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View Full Version : Hair touching? Has this happened to you?



Darkhorse1
July 18th, 2008, 11:06 PM
One thread here made me curious to know how many of you have had people dive their hands into your long locks? Not strangers of course, but people you know?

When I began teaching riding, I'd have my hair up most of the time. One day, I was running late and didn't have time to tie it back/braid it until I was at the barn (I also always wore a baseball hat). one of the lovely mom's there--she was just sooo wonderful, said 'oh! My goodness, your hair is so long and beautiful!". She then ran her fingers through it and offered to braid it for me.:D Isn't that sweet? Another teacher there, who had lovely long curly blond hair, shocked me by diving her hands into my hair and said 'your hair is so gorgeous!'. I was like...'but you have long hair too!'.

If it's people I know, I don't really care about the touching. From kids at camp brushing my hair (and threading yarn into it--that took awhile, but they were proud they did it), I thought it was really sweet.

Kids are really cute too. I remember some kids next door to a place I lived at, they were building a snow fort one day and I was taking the garbage out. The older of the two said 'Can I ask you something?" and I smiled and said 'sure". She asked. "How long did it take to grow out your hair?". I said to her it took about four years from being very short to long. She seemed very pleased with that answer. :D

Ok! Next! :D These stories make me warm and fuzzy.

Sofoulee
July 18th, 2008, 11:18 PM
Aww, how adorable!

Just last night, my best friend came over. We were both in my bathroom getting ready for bed, and I was going through my usual nightly routine of putting my hair in a braid. Out of the blue, she says "wow, I hadn't really noticed before, but your hair is actually getting really long!"

It couldn't have been any better. I've been telling her I've been trying to grow it out for over a year now, and I think it's finally noticable! Well, when we went back in my room, I showed her the picture of me when I first joined LHC and she goes "I never noticed how short it was before!" She was truly impressed with my progress over the course of a year. I was completely flattered!!!

Riot Crrl
July 18th, 2008, 11:46 PM
I have strangers do it. The people I know already know that I am mean, lol.

Dianyla
July 19th, 2008, 12:12 AM
I've had my hair touched in good and not-so-good ways. One of the most memorable instances was when I was in the bathroom at a grocery store. One of the deli clerks came out of the stall and was so amazed and overwhelmed by my hair that she just dived into it with her hands.

Before washing them... :shudder:

HollowHannah
July 19th, 2008, 01:31 AM
Sometimes I'll have just brushed it or done something with it and I've got girlfriends who feel compelled to pull at it and tangle it up and generally put their sticky mitts all over it, and then they can't understand why I get moody lol

Katze
July 19th, 2008, 02:39 AM
only close friends touch my hair, and that's very, very seldom. I think my martial arts background and general attitude prevent strangers from wanting to overstep any boundaries with me...:pervert:

It would be nice if humans could touch each other more without it being suspicious or abusive. As animals, it's good for us. One of the things I love about henna body art is being able to touch strangers and have them touch me (gosh that sounds nasty, but isn't) - just taking someone's hand and holding it firmly, but gently, as you paint it, has a calming effect on both parties.

Magicknthenight
July 19th, 2008, 03:32 AM
yes! My friend trys to put my hair up sometimes but she always gives me tangles so i try to jus ease into taking the comb from her:D
Oh i remember once i was walking with her and this girl came up and felt my hair and said "i like your hair" and im like..um thanks..;)
But then she went back to her friends and was laughing saying how it feels weird (but in a snooty way) :whip:. But we had very different hair types!!:flamed:
Oh also at lunch at school their is this guy who had neck length hair. Anyways he got it cut really short to only a few inches. Anywho i sat down since i usially sat at that table and i was right beside him. He then started feeling my hair...i was liek :bigeyes: I was kind of unsure what was going on. Then one of his friends said "You miss your long hair dont you?" to him. and i understood!
I'm trying to wear my hair up more for various reasons so its not like they could stick their fingers in it. However it seems like everytime i wear it up in a sock bun people just love to squeeze it :ponder:
When i started wearing hair sticks my friend told me to turn around looked at it for a while then said "interesting". She's asked me how i do it but the directions i gave seemed confusing!:dizzy:
She tried to use my hairstick to get her hair up but her hair was too short.
I don't mind if someone feels my hair really. As long as their not pulling it or being gross in some way.:suspect:
I get compliments but I do think the hair touching is minimal. Sometimes a friend will try to do something with my hair though. :shrug:
But if it was someone giving me bad vibes or something i would defently stop them from touching my hair..ya kno what i mean?
Other then that i don't get to much hair touching.

Periwinkle
July 19th, 2008, 04:09 AM
One of my friends is incredible at French braiding. When she was learning, her hair was too short so she used mine. Now she'll occasionally come up behind me, take all my hair down and put it in French pigtails (which are beyond my ability). I think it's funny.

