"Once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it"

[florenonite]

So said my friend this morning. She came into my room to bring me a banana, as I'd missed breakfast, and we started chatting and I mentioned a friend of ours who used to have waist-length blonde hair, but has since cut it to about APL. She said she was disappointed he had cut it, as his previous hair had been kind of elven, like a 'fairytale princess' (which I'm sure he'd appreciate XP). I then mentioned that a friend of mine, who has MBL 3a hair mentioned he was contemplating cutting his hair this summer, but that I hoped he wouldn't because he has really lovely hair. She then said that "once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it", and then went on to say that she likes long hair on guys. Being the LHCer that I am, I found this to be pretty awesome that she appreciates long hair on guys, and decided I'd have to share it with you lot :cheese:

[jojo]

cool its good to have a like minded friend, i have to agree nothing more sexy than a man with long hair, i have finally persuaded my dh to grow his again1

[brok3nwings]

when a guy have long hair and beautiful full hair (sometimes men tend to dont take care of their hair and keep it long at the same just because its feminine to take care of your body...anyway..) i can apreciatte it even better then when its a woman. Because it turns out really exoctic, and ok, i am a woman so, really sexy :D

[EdG]

She then said that "once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it", and then went on to say that she likes long hair on guys. That's true on a very deep level.

I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

I have a quote "once a longhair, always a longhair". Growing one's hair is a rite of passage for men. Once one has gained the experience, one can never go back. :)
Ed

[DavidN]

Thank you for sharing this with us, Florenonite! I went through a "short hair" episode from 1999 to early 2004, and I learned the hard way that short hair is not for me. EdG's words express things perfectly!

[Patrycja]

*swoon* I love long hair on men.My first boyfriend had APL dark brown hair,thick and just so dreamy.He still does,actually.

My husband shaves his head....I need to convince him to grow long.I can just imagine the look I'll get haha

[florenonite]

That's true on a very deep level.

I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

I have a quote "once a longhair, always a longhair". Growing one's hair is a rite of passage for men. Once one has gained the experience, one can never go back. :)
Ed

I've never seen it like that, but I understand what you mean. That's quite interesting.

[maskedrose]

I'm such a sucker for long hair on men! I think it is so masculine and sexy - for some reason the combination of long hair with broad shoulders is ridiculously attractive :inlove:

I do hope that you guys are right and that it is almost impossible for men to cut their hair after it's long - the more longhaired guys the better, in my book...

[Jean Genie]

My husband had long hair for most of our relationship, and just cut it off about 2 years ago. I think he just got fed up with always tying it back in a ponytail, and wanted a more "professional" appearance for the office. Of course, now he works from home, so it doesn't matter as much. I'm not sure if he'll grow it back or not. I wish he would - it's 3a and really gorgeous when it's long!

[Irishred]

That's true on a very deep level.

I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

I have a quote "once a longhair, always a longhair". Growing one's hair is a rite of passage for men. Once one has gained the experience, one can never go back. :)
Ed

Oh Ed, I wish you could convince my DH of this. He had long hair as a teen. Was in the navy for a bit and has been a high&tight since. I can't convince him he has wonderful hair and should grow it out :( At least he hasn't gotten a flat-top in a while)

[Medvssa]

(sometimes men tend to dont take care of their hair and keep it long at the same just because its feminine to take care of your body...anyway..)

Isn't this some sort of myth? Do you actually see so many long haired men with uncared of hair? I think there are more women out there with uncared of long hair than men (not to mention damaged, because at this we sure do win) if only because there are more long haired women than men. They go to the "trouble" of growing it long, and most of them take good, or at least some (benign neglect we would say) care of it. Not coloring, straightening and the like also help.

[Saoirse]

Why shouldn't men just be as likely to cut their hair...? I don't understand.

[Garnett]

I love what you wrote Ed.

My DH is growing his again, all natural this time. He had it longer before, but had straightened it several times, so was in bad shape. Now, when you pull the curls out, it's BSL, and left alone, just a bit below his shoulders. We can't wait til it's longer!

[florenonite]

Why shouldn't men just be as likely to cut their hair...? I don't understand.

I think her implication is that guys should be "allowed" to cut their hair after they've grown it because, in general, it looks nice long XP

[happylynngilmer]

She then said that "once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it", and then went on to say that she likes long hair on guys.

