9 years at LHC!

[gossamer]

It's that time of year again, friends.
:waving:to all the folks on the boards I haven't met yet - let's have a positive thread here celebrating LHC's influence on our lives!

I'm Gossamer and my hair reaches past floor length. Here are my previous anniversary threads: 3 years (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=111748), 4 years (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=121835), 5 years (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=130821), 6 years (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=137282), 7 years (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=142422), 8 years (https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=146063).

April 8th 2010 is my official LHC join date, and April 10, 2010 is the date of my first post ever. Let's see what I had to say all those years ago!

I'm excited to have finally made it to LHC. I've always wanted long hair, probably out of some misplaced preschool-era dream of growing up to be a princess. For quite a few years, I made the mistake of not cutting it all and forcing a brush through it every night after showering (this was also before anyone bothered to tell me about conditioner). Yes, it's alright to shudder here.
Thankfully, when I was 14, a dear, wonderful, no-nonsense hairdresser from Hong Kong [cut] my tailbone length mess up to bra-strap length healthy locks. As much as it pains me, I've been getting it trimmed it twice a year ever since, blunt ends, about 1-3" each trim.
11 years out, I've only had one major setback - the same hairdresser took about 10" off when I was 21. I had my boyfriend help me measure the other day and I'm at 50", some awkward place between thigh and knee length.
For a long while now, I've felt like I'd completely run out of styling ideas, especially since most websites with hair tips assume "long hair" means bra-strap length.
Not anymore! Thanks LHC, I look forward to learning a lot from all of you!


Sometime later in April 2010, I posted my first ever length pic on LHC...
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21586&d=1455798888
...and dropped my camera down the porch back stairs in the process. I've gotten better at hair photos since then, I think. :p


Would you like to see some??
Tough, I've got too many photos and links in this post, you'll have to wait two minutes while I write a second post to this thread :lol: I promise you they're fun!

Current state of hair-fairs:
I actually had my partner help me measure my hair a few days ago and we got 82", which means in 9 years here I've gained 32" of length overall. I was trimming regularly until April 2013, at which point I just decided why bother?? This is kind of what it looked like when I stopped (but this was before my last trim, so mentally subtract about 2" from this pic)
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2291&d=1360312903

I don't think I am gaining much length anymore. I noticed on my 7 year anniversary thread in 2017 that I'd measured myself at 77" but who knows how accurate that was?? But I am really happy to say that there's good photographic evidence that my thickness has traveled down rather dramatically thanks to much better care since joining LHC. Check out June 2015 compared with September 2018!https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33255&d=1536422121


I am pretty much the queen of benign neglect, so my routine is simple.

I made these videos about 3.5 years ago but not much, if anything, has changed since then. Oh, if I mention using oils at all in the vids, I don't anymore because I ran out, procrastinated on buying more, and then didn't notice any appreciable difference so didn't bother.
Wash routine (https://youtu.be/vPUnBy9Ntus)
Wrapping up after washing (https://youtu.be/lpICzVIff1I)
From towel to updo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLKceIDy1CA)
Detangling after drying (https://youtu.be/91KymwFlIYk)


Hair-future?
I found a local knives and scissors sharpener finally and am taking my so-dull-as-to-be-damaging hair shears to them this coming Saturday. (The dullness hasn't stopped my partner from using them for his own hair trims, but his hair is super short so there's never time for any of it to form splits)

While I've debated back and forth quite publicly with myself here on LHC about what length to cut back to (sometimes in my bravest moments thinking I should go all the way back to FTL), I'm not feeling particularly brave right now and won't be going shorter than knee. I want to cut out the most dramatic taper, which means at least 12" (30cm) of hair will go, and I suspect to even things up we might end up cutting more. But it's still going to look really long, I think! And if my fresh ends behave as well as I hope they will, maybe I'll even be able to french braid again!!

If you have any questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge. :) Pics coming up next!

[gossamer]

All of these photos were taken within the last two weeks. It's been fun to try and experiment with backgrounds and what my camera can capture from my hair in motion.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36222&d=1553550408

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36221&d=1553550398

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36363&d=1554419998

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36351&d=1554335833

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36364&d=1554420019

:blossom: So happy to still be around here with you all after all these years. :D

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Congratulations! Always love seeing all your beautiful hair :) Looking forward to more photos. You have always been my main inspiration in growing my own hair long.

[lapushka]

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36364&d=1554420019

:blossom: So happy to still be around here with you all after all these years. :D

We're so happy to have you around! :D

Now, girl, honestly, HOW ever did you get up there with your hair down? :) :hmm:

Congratulations on your anniversary!

[Begemot]

What amazing hair and photos, leaving me quite speechless here :D Just absolutely gorgeous!

Congrats for the 9 year anniversary! :toast: :blossom:

[Sarahlabyrinth]

We're so happy to have you around! :D

Now, girl, honestly, HOW ever did you get up there with your hair down? :) :hmm:

Congratulations on your anniversary!

The secret must be getting up there first and then letting the hair down :)

[neko_kawaii]

The secret must be getting up there first and then letting the hair down :)

That was my thought also, but perhaps Gossamer flapped her magical hair and floated up to that perch.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

That was my thought also, but perhaps Gossamer flapped her magical hair and floated up to that perch.

Indeed - who knows?

[gossamer]

Thank you, Sarahlabyrinth, lapushka, & Begemot!:flower:

The secret must be getting up there first and then letting the hair down :)
I wish I had a prize to give you for the right answer! I think if you look closely you can see a stick in my right hand?


