Am I really taking good care of my hair?

[Hayduke]

Hello

I'm new to these forums, but I've been growing my hair long since 1991. Until I found this website, I thought I did pretty well in taking care of my hair, but after reading some of the information here, I'm concerned. I'll describe what I currently do, and then talk about my concerns.

I shampoo and condition my hair 3-5 times a week. I use Nexxus Therappe shampoo and Humectress conditioner. I use two different conditioning methods. Sometimes I will just shampoo in the shower and then apply the conditioner as a leave in afterwards. Other times, I will comb a little more of the conditioner then I use as a leave in through my hair in the shower, let it sit a few minutes, then rinse it out. It's roughly a 50-50 split on how often I use either method, but I might start using the leave in method more often soon (I always let the conditioner set while I shaved in the shower, but I no longer shave in the shower).

I've used these products for decades (long before I had long hair), but I've also rotated in other brands. Since Target started selling Nexxus however, I haven't used other brands for the last year or two. Other brands I've liked are Paul Mitchel, Joico, and Lanza Long Hairz. I did not like Aveda products at all. I've tried many many different products over the years, and I definitely felt a difference when I use "salon grade" products. I tried the cheaper products many times in college, but high quality hair products became my one luxury I wouldn't skimp on even during the times when all I could afford to eat was ramen noodles ;)

I wear my hair in a ponytail nearly 100% of the time. I don't use rubber bands EVER. When there have been times that all I could find were rubber bands, I would just let my hair "be free". I tried the silicone elastics, but those don't seem much better. I do like the small ones (silicone elastics) for terminating a braid, but I haven't worn a braid for awhile. I only use the elastics wrapped in thread that don't have the little metal pieces (mostly the scruncci brand I think). I just buy the big packs and keep dozens in a drawer in the bathroom.

I always use a large "rake" style comb. I tried brushes a couple times in the past, but they don't seem to work at all. I've also had to use "vent brushes" a couple times, and I hate them. I'm not sure what the designers are thinking by putting that second tiny "bristle" near the base of the long bristle. All they seem to do is grab hold of the hair and break it and yank it out. I already made a thread in the other forum about my combs though (here http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=14911), so I'm not asking about that here, just trying to provide a complete picture ;)

Now that I've explained where I've come from and where I'm at, I'll voice my concerns...

I have assumed for some time that my hair was as long as it will get (most of the way down my back, a few inches above my waist). I'm OK if that's as long as it will get, but I wouldn't mind if I could help make it longer or get the ends fuller. So what sort of things do you think help your hair reach it's maximum potential length?

My bigger concern though is the shorter hairs. I have a lot of what I call "fly aways". I have no idea what the correct term is :o They are the hairs that seem to come from my hairline and are only about 7-10 inches long that blow around in my face whenever the wind blows. I hate these things. When I'm not at work, I wear a bandana "aunt jemimah style" (fold the bandana diagonally to make a triangle, then tie the long folded edge around my head). I work in an office environment (dress shirt and slacks) so I can't wear them to work. Well I suppose I could, but I don't :p

This leads to a related concern/issue. On the mornings I wash and condition my hair, the fly aways stay pretty well under control. Most of the time, the front part of my hair may be acceptable for a second day. It depends on what my hair has been through, ie did I put the bandana or my headphones on and off a lot. If things have rubbed the front part of my hair (the canopy? still learning terminology), it makes the front look kind of frizzy. I love the way my hair looks and feels the mornings I shampoo and condition, but I'm concerned that I might be damaging or stressing the hair.

So my main goals are to control the fly aways and/or frizziness and possibly help my hair grow even longer. I've been reading about the conditioner only cleaning methods, and wondering if that might help. I am concerned about the appearance of my hair on weekdays. Ideally I would like the same feeling/effect that I get the mornings I shampoo and condition my hair now. Subconsciously, I think I've always felt daily washing wash too harsh for my hair, so that's why I skip it some mornings, but I sooo love the way it looks and feels on those mornings :rolleyes:

Sorry this is so long, but at least I won't have to make any new threads. :p
I look forward to hearing your advice!

