When I was a kid, my mother had raised three boys before she had me.  She was so happy to have a girl to dress up in pink ruffles, who would have long hair for her to play with.  That was until she discovered that my hair knotted something horrible and that I was a *huge* wuss when they were being combed out (still am).  So, she decided that her daughter was going to be the next Twiggy (if you have to ask, you're too young) and tried her best to convince me that the "pixie cut" was a good thing.  Needless to say, I did a lot of sobbing when I was a child.  What was even worse, one of my brothers dated a girl named Liz who had hair almost to her knees (who later went on to become Billy Joel's first wife... I like to think because of the gorgeous hair ;) and all I wanted when I wasn't dreaming of having Marlo Thomas' hair was to have Liz's hair.  Instead, my mother was trying to convince me I looked "just like Twiggy."  Twiggy (whom by the way now has long blonde hair and has obviously seen the light) is someone I have never resembled in *any* form except mother-imposed hair length.

So, when I grew up I was very determined to have long hair to die for.  I *tried* to have long gorgeous hair by doing horrible things like perming it and spending ten long years as a blonde.  Eventually I figured out that the reason it wasn't growing was because of the horrible things I was doing to it.  In my late 20's I dyed it to my best guess at my natural color, stopped perming, cut off everything that was in bad shape, and started taking really good care of it.  It grew like a weed and by the time I was 30 it was close to my waist, the longest it had ever been after almost two decades of trying, and it's been growing ever since.  In fact, I sometimes think it's getting too long and will cut off a couple inches, but it always seems to be even longer before the mood strikes me again.  I often muse about having a grey braid to my knees, but at 42 without a grey hair on my head, it's beginning to look hopeless.  Still, one can always hope... and I DO!

When I was a little girl my sister and I always had long hair because my mother loved us beeing nice dressed and styled like little dolls. At the age of 10 I cutted my hair to chin length and during the next years I tried a lot of styles...the shortest hair I ever had was half an inch  :o
At the age of 16 I decided I wanted to have long locks again and started growing. As my hair grows very quickly when I graduated (at the age of 18) it fell down to the middle of my back. Unfortunately my hair does not grow longer than waistlong- maybe it would but every time it gets longer the hair tips start to become dry and brittle so I have to cut half an inch. So from 19 to 21 I wore my hair on waist length and was very pleased with it.
But one and a half year ago I was afflicted from something bad: hair loss   :-[!
I started running from doctor to doctor...they checked
everything, they took so many blood test I sometimes was afraid of becoming anaemic  ;) and they prescribed so many medicaments for me I could have topped my grandparents´collection! Nothing was helpful and finally they told me that the cause of my hair loss was nothing but stress and they could not do anything for me furthermore. So I was forced to cut my beloved hair to shoulder length to conceal as good as possible how thin it had become ( the first doctor I went to told me I should not be upset because my hair was totally normal thick for middle europe- but I am spoilt with very thick hair and cannot get used to this new condition).
Can tell you seeing 12 inches of my hair dropping was painful  :'(
Since then (it was in August) my hair fortunately grew nearly five inches and becomes looking more healthy again.
That was my story and I hope I can show you a picture of my hair on its former condition soon.

E.

I'm a girl. I swear. But tell your average person that -- I have an androgynous body a la a supermodel, and an androgynous face to match. I've been called 'sir' a lot, even when I'm not dressing in guy's clothing -- apparently, thin guys walk around wearing babydoll tees allll the time. ;)

Having long hair makes me feel more feminine, and it translates into how I carry myself, which reduces the amount of 'sir's I get. I've also found that it makes me feel a lot more attractive and confident, as well, especially because the area where I live... not many women who are naturally curly wear their hair that way, let alone to mid-back and dyed red with henna!

I wish it was longer, though. I measured recently, and I have 23" of hair -- but when you're 5'9", and your curls shrink your hair by half a foot... it doesn't seem long at all! I plan on growing my hair out until it's at least to my hips when it's curly. And maybe beyond that...

Eeeeekk, the "Twiggy" thing!  I'm old enough to remember that, hehe!

I ended up with a horrible pixie cut as a child, too.  I was about six, and had waist-length hair that my mother always kept in braids.  My mom was tired of dealing with it, and wanted to cut it short, but I loved it and wouldn't let her.