That was my thought also, but perhaps Gossamer flapped her magical hair and floated up to that perch.
If only! My hair hasn't learned that magical trick quite yet! 4 days later and my shoulder muscles are still sore from climbing up there again and again. Must get back to exercising and gain strength!

[brickworld13]

Yay! You've made so much progress since joining and lots of new friends too! :cake:

[neko_kawaii]

Thank you, Sarahlabyrinth, lapushka, & Begemot!:flower:

I wish I had a prize to give you for the right answer! I think if you look closely you can see a stick in my right hand?


If only! My hair hasn't learned that magical trick quite yet! 4 days later and my shoulder muscles are still sore from climbing up there again and again. Must get back to exercising and gain strength!

Are you sure that soreness isn’t wing muscles? You didn’t think that hair flying is entirely supported by scalp muscles. . .

[Dewdrop]

Not to be too cringy but you're the dream gossamer! so incredibly motivating! Your routine is pretty simple and non-Pharisean so you don't scare me away from my own goal: terminal. Hope you'll be around for many more years. One question; do you use cones? Sorry if you've already answered that someone!

[Ligeia Noire]

Your pictures are always a delight. A pleasure to read your threads. Beautiful as always.

[ynne]

Woah! That's some straight-out-of-a-high-fantasy-movie hair. Beautiful. :0

I do have a question, though it may have been answered before: is your hair heavy? It looks so soft and silky, but there is so much of it!

[EdG]

Congratulations on 9 years! All I can say is thud. :thud:
Ed

[eresh]

Congratulations!!!
You're my inspiration :o
I always love seeing your pictures, the actionshots are epic

[Shorty89]

I can't see the photos. :(

[Lazy Loop]

❤️❤️❤️ I love that you are updating yearly!!

[lapushka]

Thank you, Sarahlabyrinth, lapushka, & Begemot!:flower:

I wish I had a prize to give you for the right answer! I think if you look closely you can see a stick in my right hand?

Ahaah! :D :lol: So that's how. ;)

[milosmomma]

So beautiful gossamer! Hair-spiration and lhc-itis are strong with your update :)

[embee]

Thank you for posting! Thank you for the lovely pics. Thanks for the inspiration, even though genetics will prevent my success. :)

[hinabelle]

Congratulations on your hard work! It certainly has paid off. I especially love the 3-year comparison of your ends, the way the thickness migrated is spectacular!

[meteor]

Happy anniversary, gossamer!!! :joy: :cake: :toast:

Thanks so much for generously sharing your approach and routine. :flowers: And your photos are fantastic, as always! I'll never get tired of seeing your force-of-nature hair in motion!

[Groovy Granny]

Congrats :applause:
I am so happy for you to see how the thickness has traveled down :thumbsup:
The gorgeousness continues after all these years :crush:

[pili]

Congratulations Gossamer!And it's great to see simple can be best.

[gossamer]

Thank you, milosmomma, EdG, eresh, Lazy Loop, embee, hinabelle, meteor, Groovy Granny, & pili! :inlove:


Are you sure that soreness isn’t wing muscles? You didn’t think that hair flying is entirely supported by scalp muscles. . .

Ooooh so that's how it's supposed to work! :p


Not to be too cringy but you're the dream gossamer! so incredibly motivating! Your routine is pretty simple and non-Pharisean so you don't scare me away from my own goal: terminal. Hope you'll be around for many more years. One question; do you use cones? Sorry if you've already answered that someone!

Yes, I do use conditioner with cones regularly. It's pretty essential at this point given that detangling increases in difficulty the further away your ends get from the longest reach your arms can manage. Currently the three conditioners in my bathroom are Suave Ocean Breeze (https://www.suave.com/us/en/products/ocean-breeze-conditioner.html), Suave Professionals Rosemary and Mint (https://www.suave.com/us/en/products/rosemary-mint-invigorating-conditioner.html), and Garnier Grow Strong (https://www.garnierusa.com/about-our-brands/fructis/grow-strong/grow-strong-conditioner). The last two have cones, the first doesn't. I clarify my hair with diluted Neutrogena Anti-residue when I can tell that buildup is contributing to tangles (like, every 2-3 months). Simple is really good for me - overcomplicating and being overly rigid about a hair routine would probably work against having long hair for me - I'd be much more tempted to cut it all off if I couldn't manage my routine perfectly, rather than just shrugging and thinking "damage happens, I'm doing my best given how much time and energy make sense for me to invest in this journey..." :D


Your pictures are always a delight. A pleasure to read your threads. Beautiful as always.
Thank you Ligeia Noire!! Btw, I think we might have raced past each other at that same grocery store again on Friday afternoon :rolling: - I was rushing out with my groceries, person-who-was-probably-you was rushing in & on the phone, and of course I only realized it was probably you after the thought "wow, that woman has a great hair fork, wait, the back of her head looks familiar..." popped into my mind!


Woah! That's some straight-out-of-a-high-fantasy-movie hair. Beautiful. :0
I do have a question, though it may have been answered before: is your hair heavy? It looks so soft and silky, but there is so much of it!

It depends on what you consider heavy, right? In terms of objective weight, I think it's not even 500g. Here's a video from almost 3 years ago where I weighed it and it wasn't even 400g then. https://youtu.be/YW7yZrmLWdg Would that be heavy for people who have sensitive scalps or chronic head/neck pain? Probably. Is it "heavy" for me? If I don't balance my updo, it can pull and cause pain. If I have a tension or sinus headache already, taking my hair out of an updo might help relieve some of the tension. But on a daily basis it doesn't really register as "heavy" to me. Keep in mind that with hair growing slowly, you do have time to slowly adjust to the weight, rather than suddenly strapping a 1lb weight to back of your head, you know?