[burns_erin]

I would say it doesn not sound like you are doing too badly. But it my be that even if you are using gentler tools, if you are ponytailing your hair in the same place all the time it could still cause breakage. It might be time to try some new styles 9says the crazy lady who almost always wears her hair in a ponytail or headband).

As for the flyaways. For myself i use vegetable glycerin currently, some people use AVG. You might also try a less harsh shampoo, something without sulfates to see if that helps. But, hair grows at differing times so you will probably always have peices that are shorter.

[Islandgrrl]

Hi, and welcome!

I have some questions for you.

1. Do you color or chemically process your hair in any way?
2. Do you heat style? Blowdry, curling iron, flat iron?

Both of these things can cause extreme damage to your hair, causing it to break.

One of the "secrets" of growing long hair, I think, is protecting it from damage. Depending on how long your hair is and how fast it grows, the ends are at least a few years old, perhaps more. In my opinion, the best way to protect your hair is to wear it up as often as possible, to minimize the possibility of damage to the ends and length.

You mention that you wear your hair in a ponytail. You could be causing damage at the point where the elastic (or whatever you use to tie back your hair) is coming in contact with your hair. Think about it.....If the pony is at the back of your head, broken hairs would be somewhere around chin length and would be short enough to not be contained in the ponytail anymore. So the flyaways you have may well be caused by damage. Especially if you wear the ponytail all the time. Consider varying the way you wear your hair - braid it or bun it and use hairtoys that are hair safe.

It's really true that you should treat your hair as though it were fragile lace. Chances are you can grow much longer with small changes in how you handle your hair.

You're definitely in the right place! Good growing!

[hipmama1970]

You mention that you wear your hair in a ponytail. You could be causing damage at the point where the elastic (or whatever you use to tie back your hair) is coming in contact with your hair. Think about it.....If the pony is at the back of your head, broken hairs would be somewhere around chin length and would be short enough to not be contained in the ponytail anymore. So the flyaways you have may well be caused by damage.


This is what I was thinking as I read your post.

Did you take your name, Hayduke, from the Edward Abbey character?

[spidermom]

I notice when I wear a ponytail, it swings across my back as I move and ends up in a great big snarl. If yours does the same, you could try adding a couple more pony-ties down the length to contain your hair a bit more or braid it more often or take a length of leather and criss-cross down the length (like a biker-tail). One thing you should never do is divide your ponytail and pull in opposite directions to tighten the hair-tie. As it rolls up the hair, it roughens the cuticle, eventually causing breakage. If you must tighten a ponytail, re-do it.

Most of your fly-aways are probably newer hairs. You shed and regrow hairs every single day, so you will always have hairs at every length.

I don't see anything wrong with your shampoo and condition routine. I'd recommend you try tweaking your routine a little bit and judge the results. Put some conditioner on your length before you shampoo your scalp, and don't shampoo your length very often. The suds running through during the rinse is cleansing enough. Then condition again. Next time you have an empty shampoo or conditioner bottle, save it and try this -- diluting your shampoo in about 1/2 cup of warm water, shake, squirt all over your scalp. You will get better coverage this way. It won't be as sudsy, but it won't be as stripping either. Just give it a try, see what your results are. I think the CWC (condition-wash-condition) with diluted shampoo has made the biggest difference out of everything I've tried in the condition of my hair.

[jojo]

Sounds like your doing ok to me, one tip I would say is alternate the position of your elastic/scrunchie to stop friction and hair breakage, other than that your doing great.

And nearly forgot, welcome to LHC!

