Is it hard to have long hair?

[juliaxena]

I have mixed feelings about having long hair lately. I really like the look of long hair but as mine is (slowly :( ) growing, I can remember the advantages od short hair. It dryed really fast, I didn't have to worry about damage, if it got messy like it always does on day 2, I just messed it up a little more and it looked great (now I have to wash it and use blow dryer otherwise I get a cold in a heart beat-I never had a strong immune system, even the least bit of cold gets it down). I was looking at my sister's waist lenght hair yesterday while we were out in the sun. She has horrible splits up to APL. I sure hope we don't have the same hair genes! I'm scared that long hair is just high maintenance, I can't remeber how it was, when it was long. With me working so much I don't know if I'll have time and energy to care for it properly. It seems to me like long hair is a luxury, a very pretty one but maybe one I can not aford. Will I get used to it? Maybe it's all just the awkward phase blues... I'm even not used to feeling my hair on my neck anymore-it feels weird and sometimes uncomfortable-I just want to move it away but I can't. I really want long hair...has anyone gone through this phase and came out stronger?

[Gumball]

I don't feel my hair is high maintenance. The things like combing it out, styling it, washing it, not washing it, has all been acclimated into my life where I don't give it much of a thought as cumbersome or a burden.

It's all a matter of perspective, because how high you feel the maintenance is would really be up to you as the beholder. If you haven't had long hair before, or haven't in quite some time, then the adjustment period will feel a whole lot different since it would be so foreign.

Issues can be dealt with via routine changes/experiments and trying to get into the best relationship you can with your hair. For some it may be a monetarily costly venture, while for others it can be one of the thriftier things they have done. I will admit for some it's definitely a puzzle where things don't sync well until you figure out how the pieces fit together.

You'll never know exactly how things will turn out on your adventure to/with long hair until you roll those dice and see how they land! I wish you lots of luck and you'll have all the support you need.

[longhairedfairy]

I don't think long hair is high/maintenance at all. You may just be going through a tough spot. If your hair is not long enough you'll have difficulty keeping it back and out of the way, whereas when your hair gets longer you can simply tie it back and not have all the annoying little short pieces hanging out and falling in your face. Don't despair. If you can get through this irritating part of the growing phase it will be easier later.:)
By the way, I looove your color.

[manderly]

Oh sure :) This is the longest my hair has ever been....and also the easiest.

Boy did I hate those hot, muggy summers where I just couldn't get my hair off my neck or find a rubber band to keep it up. Now when the weather is crummy, I can even tie my hair up in a knot if I cant find a scrunchie or a stick :)

As for the splits, I don't think it's genes so much as how we treat our hair. I dipped back into hot ironing for a couple months and boy did my hair punish me for it!! I was shocked at all the splits. I'd never seen so many splits in my life! Luckily a couple self trims and lots of S&Ding and I'm doing pretty well overall again.

So many summers have brought along with them short "boy" cuts with the thinking that it would be cooler and easier in the heat......nope. Long hair is way better ;)

[juliaxena]

You may just be going through a tough spot.


By the way, I looove your color.


I am. I just wish it grew already...but it's so slow. And thank you very much.

[Quixii]

Huh. I never thought of it as hard to have long hair. It's annoying or in the way or doesn't look good? Just put it up. Now, having hair that is too short to put up but long enough to cause annoyance would probably be hard. My guess is your just having transitioning blues. Maybe once you can start to do more with it you'll like it more. :)

[Laylah]

Long hair doesn't have to be high maintenance. Once it gets to apl or so, you can put it in a braid and forget about it. But sometimes, "maintaining" your hair can be fun! I've come to enjoy my routine of oiling, washing, combing, braiding...it's really relaxing and gives you an excuse to have some "me" time alone.

[Flynn]

I know exactly where you're coming from.

The length you're at, particularly if your hair is as straight as it is in your sig image, it probably the hardest for having to deal with it being messy.

A good way to deal with damage is to simply leave it alone. If you're handling your hair less, you're going to get less breakage. Bonus: it means less work.

Yes, I find long hair a lot more work than short. No, that is not actually a lot of work. I had run-my-hands-though-it-and-that-will-do short hair. Now it is longer, I can fairly quickly braid it, or twist it up into a simple bun, and forget about it.