I can't see the photos. :(
Sorry, I believe I fixed it.

[AmaryllisRed]

Happy anniversary!
I love all the pics, but the last two are my favorite.

[gossamer]

Happy anniversary!
I love all the pics, but the last two are my favorite.

Thank you! :blossom:


Yay! You've made so much progress since joining and lots of new friends too! :cake:

Yikes, I somehow missed this comment! Thank you! Yes, really LHC has been best for all the friends I've made, both virtually and also sometimes in person too! :D :D

[spidermom]

What a pleasure to see these photos! They make me want to find out how long my hair will grow even though I believe it will be quite a bit shorter than yours when it stops. I could find out.

[ynne]

It depends on what you consider heavy, right? In terms of objective weight, I think it's not even 500g. Here's a video from almost 3 years ago where I weighed it and it wasn't even 400g then. https://youtu.be/YW7yZrmLWdg Would that be heavy for people who have sensitive scalps or chronic head/neck pain? Probably. Is it "heavy" for me? If I don't balance my updo, it can pull and cause pain. If I have a tension or sinus headache already, taking my hair out of an updo might help relieve some of the tension. But on a daily basis it doesn't really register as "heavy" to me. Keep in mind that with hair growing slowly, you do have time to slowly adjust to the weight, rather than suddenly strapping a 1lb weight to back of your head, you know?

Thank you for answering! Hm, it makes sense that you'd adjust over time, and I do have frequent headaches so that might have affected my curiosity. :o It is just really hard to imagine so thank you for indulging me, even if it's a bit of hair myth question!
Also, your hair is even more beautiful in motion. Thank you for sharing so much about it on the channel. :)

[brickworld13]

Thank you! :blossom:



Yikes, I somehow missed this comment! Thank you! Yes, really LHC has been best for all the friends I've made, both virtually and also sometimes in person too! :D :D

There’s clearly a gremlin causing trouble here. :stirpot:

[HeavenlyTresses]

Happy Anniversary gossamer! I love your action shots! Well, I love all your pictures but your action shots are amazing! I've tried a few times but always end up looking like a derp :silly:

I am also glad to see your thickness has traveled down the length. Hopefully that will help decide what length to cut to when you finally do decide to cut back. I have days when I decide I'm going to cut about a foot off, then I comb the ends and think maybe I just need 3 or 4 inches off, just to get rid of the grabby, uneven ends. Then ultimately I take maybe an inch off. Maybe. It's so hard to let go but ultimately I choose health over length.

I can't wait to see where another year brings you. No matter what length you decide on it will always be beautiful :flower:

[HaMalka]

Happy Anniversary, gossamer.

Your hair is beautiful and menacing. Several of your action shots look like you hair is alive and preparing to attack.

You are one of my inspirations for growing my hair to floor length.

[Ligeia Noire]

Thank you Ligeia Noire!! Btw, I think we might have raced past each other at that same grocery store again on Friday afternoon :rolling: - I was rushing out with my groceries, person-who-was-probably-you was rushing in & on the phone, and of course I only realized it was probably you after the thought "wow, that woman has a great hair fork, wait, the back of her head looks familiar..." popped into my mind!

Oh boy.. again? Magical grocery shop...
I didn't see you... I sure was in a hurry though :O

[Beatnik Guy]

I wish I had a prize to give you for the right answer!


I suggest :cookie: or :chocolate:.
Wonderful anniversary thread. :bowtome:

[CindyOfTheOaks]

Congratulations on your anniversary !
Aside from your amazing length, I find it fascinating how the thickness traveled down.

[ExpectoPatronum]

Happy Anniversary! I adore your hair and your action shots.

[Shorty89]

I can see the photos now. Your hair is gorgeous!

[Dark40]

Congratulations on making it to your 9th year anniversary! Wow, 82" is a lot to have gain over the years! I don't think my hair could grow as long as dragging the floor but maybe to my ankles. That's if I can handle it that long. What beautiful hair photos too! :) If you decide to cut it please don't go too short? Your hair is sooooooo beautiful very long!

[gossamer]

Thank you Beatnik Guy, CindyOfTheOaks, ExpectoPatronum & Dark40!


Happy Anniversary gossamer! I love your action shots! Well, I love all your pictures but your action shots are amazing! I've tried a few times but always end up looking like a derp :silly:

I am also glad to see your thickness has traveled down the length. Hopefully that will help decide what length to cut to when you finally do decide to cut back. I have days when I decide I'm going to cut about a foot off, then I comb the ends and think maybe I just need 3 or 4 inches off, just to get rid of the grabby, uneven ends. Then ultimately I take maybe an inch off. Maybe. It's so hard to let go but ultimately I choose health over length.

I can't wait to see where another year brings you. No matter what length you decide on it will always be beautiful :flower:

Many of mine turn out with me looking like a total derp too :lol: I just don't post those!!


Happy Anniversary, gossamer.

Your hair is beautiful and menacing. Several of your action shots look like you hair is alive and preparing to attack.

You are one of my inspirations for growing my hair to floor length.

Thank you! "preparing to attack" <----- love this!! :crush:


Oh boy.. again? Magical grocery shop...
I didn't see you... I sure was in a hurry though :O

Haha ok so I actually did recognize the back of your head. Ahhh, LHC :lol: Magical grocery store for sure!

[Dark40]

gossamer, you're welcome!

[-Fern]

Happy anniversary, gossamer!!