I never wear my hair down, but sometimes I comb it, then go to brush my teeth before bed without braiding it first. My mother normally comes up behind me and showers me with compliments while she plays with it :)

starla_zero
July 19th, 2008, 05:27 AM
Not so much touching, but a couple of people I work with pull on it or mess it up as they walk past . And I hate when people touch my hair.

bex487
July 19th, 2008, 05:41 AM
I personally love the feeling of someone playing with my hair, and whenit was longer I loved having my boyfriend run his fingers (gently!) through it. It was so soothing.

brok3nwings
July 19th, 2008, 06:24 AM
I dont have friends toutching my hair or at least i dont notice. The other day a stranger passed me and toutched my hair and continued walking eheh Yesterday a friend of mine was saying "you have to teach me how to do my hair, you have always different looks" (and i only clip my hair, braid it simply or french twist), everyone at the university seams to think that my hair is different everyday...even if i use it loose lol thats probably because i dont use hairdryer so the hair tends to look different

But i am really pleased to see that at least 5 friends of mine has asked me to teach them how to care about hair, so i think this is positive. Many of them want but then dont want to give the trouble..ehe that is pretty normal when they dont want to grow hair long.

The same friend that told me yesterday "you dont do nothing? are those your normal waves? your hair is perfect!" she likes it this long.. and i said i was going to grow it much longer, well her opinion is, its completly ugly and out of age, and i told her... you have to understand, i love hair! lol

Stagecoach
July 19th, 2008, 07:04 AM
It's extremely rare for friends or family to touch my hair. But, a couple months ago when I was visiting my Aunt and her family, one of my uncles nieces was totally awed by my hair and finally convinced her mom to come ask me if she could play with it! :) Since she was only like 10 I wasn't worried so I said sure and she spent about 30 minutes playing with it.

tigerlily83
July 19th, 2008, 07:18 AM
*sigh* yes, this has happened to me when my hair was BSL both good and bad. I didn't mind it so much if someone asked me first or if they were really nice about it, but when people would just reach out and be all grabby..... that's not cool with me.

Darkhorse1
July 19th, 2008, 02:05 PM
I'm more accepting of kids touching my hair if I'm in public, because they don't really understand personal space, but I'm not keen on just a stranger wanting to 'plunge' their hands into my hair. As I said, if it's people I know, it doesn't phase me, but strangers? Hmmm.

Stagecoach--that's SO sweet that the little girl asked your mom if she could play with your hair. Hahaha. I loved playing with my babysitter's long hair when I was little, so I'm very open to kids playing with my hair.

I don't think it's cool if people mess it up intentionally. That's just rude. None of the people I know in school/when I was young did this. In fact, many girls in school and even when I worked asked if they could french braid it for me. That worked well when I was taking pottery in school and working with clay on the wheel. MAN ALIVE! You get clay EVERYWHERE! My friend was awesome at frenchbraiding my hair, and that was back when it was long enough to sit on. :) Same when I worked around food. My co-worker would french braid it for me. I eventually learned how to french braid my hair. :)

ZaBasDa
July 19th, 2008, 02:24 PM
I have a fairly strong anti-stranger vibe, so I don't get random people touching me. I often have classmates comment on and play with my hair when it's down and curly, well mainly just the straight-ies. Most of my friends don't play with my hair because they know how easily it frizzes and frankly aren't touchy kind of people.

Teresa9000
July 19th, 2008, 02:34 PM
Nobody plays with my hair anymore (I can't even get my BF to do it if I beg!). When I was in 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade I had about BSL (give or take) hair, and lots of girls would want to braid it or play with it during recess or free time in school. I love it when people (that I know and trust with hair) play with my hair. But I have really straight hair that doesn't tangle too bad (weird for fine hair, huh?). I bet if I had curly hair or any other type of hair that tangled horribly or got out of shape if it were handled too much I would a little less open to people touching my hair. And I agree, it would be a little creepy if strangers just came up and touched my hair all the time. I'd probably have it up all the time if that started to happen.

talknerdytome
July 19th, 2008, 02:39 PM
My boyfriend likes to play with it a lot, but apart from that I don't really have people touch it.

A girl came up to me in a club a while back and said 'OMG I LOVE YOUR HAIR!' I liked that.

Scarlytte
July 19th, 2008, 04:25 PM
Fortunately, I've never had strangers just feel the need to grope my hair, but it could be the perpetual, "I will kill you if you touch me." look I have on my face when out in public.

My kids however? My girls love draping my hair over their heads or snuggling my hair and sniffing it. You know, the whole mommy smell thing. My son has finally figured out that mommy has hair so let's put crackers in it! He's six months old, so he gets a lot of leeway. Apparently baby bananas are good for hair, or he thinks so anyway.

