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View Full Version : Almost at classic and I'm so tempted to cut



Mama D
June 28th, 2008, 08:47 PM
I've been growing my hair out for like six years now, the first few just because I didn't know what else to do with it, and the last year and a half on purpose. My initial goal was tailbone length hair and after I got there, I didn't really know what to do next so I just let it keep going. Now my hair is almost at classic length (maybe an inch away?) but I'm soooo tempted to cut it.

Why? Well I just feel like there's no point in having long gorgeous hair if no one ever sees it. :) And at this length it's such a hassle to wear down. If I stand with my hands at my side, my hair halfway covers my hands, which of course means that if I'm leaning forward to pick something up--like one of my two small children, for instance, or to help myself to food at a buffet-style meal--there's my hair, getting in the way of my hands (and when there's food in the picture, this can get kind of gross). So my hair is up allllll the time. In the same old inside-out bun with a knitting needle stuck through it (the double pointed kind, bent in half to make a fork).

Then there's also the fact that I just like the proportions of tailbone-length hair.

So I kind of want to cut it back to tailbone, which would be above my wrists and not quite so in-the-way, but part of me thinks I'll regret it. I like being different, in the sense that I don't want to be, oh, ordinary, or mainstream. And classic length hair is even less ordinary than tailbone length hair (though tailbone is still pretty unusual, I guess). And my hair is really still in good condition all the way down to the ends--shiny and smooth. *sigh* I dunno. Any input?

I would post pics to help you help me decide, but I don't have a camera on hand--sorry. :)

I know this is really my own decision to make, but since I don't have anyone in my life right now who *appreciates* my long hair and understands the significance of this decision to me, I thought I would come here for moral support and advice. :)

Marchpane
June 28th, 2008, 08:52 PM
Well, as I only have around BSL hair, I suppose I'm not much of an authority on the subject of very long hair, but I think it would make sense to cut it. It's still very unsual and special at tailbone length, and if it's easier to manage and not giving you a hassle, wouldn't it be worth it? Plus I think it makes sense what you said about there not being much point if nobody ever sees your hair down long. Maybe try imagining how you'd feel after getting it cut- would you feel relieved and happy about the change? Or upset and regretting it? Whatever you choose, hopefully it will make you happy. :) Good luck deciding!

Gabriel
June 28th, 2008, 09:02 PM
I think being able to take pleasure in your hair for yourself is a huge factor in your choice here... if you really liked tailbone length, I say go for it. Hair will always grow back.

However, first, why not try some new styles or accessories? What about braids or plaits? There's are a lot of different ways you can play with hair your length.

Maybe your hemline could be changed up instead of a full cut as well, a "v" shape or something to give you less bulk at the sides near your hands.

I'm sure other people will have better advice but if it were me I'd wait a couple of weeks and try some new styles. I would also maybe find someplace to "show my hair off" (be able to wear it down without too much hassle) at least once a week so as not to feel like all I ever do is hide it.

I'm sure whatever you decide will look great regardless!

Mama D
June 28th, 2008, 09:03 PM
Another thing I thought of.

Right now when I sit down and pull my hair over my shoulder (like right now) it's long enough to lie in my lap. I look down at my lap and my hair is just lying there. Like six inches of it. I like that. (I know, I'm weird) If I cut it back to tailbone, it won't do that any more.

Elenna
June 28th, 2008, 09:06 PM
. . . . Now my hair is almost at classic length (maybe an inch away?) but I'm soooo tempted to cut it.

I know this is really my own decision to make, but since I don't have anyone in my life right now who *appreciates* my long hair and understands the significance of this decision to me, I thought I would come here for moral support and advice. :)

Well, it's your hair and you have to live with it. BUT you do have a whole brunch of people here at LHC who appreciate long hair and (oh boy) do we understand what it means for even a trim. We can be your support group. :D

You might want to talk to the "classic length" people here at LHC.

Deborah
June 28th, 2008, 09:21 PM
I have had long hair all my life. My theory has always been that if the length is beginning to annoy me, or to get in the way, then I cut back quite a bit. I usually then enjoy my hair again. This is why I have never gone for terminal. My mum used to tell me I should let it grow just to see how long I could get it. But that never interested me.

I understand what you mean. Some like it super-long. I'm just not one of them, and maybe you aren't either. I like my hair best at around waist length. It's a bit longer now, but I'll either trim frequently to keep it here, or let it go a little more, then have a bigger cut. This always assures a nice even hemline.

