help through the awkward stage of hair growth

[Pburgh56]

Hi Im growing my hair from a short buzz cut out to hopefully waist length :) However I am currently getting in the awkward stage where my hair is around my collar in length and my bangs are down past my eyebrows in length getting into my eyes. I was just wondering what are some styling suggestions to get through the awkward phase and what all can i do with my bangs till i can tuck them behind my ears :) thanks.

[rhubarbarin]

I was in the same position about 6 years ago. I did a side-part and held my bangs up or back with bobby pins, barrettes, or a narrow headband.

If you are a man, I don't know what to tell you!

ETA: Checked and saw that you are. Ah, geez. I can't think of any masculine styles for getting bangs out of your eyes except wearing a bandana or hat... maybe part your hair and use gel to try to keep them from going straight down into your eyes?

[Aeasa]

I recently passed up the length you're at, growing out from a pixie and also growing out bangs...felt like it took forever to get to shoulder length!
My only input would be tiny little butterfly clips for if you're going out and want to look like you actually take care of yourself (not an attack on you, but I personally looked, for a few months at least, like I was going through something major with all that hair everywhere in no particular "style," and I've been the center of a few jokes, too :rolleyes:). Lately, I've been sporting a headband at home. I can't wear those in public because I think they look terrible on me, but they sure do a great job of keeping frustrations about hairs poking my face at bay. When my bangs were a lot shorter, I'd also gather them and put them in a little fountain ponytail on the top of my head...a baby style, yes, but I thought it was kinda cute. *shrug*

Anyway, hopefully someone else will chime in with something more clever. :)

[Aeasa]

Oh, I just saw that you're a guy, too. Sorry! :eek: Guess the butterfly clips and headbands are out...
Hmm...maybe you can get some aloe gel and start putting it on your bangs, and then parting your hair the way you like. Aloe gel seems to hold hair pretty well, but you can always use regular gel, too. If I had boy powers, I'd probably opt to just wear a hat, until I can one day take it off and have everyone around me be very, very confused as to where all that hair came from.

[Toadstool]

I sometimes see guys round here wearing headbands, and they look pretty cool.

[Pburgh56]

Thanks everyone and yes im a guy lol which makes it hard :( I def plan on trying the wax or gel to set my bangs and I have seen guys with headbands too so i may try that. its just it seems like u have to have the right headband to make it work u know :) what do u think of my goal length and when its long enoguth should i tuck behind my ears or sidesweep my bangs?

[feralnature]

Clips and headbands and know that this too shall pass :)

[Gumball]

I idled my way through the awkward stage. Time passed and eventually I wasn't at the awkward stage anymore. That's what did it for me!

[Fractalsofhair]

Bobby pins that match the color of your hair would look fine. Chances are, no one could notice!

I'm personally not a fan of sideswept bangs on me, but I am a female. It depends on your face shape...

36 inches sounds reasonable, it's hips or so on me. It is long, so a good minigoal to consider might be 25 or so(mid backish on me). If you want to keep growing it, that's a good idea, if you don't, then you still have "long" hair.

[Madame J]

Aloe gel, wide headbands, and bandannas will get either gender through that awkward stage. I used to date a guy with chin-to-collar length, 3b hair that he would pull back in pigtail-poufs or use small barrettes to keep his hair out of his face.

[spidermom]

Lots of gel, sweep "bangs" straight back. They'll probably part themselves and sort of slide to the side, hopefully not straight forward. I also think bandanas and hats look great on guys growing out hair. There's also a way that you can sweep the bangs to the side and pin discretely under side hair with hair-color-matching small bobby pins or click-clacks.

[trolleypup]

I wore baseball hats for a couple years.

There are a variety of more or less masculine hair bands, ties, wraps, etc that may help.

[purplebubba]

I wore baseball hats for a couple years.

There are a variety of more or less masculine hair bands, ties, wraps, etc that may help.

I wore baseball hats too. Back then my dad had a boat and I had to wear one when we went out on it or the hair in my face drove me crazy.

I did not do anything else. It was either loose or under a baseball hat until it was long enough to ponytail.

[Rosemary]

When my husband used to have long hair, (now he is balding, so he shaved it... sob:boohoo:) he would wear buffs alot.........


http://www.buffwear.com/pages/technical/ways-to-wear.php

I always thought that he looked hot in them!

[Pburgh56]

Thanks everyone for all the advice I really am getting alot of good info :) I appreciate it :) As for some of the posts, the barretts and puffs sound cute so ill have to try them and i will def try that hat and bobbipins and headbands as well. I also agree that a mini goal of 25 inches is a great idea that way i still have long hair but i honestly really do want to go to 36 inches :) what do u think?

