Ordeal or Joy ?

[jera]

Do you consider your long hair an ordeal to keep healthy and beautiful? :confused: Or do you find the whole process a joy? :) Or do you think it's both? :p

I purely love having long hair. :D I find it so empowering. Anything it asks for (healthy stuff, of course) I give it with no hesitation because it gives back to me a hundredfold. Does that sound biblical. :o I don't get tired of it, even in the most difficult of times when it looks like crap for a spell, I'm always searching out new stuff to use, or eat, or wear to make it more beautiful.

Yeah, I vote for my long hair as a total joy.

:cheese:

[Longlocks3]

Most of the time, I do find my hair to be a joy. BUT today I was attempting to french braid my hair and it wasn't cooperating. That is when it becomes an ordeal.

[may1em]

Kind of both, and neither.

I enjoy brushing it out and styling it and using my favorite conditioners. I don't enjoy waiting for it to dry and having to be careful to avoid tangles.

But, in order for my hair to look good short, extensive heat-styling is required. That was a real ordeal.

[ButterCup02]

JOY! And mine's not even that long, yet :) It's kind of a hobby of mine, looking after my hair and figuring out how to do up dos, etc...If I didn't enjoy it, I'd probably cut it off. LOL!

[nowxisxforever]

Joy here too! If it feels like an ordeal, I pull it up into a bun and practice "benign neglect" for a few months until I want to play with it again.

[Carina]

A bit of both for me:heartbeat.I love to wash it and it dries the way I want it:wethree:.But updos are the ordeal for me,since I can't do that many yet:doh:.It is also a joy to buy hairtoys and products:hifive:.

[Natalia]

Hmmm im about half and half right now. If i had the energy and the physical strength to be able to experiment and do what i wanted it would be a total joy. Because even then if it didnt cooperate i would be able to try to give it what it needed. Right now it gives me joy becasue of the easy things i can do for it or with it like COing and all the new buns i can now do. Also just the pure joy of feeling my hair brushing closer and closer to my goal :D. But its an ordeal when it wont cooperate, feels like velcro, or gets too greasy or yuck looking and i dont have the energy to deal with it. I think i will grow to enjoy it more and more no matter how i am feeling as my damage grows out.

[eternallyverdan]

Mostly a joy, except when it's misbehaving. Then it's like having Chewbacca glued to my head.

[rose_in_bloom]

Mostly a joy, except when it's misbehaving. Then it's like having Chewbacca glued to my head.

:rollin: That's a great comparison.

[sweet*things]

I like having longer hair, except when I'm in the car and the wind is whipping it everywhere. Even when I've got it tied back or bunned there's still the little fly-aways around my face. I find it maddening, and then I'm a complete B until everyone puts up their windows.:justy:

[hellkitty]

It's phases for me. I came to this site because I was really getting tired of dealing with my hair. Every day the same old style. It was not fun at all.

Strangely enough, the solution was not to do less with my hair, but to do more--oiling, experimenting with different washing techniques, more styles. Putting more thought and more effort into it turned it from being boring to being a total joy for me--I look forward to figuring out each day's hairtoy. And when washing it is an experiment--what did I do? what were the results? even a simple shampoo becomes fascinating.

Now, when my hair was short, it was a constant ordeal. No amount of styling could make it behave, much less look good!

HK

[KarpatiiSiv]

Mostly a joy. I've had long hair for a very long time and most of the time it behaves itself and is a joy although there are days when it just will not do what I want it to so up it goes in a bun until it learns to behave again.:D

[AJoifulNoise]

90% joy, 10% ordeal. So long as I follow my routine, it is a joy. If I miss something, it can be an ordeal. Like skipping the after-wash oiling. Or not bunning it out of the shower and letting it dry down (at which point it won't go into an updo for anything).

[Coriander]

It's a joy...

Except for wash days. That's an hour-long ordeal. Between the pre-wash oiling, the wash, the condition (at least 15 minutes then back in the shower), and combing and post-oiling, then waiting for it to dry...

I plan wash days.

[embee]

When my hair was short it was awful - thin and straight and flat and it *never* looked ok no matter what I did. It made me sad every day. That was an ordeal.

Now it is a joy. I have some hairtoys and know several updo styles - one of them will always work out ok even on the most difficult days. :)

[karenpetal]

Its a JOY ... I love every aspect of hair keeping - especially now since its long enough I enjoy braiding it .

[NeilTheFuzz]

Sometimes when my hair is being awkward, it can be a real pain. This is mostly when I'm brushing my hair and it gets all tangled and I get hot and frustrated :mad:

However, I do sometimes really enjoy looking after my hair. Mostly, the joy I get from my hair merely comes from just having it. It looks a mile better on me than the buzz cut I used to have. Or I think so anyway.

