It was a hard decision, but...

[Peter]

I don't think I'm going to grow my hair any longer. I'm a bit past waist and it's starting to feel more like a burden. I trimmed about 0.5" yesterday even though the ends were fine. It feels strange to voluntarily shorten my hair, and even stranger to not be going for hip or something. I guess it's possible that I will at some point in the future... just not now.

So, to lighten up this thread, here's my first herringbone. It's only half my hair since I'm inept and can't do it behind my back yet.
(clickable)
http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac304/photobucketaccount2006/th_1-1.jpg (http://i910.photobucket.com/albums/ac304/photobucketaccount2006/1-1.jpg)

[Calista]

That´s a killer braid - you could cosh someone with it! :lol: Beautiful!

Your hair is there for you to enjoy, and if you don´t enjoy going longer at the moment, that´s fine. Maybe you´ll want to go longer some time in the future - and maybe not. You have great hair at any length!


ETA: And it may be a strange compliment, but I like your pullover. So many men seem to only wear black, grey and navy, and it´s so nice to see a guy wear a bit of colour. It compliments your hair!

[restourceful]

Your herringbone is beautiful! *swoons at beauty of braid*

Your choice to stay at your current length sounds reasonable. I think I will probably do the same when (and if) I make it to hip.

[ArienEllariel]

Do what makes you happy with yourself. :) If that means keeping your hair where it's at or cutting shorter that's fine!

[halo_tightens]

I think it looks really good at its current length, so why NOT keep it that way if you're enjoying it? I see nothing wrong with picking a style that you truly love and sticking with it! :)

[jera]

I respect your decision to stop growing but I've just gotta say I'd kill for a braid as thick and insanely gorgeous as yours. Your hair is awesome ! :D

[CrisDee]

So I guess what that means is that you've attained your goal! Woo hoo, awesome! :cheese:

[marikamt]

Agree w/ all of the above... your hair looks amazing, if you are happy with it, no reason not to maintain.

I plan on doing the same at either waist or hip (haven't decided yet, we will see when we get there :D)

ETA: VERY jealous of your braid.......

[ravenreed]

Beautiful herringbone braid, first off. Secondly, I only intend to grow as long as I can deal with my hair. Once I hit a point where it is more trouble than it is worth, I will trim back to where I was happy with it. I suspect that point is not too far off. Happy maintaining!

[Norai]

That's an awesome herringbone! Whatever length makes you happy is what's important. :)

[redtea]

Wow, beautiful braid & beautiful hair!

[PineappleJello]

Congrats on reaching your goal :) Such a lovely braid.

[JamieLeigh]

Your hair is there for YOU to enjoy, and if you feel like it's getting to be too much, well then there you are. And as far as inspiration is concerned, there are a lot of lovely heads of hair shorter than your current length, as well as longer. Just because it's the Long Hair Community, doesn't mean we all have to aim for the floor. :)

And I love that braid! If that's half your hair, I can only imagine how thick the whole thing would be. :thud:

[gmdiaz]

Your hair looks FANTASTIC. . .and that braid is perfect!

My husband feels the same way, saying that about waist is the max length he is comfortable living with.

Your hair should feel good to you. . .and it sounds like you've found your perfect length.

[SimplyViki]

Whew! Here I was thinking you'd chopped. Which of course, would be your decision and would be OK and all that, but I'd miss your killer braid. :D

I think growing long can seem like a slow process, but once you get past the "OMG it's just not growing!!" phase, through the "forget about it" phase, and start getting to the "hey, it's actually pretty long" phase.... well, it can start to get a little overwhelming. Like, dude, where the heck did all this hair come from? :shrug: I mean, that's kind of where I am at the moment, since it's now a bit longer than it's ever been before. I'm maintaining, for the time being, too, to grow out all this dyed stuff and get more used to the length.

And that is a really awesome herringbone. :thumbsup:

[cindy58]

Your braid looks wonderful!

I agree, stop and maintain wherever it feels right for you. Some days I don't want any more hair, and some days I don't want to cut it!

[Shicurls]

I agree too! You have beautiful hair and I love that braid! Stick with the length you love the most on you!

[JaclynBailey]

I think your hair is AMAZING just where it is. Dont feel bad about maintaining a length you are happy with!

[LadyVictoria]

There's nothing wrong with maintaining a length that you prefer, your hair is stunning as it is!

Maybe you can send me your trimmings & I can somehow glue them to my ends!

[pennyroyal]

wow, you really do have gorgeous hair! be happy you are content with your hair now cause it's amazing! congrats! :)

[RavennaNight]

The herringbone is nice and smooth. The most important thing is to be happy with your hair!:thumbsup:

[beez1717]

I'd say that if it makes you happy then do it. however, if the urge to grow comes back then that's fine as well :)

[little_cherry]

Amazing Herringbone! If you're happy then that is all that matters :)

[Peter]

Whoa, so many comments!

I really appreciate the compliments and I feel better about staying at about waist. I've always said that I won't stop growing until it starts becoming too much to deal with, and at this point, wearing it down is getting more and more inconvenient. I like braids and stuff but I don't want to have one all the time.

I still feel a bit bad about it but I'm not sure why. It's not like I'm losing this part of my identity just because my hair isn't going to be getting longer anymore. Maybe learning some new braids would help! :)

Again, thank you all so much for the kind words. They mean a lot to me. :flower:

[clichepithet]

I wanted to say it too! So! To repeat everybody, your hair is yours, it is beautiful, it is nice to see a guy in some color, and don't feel bad about it! I can understand the feeling, even if I cannot relate. Learning some new braids or guy-do's sounds like a good idea. :D Oh! And don't feel like you have to justify your decision, least of all to "us"... hehe ;) :grouphug:

[Vijikanth]

Go cool with ur decision and go bold about it. But I'm thankful to you for not going too short. I should say thats a damn rocking braid. thanks for the picture

[FrannyG]

The herringbone is just amazing. I love that your hair maintains its thickness right to the ends.

Everyone here has different goals, and we all need to be happy with our hair. That's the only important thing. For some, APL or shorter is their goal. It's all relative.

One thing I've learned at LHC is that it's not about who has the longest hair. It's about enjoying our hair and having the best hair that we can.

Seems like you're doing both. :thumbsup:

[Gumball]

It's all good, Peter. You're still happy with the length you've got and that's all that matters. Rocking braid, by the way!

[Peter]

Thanks again to the rest of you for the comments! :D