[Anje]

Some fly-aways are normal (more normal for some people than for others) and can mean new growth, but I agree that wearing your hair constantly ponytailed might be counter-productive. Do a lot of the flyaways go back to about where the ponytail band is? If so, you might have breakage, not because of the type of band that you use but simply because your hair is usually gathered and kinked at that point, which can eventually weaken it. That's what happened to me, anyway, but I didn't realize it until I tried to do loose pigtails once and discovered a big chunk of hair that wouldn't go into either because it was broken off at ponytail level. Switching to non-ponyed buns and braids has helped a lot in getting that part of my hair to come back. A more contained style might also allow your hair to grow longer -- I suspect that you're getting some wear and tear on the ends if it's ponyed constantly, which might physically limit your length.

Your washing routine sounds good to me, if it's working well for you. I find I don't need the more expensive brands like Nexxus, but do what works for you. If you feel like trying something different, there are a lot of alternative wash methods around here, but we've got plenty of folks who like plain old shampoo and conditioner.

[Deborah]

I think the ponytail might be a problem for a number of reasons. It is more likely to cause damage than a bun, a half-up or just down.

Have you tried any pretty buns yet? They are actually more comfortable than a pony tail, and can be truly beautiful. Many of them are even easier than a ponytail, and with much less potential for damage. Just a thought.

[Hayduke]

Hi, and welcome!

I have some questions for you.

1. Do you color or chemically process your hair in any way?
2. Do you heat style? Blowdry, curling iron, flat iron?

Both of these things can cause extreme damage to your hair, causing it to break.

One of the "secrets" of growing long hair, I think, is protecting it from damage. Depending on how long your hair is and how fast it grows, the ends are at least a few years old, perhaps more. In my opinion, the best way to protect your hair is to wear it up as often as possible, to minimize the possibility of damage to the ends and length.

You mention that you wear your hair in a ponytail. You could be causing damage at the point where the elastic (or whatever you use to tie back your hair) is coming in contact with your hair. Think about it.....If the pony is at the back of your head, broken hairs would be somewhere around chin length and would be short enough to not be contained in the ponytail anymore. So the flyaways you have may well be caused by damage. Especially if you wear the ponytail all the time. Consider varying the way you wear your hair - braid it or bun it and use hairtoys that are hair safe.

It's really true that you should treat your hair as though it were fragile lace. Chances are you can grow much longer with small changes in how you handle your hair.

You're definitely in the right place! Good growing!

To answer your questions, no and no :)


This is what I was thinking as I read your post.

Did you take your name, Hayduke, from the Edward Abbey character?

Yes, it's Hayduke as in George Hayduke from the Monkey Wrench Gang. Edward Abbey is my favorite author ;)


I notice when I wear a ponytail, it swings across my back as I move and ends up in a great big snarl. If yours does the same, you could try adding a couple more pony-ties down the length to contain your hair a bit more or braid it more often or take a length of leather and criss-cross down the length (like a biker-tail). One thing you should never do is divide your ponytail and pull in opposite directions to tighten the hair-tie. As it rolls up the hair, it roughens the cuticle, eventually causing breakage. If you must tighten a ponytail, re-do it.

Most of your fly-aways are probably newer hairs. You shed and regrow hairs every single day, so you will always have hairs at every length.

I don't see anything wrong with your shampoo and condition routine. I'd recommend you try tweaking your routine a little bit and judge the results. Put some conditioner on your length before you shampoo your scalp, and don't shampoo your length very often. The suds running through during the rinse is cleansing enough. Then condition again. Next time you have an empty shampoo or conditioner bottle, save it and try this -- diluting your shampoo in about 1/2 cup of warm water, shake, squirt all over your scalp. You will get better coverage this way. It won't be as sudsy, but it won't be as stripping either. Just give it a try, see what your results are. I think the CWC (condition-wash-condition) with diluted shampoo has made the biggest difference out of everything I've tried in the condition of my hair.

I have never used that method to tighten my ponytail. I just pull off the hair tie and redo it.

Maybe I'll try a slight modification to my shamppo/conditioner routine. I am very happy with the results. I would just like to get that same look and feel everyday without having to subject my hair to that so often. I think I will have to take a look at the ingredient on the shampoo and conditioner bottles when I get home tonight.