My husband? Every so often he'll park me somewhere and just brush and play with my hair for hours on end. It's comforting for both of us, and for him he learns how to take care of long hair since both girls have pretty lengthy locks. He's almost got the pony tail thing down! lol.

meichigo
July 19th, 2008, 04:31 PM
Nobody ever touches my hair. Not sure why.

Well, sometimes DBF will give me a little scalp rub and that's nice. And I taught him how to brush my hair ages ago. I have another friend who used to ask to brush my hair and I never let her because I didn't trust her :x She's always had short hair. And possibly I'm still too traumatized from the time I let her tweeze my eyebrows. Turns out it is about 10x more painful when someone else does it!

GlassEyes
July 19th, 2008, 04:43 PM
I get 'bounced' all the time.

Ignoring how that sounds, I don't usually mind it. One time though, this random girl I only knew by sight just walked up behind me and pulled on one. I was slightly irked, but not much.

People seem surprised that they do bounce. xD

<She>
July 19th, 2008, 04:55 PM
No, nobody touches my hair, except my brother, sometimes he takes my braid and plays with it shortly. None of my family or relatives dare to touch it.
I got pulled on my hair only once in a club, but I didn't mind, he was a cute guy:)

Shadow Walker
July 19th, 2008, 05:41 PM
Nope, I've only had my hair touched maybe once or twice ever. I wouldn't mind if someone did as long as they weren't ripping it out of my head.

3c_Gemini_Curls
July 19th, 2008, 06:13 PM
ALLLLLLL the time. I even had a stranger bury his face in my hair...cant blame him though. not a day goes by when I dont get complimented on how great my hair smells!

DecafJane
July 19th, 2008, 06:28 PM
When it is a little longer and I let it go curly and out in public, I get the occasional "sproing" from friends - when they pull on a tendril just to see it bounce back. I can't complain, as I am a chronic "sproinger" with other friends' hair anyway. ;)

Tangles
July 19th, 2008, 07:35 PM
I'm not touchy-feely, but I hate it when anyone touches my hair. Mostly because it's not really that soft or touchable anyway.

Xandergrammy
July 19th, 2008, 07:53 PM
I usually wear my hair up, but if I wear double braids, I usually get a tug or two from coworkers, which I don't mind. I wear it down twice a week, on wash day, and there are a couple of people who I expect to touch it. They are very gentle and complimentary. I don't mind and actually see the attention as a compliment. My favorite, though, is a man I work with on the weekends. He's 89 years old and all the women in his early life had long hair. When he sees my hair loose, his face lights up and he approaches it with a sort of reverence. He pets it more than anything else, but not in a sexual or rude way. It makes him happy and that makes ME happy. :heartbeat


ETA: Strangers NEVER touch my hair. :nono:

Curlsgirl
July 19th, 2008, 08:09 PM
I haven't had very many people touch my hair but occasionally people I know do PULL on the end of my braid. I cannot STAND this mainly because it tends to pull a couple of hairs and make my scalp hurt and then give me a headache. I really hate it with a french braid because it takes so much longer to redo. They think it's cute and everything and I usually take it pretty well though especially if it's someone I work with. BUT they have learned now not to do it. :D I would HATE for a stranger to touch my hair! I have never had that happen I don't think.

Odile
July 19th, 2008, 09:27 PM
Random people haven't touched my hair. I think I'd freak totally out. However, one of the older ladies at church sometimes has stroked my hair and said how nice and soft and lovely it was. (This was before I discovered LHC and learned how to make it nicer and softer!) And sometimes when I wear it up in a bun, she'll pet the bun and say how cute my little "granny bun" is :)
She's one of the nicest people, so I don't mind in the least.

aprilmay
July 19th, 2008, 09:37 PM
I have had friends who have wanted to do stuff to my hair, a sister who also like to play hair dresser with it and a sister in law, my husband, and a few friends who have been willing to trim it for me. My kids have each gone through stages when they hold onto it like a security blanket and have had their gooey baby hands tangled in it. They have each also taken turns at yanking it hard in both hands on opposite sides of my head when I have been removing them to their rooms for bad behavior.

WritingPrincess
July 19th, 2008, 09:38 PM
I don't get people touching my hair, except for the very occasional little girl coming up to me and asking if she can braid it. But it's almost never loose, and when I do get asked, I often say no, especially if it's a stranger, because I've had several experiences with innocent little girls pulling or tangling my hair. Most of the little girls with long hair that I know have gotten used to the fact that occasionally I will ask if I can braid their hair for them, and they usually let me, because I'm a lot gentler than their mothers. :lol:

Cinnamon.locks
July 20th, 2008, 01:20 AM
It also has happened to me several times. My niece loves to brush my hair, but on several occasions like today at the market, i was crouched low looking for a conditioner and an old lady walked by, turned back and grabbed my braid! she actually pulled it slightly and asked if it was real. I smiled at her (what could i do? she was really old.) and I said yes, it's real. then she grabbed it with both hands and ran them down the braid to the tip. she smiled and said it was beautiful. i thanked her and she walked away, my niece came close and asked me what that was all about, i explained and she actually got angry, said ** how dare that woman pull your hair?** i just laughed and we continued shopping. one of many similar situations.

