Long Hair: A Poll

[sparklypoodle]

I also have hair that is longer than my shoulders. I loooooove it that way! I tried short hair briefly when I was in college, and couldn't wait to grow it back.

On the subject of hair, maybe someone can offer me some advice. I have been strongly considering getting a 'Brazilian blowout'. It seems like a popular thing to do around where I live. I have some frizzies, and was told this would help a lot, and greatly improve the quality of my hair. My hair is healthy, just on the thin side. What do you guys think? Anyone get it? Many salons offer it, but the prices vary widely from $150 to $350 plus after care product... Not sure what is best. I also heard that the kind with formaldehyde works better...

Sorry if this is considered thread jacking... Not my intention, just looking for advice from people with gorgeous hair!

 

[minmin001]

I've had long hair pretty much most of my life, I tried short ones few times during different times of my age but they just never look good on me~

 

[stci]

Good idea Circe... BRAVO!

 

[Dandi]

Circe, dang woman, your hair is stunning!!!! My hair is pretty much the same as Autumn November's straight hair pic (you are seriously gorgeous by the way!!), but blonde. It's naturally DEAD straight, not a wave or curl on my head! It's very low maintenance and very thick and healthy, I think because I do absolutely nothing to it - I rarely blow dry it, don't need to straighten it, and I don't colour it, just the occasional trim to keep it neat and my layered fringe looking respectable.

I love it, for most occasions I can just wash it, blow dry the top so it falls how I like it to, and don't need to do much else. I had it shoulder length once many years ago and hated it.

For me - yay! to long hair!

 

[slg47]

Circe your hair is beautiful

I like to keep my hair at boob-length (is that a length?) If it gets too much longer, it doesn't curl as well.

 

[lbbaber]

Circe, I missed the photo of your hair somehow---its GORGEOUS!

 

[VRBeauty]

That is beautiful, Circe! What can I say but... UNCLE!!!

 

[Phoenix]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE long hair on other people (I have a "thing" for long hair), but just not on me! I used to wear my hair waist-length for a long time (about 10-12 years with the odd short hair-styles in between). I loved my long hair (thick but not too thick, silky shiny smooth and slightly but not too wavy). Alas, it didn't suit my face or height (am tiny). So last October, I had it cut into a funky geometric bob (not sure if it's called this), a little bit like Victoria Beckham's previous do, but not quite. Everyone has been complimenting how great I look with short hair and I've kept it short ever since. But darn, the amount of money that has gone and still goes into maintaining it!! Could've bought a small diamond with what I've spent by now!!

I agree, Circe and the other ladies with long hair, your long hair is simply GORGEOUS!!!

 

[monarch64]

I have run-of-the-mill long hair...if I want to look professional it goes into a low chignon and that's that. A picture of me (I'm on the left) taken a few weeks ago out for a friend's birthday party: (I'm 5'10", btw, so I don't think my hair is ALL THAT LONG)

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

The hair is just one part of the entire look. Here are some of the looks I associate with hair longer than the middle of the back (for adults):

1) home-schooling fundamentalist - also wears no makeup and long skirts. The hair is in braids.
2) nerd - attends renaissance fairs or likes to dress like Princess Leia for Halloween or is into role playing games. The hair is long and wavy from air drying and not styled at all.
3) professional cheerleader or basketball dancer - fake tan and nails, perfect body, heavy eyeliner. The hair is long and layered, probably tousled with a flat iron. Also known as Victoria Secret hair.

Do I think everyone with long hair is one of these stereotypes or that all home-schoolers, nerds, and professional cheerleaders have long hair? of course not. Strangers' opinions of a long haired woman obviously depends on how a woman keeps and styles her hair and the clothes she wears and how she acts. Hair is just part of a the bigger picture for any "look."

