long hair.. does it cost more debate

[squiggyflop]

ok so im feeling in a fun mood.. lets have a little debate about whether it costs more or less to have long hair vs chin length to shoulder length.. so

what things cost more for long hair and what costs less..

personally long hair costs more for me..
i have to spend more time washing long hair.. if i took showers this would be a problem but since i mainly take baths i dont waste more water than short..

however i do have to use conditioner on long hair.. and i cant use the cheap Vo5 conditioner anymore because after i became bsl it became impossible to detangle without cones.. i have to condition as many as 3 times to make it look right..

shooulder length to chin length hair doesnt require condioner for me.. its so short that it hardly ever tangles plus my hair being dry wasnt a problem..

long hair for me at least requires lots of product.. i need to use detangler and leave in conditioners all the time.. plus the oils and whatnot.. so theres some cash right there

shoulder requires no product at all for me.. but im incredibly lucky to have the perfect wave pattern for wash and go.. i understand lots of other people need product when they are between chin and shoulder.. not me..

blow dryer.. ugh in the winter its become a nessesity for my long hair.. otherwise its just too darn cold in my 55 degree house.. there is some cash right there..

when my hair was chin/shoulder i never needed the blow dryer.. it dried so fast it wasnt needed.. i would comb my wet hair backwards and let it airdry and in 15 minutes my hair would form into perfectly placed big open waves.. people used to tall me all the time that i had great hair..

STUFF.. turbies, hairtoys, silk stuff, all sorts of hair tools.. ive got like 250 hairtoys.. luckily this all didnt cost me that much because im a very savvy shopper and i managed to buy much of this for like 80%-90% off.. plus i also can make my own hairtoys so thats a plus for me.. so unlike other people this wasnt so much exra than short hair.. not a big loss

short hair never needed hairtoys.. again like i said i had a perfect wave pattern and i didnt need anything extra.. however i did have a variety of hats to wear in the winter..

henna.. my hair needs henna.. it keeps it strong enough to grow long.. luckily ive found the best henna for me is actually dirt cheap.. its sold for body art but in teeny tiny letters it says on the box that it can be used for hair too.. score for long hair because its cheaper than what i was doing with my short hair..

dye.. when my hair was short i was always dyeing it.. fire engine red, purple, blue streaks, but mostly pink.. and before i had pink hair i was always using sun in spray on my hair to even out my weird haircolor (in the summer the sun would bleach my hair coppery and in the winter it would grow in brownish) so in this respect short hair was more expensive than long.. yay

haircuts.. neither long nore short hair costs more for haircuts.. because i am and have always been able to cut my own hair.. although i do it with scissors now and not a razor.. i have heard that many people short hair costs more for haircuts than long.. but as i do it myself there is no real money involved.. unless you could the scissors in the price.. i still think its an even tie though..

[CrisDee]

I CO wash long or short, so the only difference for me is the amount used. Toys - yup, I have a bunch of those from my longhair days (I'll get back to ya soon, guys!), don't need 'em with short. The biggest expense for me is the salon - can't cut my own hair, needed the salon every 4 weeks to maintain a decent short cut. Now that I'm growing it out, it's about every 6-8 weeks to de-mulletize and shape. Color - I henna as well, and roots are roots whether your hair is long or short, so no difference there now :) For me, I think all things considered, short hair is a lot more expensive. Interesting thread, can't wait to see the experiences of others!

[TheEndlessOcean]

Well being a guy, when I had short hair the only notable expense was a haircut every 4-6 weeks or so. Now that I have long hair, I only get haircuts about twice a year. I also don't spend very much on products: I only really use small amounts of Suave Naturals conditioner (dirt cheap), some jojoba, which I buy in bulk for super cheap which lasts forever, and some LA Looks sports gel, which is also super cheap. Then considering I only wash my hair twice a week at the most, I'd say that for me long hair costs, at most, about the same as short hair.

