Hi there.  I am a male from the UK.  

I have been letting my hair get longer bit by bit over the past 3 or 4 years and it is now about 14 inches long - down to my collar bone. I would like to grow it longer, say to mid back,  but I work in a fairly conservative work environment and to be honest I feel a bit inhibited about going longer at the moment.  My hair is really thick and at 55 years of age perhaps I should grow it before I start losing it! What do you reckon?

Best wishes to you all

I say grow it while you have it. Hi, from New York, by the way. I am new here, too. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, redgate.

Welcome to LL, redgate.

How wonderful you've been growing your hair.  Perhaps you might keep it at about collarbone length for a while, and if you feel comfortable to grow it longer later.  Your collegues may get used to your current length and not be too uptight about more length in the future.

Just take good care of it and enjoy!!

Sakina

Greetings and welcome, redgate.

Do they really say "reckon" in the UK?  ;)

I agree with Sakina. Perhaps you should just focus on the overall health of your hair for right now and work on the length when you and your colleagues get used to the idea.

Anywho, it's great to see so many long-haired lords joining up here lately. Tends to balance things out.  ;D

It's an admirable thing, your growing your hair out now. Most men your age are lucky to have hair at all, so...good show.

God bless & happy growing.  :)

Hello and welcome!

My balding hubby would agree with you - grow it while you can!  

Being comfortable with your hair is important.  If collarbone length feels good, keep it there for a while.  When you become adventurous, you can let it grow even longer.

Welcome!  :)

A bun looks surprisingly good on men. You don't see it often, but it is quite conservative and doesn't reveal your hair length as much as a ponytail.

Nice to meet you, Redgate :) I think our fellow Longlocks member Gollan has a homepage where he's posted bun photos. It looks really nice.

Anais

Hello again,

Thanks a lot for the supportive replies and advice.

Yes I think the best bet will be to let my hair get longer bit by bit having a trim if I begin to feel less comfortable about it and taking care about condition. Fortunately we have known our hairdresser for years and seems to be able to be trusted not to be heavy handed with the scissors.

I took a look at Gollan's website and this certainly shows hair to be aspired to! .......... Maybe in a couple of years. Not sure if I would have the guts to wear a bun in my office though.

Angel spun, do English people say "reckon"?  I reckon we do - perhaps we watch too many American programmes on the box!!

Best wishes

Redgate

Welcome redgate!  Hope you find a hair length you like and are comfortable with -- at home and at your business.

Hi and welcome!

As far as growing your hair, I'd say go for it!  Do you put it in a ponytail at work?  I know that when I was in the awkward in-between lengths, I kept my hair in a ponytail all the time and people didn't really notice it had grown.  A ponytail or bun might be a good way of "hiding" that you are growing it.  To me, hair held back looks conservative.

Cynde

Welcome to the board. I hope you have happy growing and healthy hair
Meg

Hello Redgate, it's nice to meet you.  I wonder if it would be ok to have long hair if you pulled it back at your work.  I think that if it was a problem, they would tell you first.

Still, I never understood why corporations could tell you how to wear your hair...I might have to face similar stigmas because I have a tattoo.  But we will see, I have more of an artistic career ahead of me.

It's nice to meet you, Redgate.

Hi again.  Nobody at work has ever told me to get my hair cut and I am not really sure that they would in such an explicit manner. I think the problems we blokes have to put up with are often implicit rather than explicit - the comments and digs and so on.  I am not sure that I am in the market for more promotion at my age but I feel pretty sure that younger longhairs may be disadvantaged in many companies when it comes to advancement.  

For my part, for the time being at least,  I am going to stick with my growing and see how things pan out. I will let you know how I get on!