What I really mean to convey is that you should keep your hair at whatever length YOU feel is best for YOU. On a board like this, one can feel pressure to go longer and longer. But if you don't like dealing with it after a certain length, cut it back to where it's comfortable for you. It sounds as though you 'feel' best when your hair is at tailbone. I wouldn't hesitate to cut it back if I were you. It's YOUR hair! Make yourself happy and comfortable. :flower:

Ndnlady
June 28th, 2008, 09:38 PM
I am basically agreeing with everyone else, you should do what is going to make you feel comfortable.
Or you can trade with me!:eyebrows::D If only we could all do that.:pinktongue: Can you imagine what the swap board would look like?!:lol:

spidermom
June 28th, 2008, 09:55 PM
I can't speak for you, but I know that if I cut my hair before I get to classic length, it will bother me. I've got to experience that length if my hair will cooperate and grow that long. It's become such a pain in the butt that I don't think I'll regret it too much if it doesn't grow that long, but if I don't find out, it's going to drive me crazy. So I'm going to get there before I decide what I want to do with my hair next.

Speedbump
June 28th, 2008, 10:00 PM
If you aren't particularly interested in getting to classic -- like if it's not really a goal of yours -- then I would say invoke the two-week rule and decide at the end of the two weeks if you want to cut back to tailbone or not. If it has been a goal of yours to reach classic, then heck I'd wait the two to three months to let it get there before deciding anything. An inch away is not very long in terms of length or in growing time.

Nat242
June 28th, 2008, 10:35 PM
I can't help you making the decision whether or not to cut, that's up to you, I just wanted to suggest trying styles that are both practical yet show off your length, e.g. the bunny-tail that Dianyla and others do. Part of your hair is coiled up in a bun, with a "tail" that hangs free and shows off your length. Just an idea :shrug:

-- Natalie

willowcandra
June 28th, 2008, 11:37 PM
I am just above classic (I am maintaining so I hit classic and chop a couple inches off then let it grow again.)

I have been debating tailbone with myself for a year lol.
I have my hair up all the time and I have very fine ends right now so I plan to grow out the fine ends and when I have my old thicker hemline back I will decide what to do. If I still don't feel I can wear it loose much then I will chop.

So to help you...If I wore my hair loose all the time and hated up dos then I would maintain at tailbone. It's much more out of the way and much more forgiving. I also like the way it looks. Care wise there is a world of difference between tail and classic. I am finding that classic hair is alot of effort.

I guess there is a psychological thing to it. BY lhc standards tailbone doesn't seem to be that long does it? And part of me feels like I wouldn't really be a longhair anymore. crazy I know. It's just that all the lhcers I have looked up to have always been those longer than classic. I dunno like I said I will give it a few years to thicken my hemline up and see how I feel. I guess I would like to feel that it was thick enough and in good enough condition to go fingertip length or even knee. But tailbone is very tempting.

julya
June 29th, 2008, 12:39 AM
I was feeling frustrated with my hair a few months ago, and a 2 inch trim helped me feel better. But my hair did feel pretty damaged at the ends. The two week rule would probably be a good idea too.

eadwine
June 29th, 2008, 02:02 AM
Go for it! If it will make you happier :) Who cares how long your hair is, YOU have to be happy with it and after the cut it is still long. :)

Poppy Seed
June 29th, 2008, 02:25 AM
Just hit classic myself and almost always have my hair in a bun because it's so quick and easy, and would suggest using the two-week rule to try out some more styles, then if you still really hate it tailbone is a good place to be. Just think how beautiful your hemline will be!

Examples of other styles
- bunny tail looks pretty funky at classic I've discovered recently (at tailbone or even a bit beyond the tail part is too short)
- I'm extremely close to one of my mini-goals which is to be able to make a coronet around my head out of one single plait, and I currently achieve this look with two plaits that both start near the nape of my neck and wrap around my head in opposite directions.
- plaited bun instead of plain twisted hair
- single ponytail with multiple bands down the length REALLLY seems to accentuate the length, and it keeps it all together
- chinese bun with plaits or without.

Perhaps even just try using some different forks and sticks? I've got fairly thin and very fine hair, so I've only just about reached the point where I can use a ficcarre maximus...if hair toys excite you.

Good luck anyway, and remember it will grow back (you could also try doing a smaller trim to, say, half-way between classic and tailbone which is a kind of halfway house to see if you mourn the loss of length?).