[Tinose]

...You know, I'm not sure I've ever had short enough hair to say. I had a pixie when I was young, but I grew that out the second my parents let me, and since then I've never had it shorter than shoulder. My hair's wavy enough that it looks good enough for me without product or blow-drying at shoulder-length, so the only significant cost would be hair cuts, and I hate salons enough that even at shoulder length I'd never go more than once a year. And I cut my own hair when it's long enough to cut with Feye's method so that's...twenty bucks saved every year or two, which isn't nearly enough to balance out the hair toys. I suppose I might experiment with hair dye if I were planning on keeping it short, but I've never dyed my hair in my life so maybe not.

On the other hand, long hair takes a lot less time for me in the mornings than medium hair worn loose, because I can just pull it back. That's pretty important to me.

So yeah, long hair costs more for me than keeping it around the APL-shoulderlength area, but it's also more convenient.

[Wicked Princess]

I think the majority of the cost involved in keeping shorter hair is for maintenance. If a shorter-haired person thinks their hair is at the "perfect" length, then that person will need to cut it fairly often to keep it looking the way they like it. Another major cost associated with short hair is highlights/color. This isn't really a universal thing, however - I know there are some here that use chemical color, or get highlights, while still having long hair, though, and when I had shorter hair (the shortest it has been was between APL and BSL) I never colored it at all.

When I had shorter hair, I didn't have any hairtoys. I washed twice a week, which I still do, but use considerably more conditioner. I never used to use oils. I never used to use deep treatments. And it took considerably less time to wash and detangle!

Personally, I spend significantly more time on my long hair than I did on my short hair. I don't mind it at all! I actually think it's rather fun, and deep treatments and having my fiance comb my hair are now part of my relaxation rituals. :) I'll continue to happily grow my hair long!

[Teakafrog]

Short cost a TON more for me. Every 6 wks I was at the salon for an entire afternoon, getting a cut and highlights, which ran me $100 every time with tip. Not to mention all the products I had to buy--curling iron, straightening iron, blowdryer, gel, mousse, hairspray, etc, etc, that I don't use now. I get a trim twice a year for $15 a pop, no color, only use heat when it's freezing out to start the drying process. I use a lot more conditioner, but most of that is the cheap stuff for CO, I buy zero shampoo and don't have to deep condition as often since I'm not using heat/bleaching. Most of my hair products are cheap, like aloe gel and oil (which lasts forever). There is no comparison, I'm saving hundreds of dollars a year by having long hair, which is actually one of the reasons I decided to let it grow.

[boomygrrl]

I guess it depends on your hair routine and what type of look you're trying to accomplish. I find long hair as low maintenance for me; I use cheaper products and only have it trimmed 3 times a year. It's not ultra-long, but it's long...I guess if my hair was waist length or longer, it might need more maintenance (more conditioning, oilings, etc.). Short hair usually needs more trimmings and I find you need to be more "exact" in your style....with longer hair,for me, it's more forgiving, therefore, I don't need to spend as much time or money on it.

[maddog_running]

I guess I'd spent more on all the products I've hear of here on the form, oils and such to keep long hair damage free. Short hair has cost me in all the colouring I've done to it so far, only I used dirt cheap bingo stampers and was gifted some manic panic so all I bought was the bleach.

I have a feeling it all evens out in the end, depending on what money you have and how much fun you have on buying things for your hair *shrug*

[melrose1985]

I find i spend less on my longer hair then i did with shorter styled hair.. and along with money time too.

I was always styling and doing something to my hair so i was always at the salon. But now i pretty much dont do a thing except washing the roots (sometimes) and conditioning with cheap stuff...

[Chamy]

For me, the longer my hair gets, the less i handle it since i have it in a bun all the time. And as a result i use less of all the products that i used to use every, or everyother day when my hair was shorter. For me, it is a significant change in how much i spend on it.

On the other hand... Hairtoys!

[raspberrytea]

I know I spend way less on my hair now than I used to. I'm not sure if its totally to do with my hair being longer, it might be that I know now what works for me so I don't have to waste my time and money on expensive products that don't work. That's definitely thanks to LHC. I just use coconut oil, shampoo and conditioner. No need for glosses or leave ins, my hair is shiny and frizz free as-is.
However, if you like to dye your hair or buy a lot of hair accessories, I can see how it would get expensive. I'm pretty low maintenance though.:grnbiggri

[myrrhmaiden]

Short hair was much more pricey for me, much more. I hated it in varying degrees, so I was restlessly and endlessly pursuing the next great hair pipe dream. I'd dye it repeatedly, search for the perfect cut, style the crap out of it, I'd never leave it alone. Then because it was over-processed, over-worked, and under-paid,(lol) I'd smother it with really expensive cone laden conditioners. They'd irritate my skin like crazy, but I kept putting them on to save my terrible hair. I'd even try fancy 20 dollar ones sometimes, hoping perhaps that "this will be 'the one." I never stopped agonizing about my hair. It haunted me day and night.