AnimaSola3o4
July 20th, 2008, 01:49 AM
I think I might be de-sensitized to this by now. I've been stopped by strangers since I was a baby... out shopping with my mom... they would gasp and say 'ohmahgawd she has the most beautiful hair...' meh. i didnt like it as a kid, i was painfully shy and reserved, and used to hide behind my moms leg when this happened.

Then when I got older, the compliments started making me happy... but usually it's the color that people stop me for. And I've had people touch my hair quite a bit... usually I don't mind much. I suppose I've never had a creepy instance happen yet, so maybe that would change my mind. I love it when my mom and my friends play with my hair.

The only time I really start to panic is when kids come at me with a brush....
:couch::tmi::shocked::run:

:patrol::draw:

haha, ya im in a smiley mood, i apologize for the overload :P

tiny_teesha
July 20th, 2008, 04:47 AM
I don't really like it when people touch my hair unless it is my mum. *shrugs* But i have it up all the time anyway so no one has a chance, and if a stranger did it i would feel so freaked out!

jojo
July 20th, 2008, 11:04 AM
[quote=Katze;

It would be nice if humans could touch each other more without it being suspicious or abusive. As animals, it's good for us. One of the things I love about henna body art is being able to touch strangers and have them touch me (gosh that sounds nasty, but isn't) - just taking someone's hand and holding it firmly, but gently, as you paint it, has a calming effect on both parties.[/quote]

I agree though I am lucky as touch is used very often in my role as a RN. It is a shame that as a nation we have grown suspicious when touch is used, I am a very tactile person anyway.

morgwn
July 20th, 2008, 11:26 AM
I'm not really very fond of people messing with my hair due to my mum combing my hair when I was little and not paying much attention to the fact that I was 'tender-headed'. The only person I know who plays with my hair is my DHTB and exceptions to my rules are made for him. :D Otherwise, I'm OK with a person I know just touching the ends or something, but not with them running their hands through it. e.g. When I wore my hair down at graduation, a friend commented on how much curlier it's gotten over these past few months and held up a curl... but she didn't pull it or anything. That was fine.

lorig713
July 20th, 2008, 11:46 AM
The people who touch my hair are mostly the family members of my patients (I work in a hospital). It is rather a common occurrence. Just last week an 86 year old lady reached for my braid and said oh your hair is so beautiful. She said it reminded her of her mom who used to wear her long hair in a braid bun. I don't mind. Lately I tuck my braid in my jacket so it is less of a distraction.

Amoretti
July 20th, 2008, 12:18 PM
Nobody touches mine; mainly because it's always up. It only comes down at night.

When it was around TB I used to wear it down and sometimes a friend would comment on it, or a student.

The last time anyone commented was on the last day of my university teaching position. I wore my hair in a ponytail with hair friendly elastics going down, maybe 4 of them. I got a lot of compliments that day but no touching.

angelthadiva
July 20th, 2008, 12:19 PM
ALLLLLLL the time. I even had a stranger bury his face in my hair...cant blame him though. not a day goes by when I dont get complimented on how great my hair smells!

I just have to ask what do you use that smells so good? :D

I don't wear my hair down too much, if I do, it's while drying, and I'm at home...DD6 loves to play with my hair, but she's kind of rough...I'm trying to teach her how to be more gentle. She has 3 of those doll heads that you can do hair styles on, so she practices on those.

When I did wear my hair loose, I had way more touchie-feelies--from people I knew and strangers...I don't like my hair messed with when people don't know what they are doing...That is not relaxing to me at.all!!

I have found that people are very attracted to DD6's hair, and like to do her hair...Once incident earlier this week, she came home from "the program" with her hair in a style I knew she couldn't have done herself, and it was too fancy for DH to have done it...I was like, who did your hair? Some girl from "the program"...

I gave her a lecture about letting OP do her hair. I don't want OP in her hair w/o my permission, who knows what they would do, and what they would use on her hair. I don't send her to "the program" w/brushes and whatnot--Her hair is already done for the day...I don't want strangers using their brushes/combs in DD's hair...I've had enough issues dealing with lice, and I would go ballistic if one hair on her head got cut.