[demitasse]

I find it a lot easier to manage the longer it is. I honestly thought it would be the other way around. You know, a nice chin length bob—so little hair to take care of. But because of the thick, coarse, textured nature of my hair, it required a lot of styling to make it look right and I had no way to pull it back if it went wonky. To me, length = weight. I need a lot of length to weigh down the texture so my hair points down rather than out. :)

Waist length is the only true wash and go hair for me. It takes me five minutes to wash my scalp, condition my length, and then put it up and forget about it. Long hair is both a joy and a convenience. I've learned that shorter lengths just aren't worth the hassle to me.

[Fiferstone]

I'd agree with 90% joy, 10% ordeal. If it's not behaving it's in an up-do and out of the way, if it is behaving, then it's just fun to play with. Short styles were a PITA for me because of the cost of maintenance "trims" and the fact that 7 out of 10 times I wouldn't quite like the results of the "trim." Long is definitely better for me.

[Arctic_Mama]

A joy, 90% of the time. I am not the most careful or patient detangler and hate having wet hair for hours on end, but the vast majority of the time I am very happy with my hair, the longer the better.

[longhairedfairy]

My hair is extremely low-maintenance because I take care of it in the first place. It's not an ordeal at all.:)

[Debra83]

Joy!!! But I find most things are!!!! (except fillings).

[Curlsgirl]

I would agree with 90% joy maybe a bit more! I hate waiting for it to dry when it's cold and sometimes the way it looks up or when I need to wash it. BUT it was a LOT harder to deal with shorter. And I LOVE the uniqueness and the compliments I get now. I also feel much more sexy and feminine and I like that. It also keeps me warm in the winter. :D I hate detangling with a PASSION, takes forever and I hate the shed hair all ovah the place. But I wouldn't go back to short hair for anything!

[longhairedfairy]

Curlsgirl, I find that I have very few tangles if I braid my hair. It helps to prevent them.:)

[TammySue]

Much more of an Ordeal now that it is very long, but it still continues to be a Joy!

[RedJen]

I agree with those who say 90-10. I do like taking care of it, but I also like how easy it is to put it up and ignore it. Short hair was a real pain.

[GlassEyes]

Honestly?

Eh. I sort of think of my hair as a necessary hassle. I've accepted that my hair is always going to be a pain to take care of, and thus the extra stuff I've added since LHC barely seems like it's much, where for other people it's extreme.

I like having hair. Caring for it can be a pain, but for me, it's necessary, so...:shrug:

I will say that my wallet hates me for it. XD; And it's made me become a spendthrift. I now balk at buying clothes for more than $20, but own hair products that cost more than that. It's a sickness. Oh well. Once school starts again and I work less I'll cut down more.

[keight425]

I pull it up into a bun and practice "benign neglect"

Benign neglect!! That's hilarious!! :eek:

Hair is turning into a joy ever since I found these forums and articles!!!!!!!!

[Brat]

Probably 60/40 joy/pain in the butt. And this coming from someone who does not work with it a lot. I wash twice a week, brush only when wet and air dry. Nothing special. I've had short hair once as a kid, and vowed never again. I'm just bored with my hair, I guess I'm in need of inspiration and a new 'do!

[hennared]

Taking care of my hair as it got longer was a joy I was proud of - until it started shedding like mad, a year or so ago.. :/ Now it's kind of difficult to enjoy and does feel like an ordeal, sometimes!

[Roseate]

I'll go with the 90/10 joy/ordeal split, right now. The ordeal portion comes mostly on washday, when I have wet hair for 6 hours, and if I lay a finger on it it frizzes. Other than that, I love it, and catch myself admiring it in mirrors and windows and lakes far too often!

The last time it was long it had slipped over into 40/60 territory at around waist length, and that's when I cut it off. Here's hoping LHC can get me over the hump this time around!

[Carolyn]

I'd say mine is a joy 99% of the time. Now and then I'll have a moment where it's an ordeal but I very quickly get over that. Shorter hair was an ordeal. I've been asked what I like about long hair and I always say EVERYTHING! There isn't anything I don't like.

[rose_in_bloom]

For me it's about 95% joy, 5% ordeal. I absolutely love caring for my hair, it's my favorite hobby. And I love the feel of it brushing against my back! It's a journey for me, I love (almost) every minute of it. :) But when it won't stay in updos or is too oily, then I hate it.

[inertia]

During the summer it's 95% ordeal, 5% joy. It's just hot, heavy, and there's nothing I can do to de-frizz it except put it in rollers or wear it up. My scalp hurts from the constant updos. I hate it already and it's only going to get worse for the next 2 months.

In winter it's maybe 70% joy and 30% ordeal. I remind myself of that every day, that the bad part will be over by mid to late September. If it was hot and humid all year, I don't think I'd be able to stand having long hair.