[Elenna]

Maybe, you can try out APL or BSL and see how it is.

Less damaged and longer hair is easier to style, take care of and looks much prettier.

Your hair is a beautiful color and straight. Wish I had straight hair like you.

[friskybiznus]

I agree with the other posts - my long hair is much easier than short. But I get where your coming from about it driving you crazy. My guess is that it is a transition and the feeling will pass. And yes, I think we all get impatient with our hair at times! :)

Hang in there! It gets easier! :)

[Melisande]

Your hair is at its most work-intensive stage just now. At least for another six months, you'll be stuck there. From then on, it will be easier every month. The curve goes up and then it goes down again. As everybody else here said: as soon as you can just put your hair up and forget it, it's no longer hard to take care of long hair.

I wash every four days CWC. I oil my hair after washing it, bun it and sleep on silk. I use a comb or Tangle Teezer once a day. This is my core routine, the rest is all optional. The rest: deep treatments, oil massages for the scalp, special cream for my ends. I get along very well with my core routine at times like now when I don't have extra time left.

And this is less time and effort than what I invested when I had shoulder length (I never had really short hair, always cut back to shoulder or APL and let grow again). No bad hair days for me any more. No blowdryer, nothing. Just nice hairtoys and updos and gentleness.

[ravenreed]

For me, this length is much harder than any other I have had. My easiest was chin length. I washed and went. It dried so quickly.

Now I have to actually plan out when I wash my hair to make sure it has time to dry, as it has gotten quite cold here suddenly. I wash less often than I used to, because there are many more steps than previously. Etc. etc. Even doing updo's take time for me, since I tend to be fussy about how my hair looks. Before, I just wore it down, tousled it from time to time, and it was fine.

I enjoy the length, so far, the extra work is worth it. As for the split ends, my hair has always been split-happy. I micro trim often, and my ends look great.

The only way you will know which way your hair will go, and whether it will be worth it, is to give it a try. Worst case, you go back to an easier length.

[prittykitty]

Sometimes while my hair is going through this ugly stage and I can't do anything with it, I sometimes feel like getting full feathered layers again and curling the top and sides of my hair like I use to. Then I remember the maintenance involved, such as waiting for it to dry to an almost damp dry so that I could add my products to get the wild look, then I had to set the top and sides of my hair in heated rollers to get the volume, then use the curling iron, vent brush and pick to style and last, use lots of hairspray to hold all this in place. NO THANKS!

Sometimes I want to get out my straightening iron and smooth all my hair out because it seems to look much longer when straightened. This is great but then I get big time damaged, dry hair. NO THANKS TO THIS EITHER.

I know growing hair can feel frustrating. Sometimes I feel like mine is taking forever. Then I look at the time that has gone by and I notice that my hair is in much better condition than it has been in the past. I am also no longer in bondage to the bathroom mirror for an hour. These are things that do keep me motivated to just let it grow. I can't wait until my hair is a very long length.

If you find that you simply cannot handle your hair long and that you like it short, maybe growing it long is not for you. One thing you can do is buy some long clip on extensions that won't damage your hair and wear them for a week or so. In the end after wearing long hair, you might know if you like your hair long. I know it worked for me only I had the real extensions. Every time I had to take them out to let my hair recuperate, I was lost without the long hair. This is when I made a decision to grow my own hair out.

[pepperminttea]

Personally I think it's much lower maintenance than short hair. I need to wash it less, I can hide it in an updo on an off-day (or just if I want it out the way), and it spends most of its time in braids so detangling isn't that much of an issue.

Keep going! :) If you grow to a long enough length to give long hair a 'test drive' and decide you hate it, you could always get the scissors out. Bit more difficult to do that the other way round, unfortunately.

[hela]

Personally I think it's much lower maintenance than short hair. I need to wash it less, I can hide it in an updo on an off-day (or just if I want it out the way), and it spends most of its time in braids so detangling isn't that much of an issue.
.

Agreed.

