that I can be helpful to others with the things that I have learned. Now, to more specifically address the OP's question; no I don't think that we need a new forum for short haired people. Short hairs and long hairs have much in common that they are trying to learn about hair and can learn a lot from one another. I don't find it overcrowded here and I've never read anything here that seemed to insult or discourage growing long hair. Oh, and I would like to mention here that I really appreciate the work that the forum administrators do quietly behind the scenes.

This!

I had an account for a few years but I was silently reading threads. Last November I finally decided to join 'actively' and I think LHC is the kindest and safest place to express yourself about hair related topics; long or short. I feel very welcome here and I appreciate everyone sharing their tips, tricks and knowledge. I think the diversity in hair lengths, opinions, and experiences makes this forum 'rich'.

[nycelle]

I'm not quite clear on the definition of "forum". Is the OP referring to a forum within the community? Such as the "Mane Forum", "Hair Polls and Projects", "Conventional Products and Hair Accessories", "Off Topic", and "Swap Board", or does this refer to a whole new community? To me it looks like these forums withing the community allow us to separate subjects for better organization. That's great but let's only separate by 'subject' not by 'people' whether it is hair length or any other reason.

ooh good point.
@swanfeathers - do you just mean a sub-forum within LHC?

[Stray_mind]

Oh ok, i will just wait 5 more years then come back to this community, since i now have just short hair... :(

Jokes aside, everybody has to start Somewhere.

The old members also started at APL or shorter before they Got to where they are, and i think saying they left because of the overcrowding is a Big assumption. They might have left simply because they have Already taken everything they needed from this community and now are enjoying the result.

To me this is not a community to gather and glorify long hair, but rather one that helps people Grow towards their desired lengths and share their experiences. I have not noticed many "pro short hair" threads by the way, except One where people try to care for their hair without obsessing about the length. Most threads here are about how to better the quality of one's hair so they could grow it Long.

I actually am glad that this community is so inclusive and tolerant, instead of elitist and snobby. :shrug:

[neko_kawaii]

There are threads for many different milestones. What purpose would a length based sub form serve?

[lapushka]

This!

I had an account for a few years but I was silently reading threads. Last November I finally decided to join 'actively' and I think LHC is the kindest and safest place to express yourself about hair related topics; long or short. I feel very welcome here and I appreciate everyone sharing their tips, tricks and knowledge. I think the diversity in hair lengths, opinions, and experiences makes this forum 'rich'.

Yes, agree! ^^

[lapushka]

Oh ok, i will just wait 5 more years then come back to this community, since i now have just short hair... :(

Jokes aside, everybody has to start Somewhere.

The old members also started at APL or shorter before they Got to where they are, and i think saying they left because of the overcrowding is a Big assumption. They might have left simply because they have Already taken everything they needed from this community and now are enjoying the result.

To me this is not a community to gather and glorify long hair, but rather one that helps people Grow towards their desired lengths and share their experiences. I have not noticed many "pro short hair" threads by the way, except One where people try to care for their hair without obsessing about the length. Most threads here are about how to better the quality of one's hair so they could grow it Long.

I actually am glad that this community is so inclusive and tolerant, instead of elitist and snobby. :shrug:

I started at chin, went back to it a few times and then to hip and back to BSL. I was here all the time during those times. I always felt very welcome. I would hate to see that change for some reason.

I think it's good the way it is, and we should leave it at that. :)

[Stray_mind]

I started at chin, went back to it a few times and then to hip and back to BSL. I was here all the time during those times. I always felt very welcome. I would hate to see that change for some reason.

I think it's good the way it is, and we should leave it at that. :)

Well, the original question was "do we need a new long hair forum"...
I don't think we do, but those that want it, maybe should create one for themselves. :)

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Oh ok, i will just wait 5 more years then come back to this community, since i now have just short hair... :(

Jokes aside, everybody has to start Somewhere.

The old members also started at APL or shorter before they Got to where they are, and i think saying they left because of the overcrowding is a Big assumption. They might have left simply because they have Already taken everything they needed from this community and now are enjoying the result.

To me this is not a community to gather and glorify long hair, but rather one that helps people Grow towards their desired lengths and share their experiences. I have not noticed many "pro short hair" threads by the way, except One where people try to care for their hair without obsessing about the length. Most threads here are about how to better the quality of one's hair so they could grow it Long.

I actually am glad that this community is so inclusive and tolerant, instead of elitist and snobby. :shrug:

I certainly started at about three inches below shoulder length when I joined TLHC and if it weren't for all the support I likely would have chopped years ago. We do indeed, all start somewhere!

[Milady_DeWinter]

I certainly started at about three inches below shoulder length when I joined TLHC and if it weren't for all the support I likely would have chopped years ago. We do indeed, all start somewhere!