Some fly-aways are normal (more normal for some people than for others) and can mean new growth, but I agree that wearing your hair constantly ponytailed might be counter-productive. Do a lot of the flyaways go back to about where the ponytail band is? If so, you might have breakage, not because of the type of band that you use but simply because your hair is usually gathered and kinked at that point, which can eventually weaken it. That's what happened to me, anyway, but I didn't realize it until I tried to do loose pigtails once and discovered a big chunk of hair that wouldn't go into either because it was broken off at ponytail level. Switching to non-ponyed buns and braids has helped a lot in getting that part of my hair to come back. A more contained style might also allow your hair to grow longer -- I suspect that you're getting some wear and tear on the ends if it's ponyed constantly, which might physically limit your length.

Your washing routine sounds good to me, if it's working well for you. I find I don't need the more expensive brands like Nexxus, but do what works for you. If you feel like trying something different, there are a lot of alternative wash methods around here, but we've got plenty of folks who like plain old shampoo and conditioner.


Some of the fly aways might be breakage, but now that you got me thinking about it, it seems like the don't go back that far. I realize that there is always new growth, so that what I always assumed they were. I guess I'm just looking for a healthy way to deal with them. I like my hair to be "slicked back" but without the "slick" part. I don't want it to look wet or shiny, but I want it all to lie flat on my head.


Thanks for all the responses. I don't know why I thought it would be apparent, but I better clear something up...

I'm a guy, so I'm not going to be wearing a bun to work :P I am open to the idea of wearing a braid though. I used to wear them a few times a month. My only problem with them is they leave "bend" in my hair. My hair isn't super straight, but it's fairly straight (and I like that). I didn't care for how wavy my hair was when I would take out the braid. Since the braid never lasted more then one day, I would have to shampoo/condition my hair again the next day.

Maybe my best option is to wear braids more often, and find a milder method of cleaning my hair each morning.

[Gothic Lolita]

Hayduke, I love guys with braids!....:)

Oh, and welcome, of course!!!!

[Hayduke]

I think the ponytail might be a problem for a number of reasons. It is more likely to cause damage than a bun, a half-up or just down.

Have you tried any pretty buns yet? They are actually more comfortable than a pony tail, and can be truly beautiful. Many of them are even easier than a ponytail, and with much less potential for damage. Just a thought.

I think you posted this while I was typing the above response. Is there a way to make a masculine bun? lol

Thanks for the reply though :)


Hayduke, I love guys with braids!....:)

Oh, and welcome, of course!!!!

Thanks :)

[Deborah]

Oops! Sorry, I thought you were a woman. :o

[Elphie]

If you don't like the braidwaves, you could always opt to wear a braid the day before you plan on washing.

Welcome, btw!

[Anje]

I'm a guy, so I'm not going to be wearing a bun to work :P I am open to the idea of wearing a braid though. I used to wear them a few times a month. My only problem with them is they leave "bend" in my hair. My hair isn't super straight, but it's fairly straight (and I like that). I didn't care for how wavy my hair was when I would take out the braid. Since the braid never lasted more then one day, I would have to shampoo/condition my hair again the next day.

Maybe my best option is to wear braids more often, and find a milder method of cleaning my hair each morning.

We do have several guys on here that wear buns -- I say it more so you're aware that there is a precident than anything else. Whether you wear them depends largely on how far you wish to push the envelope. (You are a long-haired guy after all, so we already know you make and follow your own rules.)

Braids don't last more than a day for me, either. As I see it, though, just because you have to take it out doesn't mean that you have to wash your hair again. If you're braiding regularly, you could always simply comb out the hair, and re-braid it. Then no one sees the braid waves. Just continue with the braids until wash day rolls around again.

[Hayduke]

Oops! Sorry, I thought you were a woman. :o

No apology necessary. I appreciate your response to my questions :)


If you don't like the braidwaves, you could always opt to wear a braid the day before you plan on washing.