[Renbirde]

I also agree that a mini goal of 25 inches is a great idea that way i still have long hair but i honestly really do want to go to 36 inches :) what do u think?
:rolleyes: It doesn't matter what I think. It's your hair. Do you want to have a hip-length braid? That's all that should matter.

Think about this-- if you get to hip and think it's a pain, it's easy to make it shorter.

[freckles]

When my husband used to have long hair, (now he is balding, so he shaved it... sob:boohoo:) he would wear buffs alot.........


http://www.buffwear.com/pages/technical/ways-to-wear.php

I always thought that he looked hot in them!
they look awesome! I might get one :)

[JamieLeigh]

When my husband's hair was getting longer, and was really at that same awkward stage, I managed to get him to wear his "bangs" pulled straight back off his forehead, secured in two bobby pins that criss-crossed each other, on top of his head. It didn't look anywhere near as feminine as you might think, either. :) Unfortunately, this was before I joined LHC, so taking hair pics of either me or him was something I didn't even think of..... :(

[free_hug]

You were the user who asked about "guys with girly hair", right? Go ahead then, get some gel and side bangs! And nobody pretend please that it's not in style, take a look at the young macho in House MD, or those trendy emo kids (yes, they are doing the teenage version of something that looks great on some adult man), get styled! I mean, only if you decide that it looks good on you.

Hm, i do think in general that man should be a lot more innovative and bold when it comes to styles, and that includes hairstyles.

Important: whatever you choose as The Solution, don't even think about failing to post a pic!

[marikamt]

Thanks everyone and yes im a guy lol which makes it hard :( I def plan on trying the wax or gel to set my bangs and I have seen guys with headbands too so i may try that. its just it seems like u have to have the right headband to make it work u know :) what do u think of my goal length and when its long enoguth should i tuck behind my ears or sidesweep my bangs?

Tuck behind ears........ just MHO....

Being a guy DOES make it harder through the icky stages...... I can only think of what everyone else said... bandanas, hats and gel it back... the positive is the icky stages don't last THAT long....... good luck! :)

[marikamt]

When my husband used to have long hair, (now he is balding, so he shaved it... sob:boohoo:) he would wear buffs alot.........


http://www.buffwear.com/pages/technical/ways-to-wear.php

I always thought that he looked hot in them!

ooooo!!! I had never heard of these... just checked out the website, very cool!!!!

[feralnature]

When my husband used to have long hair, (now he is balding, so he shaved it... sob:boohoo:) he would wear buffs alot.........


http://www.buffwear.com/pages/technical/ways-to-wear.php

I always thought that he looked hot in them!

GREAT!

I always wanted one of these buffs from the CBS show "Survivior" but did not want the survivor logo. And now this site! THANK YOU! I work outside so that is perfect for me. Also, with Christmas around the corner (oh, yes it is), buffs are great ideas for a relatively low price and anyone can wear them!

[Kiraela]

DBF is in that 'zone' right now... he brushes it all back into a ponytail, and whatever doesn't fit in yet gets slicked back with water or oil, depending on where he is when he sets it. Then again, it's usually covered by a welding cap most of the day, so it doesn't have to look good. (I think it does anyway, though!)

[Little_Bird]

Hello there :waving:

I'm also a guy and went through the awkward stage just like you did. If your hair is wavy or curly it will be worst than if it were straight (mine's wavy).

You know, it's not that difficult to go trough, if you stay focused that it will go away and turn into beautyfull long hair.
I used to wear hairbrands a lot, keeping the hair from my face. Other than that, I never did anything special. When I started to be able to put some of my hair in a ponytail, I used to wear bobby pins in the sides to hold it all up, but I really didn't like the look.

Alice bands also look good on some guys.
Just be sure not to blowdry or put gel in it. That's really bad and will only bring damage.

If you just started growing, chill out for it's a rather long journey... But you're just going to be sooooo amazingly happy in the end :D

I wish you the BEST luck!

[Pburgh56]

Thanks everyone for more great advice :) I know it will be worth it in the long run for sure :) Little Bird, u really are an inspiration for guys growing long hair everywhere. is there anyway i could contact u for more info?
What are some good hats do u recommend too everyone and what kind of headbands?

[david]

what kind of headbands?