Yep, that's so true. I just never really thought that I could have for real the hair that I have always admired in old paintings. Some years ago, almost hitting BCL again, a girl at the office told me that I should cut my hair soon, "otherwise you will start looking like a gypsy". I still cringe at the ignorant and racist comment, while trying to be mean... Used to be a friend, but I quickly saw that she was a mean person (not just for that, she was really clingy, insecure and mean with other people) so not anymore.

But the truth is that a lot of people see longhairs as something odd, gypsy related (at least in my country), hippy, dirty, and bad in general. I am so happy of having found this place floating in the net, feels like a safe island. And I would love to share it with more people, as long as people is educated I don't mind men or women, long and short hair :flower:

[MoonRabbit]

I'm not quite clear on the definition of "forum". Is the OP referring to a forum within the community? Such as the "Mane Forum", "Hair Polls and Projects", "Conventional Products and Hair Accessories", "Off Topic", and "Swap Board", or does this refer to a whole new community? To me it looks like these forums withing the community allow us to separate subjects for better organization. That's great but let's only separate by 'subject' not by 'people' whether it is hair length or any other reason.

I'm confused about the definition of forum as well, which is why I haven't posted an opinion yet. I don't see how a long hairs only sub forum would do any good when we already have threads for every milestone.

[MusicalSpoons]

I'm confused about the definition of forum as well, which is why I haven't posted an opinion yet. I don't see how a long hairs only sub forum would do any good when we already have threads for every milestone.

Exactly!! If someone wants wisdom and insight into how to get there or how to handle the hair once you get that long - they only need to ask! Ask on the length threads, create a new thread asking, or just re-read the appropriate length threads from the beginning (I'm doing that with my next length thread, and I did that with my previous one back when I was still lurking before I joined). It's not difficult :shrug:

[MoonRabbit]

Exactly!! If someone wants wisdom and insight into how to get there or how to handle the hair once you get that long - they only need to ask! Ask on the length threads, create a new thread asking, or just re-read the appropriate length threads from the beginning (I'm doing that with my next length thread, and I did that with my previous one back when I was still lurking before I joined). It's not difficult :shrug:

Maybe OP would be happy making a For 'OG' Long Hair Members? I don't know how many veteran members still frequent but it couldn't hurt to have a place to talk about the good ol' days of LHC. But then again what length would you need to be to join that thread.


It's all very confusing to me.

[akurah]

Maybe OP would be happy making a For 'OG' Long Hair Members? I don't know how many veteran members still frequent but it couldn't hurt to have a place to talk about the good ol' days of LHC. But then again what length would you need to be to join that thread.


It's all very confusing to me.

That wouldn't really work either. Aside from being incredibly divisive, not all of the oldest members have "long" hair currently.

I don't believe we should humor the notion of solving this problem. It's not actually a problem, and any solutions attempted would be worse than the original complaint.

[eadwine]

As far as I am concerned this place has been set up just peachy, with sections and threads for all lengths. It's fine the way it is.

[lapushka]

As far as I am concerned this place has been set up just peachy, with sections and threads for all lengths. It's fine the way it is.

I agree with that! ^^ I have zero complaints! I love this place. :)

[Alibran]

That wouldn't really work either. Aside from being incredibly divisive, not all of the oldest members have "long" hair currently.

I was thinking that. I'm pretty sure I'd qualify for that group, and my hair isn't even BSL at the moment.

[eresh]

As far as I am concerned this place has been set up just peachy, with sections and threads for all lengths. It's fine the way it is.

Fully agree with this.
I like the LHC just as it is :-)

[MusicalSpoons]

I was thinking that. I'm pretty sure I'd qualify for that group, and my hair isn't even BSL at the moment.

There would have to be a cutoff date rather than length if it's about 'old' LHCers. Either way it would still be very divisive, not received well at all.

Edit: I agree with 'just peachy' (even though I'm a relative newbie in this context)

[lithostoic]

This place was a lot more open and inviting a few years ago when I joined. I've considered leaving here for the same reason I left all the other forums and social media sites. Cattiness, drama, and elitism.

[lapushka]

This place was a lot more open and inviting a few years ago when I joined. I've considered leaving here for the same reason I left all the other forums and social media sites. Cattiness, drama, and elitism.

Huh? Honestly, where do you guys notice this? Can you point me to the threads in question?

[bokeh]

I've run out of popcorn. See you all on some of the less divisive threads.

[MoonRabbit]

There would have to be a cutoff date rather than length if it's about 'old' LHCers. Either way it would still be very divisive, not received well at all.

