I have never cut my hair, how can I make the bottom healthier?

[summerdew]

My religion, Sikhism, requires hair to be kept uncut - and that includes no trimming as well. My hair is extremely long - it is almost to my knees (a photo is attached). It is pretty healthy and thick, except for the bottom 6 inches or so, where it looks unhealthy.

I'm 18 and throughout school, I was always very insecure about my hair, I didn't want people to think I was weird for having long hair. I always keep my hair up in a bun, or an occasional braid like I did as a kid.

But now I want to embrace my hair and actually wear it down sometimes. It's just the bottom damage that is preventing me from doing so.

How can I make the bottom healthier, or camoflouge it so will look decent down? Or in general, what can I do so it will look OK down..

Keep in mind that I am not allowed to trim it, either.

This is a picture from my cousin's wedding. This ceremony was a rare occasion when I did let it down. I'm the one with the longest hair in the pic.

http://i42.tinypic.com/dqkxox.jpg

[christine1989]

It looks beautiful and the ends are not bad at all (especially for never having been cut). If my hair looked like that I would always wear it down. The eaisest way to get thicker ends is of course to trim but since that is not possible you could try curling it when wearing it down to disguise the thin ends. Damp braiding/bunning will also create pretty waves and curls that will hide the ends and make them look thick.

[Lilli]

Beautiful hair, and good for you for not cutting it! All my Sikh friends cut their hair. My best friend in 10th grade used to cut it but wear it up so her dad wouldn't know. :-(

I agree, aside from babying your ends with lots of oil and conditioner, curling them when you want to wear it down will look beautiful.

[Rivanariko]

I think your hair looks lovely. Oiling the ends and making sure they're moisturized and protected whenever possible with help keep their health, but there are a lot of ladies on here with lovely fairytale ends. Just because it isn't a thick, blunt hemline doens't mean it's unhealthy!

[Tressie]

I think your hair is gorgeous! Of course, I don't cut my hemline either.......currently at least, so the ends of your hair remind me of my own! :flower:

[spidermom]

Did you post about this same issue in the past? I've seen that picture before.

[christine1989]

Did you post about this same issue in the past? I've seen that picture before.

Considering that her stats say she only has one post I don't see how that is possible...hmmm :ponder:.... the picture looks familiar to me too now that you mention it. Such amazing hair is not eaisly forgotten.

[gossamer]

Did you post about this same issue in the past? I've seen that picture before.

I had the same sense of deja vu, but I'm thinking it might just be someone else's photos from their cousin's wedding. :confused:

[gossamer]

Oh, and to comment on the bottom hair health question, I definitely agree with the above posters who mentioned oil and bun/braid waves for when you wear it down.

I've been having problems with my ends lately and have discovered that they're just soaking up whatever coconut oil I put on them - and they're getting better. Not less thin, but less tangley. And the coconut oil is having a lovely side effect of making for some nice defined waves when I take my hair out of its braid.

You have beautiful hair and every reason to feel confident in wearing it down.

[jojo]

I have seen this photo before, I definitely have on this forum. Yet it says its her first post:confused: I might be wrong.

[gossamer]

Oh! Duh, I should have realized this earlier!

Summerdew, welcome to the Main Forum! We're so confused because we remember your New Member post on the board from LAST year and here we're seeing the same picture again. Posts on the New Member board don't add to your post count, which is why on first glance it looks like you've only posted once before.

I think this is ample confirmation that you have amazingly unforgettable hair!

[lacefrost]

I agree with everyone else, lots of oiling and then damp bunning (sock bun or otherwise) for pretty waves. Or you could set that last few inches on rollers.

Also, you could totally wear your hair down more. It's beautiful!

[Dark Queen]

My religion, Sikhism, requires hair to be kept uncut - and that includes no trimming as well. My hair is extremely long - it is almost to my knees (a photo is attached). It is pretty healthy and thick, except for the bottom 6 inches or so, where it looks unhealthy.

I'm 18 and throughout school, I was always very insecure about my hair, I didn't want people to think I was weird for having long hair. I always keep my hair up in a bun, or an occasional braid like I did as a kid.

But now I want to embrace my hair and actually wear it down sometimes. It's just the bottom damage that is preventing me from doing so.

How can I make the bottom healthier, or camoflouge it so will look decent down? Or in general, what can I do so it will look OK down..

Keep in mind that I am not allowed to trim it, either.

This is a picture from my cousin's wedding. This ceremony was a rare occasion when I did let it down. I'm the one with the longest hair in the pic.



:agape: Wow! Your hair is so beautiful! I wish mine were that thick. But I digress, old post of not, it appears to be quite healthy, but either way I second all the ladies so far who've suggested oiling the ends to keep them moisturized. I usually do mine right out of the shower while the ends are still damp. You might want to experiment with different oils to see which you like best. I'm still trying to do that myself. Good luck!:)

[luxepiggy]

What's your current haircare routine? Perhaps changing your wash method or frequency, combined with the application of a couple of deep treatments, will help protect your hair and improve the condition of the ends (^(oo)^)

[Julia_79]

Hello! :)

I think your hair is lovely and healthy-looking (especially for never having been cut), and I am a big fan of "fairytale ends" (a term I learnt by reading this forum): I think they look especially youthful, maybe because I sported them while growing up during the 90s (when hair was usually left a little more natural than it is nowadays).