Now that it's finally past my shoulders, I am happy. I don't throw hundreds of dollars away on dyes. I don't need frequent maintenance trims to keep up a style. I use only cheap conditioner and household ingredients. Oil for the ends is incredibly cheap, and this is all the financial. The emotional cost is so much less too! I never worry about it now, I just enjoy it. Woots!

[CandyFluff]

My hair is significantly cheaper now that it's long. When it was short I used to pay £35 for a haircut and £7-8 for dye every 2 months. Now I spend probably less than £10 a year for shampoo and conditioner. That's it. I trim my hair myself when it needs it, and is so much healthier too.

[squiggyflop]

wow everyone seems to have spent so much at salons when they had short hair.. makes me glad i was able to cut and dye my own hair back then.. if i wanted highlights i gave myself highlights..

[jojo]

Its costs a lot more but a lot of this is through choice.

I only buy salon products and am forever looking for a bargin. I have numerous bottles of conditioner, oils, a few shampoos, soapnuts, hair toys, brushes, combs, heat caps, vitmains and a sleep cap on the way!

all stuff I never used with short hair..........but its worth it!

[Akiko]

Hmmm. I am not sure.

When hair was short, I had to go to a salon at least every 5-6 weeks. Every morning, I had to wash and style to look presentable.

Now my hair is long, my DH trim my hair once in a while. I do splurge on hairtoys.:o I don't think I use shampoo/conditioner any more than I used on short styles.

One thing I know is that it took far more time to style short hair.

[GlassEyes]

Long hair is tons more expensive for me. Period. :shrug: But then again, 'short' hair would be too, depending on your definition. If I cut it to "boy short" it wouldn't be, though.

[teela1978]

I wasn't able to self-trim my hair when it was shorter, so I had to pay for a haircut every few months. I probably use a bit more conditioner now... really not much difference. Long hair is possibly a bit cheaper.

[AJoifulNoise]

I'd say between hair accessories and bottles of conditioner, long hair is more expensive for me. Shoulder-length hair was all about one bottle of shampoo and a few sweeps of the blow dryer.

[Carolyn]

You got me on the hair toy thing. I love nice hair toys and if I see something I want and I have the money, I often buy it. So yes that is a lot more expensive. I have my roots colored and I get high lights. I would do that if I had shoulder length hair. My trims are free since a friend does them and I don't get salon trims unless I go to Enchantress. I don't use heat appliance except on rare occasions now. I used to blow dry, straighten and use a curling iron. I think I had to replace them all about once a year. They were always croaking on me. A bottle of shampoo would last me a year now. I do use boatloads of CHEAP conditioner for CO now. Let's count that as $1 a week. I do use expensive conditioners for my second conditioner. I often buy those on sale or BOGO's. I only rarely use leave ins or heat protectants now. I used to use them all the time as well as gel and hair spray which I never use now. A tube of Phyto 9 last me for months. And a small bottle of oil lasts the same. If I didn't have a raging hair toy addiction there would be no comparison as to which is cheaper.

The main point for me is long hair makes me happy and being happy with my hair is priceless. How many women in the world can say they are very happy with their hair?

[Kris Dove]

Short hair would have been more expensive for me to maintain as I'd have needed to visit a hairdresser every 6 weeks or so to maintain a style- about £15 in a cheaper salon- I can cut long hair myself using Feye's method with a pair of £5 scissors from Sally's that will last ages.

I use a tiny bit of leave in conditioner and sometimes serum on my long hair, and both last ages. Short hair required a lot of gel, mousse or wax to style it and some hairspray to hold it place, which didn't last very long.