Edit: I agree with 'just peachy' (even though I'm a relative newbie in this context)

I wasn't saying op should make an elitist club thread. I just think it would have been easier and less offensive for op to make a simple thread on the mane forum uniting all of the older lhc members that have long hair to talk and share updates and the like. But "Long" is so damn subjective..

But like I said, this whole thread is confusing because if they want to see or talk long hair then just go to a dedicated length thread. Yes we have some threads for shorter lengths and non growers but the beauty of it all is having the choice to take part in them or move along to something that is interesting to you.

Honestly I enjoy this place very much, it is the only safe place on the internet where I actually had the courage to talk. I love seeing new members just starting out and viewing all the unique and beautiful lengths, styles, textures. When I first joined, my mind was all about Length Length Length but then I quickly began to appreciate the individuality of every head of hair. I'm happy I have a place to talk about all hair related things :o

[lapushka]

I wasn't saying op should make an elitist club thread. I just think it would have been easier and less offensive for op to make a simple thread on the mane forum uniting all of the older lhc members that have long hair to talk and share updates and the like. But "Long" is so damn subjective..

But like I said, this whole thread is confusing because if they want to see or talk long hair then just go to a dedicated length thread. Yes we have some threads for shorter lengths and non growers but the beauty of it all is having the choice to take part in them or move along to something that is interesting to you.

Honestly I enjoy this place very much, it is the only safe place on the internet where I actually had the courage to talk. I love seeing new members just starting out and viewing all the unique and beautiful lengths, styles, textures. When I first joined, my mind was all about Length Length Length but then I quickly began to appreciate the individuality of every head of hair. I'm happy I have a place to talk about all hair related things :o

Yes that confuses the heck out of me too. :hmm: :confused:

[Rebeccalaurenxx]

This place was a lot more open and inviting a few years ago when I joined. I've considered leaving here for the same reason I left all the other forums and social media sites. Cattiness, drama, and elitism.

I really dont know where these kind of comments come from. If anything, I think the LHC is more inviting than it was 10 years ago.
And a lot of the older members agree with that... :shrug:

[Crystawni]

I would love for the OP, SwanFeathers, to log back onto the forum and address the issues, clear up the details and help stop the speculation. Drop and runs are like watching a slow wick burn towards a stick of dynamite. There will be an explosion, everyone is running, fanning the flame or trying to diffuse the problem, but the OP is at a safe distance.

Forum, sub forum, threads, whatever, segregating for the sake of having the longest hair for the oldest members (what about the oldest lurkers who joined up years later :lol:) is so not what LHC is about. For me, it's a varied journey where length of hair and time on the forums can chop and change. I for one don't want the longest hair, but me and my hair would love to hang around, although the premise of this is so not welcoming.

Hair, we haz it. That's enough for me.

[Eireann]

I noticed the OP's join date is 2015. Mine is 2008. But my hair is barely shoulder length. So. . . .am I elite or not? I started at APL in 2008, grew out to tailbone, cut back to shoulder, then to chin, now I'm growing out again, maybe even to terminal if I don't lose interest. I love how inclusive this place is. I wouldn't change a thing.

[sophia_]

Maybe it's just the "easily attached" longhair in me, but I've been lurking here for years and really don't want this community to change at all. There's no reason to further separate members by length, as many have pointed out, there are different threads for different lengths, and only one thread I've seen devoted to non-growing shorthairs, which I have no problem with.

I became attached to this forum in particular because this was the first place I had seen long, thin, straight hair being displayed and maintained to look beautiful, which made me think it was possible (even though I've come to realize my hair isn't as thin and straight as I thought it was, with the help of this community:) ). Elsewhere, extensions and teasing and such are used to make celebrities' hair look super thick, and give length to damaged, heat-styled hair. Seeing that all the time eventually makes you unaware of what hair looks like without that.

[Growitagain28]

I think at the end of the day, we are all just a bunch of women (and men) that mutually have an interest in hair albeit short or long. Somewhat a newbie here, but, I really see no reason someone should be knocked for length. There is a lot of general hair talk, literally a thread for whoever and whatever their hair interest is...

[MusicalSpoons]

I wasn't saying op should make an elitist club thread. I just think it would have been easier and less offensive for op to make a simple thread on the mane forum uniting all of the older lhc members that have long hair to talk and share updates and the like.

Ah, gotcha. Yep, I agree - if it's something anyone feels needs to be addressed, that would have been a better way of going about it.


Honestly I enjoy this place very much, it is the only safe place on the internet where I actually had the courage to talk. I love seeing new members just starting out and viewing all the unique and beautiful lengths, styles, textures. When I first joined, my mind was all about Length Length Length but then I quickly began to appreciate the individuality of every head of hair. I'm happy I have a place to talk about all hair related things :o

Ditto.