In my case, long hair has been less time consuming than short(er) hair. I am kind of LAZY and wouldn't bother to go to the hair stylist as I had to do when I wore it short... Keep the shape, redo layers, this and that... :whip:

Moreover, I think caring for long hair rocks.:eyebrows:

[Teufelchen]

If your signatur pic is up to date, I think you just have a very care-intensive length now. It is to short to put it away and to long to be out of the way. I cannot remember what I did when my hair was that short. (I was a child then) but I remember how often I had to wash and brush my hair, when I had it down all the time. Since I wear it up, I can ignore it the whole day. I think you need probably about 5 cm more length and than you can start wearing updos, which will make your life easier.
About your worries of having bad hair genes, I don't know how much your sister cares about her hair. Bare that in mind, you treat your hair very carefully and that makes quite a huge difference. If you worry about washing to often, just try a CO every other wash. I would do a deep treatment about every other week, while heaving that on your head, you can do other things. I do the washing while I deep condition my hair.
Your hair looks very healthy, so it should look nice, if it gets longer. Don't give up, they will grow.

[Elvi]

For my hair type long hair is clearly more carefree than short. It keeps in condition with plain gentle washing (I use cone free conditioner only for wash now) , air drying, and occasional use of care oils. I have learned to do a French twist and a couple of buns really quickly, so it is in shape for going out faster than my short hair was. And no more need to visit hairdressers many times a year.

[Carolyn]

As others have said, you are at the most difficult stage right now. Be patient. It will grow. If you are getting 1/2" per month growth, you have an average growth rate. And yes that feels incedibly slow to someone who wants long hair. Getting your hair back in a pony stub is the first step to getting it up and out of the way. It only gets easier from that point. So many people cut when their hair gets to the length you have in your siggy pic. They claim they've tried "long" hair and hated it. The truth is they never got there. Don't give up now. Keep on going. At least another 6 month to a year. I think if you're patient and wait it out, you'll see that it's going to get easier.

[pinkbunny]

It depends on what you consider high maintenance. I love the fact that I don't have to go to a salon (plus that gets expensive). I cut my own hair on my own time at the exact length I want. It's easier to just grab it up in a ponytail or a braid (which I can do anywhere with just a comb & no mirror) - whereas with short hair if I wanted to style it, I'd have to use all kinds of heat stylers, hair products, etc. etc. and then after a while all that just damages hair.

If your current length is what is really bothering you, maybe you could try wearing headbands (if the plastic ones hurt, use a cloth band), use a little gel or mousse to keep it swept out of your face, a pretty scarf, or get creative with some tiny clips/barrettes.

In the end, it should be all about what you want - no matter what, you still have to do stuff for your hair short or long, unless you just don't care what you look like either way... My long hair is an image choice - sure, I could cut it super short and it would't ever get in my way, but then I would hate looking in the mirror even if it was the easiest length to deal with. I'd rather go to a little trouble if it makes me feel good...

[Gingevere]

I think you're at that frustrating in-between stage. You can't quite get it into a ponytail yet, which can be a relief when you want your hair off your neck. I would stick with it if I were you.

While long hair is certainly not for everyone, it seems most people on here feel that their hair is pretty low-maintenance. I know I don't put as much time, money, or effort into my hair as I used to. I no longer have to haul myself to the salon every two months to pay nearly $30 just for a trim- I do it myself now and it's easy! I also stopped blow-drying my hair and started washing it in the evenings instead. And guess what? My hair is the healthiest it's ever been.

[Dolly]

I wouldn't say that it is more difficult to have long hair.....it does take some work to have HEALTHY long hair.....I would say that the splits your sister has are most likely from neglect, harsh handling, bad products, or a combination of all of those.

I would get past the awkward stage you are in, and then see how you feel about it, before making any rash decisions......growing my hair was one of the best decisions I ever made. Makes it a lot easier to get ready in the morning too....no blow dryers, no curling irons, not even any styling products.....

[mira-chan]

Longer hair is definitely less work for me as I just wear it up all the time in a quick updo after finger combing it a bit. If it were short I'd have to wash it more than once a week and probably use a lot of things to weigh it down so it doesn't stand up (think Einstein hair).

I do not blow dry, and hardly trim. If I have any splits they are on the very ends which I can individually snip off.

[halo_tightens]

Everyone else has said a lot of what I feel.

