Long hair IS lower maintenance, at least for me.

[boomygrrl]

In three days, I will have my baby. Yay! I keep getting asked..."Are you going to cut your hair?"
I don't take offense to the question. It seems to be something people do when they have babies around here. Fine for them. I think people think shorter hair is lower maintenance...and maybe for them, it is.
(By the way, this question is often asked by people who have long or long-ish hair, so I don't think they are being rude implying I look bad with long hair).
Anyways, I have curly hair that has the tendency to poof and frizz. Long hair actually helps tame my hair. If I were to cut it, it would be very very poofy and look like an afro. Nothing wrong with afros, but its not for me.
I would also have to mess with the ends of my hair more, as my curls would go in every direction.
Long hair is nice for me...My hair is still curly but it lies down better on my shoulders and back.
If I want my hair out of the way...it takes two seconds to use a scrunchie and make a faux bun. I just make a ponytail and then loop it...voila, it's out of my way.

No soccer mom look in my future ;)

[JuliaDancer]

I agree! When I do a complex style, it takes more time, but when it comes to regular care, I think it's easier than short hair. No need to blow dry to keep it looking right, no hair falling in your face when it's up. Good for you!

[teal]

I dunno why people think you should cut your hair when you have babies. I got the same comments. I always found short hair to be more work.

[Heartwillfollow]

Sending good thoughts and congratulations for the little one on the way !!! :)

[ttverdy]

I agree! Long hair is so much easier to maintain for me. I have curly/poofy hair too, and the length pulls it down, or I can bun it and get it out of the way.

(Future) Congratulations, by the way!

[pepperminttea]

Agreed; chin length was definitely more maintenance than this. I think a super-short pixie would be less, but I prefer it long. :)

Good luck with the birth by the way! :D

[racrane]

I agree. It's nice to put it in a braid and keep it out of the way. Congrats on your baby, how exciting! :)

[skyblue]

I think it's because babies have a tendency to grab hair so anything hanging within reach will get pulled lol! I wouldn't worry about cutting it, especially if it behaves better long, unless you want to...just keep it up and out of the way and all will be well

[emelnd]

I think it's because babies have a tendency to grab hair so anything hanging within reach will get pulled lol! I wouldn't worry about cutting it, especially if it behaves better long, unless you want to...just keep it up and out of the way and all will be well

This. My cousin's toddler would walk towards me with the cutest smile on his face and then yank my hair. I mean, he would pull so hard he got them by the roots. I was a preteen then... And when my mother restrained him before he could get to me, he would start crying, I mean in tears, "her hair, HER HAIR".

Not all toddlers are as hyper though.

[boomygrrl]

Yep, I know they like to pull hair, but I can keep my hair back, so I'm not worried. I think a poofy afro might be more fun for a kid to try to play with than a faux bun. The baby will likely be close to my face anyways (as I will be smooching on him). He can pull short hair just as easily, I would think.
I just have to remember-- no earrings, especially the hoopy kind.

[luxepiggy]

I concur! Even with my new hair colour, I spend less time & money on my hair than any of my female friends IRL. Piggies are lazy (^(oo)^)v

[PianoPlaye]

Long hair is so much easier, on an effort per day basis, than short.
You could always wear stud earrings, if you wanted to?
Best of luck with the last few days of pregnancy & have a safe & happy delivery! :magic:

[dulce]

I couldn't agree more! I also have curly hair,long IS so much easier for me,Even a pixie had to be styled as my hair would always stick out at oddball angles!I had tailbone hair when mine were young and pierced earrings.Never a problem,no dangly earrings and put hair up and to back of head where baby can't reach.Couldn't imagine having to style and blowdry those mom bobs daily!!I'd have hated it.Congrats on the baby!

[Animae]

I concur! Even with my new hair colour, I spend less time & money on my hair than any of my female friends IRL. Piggies are lazy (^(oo)^)v

Piggies are not lazy, Piggies are Efficient, specializing in Motion Study. :cool:

[teal]

I forgot to congratulate you on the impending arrival of your baby! Yay!


Couldn't imagine having to style and blowdry those mom bobs daily!!I'd have hated it.

This made me LOL! :D "mom bobs", ha! Love it!

[nobeltonya]

Indeed, with long hair you can just put it in a ponytail or a quick bun w/hair sticks or braid it... the possibilities are endless. :) Less frequent trips to the salon [unless you trim it yourself]. I have 2 boys, and mine is finally at the top of my hips. Just when I finally got the big one to leave my hair alone, the little one likes to come behind me while I'm sitting on the floor and pull my ponytail.. :P But, I anticipate it now, so I just flip it to the other side.. heh

[celebriangel]

Yup. My short hair was a nightmare, blowdrying is hell, daily washing was a pain, styling sucked.

washing eveery 4-5 days and letting it dry? Easy as pie.

