When is hair too long for you? Does your opinion shift as your hair grows?

[Maverick494]

Hey everyone!

When I came on LHC my main goal was to grow my hair to waist length. Aside from that I thought it would get A-G-E-S to get there I really figured it would be the definitive length for me. Fast forward---> I have now waist length hair and I really want to grow it to tail bone. This got me thinking, does your perspective on hair length change as you grow?

I remember having barely shoulder length hair and considering APL to be 'long'. Now I'm at WL I don't think my hair is long at all. I consider classic or knee length to be really long now. I wonder if that perspective will change once I get to my new goal.

This actually really reminds me of the time when I had anorexia. People who I'd first considered to be really slim could stand to lose a couple once I got thinner than they were. When I reached 100 lbs at a height of 5'10 I noticed every little ounce of fat on everyone (including ofcourse myself) even if it was just the healthy kind. So I wonder if the same (but fortunately less unhealthy) mind warp is happening now I'm growing my hair.

So basically my questions are:

- Does anyone else experience this?
- When is long too long? Do you think this view will change in the future?
For example, right now I think this is too long for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtxJPX_gQ6o&feature=related
I keep thinking that if she cuts it back a bit it would look much better. :confused:

[Loreley]

Interesting question. I've always had long hair, I can't remember what having short hair is like. It has been at least hip length since elementary school. I always thought my hair was short, though. Nowadays I am pretty satisfied with the length and I know it's long, especially for people who have shorter hair. But it's still not long enough. When I see it in the mirror I always think that another 3-4 inches would make it long enough, but I don't know... Watching the beautiful knee or calf length manes of some fellow LHC-ers make me want to grow my hair that long. But I don't think I will ever grow my hair beyong knee length. That would be too much for me, even if I like the way it looks on other people if it's well cared for and the ends are not too thin.

[spidermom]

I never entertained a length past touching the top of my thighs until I got there. I cut back because of dried out, Velcro ends, but now the idea of terminal length has taken root. I don't know, though. Classic length was more than enough to manage in a practical sense.

[Becky9679]

It seems to be the case that whenever you focus on a bodily extreme of some sort that it's never enough. My husband is into bodybuilding and they can occasionally suffer from a sort of reverse of anorexia (informally called 'bigorexia') where no matter how muscular they are they don't think it's enough. My husband doesn't suffer from this but he doesn't consider himself particularly big or muscular either even though at 5 foot 10 he is a lean 200lb. He's aware that a lot of this comes from reading bodybuilding magazines and comparing himself with professionals who are always going to be bigger than him, either through genetics or abuse of drugs. In real life he's the one who's bigger than everyone else!

I guess it's a similar thing here, being on this board with all of these amazing haired ladies and gentlemen who mostly have hair much longer than other people influences you into thinking that what most people consider 'long' hair just isn't long enough!

Mind you, I've always felt that anything above waist was short for me, even before being on the board :D

[EtherealOde]

It's hard for me to say really, because my hair has never been too long for me to handle. I am hopeful I can get my hair to classic length without it being terminal, because I would love to have thick ends at that length. I do plan to grow it as long as I can, just once, to see how long it really can get. If it is longer than classic, I am glad I have the resource of a great many here in the LHC with very long hair so I can learn updos to help it stay intact as it grows. I probably won't keep it really long once I reach terminal length if its past my goal length, because I believe classic is just going to be a lot easier to care for over the long haul.

I secretly hope my terminal length is knee or longer, because it means I can have nicely thick ends at classic. But I expect my terminal length will be much shorter than that. Few are lucky enough to have the genetics for super lengths.

[missmagoo]

I definitely think it changes, but for me it does go back and forth a bit as well. I go through times when I lurk on the boards a lot and want to grow to TB, then times when I am satisfied with BSL hair for awhile.
I do think that you start to lose perspective on length over time. I don't consider my hair to be long at all really (about and inch past BSL now), but I get comments often from my family about how long its getting.

[UltraBella]

I was surprised at my perspective, it changed completely once I hit TBL. I honestly could not wait to cut it. Every day I am thankful I did cut it. I don't ever want to have hair that long again. I never expected to feel like that !!!

[newbeginning]

The longest my hair has been is mid butt. Currently that is considered too long for me. Personally it's impractical. My hair is currently on its way to waist then hip but that is my goal now. Just to clarify I admire those with very long hair (longer than my goal) but it just wouldn't work for me. I've always had long hair (except for one chop to just below shoulder) so I don't think my opinion of what too long is has changed.

[KittyLost]

Yes I think perspective changes as hair grows. At my short lengths now I see a lot of people with APL length hair and think it's long. However when I had BSL hair myself I thought it was short. I think though that in terms of myself, it will probably be never long enough although I hope to surprise myself and reach goal and be happy with what I have. I also had a similiar eating disorder issue where everything I did wasn't enough.

My goal length has changed several times since joining LHC. I've settled on Waist as a happy medium but as many people have said you sometimes reach goal and your perspective changes again. In the area I live anything past APL is rare so I will probably be aware of my hair being conceived as long. Although I admire hair of all lengths, as long as it is healthy.

In my opinion I think "hair being too long" doesn't rely on the length but rather the quality. Hair only becomes too long for an individual when you can't care for it properly which is different stages for everyone. I'm looking forward to growing my hair long and changing my routines to care for it to see at which point I have had enough.