Short hair is easy. Long hair is easy.
In-between hair, on the other hand.... is a major pain in the rear!

If you can just manage to tough it out through this stage, it really will become easier again. This is a length where a lot of people give up and go back to short hair, never realizing that if they'd just waited a little longer....

IMO, it doesn't get much easier than pulling it back, pinning it up, and forgetting about it. I'm not quite to the super-easy stage yet either, but I remember it from years ago and can't wait to get back there. Just...hang...on.... :)

[lora410]

Considering it takes me 30 seconds to put it up I don't see my hair as high maintenance at all. When it was short I had to constantly style it to make it look nice.

[juliaxena]

I wouldn't say that it is more difficult to have long hair.....it does take some work to have HEALTHY long hair.....I would say that the splits your sister has are most likely from neglect, harsh handling, bad products, or a combination of all of those.



Well, apart from ripping her hair with a brush I don't see her abusing her hair much. I think it's because she doesn't trim her hair often enough. I guess she's one of those people that really should trim more than once a year (like most peopple probably are). This is also a part of my second thoughts. I think hair needs to be trimmed more often than she does it, but how often is that? I don't want to do it TOO often if I want to see my hair grow, but having hair like that would be a night mare for me. I guess I'm scared because I want pretty long hair and I'm scared if I can care for it enough once it's longer. I didn't have splits in the past though when my hair was longer. I guess I was doing something right. The problem is, I just can't remember.

It has helped me that a lot of you told me my hair is probably most difficult at this lenghth. It does make sence. Perhaps if I could put it up on day two, I would not hate to look at it in a mirror because of it's messiness. Conditioning some extra lenght probably takes no extra work (just extra conditioner) and I do like DC. So maybe just the drying part might be some problem for me. And making sure I trim it just enough.

[Friesiangirl]

I remember that stage well, but it was nice having my hair type because it looks great just down. However, I simply tried to ignore it, or I had fun buying all sorts oof mini-clips and barrettes to put it up. I don't mind looking silly with a pony tail stub and 20 or so barrettes. It allowed me to embrace my inner little kid.

[juliaxena]

I have to write this too. There is another thing worrying me. My line of work is really formal. And I like pretty and cool hair toys. I'm not sure my boss will be able to handle such styles. Most women I work with have short hair and I know I will be looked at strangely. I wouldn't normally mind some strange looks but I know I will get A LOT of them. I'm not expected to look feminine, but formal, I'm sure people will be saying I'm not young enough for long hair-you know how it is. How do you deal with that?

[Bonkers57]

Thanks, manderly. I've copied your post and am keeping it for when I get the urge to shave my head :)

By next summer, my hair should be long enough to put it all up out of my face and off my neck.



Boy did I hate those hot, muggy summers where I just couldn't get my hair off my neck or find a rubber band to keep it up. Now when the weather is crummy, I can even tie my hair up in a knot if I cant find a scrunchie or a stick :)

So many summers have brought along with them short "boy" cuts with the thinking that it would be cooler and easier in the heat......nope. Long hair is way better ;)

[jojo]

Long hair is like anything else, its as easy or as hard as you want it to be. for instance, you can just put it up, wash once a week and ignore it or you can forever be experimenting and looking for fault with it and drive yourself crazy. In the early days I did the later, now I am at a length where I am begining to feel long, I am more relaxed.

For me, short hair was the bain of my life, it was a lot harder work to keep it looking nice. I couldnt ignore it because it need my constant attention.

This phase will pass, once you can get your hair up you will begin to feel more comfortable with it.

Good luck, for the time being I suggest, concentrating on a new hobbie or something to take your mind off this.

[juliaxena]

Strangely enough, this is my hobby. Taking care of my hair is the only thing I manage to do when I get home from work at night. But that's a whole other topic. I described some of it in my post in health subforum.

[ladycatpurrs]

In regards to your concern that your hair will not meet your workplace criteria of formal, there is nothing, IMO, more feminine, lovely and formal than some of the updo's I have seen on this forum. A lovely french twist or a bun. As far as it goes for the in between stage (pony stub length) there has to be some style that will fit your needs. I am sure the more experienced members on here could assist you with that.
My personal experience with long hair versus short--it is a little bit more effort from me to have long, healthy hair but I am enamored with it so it is an investment into my vanity, for my hair is my only one. It is worth it to feel it down my back.