Yes, they can, if only physically. DH is cutting about 11 inches off tmw, to make his under hair the same length as his top hair. He is willing to lose all that length because as EdG mentioned:


That's true on a very deep level. I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

He is growing it back out ROFL

[happylynngilmer]

Isn't this some sort of myth? Do you actually see so many long haired men with uncared of hair? I think there are more women out there with uncared of long hair than men (not to mention damaged, because at this we sure do win) if only because there are more long haired women than men. They go to the "trouble" of growing it long, and most of them take good, or at least some (benign neglect we would say) care of it. Not coloring, straightening and the like also help.

Totally! I think some long-haired women (especially the nonchalant ones I meet in the street here), grow long hair because it's "natural" to, or out of laziness to not cut it or whatever (even if this is subconcious), but men go against the social stigma to PUPOSEFULLY grow it, and because of that, they really care about their hair.

At least, the long haired men in non-LHC life I know, care more about their hair than the long haired non-LHC women I know. (was that confising? LOL) I know my experience is only n=1, but still, I've seen this too often.

[j4zzin]

My boyfriend has always had short hair, but since he helps me take care of mine (combing, picking out oils, looking at conditioners) he thinks long hair might be cool for him. Unfortunately he doesn't think it would look like 'him' or his style. He's been taking really good care of what he has though. He recently ditched his regular old 'men's shampoo' for some V05 honeydew shampoo and conditioner, and he likes it when I do scalp massages on him at night. He does have beautiful soft hair. I think he would look cute with it long...

[biggeorge]

It appears to me that the social stigma of a guy growing out his hair is much more prevalent than when it has already grown out. I am about 28 months into growing mine out again, and I received many more comments about cutting it earlier on than I do now. Maybe once you reach a certain point it is accepted that you are a longhair, but until that point others feel that you can still be convinced to rejoin the masses.

In the conservative area in which I live I see very few guys with long hair, but those that I do see it is well cared for.

[strawberryfine]

I agree! Long hair on guys is so cool.

[vidgrl007]

i do like a guy with long hair.a funny thing happened while i was at walmart.i was in the check out line and i noticed this guy with long hair, i proceed to tell him i thought he had the most amazing hair and i was trying to grow mine. well the line was long and jokingly asked if i could feel his hair .he said sure and let me.it was pure heaven lol.

[Jaime]

It appears to me that the social stigma of a guy growing out his hair is much more prevalent than when it has already grown out. I am about 28 months into growing mine out again, and I received many more comments about cutting it earlier on than I do now. Maybe once you reach a certain point it is accepted that you are a longhair, but until that point others feel that you can still be convinced to rejoin the masses.

In the conservative area in which I live I see very few guys with long hair, but those that I do see it is well cared for. I've had a similar experience - during the first year or so of growing out, lots of "when are you getting a haircut" comments. Since then, not so much, and I'm 25 months into it.

One possible reason is that while it is a normal and regular thing for a woman to significantly change her hair style/color/etc , when a man does it, it is more often perceived as an unusual thing. So, during that first year, as my appearance noticeably changed, it was commented upon. Once my hair was long enough to tie back, and that new style became the new "norm", the comments died down. Now, the only real difference people might see is how far down my back the tail goes.

I expect the comment frequency might increase once I learn how to, and get brave enough to, switch from segmented tail to braid. :)

8) Jim

[EdG]

One possible reason is that while it is a normal and regular thing for a woman to significantly change her hair style/color/etc , when a man does it, it is more often perceived as an unusual thing. Exactly. Men who choose to grow long hair must overcome more social barriers than women growing their hair. Men who successfully overcome these barriers tend to be quite determined. We have a number of examples on this board. :)
Ed

[DavidN]

I notice the same thing myself about the comments. Most of the negative comments were in the early stage of my growing, and now, they are rare. In fact, I am just as likely to receive a positive one, and in fact, I got one today from a co-worker who had been away for a while in the hospital. Her nice compliment today made my day that much brighter!

[AlleyKitten]

My boyfriend has been letting his hair get longer through the benign neglect method, and has recently started making noises about cutting it short again. I've pretty much told him he's not allowed -- he was pretty surprised when he asked "so what if it gets down to here [midthigh]?" and I said that would be amazing! I joke that he's going to beat me, since his hair grows a lot faster than mine (right now he's about BSL and I'm almost to hip). It's really strange for me when he cuts his hair off, because he looks so very different!

