Long time lurker, new member!

**jenbranmorrwhi** · August 6th, 2024, 03:18 AM

Hello everyone! I've been lurking this forum for ages and for some reason never joined, but I thought I'd finally join up!

I did not cut my hair (even trims) for about 5 years, and didn't take very good care of my hair in that time, so this January I had my almost hip length hair cut to just about armpit length, to cut away the split, damaged ends and start afresh.

I have been taking my haircare a lot more seriously and my hair is just about bra strap length now and my goal is to just grow it back to my hips but keep it healthy this time!

Picture from 2020

Picture from 2023 (not the best I know, this was the best I could find with my hair down!)

Picture taken a few days ago

**shelomit** · August 10th, 2024, 03:14 PM

Howdy, good to meet you! Your photos aren't showing up for me, though.

**embee** · August 10th, 2024, 05:13 PM

I think you have to have a certain number of Real Posts for pictures to show up. Welcome, and when you get whatever number of Real Posts, you can show us your hair.

Welcome, and enjoy your stay.

**jenbranmorrwhi** · August 12th, 2024, 02:27 AM

Ah I didn't know that! Thank you and nice to meet you!

**Lady Winchester** · August 12th, 2024, 04:44 AM

Originally Posted by embee

I think you have to have a certain number of Real Posts for pictures to show up. Welcome, and when you get whatever number of Real Posts, you can show us your hair.

Welcome, and enjoy your stay.

That's not necessarily true, since I put a picture in when I first joined (I use imgur) and it showed up just fine. I think that's only if you use the albums on the site itself. To put a picture in you have to click the picture icon and then put the url to the image on a free hosting service such as imgur.

It seems we have a similar hair type (though mine's more medium than coarse), and I wouldn't go shorter than APL either (since I look too much like a poodle dog if it's too short, since I have natural curl) but no longer than waist length (since if I'm sitting on it, it's too long, or at least it is for me). The longest I had to wait for a trim is about three and a half years, when I was growing it back from losing it to chemo, since there was no way I was getting a trim until it grew back to mid back length, which is how long it was before (though a few shades lighter than it is now). I trimmed it back to in between APL and MBL (which is the same as BSL, but is a more gender neutral term for people that don't wear a bra) in the middle of June (though I was planning to do this after my birthday in late July since I participated in the first half of the "no trim" challenge but got a trim a little earlier than I was planning) and is slowly getting back there again (I shouldn't have used the double braid method, since then I would have only lost about two and a half inches rather than four). I will never go short again, since I hate my hair on my neck and I get so sick of the "you look so cute with short hair" comments and it would mean I finally got an "age appropriate" hairstyle, which is something I vowed I would never do (I still dress like I'm a teenager and I just turned 52 at the end of last month, so screw anything "age appropriate". I'll dress and wear my hair as I please, thank you very much, and if other people don't like it, that's just too bad, since I only change it for me, nobody else).

**Mira Lynne** · August 13th, 2024, 11:07 AM

I love that you don't go for the"age appropriate" bs. I hate that term, do what makes you happy, not what other people think you should do, just because you have lived a certain amount of years.