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Thread: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals"?

  1. #1

    Default Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals"?

    I think this hairdresser who said it to me might just be mean-spirited or just wants to promote the idea that you must get trimmed all the time because that's how salon workers make money and me saying I never trim my hair to friends potentially "hurts" her business prospects. It's not like people at hair salons have a medical degree in hair, but people generally tend to agree with any comment they make because they're the "expert" in hair.

    It's the usual song and dance of "it won't grow if you don't trim it" etc, but mine has always grown no matter what. Or "it will grow faster if you trim it". Not with how much hair stylists generally want to take off tho!
    This time it was "That's so unhealthy! That hair is dead!" while holding up the bottom half of my hair, the part she wanted to whack off I assume. I just responded "all hair is dead". But didn't really argue. Everyone else usually complements my hair, but as soon as the "hair professional" in the friend group said that, everyone agreed with the "expert" because it must be true.

    I only wash my hair every 2nd or 3rd day, because if I wash it too often, I overproduce oil since I'm naturally very oily. I'm a natural red head and have never dyed my hair in my life or ever used anything on it except shampoo. I have too much natural oil for conditioner to be needed.
    The ends of my hair don't look or feel any different from the rest of my hair. It all feels healthy and strong to me. My hair has a lot of static electricity when brushing it, so it's not going to lay totally smooth unless you get it wet. But nothing about it seems "unhealthy" or "dead" to me. I think it's all just "marketing" and "brainwashing" by people in the hair industry. But I'm not an "expert".
    What do you guys think?
    I took a close up video of the ends of my hair, and watch the full video, because I show the entire length of it while brushing etc.
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxM...ew?usp=sharing

    Does it look unhealthy to you? Or just natural? I've been reading about "fairy tail ends" vs other hemlines.

    I do notice that have I have a gap in the back of my hair where it is shorter. It could be natural for me to have a W-shape hemline going on, but I think it might be caused by the original short cut I had six years ago: https://imgur.com/6dmr9jL
    I haven't let anyone touch my hair in six years. It grew out directly from that short cut. I know not every hair on your head will grow at the same speed, but I think the shorter strands I do have right now match up pretty well with what was cut shorter six years ago.
    I am thinking about cutting it back to my hip line and giving it more time to see if the middle back of my hair will "catch up" to the rest of my hair eventually. Hair length really does start to become unmanageable once it gets really close to your knees in length.
    I don't like blunt line cuts. Should I ask for a U-shaped hemline? Or is the middle back area too short for that? Maybe I should just cut what is too long back to my hips and let it keep growing until everything catches up?

  2. #2
    ^ YLVA, not YIVA! Ylva's Avatar
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Your hair looks very healthy, and the colour is beautiful.

    Many "experts" don't have very good vocabulary when it comes to hair. They say "unhealthy" when they actually mean that you have fairytale ends rather than a blunt, freshly cut hemline. Our perception of what kind of hair is "healthy" has become very deranged. Hair naturally grows into the kind of fairytale shape that you have where the ends are significantly thinner, and there's nothing unhealthy about that.

    If you don't actually want to cut your hair, don't do it for this reason, but if you do, disregard this sentence.
    Ósnjallr maðr hyggsk munu ey lifa, ef hann við víg varask;
    en elli gefr hánum engi frið, þótt hánum geirar gefi.

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  3. #3

    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Quote Originally Posted by Ylva View Post
    Your hair looks very healthy, and the colour is beautiful.

    Many "experts" don't have very good vocabulary when it comes to hair. They say "unhealthy" when they actually mean that you have fairytale ends rather than a blunt, freshly cut hemline. Our perception of what kind of hair is "healthy" has become very deranged. Hair naturally grows into the kind of fairytale shape that you have where the ends are significantly thinner, and there's nothing unhealthy about that.

    If you don't actually want to cut your hair, don't do it for this reason, but if you do, disregard this sentence.

    Thank you!!

    I'm only thinking about cutting it back to above my butt to see if the middle back will catch up since I think that isn't its natural shape and caused by the original cut six years ago. Plus, I have no plans to let it get to my knees. From hips to where it is now only takes 2 years, so it would give a bit of time to see if the middle section catches up or not.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    No, there's nothing inherently "unhealthy" about keeping your hair long. For thousands of years, women generally have been keeping their hair longer than most women choose to today. The only way the length of your hair could be unhealthy for you was if the weight of it was causing migraine attacks, or if the condition of it was severely affecting your mental health for some reason.