Welcome, btw!

Thanks, that might except read what I'm posting below. I'll keep the idea in mind. It still might help.


We do have several guys on here that wear buns -- I say it more so you're aware that there is a precident than anything else. Whether you wear them depends largely on how far you wish to push the envelope. (You are a long-haired guy after all, so we already know you make and follow your own rules.)

Braids don't last more than a day for me, either. As I see it, though, just because you have to take it out doesn't mean that you have to wash your hair again. If you're braiding regularly, you could always simply comb out the hair, and re-braid it. Then no one sees the braid waves. Just continue with the braids until wash day rolls around again.


In the past, I wore braids occasionally. You post and the one above lead right to the reason I didn't do it more often and why I do them less often. I'm not very good at braiding my hair. I've only ever successfully braided my hair when it was wet.

So in response to Elphie, that would mean I wash my hair everyday. This is possible, but it still leaves my concern about being too harsh on my hair. Like I said though, it still could work. If I just decide I'll wear a braid everyday and also wash my hair every morning. Although I've been considering changing my schedule and washing my hair before bed instead.

That idea might lead to part of Anje's response. If I can learn to braid my hair dry, that would make it easier. I could wash it at night and braid it in the morning before work. Or wash my hair one day and wear a ponytail that day. Then braid it the next day. With this approach I'd only be washing it every other day (roughly my current average).

In regards to wearing a bun, I'm not sure I want to do that. Could I? Yes. I'm just not sure I want to push the envelope that far ;) Are there any other ways I could style my hair that would be better then the ponytail? The idea of using some thing other then the elastic to tie it back has occurred to me. I've seen the things made of materials like leather that are a couple inches wide and tie around the hair, but if it's tight enough around the hair not to fall off, wouldn't it have the same negative as the elastic? Maybe there are different kinds of bun type hairdos that won't seem too feminine to me? You're right, with my long hair, I'm already considered a little feminine in some folks eyes. I say I don't care what they think, and for the most part that's true. With a bun though, we're starting to enter an area where I think it's too feminine hehe :o

I want to thank everyone for their ideas and advice. I really do appreciate it. The couple of guys I've known with long hair didn't take care of it very well, and the few women I've asked weren't much better. It's great to find a group of people who actually put some thought and effort into maintaining healthy long hair.

Thanks again!

[Arctic]

I like it when men wear braids and buns. I was recently in a classical concert where, while several men had long hair (most of them wore a ponytail), one of them had his hair in a simple bun. I think it looks very individual/original and nice, not feminine at all.

I often see both men and women wear their hair in looped ponytail, that's little more protective than just pony but doesn't answer to the problem of wearing the hair often in a similar way causes more breakage.

For braiding, web is full of braiding tutorials, written and in video format. Peoples brains are wired differently and I have noticed some of these tutorials go over my head while others seem very clear snd simple to me. So if one tutorial doesn't open to you, try another. YouTube is a good place to start.

[NightDaemon]

Well, speaking as a guy, I wore a Lazy Wrap Bun all day, including shopping and work. Remember, the only reason so many of the fun longhair styles are sometimes called girl's styles is that long hair is for girls. As you'll see in some other threads, that means girls under 30. Also as you'll see in other threads, that's not true ;) I'm loving putting my hair into a bun, it's actually pretty cool if you get it right, and not girly at all. Or... it's only girly on girls. It seems to me like it's good to accentuate whatever you already have going.

[Hayduke]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. So it appears that the biggest change being advocated is to not wear a pony tail everyday.

Everything else seems OK?

I'll definitely start trying to wear a braid more often. My goal will be to make that my norm and the ponytail my quick fix when I don't have a lot of time.

I tried to braid my hair this morning, but it was taking to long and I didn't want to be late to work :P

practice practice practice! I'll get quicker. I actually used to be fairly good at it, but haven't done one for a few years.