[jojo]

Strangely enough, this is my hobby. Taking care of my hair is the only thing I manage to do when I get home from work at night. But that's a whole other topic. I described some of it in my post in health subforum.
Yeah I totally understand, sounds like your doing all the right things, keep with it and try and visulise just how lovely it will look when long because it will!

[Smitts]

It isn't that bad.
Your sister might have split ends from overusage of products and/or not trimming the edges every 3 months.
Just trim a inch or less off every 3 months at that solves the splitting.

Use a wide tooth comb instead of brushes.
If you pull yur hair back, use things that don't have metal on them or latexey stuff, like rubberbands. Use scrunches.

If you must blow dry your hair, do it on the lowest possible while running a wide tooth comb through your hair.

It isn't that bad in my opinion. I've had long hair for 5 and a half years! trust me :)

[BranwenWolf]

Long hair is easier for me. Since it's wavy/curly it tangled more when it was short and didn't do a single thing I wanted. I was also growing bangs out so I had strands that would never get into a ponytail.
My hair tangles less when it's long and always is in some style that turns heads. I'm getting better with buns and I like all my pretty hairsticks!

[Rivanariko]

I actually found that my long hair became considerably less work when I started taking better care of it, after I joined LHC. I used to rip a brush through it several times a day because I left it down a lot and my fine hair tangles if you look at it. This was somewhat painful, and although it looked good after I brushed it, I had breakage and split ends because of it, and it would look awful again after a half hour or so. Now that I keep it back most of the time, it requires almost no maintenance. It takes me about 3 seconds to tie it up in my default knot and secure with a stick, my showers are faster now that I'm not washing it as much and I'm going through shampoo and conditioner a lot slower than I used to, so I'm saving money. I do have to plan time to let it dry after washing, but I shower in the evenings, so it's not really an issue. I let it drape over the back of my chair while I browse LHC. :)

As for your sister's hair, if her hair is fine, dragging a brush through it can be extremely damaging. I thought I had hit terminal just above waist when I used to over-brush my fine, delicate hair. I never used heat styling or products, the only thing I did was leave it down, let it tangle, and then rip a the tangles out with a brush. I had the worst splits you can imagine. Since I started treating it more gently, I have significantly less splits and my hair has grown almost 4 inches!

For work, you can easily create an understated updo that will "disguise" your long hair with a simple, yet elegant hair toy. I wore my hair mostly down and with rag curls to a Halloween party last weekend (so it wasn't even it's full length, just past BSL) and one of the other guests who's seen me at a few other functions, but always with my hair up in a bun, came up to me and asked "Is that your real hair?? Was it that long the last time I saw you?" (less than a month ago). As long as your bun is neat without lots of fly-away stray hairs, it should look very formal and business-like.

[juliaxena]

Thanks everybody. You've given me hope that maybe I can do it :)

[Topaz]

I agree with so many of the other posters. I think you're just at an awkward stage right now, and if you can just hang in there and let it grow a couple/few more inches, you'll be home free. Once you reach a length where you can get it off your neck when you want to, you'll be much happier.

Like so many others, I also find long hair a LOT easier and quicker --- and CHEAPER! --- to take care of than short hair. You just have to persevere until you can get there!

[Bonkers57]

I can tell :) Your hair is very pretty and shiny!


Strangely enough, this is my hobby. Taking care of my hair is the only thing I manage to do when I get home from work at night. But that's a whole other topic. I described some of it in my post in health subforum.

[Coriander]

I had my hair cut to about your length before I went to boot camp. It had been between waist and hip.

I struggled to style it, and usually ended up just putting both sides back in barrettes.

About a year ago, I was frustrated with my hair. It was just "boring" to me, and I considered cutting it. I had been away from these boards for a couple of years, and I remembered them just before I was going to make an appointment. I'm SO glad I did.

I have learned new styling techniques, new hair-dos and again, how to care for my hair. Now it is a joy to grow, as I can do something different every day. :)

[Amara]

Your hair is going to be AMAYYYZING when it's longer. :D

I've had rough spots too.