[QueenJoey]

It seems that every time I see new growth, I want even more!

[IndigoAsh]

I tend to be a sort of 'Go hard or go home' sort of person. Knee length is my goal, but who knows I might get sick of it before then. I highly doubt that though. Plus that's years from now anyway. I'm mid-butt so... 6 inches, approx, a year(on a good year probably) so... 3- 4 years? If nothing goes wrong.

[longcurlygirl<3]

Knee - calf. This is wayy to long for me because then my curlies would be lost

[Zesty]

For me I feel like anything too much longer than tailbone would be too long. I'd like to wear my hair down sometimes without it being too much of a hassle, and I don't think I would be good at remembering to move my ends before I sat down. :p I also wouldn't want to stay at terminal, I don't think, because I prefer more blunt hemlines.

That being said, now that my hair is almost waist and I'm doing updos (for basically the first time in my life) I don't feel like it's long enough, by any means. For example, I really like the way a figure 8 feels and looks, but it won't look nice on me until my hair grows a little bit. So I feel like my happy place hair-wise is longer than this, but not more than a few years' growth longer. But who knows, I might decide that I really want to do a Celtic knot or something, and just keep growing. :D

[Lostsoule77]

I've had long (by regular standards, not LHC) hair the majority of my life. It's usually been cut back once it got to bcl and I never really wanted it longer than that. It was mostly because I didn't know how to style it beyond simple braids and my own version of the knot bun. Then I found LHC with all the beautiful styles and amazing heads of hair!
Now I'm planning to grow to classic and see how it feels. Once I get there I'll see if I want to go further. I think it's pretty normal, at least for those on this site. We have so many people to admire.

[beccababesx]

I think past tailbone is 'too long' for me personally, although I think longer lengths look amazing on other people.
Definitely! When I first joined, I only wanted waist at the shortest, I thought any longer looked weird and ugly. Now I can definitely admire even floor length hair, and I personally was going for tailbone length! It's kind of gone in the other direction now though, and I'm back to wanting around waist/hip length hair. I think it's because I (and many other LHCers, I suspect) want hair that is long enough for people to go "Oh wow, long hair!" - in real life, waist length would constitute as long hair, but on these boards, it has to be classic +! Thats my idea anyway :D

[Saranne772]

OO that girl has gorgeous hair, would love hair like that. I dont think any hair is too long- personally I am aiming for knee length because I think after that it must become very hair to manage. You would have to wear it up most the time, not practical else. I work with young children so even now I struggle with my hair length and controlling it.

[Madora]

A very interesting observation!

Yes, for me, my hair's future will definitely change..hopefully not too much, but it definitely will (due to recently diagnosed medical issues).

Personally speaking, hair becomes too long when I'm unable to care for it properly, which also includes styling. Hopefully, I'll be able to reach my goal length (50") and perhaps a little beyond before my medical issues make long hair styling an iffy proposition. I'm determined to enjoy my hair as long as I can..and keep it growing and healthy.

[turtlelover]

I think hair can look "too long" when it starts to get a lot of taper and/or damage at the ends. Thinner hair generally looks better shorter in my opinion (though that doesn't mean SHORT -- just not as long as super thick hair). When are ends are thin enough to be see through, I generally don't find that very attractive. I've seen hair that looked at its best at shoulder length, and other hair that looked fabulous beyond the butt. :-)

[Jeni]

I don't think I could deal with hair long enough to sit on because I like wearing my hair down...

This is the longest I have ever been and I have been thinking about cutting it but mostly because I'm BORED with my hair. I spent years dyeing it and I miss it. Id dye my hair now but I still have a bunch of henna left so that's out.

I will say that I use to think waist was SOOO LONG but since Ive been here for almost a year it doesn't seem all that long really. I get confused when people say something about my "very long hair" because to me it doesn't feel much longer then APL/BSL.

[drquartz1970]

yes i do think that hair length goals can and do change for some people over time. my original goal was Mid Back Length, but having now achieved this I'm keen to grow it to waist length which if my hair continues growing at it's current pace should be achieved within the next 12 months or so. If however my hair ends taper out or become gnarly before then i would trim them back if it meant better looking hair.

[Chromis]

I might change my mind if my terminal length turns out to be longer than I am tall, but I have a ways till I find out!

[Emmental]

It seems to be the case that whenever you focus on a bodily extreme of some sort that it's never enough. My husband is into bodybuilding and they can occasionally suffer from a sort of reverse of anorexia (informally called 'bigorexia') where no matter how muscular they are they don't think it's enough. My husband doesn't suffer from this but he doesn't consider himself particularly big or muscular either even though at 5 foot 10 he is a lean 200lb. He's aware that a lot of this comes from reading bodybuilding magazines and comparing himself with professionals who are always going to be bigger than him, either through genetics or abuse of drugs. In real life he's the one who's bigger than everyone else!

I guess it's a similar thing here, being on this board with all of these amazing haired ladies and gentlemen who mostly have hair much longer than other people influences you into thinking that what most people consider 'long' hair just isn't long enough!<snip>

I wholeheartedly agree with Becky's assessment.

