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Dreams_in_Pink
June 21st, 2010, 10:51 AM
I now believe some hairtypes just HAVE TO grow longer than waist.

Because my hair is one.

It's frizzy, coarse and kinda dull...No hairdresser wanted to cut my hair when i went there to get a big chop! They always gave some face-framing layers and sent me home :confused: I never knew why they always refused to cut my hair UNTIL i chopped my hair myself :rolleyes:

I've been fighting my hair since that big chop. I've tried it ALL: synthetic extensions, human hair clip-ins, half-wigs, permanent extensions, flat-iron, hairdye, blow-drying straight, curling irons, all kinds of wet-setting techniques, braids, bangs, updos...

Nothing can make my hair look good at this length, APL!! When it was waist-length, even a bad blowout job looked AMAZING (still poofy, but looked awesomely thick) not mentioning how many times i successfully used rods and curlers. Funny thing is that i chopped my hair hoping it'll be more low-maintenance! :brickwall

All these experiences made me believe my kind of hair should be at least BSL to look good. Now i wonder if i'm dreaming or is there anyone else that feels so?

By the way, we have a wedding ceremony to attend a week later...i have no idea what i'll do with my hair. :(

jane53
June 21st, 2010, 11:01 AM
My hair is sort of unremarkable and plain when average length. It's thin and wimpy. When it gets long, it gets happy.

GeoJ
June 21st, 2010, 11:09 AM
I have hair that needs to be long, too. Mine only starts looking good at about BSL, and better by waist.

My hair is also untamable when shorter. I could spend an hour with curling irons and hairspray and nasty backcombing, etc. Within a couple of hours my hair would "break itself free" from whatever I had done, and flip and poof all over the place. I also had triangle head when I finally started growing it out. I only had it APL or less for two years in my teens; by the time I graduated high school it had grown to BSL.

Dreams_in_Pink
June 21st, 2010, 11:15 AM
My hair is sort of unremarkable and plain when average length. It's think and wimpy. When it gets long, it gets happy.

Glad i'm not the only one :) Your hair looks a lot like mine!


I have hair that needs to be long, too. Mine only starts looking good at about BSL, and better by waist.

My hair is also untamable when shorter. I could spend an hour with curling irons and hairspray and nasty backcombing, etc. Within a couple of hours my hair would "break itself free" from whatever I had done, and flip and poof all over the place. I also had triangle head when I finally started growing it out. I only had it APL or less for two years in my teens; by the time I graduated high school it had grown to BSL.

Same thing here! Even flat-iron only lasts for 10 minutes before starting to poof :o

Beatrice
June 21st, 2010, 11:32 AM
Glad i'm not the only one :) Your hair looks a lot like mine!



Same thing here! Even flat-iron only lasts for 10 minutes before starting to poof :o

Absolutely! Sis and I (we have similar hair types) have both tried short hair recently, and neither of us could master it. The longer it gets, the easier it gets to manage. If we do have trouble, we can always pull it back. Despite all the talk to the contrary, nothing beats long hair for convenience.

GRU
June 21st, 2010, 11:37 AM
Are you doing the Curly Girl method with your hair, by any chance?

abbatabba1137
June 21st, 2010, 11:48 AM
My hair is also one that should/needs to be long.
My hair was waist throughout being little, then was chopped at 8years. It stayed poofy and dull till it again reached bsl and longer.

Then, last december, it was chopped again(it had to be done) and it once again has been nothing but poofy, dull, and needs more care than my long hair ever did!

Our hair is about the same length, I'll have to keep track of your progress!

Coffeebug
June 21st, 2010, 11:58 AM
Mine won't do short either - I get triangle-head too! Hahaha!

JenniferNoel
June 21st, 2010, 12:04 PM
Mine needs flat irons at shorter lengths, it just doesn't look right on my face all curly and poofy. I look like I could be a straight up 3A/3B at chin length without a lot of ironing and straight cremes. So I guess I fall in to this category.

GRU
June 21st, 2010, 12:09 PM
Mine won't do short either - I get triangle-head too! Hahaha!

You want to see triangle-head???