I grew my hair out much longer than I like to donate it to the Beautiful Lengths programs - I felt like it had no style and laid too flat. I'm growing my hair long again but this time I get to have layers and keep it short enough to still have volume. I feel more attractive with long hair, and my husband whines when I mention haircuts. Here is my hair when it was too long, a few months before the big chop.

 

[DiaDiva]

I used to have quite long hair and now I have quite short hair. So I've been on both sides of the fence. For me, unless the hair is poorly maintained and unhealthy looking, the length would not bother me. If it was badly maintained...I just can't help but feel that this person is a bit of a slacker. Hair is called crowning glory for a reason (regardless of length )

Just for fun here is the before and after....I love both looks. Personality-wise, my friends all think the short hair is more in sync. The long hair was too "feminine" whatever that means and says about me. Hahaha... DH has no more say. I tried the long hair at his request but the short hair is me.

 

[rosetta]

I would love really long hair but my hair is not thick enough for that!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I don't tie my hair to my identity, I think of it as a fun accessory and have never had the same cut/color twice. I got a pixie when I was 17, in my mid-twenties I grew it out to below my bra strap and now I have a pixie again (very similar to DiaDiva).

Just last week I was reading an article about how men love long hair because long, beautiful, healthy hair = beauty. I do think that long hair is beautiful, but I prefer styles that are chin length or shorter on me.

 

[Echidna]

Circe, you have what I would call "fairy princess" hair (which is appropriate if you're our resident fairy tale scholar, no? ). I guess this implies that I would think you were young (and fertile perhaps, by extension?) but I haven't seen the rest of you!

I am wildly jealous of the ladies in this thread with thick, healthy long hair. My hair is fine and so when it's long it just hangs past my long-ish face. Pretty unattractive! I think a couple of inches past the shoulders is best on me- more movement and bounce.

 

[Echidna]

Personality-wise, my friends all think the short hair is more in sync. The long hair was too "feminine" whatever that means and says about me. Hahaha... DH has no more say. I tried the long hair at his request but the short hair is me.

DiaDiva, you have such gorgeous bone structure! No wonder short hair is more "you".

Besides, short hair is all the better for showing off your lovely pearls...

 

[LadyBlue]

I think, hair any length that is well take care looks beautiful. I guess is not surprising that the women in pricescope would have gorgeous hair, no matter the length. What I see on the streets with women with hair all the way to waist, is women that don't really care about hair, and that's why they don't cut it. Women with her to the waist but beautiful stylish can look sexy and elegant.

eta. I don't have short hair. May hair goes down 1/4 of my back.

 

[Ara Ann]

This is a timely thread for me! I have been mulling this over the last week!

I am 43, have hair past my shoulders (to my bra strap in the back) and my mother has been 'on me' to cut it, like to a chin length 'bob' for the last 5 years! She also thinks I am too old for long hair, but she is from the era where all the ladies over 20 years old had short hair.

I have also had shorter styles throughout my adult years, it was short through my school years, but I grew it out in college and it's been longer than chin length since then....to my mother's dismay. MY mother and sisters all have short hair and they all 'prefer' me with short hair, but they are the only ones who tell me this....I actually get compliments on my hair, so I don't think I fall into that icky too long category? I do enjoy my long hair and feel it looks better on me that short.

I have a darker strawberry blond natural color so it's unique....people often ask me if it is my natural color...yep, it is.

I figure I will keep it long until I stop getting compliments on it, LOL, or if my BFF tells me it's time to let it go. She and I have an 'age appropriateness pact' - to tell each other if our clothing, hair, makeup, etc., are becoming age inappropriate. We all need an honest second opinion from those who know us best!

I also admire Jane Seymour's longer hair (she just turned 60 BTW!) and see MANY women in their 40's - 50's with long hair and it suits them.


Anyway, I did trim off about 1.5 inches this week, it does look bouncier, but I have decided to keep it long! I wear it slightly layered around my face and have fringy bangs, so I can curl it and change up the style for different occasions.