Eolan
June 29th, 2008, 03:17 AM
What I've learned from having long hair is NO DRASTIC CUTS. As some other ladies said, think about it for two weeks and decide then. If you still want to cut it off, I'd say cut only a little. If you still think it's too long, cut a little moore, and go on like that until you find the lenght that you feel comfortable in. This way it less risk to regret oneself.
Also, you are unike no matter how your hair looks. No one is like you, you're one of a kind. Don't forget that. :)

FrannyG
June 29th, 2008, 04:18 AM
Wow, Mama D., you're so close to classic! Why not just keep growing until classic and reevaluate at that time? I understand your reasoning, but I somehow feel that you'll regret not reaching that milestone if you cut now.

In any case, please invoke the two week rule and remember; no emotional cutting. I hope that a couple of weeks helps to settle your mind. :flowers:

DrkAngel
June 29th, 2008, 04:22 AM
mine is not as long as yours but you could try wearing it down in braids or ponytails. They would still get in the way but i guess they're easier to deal with compared to the whole mane flying loose. sounds to me like what you need are hairstyle ideas to show off the length.

however, if you do think tailbone will be a much more enjoyable length for you at this point, give it a try. Don't feel too bad about cutting: it's hair... it'll grow back. :)

anna1850
June 29th, 2008, 04:40 AM
Have you tried half-ups? I would have though they might help since they take all the hair at the front to the back so it won't be near your hands. Or you could try some kind of bun with to take off some length with a long tail hanging out.

I don't know, I'm not anywhere near your length so it's hard to say. My own long-term plan is to grow to classic but if it's too long, cut back to tailbone. But I'm a year or 2 away from worrying about that.

Were you happy when you were at TB? That's maybe the most important question I think.

Ursula
June 29th, 2008, 08:15 AM
Well, hair does not become invisible, just because it is in a bun. My hair is almost always in a bun, and no one has even mistaken me for bald. I'm just known as the woman with the bun, rather than the woman with the very long hair.

Even when it is up, people can see it, and people who know long hair can appreciate it as much in a nice bun as when it is loose. You might consider looking at different ways to use your hair toys, or doing things like weaving a ribbon into your braid, to decorate and show off your hair more when it is in an organized style.

When wearing your hair loose, you might try using barrettes, side combs or a headband to hold it back, or doing half-ups, so that the length is showing, but it is held back and out of the way. You might also try practicing wearing it loose now and then, because there are tricks in how you can move to avoid having your hair falling in your way. (It has to do with how your turn your head or angle your neck, so that you direct your hair away from your hands.)

Also, just because your hair is falling in your way now, doesn't mean that it will still be doing so in a few inches. You may hit another length where your body is again more effective at holding your hair back.

An invisible way to hold your hair back is to take a lock from either side of the front of your hairline, and bring it back and clip it under the length of your hair at the nape of your neck. It then helps hold everything else back from your face, less obviously (but slightly less effectively) than if you clipped it back in a half up.

Of course, if you want to cut, cut! I suggest self-trimming, and taking off say, one inch every two weeks. So you can settle on a length that works, by experimentation, rather than taking a lot at once and perhaps missing a point that you really like.

Zombiekins
June 29th, 2008, 09:08 PM
I've been growing my hair out for like six years now, the first few just because I didn't know what else to do with it, and the last year and a half on purpose. My initial goal was tailbone length hair and after I got there, I didn't really know what to do next so I just let it keep going. Now my hair is almost at classic length (maybe an inch away?) but I'm soooo tempted to cut it.

Why? Well I just feel like there's no point in having long gorgeous hair if no one ever sees it. :) And at this length it's such a hassle to wear down. If I stand with my hands at my side, my hair halfway covers my hands, which of course means that if I'm leaning forward to pick something up--like one of my two small children, for instance, or to help myself to food at a buffet-style meal--there's my hair, getting in the way of my hands (and when there's food in the picture, this can get kind of gross). So my hair is up allllll the time. In the same old inside-out bun with a knitting needle stuck through it (the double pointed kind, bent in half to make a fork).

Then there's also the fact that I just like the proportions of tailbone-length hair.

So I kind of want to cut it back to tailbone, which would be above my wrists and not quite so in-the-way, but part of me thinks I'll regret it. I like being different, in the sense that I don't want to be, oh, ordinary, or mainstream. And classic length hair is even less ordinary than tailbone length hair (though tailbone is still pretty unusual, I guess). And my hair is really still in good condition all the way down to the ends--shiny and smooth. *sigh* I dunno. Any input?