I'll go look for some threads with pictures of other styles to try. If anyone has some links for me, I'd appreciate them. They don't have to be traditional buns. Anything that will be healthy for my hair. For example, what is this "lazy wrap" you're tlaking about NightDaemon?

[Hayduke]

This is frustrating. I can't find a lot of info on what to do with my hair. I don't have enough posts yet to see the albums :(

I figured this would be a great resource to find alternatives to the pony tail and braid. Maybe I'll have to try Google.

[Arctic]

If you go to articles section, you'll find hair tutorial theres, including lazy wrap bun. Also there are tons of ideas at the old archived boards (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/). HTH!

[Shandra]

You also can wet your hair without washing it before making your braid, or spritz it with water until it's just damp. You don't have to wash it with shampoo every time. :)

[suicides_eve]

you said you have been using mainly only nexxuss humtress ?

Have you added and protien to to routine?
humtress is a moisturizing condition and it is possible to have your hair over moisturize which can lead to snapping of hair.

i use nexxus to and find that is my problem if i over use it- the trick is to balance moisture and protien . to much of either is not a good thing:)

[Speedbump]

Put some conditioner on your length before you shampoo your scalp, and don't shampoo your length very often. The suds running through during the rinse is cleansing enough. Then condition again. Next time you have an empty shampoo or conditioner bottle, save it and try this -- diluting your shampoo in about 1/2 cup of warm water, shake, squirt all over your scalp. You will get better coverage this way.
As usual, Spidermom has excellent advice. I often put conditioner on my length before shampooing and I have used diluted shampoo for years and it has helped me tremendously as well. Spidermom is totally correct that delivering the detergent directly to the scalp is really easy with a squirt bottle of some kind and you get the suds where you really need them instead of in the ends of your hairs that just don't need that much washing.

If the products you are using work for you, then don't stop using them. Just because the ingredients don't work for some -- like me, for instance ;) -- doesn't mean they are perfectly suited for YOUR hair. Different strokes! :cheese:

And just FYI, it seems that for a lot of us here, ponytails are pretty damaging. You may want to test the breakage idea by wearing your hair in a different style for a couple of months and see if all of your "shorter" flyaways grow past their previous point of no return. If they do, it's probably damage and not just new hairs.

[Hayduke]

If you go to articles section, you'll find hair tutorial theres, including lazy wrap bun. Also there are tons of ideas at the old archived boards (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/). HTH!

So did this site crash recently? There seems to be a lot more stuff in the archive. I still click things that say I don't have access, but at least I'm finding some articles about updos. See! I learned the correct term :D

[Arctic]

So did this site crash recently? There seems to be a lot more stuff in the archive. I still click things that say I don't have access, but at least I'm finding some articles about updos. See! I learned the correct term :D


Yes there was a big crash last winter, January or February, and they were not able to revive the old forums, but good thing is the information was not lost, just archived. After about of month from the crash these new forums were launged-- you can be sure there were lot of frustated longhairs and longhair wanna-bes during the month of waiting :laugh: It was a weird feeling to see the new forum complitely empty from messages, then slowly getting back to being full of good information :)

If I remember correctly, after 25 posts (and perhaps a month of membership:ponder:?) you can access to photoalbums and journals, so it won't be long now!

[Hayduke]

You also can wet your hair without washing it before making your braid, or spritz it with water until it's just damp. You don't have to wash it with shampoo every time. :)

I think I've tried this in the past, but I can't recall exactly what I didn't like about it. Maybe I'll try it again. If I'm going to braid my hair too, I'm thinking it might not hurt to wet the hair with some diluted conditioner or maybe a little oil.


you said you have been using mainly only nexxuss humtress ?

Have you added and protien to to routine?
humtress is a moisturizing condition and it is possible to have your hair over moisturize which can lead to snapping of hair.

i use nexxus to and find that is my problem if i over use it- the trick is to balance moisture and protien . to much of either is not a good thing:)

What's an example of a protein containing product I could try? I'm not sure if Humectress has any or not. I did take a look at the ingredient for that and the Therappe though. I didn't see any "cones", which surprised me. I did wee some ASLs though. I thought ASL and SLS were both bad, but then I read a thread on the archive that said ASLs were OK.