[feralnature]

My perception has definately changed. Compared to so many on the forum here, my hair is not long. But in real life, I often have the longest hair in any given situation.

[AlannaMaria]

I'm 5'1 and about 95 pounds, so I feel like for me, beyond hip length might be just too much hair for my small frame.

[C.H.]

I have always thought that waist-length was properly long and particularly pretty. I thought this before LHC and pretty much still do. My hair is currently at hip length and I've kept it between hip and waist for many years. Now that I'm at LHC, I'm thinking I like the extra length and probably won't cut it back to waist again.

I'm flirting with the idea of growing it a little longer--I'm only about 3 inches from tailbone anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to see how I like it. There is a barrier beyond tailbone, though--I have a problem with hair that can be sat on, that's just too impractical for me. I would like to be able to move about freely when it's loose without having to be so careful and particular about moving it out of the way of this, that, and the other. I actually think classic just might be a flattering length for me, but that does cross the line into hair sitting territory. I have a hard time imagining ever going beyond classic, though of course that could change.

I am still open to classic, though, largely because of curl shrinkage. Up till now, I never wore it down and curly on a regularly basis. But I think with the great wurly/curly advice here, I just might start doing that. In which case, it's functional length would be a lot shorter. I would need to start letting the curls go free and see how they respond to the extra length and what the shrinkage situation is before I could assess the practicality of that, though.

I've also always liked wearing a long single braid, and that involves shrinkage as well. (In fact, one of the reasons I've let my hair get this long is for a pretty looking braid.) So perhaps if the very end of the braid is not long enough to sit on, that would be a manageable compromise as well.

[jaine]

I'll be totally honest: If my hair ever starts to hide the hourglass shape of me from the rear view, then I'll know it's too long. Which means my max length is probably waist, possibly a couple of inches longer if the hemline is a deep U or V.

I want that hourglass figure to be VISIBLE!! :)

But - I've seen lovely hair longer than that on other people, no doubt.

[MissMB]

Whenever it would get a little longer it would still look "short" to me, even when it got to classic. It would only really appear long if I looked at it in the back while holding a mirror.

I ended up cutting off like 10 inches and it's great now; super-long hair is beautiful but not the best on me.

Perspective is really everything, very interesting.

[Mesmerise]

For me I came to LHC with a goal of waist, as I considered waist to be "long". I've never had decent looking waist length hair before (it got there once some years ago, but with lots of damage, including hair that had broken off at the roots from a bad perm...and it had also been straightened, as well as dyed black and other colours). Sooo... waist to me, a healthy even waist, was goal.

However, I'm nearly at waist now (not a nice even waist, as I have lots of damage and taper to grow out) but it doesn't feel AT ALL long lol. I am now thinking hip, maybe BCL. I don't think I'd go longer though, because aesthetically I don't really see that looking good on me. I love the look of long hair... as long hair...but I don't necessarily like the overall effect. For me, I want to look good as well as my hair (if that makes sense). So yeah, the hair has to suit ME! (At least in my opinion... I don't care whether other people think it does or not :p).

Besides which, I don't think my hair is thick enough to look good beyond a certain point. I'm not even sure how it will look beyond hip when all the damage is grown out and I've removed some taper. The taper may just be too bad...even when the damage is grown out and the short hairs from my hair shed are long again.

[Heian Beauty]

It reminds me of what my Mum says about growing up - you never really feel that you've got to a point where you can say "I've grown up now". Some people don't seem to feel that they've got to a point where they can say "my hair is long"!

I think I'll be able to say that my hair is long when it gets past the average hair lengths that I generally see around me. It's very unusual for me to see people with hair past elbow length, so I think for me that will feel long.

Too long for me will be when it gets in the way of what I want to do. I suppose that will be when my bun gets big enough to be uncomfortable under my re-enactment helmets!

[Sunsailing]

The view of my own hair changed. When it got past waist, it was just too long for me. It got tucked in my pants, and etc.. A little above waist is were I keep it. (Waist on a guy is lower than it is on a gal.) Past waist was just not practical for me.

Has my perspective of long hair in general changed? No.
I still enjoy seeing hair at all lengths, including any extreme length.

[gogirlanime]

First off, that is amazing that you got over anorexia I am happy you are O.K. and that it didn't take your life, you are lucky because most don't survive that terrible disease :(

I have always considered hair beginning to be in the long category at waist length and then shoulder to waist medium and shoulder to roots short.

I admire and respect everyone here and their hard work and their love for their hair. To me, longer than in between waist and classic is where hair is getting too long, that's just what I think, I am sorry (I still respect your efforts, love, etc if you do have hair longer than that, this is just my personal opinion) The hair in itself is pretty but when you look at it when worn down (just in my opinion because you asked) I find it hard to see how to make it work with any fashion or clothing type (except for maybe victorian clothing) I love super long hair up and in nice up dos, down, longer than in between waist and classic looks odd to me.... that's just me :(

[CaityBear]

I definitely think perspective changes. You get used to the length as it gets longer so you end up finding it not as hard to take care of it and keep growing.

Originally I only wanted to get to classic length...now I want to get to knee...but only to say I did. :P lol I don't think I'd keep at knee though. But who knows...maybe once I'm there I'll keep it. Otherwise I think I would maintain around tailbone or hip.