I have recently cut my washing down from every day to every other day, but it needs to be worn up on day 2 to disguise the greasies. Short hair absolutely needed washed every single day, I couldn't just tie it back, plus there was the residue of yesterday's styling products. I also still needed to blowdry short hair and straighten parts of it. or it wouldn't sit right. While I still blowdry long hair, it doesn't take that much longer as I'm not styling at the same time, and I only need use straighteners on my bangs if I'm wearing them down.

While I did need to use a clarifying shampoo and shampoo twice with short hair to get rid of all that styling gunk, with long hair it needs more conditioner and intensive treatments. Oil lasts ages and costs pennies per use. Long hair is marginally more expensive in this area, but by less than a fiver a month even using the more expensive conditioners- what I save on haircuts covers that and leaves change for the cost of hairtoys.

So, for me, long hair is definitely cheaper.

[Nightshade]

The main point for me is long hair makes me happy and being happy with my hair is priceless. How many women in the world can say they are very happy with their hair?

Exactly this.

I know so many women who hate their hair, who fight with it daily, who pour tons of money into it in an attempt to be happy with it.

I use organic natural shampoos and conditioners, so they're more expensive, I put more than my share of money into hair toys, and once in awhile I'll get down about my hair, the ends being thin or what have you.

However, 99% of the time I adore my hair, and that's well worth it, even if it costs more than short hair. Having never had short hair, though, I have no personal comparison on that front.

[JamieLeigh]

It depends on if you're a self-trimmer and do your coloring at home, or if you have to go to a salon to get those things done. If you trim and color by yourself (or manage to get someone else to do it for free), then that's pretty much the only way you can maintain a short, colored style for less than or around the cost of a long style that doesn't require that much maintenance.

In other words, I think the salon visits are the main thing that run up the cost of maintaining a shorter style.

There are definite costs to having long hair that you don't run into with a chin-length bob. Such as hair sticks and ficcares for one thing. :p

[heatherdazy]

IMHO, the length of one's hair and the amount of time and money one spends on said hair are not correlated.

Rather, there are easy simple wash and go girls with every length and prissy girly girls who adore fancy products, conditioners, colors and styles at every length.

[Fiferstone]

Short hair is much more costly for me, mostly in terms of going every 3-4 weeks to get the cut re-shaped. At $35.00-$40.00 whack its a hit my wallet cannot take.

Long hair, by contrast, costs less because:
1. I cut it myself (hooray for Feye's self-trim method)
2. I wash much more infrequently (once every 3 days now)
3. I have no need for styling products. I bun it. It stays. End of story.
4. In the winter to avoid blowfrying I switch from washing my hair in the morning before I go to work, to washing my hair at night and letting it air dry overnight. Get thee behind me evil blowfryer. So in theory, I wouldn't even need to own a blowfryer.
I don't have a huge collection of hair toys and I don't see myself becoming a mad hair toy collector.

'nuf said.

[ZaBasDa]

When I had short hair, I used lots of products. If I had short hair now I wouldn't use all the products. But it takes just about the same length of time to wash my hair now as it did when it was shorter and I use roughly the same amount of conditioner. I never was one for getting my hair cut often. I get it cut once every 2 or so years whether it was short or long. So both short and long hair cost me the same.

[Liluri]

Even if I bathed in Conditioner the $100+ (that's without having it coloured) 6 weekly hairdresser appointments would make shorter hair much more expensive for me.

Short hair required hats for bad hair days, my hat obsession costs much more than my hair toys :)

[Roseate]

It's probably a wash for me. At shorter lengths I'd get a haircut every 2 months or so, now it's every 6 months. So 4 less haircuts= a savings of about $160 a year.

But shorter, I used no styling products, just shampoo and conditioner, and only washing once a week I didn't use much of those. I still only wash once a week, but CWC eats up conditioner, plus I do SMT's= more conditioner down the drain. I now also use a leave-in, and oils, purchased flaxseed gel, and cassia.... this is not even getting to the hairtoys. I think it evens out.