I would post pics to help you help me decide, but I don't have a camera on hand--sorry. :)

I know this is really my own decision to make, but since I don't have anyone in my life right now who *appreciates* my long hair and understands the significance of this decision to me, I thought I would come here for moral support and advice. :)

You sound like me! :eek: I, too, grew my hair out for years without any real plan for it (initially it was "hey, wonder if it will cover my boobs..", then "hey, wonder if it'll cover my bits?"). And I totally understand about the "being different." Classic length really does get noticed. Even if no one comments, people definitely stare at it when you've got it down......which generally isn't often, right? Sure, it feels great wearing "hair clothes" and being covered with it (while naked, of course, that's where the least amount of tangling occurs), but what's that, five minutes a week? And the boring bun... I'll bet our purses are pretty similar on the inside with all those bent crochet needles. Not even half-ups ever worked out for me. There would be a matted rat's nest at the nape of my neck (not to mention the heat! guh, hair is horribly hot!) within ten minutes, do you have better luck with yours?

So how about you grow to classic (almost there anyway), wear it down a bit, show it off, take a few pictures to remember it, wait a couple of weeks, and begin trimming back an inch or two at a time if you still want to. Since trimming my hair back (belly-button length as of last night) from classic I've worn it down at least four times in two weeks -- that's more than six months or a year previously! No, there haven't been any comments about it (unlike at classic, when even a braid would garner notice), but I'm happier with it and love wearing it down again. So unless your ego needs to be fed by the "ooh pretty hair, and so long!" monster, trim it up a bit and see what works for you. :)

Mama D
June 30th, 2008, 04:14 PM
Thanks so much for all the thoughtful replies!

I ended up trimming the other day. I cut off about an inch and a half, so I'm still in between tailbone and classic. I didn't invoke the two week rule in this case, because I've actually already been thinking about this for a couple of months. :) So I trimmed it back an inch and a half, and treated myself to a CO washing and a SMT (I've been lazy lately, so I've just been shampooing and conditioning). My reasoning was this: with a freshly trimmed hemline and the blinding shine that I always get from a SMT, maybe I'll feel so good about my hair that I won't want to cut any more.

Did it work? Well, I do like my hair a lot more now than I did a couple of days ago, but I still don't feel like I can leave it down. I've been thinking about this, and Ursula, I think you're right--I need more practice. It's just that I can't bring myself to practice leaving it down, or even doing half-ups, which do result in those awful nape tangles (yes, what you describe sounds very familiar, Zombiekins!)

So I might cut more, but I'm invoking a two-month rule for the time being. I'll be visiting my sister in two months, so if I still want to cut more at that point, I'll have her do it (it was tricky doing it myself--what happened to the self-trimming article we used to have on the old LHC?)

For the time being, I'm going to MAKE myself leave it down in public sometime soon (when I don't have my two boys with me, because bending over to pick them up seems to be the time when I develop the most tangles). And I'm not allowed to bring a hair band or bent knitting needle! Wow, this will be tough to do, psychologically. I'm curious to see how many times I'll need to retire to the bathroom with a comb to touch it up (my very straight hair really shows the tangles). Hopefully not more than once every few hours.

Thanks again for the replies. :)

Islandgrrl
June 30th, 2008, 05:06 PM
Mama D.... I'm glad you're happy with it at the moment! No matter what length you choose, it has to be something you can live with. I don't think there's any reason you should be unhappy with choosing a "shorter long length" if that's what works for you. Tailbone is long! And it still grows, so it's just time if you want it to get longer again.

Delenn
July 1st, 2008, 09:18 AM
For the time being, I'm going to MAKE myself leave it down in public sometime soon (when I don't have my two boys with me, because bending over to pick them up seems to be the time when I develop the most tangles). And I'm not allowed to bring a hair band or bent knitting needle! Wow, this will be tough to do, psychologically. I'm curious to see how many times I'll need to retire to the bathroom with a comb to touch it up (my very straight hair really shows the tangles). Hopefully not more than once every few hours.

Thanks again for the replies. :)

Actually when I wear mine down I regularly feel for nape tangles so that I can gently work them out with my fingers. Saves me the hassle and damage later. I've just accepted the fact that wearing my hair down is NOT the leave-it-and-forget-it hairstyle it used to be when it was shorter. If I want to wear it down then I need to do even just a little bit of maintenance throughout the day. :)

lora410
July 1st, 2008, 09:34 AM
If it makes your life easier then go for it. It's not like you plan to cut to shoulder length :)