I went to uni today in my sleep braid. It looked exactly like those messy side-braids loads of other people had. ZERO effort.

[fiddlefananb]

My long hair is much lower maintenance. It is almost to my waist and I wash it, let it air dry, then bun it. When hair is short it needs to be styled, or curled, then sprayed with hairspray.

I have no bangs either because my hair around my face is frizzy so I don't have to straighten bangs either. Very easy.

[spidermom]

Cutting hair after a baby is not only about making hair care easier. The main reason that I did was that baby was always grabbing my hair. Yes, I could make a nice secure up-do in the day and prevent some grabbing, but in the middle of the night - not so much. Plus there could be vomit on baby's hands, etc. Bleh! With a short cut and baby held low, there was no way hair could be grabbed.

Also, sometimes hair sheds so much after childbirth that it doesn't look very good long anymore.

[Aqua Gal]

Well, put me down as one who cut after baby. More out of necessity than anything, as Spidermom mentioned above with the thinning.

I lost so much of my hair that you could easily read the saying on my tshirt when my hair was all down..very sad. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Best wishes for the baby and your beautiful hair!

[Lianna]

I don't associate short hair with anything "bad", perhaps because in my country there isn't a term called "soccer mom". Short hair turned out to be less work for me, that's why I cut it back to neck length. The only way long hair would be less work would be a daily damp bun...which I did for almost a year, everyday. Bottom line is I wasn't happy with that.

[irishlady]

Congrats on the little one who's coming soon! And I agree with you, I have had my hair long and short, and long hair is much much easier to handle!

[Rosethorn]

I would have to agree that short hair (at least MY short hair) is much higher maintenance than long hair. At least with long hair, if you just can't seem to make it do anything that day, you can always go for a sloppy bun or pony tail...
Yay! Baby!

[naturegirl321]

Just keep it up. It's easy to get long hair out of the way than short hair.

[Emmental]

I just commented on another thread with the same theme, but after reading some of these replies, I feel like I should have expounded.

The reality is, for some, shorter hair will be easier and/or preferred. Also, some people love the look of their hair up (ponytail or otherwise) and some do not like that look. Lastly, some people do have a rougher time with postpartum shedding. I went through a pretty rough shed, but I just wore my hair up during that time and even wore it up during the horrible regrowth stage. It is what worked for me.

I think you have to do what you want to do. I wouldn't listen to people that tell you to cut it. If you tell you to cut it, that's when you should cut it. :)

[Rybe]

Long hair is SO much easier for me. Sure, it's bone straight and cooperative. Except the cowlicks. Those evil, evil whorls of hate. :brickwall Even with my giant piles of hair they still sometimes act up :rolleyes: with short hair it was impossible to tame without gel, which looked awful unless I was spiking it. And I agree with some other posters, it seems like long hair bunned seems more baby-proof than anything but a pixi

Good luck with baby! :D

[taimatsuko]

First off, Congratulations!

Secondly, I wonder if easier maintainance with longer hair is a curly haired person trait. My hair is short but I can already tell that as it gets longer it is easier to style and looks neater with less effort. I think if hair is straight it can still look neater at shorter lengths with less of the complicated styling steps curly-haired people have to go through if they don't want to wear an afro.

[Cassie 123]

I agree. My hair isn't long but I never, never cut it shorter than fully-ponytailable length.

Just curious: how will you wear your hair for the birth?

[pepperminttea]

I went to uni today in my sleep braid. It looked exactly like those messy side-braids loads of other people had. ZERO effort.

I have been known to do that too. :o :D

[luxepiggy]

Piggies are not lazy, Piggies are Efficient, specializing in Motion Study. :cool:

Oh, I like you (^(oo)^)`

[Juneii]

I think it's because there is a length between short and long that is high maintenance to some women and they assume that any length longer than that will get in the way. BUT IT WON'T. Ah, I love longer hair. So easy to put it up out of the way when I want to and so nice to leave down if I wish.

Congrats on reaching motherhood!

[hototogisu]

I think it's a personal preference. I'm not a mother so I don't have anywhere near the same kinds of stresses and difficulties as mums, but my long hair just styles itself. My bun waves look like curling iron waves, plus I find braids quick and very comfortable when I'm lounging around at home. I also find I spend much less money and time on my hair now. Don't get me wrong, I still think about it all the time!

But I could see a short cut being less effort, but it depends on the cut, your hair type, your circumstances/preferences etc. I know I'm prone to hormonal shedding, so I'm already thinking about what my hair strategy is when it's time to have kids. I think I'll probably highlight back to my natural colour and cut it quite short so I could take advantage of the pregnancy growth spurt. Yes, I'm already thinking about that. I'm a planner by nature.

[hototogisu]

And CONGRATULATIONS!!