And then, one morning, I woke up and my hair was gone.  I ran into the bathroom, and hardly recognized the little face with the untamed pixie cut.

My mom says I got up in the night and asked her to cut it.  All I can say is I remember no such thing.  Sleepwalking?  I don't know.....   :'(

So....it wasn't so much a decision to grow long hair, it was more like "no one's ever touching my hair again!!"  

~ Hasani

Curls run in our family - and the "prefered" family hair style is *short* - no more than 2" for girls, 1" or less for guys.  All my friends had long hair when I was a kid, and I desperately wanted to have long hair like everyone else.

Eventually, my mom let me grow out my hair (I was about 10 at the time) and my dad complained the whole time.  A year and a half later, he insisted I had to have it cut short for the summer....and instead of the soft curls I'd had as a little kid, I developed cork-screw curls that stood straight out from my head and were completely uncontrollable.  This was *not* good for my self esteem, because everyone made fun of me - and the trauma of having it cut so short made me decide I never wanted short hair again.

That's the shortest it's been since.  A couple of times I've had it cut to shoulder length (which for most stylists meant "shoulder length when wet and pulled straight" - so really chin length).  And I tried coloring it in college (early gray hair also runs in the family). But in the last 3 or 4 years, I've really started taking good care of it and letting it grow - I only cut a little off the ends at any given time, and  I've almost finished growing out the last time I colored it - I've got about 6" left to go. :-)

I'm to the point now where, when pulled straight, my hair is waist length, but when dry and curly, it's down to about the bottom of my shoulder blades.

wrote on Dec 21^st, 2002 at 10:05am:

Can tell you seeing 12 inches of my hair dropping was painful  :'( Since then (it was in August) my hair fortunately grew nearly five inches and becomes looking more healthy again. That was my story and I hope I can show you a picture of my hair on its former condition soon.

Oh my, how heartbreaking for you!  I can't  imagine having to cut off 12 inches.  Still 5" in only four months is really fast hair growth so maybe you are on your way to recovery!  

Please do post your picture, we'd love to see!  :)

wrote on Dec 21^st, 2002 at 7:59pm:

I wish it was longer, though. I measured recently, and I have 23" of hair -- but when you're 5'9", and your curls shrink your hair by half a foot... it doesn't seem long at all! I plan on growing my hair out until it's at least to my hips when it's curly. And maybe beyond that...

My hubby has the same problem... he's got very curly hair and he's been growing it "forever" but it curls up so much you'd never know it.  I think that's the *only* aspect about curly hair that I see as a drawback, but I can certainly find plenty to complain about having very straight locks!

wrote on Dec 21^st, 2002 at 8:52pm:

And then, one morning, I woke up and my hair was gone.  I ran into the bathroom, and hardly recognized the little face with the untamed pixie cut.

Ohmigawd, this is going to give me nightmares for a week.  How horrible for you!  :(

I became tired of bad hair cuts, so I just quit having it cut!  Long hair is so much easier to manage.

I find longer hair so much easier to manage too ! Especially in the summer.

I decided to grow my hair long, like a lot of people I also had long hair when I was a child and I have had short hair since last year when I decided to grow it long again.

My hair is now shoulder length and feels like it is growing faster than it has ever grown before, I mastered the art of cutting my own fringe a few months ago for the first time in my life without messing it up ! :P

I just can't wait to have long hair and this website is great because I also learnt how to do French Braids without looking like I have been dragged through a tree backwards !! ;D

wrote on Dec 30^th, 2002 at 6:21pm:

I also learnt how to do French Braids without looking like I have been dragged through a tree backwards !! ;D

This image is going to stay with me all day now!  Hee!  Been there, done that - it's a perfect way to describe it.  ;-)

~ Hasani

as my stylist would say, though, "easy for who??" I had a shoulder length bob for a bit and was constantly fighting against the little orphan annie look (I have auburn hair). I can just put my hair up and it is out of the way, off my face, and looks nice. it just feels like me, which shorter hair never did.

If you can remember the curley perms of the late 70's and early 80's you can start to understand why my hair is just above my knees now!  The word straight does not even begin to describe my hair....I will not curl on a bet...............