Hello-Kitty
July 20th, 2008, 12:26 PM
My friends always ask if they can do my hair in new styles , when i have sleepovers (im only 15 ) :) its always like a competetition as to whocan do the best style on my hair ,, my friends always ask :)

it makes me feel proud :p;)

http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=1675063183&PhotoAlbumId=7724854793&PhotoId=8381623611

WaimeaWahine
July 20th, 2008, 02:42 PM
I don't like to be touched at all muchless have my hair touched unless it's someone I know very well.

My mom likes to tuck my hair behind my ears if given the chance and it feels odd so I untuck it quickly.

My last SO used to act like he was a rat building a nest while playing with my hair. :rolleyes: Eventually, tangles led to a "do not touch" under any circumstances rule. Poor guy. :(

There was this little girl about 5 that I used to babysit and she would play with my hair for hours and it never bothered me at all. She was a great kid though, very sweet and respectful.

Xandergrammy
July 20th, 2008, 03:15 PM
I agree though I am lucky as touch is used very often in my role as a RN. It is a shame that as a nation we have grown suspicious when touch is used, I am a very tactile person anyway.



I'm the same way, jojo. I'm also a very tactile person and I'm glad that hugging is practically part of my job description!

DotDotDot
July 20th, 2008, 06:26 PM
Pretty much everyone I know. Several of my friends grab my braids and yell, "Giddyap, pony!" while wiggling them. :rolleyes:

I have had strangers touch my hair, though. Once when I was in the McDonald's bathroom, this lady finished washing her hands as I came in. She saw me and shrieked, "Your hair is so pretty!" and suddenly she was running her hands through it and going on about how soft and beautiful it is. Probably the weirdest experience of my life.

Magicknthenight
July 20th, 2008, 07:38 PM
Pretty much everyone I know. Several of my friends grab my braids and yell, "Giddyap, pony!" while wiggling them. :rolleyes:


Ah yes i forgot about how my friend did something similar when i had two braids in my hair. :hmm:

3c_Gemini_Curls
July 20th, 2008, 07:49 PM
I just have to ask what do you use that smells so good? :D

I don't wear my hair down too much, if I do, it's while drying, and I'm at home...DD6 loves to play with my hair, but she's kind of rough...I'm trying to teach her how to be more gentle. She has 3 of those doll heads that you can do hair styles on, so she practices on those.

When I did wear my hair loose, I had way more touchie-feelies--from people I knew and strangers...I don't like my hair messed with when people don't know what they are doing...That is not relaxing to me at.all!!

I have found that people are very attracted to DD6's hair, and like to do her hair...Once incident earlier this week, she came home from "the program" with her hair in a style I knew she couldn't have done herself, and it was too fancy for DH to have done it...I was like, who did your hair? Some girl from "the program"...

I gave her a lecture about letting OP do her hair. I don't want OP in her hair w/o my permission, who knows what they would do, and what they would use on her hair. I don't send her to "the program" w/brushes and whatnot--Her hair is already done for the day...I don't want strangers using their brushes/combs in DD's hair...I've had enough issues dealing with lice, and I would go ballistic if one hair on her head got cut.


Im a co washer that leaves conditoner in my hair. So some days I smell like coconuts, others strawberries, and others flowers lol. I get the most compliments when I use the victoria's secret so sexy conditioner.

missmanytoes
July 20th, 2008, 10:30 PM
I am also one of those who has an "unapproachable" vibe, so strangers never touch and I rarely wear it down around strangers anyway, so I think there is not any temptation to play with a bun. Friends/family can and sometimes do touch and play at will. I literally and figuratively let my hair down when I am amongst those I trust so when one of them plays with my hair I really enjoy it. Too bad my sisters can't braid hair though....I end up braiding their shoulder to APL hair and then none of them can braid mine! Wah! But I do get the best brushings from them, so that sort of makes up for not getting a herringbone braid.

heidihug
July 21st, 2008, 08:13 AM
I have had strangers touch my hair, though.

I've noticed that many of the people who have said in this thread that other people seem to have no qualms about playing with their hair are younger - teens and early twenties. I just wonder - why is it that people think it is more acceptable to touch or play with younger peoples' hair than older/adults? Is it because they are smaller? Friendlier? Is it because there is a tacit societal acceptability to touching younger people without asking their permission? Hmm.

I know that I get very upset when strangers touch my hair, or even coworkers. I hate hate hate it when people tug my braid, which I've posted about before (what are they, 10 years old?) None of my friends or relatives touch my hair, though, as they are all short hairs and are rather befuddled or intimidated by its length. Plus, I always wear it up, so no temptation to touch it, anyway.

angelthadiva
July 21st, 2008, 09:15 AM
Im a co washer that leaves conditoner in my hair. So some days I smell like coconuts, others strawberries, and others flowers lol. I get the most compliments when I use the victoria's secret so sexy conditioner.