That is too funny that you and Ligeia have bumped into one another in the wild! :D

[RavennaNight]

Happy anniversary, your hair and length are amazing! :flower:

[gossamer]

Thank you ~Fern & RavennaNight!

Also, I got this question from Stardreamer in a PM that I think is better if answered publicly, since it's a really difficult one to answer. Thanks for giving permission to me to answer this publicly, Stardreamer!


I love the photo of the ends of your hair on the floor. What is it like having such long hair? My hair is APL.

This question is tough because I don't think you're asking me about my routine or my usual hairstyles, but what my experience of practicing that routine and defaulting to those hairstyles is like.

It's perhaps just as difficult to answer as if I asked you "what's it like to have APL hair?" The question isn't silly - I actually cannot remember having hair at that length and have no idea what that would be like to do so.

Because I don't have a basis of comparison to the experience of people with long but not super-long hair (the shortest I can remember my hair being when I was handling it myself was about BSL-ish, and back then I just put it in a pony tail or braided it every day because I was 14 and didn't know what else to do), it's hard to give a meaningful answer that draws on the experience of having APL hair to explain the major differences that come with having beyond floor length hair.

But let me try:
1) wearing it down outside the home: NOPE. Aside from the photos I took, which involved taking out a bun and then rebunning immediately afterwards, my hair is never down outside the home. I imagine that at APL, you can still wear your hair down without having to think about how to manage it?
2) range of hairstyles: I've heard that some people with long but not super long hair can't do a lot of updos yet because of the length required. For me, at least, I have that same issue but the other way around - with too much length for many updos, I've settled on about half a dozen that remain easy to accomplish and stick to those.
3) comments in public: good lord do I get so much unsolicited commentary on my hair, even when it's just up in a bun. I don't imagine most people live with that? While it tends to be positive, it isn't always, and can sometimes be pretty scary. In the photos I took and posted on this thread, I found myself really anxious about how strangers would approach me while I was doing it, so I tried to find places where I could be mostly alone, but not so alone that if someone threatened me I would be in great danger. Grateful that the few people who did stop to engage me in conversations were just curious and not too weird.
4) washing actually doesn't take as long as you'd probably imagine, but it probably does take longer than shorter hair would.

Um... what other aspects of "what's it like?" am I forgetting? Help me out as I try to answer this tough question better?

[AmaryllisRed]

Do you miss shorter lengths?

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I wish I could bump into either you or Ligeia in the wild, you may be sure that I would say something in admiration if circumstances permitted :)

I have a question, Gossamer.

Do you find detangling at your length difficult? Do you finger comb only or use a comb? How long does it take?

I dreamed last night that you cut your hair to knee length, and of course it looked amazing :)

[SimplySmile]

Congratulations on another hair anniversary!

I love looking back and reading your posts on your anniversary's. It is giving me the motivation to try to achieve longer hair then I had before!

I remember when I hit TBL I felt as if my hair was at a stall and was not growing anymore. That is what sparked me to want to cut it, I thought what is the point if I am at terminal. Have you ever felt that your hair was not growing and that you might have been at terminal? If so what did you do to overcome that?

One more question, do you ever wear your hair down around home or is it always up? That was another thing that convinced me to cut.. I fell into that trap of "Why have long hair if you never wear it down.." I thought chopping it would satisfy my need to wear it down - Now I just worry about all the damage that is happening when I wear it down.

[DaveDecker]

Gossamer, congratulations on 9 years at LHC! :D Whether your hair is at rest or in motion, it is amazing. :thud:

[spitfire511]

Oh gossamer your hair is looking SO amazing! The peanut gallery says you could not cut it back at all and it would be just lovely!

Thank you for sharing your journey with us always! :flowers:

[Stardreamer]

Thanks gossamer :)
How heavy is your hair? Does it ever pull you to the floor?
How do you think you look with it?
What/who was your hair 'idol' that helped you on your journey?

[ynne]

Thanks gossamer :)
How heavy is your hair? Does it ever pull you to the floor?
It depends on what you consider heavy, right? In terms of objective weight, I think it's not even 500g. Here's a video from almost 3 years ago where I weighed it and it wasn't even 400g then. https://youtu.be/YW7yZrmLWdg Would that be heavy for people who have sensitive scalps or chronic head/neck pain? Probably. Is it "heavy" for me? If I don't balance my updo, it can pull and cause pain. If I have a tension or sinus headache already, taking my hair out of an updo might help relieve some of the tension. But on a daily basis it doesn't really register as "heavy" to me. Keep in mind that with hair growing slowly, you do have time to slowly adjust to the weight, rather than suddenly strapping a 1lb weight to back of your head, you know?
I was wondering about the same thing before (the weight, not pulling). :)

*

And gossamer, for myself (short hair) I can say I did get comments when I had a pixie, but they were only insults (i.e. questioning my identity) and luckily that only happened a few times. It must be hard to get all the attention when you just don't feel like dealing with it! I was surprised even an updo would get you comments, but I guess the amount of hair can't be "hidden" that way. I'm sorry people do this. :/

[neko_kawaii]

Thanks gossamer :)
How heavy is your hair? Does it ever pull you to the floor?



I was wondering about the same thing before (the weight, not pulling). :)


I found her previous answer to this question.




It depends on what you consider heavy, right? In terms of objective weight, I think it's not even 500g. Here's a video from almost 3 years ago where I weighed it and it wasn't even 400g then. https://youtu.be/YW7yZrmLWdg Would that be heavy for people who have sensitive scalps or chronic head/neck pain? Probably. Is it "heavy" for me? If I don't balance my updo, it can pull and cause pain. If I have a tension or sinus headache already, taking my hair out of an updo might help relieve some of the tension. But on a daily basis it doesn't really register as "heavy" to me. Keep in mind that with hair growing slowly, you do have time to slowly adjust to the weight, rather than suddenly strapping a 1lb weight to back of your head, you know?