[firenze]

I know exactly how you feel. I don't think it's "hard" to have long hair, but the difficulties of long hair are just different than those of short hair.

After my big chop, the style--an asymmetrical bob--was incredibly easy to take care of--truly wash and wear. Now, I have about an inch and a half on that cut and it's a disaster. It's starting to flip out in strange directions, it's not long enough for a pony tail, I have to wash it everyday because I get horrible bed-head. I'm starting to hate it. So, I guess you could say I'm in the awkward phase, too.

When I had longer BSL hair there was a lot more stuff I could do with it. I was starting to learn all the great up-dos here and that was great. There's just so much more versatility. You can wear your hair to suit your mood, have it more formal for work, and play with different hairtoys. That being said, long hair needs more care than short hair so that might make it hard to deal with. Although, it sounds like caring for hair is a hobby for you so you might like it long.

[klcqtee]

My friend has an adorable pixie cut that I just love! She gets up and washes it every morning, then combs it, then blow fries it, then styles it with gel or mouse or hair spray, then spends the rest of the day constantly getting her hair out of her face, and fluffing it back up.

I get up, put my hair in a bun, and walk out the door. I only brush it right before I shower, so that I damage it as little as possible (I'm viscous with a brush).

This is my routine though! This has always been my routine. When it was short, I'd just brush it every morning, and constantly pull it out of my face, when it was BSL, I did the same thing I do now.

I think it all depends on how much work you want to put into it.

[cassie_g]

I don't think it's hard to have long hair. As it grows you learn new tricks and what works for your hair and it becomes just a normal part of your routine to do those ''special'' long hair things (like braiding it for bed, scalp washing, making sure it doesn't get caught in doors/pants/seat belts.) I think it would be hard to go from short to really long (extensions) because you don't get to learn along the way.

Once you get past the can't get it up but am tired of having it down stage you'll be really excited when you finally get to do that new hairstyle and reach that next milestone and all the difficulties of growing it out will be more than out weighed by the joy you find in having long hair.

[Bene]

I have to be like the laziest human being out there. If you look up "sloth" in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of me. With that being said, if it were harder to have long hair than short hair, I wouldn't be hoping to grow longer.

I think it really depends on hair type though. I've got that crazy frizzy mess that will not tolerate airdrying. My hair was a nightmare to deal with when it wasn't long enough to put up.

[templeofvenus]

If you truly want it long then hang in until you can get it into a ponytail. I have just managed to get mine in one and when you feel annoyed with it and having a bad hair day you can tie it back and forget about it! then I think its past that bad inbetweeny phase, I can appreciate what you are saying though as mine is on my neck now, gets in my collar and annoys me at times but it will pass with patience!

[Melisande]

Juliaxena, if you need to have formal hair for work, the French twist will become your signature style ;-) There is nothing more elegant and Grace-Kelly-like than a smooth French twist held by a simple French comb or Ficcare in an understated color. This style simply oozes class, I love the look of it (and mourn it because my hair is too long for it by now). You always look polished with a French braid or two French braids, bunned. Or with a carefully placed sock bun.

If I have to look formal, I usually stick to the rule: simple style, visible hairtoy - or elaborate style, invisible hairtoy. So for two French braids, bunned, I'd rely on Amish pins or scroos. Take a look at Isa-Belle's hairstyles if you want to see an understated, very elegant look.

Don't forget that an assertive air is just as important for a formal look as the style of your hair. Don't even THINK that long hair might be inappropriate. An updo can be very formal.

[PhillyGirl1978@]

Hard to say I think. I mean back when my hair was shorter I also blowdried and straightened which took 3 hours and it still didn't really look good. When it was real short (collar length) it was easy, my curls straightened and it just looked kind of wavy, dried really fast, but if on that rare occasion it wasn't looking right, I couldn't put it up like I can now. For my long hair is the perfect accessory. I have my curls out mostly but there are a lot of elegant updo's I could do to be fancier (not that I can do them..but I'll learn) It's versatile you can change your whole look by changing your hair. I don't know of too many other accessories that can do that. I guess you just have to get used to it.