    I didn't watch the video because I generally don't click on links when perusing the internet, but I am sure there is nothing wrong with your hair. Even if it was damaged (which it doesn't sound like it is, from your description), that still wouldn't mean you had to cut it.

    I agree, much of modern hair care is based in marketing. Just reference those old photos of Victorian era women with healthy, fairy tail hemmed, floor-length hair. Those women considered washing their hair every two weeks to be "frequent washing". In the 1940s, once a week shampooing was the norm. We're still the same humans we were in Victorian times and the 1940s, but what has changed is marketing.

    The hairdresser you spoke with might be the expert when it comes to following the hair trends of this century, but she is certainly not the expert on what is healthy for hair.

    To answer the question of what you should do to your hair, I would say do whatever feels right to you! There are no rules.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Don't understand why there is no way to edit posts. That link above isn't working properly at the moment, but this link does: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nfm...ew?usp=sharing
    There isn't any way for me to modify a post to update the link.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Fantastic, the original link finally started working again.
    Again, why is there no way to delete posts or modify them? I'm making a mess.

  7. #7
    ^ YLVA, not YIVA! Ylva's Avatar
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    New members don't have the opportunity to edit their posts, but once your membership is upgraded after 25 quality posts, you will be able to make edits.
    Ósnjallr maðr hyggsk munu ey lifa, ef hann við víg varask;
    en elli gefr hánum engi frið, þótt hánum geirar gefi.

    Instagram | Last.fm | Folk band | Acoustic metal duo | My links

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    Glitter fairy Chromis's Avatar
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Your hair looks gorgeous. For your length, I'd say look up Feye's Self Trim and buy yourself a nice pair of hair scissors. Long hair is super easy to do at home, saves money, won't have weird comments, or someone yanking a comb through though hair or trying to fit it all in a sink the size of a teaspoon...

    It also makes it easy to do smaller cuts and trims if you want to nudge your hair to a specific hemline without taking it all off at once or maintain in one spot to allow the ends to catch up and thicken.

    I know there are good stylists out there, but I certainly have never met any and have no plans to try again. Much less stressful this way and I actually get exactly what I want!

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  9. #9
    LHC FairyGodMum lapushka's Avatar
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    On the static. Try using just a liiiiiittle bit of conditioner, not much I mean you can use a coin-size, spread it through your palms and smooth it along the middle section to ends, just for the static; your hair is just fine otherwise. And it is a myth that your hair will get oilier from using conditioner. I mean, don't bunch it up on top of your head/scalp in the shower while waiting and doing the rest of your body care, just: no, but if you just gather it loosely at the nape, that's perfectly fine to do. And your hair will be far more manageable with just even a bit of conditioner.

    My hair needed a wash 2/3 times a week when I was younger. I'm 51 now and can go a week, my hair sort of "normalized" in older age, I guess. But I know what it's like and much like you I skipped conditioner all through my teen years. I mean, it wasn't even on the market (that much) back then; 80s / 90s here in Belgium.

    Red is very pretty. And it's precious and rare, good for you that you never ever colored it (don't). I used to struggle with my hair, thinking it ugly (people actually used to say it reminded them of cigarette ash, nice eh). But I am very ashy, that's at least true and I do "get it". My signature picture shows a bit of it, but in the right lighting settings? Yep, there you go. I dyed it all sorts of (natural) colors, and only once I started to go gray did I start to appreciate it. I am glad that you're not even a bit like that.
    Last edited by lapushka; January 9th, 2024 at 11:16 AM. Reason: typo
    WCC method (washing) --- Rinse-out oil (MO) --- LOC/LCO method (styling)

  10. #10
    The Little Mermaid SandyBottom's Avatar
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    Default Re: Have you ever been told it's "unhealthy" to have long hair by "hair professionals

    Your hair looks beautiful and soft. I agree with the advice of the above posts too. I know it can be upsetting when someone makes a negative comment about your hair, but they don't usually know what works for YOUR hair as well as you do. Another thing you can do to keep it in perspective is take a close look at their hair with a critical eye. I don't mean criticize them back, but is their hair in such great condition? Is it being protected and brushed carefully? Follow your gut.
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