Thanks for replying...Will have to check that out! :D

levelek
July 21st, 2008, 09:36 AM
Not enough! :) I am not a particularly tactile person, but I love it when people who are close to me caress or play with my hair. Most of my friends/family are too polite, or just do not care :lol: This summer it happened twice that an elderly friend of mine touched a strand very gingerly when I wore my hair loose. Another time the grandmother of another friend was totally taken over by awe, and touched my hair carefully when she couldn't control herself any longer. :laugh:

Strangers, that's another story! But I'm good about switching on the "do not approach" vibe.

vindo
July 21st, 2008, 09:46 AM
I have had girls doing that to me and then go "Oooh your hair is very thin!", it always confused me and I told them that I don't think it is until I understood that many people mistake soft, straight hair for thin = fine. :rolleyes:

And my aunt touched my roots once because she would not believe it is not extensions.

taliarose
July 21st, 2008, 09:52 AM
I agree that it is very relaxing to have ones hair touched and played with. I must give out a vibe that sayes :mad: do not approch:mad: since people will comment on the length but never do anything with it. When it's down it's just begging to be stroked or played with.;)

W. J. Maria
July 21st, 2008, 12:26 PM
I have never had strangers touch my hair. But I have seen little old ladies touch young girls' hair between thumb and finger while complimenting them on how long and beautiful it is. Little old ladies are the only strangers, I am sure, who can get away with this... No one else does, and should, do this...

Nicole.Amina
July 21st, 2008, 02:58 PM
For some reason, this has been happening a bit more often recently. One of my co-workers gets my attention by playing with my hair. And my friend's brother was absolutely amazed by my hair. He kept stretching my curls and watching them spring back like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He actually got upset one of the days my curls weren't as "boingy" because they wouldn't spring as much. He would tell me, "You're hair is so FUN to play with!!!"

I actually don't mind when people touch my hair though, especially my friends. With strangers, I don't mind if the person looks relatively clean. The only time I do mind is when my hair is wet with gel because then they get gel all over their hands and it gets awkward after that, lol.

burns_erin
July 21st, 2008, 04:09 PM
I personally do not like people getting too close to me, period. And I guess I look mean enough people do not get close, hell, most people do not even try to shake my hand. So, I have only rarely had people touching my hair. Though if it is some one close to me I do not mind and find it soothing.

My father on the other hand, is like a mecca for small girls. He is mostly native american and has long wavy black and white hair. Whenever he went on field trips with my younger sisters all the little girls would be climbing all over him and "doing" or "fixing" his hair. Since he is a father of four daughters he is quite used to this behaviour and has been well trained to sit there patiently and quietly, and take it like a man/daddy. Admittedly the first couple of times it really freaked out some of the other mothers to have all the little girls flocking to this burly, scary man. Eventually they clicked to the fact that this was the same Kenny they had heard about, but oddly enough, none of the little girls came back to their parents after sleepovers exclaiming over his hair. I guess that also says something about children too, that they did not really see anything of note about a man with long hair letting little girls play with, braid it, or put bows and doodads in it. I guess the mothers just figured when they came home talking about all the hair goings on it was with the four of us girls and out mother.

Xandergrammy
July 21st, 2008, 04:23 PM
I personally do not like people getting too close to me, period. And I guess I look mean enough people do not get close, hell, most people do not even try to shake my hand. So, I have only rarely had people touching my hair. Though if it is some one close to me I do not mind and find it soothing.

My father on the other hand, is like a mecca for small girls. He is mostly native american and has long wavy black and white hair. Whenever he went on field trips with my younger sisters all the little girls would be climbing all over him and "doing" or "fixing" his hair. Since he is a father of four daughters he is quite used to this behaviour and has been well trained to sit there patiently and quietly, and take it like a man/daddy. Admittedly the first couple of times it really freaked out some of the other mothers to have all the little girls flocking to this burly, scary man. Eventually they clicked to the fact that this was the same Kenny they had heard about, but oddly enough, none of the little girls came back to their parents after sleepovers exclaiming over his hair. I guess that also says something about children too, that they did not really see anything of note about a man with long hair letting little girls play with, braid it, or put bows and doodads in it. I guess the mothers just figured when they came home talking about all the hair goings on it was with the four of us girls and out mother.



I love this image of your father being patient and kind for the little girls. His hair sounds amazing.!!

Islandgrrl
July 21st, 2008, 04:59 PM
If you're a stranger and you touch my hair (or my person for that matter), you're likely to find yourself in serious trouble. While I love to be touched, and love to have pretty much anyone I trust play with my hair, I really, really despise having my personal space invaded by people I don't know.