[Spikey]

I feel that this thread is proof that our forum is respectful and supportive. In many places on the interwebz, a thread questioning the validity/extistence of the forum would be met with a choatic free-for-all. Here, despite plenty of people on both sides feeling provoked, we still have a rational, respectful thread. I don't really see much evidence for the "people here are mean now" argument.

Good Job everybody !:applause: :thumbsup:

[FennFire911]

This thread is fascinating lol

I think all the individual threads for the milestones are more than sufficient for keeping things organized. I've been lurking here for years but not enough years to notice a huge change. The ultra-long-hairs are still elusive mythical creatures. ;)

I'm not sure the OP will reply in this thread again. It's kind of grown a lot. At this point OP is outnumbered and on a sinking ship.

[languagenut]

Huh? Honestly, where do you guys notice this? Can you point me to the threads in question?

Ditto. Where have you seen this "cattiness" and "elitism"? :confused:

[priinnz]

I am fairly new in this forum and TBH I have learnt a lot here by just reading old threads. The members here have always been so open and helped with difficult questions (love you all for that)... This thread has not just shown me how to grow my hair long, but also how to have healthy hair and improve general well being (because after all it is al related).
So I have been hoping that this thread doesn’t become exclusive and exclude me anytime soon (I can’t get out of bed till I scan the lhc forums).

Not sure if my opinion counts but regarding the LONG In longhaircommunity I think how long is too long fairly subjective... after all long is a subjective word...
take for instance when I ask my husband to do something for me... when he says sure il do it soon enough... it won’t be too LONG...we are on totally different dimensions then. For me it means he will do it in a few minutes. For him it can mean few days to months... (prefixes like ultra/ extralong or extrashort don’t make any difference either) - hahahah

[neko_kawaii]

For anyone not familiar with how to quickly locate the different length, etc threads, they are stickied here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=120052

If you know of any useful ongoing threads that are not on that list, please let us know! You can report the thread in question with a request to add to the sticky, or report the sticky with the URL of the thread to add.

[Astrid Carlisle]

CrowningGlory, this is so true. I have seen this very thing and have even been that long-time member. Perhaps, this is the result of the decline of manners and respect? I remember well, a very kind lady who came here with 100 inch hair. She posted some very good ideas about hair care and some folks argued with her and were very disrespectful. She left. What a shame, because she took along with her so much knowledge.

Sad to hear that happened :/ ... I am so curious, are there any posts left from that lady?

[gustavonut]

Huh? Honestly, where do you guys notice this? Can you point me to the threads in question?

Yeah I am REALLY interested in this drama as well :confused:

[Joules]

Sad to hear that happened :/ ... I am so curious, are there any posts left from that lady?

Me too! OMG 100 inches of hair, she would have been my ultimate hair care guru! I can't believe people could be rude to someone so much that they were forced to leave, especially someone who clearly knows a thing or two about the main subject of interest of everyone here.

[TatsuOni]

I've only been a member here since 2014 and active since 2015, but I have to say that I love this place! I've also spent hours reading through old threads. From time to time some discussions has become a little "heated", but the mods have done a great job to keep those threads on track or closed them and those threads haven't been that "bad". I've sometimes seen spam and such and after having reported it, the mods have taken action. I also use the report button to ask mods to merge threads and similar things. It's a great button!

Both the members and mods are great here!

And where else can we take a "troll thread" and turn it into something funny and epic? :cool:

Personally, I'm one of those people who have long hair according to most "normal" people and am striving for "extreme" lengths. I also CO-wash, avoid chemicals and so on. (I've never been judged for any of those things!) And I still love to read about the best way to bleach your hair, cutting methods for shorter hair and so on. I'm just a geek that love all things hair :bluebiggr And I love that I can read about ALL of those things here!

I also love to lurk some "none hair related thread" like the one for nails. And then we have the fun threads like "count to 50", that's not really about hair at all, but a great place to talk about everything and nothing or just being silly. (I don't visit certain forums but check "new posts" and my subscribed threads, to see all threads). And the threads that I'm not interested in, I just don't click on.

Besides, I've had short hair and loved and I've done "all the bad things" to my hair in the past. I have no regrets and am happy to talk about those things too! I started my journey with less than 1 cm of hair...

And for turning advice down. I've seen threads where people have said "I don't think that this advice is a great idea" or "this isn't for me", but I've never seen anyone being mean about it.

I really wouldn't want to change anything at all about this place!

[lapushka]

For anyone not familiar with how to quickly locate the different length, etc threads, they are stickied here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=120052

If you know of any useful ongoing threads that are not on that list, please let us know! You can report the thread in question with a request to add to the sticky, or report the sticky with the URL of the thread to add.