[Elenna]

I think it depends on the guy. Some guys look awesome with long hair and others like dh wouldn't look so good. But whenever I see long hair on a guy I check him out. Just looking of course! :D

[florenonite]

I think it depends on the guy. Some guys look awesome with long hair and others like dh wouldn't look so good. But whenever I see long hair on a guy I check him out. Just looking of course! :D

This is true. My ex had longish hair when he was at school (shoulder-length or so). Now he's got a typical short guy's cut and I think it looks better on him. Mind you, I've only seen the long hair in pictures, and he's not the most photogenic of people.

[rhosyn_du]

That's true on a very deep level.

I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

I have a quote "once a longhair, always a longhair". Growing one's hair is a rite of passage for men. Once one has gained the experience, one can never go back. :)

That's a really interesting observation, Ed. Although my DH cut his hair short a couple years ago, he still engages in some decidedly "longhair" behaviours (WO washing, finger-combing and the occasional comb, but no brushing).

[kwaniesiam]

I much much prefer long hair on guys as well. Of course, they can cut it if they really want to, just that most of us would prefer them not to ;)

[FrannyG]

Personally, I find long hair on men more manly than the current uber-short hair that most men sport. While I understand the need for it in the military and some other like professions, to me it looks like little boys' hair.

[Gumball]

We sure need more supporting people like that at any given time. All the time even! All that encouragement and support is simply a lot of fun to have around.

[flapjack]

Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.




My dad says this all the time. He had to cut his hair for about 5 years when he first started working after college and he was miserable. He made it his goal to be taken seriously in a corporate meeting (he's a computer engineer) with his hair in a ponytail, the way he always likes wearing it. And sure enough, he's gotten his wish. He's had hair to his waist again for many years now and he's just happy as a clam about it.

[Shadow Walker]

I agree entirely with EdG, he hit the nail right on the head.

I personally can't picture myself with short hair ever again, having long hair is most definately a part of my identity. I'm a lot happier with myself now that I've grown my hair out, and the longer it gets the happier I am....so I see no need to ever go back! :D

[theAnimeway]

my friend (Female) can't stop at grabbing my hair.

just yesterday I am watching TV. she came over with a hairtie in her hand. she grabbed my hair and pulled it back in a side ponytail.

I really wasn't in the mood. I took it out. she was kind of bumed.

she forbids me to cut.

I asked her "what you want me to grow my hair down to my ass?"

she says "yes that will suit you"

I am not complaining :)

but thats just a bit too long

[Morag]

I'm such a sucker for long hair on men! I think it is so masculine and sexy - for some reason the combination of long hair with broad shoulders is ridiculously attractive :inlove:

I do hope that you guys are right and that it is almost impossible for men to cut their hair after it's long - the more longhaired guys the better, in my book...


Couldn't have said it better, MaskedRose.

EdG, I do see those photos in your signature. If you were ever to cut that amazing hair, I'd probably have to cry for days.

[kikuko]

My boyfriend has long hair because he's Native American and it helps him identify as such. His hair's so pretty! It's about APL I think. He always wears it up and I wish I got to see it down more often. He really doesn't pay much attention to it and I'm trying to get him to take better care of it and do things like use sulfate free shampoo. He tried it yesterday and we agree that his hair feels nicer today.

[DecafJane]

One of my friends grew his hair long after school finished, but it was more of a reaction to being at uni and being free from an excessively restrictive school than a desire to become a longhair. He cut it short after two years and has kept it short ever since, which is kind of a shame because it was lovely hair (and his sisters loved it, too), but it is his hair and I don't think he was ever a "longhair" at heart anyway. ;)

Aside from him, the other men I know who grew their hair kept it long. One of my father's friends (who is nearly 60 and a redhead) has hair down to his waist. He and his wife braid each other's hair. I think it is the cutest thing I have ever heard! :D

[EdG]

Ed, I do see those photos in your signature. If you were ever to cut that amazing hair, I'd probably have to cry for days.Thank you Morag! I'm in the longhair-for-life category (as are many of the board members!):cheese:
Ed

[Morag]

Thank you Morag! I'm in the longhair-for-life category (as are many of the board members!):cheese:
Ed


Whew! :love:

[Jaime]