One time very many years ago, a man who I did not know approached me from behind and grabbed my classic length braid, apparently to admire it (oops on my part), and before he and I (and my then BF) knew what hit him, I'd hit him. Hard enough for him to land square on his assets, looking very bewildered and somewhat disoriented. My BF at the time was quite impressed and told me I had skills (yeah, that and a black belt).

Rapunzelwannabe
July 21st, 2008, 05:11 PM
I love it when people play with my hair, but that's probably because all the experiences I've had with hair-touchers has only been positive ones. Everyone's been really gentle, and my BF knows if I've had a bad day or am really tense the best remedy is running his fingers through my hair

Darkhorse1
July 21st, 2008, 10:01 PM
I don't agree with any strangers just out right grabbing long hair. That's just rude! I mean, what did that guy expect you to do Islandgirl? To me, that's no different than grabbing your arm or something else.

mira-chan
July 22nd, 2008, 08:12 AM
I have the unapproachable vibe in addition to waring my hair up all the time. I don't get hair touching usually, I think there has been only one instance in my whole life and it was an elderly lady remembering the braid she had as a child. I've had elderly family comment, mostly nicely but no touching. I'm thankful strangers don't do it as I'm not a touchy type person, I don't even like shaking hands and such.

burns_erin
July 22nd, 2008, 01:41 PM
I have the unapproachable vibe in addition to waring my hair up all the time. I don't get hair touching usually, I think there has been only one instance in my whole life and it was an elderly lady remembering the braid she had as a child. I've had elderly family comment, mostly nicely but no touching. I'm thankful strangers don't do it as I'm not a touchy type person, I don't even like shaking hands and such.

Glad to know I am not alone in this.

burns_erin
July 22nd, 2008, 01:42 PM
I love this image of your father being patient and kind for the little girls. His hair sounds amazing.!!

Yeah, he really is, fortunately for all involved he was educable. He is certainly a non toucher in all other ways and with all other people.

yrrebwartsymssi
July 22nd, 2008, 02:00 PM
Because there aren't that many african american people with natural hair everyone wants to touch my hair. Everyone african american wants to swear up and down that i get a texturizer and everyone else lol want to say i perm it... It kinda makes me feel good :)

kettle
July 22nd, 2008, 03:48 PM
I hardly ever wear my hair down, so there's not much opportunity for random grabbing... I've never had a stranger touch my hair. I have a mate who, every time I've had my hair down around her, just can't resist copping a feel... it surprised me that I don't mind, actually! She's generally really complimentary, she's just very tactile. Plus, she's a close friend, and she's very gentle, so she gets away with it :bluesmile
For some reason people think it's okay to pull my hair to get my attention, though. When is that an acceptable thing?! One girl I know in particular has properly yanked my hair a few times when I've been at a bar trying to get served. It actually hurts! I find that very invasive, not just because I don't know her too well.
They're two different things, aren't they, complimentary stroking and invasive pulling. I'm glad some of you guys are having positive hair touching experiences at least!

DotDotDot
July 22nd, 2008, 03:58 PM
This actually happened today! I went to work wearing my hair down for the first time since I met this lady. The first thing she did when she opened the door was say, "Look at that long hair!" When I got inside she proceeded to touch it and tell me how beautiful it was. She said that when she first saw me walking down the street, she thought I was a different person. :p

Xandergrammy
July 22nd, 2008, 04:10 PM
I have the unapproachable vibe in addition to waring my hair up all the time. I don't get hair touching usually, I think there has been only one instance in my whole life and it was an elderly lady remembering the braid she had as a child. I've had elderly family comment, mostly nicely but no touching. I'm thankful strangers don't do it as I'm not a touchy type person, I don't even like shaking hands and such.



Oh no, mira!! Do you mean when we actually get to meet, I won't be able to give you a big hug??!! :wail:

P.S. I love your new signature picture!

mira-chan
July 22nd, 2008, 06:53 PM
Oh no, mira!! Do you mean when we actually get to meet, I won't be able to give you a big hug??!! :wail:

P.S. I love your new signature picture!

I will make a special exception just for you for course. :flowers:

Thanks. I had to put something from my trip to Russia. Amusingly that picture makes things look darker than it actually was. The sun was still shining and sunset was at least half hour later, around 12 am.
</hijack>

Darkhorse1
July 22nd, 2008, 09:42 PM
Hahah---I remember having my hair all up after washing it. It was a hot day in the summer, and I had washed it at my mom's, then come back to the house I rented with two other ladies. One of them was having guests, and when I got in, the a/c was really cold, so I took my hair down. The female guest was like 'oh my god! Where'd all that hair come from?' she then said 'that's amazing you can get it all up into that clip. You've got two totally different looks!'. :) I was lucky to be able to look good with my hair up and down (as my grandmother told me)

It was cute because at a big family reunion, my aunt and I were talking about how long it takes our hair to dry. I said to her that depending on the heat, my hair can take all day to just a few hours. She then asked if she could touch my hair! It was so cute because this is my aunt, who I've known since I was a baby. She and I have similar hair than my mom and I (this is my mom's sister). My mom's hair was very straight and heavy and fine. She said when it got really long, her part started to widen, so she cut it. I've never had that problem as I think the natural body in my hair keeps it from being weighed down. My dad has wavy hair on his side of the family.