I'd share a pic, but I don't have any current ones of the back of my hair. I did find one from last year, but my hair is about 5 inches longer now!

Thanks for starting this thread, reading these replies helped confirm my decision!!!

 

[elrohwen]

I love long hair for the most part. I've had mine shoulder length and it's ok (looking back at old pics, I kind of like it!), but there's an awkward length between shoulder length and where it is now when it just looks weird. Haha. Like it's flat, but also flips out in weird directions and just doesn't look neat. That's the main reason I'm hesitant about cutting it shorter again, because I hate it while it's growing out. I grew it out for my wedding in 2009, just because, and ended up liking it!

I do blow dry every day, but because my hair is so straight I can do just my bangs (side swept) and front strands and let the rest air dry.

Currently it's long enough that I lean on it when I'm sitting in a chair, which I find annoying. Every time it gets to this length I go in and have a couple inches cut off, then let it grow again.

Here's a picture from September of 2010 that shows it fairly well. It's a bit longer than that now, but I'm going to get it cut back to that length in a week or two.


This is how short I had it for a couple years.

 

[ksinger]

My hair is below shoulder length. I take great care of my hair, and am turning 50 soon. I have no plans of cutting it short. I use hot curlers so it looks shorter than it actually is. Guess it's time for me to burn my bikini's not supposed to wear them either... I hate these kinds of polls that the media spreads.

Yep. Same here. I'll be 50 a lot sooner than I'd like, and still have it a bit below the shoulder - which is about the shortest I ever get it. I look so SO bad in short hair, and the fast-approaching half-century hasn't changed that fact, so I'll likely keep my hair this length, give or take a couple of inches, for as long as I possibly can. At least I'm not gray yet - I barely have any at all, and my mom was going seriously gray at 35.

 

[Arcadian]

Lady Blue, by all means, be specific! I just wanted to set basic ground-rules (knee-length, after all, isn't that unusual).

Arcadian ... you intrigue me. Hair board?

Yes ma'am. The one I belong to geared specifically to women of color, but there are various hair boards dedicated to growing long hair. I learned to make my own deep conditioners, the protien/moisture balance that works specifically for my hair, to do search and destroy missions for split ends and knots, and generally got a routine for my hair that really worked was uber easy for daily maintenance. I also became a bit of a product junky at first. so much yummy stuff to try!!

Then there was the cool and fun styles and hair toys. It can be addictive

I grew my hair from ear length to midback which took me about 3-4 years, but considering my hair type, it was a challenge and much easier than I thought. I cut it because of boredom and the desire to see my chemical free hair. Grass is greener and all that, so whack whack whack!! My long hair would take forever to dry after washing it true, but maintenance level was so much lower. Being shorter, I braid my hair every night so I don't get the dreaded single hair knots, the kiss of death for very curly hair.

Just goes to show there's a message board out there for nearly everything.


-A

 

[violet3]

I've always had long hair - I'm 34 now and i play around with my bangs and layers now and again, but that's about it. I have extremely thick hair - while it used to dry perfectly on its own, it changed around age 30 and now definitely requires a blow dry and/or a straightener. The shorter it gets, the more unruly (and large) it gets, so I keep it long.

I don't think hair and age should always go together -- I think it's a lot more about what fits someone's face. I don't think I'll ever really have short hair. It might not be as long as it is now, but it won't be short - i know that for sure.

 

[jstarfireb]

I've had long hair all my life (anywhere between shoulder length and at the lower tips of my shoulder blades in the back, currently the latter), but I voted "good on other people, just not for me." This is because my hair is very fine and oily, and it gets messy and stringy when it's longer than shoulder length. My husband loves long hair and doesn't seem to understand that it's not for every woman! He's been insisting that I keep my hair long, and I'm complying until we have our Chinese wedding reception in June, so it can be long for the pictures. But then it's buh-BYE hair! I'll be going with something between shoulder and chin length this time.