[Corvana]

bv gh tfgvbc----------------------====

You know what I'm just gonna leave that there. My cat Chello says hello! :laugh: Well really she says "mom get off the computer and PET ME!" while rolling around on my keyboard.

Wow, 9 years! It makes one wonder where they'll be in similar time. Your ends are looking quite nice to me, as well, but I don't have to deal with them so take that as you will :laugh:

[Stardreamer]

Thanks, ynne and neko_kawaii. Corvana, that is so funny ^^
How long do you think it would take to grow your hair from shaved to floor length? Just curious.

[gossamer]

Thanks DaveDecker, spitfire511, Corvana AND especially Chello!! :inlove:


Do you miss shorter lengths?

Not really. I think if I missed them enough, I'd cut back to them. I do miss having hair short enough that I could go to a salon back in my home country for a relaxing wash & scalp massage, but since I don't live there anymore, having shorter hair wouldn't make that possible again anyway. It would be nice to be able to wear it down again, but in order to do that I think I'd have to cut to FTL or classic, and at the moment that feels much too short for me.



I have a question, Gossamer.

Do you find detangling at your length difficult? Do you finger comb only or use a comb? How long does it take?


I almost always only finger comb. The "almost" is there because I have a TangleTeezer that I use on my scalp sometimes to help loosen any dry skin flakes that might be there (it's usually so dry where I live) before I wash my hair. I don't use the TT on my length, however, since it just seems easier to finger comb. I don't think I find it difficult unless I've been doing something particularly silly with my hair, like standing in a windstorm with it down to get photos or something, you know? :lol:


Congratulations on another hair anniversary!

I love looking back and reading your posts on your anniversary's. It is giving me the motivation to try to achieve longer hair then I had before!

I remember when I hit TBL I felt as if my hair was at a stall and was not growing anymore. That is what sparked me to want to cut it, I thought what is the point if I am at terminal. Have you ever felt that your hair was not growing and that you might have been at terminal? If so what did you do to overcome that?

One more question, do you ever wear your hair down around home or is it always up? That was another thing that convinced me to cut.. I fell into that trap of "Why have long hair if you never wear it down.." I thought chopping it would satisfy my need to wear it down - Now I just worry about all the damage that is happening when I wear it down.

Originally, I thought I'd grow to terminal or floor, whichever came first. Then floor happened and it didn't seem I'd hit terminal, and somewhere between low-calf and floor I'd figured out a pretty easy routine, so cutting wasn't as much of a priority for me as it was when I was struggling with it at mid-calf. This was like 3-4 years ago now. Seriously, putting it up and forgetting about it is the best way to not stress about growth/non-growth. It may very well be at terminal now, I'm not sure. Because I don't measure with any kind of habitual consistency, I don't have the data necessary to come to that conclusion. So - I guess to answer your question, I haven't ever really worried that I was at terminal because first I didn't think I'd found it, and then I just stopped caring, haha.

If you really want to grow super long, I think you might want to become more comfortable with the idea that damage is an inevitable part of life. Worrying about your hair won't help it grow, but figuring out a routine that minimizes your worries will help you, I think, get past those moments where you fixate on whether or not it's at terminal and then need to cut, or fixate on "why have it if you don't wear it down?" We don't just grow hair to display it to other people, right?



Thanks gossamer :)
How heavy is your hair? Does it ever pull you to the floor?
How do you think you look with it?
What/who was your hair 'idol' that helped you on your journey?
[added from your other post down-thread:] How long do you think it would take to grow your hair from shaved to floor length?


I see that your first question was kindly answered by neko_kawaii. Thanks for helping me out while I was at work ALLLLLLLLLL day today :p
I'm not sure what your second question actually means. Are you asking if I fall over sometimes because of the weight of my hair on the back of my head? No. I'm not a cartoon character! :silly:
I think I look fine with my hair, it helps me feel like I look like myself.
I don't know if I have any hair "idols" - there are many different people on LHC and elsewhere that have hair I think is beautiful. But I try not to compare myself to them or try to hope for hair like theirs (ok, maybe aside from hoping to eventually have an impressive head of gray/whites which, alas, might not be in my genes) because my hair is going to be itself no matter what I do, really.
As for how long it would take to go from bald to floor, I don't know. I have never calculated my growth rate. You may have noticed that we say around LHC that average growth rate for human hair is .5" per month, which goes to ~6" per year. If I have an average rate of growth and I make a guess that floor length is maybe 75" on me (I haven't measured that either), then the simple arithmetic answer would be 12.5 ye. But I hope you understand that all of this is based on assumptions, not hard facts.

[Garnetgem]

Congratulations on 9th year anniversary,your hair has always amazed me it is so beautiful and i always like to see your new photos ...i am not one for making many comments in LHC i tend to be in the back ground but your hair always brings me forward to comment! :)

[gossamer]

GarnetGem, thanks so much for commenting! :heart: I am so glad to hear from you! :flower:

[Stray_mind]

Congratulations! Your hair looks great :flower: :toast:

[Elizabeth E]

Congratulations Gossamer, your hair is stunning! :thudpile:

[Simpscone]

Congratulations on your anniversary Gossamer! Your hair is beautiful, and to see you have such a straight forward hair care routine even at such lengths is very encouraging.