ItalianFlower
July 22nd, 2008, 11:35 PM
I love having my hair touched and played with--I'm hoping that as my hair becomes longer and healthier (and, thus, more touchable) people will play with it again. lol.

People I know, mind you. :)

Thremma
July 23rd, 2008, 04:44 AM
I like when my husband or family play with my hair. It's kind of hard to get him to sometimes; he's worried about pulling it. I've told him sometime he's got to learn how to braid so he can to the hairstyles I can't do behind my own head.
I do NOT like random strangers that come up and pet it or touch it.

aprilmay
July 23rd, 2008, 11:07 AM
Just last night my nephews were playing with my hair. My sister is their mom and they are used to playing with her hair, but mine is longer.

I find myself playing with my daughter's hair and she doesn't like it much. I find myself drawn to it. She is only 3 and I am the one responsible for caring for her hair. My mom still touches my hair and it kind of weirds me out.

DarkChocolate
July 23rd, 2008, 11:44 AM
I love when people play with my hair:) It kind of tickles:) People always like to touch my hair because it is so soft since it is fine:)

Siava
July 23rd, 2008, 01:48 PM
It's rare for someone to touch my hair and that's fine by me. I'm very protective of it now, but darnit...now it's so incredibly soft. I want someone to touch it and feel the silkiness, but then I'd probably freak out. :lol:

rockkcor
July 23rd, 2008, 01:53 PM
Well it happens often
:)

Tangles
August 3rd, 2008, 03:34 PM
I was walking on campus one day a few years ago (this was back when I had BSL hair with a couple highlights in it). Two guys were behind me and touched my hair; I swung around annoyedly, and one guy asked in marvel, "How much do you spend on highlights?" I retorted that my hair was "naturally like that," which wasn't much of a lie because my highlights were a year old and most of what they thought was highlights was probably just my natural highlights. When I had virgin hair I was sometimes asked by guys if I had highlights too. Guys are really strange; they usually don't notice my hair but when they do, it's always about highlights. *shrugs*

EmpressRi
August 3rd, 2008, 06:43 PM
If it's a stranger touching my hair, I have to get a vibe from them. I have one parent where I work and her son has this long, thick gorgeous hair, and I actually gave her some tips on caring for his hair. She wanted to touch mine and she was so warm and friendly that I didn't mind.

Then a senior there pulled on my hair, and I told her in a loud but friendly tone "Don't pull my hair!"

My three year old nephew loves playing in my hair. He wants to comb and brush it, and then pouts when I tell him that no, you cannot comb aunties hair, because it's twisted. Plus, he will get my hair matted like crazy!

One of my sister's friends who hadn't seen me in a few years came to the house yesterday for a get together, and she saw me with my hair out and raved about it and played with it for a bit. Now, my hair was loose then, but it had gotten so hot I ended up putting it into a ponytail with one of those metal free elastics. So further on in the evening, she comes and starts pulling on the elastic saying she wants to see how long my hair is. So I had to swat her hands away twice, and she was insistent on taking that elastic out, so I lay back and kicked my feet up and flipped them back and forth until she moved back. Well, she got the hint afterwards lol. People don't realize if they're ROUGH they can pull your hair out!

Calanthe
August 3rd, 2008, 11:07 PM
Rarely. Back in school a guy did this in a highly abusive manner, so even to this day I'm not too fond of people touching my hair.

One of my friends does it occasionally, but then, she's a friend, so that's different.

sahiba
August 3rd, 2008, 11:19 PM
I havent had such experiences. :-(. Just "verbal admiration".

Bene
August 4th, 2008, 02:12 AM
i have a lot of issues with strangers touching me in general.... but more so with my hair. fortunately, i keep it up in a bun all the time, so i don't have this problem. but as far as i see it, my hair lies in the same realm of personal space as my hoohah. that means only me, my boyfriend, and a professional are allowed to touch.

savi
August 4th, 2008, 03:39 AM
I've only once had a complete stranger touching my hair, the guy sniffing my hair shudder: , but I normally enjoy when people play with it.

I remember when a co-worker asked if she could brush my hair, since she'd always wanted it long hair herself, so I thought why not. She was really glad over being allowed to do it. And she was getle too, that was a relieve for me.

aprilmay
August 5th, 2008, 08:36 PM
I don't like my hair messed with.