My ends are truly horrible, but I find that oiling them helps a little.

I think it is beautiful that your religion calls for natural, less "artificial" and processed hair than what we have to endure in the West.

Bye,

Julia :)

[Dragon]

Beautiful hair. I also agree with everyone else on oiling. Also have you experimented with different methods of washing your hair such as co, cwc and movie star shampoo? And also if you don’t do this already, to leave the conditioner on for a awhile, like 10 to 20 minutes before rinsing it out. And you might also find a leave in conditioner may help or leaving a little bit of you regular conditioner in.

[IcarusBride]

First of all, I am not suggesting you forgo your religious beliefs, but if you are not allowed to cut your hair, would an alternative method such as singeing (remove with fire) or the like be allowed? Sorry if this is a totally stupid suggestion, I'm trying to "think outside the box", haha. To me it sounds as if you really want to trim your hair but aren't allowed.
Besides this, I suggest finding elaborate hairstyles that you really love, especially ones that can only be done with long hair. This will let you feel special because you have stucken (??? grammar???) to your faith and never cut your hair, and now you can do many incredible styles. I like to do anything with lots of accent braids, which my hair is not long enough to do very well yet.

[pepperminttea]

Goodness, that is some beautiful hair; if you want to wear it down, I wouldn't hesitate, it's gorgeous!

I'd definitely recommend braidwaves or rag curls for hiding thin ends. Angeletti did a post a while back with photos of her ends curled (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=56332), there's also Torrin's method for braidwaves without ending up with straight ends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0NMLSUICp4). :)

[mwedzi]

If you want to wear it down and are self-conscious about the ends, you can try curling the ends before you wear it down. Spritz the ends with water lightly so that they are just damp and spiral set them on rollers. Allow to dry before removing the rollers. This will give the ends more volume and hide a little of their thickness. In general, adding wavy or curly texture to the ends will mask their thinness

[lesbia]

have you tried aloe vera gel? it's the best thing for my ends!

[alwayssmiling]

Your hair is enviable - I will leave it to the experts to give you advice but wanted to say I would be very proud to wear my hair down if it looked like yours.

[easterjoy]

We don't cut hair in my religion either so I have seen a LOT of uncut hair... your is fantastic looking and my suggestion would be to just wear it down as is. Do use oil or aloe to protect your ends but as far as how it looks... no problem!

[Beatnik Guy]

But now I want to embrace my hair and actually wear it down sometimes. It's just the bottom damage that is preventing me from doing so.

You have no reason to feel insecure about your lovely hair. :thudpile:



I think this is ample confirmation that you have amazingly unforgettable hair!

My thoughts exactly. :D

[CrystalStar]

Wow.. Your hair is stunning! All I can suggest is attempting different things to disguise the ends. As many suggested, braidwaves or curled ends give the ends of the hair a 'fuller' appearance, as your hair is naturally quite sleek and shiny!

Beautiful hair. :)

[jojo]

Oh! Duh, I should have realized this earlier!

Summerdew, welcome to the Main Forum! We're so confused because we remember your New Member post on the board from LAST year and here we're seeing the same picture again. Posts on the New Member board don't add to your post count, which is why on first glance it looks like you've only posted once before.

I think this is ample confirmation that you have amazingly unforgettable hair!

aww confusion solved! you certainly have hair that once seen never forgotten.

Now to your question damp bunning and daily oiling to the ends, EVOO would be excellent for your hair type.

[LunaMoon]

You hair is gorgeous! I love your "fairytale ends".
My advice is to try a queratin treatment (protein) at your ends, to get them thicker. Don't forget to moisture very well after that, because protein makes hair dry, and... oil, oil, oil (I am a big fan of coconut oil, monoi, karite, etc).
Congratulations for your hair!

[весна]

Jaw-dropping! But, I couldn't help wondering, what will happen when your hair grows so much over the years when you will no longer be able to wear it down, and your ends will probably be even thinner?

[whisperedaria]

I don't have anything much to add, other than supporting the curling/bun waves suggestions. But I have a total case of hair envy right now! ^_^ Your hair is really pretty.

[Madora]

@Summerdew...

You have wonderful hair!

If I were you, I'd want to protect those ends as much as possible yet still wear my hair down (once in a while, anyway).

What I'd do is this:

Loosely braid the last 4 inches of hair, secure with a hair friendly elastic.

Take the end of the braid and using a small non metal barrette, pin it up behind where the braid began.

Now you have the majority of your hair down your back, but the delicate ends are safely braided and tucked under the main fall of your hair.

Instead of braiding the last 4 inches, you could also just wind it gently around a large sponge curler.

I heartily recommend using EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) to keep your hair looking lovely. Easy peasy to do and it washes out with a minimum of fuss!