I begged my Mom to take me to get one of those perms and being a good Mom she did...In those days you had to wait 3 days after the perm to wash your hair...I waited the three days and when I washed my hair all of those curls washed away!!!!!!  I was left with a head full of awful layers and fried hair.  There was no way to even try to reperm my hair because the origional perm damaged my hair so badly. :(

I started to make a game out of growing my hair out (nice suggestion from my Mom trying to handle damage control) every time I grew another layer out Mom would take me on a small shopping trip.  Well after the final layers grew out I was off to college and there I started the game of grow it to the middle of my back, my waist, and then it was grow it to the back of my knees or until I turned 30.  Thirty has come and gone (I'm 39 now) and my hair is about 2" from my knees....My ankles next?   ???

I too am looking forward to the long grey braid.  Right now however I am starting to get the Bride of Frankenstein look...all of my greys are coming in at my temples and seem to be forming communities there...My husband teases me that they are silver racing stripes! :)

If I ever do decide to cut it though I am going to donate it to charity :)

wrote on Jan 5^th, 2003 at 8:57pm:

If I ever do decide to cut it though I am going to donate it to charity :)

I would be cautious about who you donate your hair to.  At least one organization, Locks of Love, has rather questionable financial practices and even admits that most of the donated hair is sold on the open market.  You might instead consider having a hairpiece made for yourself for those times when you will undoubtably miss your long locks.

I couldn't afford haircuts.

No, really! I decided to quit work and go back to college full-time. A private college at that. So, my funds were super limited, add in the fact that I owned a horse made it that much worse.

I had super long hair as a very young child - then my mom had it cut off when she decided she didn't have the time to take care of it any longer. (4 hours to blow dry - I have super thick hair) It didn't bother me, and I had short hair from that point till now. I even had a crew cut for a while.  Which (gasp) I liked. ;D

So, I couldn't get it cut - and it grew. And kept growing. Then I made the decision to cut it, and my mother bought me a $100 hair comb. I felt guilty, so I didn't cut it. Then I bought some hairsticks for my wedding, and liked them. So, I bought more. And now, I can't imagine cutting my hair.

It's grown from a super short cut (about 1") to between my shoulderblades in about a year. It's crazy! I can see my hair without looking in a mirror!  ;)

When I was a baby, I was BALD!!!  My mom let my hair grow and I had it past my shoulderblades in Kindergarden and 1st grades.  My grandmother kept after me to get it trimmed, and, as every little girl wants to please her grandmother, I gave in.  I picked out a style in a magazine similar to the "Doroth Hamil"  but shoulder length.  Mom took me to her stylist and I showed her the picture.  Keep in mind, Mom kept her hair VERY short  (about 5 inches at the longest point)  The stylist decided we didn't need to wash the hair that would be cut so she did a quick cut before washing.  When I saw myself in the mirror, I was upset!  It was already shorter than I picked out, and she hadn't even shaped it yet!!!   By the time she was done,  I pretty much matched my mom.   :'(  :'(   :'(   Many tears were shed.....

When I was little, I had a *very* sensitive scalp -- and massive snarls all the time.  So, between bouts of my mother chasing me down with a brush, she'd take me to get hair cuts -- which I really hated because while I could run from mom, I couldn't run from the hairdresser who was a friend of the family, and the de-snarling made tears run.  Slowly, I undertook the de-snarling myself.  Then when I was about 12 I got a hair cut that everyone but me loved, which ended at my chin.  I thought it made me look like a fat chipmunk.  With cheeks full of nuts.  

Now, I've got a lot of hair -- so even if I spent all day putting my hair behind my ears the back half would fall forward.  Argh. Always in the way!!

So the growing began. 'Course we had moved by this time and the person who had been cutting my hair told me that if I wanted it long, I just shouldn't cut it for a few years.  By the time I found someone with a clue, and realized that the last foot of hair shouldn't be straw, I was in high school.  After that traumatic 12" cut (brought me all the way back to shoulder length) I've been good about a 1/2" or so off every other month.