[jera]

Joy here too! If it feels like an ordeal, I pull it up into a bun and practice "benign neglect" for a few months until I want to play with it again.

Hah ! That's what I do when facing hair challenges. I put it up in a beautiful bun which you can't really do successfully with short hair. So, there ya go. :D Another reason to be joyous about having long hair. ;)

[jera]

[QUOTE Hair is turning into a joy ever since I found these forums and articles!!!!!!!![/QUOTE]

I agree. LHC makes hair care more interesting and joyful. :p

[JamieLeigh]

It's not all joy (i.e., accidentally buckling hair into my seatbelt)......but it mostly is. :D

[demitasse]

It's not all joy (i.e., accidentally buckling hair into my seatbelt)......but it mostly is. :D

Ouch. Or slamming it in the car door and then turning your head without realizing it. Ow, ow, ow.

[ericthegreat]

Definitely a 200% joy. Being a male, I have the unfortunate childhood of being forcibly dragged to the barbershop to get my entire head buzzed by my parents. I remember lots of times kicking the evil barber when I was a kid! I also did the same to my pediatrician when it came time for shots. :D

I remember vividly how much I hated being forced to have a crew cut for the first 14 years of my life, so I definitely don't wonder or wish to return to those horrible days ever again. I am forever heading torward terminal from this point on.

[Iylivarae]

If I didn't enjoy caring for it, I wouldn't have long hair.

[cobblersmaid]

It is occasionally both, but mostly neutral. I like having long hair, always have had long hair. It is just me, and it just is. If it gets annoying, I make a small change to see if that helps. When it is a joy, well, I enjoy it!

[ZadenWillowfyre]

It really is a joy! I wouldn't mind it being a bit thinner though becuase it's hard to rinse out when I wash and it makes it hard to do updos and what not =).

[SpinDance]

98% joy, 2% ordeal. I love being able to just put it up and have it out of my way, but with a fast pull of a stick, fork or whatnot, able to have the mass of it back down to play with. I love playing with my hair, so it's probably best that I keep it up out of the way most of the time! I don't like when it gets in the water when I wash my hands, or I have to worry about it puddling on the floor/ground when I bend over to get something, or the yank I get when it flies around and some gets stuck outside when I get in the car.

One of the strangest sensations I've ever had was when it was just getting long enough to reach my lower arms. Many "Aaa! What's that!" moments before I'd figure out it was my own hair. Now I love the feel of it and would miss it desperately if I could never have it again.

[Nes]

I would say about 80% joy and 20% ordeal for me.

Reading others replies, I don't really feel like a proper longhair as I don't really enjoy doing updo's oilings etc. etc. I just do the minimum I have to to keep it healthy out of necessity.

I would love to be like some of you who see it as a pampering treat, but as much as I try, I don't really enjoy doing stuff with my hair.

Having said that, the joy comes from having (fairly) healthy hair swishing around me as I walk makes it all worth it for me.

Nes x

[Rivanariko]

Most of my life it's been more of an ordeal because I didn't take very good care of it. I used to always talk about how I was going to cut it someday when I got completely sick of it or worked up the courage to do so. But since I've found LHC and learned how to actually manage my long hair, I'm having so much fun and it is so much less work. By keeping it up all of the time, detangling only takes me about 5 minutes anymore, whereas it used to take me ages to rip a brush through all of my tangles several times a day. I hardly have any tangles anymore, which makes it so easy to care for, and even though I know it hasn't been long enough to really make a huge difference, it FEELS so much prettier and happier since I've started following the advice that I've gotten here.
So at the moment, I'd have to say it's 100% Joy, though it'll probably move more toward and 80/20 split once the novelty wears off.

[Spike]

Definitely more joy than ordeal, for sure.

Even in the summer, when it's well over 100 degrees F and the dewpoint is over 52 degrees F (that would be monsoon conditions) I still love it.

In the morning, brushing it out and seeing it shampoo-commercial shiny from roots to tips, it makes me smile. Updos are more about scuplting the mass into something that looks good on my head today, not agonizing about making it look "just like the photo" so they've become a source of fun rather than angst.

[WritingPrincess]

My hair is a joy, except when I'm sick. Then I find it an ordeal to comb it often enough and constantly move it out of my way.

[feralnature]

It is a pure joy for me. One of life's simpler ones.

And you don't know what you've got til it's gone so love on your hair because you never know when you may not have it at all.

[Kiraela]

It is about 80% joy, 20% ordeal. When it is behaving, when I am mentally stable, when it is clean and pretty, etc, I love it. When it is misbehaving, looking and laying wonky, or when I am spastic, irritated, or in an anxiety attack, I can't stand it. The taking care of it, the feel of it, etc... Most of the time I love it, but during those times it is almost more than I can stand.