Duh! I didn't even know they were gathered in the stickies. You learn something new every time, I swear. :D

[sugar&nutmeg]

I just had an odd eye-opening experience here, and need to apologize for suggesting that some posts have become less-kind, disrespectful, or more-snarky, as compared with the 'long ago' LHC.

I've just finished reading some old threads, and, aside from a very few consistently-'mean girls' (and not even very mean by internet standards), the threads read the same as they always did. Certain topics, and ways of thinking about hair have come on, or dropped back, but the overall feel of the place has remained pretty much constant.

Owning my mistake, and apologizing. I was wrong. I'm sorry.

On OP topic, I am against splitting off groups, and for keeping the place just as it is.

[*Wednesday*]

Seems an old, old post a member mentioned the "hair length" thing. Other than that, I can see no recent posts. I guess some people may feel that way. Yeah, this thread seemed vicious from what I have ever seen here.

"Shaved and shorn have an interest in some site, but not here. This is the LONG HAIR COMMUNITY. I think the site and its members (at large) would agree that shaved heads, buzzes, bowl cuts, high-tights, or any other names for short-cut hair styles have another site than that for LONG HAIRED MEMBERS. Admins?"
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=111671&page=5&p=2419743#post2419743

[nycelle]

Seems an old, old post a member mentioned the "hair length" thing. Other than that, I can see no recent posts. I guess some people may feel that way. Yeah, this thread seemed vicious from what I have ever seen here.

"Shaved and shorn have an interest in some site, but not here. This is the LONG HAIR COMMUNITY. I think the site and its members (at large) would agree that shaved heads, buzzes, bowl cuts, high-tights, or any other names for short-cut hair styles have another site than that for LONG HAIRED MEMBERS. Admins?"
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=111671&page=5&p=2419743#post2419743

Wow..
On another note, I guess this isn't a new issue. Apparently some members feel this way.. Oh well.. suck it up buttercup comes to mind. (yes, yes sorry.. KNIT)

[lapushka]

I just had an odd eye-opening experience here, and need to apologize for suggesting that some posts have become less-kind, disrespectful, or more-snarky, as compared with the 'long ago' LHC.

I've just finished reading some old threads, and, aside from a very few consistently-'mean girls' (and not even very mean by internet standards), the threads read the same as they always did. Certain topics, and ways of thinking about hair have come on, or dropped back, but the overall feel of the place has remained pretty much constant.

Owning my mistake, and apologizing. I was wrong. I'm sorry.

On OP topic, I am against splitting off groups, and for keeping the place just as it is.

That is so nice of you to say, and admit to. And nice to hear that things haven't changed that much in overall "feel". :flower:

[MusicalSpoons]

:scissors:
Owning my mistake, and apologizing. I was wrong. I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I can't remember the content of your previous posts and I wasn't offended by any of it but - your apology is exactly the kind of thing that sets LHC apart! This is the spirit of LHC! :D

*Showers you with :blossom: :blossom: :blossom:*

[blackgothicdoll]

I would be terribly sad. I think everyone on this forum is here because they appreciate long hair, not because they necessarily have it. Those of us who are growing out our hair really do rely on those with long hair for advise, experiences, and obviously inspiration. And believe it or not, those with short hair also have experiences and knowledge too; nobody's input is not useful. I do understand those who feel a bit sad looking at pics of long hair and don't want to post pics of theirs, but on the other hand, the environment is so encouraging and kind that why would you not? I've never posted a picture of my hair in a thread and been kicked out. People are supportive regardless of length or texture, and still even comment on my pictures and give compliments so I really don't feel that I'm not being included. I feel very encouraged and happy.

I go on one other hair forum, and I cannot say the same. The forum is very nice, but people don't really pay much attention to those with shorter hair, or even hair that is not a certain texture. Yes, both forums are about long hair, but growing long hair (for many of us) takes work and time. What does it take, maybe 6 or 7 years to grow from a bob to classic length? Then factor in trends and setbacks? We've gotta hang out somewhere to bide the time. :o

And even for those who don't want to grow out their hair, I can't imagine they joined LHC because they don't have long hair. I think that's very counterintuitive :o I think perhaps many had long hair at first and it didn't work for them, but they don't want others to feel bad if they no longer have that goal but have already assimilated into this community. I would see it as a compliment that they don't want to leave.

[MoonRabbit]

I feel bad that this thread has had such a negative impact on some of our very lovely non growth or 'shorter hair' members. I especially feel saddened to the newer members just starting out and seeing this as the total vibe of lhc. 😢. I would hope that the majority of us that stand against this complaint would make them feel welcomed and appreciated.