[gossamer]

Thank you Stray_mind, Elizabeth E, & Simpscone! It's so kind of you to comment :)

[Joules]

:thud: :thud: :thud:

That's all I can say here

[gossamer]

Thanks Joules! :happydance:

[lunalocks]

Just beautiful. Pretty impressive in person, too! Can't get over how similar we are - except: I hover at knee and wish for more thickness.

[gossamer]

Just beautiful. Pretty impressive in person, too! Can't get over how similar we are - except: I hover at knee and wish for more thickness.

I'm still so happy we met three years ago when I was in your area! What a lovely memory :)

[DakarNick]

Congrats, Miss Gossamer! I hope you stay another 9 years!

Do you think your hair likes the climate better since you moved?

[gossamer]

@DakarNick: I think my scalp has finally adjusted to how dry it is! I do miss the humidity so much - my skin in particular. I think my hair is dryer, for sure, and I think I'm having to use cones more than I used to because they help keep my hair from tangling so much when it's extra dry. It was such a huge climate adjustment from the super humid midwest for sure!!

[Waveurly]

Great hair! Looks wonderful. I'd love to have floor length hair but especially the creepy or unwanted comments would be something I'd prefer to avoid! It is really pretty though!

[MusicalSpoons]

Stunning as always, gossamer! :thud: I don't have any questions but it's interesting reading your replies to those who do - and that despite your hair being extraordinary, the life of the ultra-longhaired is actually not all that different from that of the ordinarily-longhaired. It's inspiring that a fairly simple routine and benign neglect can work so brilliantly well! :D

[gossamer]

Great hair! Looks wonderful. I'd love to have floor length hair but especially the creepy or unwanted comments would be something I'd prefer to avoid! It is really pretty though!

Thank you! :blossom: I've talked about it elsewhere around the community and some people have suggested that seeing super long hair that most people can't imagine outside of high fantasy tv or something makes them say really stupid things. :lol: I've only actually met the kind of creepers our mods so carefully ban from our community probably twice in person, and that was ages ago when I wore my classic-length braid down more often. (One at a work conference - dude gave me his card and told me to write him about my hair because he was studying long hair. right..... I totally never emailed him. The other at an airport internationally - dude followed me off the plane until he caught up to me to ask me about my long hair. I was not amused and got out of that conversation ASAP.) Usually the creepers say things to me online instead and online you can block people! Yay! In person, I have gotten some vaguely threatening comments on occasion and then just lots of super awkward ones, like the woman who followed my partner and i into a store just to tell me she'd once had long hair too and she saw I had long hair and wanted to tell me. I kind of just said a confused "yes, I do? thanks?" Generally mostly people just say "i like your hair, it looks cool. it must be long - can you like sit on it already" and then I just :lol:. Oh, I also don't quite know how to categorize the dude who tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a note on the bus one day about how he liked my cornet braid :rolleyes: At least he didn't try to start a conversation... But yeah, the general public can be pretty annoying given that I'm an introvert who doesn't really ever want to talk to strangers!


Stunning as always, gossamer! :thud: I don't have any questions but it's interesting reading your replies to those who do - and that despite your hair being extraordinary, the life of the ultra-longhaired is actually not all that different from that of the ordinarily-longhaired. It's inspiring that a fairly simple routine and benign neglect can work so brilliantly well! :D

I am really lucky, I suppose, that my hair is resilient enough to survive things I've done to it out of neglect/accident. Right about the time I hit "guru" status with 1000 posts here in 2013, I also realized that my hair had been super misbehaving for the past month NOT because my hair was suddenly rebelling, but because without my glasses in the shower, I'd been "conditioning" it with shampoo and I couldn't tell because the bottles looked EXACTLY the same and the text was really tiny. poor tortured hair!! :lol:

[Waveurly]

Thank you! :blossom: I've talked about it elsewhere around the community and some people have suggested that seeing super long hair that most people can't imagine outside of high fantasy tv or something makes them say really stupid things. :lol: I've only actually met the kind of creepers our mods so carefully ban from our community probably twice in person, and that was ages ago when I wore my classic-length braid down more often. (One at a work conference - dude gave me his card and told me to write him about my hair because he was studying long hair. right..... I totally never emailed him. The other at an airport internationally - dude followed me off the plane until he caught up to me to ask me about my long hair. I was not amused and got out of that conversation ASAP.) Usually the creepers say things to me online instead and online you can block people! Yay! In person, I have gotten some vaguely threatening comments on occasion and then just lots of super awkward ones, like the woman who followed my partner and i into a store just to tell me she'd once had long hair too and she saw I had long hair and wanted to tell me. I kind of just said a confused "yes, I do? thanks?" Generally mostly people just say "i like your hair, it looks cool. it must be long - can you like sit on it already" and then I just :lol:. Oh, I also don't quite know how to categorize the dude who tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a note on the bus one day about how he liked my cornet braid :rolleyes: At least he didn't try to start a conversation... But yeah, the general public can be pretty annoying given that I'm an introvert who doesn't really ever want to talk to strangers!


Oh haha that are quite the anecdotes but at least it does not happen that regular as online! Ofcourse people online hide behind screens so its easier to say what they think and such! I can relate to the introvert part. Oh well, at least an updo must make people guess at least a bit since most people probably wont be able to tell if it comes to the hip or floor by looking at a bun!

[languagenut]

Congrats! And awesome photos! :D

I hear you on the bottles looking the same; I also have to squint at the little print, and if I don't, I can at least tell once it's in my hand, because the conditioner is white, while the shampoo is clear... but then sometimes I get stuck with a blob of the wrong product in my hand, and have to try to scrape it off into a toy boat or something so I can retrieve it later... or worse, try to put it back in the bottle... that never works very well, but I've gotta try :lol:

[embee]

It could be tricky to select the right bottle of product in the shower. I'd look into saving some other bottle, like maybe old dish detergent bottle, and putting my shampoo in that, so there'd be no mistakes.