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/brillohead.jpg

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Tiina
June 21st, 2010, 12:19 PM
I couldn't manage short hair either. My hair is very coarse and stubborn. If you hold it about 4 inches from the tip and point it straight to the sky it still holds straight out. And it isn't from any buildup or dryness. It was awful when I had a pixie a few years ago. Looked like a white girl afro*. :rolleyes:

(* - I find afros cool but not on myself, nor anyone who has permed or fried themselves to oblivion to achieve it.)

MonikaHa
June 21st, 2010, 12:21 PM
My hair gets like that too, I either have to have it super short or super long. And I too am sporting a major traingle head but with straight hair!

GRU... that's impressive haha!

flowerlovelong
June 21st, 2010, 12:29 PM
Natural AND healthier hair at BSL. I cannot imagine going back to the "in-between won't do anything" stage. Wavies and curlies seem to like longer best!

MissManda
June 21st, 2010, 12:32 PM
I think my hair looks AWFUL at shorter lengths. I have to have it super-layered and thinned out because I will look like a mushroom. Medium lengths are just awkward on me unless they are super-curled.

My grandmother used to complain about how straight my hair was and insisted that shorter hair would give me more life. Yeah, if "life" refers to extreme poofiness and fungus-cranium.

I think my hair looks best very long.

Dreams_in_Pink
June 21st, 2010, 01:47 PM
Wow, i'm impressed that most people on this thread have somewhat straight hair :D

Are you doing the Curly Girl method with your hair, by any chance?

I tried CO washing but it made my scalp awful and hair "sticky". I also tried plopping but maybe because my hair's too short, it didn't look too good (it was flat in places and curly in others :rolleyes: ). Besides, i can't stop combing my hair :o


I couldn't manage short hair either. My hair is very coarse and stubborn. If you hold it about 4 inches from the tip and point it straight to the sky it still holds straight out. And it isn't from any buildup or dryness. It was awful when I had a pixie a few years ago. Looked like a white girl afro*. :rolleyes:

HA! same here! :D And yes, unfortunately it isn't dryness. I tried overnight SMT and it didn't soften a bit :( My hair's its silkiest without any oils or conditioners :rolleyes:

Capybara
June 21st, 2010, 01:57 PM
I find that thick hair looks much better longer, although there are exceptions to this. it just seems to hang much better when long. :shrug:

My hair doesn't look as good short, IMO.

spidermom
June 21st, 2010, 01:59 PM
Very short works well for me, and then it gets big and full, ugly and unmanageable until about APL.

jane53
June 21st, 2010, 01:59 PM
My hair looks thin and limp when shorter.

It looks fuller and thicker when longer.

People always assume the opposite to be the case, but not for me!

C_Bookworm
June 21st, 2010, 02:08 PM
I definitely need longer hair. My hair is only wavy right now, in part due to henna, and in part because the length weighs it down. When it is anything shorter than BSL it gets huge and puffy. Even coated with lots of product and heat styled, it gets crazy and puffy again in a few hours. And it takes sooo much longer to style than longer hair.

Francoise1606
June 21st, 2010, 02:12 PM
I completely understand how you feel! I don't know if it is just my hair type or my face shape as well, but my hair looks awful when it is shorter than BSL. It look bad and It is an awful length on my. Maybe it is because I am so tall that APL looks so short on me. Both my torso and my legs are long so it will take a long time before I am anywhere near waist.

emmabovary
June 21st, 2010, 02:24 PM
My hair is happier when it's longer too.

GRU
June 21st, 2010, 02:28 PM
I tried CO washing but it made my scalp awful and hair "sticky". I also tried plopping but maybe because my hair's too short, it didn't look too good (it was flat in places and curly in others :rolleyes: ). Besides, i can't stop combing my hair :o

Did you clarify first to remove any silicone residue?

Did you try it with different conditioners and make sure that they --and any styling products you used-- were all cone-free?

Did you stick with it a few weeks to let it transition and get used to the new routine?

It's pretty rare for someone here or on NC who has coarse and wavy hair not to be able to CO-wash, but using the correct product is *very* important.

Also, as long as you continue to comb or brush your hair when it's dry, you're going to end up with frizz. NOTHING will stop that (other than putting down the comb!).