As usual, Spidermom has excellent advice. I often put conditioner on my length before shampooing and I have used diluted shampoo for years and it has helped me tremendously as well. Spidermom is totally correct that delivering the detergent directly to the scalp is really easy with a squirt bottle of some kind and you get the suds where you really need them instead of in the ends of your hairs that just don't need that much washing.

If the products you are using work for you, then don't stop using them. Just because the ingredients don't work for some -- like me, for instance ;) -- doesn't mean they are perfectly suited for YOUR hair. Different strokes! :cheese:

And just FYI, it seems that for a lot of us here, ponytails are pretty damaging. You may want to test the breakage idea by wearing your hair in a different style for a couple of months and see if all of your "shorter" flyaways grow past their previous point of no return. If they do, it's probably damage and not just new hairs.

That's my plan. I'm going to continue reading the advice here and then try something different. I'm not going to try a lot of different things though. I want to give any change at least 3-6 months to make sure it works or doesn't.


Yes there was a big crash last winter, January or February, and they were not able to revive the old forums, but good thing is the information was not lost, just archived. After about of month from the crash these new forums were launged-- you can be sure there were lot of frustated longhairs and longhair wanna-bes during the month of waiting :laugh: It was a weird feeling to see the new forum complitely empty from messages, then slowly getting back to being full of good information :)

If I remember correctly, after 25 posts (and perhaps a month of membership:ponder:?) you can access to photoalbums and journals, so it won't be long now!


Thanks again. I think the archive has a lot of the answers I'm looking for.

I did find the thread that says what rights you get at different post counts. You're right, I'll get there, but at the same time, I'm not the type of person that likes to post for the sake of raising my post count. I believe this post is #14. So I'll either have to annoy everyone by asking a lot of questions, or try to answer other people's questions with my bad advice :D

[Janka]

About updos for a man: there have been discussions about this:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=11932

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1803

However, I was not following them as I'm a woman ;) and my hubby's hair is 1cm maximum...

There are also video instructions for the lazy wrap bun mentioned by NightDeamon in the article section.
I also find an infinity bun not specifically "girlie". I like the style but I can also imagine a guy wearing it.
You can use pins and "hide" them under your hair if you don't want to be _apparently_ using hair toys.
Just try new things and styles and have fun!

[Hayduke]

About updos for a man: there have been discussions about this:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=11932

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1803

However, I was not following them as I'm a woman ;) and my hubby's hair is 1cm maximum...

There are also video instructions for the lazy wrap bun mentioned by NightDeamon in the article section.
I also find an infinity bun not specifically "girlie". I like the style but I can also imagine a guy wearing it.
You can use pins and "hide" them under your hair if you don't want to be _apparently_ using hair toys.
Just try new things and styles and have fun!

Awesome! Thanks :)

I need some sticks. I might do like the other guy and make some. I do like in the largest ponderosa pine stand on the planet after all. There would be a little personal satisfaction knowing I have part of my environment with me ;)

[danacc]

There's an archived thread on Hardware Hairsticks (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74749) that describe how to make hairsticks from carriage bolts (requires some handiness with metal) and titanium tent spikes (the hooked version was used straight off-the-shelf).

[Elphie]

I remember someone mentioning a guy who used a long nail as a hairstick. I think that might look pretty cool.

[lynnala]

I might have missed this suggestion in the thread, but how about two braids? You have nice long hair, I've seen guys wear two braids (you know, under the ears) and I thought it looked great.

[tina1025]

Have you thought about using chemical free products for your hair? I.E. Shampoo bar and oils.....Also you are very lucky to be living in Flagstaff. You should check out this store http://www.wintersun.com/QC/

They have a huge variety of herbs and herbal products.