I've worn my glasses into the shower and that didn't work well for me; they fell off and I was always afraid I'd break them. That's too expensive. A different bottle is cheap! :D

[gossamer]

Congrats! And awesome photos! :D

I hear you on the bottles looking the same; I also have to squint at the little print, and if I don't, I can at least tell once it's in my hand, because the conditioner is white, while the shampoo is clear... but then sometimes I get stuck with a blob of the wrong product in my hand, and have to try to scrape it off into a toy boat or something so I can retrieve it later... or worse, try to put it back in the bottle... that never works very well, but I've gotta try :lol:


It could be tricky to select the right bottle of product in the shower. I'd look into saving some other bottle, like maybe old dish detergent bottle, and putting my shampoo in that, so there'd be no mistakes.

I've worn my glasses into the shower and that didn't work well for me; they fell off and I was always afraid I'd break them. That's too expensive. A different bottle is cheap! :D

Thanks for the tips - this happened in 2013 and hasn't happened again since, so I think I've figured it out! I wasn't in the habit before of buying matching shampoo & conditioners, but in 2013 I was living in a different country and having a terrible time finding conditioner that worked for my kind of hair, and this was the only brand that sort-of worked, and I think there was a deal on buying the shampoo with it? I didn't have much money then, so I'm sure that sucked me in to making that error. Once I moved back to the US I was able to buy my usual conditioners again and didn't make that mistake again! :D


Oh haha that are quite the anecdotes but at least it does not happen that regular as online! Ofcourse people online hide behind screens so its easier to say what they think and such! I can relate to the introvert part. Oh well, at least an updo must make people guess at least a bit since most people probably wont be able to tell if it comes to the hip or floor by looking at a bun!

It's true, I think most people have no idea how much hair can compact into an updo! :D

[Kat-Rinnè Naido]

Congratulations gossamer on you 9th year at LHC.

Your hair is beautiful and lovely to enjoy. Thank you for sharing your special photos. But most importantly thank you for sharing your insight and experience. My hair is a long way behind, you are an inspiration. Especially your comment on leaving it alone.
Continue enjoying your hair. Thank you once again for sharing.

[gossamer]

Thank you, Kat-Rinnè Naido, for your kind words. I'm happy to be able to help people with anecdotes from my own experience of growing out super long hair. :)

[Juanita]

Congratulations your hair is glorious.
A trick to tell similar bottles apart is to put a large bright sticker on one.

[hayheadsbird]

Fab photos gossamer!

[gossamer]

Thank you, Juanita and hayheadsbird!

[maborosi]

I love seeing your awesome photos! Congrats!
I hope I'll be able to reach past knee someday.
I just need to put down the scissors, lol.

[gossamer]

Thanks maborosi! And yes, put down the scissors if you're going for past knee! Unless you're just S&Ding or trimming a tiny bit once or twice a year to keep a straighter hemline!

[FrayedFire]

Are those braid-waves, and if so, do you have any pics without them? The flip shot is amazing!

[dagny]

Congrats on the 9 years -- Great hair and words of wisdom. :-)

I always wonder how I should respond to people I see that have very long hair. On one hand, I want to go up to them and tell them how much I like their hair; yet, on the other hand, I don't want them to be creeped out and think I am some crazy stalker.

The truth is, I understand how much time, effort, commitment and dedication it takes to grow hair extremely long and, aspiring to great lengths myself, I want to let them know that I appreciate the encouragement I get by seeing their long hair (if that makes sense?). So many times I have NOT said anything to other people I see because I don't want them to feel uncomfortable or whatnot.

So my question: is it the actual words they use, the way they say it, or the circumstances that come off "creepy"?

For example, the man who said he liked your coronet braid -- was it the way he said it (via a note)? was he creepy looking? giving you googly eyes as he sent the note? etc?

Or the woman who followed you and your partner into the store and mentioned she used to have long hair also -- was it her words or did she use some strange tone or actions while she said them? Did she continue to follow you around the store? Or something else that gave you a strange vibe?

[YvetteVarie]

Congratulations on the 9 year anniversary. I love the action shots

[gossamer]

Are those braid-waves, and if so, do you have any pics without them? The flip shot is amazing!

They are sort of braid waves, but that's also more or less my natural texture (when I use coney-conditioners). Here is a photo I took about a month ago of freshly dried hair and you'll see that the waves are still present, braiding just makes them more prominent.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=37093&d=1559054285


Congrats on the 9 years -- Great hair and words of wisdom. :-)

I always wonder how I should respond to people I see that have very long hair. On one hand, I want to go up to them and tell them how much I like their hair; yet, on the other hand, I don't want them to be creeped out and think I am some crazy stalker.

The truth is, I understand how much time, effort, commitment and dedication it takes to grow hair extremely long and, aspiring to great lengths myself, I want to let them know that I appreciate the encouragement I get by seeing their long hair (if that makes sense?). So many times I have NOT said anything to other people I see because I don't want them to feel uncomfortable or whatnot.

So my question: is it the actual words they use, the way they say it, or the circumstances that come off "creepy"?

For example, the man who said he liked your coronet braid -- was it the way he said it (via a note)? was he creepy looking? giving you googly eyes as he sent the note? etc?