[Masara]

When I first arrived here, my goal was shoulder length. Then it became waist length. Neither because I thought that longer was too long, just because I knew that beyond shoulder length I would start putting my hair up (which I did) and I had already been at waist, so I could visualise myself like that.

I did look at pictures of people with waist+ hair and admire it, although I couldn't imagine myself with hair that long. But by the time I got to waist, my hair still didn't feel all that long, so I kept going.
Over the last few years, I've always been aiming for a goal so my hair has never been long enough. And when I do get near a goal, I've moved on to the next one. Now I'm about 3 inches away from classic and for the first time I don't think I want to go longer. It still doesn't feel too long. It just feels right. A good moment to stop.

[MissAlida]

For me, anything longer than TB would be too long. But I'm not planning on going further than waist. If I ever get there. My hair grows very slowly, and I can't stand going too long between trims, because I like my hair to be thick at the end. :)

[kidari]

I can completely relate to your post. I suffered from anorexia in high school. One day I just got kind of chubby after puberty when I had always been thin and people started pointing it out and making fun of me, especially my family. I saw myself in a picture and was caught off gaurd. What was supposed to be a simple lose 10-15 pounds turned into 5 more pounds, 5 more pounds... it got bad. When I realized one day that my hair had become too short and I regretted it for the first time, I just wanted to have shoulder length hair, then APL was all that I wanted. Now that I'm at BSL I want waist... we'll see what happens when I get there. I think as long as I can easily care for it and it doesn't get in my way it wouldn't be too long for me. Sometimes we just have to stop and appreciate and enjoy what we do have in the moment.

[PolarCathy]

At this point (almost BSL) I think waist+ is too long - for me. (My goal is waist-ish.)

I guess it all depends on lifestyle too, I have a rather active life with lots of sports and I think it would be difficult to keep it healthy if it grew any longer than waist. Also my hair is quite heavy. Maybe even waist is too long, I will see..

I don't want to sit on it ever, I think it would bother me if I had to worry about my hair being too long with my SO sleeping in the same bed, that he would sleep on my hair or that I would have to put it up every night to avoid that, and so on.

But we'll see what I say if and when I reach waist. (If ever.)

:D :D

[ArienEllariel]

I don't know... I used to think BSL was long when I was a littlepast shoulder. Now that I'm there it feels quite short. I think in order for it to feel somewhat long for me I'll need it to be brushing my elbows.

[Happymoonlight]

Well, my hair has the length of 27 inches, and I let it grow another 20 inches, because I think I can manage it which is the most important argument for me ( can I mange this length without help) ?

[pink.sara]

I wasn't happy with my hair once it got to classic, my plait would taper from a solid 6 inches thick to only 3 at the very end. Plus I remembe one day getting into my new boyfriends car when there was a big gust of wind and I managed to shut half in the door and sit on the rest :rolleyes: wasn't the best look!
I think this time round waist to TBL will be about right.

[skyblue]

yes lol it changes, once I reach a goal I just want to keep right on going! Even now with TBL I still don't have that WOW my hair is long feeling...maybe at classic???? ;)

[Alaia]

Yup. I reached my original goal (TB), and decided I wanted Classic. Now I'm halfway in between (kind of) and decided I want Knee.

I think though that Knee will prove too long for me and I'd end up cutting back to Classic or TB.

Before that, though, I've got to spend 2 years getting back to TB from BSL (where I'm going to be on Wednesday! ;) ).

[pepperminttea]

When I first found LHC two summers ago, my goal was 40" - which on me is a couple of inches shy of tailbone. At around BSL, it changed to classic, and now at hip I'm leaning towards mid-thigh/fingertip. I'm two and a half inches away from my original goal, and it doesn't seem enough.

There is one particular style, a coronet braid (or fake crown braid) that I want enough braided length for. On me, that's probably going to be around classic, or a bit past. At around that length, my mother began to get serious neck pains from her hair, and subsequently got her hair cut back to APL, and hasn't been longer since. Our hairtypes, from what I can tell, are nearly identical; same amount of wave, same F/M texture, and a good amount of thickness. If I get the same neck pain at that length, I'll cut back - but I want to try it for myself first. I'll never know until I try. :)

[RuLueashk]

Hey everyone!

When I came on LHC my main goal was to grow my hair to waist length. Aside from that I thought it would get A-G-E-S to get there I really figured it would be the definitive length for me. Fast forward---> I have now waist length hair and I really want to grow it to tail bone.


^This exactly.^

I don't expect to ever want my hair to be long enough to sit on. That, for me, would be "too long." (Time will tell if that opinion changes too.)

[Solange]

My hair is "too long" when my ends are too thin for my liking. It's not a specific length. If I could re-acquire my former thickness (now that I no longer take a beta-blocker which caused thinning), I could probably reach ankle length without my ends being too thin, but for now, no more than knee-length.

[mrs_coffee]

I've never had long hair, but my perspective on length has definitely changed. Since I always had short hair (and by short I mean SHORT) shoulder length was "long" in my world. Now shoulder length, which is where I currently am, seems not so long. My goal is waist, but we'll see what happens when I get there.