[Peter]

I can only comment on long hair vs. short hair, short meaning a few inches long. That's how I always used to have it until I started growing it long. I can't say anything about chin/shoulder length because with flippy ends, I wanted to get out of that phase ASAP. :D

When I had short hair: Get a haircut ~3 times a year, wash every other day with unnecessarily large amounts of shampoo. Comb it and leave it alone.
Long hair: Trim the ends whenever I want, wash once a week using a small amount of conditioner. Needs time to dry, comb, braid, etc.

I started stretching my washes around shoulder length so I don't know how often I'd need to wash with short hair. And I'm not interested in finding out either! :D

[Masara]

I wash hair daily regardless of the length. I use the same amount of shampoo because I have the same amount of scalp, but I do use a lot more conditioner. I don't use a salon/premium brand of conditioner but it's not the cheapest around either. -so here, long hair costs slightly more

With short hair, I needed styling products to give it form and volume. I don't need them with long hair. -short hair cost more

I own a collection of useful and interesting oils etc. I didn't have them with short hair although if I ever go back to short, I'll keep them. They last for a very long time - long hair costing a little bit more

Short hair needed cutting every month. I haven't even trimmed my long hair since last January - short hair cost much more

Hair toys.

All things considered, I probably spend a little less with long hair. Short hair needed more frequent, regular spending on products and styling. With long hair, it's more by fits and spurts; I buy coconut oil and citric acid and then it will last me months, Ficcare has a promotion, I buy two, Flexi-8 has a promotion, I buy five ...

[Hiriel]

I guess short hair would be cheaper, because I wouldn't buy hairtoys. I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn't bother with the hairdresser even if my hair was short. If my boyfriend dared to cut short hair (no idea if he'd agree to try) I could have short hair. If not, then it'd just grow long again. I don't really do hairdressers, it's expensive.

[practikalmagik]

Short hair was definately more expensive (and annoying) for me. There was all the straightening serums and the colouring and the expensive hair cuts every 6 weeks, plus having to wash it EVERY day used up loads of water. Now i use dead cheap S&C twice a week at the most, cos they don't have SLS or -cones, and that's about it. I'm low-maintenance and have better things to do then faff about straightening and blowdrying my hair everyday. Buns and plaits all the way!

[terriej]

I've probably never had very short hair, but now it's the longest it's ever been. Recently I switched from Vo5 to Suave Humectant because of problems with my hair tangling, it costs a little bit more, but not much. And last time I went to buy some FOTE gel, it seemed like it cost twice as much as the last time I bought it, so I bought some coney hair lotion instead. It cost less than the gel and works better as detangler than detangler.

I rarely went to the salon before and rarely buy hair toys because I forget to use them. So, I guess my hair expenses haven't changed significantly either way.

[Shiva]

I have never really had short hair, but it seems to me that long hair would be less expensive.
There is the cost of more frequent salon visits and styling products. And also I would probaby need to wash every day instead of every three days if my hair were shorter and I used styling products on it. I do use a large amount of conditioner when I wash, but since I don't wash as often I think it balances out in expense.

Shorter hair would also be more expensive to me in time. I find long hair easy to care for and contain, wheras shorter hair that I had to style would mean more time every day to style and keep out of my way. Now I just put it in a braid and forget about it. It might be more expensive if I purchased a lot of 'hair toys' :), but I don't have very many because I don't think I would use them very often. Some of the toys I have seen on this site are very tempting though. :)

[EdG]

I haven't spent a penny on a haircut in the last two decades. :joy:

The cost of shampoo is negligible since I wash once or twice a week. The biggest cost is in the time I spend untangling my hair. :)
Ed

[Jeni]

Short hair- had to pay for hair cuts (once every 2-3 months), hair dye (at home) every few months. I used less conditioner though.

Long hair- mom cuts my hair for free and I don't dye it anymore but I do use cassia. I go through a lot more conditioner though.

If it wasn't for the money I spend on hair toys I would probably come out even but in the end I think long hair costs me more, slightly.

[Juneii]

for me short hair costs more because it requires more trips to the salon to keep it looking nice. and a flat iron to keep it from getting body waves.
and long hair looks nicer on me so it pays for itself in the end when I get compliments :]

[vindo]

Well I guess we can all agree it solely depends on the person what costs more and their styling habits.