Dreams_in_Pink
June 21st, 2010, 02:38 PM
Did you clarify first to remove any silicone residue? It wasn't buildup, before wash it's clean and after i apply conditioner it's greasy and lank.

Did you try it with different conditioners and make sure that they --and any styling products you used-- were all cone-free? It's not easy to find a cone-less conditioner here. Just finished the bottle i had, now looking for a new one.

Did you stick with it a few weeks to let it transition and get used to the new routine? I walked around as a greaseball for a few months during WO routine :D

It's pretty rare for someone here or on NC who has coarse and wavy hair not to be able to CO-wash, but using the correct product is *very* important. I heard many people say how their scalp reacts badly to conditioners. I have a sensitive problematic scalp since childhood so i couldn't risk messing with my scalp health :(

Also, as long as you continue to comb or brush your hair when it's dry, you're going to end up with frizz. NOTHING will stop that (other than putting down the comb!). That should be the culprit. I try not to comb or brush the day i washed my hair, but after i wake up next day hair has weird bendy shapes that resemble anything but curls :(

mira-chan
June 21st, 2010, 02:38 PM
Please ask Xandergrammy to show her "east west, north south hair" picture for what short hair would look like on me. My father's hair grows up, not down. Mine is not far from that. Einstein on a bad hair day is another good reference.

Mine also doesn't bend for the 4 inches if held up. It actually expands out of hairstyles due to this. It stood straight away from the head (up and to the sides) before falling down after wash until it was past hip length. Talk about big hair.:rolleyes:

A lot more weight through length, some shedding and plenty of oiling later, my hair actually falls down, it is still rather fluffy though but that's just because my hair doesn't do stable curl/ wave formation well. My hair did not get silkier or wavier with CO, it's just naturally coarse and temperamental.

ETA:Dreams in Pink Our hair types are very similar it appears. what worked well for me are herb washing, and if using regular shampoo, putting a lot of leave in, in it and then bunning or braiding while still wet. This aligns the waves better and lessens the poof. At APL you should be able to braid it into, if not one, then two braids. I don't comb or brush my hair either. I just finger comb it as needed. Mine doesn't get tangled easily and the waves stay as intact as possible this way.

MissManda
June 21st, 2010, 02:57 PM
Now that I think about it, DBF has similar thickness to me, but has coarser (M/C), wurly (2C/3A) hair and whenever he mentions the days when he had short hair, it's never in a fond way. His gets serious poof and is difficult for him to manage. He never wants to cut his hair short again. The best description of his shorter hair he gave was Harry Potter (in the books, not the movies) on a bad hair day. Ha ha. So he gets really annoyed when people tell him to be more "manly" and cut his hair short. He likes his hair longer because it's easier for him to manage because he can ask me to tie it back for him.

GRU
June 21st, 2010, 03:02 PM
That should be the culprit. I try not to comb or brush the day i washed my hair, but after i wake up next day hair has weird bendy shapes that resemble anything but curls :(

I *totally* understand what bed-head looks like! I'm always envious of how many folks here can get up the next morning, run a comb through their hair, and they look perfect!

Try wetting your hair the second day. Even if you don't completely soak it wet in the shower (or wherever you usually wash your hair), if you can give it a good misting with a spray bottle before you comb it (or comb out the tangles, then mist it), you can get your curls/waves to "re-set" themselves.

Sorry to hear about the sensitive scalp issue -- I hope you find a new product that will work out for you!

KittyLost
June 21st, 2010, 03:05 PM
The longer my hair gets the nicer my curls look :)

Beatrice
June 21st, 2010, 03:14 PM
Wow, i'm impressed that most people on this thread have somewhat straight hair :D


I tried CO washing but it made my scalp awful and hair "sticky". I also tried plopping but maybe because my hair's too short, it didn't look too good (it was flat in places and curly in others :rolleyes: ). Besides, i can't stop combing my hair :o



HA! same here! :D And yes, unfortunately it isn't dryness. I tried overnight SMT and it didn't soften a bit :( My hair's its silkiest without any oils or conditioners :rolleyes:

Isn't it weird how conditioner can make some of us feel worse? For years I suffered heavy, sticky, limp, and greasy hair. I was trying to make my hair softer, but nothing seemed to penetrate.