[lillylonghair]

When I first came here,my goal was healthy bsl. Now that I'm there,I feel like my hair is short. I go back and forth between wanting hip length and classic. I still want to be able to comfortable wear my hair down in public when I want to. For me,although I am growing for myself,it's also about showing it off! I guess it also goes hand in hand with my body. I have worked really hard for the past 2 years to lose a lot of weight. I want to show it off not hide behind baggy clothes!

[lillylonghair]

When I first found LHC two summers ago, my goal was 40" - which on me is a couple of inches shy of tailbone. At around BSL, it changed to classic, and now at hip I'm leaning towards mid-thigh/fingertip. I'm two and a half inches away from my original goal, and it doesn't seem enough.

There is one particular style, a coronet braid (or fake crown braid) that I want enough braided length for. On me, that's probably going to be around classic, or a bit past. At around that length, my mother began to get serious neck pains from her hair, and subsequently got her hair cut back to APL, and hasn't been longer since. Our hairtypes, from what I can tell, are nearly identical; same amount of wave, same F/M texture, and a good amount of thickness. If I get the same neck pain at that length, I'll cut back - but I want to try it for myself first. I'll never know until I try. :)


I agree with that. I think if itgets to the point where it's painful of you can't sleep or get comfortable,it's time to cut back.

[LunaMoon]

I've never had long hair, but my perspective on length has definitely changed. Since I always had short hair (and by short I mean SHORT) shoulder length was "long" in my world. Now shoulder length, which is where I currently am, seems not so long. My goal is waist, but we'll see what happens when I get there.
Same here. I am at BSL, and I am keeping this way (trimming) until all the damage is gone. Now I think my hair is too short. My goal now is to reach waist, but I think is not very long. Maybe I am going to Tail bone or more.

[LyraS]

I have waist length hair, and if it grows a few inches more i won't mind. But i definitely have a cutting off point for when it's too long. I longest would probably be when it reaches my butt and no longer.
But as the topic goes, maybe when i reach that length i wouldn't mind it being longer then. I'll see how it goes.

[Chromis]

I can't say I have ever felt my hair obscured my figure when worn down! I like my shape as well, but even from behind you can still see it clearly since my hair moves as I walk. Little swishes in the breeze etc give it a bit of life and still let you see beneath. I can't say I wear it down a lot, but that has more to do with the weather than vanity! (When it is cold I have to bundle up and it gets in the way of scarves and jackets and summer is just hot!)

[Helix]

I do think your perspective on length changes as it gets longer. As a young child my hair never got longer than shoulder length. So when I finally figured out how to grow it to APL for the first time I felt my hair was long. Now that I've been hanging around on hairboards for a while APL just doesn't cut it anymore. Especially now that I'm going natural.

I don't think any length is too long for me because my natural hair shrinks a lot and because my strands are so fine (thinner than a split string of thread) they weigh next to nothing so it would take a lot of length for it to feel heavy. Moreover, my hair density is very thick so the longer my hair gets the easier it is for me to handle. I'd probably have to grow it to my knees for it to shrink up to my hips or waist in its natural state. I guess that's one good thing about shrinkage - Even if I grew floor length hair I'd still be able to wear it down and not have it drag across the ground. Then again there's a chance my hair would finally surrender to gravity at that length, but who knows....

[Fairlight63]

Yes, I think that it changes as your hair gets longer. My hair is past waist & for instance I have an exercise video that I have had forever
(Firm vol. 1) and in it Susan Harris's has a long braid. A long time ago I used to think that she had really long hair. I did the workout this morning & her braid didn't seem as long to me any more. Funny how that happens. I kept looking at her braid to see how long that it was & it seemed to be about waist length. Comparing how long her hair is to mine, LOL I think that hers is still longer than mine, but I am closing in on her :cheese:

[macherie]

At this point (almost BSL) I think waist+ is too long - for me. (My goal is waist-ish.)

I guess it all depends on lifestyle too, I have a rather active life with lots of sports and I think it would be difficult to keep it healthy if it grew any longer than waist. Also my hair is quite heavy. Maybe even waist is too long, I will see..

I don't want to sit on it ever, I think it would bother me if I had to worry about my hair being too long with my SO sleeping in the same bed, that he would sleep on my hair or that I would have to put it up every night to avoid that, and so on.

But we'll see what I say if and when I reach waist. (If ever.)

:D :D

This is the same for me.
My hair has been waist length or longer since I've been a teenager - only once I chopped back to my ears in a fit of madness, but it very quickly grew back.
This last year, at my husbands encouragement (and he is helping me type this as my English is not so good) I let it go past classic and mid-thigh.
But this is too long for me; I don't like to sit on it and I love to wear my hair down. I had to wear it up and in the summer heat that's not so bad choice.
So I just recently cut back approx 25 cm; my hair is always blunt cut so the ends were in still good condition and the line was perfectly straight. My husband wanted to cry, as I know he dreamed that one day I would let it grow longer, but I love my hair at the current length just below tail bone.

[Quezie]

I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to worry about this.
I think I want tailbone length hair, and now that I'm at waist it's getting closer and closer. But I'm afraid of the hassle it will cause me, and how people will react, and whether I will be able to handle this. I get frustrated enough detangling it nowadays.

I can also to relate to the eating disorder reference you made. Our goal keeps moving away, always out of reach. It's definitely not an ideal state of mind, but I figure as long as you aren't hurting yourself or anyone around you, it's just hair.