[bttrfly857]

I don't find it hard at all.

Also, remember, colds & flu are caused by virus. NOT going outside with wet hair, no matter what your mother told you! :)

[juliaxena]

True...but if your body is in discomfort it will cause low immunity. There is always some bug around to take advantage of that. Happens to me all the time, even in summer. My body just cabn't hande the hair being wet.

[Fireweed]

I wash my hair on my days off. My hair is long so there is no need for me to wash and style it to keep its shape on a daily bases. My hair is usually in a bun with some kind of a hair stick or hair comb. Hair does not have to be short to look good.

[BlackfootHair]

I've noticed that I'm a low maintenance kinda girl when it comes to my hair. Now that it's long enough to tie back completely, most of the time it's in a clip. Grab hair, twist, clip, go. Simple. I rarely wear my hair down. It gets in my face and bugs me. So, I just clip it back. :) With all of it out of the way it kind of feels like short hair. But the big difference is, in two seconds, I have my length back with the removal of my clip. :) Hang in there. It will get better. :)

[Bunnyhare]

I ,too, went through this and the growing out is the hard part, but i feel that short hair was higher maintenance. With my hair longer, i use less product because i wash less,i have more styling options, and it can be up and cool, or down and warm...short hair was wash,style,the same everyday...but the growing out was really tough to push through. Lots of clippies, pins and scarves or hats helped me through and once you can pony tail it gets alot better! Your hair is a beautiful color, i hope you can get through this tough time and have beautiful long hair! then you can always cut later if you still want it short!

[Amara]

My long hair is not hard at all. I've also had shorter cuts that were easy. It depends on what your hair needs to keep it the way you want it. Mine needs a couple of washes a week and a bit of oil.

[Kris Dove]

True...but if your body is in discomfort it will cause low immunity. There is always some bug around to take advantage of that. Happens to me all the time, even in summer. My body just cabn't hande the hair being wet.I also absolutely hate the cold and the feeling of my hair being wet too- so I just blowdry. Even when my hair used to be classic length I blow dried it. Just because you prefer to use a drier doesn't mean you can't grow your hair long!

Yes, it can cause damage but there are steps you can take to minimise the damage such as using a microfibre towel to soak up most of the water and cut the drying time, using a heat protective leave-in conditioner, using the dryer on a lower heat setting etc, as well as avoiding doing other damaging things to your hair such as dyeing or straightening.

I also agree with the others- once your hair is long enough to pony I imagine you'll be a lot happier with it- I know I was!

[Renbirde]

Well, apart from ripping her hair with a brush I don't see her abusing her hair much.

That would do it. Rip-brushing is incredibly damaging. It was one of very few damaging things I did pre-LHC, and my hair is hugely improved since I stopped.


I have to write this too. There is another thing worrying me. My line of work is really formal. And I like pretty and cool hair toys. I'm not sure my boss will be able to handle such styles. . . How do you deal with that?

Poke him in the eye. If he thinks a bob looks more mature, polished, and professional than an updo, he's an idiot.

Check out the French Twist and Gibson Tuck for starters. Klutz publishes a very excellent book of styles (http://www.klutz.com/activity-books/kids/Hair-Book) for shoulder-BSL hair... yours is still a tad short for some of them, but it'll still give you a starting place. Most of the styles can look very elegant with a bit of adaption.

As far as hair toys besides bobby and bun pins... Look for understated things in neutral colors. The silver and tortoiseshell colored Maximas Ficcares come to mind. Look at vintage hairtoys-- thre are very beautiful (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3244462928_87cca59ced.jpg?v=0)combs (http://www.u5uk.com/you/baker/images/artimg/IU57X-B/edwardian%20hair%20comb%20det1.jpg)and pins (http://www.shasta.com/suesgoodco/victorianvera/hair/hairaccessories.htm)avalible for reasonable prices online. Depending on your personal style of dress, a bit of color and flash might not be out of place. :p


If I have to look formal, I usually stick to the rule: simple style, visible hairtoy - or elaborate style, invisible hairtoy.

Don't forget that an assertive air is just as important for a formal look as the style of your hair. Don't even THINK that long hair might be inappropriate. An updo can be very formal.

This is excellent advice!