I was a wash and go girl with short hair and I am now...however I was less frequent (weekly) which makes my shampoo/conditioner last very long.

The organic shampoos (cone free, sulfate free - "Earthly Delight") are a bit more costly but I save enough money on not getting hair cuts anymore ^^.

[Gothic Lolita]

I think I spent the same with shorter hair, although my hair never was that short. Maybe shoulder length at its shortest.

Back then I was washing daily with shampoo (everything from dirt cheap to expensive) the same for conditioner. I'd comb it out and do some sort of ponytail. My mom would could it maybe 2-3 times a year or when I wanted her to.

Now I'm a tad over tailbone. I wash with extremly diluted shampoo or a soapnut liquid. Both are more expensive than a cheapo shampoo, but I dilute them so much they last for month. And I only wash 3 x a week. That saves water and product.
I do use more conditioner now and it also costs a bit more than the stuff I used to use, but again, only 3 x a week, so a bottle lasts longer.
I always hunt sticks and clips when they get sold out or I ask people to give them to me for my birthday. I don't have much to play around with, but I'm a person that doesn't spend money for stuff that's (to be honest) unnecessary.
And I henna gloss now, but the henna is so cheap that a grocery-deep-treatment would be more expensive.

[CaityBear]

Well, I don't think it cost more for long hair. I did not CO, but I still had to use conditioner with chin length hair so the only difference is the amount. But I have also changed my hair routine since I started growing out. With chin length hair I would curl and flat iron it so I had products for that and hairspray and mousse, etc. I also used shampoo and now I don't. I still had hair toys like barettes and hairbands. Just now I buy hair sticks and whatnot. I buy most of mine at the dollar store so I don't need to worry about price on that. Showers aren't much longer unless I feel lazy. :P

But I don't think I really spend much more on long hair. If anything I do save some of it on not having to get my hair cut since I trim my own hair when I need it. As well as colour. The cost of one box of chemical dye will give me 2 or 3 hennas.

[Chromis]

With my stubborn centre part and massive cowlicks, short hair looks horrific on me. I spent a lot on gels and sprays trying to make it do something, anything that didn't make me look like a scarecrow. Even straight from a salon it never looked nice. I also had to wash it daily since my scalp is oily and trying to keep it short would have meant frequent cuts since it grows very fast.

I've also never had short hair out of my own desires though. It's been cut off after lice and for my cancer surgery and an adult and the rest of my short experiences were as a child.

My hair is such a mess when short though that there is a completely different reason short hair would be more expensive and that is that is no way I could get a decent job with it looking the way it does when short! Even at less than an inch long, my part is still there and I have giant cowlicks. I'd comb it and the hair would just spring back up against it. I'm lucky that I am a girl and not a guy who wanted traditional hair otherwise I'd look like I had an oil slick on my head by the time I got it presentable.

[rootbeerbrown]

It's a wash for me and I speculate that it's probably a wash for most people because I think we tend to spend about the same amount to be happy with our appearance whether hair is short or long. So a person who used to be very coiffed and a salon regular might spend more on toys instead of cuts etc and so forth and a person whose tastes and preferences were very streamlined would continue to streamline. Those choices have more to do with personal values than demands of haircare.

It's an unusual person [imo] who changes so radically. I won't say I've NEVER seen it but it is unusual. People spend their resources [money/time/etc] in certain ways for reasons that are specific to them. I really think [slightly off topic] that this is contributory in things like cutting and hating it because even though you like the look of the style you are not willing to get up and create it every day so you have the same pulled back and clipped hair you had before you cut...just shorter..lol. Or a person who wants to eat in a manner they consider "healthier" but can't stand the cost beyond the first couple of shopping trips and so resume their former dietary habbits.

[windinherhair]

It doesn't cost very much for me to have long hair. The organic shampoo and conditioner I bought last Spring, I am still using. The same thing with my camilla oil. I started to do my own trims so that saves money. The most money I have spent on anything is the new hair toys, which I limited myself to one or 2 new things a month. I probably won't buy as much now after Christmas since I will have a lot of new things to experiment with.

[Tangles]

I feel like my hair was in its best condition and was most low maintenance at APL, honestly. To get it to look good at almost waist, requires a lot more work and product, especially since I'm not willing to trim right now.