[Dr. Girlfriend]

For myself I keep toying with the idea of letting it grow to classic but I'm afraid I might not be able to maintain it as well as I could at waist or perhaps hip.

[LovingLongHair]

I originally wanted just BSL length hair. I got to BSL and wanted it longer. Now I'm on my way to waist and not gonna stop anytime soon. So for me, the "dream length" that I want seems to grow along with my hair.

[seaj]

At this point in time my hair is the longest it's ever been. It's just about APL so it's getting in the way a lot more than before and sometimes I wonder why I even let it get this long. At least now I can tie it all back if I want to. Just got through the really awkward stage recently so things are starting to look up though.

[Islandgrrl]

My perspective has not changed at all.

Even at mid-butt, my hair is barely feeling long to me. My goal is still the same: terminal.

[Acid]

i used to want it just past my chest (rib length? i wear mine to the front) but once there i thought waist was so long and beautiful i kept growing, i used to think before waist that anything longer than that was *too long* but i think its mainly because most people i see in my city have waist length at most with the majority between APL and BSL but being on this forum makes you used to longer lengths and you start to see how common longer hair is in the rest of the world :)

When i hit waist i wanted hip and now ive touched hip again (i cut back to waist for a thicker hemline) im craving TBL, i think i will stop at TBL though purely because i have a fear of jerking my neck sitting on my hair and damaging it from it being sat on or rubbed against things

[gthlvrmx]

My perspective has not changed at all.

Even at mid-butt, my hair is barely feeling long to me. My goal is still the same: terminal.

I am the same. I have had individual braids braided with fake hair down to my knees for Halloween once and it felt perfect, except for one thing:it could have been longer to be even more right. So for me, terminal length is best.
I have been to BCL before (without fake hair) and it felt like fun. The longer it got, the better I felt. Long hair suits me because it makes me happy.

[Entangled]

I wonder if classic will be too long for me. I've wanted "extra long" hair for such a long time, but I'm not happy with the thickness of the ends. I've also gotten tired of seeing so much of my face. I can't really wear it down without getting major tangles. However, my hair always annoyed me down; I used to comment that if it was socially acceptable and commonplace, baldness would be my favorite style. I've been mildly fantasizing about cutting it, but I know cutting it won't really do anything and I'll also have short hair. I'm reluctant to actually cut it because I kind of want to prove people wrong that hair can grow long.

[turtlelover]

I thought my hair would feel "long" at APL but now at BSL, it doesn't feel even slightly long, except when I am detangling! LOL I think I will go for hip if I can figure out this whole layers vs. no layers business.

[DweamGoiL]

When I got here, my goal was WL. I grew out to TBL in the past and then cut back to CBL. Right now, I am at HL and about 3" away from TBL, but it feels really long now. I like to wear my hair down and at this length, it's becoming a bit impractical. I think within the next couple of weeks I am going to cut back to WL. I am also not in love with the taper I have been getting only on one side. Cutting it back a few inches will definitely correct this.

[LongCurlyTress]

When I got here, my goal was WL. I grew out to TBL in the past and then cut back to CBL. Right now, I am at HL and about 3" away from TBL, but it feels really long now. I like to wear my hair down and at this length, it's becoming a bit impractical. I think within the next couple of weeks I am going to cut back to WL. I am also not in love with the taper I have been getting only on one side. Cutting it back a few inches will definitely correct this.

I mirror your thoughts DweamGoiL... Just these past couple of weeks I noticed alot of breakage and increased hair pulling out during detangling at TBL. Sadly, my layers had finally grown out/been trimmed off and my hemline was pretty straight. But... the breakage and halo frizz got to me and I just cut back from 37inches to only the bottom of the U shape at 33 inches and the sides more at waist length. Ugh... very disheartening to say the least but my hair is very thick and 3b curly so the tangles and breakage went cra cra at TBL. Hoping to grow back to at least solid hip but only if the breakage stays controllable. Guess my hair type and thickness does not like the longer (for me) lengths... You are lucky your hair is so thick and straight! ;) And if the longer lengths give you trouble.. then there is no hope for a curlygirl like me...;(

[truepeacenik]

I started with mid backish hair. I had a humorous goal, but I had some definitive points I wanted.
I've exceeded every one, so far.
I developed new ones to have a goal to chase.

Since I get to adapt by millimeters, too long would have to be a physical limitation of my ability to care for it.
I'm eyeing knee, and can see calf. Ankle would thrill me.
I've seen floor length, but that might be my limit. I like wearing hair down occasionally.
I don't want to be cleaning the floor with hair. ;)

[vampyyri]

Hmm, I'm not sure just yet... we'll see. It's still pretty comfortable for me right now at BCL. If you asked me this three years ago I would have told you BSL was too long, that was always when I chopped it back up to SL.

[EbonyCurls]

For me, too long will be if I sit on it. Or if it thins out too much at the ends. hips, with v shape fairy ends down to tailbone is my dream look. Always has been. However, since I haven't reached it yet I suppose that could change.

[Groovy Granny]

Solid Hip+ is too much for me; it feels too heavy and is in the way when I wear it down (which I love to do in cooler seasons).

I have a short torso so it isn't a super long length for each landmark compared to others, but I have arthritis and a sensitive scalp, so it starts to get uncomfortable past Hip; plus my hair doubles in volume/curls in Summer humidity.