My dad says this all the time. He had to cut his hair for about 5 years when he first started working after college and he was miserable. He made it his goal to be taken seriously in a corporate meeting (he's a computer engineer) with his hair in a ponytail, the way he always likes wearing it. And sure enough, he's gotten his wish. He's had hair to his waist again for many years now and he's just happy as a clam about it.I can really relate to your dad! For a variety of reasons, I didn't grow my hair out the first time until I was in my late 30's, but cut it again and felt miserable. I'm done with short hair, and am also taken seriously (occasionally - they don't like my puns any better than my blog readers do :lol:).
I'm a longhair for life!:cheese:

8) Jim

[Les]

My inner longhair first came out when I was in high school. In my second year of college I cut it short and it stayed that way for 6 years or so. It felt so good and "right" when I grew it long again. Short hair just doesn't feel right on me. I can't see myself going any shorter than shoulder length anytime in the foreseeable future.

[ilovelonghair]

"once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it"

Hope this is true ;). My boyfriends hair is really beautiful and I have seen pictures of him when he had it really long. I can't wait till it is that long again. Long hair on men = beautiful!

[Jaime]

My inner longhair first came out when I was in high school. In my second year of college I cut it short and it stayed that way for 6 years or so. It felt so good and "right" when I grew it long again. Short hair just doesn't feel right on me. I can't see myself going any shorter than shoulder length anytime in the foreseeable future.More proof of the old saying - "Les is More!" (hair, that is.) :lol: :rollin:

8) Jim

[flapjack]

I can really relate to your dad! For a variety of reasons, I didn't grow my hair out the first time until I was in my late 30's, but cut it again and felt miserable. I'm done with short hair, and am also taken seriously (occasionally - they don't like my puns any better than my blog readers do :lol:).
I'm a longhair for life!:cheese:

8) Jim



Hahaha, that is awesome. They call my dad "the longhair" at his work, I've been told. His hair is longer than every female's in the place as well. Too funny.

[Jason]

That's true on a very deep level.

I can think of a number of longhaired men (on LHC and MLHH) who will be longhairs for life. Long hair is part of our identity. It is something that we would never change.

I have a quote "once a longhair, always a longhair". Growing one's hair is a rite of passage for men. Once one has gained the experience, one can never go back. :)
Ed

I also completely agree with Ed. I look at pictures of myself with short hair and it truly seems like I'm looking at a different person.

While it's true that women who grow their hair to long lengths will sometimes face criticism, especially if they're 'older', it is generally a fairly big decision for a man to make, realizing that there could be some bumps along the way. Once achieved, it is very hard to imagine going back.

[rubyredslippers]

My boyfriend isn't, alas, a longhair. But I don't complain so long as he keeps it long enough to play with.

I do really like the look of long hair on some guys, and I am saddened to hear about it if they cut it.

[florenonite]

A friend of mine had shoulder-length hair which, to be fair, wasn't in the best condition as he'd dyed it and straightened it, and this was his excuse for cutting it short the other day. That and that, apparently, he'd been coerced into it by a couple friends of his. My friend told him what she told me the other day: that once a guy grows his hair long he can't cut it, but of course he'd already done it :(

[HeartcoreLegend]

I know this is a very old thread but felt I had to chime in.

I must agree. It is so hard to cut/trim hair once it reached a significant milestone.

If you've never grew hair past your waist, it may not be so bad for you.

But if you have, I am convinced it will be difficult to not see that hair cascade over the length of your torso, or feel it at the bottom of your back.

I NEVER thought I'd be one of those that do get attached to their hair.

I was fine when it was shoulder length or so.

But now that it has grown and reached this far, I feel it would be a shame to cut it.
And as a result, never knowing what I'd look like with classic length hair.

Ofcourse the only downside is, the impracticality of having such long hair.
Thus I always wear it up.

[jacqueline101]

I think its the same for men as women our hair holds a lot of our personality. Cutting it removes our personality and its more then an outer personality. Its our personality we have deep within us our fiber core being. We treasure our hair and as its been said its a rite of passage for some cultures. In the christians have their believe about long hair on a woman. In the bible there is something about women's hair being her crowning glory.

[Amber_Maiden]

I find men with long hair very attractive- it's what attracted me to me husband. He didn't take care of his hair, however, and took benign neglect too far- I had to get him to get his hair cut because it was so bad! :(

[Shesta]

Oh, well.. even though I like long hair a lot I just prefer that my man has shorter hair than me :D

[Sillage]

I absolutely adore men with long hair. That is all :rolling:

[EdG]

Wow, this thread is almost four years old.