[Crystawni]

MoonRabbit, me too. I posted my thoughts (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=140883&p=3641021&viewfull=1#post3641021) in another thread, though.

Since SwanFeathers hasn't logged back in to offer links or to clarify further since post #49 (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148876&p=3639589&viewfull=1#post3639589), I did some re-reading.


for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
I understand a lot of people don't share my opinion and they like the site how it is now. I am not saying we should throw people out- that would be ridiculous- but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.
my thought was that perhaps we should have two sister-sites. one for the rapunzels and the other for those keeping it short and sassy.
I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

From this, it seems it's not to do with sub forums or threads, but a split of the entire site into two, or a completely new site (for "Rapunzels").

The rest of the post shadows a bitterness and resentment I'm not keen on, even when there's an element of backtracking in the subsequent post. Anyway, I have found others have addressed it well in this thread, and we've all had a decent say. For those who'd prefer a new site, I'll quote and bold this by Chromis:


1. If you would like such a forum, go ahead and make it! I am not being at all sarcastic, I feel like the more the merrier, seriously! That's not the direction we are heading here, but that doesn't mean someone else can't fill that niche.
2. Calf length here - I post about my routine plenty, but mostly I am just saying the same things over and over which feels a bit silly. Also the method I use works really great for me, but is not currently "LHC popular" since I feel there is currently a backlash against natural products. (This swings back and forth, no biggie)
4. There are probably more long-long haired people posting that you are recalling. Not everyone has a profile pic showing their full length or chooses to fill out the inches thing. I don't even have any idea how many inches mine is, I can't measure it by myself anymore! And some of us are bad at remembering to update them, oops.
People being grumpy about the newbies who come in looking for natural hair care - Please to be seeing the front page https://www.longhaircommunity.com/ :lol:
5. The majority of short haired posters here are either growing their hair out or had previously been longhairs and are long time members who have since cut their hair but stay for the community.
6. KNIT, you can find this in the stickies, but I will repost it for good measure:


"I came for the hair care advice, but I stayed for the friends."

It has been said more than once that TLHC is one of the nicest sites on the 'net. That's because we have exceptional members who genuinely care about each other and terrific moderators who strive to make sure everyone has the best experience possible. The feeling created is very much like an extended family.

On occasion, however, a quarrel will occur, or a bit of snark will creep into people's messages, and this note is a gentle reminder that the best antidote for that is for everyone to monitor their own posts. Using the Report Button is a great help to the moderators by alerting us to problems, but prevention is a way that everyone can help maintain that warm community spirit. So, as we like to say, KNIT before you post.

Before you hit the "Submit" button, review what you're about to say.

Is it Kind?

Is it Necessary?

Is it Informative?

Is it True?

Read your words as if someone else were saying them to you. How would you receive them? Would you be offended, hurt or angry? If your post doesn't pass those tests, try again. If you simply can't compose something, let the thread go, and maybe try again later.

Every once in a while, there will be something that you cannot agree with. No one expects there to be a complete meeting of minds on every single topic discussed here. In those cases, we ask for tolerance - not acceptance, but tolerance. The other person is always worthy of respect. If you post, do not attack. Agree to disagree, and let your words be civil and even as kind as possible.

Thank you, everyone, for making this such a wonderful community.

We the volunteer moderators do a lot of our work behind the scenes, so in the majority of cases our work is invisible, as it should be. It's a funny spot being a mod, if we moderate super, super strictly people complain that the forum is unwelcoming and that they are afraid to say anything. If we are more lax, you get the complaints in this thread. We do our best to be moderate moderators anyhow! You can help! If you see a thread you think should be in a different forum, go ahead and report it! There are a lot of threads here and we don't read every one of them (this is because LHC'ers are generally super awesome so we don't need to and also super posty haha so it's pretty hard to keep up some days). The report button is pretty nifty, think of it as an alert button if that helps. It doesn't have to be for anything bad. We don't mind moving posts or merging things or fixing titles so please don't feel like you are bugging us! That said, if you do see a problem with a given post or just the general direction a thread is going, please please let us know. Especially if it is spam. We hates Spam! If you realllly need to let off some steam, you can also hit the report button and vent at us instead. (We recommend also using the block feature. Hey, sometimes people just don't get along! Unlike real life though, here you can put em on mute.)

Also, I feel like there is this slump every year about now after a long winter where the Northern Hemisphere peeps are just a bit grumpy. The sun is coming back though, days are getting longer! (Southern Hemisphere peeps, sorry you are so outnumbered, I'm not forgetting you)

Onwards and... um... anywhichwaywards?

[Chromis]

That 100 inches of hair thread people keep mentioning should be somewhere in the games forum btw. We re-named it with the epic thread tag and let people have fun because the poster turned out to be a troll spammer that we had missed. (It was pretty obvious admin side with a bit of digging. We actually manually approve people here, but every now and then someone slips through, whoops!)