As far as plopping goes, have you tried twisting small strands before you wrap the towel? I can't get nice results unless I twist a little and finish off with a diffuser (but that's only for bad girls like me who still occasionally resort to heat).

Pandora.
June 21st, 2010, 03:36 PM
I've always found my hair to be much more manageable when it's long. When I had really thick hair a few years ago, I made the mistake of cutting it short (since I thought having shorter hair would make it easier to style). I was wrong. Unless I used half a bottle of frizz serum and flat-ironed my hair to death, it would stick out like gigantic garden bush, and the added super short layers would randomly flick outwards in awkward positions. Even now my hair is no where near as thick, my long hair still decides to stick out and be a frizzy mess after washing like it always has done...how horrific the state of my hair would be in if it was short makes me shudder. :p

Besides, I find I have one of those faces that suits long hair no matter what anyways. Where on some people short hair can look really nice, but on me short hair is an absolute no no. Long and damaged hair would look better on me than short healthy hair would - by a long shot. I'm just relieved that I stopped bleaching my hair before it was too late, otherwise I would've had to cut a fair bit of my hair off.

Drynwhyl
June 21st, 2010, 03:59 PM
Yes, my hair is too thick to be shorter. The length gives it some weight and it hangs better...And it looks better too d;

patchoulilove
June 21st, 2010, 04:21 PM
I find my hair at it's most awkward before APL, and it looks it's best at BSL and longer. I love having it short, but only if I can straighten it! Short hair is much, much more work hands down!!
Peace~

patchoulilove
June 21st, 2010, 04:23 PM
it's = its :blushing:

Igraine
June 21st, 2010, 05:36 PM
Well, my hair does not behave spectacularly bad when short (fungi, sharp geometric shapes and explosion like), but it just does not suit me at all. :shrug: If it's a bob I look like a jaded very plain jane, if shorter, well, can you say cowlicks? it looks very harsh, and my facial features are rather strong, so it turns me into something unwomanly (not manly, I mean the androgynous type which looks bad as either gender).

xoxophelia
June 21st, 2010, 05:39 PM
I think my hair is the same way. At shorter lengths, about where yours currently is, my hair just looks extremely thick and the wave is much more springy adding even more volume. As my hair grows longer it is a lot easier to just wash and go.

And I need my hair to be longer so I can run my fingers through it :D

beez1717
June 21st, 2010, 10:04 PM
I'm finding that although my hair tangles that as it gets longer my scalp is getting happier and happier!!! And my hair is also looking better. I think I might just be long enough to say that my hair likes being long.

melikai
June 21st, 2010, 11:34 PM
I think that hair that is my type of medium blonde (often referred to as "mousy" "dishwater" and "dirty" blonde) looks best when it is longer. The length adds to the unusualness of the colour.

UltraBella
June 21st, 2010, 11:43 PM
I need some length to get my crown area under control. That area just can't be short without getting totally crazy looking. The rest of my hair has a soft, nice wave to it and then *BAM* I have my own little Afro in the crown area. If my whole head did it, I would love it. My hair would be HUGE ! Or if my whole head were just wavy, but the combo of the two is a little strange. The longer it is, the more that is tamed.

eschmi1
June 22nd, 2010, 12:11 AM
I have always had long hair, and I think I would feel weird with short hair. I suppose it's the style that works best for me and my features.

rapunzhell13
June 22nd, 2010, 01:45 AM
My hair is at it's best when super short or super long, preferably long. Middle lengths don't behave unless super styled and ehh... I'm not one to bother. I get mushroom head. shudder:

LoveMyMutt
June 22nd, 2010, 06:56 AM
I'm of the opinion that a lot of us wavies look better with long hair. In fact, I didn't realize how wavy my hair was until it got past shoulder length. BSL is where it really starts to look good. Unfortunately, I never made it much beyond there. I didn't realize my hair was wavy (I thought it was just straight but inexplicably frizzy and unmanageable) and didn't know how to treat it nicely so I'd get annoyed and cut it short.