Now I only have nightmares about having that chipmunk look again! :)

I also dream of a huge thick braid -- but white, rather than silver. ;)  -- I'm supposed to go white young -- 25 and only a handful so far -- but then I'm blonde, and the little devils may be hiding! ;)

~Briony.

I had a mass of curly hair when I was young and my mother let it grow since it was so "different" and I've loved it ever since! When it's long it's wavy, I didn't know it was curly till i cut it shoulder length (big mistake) but it's growing again  ;D.

Right now my hair is 18" (mid-back for me), and I want to grow it 6 more inches because then it will be waist length. I heard that it takes about a year to grow 6" and I thought I might have to wait 4 years or so for my hair to grow back again! I'm taking so much extra special care of it now, I'm sure it will be healthy and beautiful when it's long!

I am about the same age as Rapunzel, and as a little girl, I had very pretty hair, just below shoulder length, chestnut with honey-colored sunstreaks.  Trouble was, my scalp was 'stroadnary sensitive, and my mom really pulled, raking it with a comb from the crown down.  It got to the point where I wouldn't let her near me with any sort of hair implement, actually becoming combative.  So, Dad took over.  He would carefully brush my hair, starting at the ends and working up.  He washed my hair, and before the days of blow driers, he took the bonnet off an old-time drier and used the blower tube in one hand and the brush in the other.  Dad also gave me Tonette perms (anybody remember THOSE?) which gave me a bit of a body wave.

Finally, my mom had it when I was about eleven, and I was hauled before the salon-keeper for the dreaded pixie.  (I will never forgive Mia Farrow or Twiggy either, tho both did later grow theirs out.) Several years later, it was a horrible choppy version of what the local stylist thought was a Dorothy Hamill.  I hated it all.

At 14, I started growing my hair from the Hamill, and despite having to occasionally have it whacked  until all the layers could grow out, I had a shoulder-length bob at 15.  At 17 it was bra-length.  By the time I was 22 it was mid-thigh length and looked so cool when I wore it in two long braids with my cowgirl hat.

Chopped it after my first divorce and regretted it soon afterwards.  I can't stand having my hair in my face, and it seems it's worse with short or medium length.  Easier when its long to either tie it back, sweep it up or flip it behind my shoulder.

When I see myself in dreams, my hair is dark and very long.  I have never felt right during all these years of styled, layered medium-length hair, so I decided to grow and never go back.  It has finally gotten some length now, and I just love it.  I feel more like ME, hooray!  AND I have fun with my LL Stix, and Rapunzel has turned me into a collector of vintage/antique combs and ornaments.  ALL good reasons to never whack again!

wrote on Jan 26^th, 2004 at 8:32pm:

Dad also gave me Tonette perms (anybody remember THOSE?) which gave me a bit of a body wave.

Oh egads, YES!  And "White Rain" cream rinse, remember that?  I can still remember the scent!


wrote on Jan 26^th, 2004 at 8:32pm:

Rapunzel has turned me into a collector of vintage/antique combs and ornaments.

Oh geez, the guilt sets in. I have been so incredibly busy trying to keep up with custom orders and trying desperately to get the boutique full of sticks again after being almost completely wiped out at Christmas (and failing miserably because almost everything sells as soon as I put it up), that I've really neglected the Vintage Hair Combs section.  I am so sorry... I promise I'll try to get some more stuff up soon.  I need an assistant so badly and I just so don't want to do that, I hate managing people and am not good at "letting go" of things I don't think anyone else will do the way I want it done :/

When I get to be an old lady, I didn't want to have "helmet hair." You know the monochomatic dyed, curling ironed, teased helmets you see on so many ladies. Plus, it costs a fortune to get good haircuts, and if you color your hair, a good salon color and maintenance costs even more. Home dyeing changes color, and looks so unnatural.

One time I cut it short in frustration because I was using a hair conditioner that just absolutely gunked up all my combs and brushes. I sure regretted that, and began growing it out almost immediately after. I quit using conditioner, and went to a vinegar rinse. I've worn it long ever since.

I admire the older European ladies I see occasionally, who have these beautiful upswept up-do's that I go home and try to copy. I'm looking for a few good chignon construction techniques.
 
I've always believed in WSYWIG, what you see is what you get, about my hair. Natural is beautiful. Long is beautiful. And almost nobody wears a bun any more. I figure an upswept bun is better than a facelift.  