Waist is my sweet spot but I do enjoy the few extra inches being @ hip to lengthen braids for buns.

It will be kept between waist and hip, depending on my comfort and ease of care going forward.

[Frankenstein]

The longest I would go now and in the future is probably TBL. I've been classic+ and liked it, but only after trimming to hip did I notice what a pain it had been to deal with.

[Griselda]

I'm beyond floorlength now, and it's still not too long. But of course it's too long to wear it down. I would say, everything longer then Classic is too long for me to wear down outside. Classic is a really good length for everything!

[lapushka]

Classic is a really good length! I agree! :agree: I still went back to hip, though, after having had classic for little over a year. I needed a change. Sometimes you just have to vary your "styles" a bit, IMO. I barely shift my buns (always LWB), so I look for my variation in my length. I like it, but I'm terribly *glad* I didn't go shorter than hip!

[school of fish]

For me, anything longer than my current TBL is too long :)

For anyone else, that's entirely their decision - my opinion matters not ;)

I don't really think my goalposts have shifted that much since I started growing. I've always been pretty confident that the hip-to-tailbone span is my happiest length range, so I haven't really experienced LHC shift as I've inched along to the lower end of that range ;) I really don't expect I will either :)

[HairPlease]

I've never been past about 26-27" but to me, hair is too long when it's no longer enjoyable. That would be as soon as it gets longer than one's finger tips (to me, at least).

[wispe]

When my hair was pixie/bob length I knew I wanted to grow my hair out, but I didn't have length goals (just vaguely "longer"). I'd never had hair past ~APL so I didn't really fantasize about being able to hit BSL+, I wasn't sure it was possible for me. Having since reached ~WL , longer lengths are looking miiighty tempting. Since longer has proven easier for me (less frequent washing and more styling/up-do options) I don't know when I'll hit my limit. I suspect wherever I end up will probably be aesthetically based for me. Unless I hit terminal at a shorter length, but I'm hoping not. I want to try out classic length at least once.

[MlleMC]

So far, my opinion hasn't changed about what's too long for me: I don't know because I haven't reached it yet.

However, I am starting to feel that I'm getting close to it, for a few reasons. First of all, I think I preferred the look of my hair when it was between TBL and classic (I'm an inch from fingertip now). And once I reach mid-thigh, it will start getting longer than some of my shorts, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Also, I love wearing it down, and it's increasingly getting in my way. But then, my braid still feels too short, and I'm really curious as to how long I can actually grow my hair, so for now I'm still growing it.

[inpatient]

Everything over BSL seems too long. My hair is only neck length, though, so that might change as it grows ^^

[mermaid lullaby]

I think my perspective about long hair has shifted. I once thought that WL would be my goal but I saw someone's TBL on LHC and that quickly butchered my reasons to maintain at WL.

[restless]

I think for me TBL is/was too long after all. For a long time it was my goal (that or classic, I kept changing my mind back and forth), but when I reached it I wasnt as happy with it as I had expected. I was really glad I reached the goal itself, but I felt more and more uncomfortable with the length. My ends were old and see through too, so I cut back to Bcl and I feel way better here, so this is where I´ll stay.

For others I dont really care one way or the other. I may not understand the fascination for the most extreme lengths (ankle, floor), but if that makes the person happy, then so be it :)

[hopefulred]

My dream hair length is BSL which with my 6ft height is going to take me about three years to grow out all one length as I'm aiming for all virgin and am only 4.5 months in, I don't desire any longer for me.

can I just ask what does BCL stand for and how long is classic?

[restless]

can I just ask what does BCL stand for and how long is classic?

BCL = Butt crack length. Classy, aint it? :p
Classic is the spot where your thighs meet the bum.

[hanne jensen]

When I first joined LHC I thought BSL was long. I'd never been able to achieve it before in my life. After seeing the lovely manes here my goals have now changed to terminal.

I'm now at waist+ and think my hair is short.

[spidermom]

Thinking back, classic length was too long for me, although it was my goal for years. Once I reached it, I had about 7 inches of dried out, split to pieces ends despite the very best care that I was capable of. Since then I've been trying to find my perfect length, cutting back a couple of times from tailbone to waist, layered and not layered, different shapes to my hem (straight and blunt, V, U). Finally I was fed up enough with hair that I cut back to collarbone. Ahhhhhhhhh, happy at last.

[turtlelover]

My first goal was BSL, but one I hit it, I then I moved up to waist. Lately I've been really loving a lot of pictures of tailbone length hair and wishing I had that! For some reason I just really love the aesthetic appeal of that length. I definitely would not want any longer than that, but any shorter than that and it wouldn't really seem like my dream hair.

[eladriel]

At this point everything longer than ~TBL/BCL seems too long to me (even though I'm always amazed by the longer lengths I see on here). And I think that my own hair would look best at about waist length, so I currently don't plan on growing much longer than that. I don't know how my opinion will change over time though.

[pili]

I don't know yet. I used to think hip was unmanageable and would cut back to BSL or shorter each time I hit that, but I didn't know any updos unless they involved 20,000 hairpins. Now I am perusing hair toy options to see what I can start using in the new year. Classic to TBL visually are my ideal.

