Eirelin
January 19th, 2012, 10:04 PM
I originally started this as a reply to the "Mirror Gazing" thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=86348 but soon realized that it was both too long and starting to wander a tad off topic, so I decided to start a different thread.
Regarding looking at the back of your hair being surprised at how long it has gotten, I do look at mine often but only because I want to check how that day's style looks from the back. I don't like having it up all the time; it does make me look older, I think, and I really do want to enjoy the length, but I do have to have it up to perform wedding ceremonies (it looks more appropriate) and to meet with clients, etc., so all I see then is how the updo looks from the back, which is never terribly impressive.
However, on the days I do something nice with it but it is either a half-up or all the way down, then I look back at it and think, "Wow! It is still not really long yet, but it is getting there!"
My roommate's hair, on the other hand, is the one that really surprises me now. He is a 54-year-old guy with very fine and, sadly, thinning hair that is about 1a on the top and works its way down to 2c (I think; spiral curls and S-waves?) underneath. For most of his life, his haircare routine consisted of washing often, sticking it into a low ponytail to get it out of the way half the time and leaving it loose the rest of the time (sometimes under a baseball cap), and eventually ripping a brush through the inevitable rat's nest. Of course, he has always been very unhappy that his hair "just does not grow any longer."
Sometime around last September, I talked him into letting me take care of his hair (I had joined LHC in May and had learned enough to decide to at least try with his). Since then, I have done S&D on him twice, and 1 trim of just over an inch to even up the bottom.
Even with that trim, his hair has grown at least 2 inches since September, perhaps 23 inches now. For his hair, that is a HUGE step! It has never been this long in his life, and he has not actually gotten any more than trims since getting out of the Air Force in the mid 70's. I am actually envious of his growth because that seems to be about the same rate as mine without a trim! I just took his first length shot tonight, and I will take another one in a month, just so I can really be certain. (These will be in my album later when I can get them posted.)
Now, after he washes his hair (occasionally CO now, although I am still trying to wean him further away from the shampoo), I wait for it to dry, spritz it with water that has a tiny bit of conditioner in it (he doesn't like the smell of the oils and doesn't want me to use any), then detangle with my fingers first and then with a wide-toothed comb, and occasionally a follow up with a boar bristle brush (he loves the way that feels). Then it all gets put into a very low French braid from about the ears down to as far as I can get it and held with a clear elastic. When I did that tonight, I realized that the end of the braid has grown enough to go just past the back of the chair he always sits in for this.
Sorry for the long post, but I have been so excited for him. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is get up and take care of his hair, but the results have been worth it. So, I want to thank everyone here on behalf of both of us. You are all so helpful with your many, many suggestions, and although I am shooting for the pretty hair I had in the past, for him this is a new experience, finally getting the long hair he has always wanted. It is a shame that, as he is older, it is now thinning so he will never get that 70's Peter Frampton hair he wished for, but it is now soft and fluffy with nice braid waves when loose and sleek and shiny when braided.
So, thanks again!
Regarding looking at the back of your hair being surprised at how long it has gotten, I do look at mine often but only because I want to check how that day's style looks from the back. I don't like having it up all the time; it does make me look older, I think, and I really do want to enjoy the length, but I do have to have it up to perform wedding ceremonies (it looks more appropriate) and to meet with clients, etc., so all I see then is how the updo looks from the back, which is never terribly impressive.
However, on the days I do something nice with it but it is either a half-up or all the way down, then I look back at it and think, "Wow! It is still not really long yet, but it is getting there!"
My roommate's hair, on the other hand, is the one that really surprises me now. He is a 54-year-old guy with very fine and, sadly, thinning hair that is about 1a on the top and works its way down to 2c (I think; spiral curls and S-waves?) underneath. For most of his life, his haircare routine consisted of washing often, sticking it into a low ponytail to get it out of the way half the time and leaving it loose the rest of the time (sometimes under a baseball cap), and eventually ripping a brush through the inevitable rat's nest. Of course, he has always been very unhappy that his hair "just does not grow any longer."
Sometime around last September, I talked him into letting me take care of his hair (I had joined LHC in May and had learned enough to decide to at least try with his). Since then, I have done S&D on him twice, and 1 trim of just over an inch to even up the bottom.
Even with that trim, his hair has grown at least 2 inches since September, perhaps 23 inches now. For his hair, that is a HUGE step! It has never been this long in his life, and he has not actually gotten any more than trims since getting out of the Air Force in the mid 70's. I am actually envious of his growth because that seems to be about the same rate as mine without a trim! I just took his first length shot tonight, and I will take another one in a month, just so I can really be certain. (These will be in my album later when I can get them posted.)
Now, after he washes his hair (occasionally CO now, although I am still trying to wean him further away from the shampoo), I wait for it to dry, spritz it with water that has a tiny bit of conditioner in it (he doesn't like the smell of the oils and doesn't want me to use any), then detangle with my fingers first and then with a wide-toothed comb, and occasionally a follow up with a boar bristle brush (he loves the way that feels). Then it all gets put into a very low French braid from about the ears down to as far as I can get it and held with a clear elastic. When I did that tonight, I realized that the end of the braid has grown enough to go just past the back of the chair he always sits in for this.
Sorry for the long post, but I have been so excited for him. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is get up and take care of his hair, but the results have been worth it. So, I want to thank everyone here on behalf of both of us. You are all so helpful with your many, many suggestions, and although I am shooting for the pretty hair I had in the past, for him this is a new experience, finally getting the long hair he has always wanted. It is a shame that, as he is older, it is now thinning so he will never get that 70's Peter Frampton hair he wished for, but it is now soft and fluffy with nice braid waves when loose and sleek and shiny when braided.
So, thanks again!