I had mentioned this in the thread, but I think people might have missed the memo!

And please not to worry, we have no intention of adding a length requirement or some special sooper seekrit club on LHC. And again, if that is a thing that interests you, hey go ahead and do the thing on your own. We don't own long hair on the internet by any means, there are lots of nice places out there and no reason there can't be more. It's a big internet! :flower:

[blackgothicdoll]

This is the closest thread I can find to people trolling someone with long hair, and all I can say is it did make me cry, but not in the same way that this thread would. :lol:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=117688

[sugar&nutmeg]

I hope the newer members reading this thread will see that the vast majority of responses are variations of

"Not just NO, but hell NO! We don't want to exclude anyone. Everyone is welcome, and their choices valued here!"

[Begemot]

This is the closest thread I can find to people trolling someone with long hair, and all I can say is it did make me cry, but not in the same way that this thread would. :lol:

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=117688

What the heck :bigeyes: :lol: that was disturbing until the good folks of this forum turned it around, good thing the the trolldar works here.

[Ylva]

Elsewhere, extensions and teasing and such are used to make celebrities' hair look super thick, and give length to damaged, heat-styled hair. Seeing that all the time eventually makes you unaware of what hair looks like without that.

So, so true. The LHC has, in a relatively short time, really taught me to appreciate my texture and thickness, while the "outside world" so to speak is pushing the one true hair beauty, which is thick and voluminous. Everything is about the frööGGgiiIINNGggggg volume. Even though it's "just hair", this forum has really positively impacted my self esteem and put me more steadily on the path of just being me and doing my own thing.

"Everybody starts somewhere" has been said many times here, but everybody also stops somewhere, and going for terminal or super long hair is not everyone's goal. I don't think super long hairs should have any god-like status here - in the end they're regular members like everyone else. Live and let live, we all have our personal hair goals but I'm sure we all want our hair to be as healthy as it can be, all circumstances considered.

[lapushka]

Since SwanFeathers hasn't logged back in to offer links or to clarify further since post #49 (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=148876&p=3639589&viewfull=1#post3639589), I did some re-reading.

And your post is #235. That is saying somethin'. ;)

I think all that I needed to say was said, a million times over.

I'm glad we sort of unanimously came to the same conclusion. :flower:

[BerrySara]

As a new member who has been lurking on this forum for a couple of years and finally decided to join last year, I have to say at first I did feel a bit sad and unwanted when I first started reading this thread. But as I kept going, I really felt amazed by the support by the vast majority here - and I did read every post on this thread. It is very heart warming and special to see some of the earliest members as well long haired members stand up for us and make us feel equals. You guys rock!

I am a shorty (nearing APL) who has a ton of respect and great admiration for those who have accomplished incredible hair lengths and I have learned so much already. I know I still have a lot more to learn. Yes, I have short hair now but I absolutely want and aspire to grow long hair and where would I learn how to do so but a place with members who already have accomplished the very thing I strive for. That's one of the reasons why I keep coming back. That and the encouragement I have received along with a sense of belonging with people who care for hair.

This community is one of the rare ones out there who do make every member feel welcome (I truly believe from my experience here, that this particular type of post is very rare). I received compliments, encouragement and advice on my hair back when I was still transitioning to natural hair with only a few inches of healthy hair and my confidence was in the dumps! This place allowed me to see hope and the potential in my hair and I am so very grateful for that.

[Willowyn]

I hope the newer members reading this thread will see that the vast majority of responses are variations of

"Not just NO, but hell NO! We don't want to exclude anyone. Everyone is welcome, and their choices valued here!"

Hair here. Hear, hear!!

[H o n є y ❤]

This place seems less active than it was, even just a couple years ago (not because of short haired people tho). So I'm not sure where the "overcrowding" part comes in.

[spitfire511]

All I gotta say is - what happens when you step away for a weekend? WOW! :D

Sounds like everything that needed to be said was - and I admire (and covet the hair of) more of you that I could ever tag up. :flowers:

I'm pretty sure we did have a 'split' of sorts absolutely ages ago - with hurt feelings and etc - and LHC had just kept plugging along. I joined the other site (which is now defunct I believe? And no - I'm not going digging for it because it's been too darn long and I can't recall) but it never had what LHC does even though the 'tone' has sort of changed, in many ways I think it's for the better (or at least it's less stressful) - Miss many of those old timers who aren't around anymore but grateful for those of you who still are - and the new people bringing in fresh perspectives and energy!