[riahbobiah93]

I think that my hair will be too long when it gets to classic. Knee length is for sure too long for me. It starts to look too unnatural in my opinion. But I may change my mind by then - it's many years away! I'm currently between APL/BSL and my goal is to hit TBL, and then decide if I want to go for classic or not. I will probably go for classic anyway, just so I can cut to TBL and get some nice, thick ends out of it! :)

[hopefulred]

BCL = Butt crack length. Classy, aint it? :p
Classic is the spot where your thighs meet the bum.

Haha very classy!! Thankyou for clearing that up! I could work out all the other abbreviations except those two!! 😂

[Anje]

In practice, fingertip was where I started to have trouble dealing with it. Ends were getting tricky to reach, updos kept hurting for some reason, and the 3-foot+ hairs from this year's fall shed were turning up everywhere. Combine with the long commute where I couldn't wear an updo and the braid getting caught constantly in my lap where my leg bends... Yeah.

No, that's not the reason I cut mine short, but it is why I cut it to tailbone a few weeks before I did. Fingertip without updos was obnoxious. (If I could have worn updos more and solved that sore spot on my crown, yeah, I could definitely have gone longer. Maybe I'll try again next time around.)

[MidnightMoon]

right now, probably past knee, and definitely floor.
While I admire the ability to grow and care for such long hair, I think floor is where it stops being aesthetically pleasing to me. I can picture ladies of yore with classic, or knee length hair, but floor just seems too much and I feel like I would look swallowed by it :(
Anyway... I dont even think I have the genes to grow that long, considering my hair is veeery fine and delicate. I predict it will look decent at around classic and it maaay get to knee but I dont have high hopes.

[Doom]

When someone obnoxiously asks me if my hair has gotten too long in a passive-aggressive way to tell me to cut it, I reply "I'm not stepping on it yet, so it's not too long."
A serious answer is that I don't know yet how long is too long for me, but I really hope it's not gonna be something shorter than classic.

[jessic6]

Classic is definitely too long for me. But waist, which I am at right now, is too short. My ideal length is probably somewhere between hip and CL.

I used to think hip was long but now I think it's closer to "just right."

[draysmir]

I think it depends on the person what I find to be too long. I typically find classic or longer hair to be too long, but sometimes ill see a picture of someone with mid-thigh length wavy hair and I love it so much! I think if there's nothing going on with the hair (waves, layers, braids, etc.) even WL hair can look unappealing to me. On myself, I have yet to find what I think is too long on me. I'm almost waist and it appears to continue to look nicer to me as it grows out, so we shall see ;)

I originally thought anything past HL was too long, but I'm striving for TBL now, so my opinion has definitely shifted since starting my journey. I considered WL long before I started to grow it out from SL, but now that I'm basically there, it only feels sort of long to me. Where I live, the majority of females my age have close to BSL or longer hair so WL is really not seeming all that long to me anymore.

[littlestarface]

It'll never be too long, more like it'll never be long enough haha!

[Mirabele]

Depends on a person's body proportions, hair type, hair thickness and overall hair condition. On myself, i dont want longer than waist or hip. On others, usually classic seem "long enough" to me.

[Aunty Miki]

I think beyond FL would be too long. I'd hate to step on it. Really, too long for me will be when I can't keep it healthy, anymore. I don't know that length, yet.

[genlilliana]

I think I'm at my limit...BSL (well, a little bit past that...but not waist length.) I have very curly, very thick hair and it can be a challenge. I currently have a little trouble brushing the middle back of my hair so I do one side, then the other...then ask my husband or daughter to get the middle a couple of times. I have RA so I think that going longer isn't going to be a good option for me as gripping hairbrushes can be a challenge at times. That's okay though - I'm happy to have it where it is. With all the tangles I get now and how often I wear my hair up to avoid them...I couldn't imagine going even longer! Bless you ladies that do...

[AutobotsAttack]

Too long for me might occur when unnecessary damage starts to happen. I would like to thigh length personally. However if at some I'm getting tangles, caught in things, etc. at classic or mid butt then I guess that's my limit. But floor length kind of draws the line for me. I love how beautiful it is though.

[thunderseed]

I am very sporty and I don't actually know how to put my hair up. And it hangs just above my butt so it gets in the way during sports.

A simple bun is all I ever learned (I can't even do a high pony tail because my hair turns into a dangerous whip and gets in the way even more), but my hair comes undone with buns within a few minutes which is even more annoying than wearing it down.

So I just wear it down during sports, which is annoying because it gets in my face, then i can't see, or it gets stuck in my armpits or around my arms and it gets yanked while I'm trying to do things.

So honestly, I couldn't imagine how annoying it must be to have hair any longer than mine. I like having long hair for aesthetic reasons but that's about it. Honestly, the one time in my life where I had the courage to cut it all off into a pixie cut, it felt sooo good, but I look terrible with short hair.

[Ligeia Noire]

I am almost at knee which is my limit, so I think that will be enough but I might cut it back to mtl or classic if it becomes harder than what it is now. But yeah too long for me is when I cannot wear it down at least once per month

[Seija]

I agree with an above post, it definitely depends on the body proportions. I feel like anything past tail bone would make me feel extra short since I'm only 5'1. I don't want to cover the already small amount of leg that I have