My waves and curls don't start until between my eyebrows and ears, and even farther down in the back. So at a chinlength bob (which I had for YEARS) weird bits stuck up and I always had to blowdry it straight and coat it with cones.

My best spiral curls don't show up til past shoulder length. I was almost at BSL last fall but ended up having to chop back to shoulders due to dry frizzy damaged ends. Now I am just grazing APL so it is getting good and curly again.

Likewise a lot of curlies with tighter curl patterns look better long, as the weight stretches out their hair and loosens the curl so they don't get the marshmallow-head thing. I loooooove the look of super long, tightly curly hair!

rags
June 22nd, 2010, 07:13 AM
Well, I have straight, baby fine, thin hair and mine looks MUCH better long. It absolutely won't hold a style when short, just flys about on it's own. (My hair is so fine it will actually float in the ari quite easily). So I need it longer to get the weight to it!

DarkChocolate
June 22nd, 2010, 07:24 AM
My hair needs to be long:) When it is short it thins out terribly and is very limp. When it is long it thickens up, the ends catch up to one another and it has so much body:)

SlightlySoprano
June 22nd, 2010, 07:31 AM
I don't really know with my hair. When it's short, I get triangle head effect, but once it's long the ends thin up so much and get so incredibly stringy, BUT I've never really stayed at a length to try to let my hemline thicken up... I need to do that!

DakarNick
June 22nd, 2010, 09:10 AM
I keep telling my fiance hers NEEDS to be long but she is unsure, haha.

jeanniet
June 22nd, 2010, 10:27 AM
It's funny, but a lot of the time when my hair was shorter and I was battling with it, I thought it was just me and not my hair. :D The other funny thing is that stylists would always talk about getting the weight off of my hair and I'd be saying, no, I want my hair flatter! My hair is completely wild and out of control if it's any shorter than SL, and gets easier the longer it is. Combine that with the wind we get here and my hair is much happier long. I can bun it and not worry about the wind turning it into a wild mane.

princessp
June 22nd, 2010, 10:45 AM
Yes! I have actually said this very thing to people who ask why I keep my hair long. My hair curls up and gets crazy and completely unmanageable when short. Overall, I would say my hair is definitely much happier long. And I am much happier having nice loose waves rather than looking like a poodle (no offense to poodles).

GRU
June 22nd, 2010, 11:06 AM
And I am much happier having nice loose waves rather than looking like a poodle (no offense to poodles).


None taken! ;)

Pimpernel
June 22nd, 2010, 11:10 AM
When my hair is short it is an unruly mess that no styling tools or products can tame. Once it gets BSL and has some weight to it, it calms down. My hair looks it's absolute best at waist length. I guess my hair knows that it needs to be long because it grows so fast. I average about 2 inches per month. Think it's trying to tell me something? :)

Purdy Bear
June 22nd, 2010, 11:11 AM
From what I can remember, Im just to impatient for short hair.

My hair just doesnt sit well in short layers or Bobs, and it sticks up all over the place. I soon had to wash it every day, just to get it looking reasonable. Its probably due to the wave/curl/spiral in it.

Iv always found long hair to be easier, and I cant wait to get back to it.

brista
June 24th, 2010, 08:24 PM
You want to see triangle-head???

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/ImaHockeyMom/boards/hair/brillohead.jpg

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Now that's what I call triangle-head! :D

GRU
June 24th, 2010, 09:19 PM
Now that's what I call triangle-head! :D

If I'd really tried back then, with all that "outward motion" I probably could have brushed it up so I really looked like Bozo the Clown (http://www.tvparty.com/bgifs17/brittenbozo.jpg)!!!

Arctic_Mama
June 24th, 2010, 11:31 PM
My hair really has to be long to look good. It can be tolerable with a LOT of work at shorter lengths, but anything between shoulder and BSL is just icky. It makes me look short, the hair is pouffy, it lays funny... All bad things.

It looks better and better the longer it gets, I have yet to find an upper limit to that.

Alun
June 25th, 2010, 12:54 AM
I have fine thin hair, but it needs to be long. It's very wavy, and totally uncontrollable unless kept long. It needs the weight to hold it down, and it has to really be long to have any weight. At shoulder length it is completely haywire.