[Milkchocolate]

gonna put in my 2 cents here lol... I think if you have a fascination with long hair/ interested in growing out/ interested in the health of hair (which is why people go on this message board) then by all means jump in. I think everyone should be welcome:)

If it truly was a place where only us with “extremely long hair” were the only ones posting here..how many would there be?? Lol like 20? (Many here are shorties or in the process of growing)

Could this possibly be one of the most active hair forums online and that is why a lot of people come here?

My mentality..the more the merrier :)

[Groovy Granny]

WOW..... what a thread explosion :thud: :lol:

I was chin length when I came looking online for help, inspiration, and encouragement when I was thinking of growing out layers and silver at age 62....that was 5 years ago.
My journey actually started here, just as TOS was being formed by dissenters; the air was much fresher HERE....plus LHC IS STILL HERE...while TOS is closed :p

You guys and gals were AWESOME then....and STILL ARE :flowers: ........... you helped me reach my goal while having fun along the way, and gave me such joy in styling!

Some start at a shorter length.....others chop their length short from long and later grow out again....but if they decide to stay short :shrug: have fun with it and DO YOU :cheer:

I love seeing ALL lengths.....shorties or super lengths should NOT be afraid to show their hair or hide their feelings in my :twocents:
If a person is that sensitive then this forum may not be the place for you :hmm:

This is the LONG HAIR COMMUNITY = friendship, support, and inspiration.....and has remained very busy IMHO.....IT AIN'T BROKE SO DON'T FIX IT :thumbsup:

I am getting older and not here as often, as I am busy tending to Hubby, our health and family; I also found my Holy Grail routine, have all the toys I need, and the length I love.

But LHC will always be a special part of me and I will visit as long/often as I am able ...you have my deepest gratitude :love:

[akurah]

WOW..... what a thread explosion :thud: :lol:

I was chin length when I came looking online for help, inspiration, and encouragement when I was thinking of growing out layers and silver at age 62....that was 5 years ago.
My journey actually started here, just as TOS was being formed by dissenters; the air was much fresher HERE....plus LHC IS STILL HERE...while TOS is closed :p

You guys and gals were AWESOME then....and STILL ARE :flowers: ........... you helped me reach my goal while having fun along the way, and gave me such joy in styling!

Some start at a shorter length.....others chop their length short from long and later grow out again....but if they decide to stay short :shrug: have fun with it and DO YOU :cheer:

I love seeing ALL lengths.....shorties or super lengths should NOT be afraid to show their hair or hide their feelings in my :twocents:
If a person is that sensitive then this forum may not be the place for you :hmm:

This is the LONG HAIR COMMUNITY = friendship, support, and inspiration.....and has remained very busy IMHO.....IT AIN'T BROKE SO DON'T FIX IT :thumbsup:

I am getting older and not here as often, as I am busy tending to Hubby, our health and family; I also found my Holy Grail routine, have all the toys I need, and the length I love.

But LHC will always be a special part of me and I will visit as long/often as I am able ...you have my deepest gratitude :love:

TOS? I'm rather curious now, this must have happened while I was on vacation from the forum

[Groovy Granny]

TOS? I'm rather curious now, this must have happened while I was on vacation from the forum

TOS (to remain unnamed by mod choice) was formed in 2012-13?...it was before I joined in Sept 2013... so I am unsure of actual time frame, but the forum was still grumbling when I joined :hmm:

It wasn't much fun in either place for a time initially and I left both for a short break....eventually leaving TOS for good and just staying here.

[Upside Down]

for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so"
I understand a lot of people don't share my opinion and they like the site how it is now. I am not saying we should throw people out- that would be ridiculous- but this should be a place where people who do want or keep long hair shouldn't have to be constantly barraged with snarky comments from people.
my thought was that perhaps we should have two sister-sites. one for the rapunzels and the other for those keeping it short and sassy.
I in no way want to make people feel like they don't belong, but right now it's hard to find the posts relevant to you (whatever your length) and I am weary from seeing all the anti-growth threads.

This comment “for clarification: I only consider 'invaders' to be the people who aggressively come off as "I have short hair, I don't like long hair, and you all have to deal with me being in your space because I said so" stings.

I will always take space. Why should I not take space? Or anyone else. Besides it isn’t your space, it is a common space here.
Honestly. I am not bashing people who have long hair for sayin I don’t like it on me. And I haven’t ever seen anyone saying they don’t like long hair in general, though what would be wrong with that. People change. Why should you leave a forum if you change your opinion on how you want your hair? Or even not join.

There are many threads here - toys, styling, products, general topics ... that will interest me and others who have cut our hair and keeping it short.

I wonder where you saw those snarky comments you are mentioning.

And how are you missing the relevant (to you) threads in a whole forum dedicated to those, there is only one single “keeping it short” hair thread.