[ravenreed]

I spend tons more time and money on my hair at this length than I ever did, but there is a good reason for it. I liked my hair short, I love my hair long. I am happy just about every day, except when I get the greasies and don't have time to wash and dry. I tend to plan my wash days, so that I don't wake up with no time to get the hair presentable before something important, but other than that, I don't mind it so much.

And hair toys! SQUEEEEE! Who knew how many hair toys there were in the world? OMG I want one of those and those and those and a matched set of those, and did you see those? *twitch twitch* I actually had to convince myself not to buy some hair thing so I could get a warm coat. Not that I have an addiction or anything. >.<



Exactly this.

I know so many women who hate their hair, who fight with it daily, who pour tons of money into it in an attempt to be happy with it.

I use organic natural shampoos and conditioners, so they're more expensive, I put more than my share of money into hair toys, and once in awhile I'll get down about my hair, the ends being thin or what have you.

However, 99% of the time I adore my hair, and that's well worth it, even if it costs more than short hair. Having never had short hair, though, I have no personal comparison on that front.

[ravenreed]

Another thing, I am having trouble with my weight and there is only so much I can do about it at this time, although I am trying very hard to change it. My hair very much helps me maintain a sense of self-esteem that I would lack if I just had to deal with weight problems. Maybe that is why I don't mind so much the time and money I spend on the hair?

[curlylocks85]

I think I have to answer this question two ways


First: When my hair was chin length I straightened it so right off the bat my hair was not being taken care of properly and I was wearing my hair in an unnatural state therefore I had to use more product and things so my hair would do what I wanted it to do. I went the salon every 8-12 weeks for a routine relaxer and a trim. That was what cost the most.


Second: Now I wear my hair in its natural curly state. I find I had to change my routine altogether. I no longer get relaxers and flat iron my hair. I do use a lot of conditioner but that has not changed. I have invested in more hair toys, but no more so than I did before. My hair is not super long but the longer it gets the more I will discover about my hair and its needs at different lengths. I still get a trim every 3 months and it does cost a lot but that is how a treat myself. I love going to the salon and being pampered. My favorite part is having my hair washed I love the feeling of someone massaging my head.


As far as what costs more I am not sure. I would have to trim my hair back to chin and wear it how I do now with my current routine and record what I spent and then compare.


I just wanted to point out something I found interesting in many of the threads I noticed more people dyed their hair when it was short as compared to longer lengths where dying was omitted or henna took over.

[ravenreed]

Well two boxes of dye at a go gets pricey, for one thing. I do it every 3 - 4 weeks to keep the roots looking decent. So, that right there is double what I used to spend.

Even so, have you checked the price of henna? BAQ henna to do my hair is actually much more than what I spent in dye, I am sad to say. The benefit is that I had to dye all my hair to keep the color vibrant, and with henna I hope to saturate the ends to the color I want and then do root only which should be cheaper. But no, even the henna is more expensive than what I used at chin length, which was drug store box dyes. =\

[Dars]

It definitely costs less for me with long hair. In fact the only addition to my routine is a $2 1L bottle of conditioner. On the other hand when I had short hair...

- I used to buy matching shampoo and conditioner at over $5 per .3L bottle each.
-Bought a $300 hair straightener and spent $20 on a thermal "protector" that was used regularly.
-Invested money into salon only hair styling products.
-Went to the hairdresser at least every 12 weeks. Each trip $20.
-I dyed my hair three times.

[blondecat]

Personally ME, I spend less on my long hair.
My hair short needs styling, no frizz stuff , tongs , a hair dryer

My hair frizzes badly , so I just wet it, comb it, bun it , That's it.

Hair Toys are my only exspense

I wash once a week with a hair soap, That's it :) I've taken to putting lavender flowers and rosemary peices into my olive oil, smells great. Smooth a little on after washing. Conditions great.

So, lets see, hair toy let's say $8.00, bouhgt it 2 yrs ago.

Hair soap does 180 washes for $6.00

Lavender and rosemary I get free from friend

Olive oil $8.00 for 4 lts- a smear rubbed between my hands ?? maybe a 1c

Great hair - 'Priceless'