Or the woman who followed you and your partner into the store and mentioned she used to have long hair also -- was it her words or did she use some strange tone or actions while she said them? Did she continue to follow you around the store? Or something else that gave you a strange vibe?

I think it really, really matters how you read the situation and whether the person with long hair seems open to chatting, or is actively busy with something else.

In the bus example - I had my headphones in, I was reading a book. Which of those things says that I would be open to being interrupted by someone who felt their need to compliment me was greater than my need for privacy and reading? When that guy tapped me on the shoulder (also, a stranger touching me?? No thank you!) he was clearly implying that his inclination was more important than my personal space. I don't remember what he looked like at all and mercifully he didn't try to talk to me once he'd gotten my attention, but I think he should not have done that at all. I don't like the idea that being a woman going out in public automatically marks one as a target for every random stranger's opinion on your appearance.

As for the woman who followed us into a store - she followed us! This wasn't a casual comment said to someone walking past you, but done with purpose, once again interrupting whatever I was in the middle of (talking to my partner about something we were considering buying) in order to just tell me, "I noticed your hair. I had long hair too." Um, ok?? Like, if she'd walked past us while were walking into the store and said "Love your braid! So cool, mine was long too," I could have said "Thanks! Cool!" and we could have gone our separate ways. But instead she kind of cornered me and expected me to want to have a conversation with her?

I am not an extrovert, to say the least. I suppose there are people who go out of their homes each day hoping strangers will start long conversations with them. I'm not that person, and I don't think my body language in public conveys that when I wear headphones, avoid eye contact, and carry myself in a defensive way (living in big cities for years will do this to you). In the last big city where we lived, before moving here where there are no real cities and everybody talks to each other all the time :rolleyes:, I really learned to appreciate the value of giving and receiving what some here at LHC call "drive-by" comments. "Love your earrings!" "Those are great boots!" "Fabulous glasses!" "You look like summer! What a beautiful day," and the like, all said while passing each other on the sidewalk or something. I think that's a generally safe way to compliment someone without coming across as a creep.

Yesterday I was at the shoe store and noticed a teenage girl shopping with her mom. She had a classic length ponytail. I briefly considered saying something nice, but she and her mom looked really busy, and my hair was hidden in a bun because I was in public so I would have looked like just another person who probably interrupts her all the time, so I decided to say nothing. There wasn't a way for me to interrupt their search for sandals that wouldn't be an intrusion, even with a drive-by comment. And, the girl is a minor, I shouldn't be talking to her anyway without her mom being ok with it, right? So you can see how I thought through the situation and decided that non-creepy complimenting wasn't possible here.






Congratulations on the 9 year anniversary. I love the action shots
Thank you!

[dagny]

They are sort of braid waves, but that's also more or less my natural texture (when I use coney-conditioners). Here is a photo I took about a month ago of freshly dried hair and you'll see that the waves are still present, braiding just makes them more prominent.
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=37093&d=1559054285



I think it really, really matters how you read the situation and whether the person with long hair seems open to chatting, or is actively busy with something else.

In the bus example - I had my headphones in, I was reading a book. Which of those things says that I would be open to being interrupted by someone who felt their need to compliment me was greater than my need for privacy and reading? When that guy tapped me on the shoulder (also, a stranger touching me?? No thank you!) he was clearly implying that his inclination was more important than my personal space. I don't remember what he looked like at all and mercifully he didn't try to talk to me once he'd gotten my attention, but I think he should not have done that at all. I don't like the idea that being a woman going out in public automatically marks one as a target for every random stranger's opinion on your appearance.

As for the woman who followed us into a store - she followed us! This wasn't a casual comment said to someone walking past you, but done with purpose, once again interrupting whatever I was in the middle of (talking to my partner about something we were considering buying) in order to just tell me, "I noticed your hair. I had long hair too." Um, ok?? Like, if she'd walked past us while were walking into the store and said "Love your braid! So cool, mine was long too," I could have said "Thanks! Cool!" and we could have gone our separate ways. But instead she kind of cornered me and expected me to want to have a conversation with her?

I am not an extrovert, to say the least. I suppose there are people who go out of their homes each day hoping strangers will start long conversations with them. I'm not that person, and I don't think my body language in public conveys that when I wear headphones, avoid eye contact, and carry myself in a defensive way (living in big cities for years will do this to you). In the last big city where we lived, before moving here where there are no real cities and everybody talks to each other all the time :rolleyes:, I really learned to appreciate the value of giving and receiving what some here at LHC call "drive-by" comments. "Love your earrings!" "Those are great boots!" "Fabulous glasses!" "You look like summer! What a beautiful day," and the like, all said while passing each other on the sidewalk or something. I think that's a generally safe way to compliment someone without coming across as a creep.

Yesterday I was at the shoe store and noticed a teenage girl shopping with her mom. She had a classic length ponytail. I briefly considered saying something nice, but she and her mom looked really busy, and my hair was hidden in a bun because I was in public so I would have looked like just another person who probably interrupts her all the time, so I decided to say nothing. There wasn't a way for me to interrupt their search for sandals that wouldn't be an intrusion, even with a drive-by comment. And, the girl is a minor, I shouldn't be talking to her anyway without her mom being ok with it, right? So you can see how I thought through the situation and decided that non-creepy complimenting wasn't possible here.




!





Thanks so much for the reply. I totally understand what you mean when you put the situations into context -- definitely would creep me out as well!

Yes, I always do more of the "drive-by" comments and only when that person and I happen to have made eye contact/conversed/intervened over something else as opposed to interrupting them, etc.

Since my hair is only hip length (and has never been longer), this gives me much to think about when going out in public as it gets longer.