I'm checking in, long-haired as always. :D
Ed

[Annibelle]

SO kept his hair short until about 10 years ago. He started growing it long because he had broken his neck and didn't have time to fuss with it, other than just washing it. He has lots of cowlicks, so if he's not going to use hairspray or gel, he has to get some length to pull out the waves. That's why he started growing it, and I think it's still a factor, but the main reason he keeps it long (he maintains at TBL) is because he likes that it distinguishes him from the herd. He's a professor and might otherwise blend in-- suit, tie, etc.,-- but 3+ feet of hair really stands out. :eyebrows:

Many guys I've seen IRL, though, who have long hair, don't take care of it. :( It's often frizzy and uneven. SO has very pretty 1a/1b hair that, even when uncombed, looks perfectly in-place. :no: Once I put a comb down my hair already looks frightening! :p

One issue he has encountered, though, is that many people comment that he's trying to act younger than his age (48) and is having a midlife crisis. His ex-wife harps on him about it all the time... in fact, almost all of his exes say he really "needs" to cut his hair and stop being insecure. Um... who's insecure here? :p

Anyway... since he refuses to get an account here, I'll post a couple of photos of his hair that I have. :) I only have two photos of him with his hair down-- it's usually in a ponytail or braid, and he's camera-shy. (Though he consented to letting me post these photos.)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8092&pictureid=105645

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=8092&pictureid=105644

They aren't great photos, but they're all I have. Notice that the only time I can sneak photos is when he's preoccupied with a guitar. :p

[Johanna]

My husband had beautiful bsl hair that was full of glossy ringlets. He cut it all off to join the army, which his sisters lament all the time. At least when he cut his hair off he did 'shave for a cure' where he raised a few thousand dollars to shave his hair as a donation to cancer research.

When he leaves the Army he's going to grow it long again. I can't wait to practice braids and new styles on his hair :D

[Long_hair_bear]

My dh is growing his out cause I think long hair is sexy on guys. Hanson and legolas were my first crushes. Nuff said.

[pepperminttea]

You know, come to think of it, the long-haired guys that I know have kept their hair long (as much as "professionalism" allows :rolleyes: ).


I'm definitely a fan of longer hair on men. :eyebrows:

[Kitsu]

long hair on men? Yes please<3

My DB cut his all off though but he only had it to chin length in a choppy rock style and I think his short hair suits him, but if he wanted to grow it out I would help him all the way *swoons*

[mallorykay13]

DBF has shoulder length hair (approaching APL). I never saw myself with a long haired guy till I met him.

[moxamoll]

DBF is humoring me and growing his out a bit. It's always been super-short because no one is his family knew how to deal with curly hair. (His sister still flat irons hers into submission every day.) I got my niece the Curly Girl Handbook and he had a perusal before I wrapped it for her. After 8 weeks his family were already making "overdue for a hair cut" comments. Grrrr...

I don't think he'll ever grow it long by LHC comments, but I hope he at least makes it passed the awkward stage before making a decision one way or another. Any curly long haired guys with tips for surviving the "big hair" time?

[shirohane]

My bf had shoulder length hair although he kept hiding it under a hat when it wasn't in a ponytail. But he eventually cut -- shaved it because he found it too warm in the summer.

Funny thing was, his male co-workers were disappointed that he cut it and even his boss pointed out that it looked good on him. Shame he doesn't want to doing again. (Though we did keep his ponytail. :D)

That said, I'm not sure that I would have liked bf with hair much longer than that... Just thinking that our hair might get tangled up together makes it awkward... :p

[Annibelle]

That said, I'm not sure that I would have liked bf with hair much longer than that... Just thinking that our hair might get tangled up together makes it awkward... :p

Hehe sometimes that happens to SO and I. :o Our hair is also very close to the same color in a lot of light, so we'll pull at the wrong hairs when we try to get untangled. :D

[Nedertane]

Oh, it is always awesome to see/hear someone who agrees about long hair on men ;), so I'm sure you know the feeling. :D Plus, it just fits personality-wise so well on some men and women, so to cut it just seems like cutting away part of that. But, I'm probably just to attached to long hair in general, hehe.

[gthlvrmx]

Longhair for life! I agree with Ed, it takes a lot of determination for males to keep their hair long and once it's there it's coming off! Not with this determination! :)