[boomygrrl]

Yep, that's why I said "at least for me." I know short hair works great for straight haired people...maybe even wavy hair. I have a lot of curl to my hair that frizzes easily if I don't put in a creamy leave-in conditioner at least. My hair would look like a hot mess if it was short. Unless the shedding is soooo significant, I don't think I need to worry about that. I have a lot, and I mean a lot, of fine textured hair. It has the illusion of being thick hair, but that's because there is a lot of it.



First off, Congratulations!

Secondly, I wonder if easier maintainance with longer hair is a curly haired person trait. My hair is short but I can already tell that as it gets longer it is easier to style and looks neater with less effort. I think if hair is straight it can still look neater at shorter lengths with less of the complicated styling steps curly-haired people have to go through if they don't want to wear an afro.

[boomygrrl]

I have a scheduled c-section on Monday, so I plan to just wear it loose. I will wash it the night before. It'll be frizzy, I'm sure, as I don't want to put product in it. I might be in the hospital for a few days. Benign neglect is the way to go for that, as showering will be a challenging experience with a fresh c-sec scar. I packed pony tail holders, so I plan to sport the pony tail look while visitors are around and during my few days recovery.
My baby was supposed to be due on the 16th, but due to medical reasons, we are having a c-section on the 10th.



I agree. My hair isn't long but I never, never cut it shorter than fully-ponytailable length.

Just curious: how will you wear your hair for the birth?

[Cassie 123]

I have a scheduled c-section on Monday, so I plan to just wear it loose. I will wash it the night before. It'll be frizzy, I'm sure, as I don't want to put product in it. I might be in the hospital for a few days. Benign neglect is the way to go for that, as showering will be a challenging experience with a fresh c-sec scar. I packed pony tail holders, so I plan to sport the pony tail look while visitors are around and during my few days recovery.
My baby was supposed to be due on the 16th, but due to medical reasons, we are having a c-section on the 10th.

Ah, I see. I thought perhaps you were being induced. A C-section is major surgery.. braids might prevent tangles?

[jaine]

If you think "long hair is lower maintenance" you probably haven't tried a buzz cut yet. :)

[Panth]

Ah, I see. I thought perhaps you were being induced. A C-section is major surgery.. braids might prevent tangles?

A caterpillar braid might be good too. Also has an added bonus - it's easy enough that anyone with you / visiting and even maybe nurses could do in under 5 mins.

[morrigan*]

I must agree with you that longer hair needs much less work to looks ok. Few years ago I choped my hair off because everybody says short cuts are low maintenance, but when my hair is short they get super curly wurly and I look terible if I don't iron them or anything, plus i have to washed my hair almost every day. Now at BSL i wash it two times per week :D. So long hair for me.

[morrigan*]

I forgot to add, when I have little sisters and brother i have waist lenght hair, mostly in pony or braid and they didn't pull it , maybe once or twice, and i have been with them almost all day.
Oh I remember i dressed my baby brother in girly dresses :D

[Teamouse]

Long hair is easier for me too.
I think I'd go with a braid.

Congratulations on the baby! So exciting!

[emelnd]

Yeah I'm with you... A bun is a lot easier. My hair poofs up and becomes crazy Einstein hair if I had it short.

[Orangerthanred]

Haha. Long hair is easiest for me, too. When my hair is a centimeter above my shoulders, I have to buy a ton of products and styling tools to -try- to stop it from volumizing a ton.

And for my mom. When she had me her hair was near waist length, and she didn't cut it till I was five. When it's short she flat irons it all the time because it curls up. When it's long it has long, soft waves.

[MaryRose]

Congratulations on the baby!!
I also think long hair is easier with baby. Those early morning feedings are tiring. I would always keep a scrunchie next to the bed. When it was time to feed baby, a quick pony tail with the tail pulled through half way did the trick. In the morning, it was easy to comb hair and put in pony. Short hair, for me, was okay but I had to style it everyday if I was to leave the house and that was a pain.

[maborosi]

I honestly have to disagree with the sentiment that long hair is lower-maintenance than short hair.

When my hair was really short, I never had to worry about wearing it up to sleep or worry about it getting caught somewhere, using a ton of conditioner to detangle it, find hairstyles that will keep it from getting caught on things/damaged/blown in the wind, etc, and those are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head.

But is it worth it? Yes. Yes, a million times. Short hair makes my face look heavy (Apparently my face shape doesn't look good with longhair? lol?) and I like to do fun styles with it. I just think it is a lot of hard work to keep it in as good of condition as my hair is in, where with short hair, if it started looking bad, I could just lop off a bit more, ha.

Also, congrats on your birth. Yeah, I never completely understand the whole cutting hair after a baby, but I always assumed it was 'cause kids like to pull on things. Ouch. Though the maintenance thing makes sense too.

~maborosi~