ETA: I define long as anything longer than shoulder length, and short as anything shorter than chin length. Anything in between is medium...and I have a ridiculously long neck, so that's a lot of medium when it comes to my own hair. I'm not sure if that's correct in hair terminology, but that's how I conceptualize it.

 

[slg47]

it seems Circe is a far cry away from 'fairy tale length'

 

[Laila619]

I think is a HUGE difference from shoulder-blade length to waist-length. Because my opinion would change between both options.

Ditto. I love long hair. I don't like excessively long hair, for myself.

 

[Laila619]

In looking at everyone's pics, you all have beautiful hair!!

What I consider excessively long = "hippie" hair where it's so long it's scraggly and has tons of split ends, and just kind of hangs there. No one has that here.

 

[LGK]

Circe your hair is killer gorgeous! I love your hair flower too. Wish I could wear the black hair flowers- in my black hair, they just blend and it's pointless but your color makes it stand out so beautifully. (My favorite one is a plum flower with a gold veil bit.)

I've always worn long hair my whole life with, like, two exceptions that were quickly grown out. My curls get reallllly unruly if they aren't thoroughly weighted down. It's about the length of AutumnNovember's, a bit less layered though. It looks shorter when it's dry because of the bushy/curl effect, though.

I'll see if I can find a pic later, maybe.

 

[Black Jade]

I love long hair and have rarely seen long hair that I didn't think looked great.
Everyone who has posted their photo here so far has lovely hair.
Mine will grow to my shoulderblades only.
My mother's doesn't grow at all.
I think that women whose hair doesn't grow long often have some other kind of beauty. My mom has a really long neck and her head is graceful and her features are very symmetrical so she looks great with her naturally short hair.
But I love long hair and wouldnt' mind if mine would grow longer but it won't. Instead, it's tremendously thick, which has its assets and liabilities.
Once I was with a group of women and they were talking about what men like the most in a woman. It was REALLY funny, I'll never forget it. The one with the long hair pulled her bun down. The one with the big bosom arched her back. The one with the long legs crossed them and then uncrossed them and crossed them again. The one with the tiny feet let them slip out of her shoes so that everyone could see her perfect manicure--in winter. I guess there's jsut a variety of tastes.
One didn't do anything. But she could really, really cook. I'm guessing that was what made her a winner.

 

[nfowife]

I think thick, shiny long hair is beautiful. Sadly, my hair is not thick, it is fine and thin so long hair on me just looks stringy and yuck. My hair is about chin length now (just had it cut) and I usually keep it between my chin and shoulders in a bob style with a bit of stacking in the back. Most of my friends have similar length hair to mine.... it's pretty much standard "mom hair" where I live . I have had this basic style of hair with a bit of tweaking since I was about 20. It's just the length that works best for me. I WISH I could have long hair though!!

 

[Haven]

My hair is about as long as Autumn's, and I LOVE my long hair! (Autumn--you have GORGEOUS locks, my dear!)

I think hair at any length can send any number of messages, and the message it sends has much more to do with how it is kept and styled than how long it is.

I'm lucky that my hair has a nice big, full wave to it when it air dries, so I can get away with leaving for work with wet hair and I show up with some nice looking locks. I usually pull it back in a low bun, though.

I wore my hair in the Vidal Sassoon graduated bob for YEARS and that remains my favorite hairstyle to this day, but it just doesn't look great on me. I found this out when I let my hair grow out after college and person after person said "Wow! Your hair looks SO much better long."

As for professionalism and hair length, I consider myself lucky to be in a profession that values its members for their contribution to the college and to their field over anything else. Some of my most recognized colleagues aren't exactly the most put-together, but they are extremely well-respected.

 

[rhbgirl24]

I have long hair, its probably about 4 inches below my shoulder blades. I love it, but its a TON of work. Most of the time for work it is braided or up because its too much work in the morning!

I think longer hair just complements some people. I sure as heck can't pull off a pixie cut!!