Well as a guy myself who was also at the dreaded growing out stage a while ago I used to use bobby pins and alicebands/headbands until to keep my hair out of my eyes. The type of headbands I used to use were fairly simple one either thin or mid size ones. i.e.

http://scunci.com/product_detail.aspx?gid=7&pid=19&lp=11
http://scunci.com/product_detail.aspx?gid=7&pid=72&lp=14

I just used to match the colour of the bobby pins, headbands to my hair so as they looked almost invisible. I still wear headbands when I want to get my hair out of my face but leaving it down. There's no problem with them I see guys wearing them all the time.

[Pburgh56]

Thanks David for all ur help :) You really do have beautiful hair. Honestly, If my hair looks half as good as urs ill be extremely happy. what made u decide to let urs get so long?

[david]

Thanks David for all ur help :) You really do have beautiful hair. Honestly, If my hair looks half as good as urs ill be extremely happy. what made u decide to let urs get so long?

Thanks...I always wanted long hair ever since I was really young so I just decided one day to take the plunge and go for it. My original goal was waist length so i'm currently in and around that mark now.

[Kris Dove]

My brother used to gel his back so it didn't fall in his eyes.

[Pburgh56]

David u sound alot like me. Ever since junior high I have wanted to try my hair long so finally I decided to just let it grow. I too would love to have it down near my waist. Its getting longer and I love it :) How much longer do u want to let urs get and do u have any pics of ponytalis or things uve tried?
Kris the gel is a great idea :) how long did ur brother let his hair get?

[rusika1]

Chiming in with another vote for headbands. There are leather-look ones out there that could be quite masculine. I used those expanding haircomb headbands the last time I grew out bangs, they were more comfortable than those horse shoe shaped ones.

I think there are things called buffs some of the people here wear.
There's a knitted wide headband called calorimetry which is really popular with the crafting crowd, and I'll bet you could find some on etsy.

And once your bangs are a little longer, you can pull them straight back with a flat barrette .

Enjoy the journey to your goal!

[Pburgh56]

thanks i barrette will be sooo cute :) Its just getting to that level which is tough. My bangs are getting there tho. they are just beyond my eyebrows. how much more length do u think i need till i can pin them back?

[rusika1]

thanks i barrette will be sooo cute :) Its just getting to that level which is tough. My bangs are getting there tho. they are just beyond my eyebrows. how much more length do u think i need till i can pin them back?

It depends on how far back you want the barrette. I"d say you can probably use a barrette to hold them back once they start to reach bottom of your nose level. You might have to use training-wheel bobby pins for a while though.

I would suggest getting as low a profile barrette as you can find. the french style fasteners that are on most barrettes these days work better further back on the head. Used closer to the hairline, they sort of stand up away from your head, and you can't really see the design. Plus they don't hold short hair as well. Here are a couple of examples of lower profile barrettes: http://www.franceluxe.com/pc/9801/franceluxebarrettes/index.html
http://www.franceluxe.com/pc/9754/franceluxebarrettes/index.html

[Mutinous]

Try a side parting. Having a side fringe was a lot easier and more manageable when growing it out for me. I sometimes wear a quiff type thing, in which I pin my fringe out of my face, which is a pretty cool look, though perhaps not the most masuline type I've worn.

You can get away with a headband, as long as it is small, non-descript and blends with the colour of your hair :)

[Pburgh56]

Thanks for the barrette ideas I will def try some of them out :) i have about 2 more inches to go till i get to bottom of my nose and i can start wearing them then :)
I never thought of a fringe to the side or a quiffe. how do u do that?

[shadowclaw]

Growing out my bangs was a very annoying process, and it took me two tries because I gave up the first time (but in my defense, I was only eight).

I was (and to a degree, still am) rather tomboyish, so I didn't really wear anything girly. Until my bangs actually interfered with my vision, I just let them hang. Then the fun began.

Bandanas are great for getting hair out of your face. They come in a ton of colors and designs, and you can get them at Walmart or a craft store. Plus bandanas are gender-neutral. You can fold them like a headband, wear them like a babushka, or do that biker-looking thing where your whole head is wrapped in one. If you don't mind having one on your forehead, you could part your bangs and have them hang over the bandana. Eventually they'll get in your eyes, but by then they should be long enough to to do something else with.

Hair clips and bobby pins are good, too. You can get both in many different colors, so you should be able to match your hair color.

[Arriens]

I used tons of gel. :o

[Pburgh56]

Thanks shadow claw and arriens. I will try some bandanas too. im going to try a variety until I find one that works the best :) I know as i gain more length itll be a lot easier as well.