Can long hair be worn down at all times?

[TinaRider]

I wear my hair down pretty much all the time. I also sleep with my hair loose. The longest my hair has ever been is BSL and this worked fine. My cousin can do the same with her WL hair.
I would like to set realistic length goal for myself as wearing my hair up daily is not something I'm willing to do. The whole purpose of my hair is to be worn down.

At which length did you NEED to start putting your hair up?

[Ylva]

It's very, very individual when you "need" to start putting your hair up, or if that's a requirement for you at all.

You will find that some people simply cannot grow past APL without wearing their hair up, and some will be able to wear their hair down at all times even after it has reached their ankles. Coarse hair (thick individual strands) tends to withstand mechanical damage, which is what you suffer when wearing your hair down, better than fine hair does.

It also depends on how pristine you want the condition of your hair to be. If you don't mind a bit of damage or thinning at your ends, that's a good sign you'll be able to wear your hair down longer than, say, someone who wants to retain thick ends at mid-thigh.

You'll just have to grow onwards to see where your limit is, if you have one.

[Kalamazoo]

It's different for everyone. Whenever I notice it getting in the way, or it's too hot lying on my neck, or it's going to get wind-blown to smithereens & I don't want to have to spend a bunch of time detangling & snipping out split ends.

Really, getting it out of the way can be as simple as stuffing it down the back of my shirt. (& Some hairstyles are equally quick to do & release. & Bun Drops are always fun & impressive.)

Now mind you, it doesn't have to stay hidden forever ~ I just don't like it dangling in the middle of what I'm doing. (I mean, cleaning the kitty litter box?)

[Eleanor_]

I got mine to waist wearing it down pretty much all the time during the day. I only started tying it up to sleep in when I went on holiday with my bf and got fed up of him sleeping on it! Waist to hip I've tied up a lot more because my hair tangles easily (even when plaited), so if I don't I end pulling loads out when I'm dangling.

[Servana]

It really depends on you and your hair type. Hair that is fine tends to get damaged much more easily by the environment. I know because I have some fine hairs and they split like crazy, despite me never doing anything to damage them - just wearing my hair down at all times. Most of my hair is normal though, with some coarse strands here and there. This hair is fine. Doesn't get damaged from being down.

My hair is currently waist+ and the longest it's ever been is hip. Even then it wasn't damaged and the only problem I had with it down was getting it caught in things like car doors, seatbelts, under other people, etc.

My hair is 2A iii, so your mileage may vary.

[lapushka]

There is no rule that says you have to wear it up. If it doesn't get in your way, then all the better.

At around APL it sure did start to bother me.

[unheardletters]

For me anything longer than 2” is too long for me to wear down. I start pinning back the front and sides at even at such short lengths. I just cannot wear my hair down. But I know some people with even extreme hair lengths who wear their hair down at all times. It is different for everyone.

[Simsy]

At which length did you NEED to start putting your hair up?

Generally, you need to start wearing it up at the point when down/loose starts to become an issue for you personally. For me, that point was about chin length...I do not have hair that likes being loose and wild. I have domesticated hair that’s now deathly afraid of the wild beyond the stable door.

[Elodea]

For me, I began wearing my hair up occasionally around hip length. Around that length and beyond, in my experience I think it's more practical to wear hair up or contained in some way -- otherwise it gets tangled in the wind or gets into things when you're trying to do stuff in your daily life. So it's easier to have it up and out of the way. It was a convenience/practicality decision for me; my hair doesn't seem to be particularly fragile or prone to breakage, so I probably could still wear it down if I didn't mind more tangles and it getting in the way of things.

Pre-LHC, I maintained my hair at around waist length and always wore it down, and it was generally pretty manageable aside from static electricity problems in the winter.

[jane_marie]

I think it's possible... particularly if you have coarse hair but even at my length it can be inconvenient and painful. I tend to get it caught in my armpit now and I end up pulling my hair when I move because of it. I never had that problem with bsl.