I was hoping to inherit my Mother's prematurely silver hair, but I didn't; my brother did. So, its just plain 'ole gray, about down to my waist. I've glanced through the cookbook, but didn't notice anything there to make grey hair more silver. Anybody got any ideas?

I've always treated my hair like a cashmere sweater.   :D

There used to be specific shampoos and/or conditioners made to bring out the silver in hair, they usually had a blue base.  You might try a beauty supply store, I'm sure someone still makes it, especially since we baby boomers are aging quickly (and gracefully! ;)

I decided seriopusly to let my hair grow right before I was going to cut it really short, but I found this sight and decided I would grow it. My husband is happy that I am letting grow. I am not only growing I am keeping it healthy and it is mostly because of this sight.  :)

I started growing about four years ago mainly because I had a general dislike for hair salons and was too lazy to try to do anything with my hair. I also looove the feel of my hair against my bare skin and falling around my shoulders (who doesn't?). Besides that, I never did like how I looked with shorter hair.

I didn't really take very good care of it at all though, until my sister started bothering me about how many split ends I had and how it'd be much healthier if it were shorter. Well, I'd gotten attached to my hair, but since I knew she was right (and also partly just to spite her), I decided not to cut it, but do some research into taking care of long hair, and eventually I came across this lovely site.  :)

I've always wanted to be one of those women with a long, thick silver braid when I get older...I've always thought those ladies look so much more alive and healthy and beautiful.

wrote on Jun 24^th, 2004 at 10:20pm:

I decided seriopusly to let my hair grow right before I was going to cut it really short, but I found this sight and decided I would grow it. My husband is happy that I am letting grow. I am not only growing I am keeping it healthy and it is mostly because of this sight.  :)

Music to my ears!!!  :D

A guy in a hot tub, drunk on 5-10 bloody marys, talked me into growing out my hair. I didn't know how much he'd been drinking until after the hair conversation was over and I'd made him a promise.

Actually I'd been nursing the thought of a hairstyle change for awhile, when he tipped the scales. Up until then, my mom had me on chin-length hair since age three, complete with bangs so that I looked like a china doll. Sometime near the end of grade school, the cut changed to an "Ami Mizuno" cut, a` la` "Pretty Soldier" Japanese anime (looked like Dorothy Hamill but I wasn't a fan of hers at the time). Eventually, I grew it just a bit longer, maybe to the neck.. and that's my starting point for growing. Especially as I was going through my teens, the short hair often got oily and gross with lots of gunky buildup. I ended up washing it every day. To top that off, I physically looked like Twiggy so the short cuts made me look gawky and disproportioned.

Now I still look like Twiggy, but that's a good thing now. People stopped calling me "sir" after my long hair... and acquaintances would stop asking my family how old is their "brother" or "son" or other male relative. See, it would make sense if I explain: struggling with sxual identity issues, I wore masculine clothing until about last Januaryish. It was always flannel, cargo pants, and grunge jeans. Growing out my hair was an amazing improvement on self-esteem and feminine confidence, with less anxiety around people in general.

Now, a year and a half later, my bloody mary drinker and I are still seeing each other and he looves my hair like his own (and it's kinda cute that we have similar hair goals (me: hip / him: waist)) If I didn't have long hair then I'd feel so ugly, gross, and old. I'll never go short ever again!

Anais

My mother had long hair. Her hair was beautiful blue black (natural color) and wavy, she would wear it in a variety of ways. I always wanted hair like my mother's so of course it had to be long.  ;) I never had hair shorter than shoulder length but it wasn't till I was an adult and learned to take better care of it that it really took off and started getting really long.  My hair is now  the longest it has ever been and comes down passed my hips.  ;D Unfortunately to get  my hair to look like my mother's beautiful black hair did I have to enhance my own dark brown color.  ;)

Don't laugh...

I always wanted long hair because I loved Princess Leia from Star Wars.  Pretty much a toss up of wanting to be her or marry her.   :-*

My mom cut my waist length hair when she went back to work.  I was 5 and my dad was too scared he would hurt me and just brushed the top layer.   Then every time my hair got much below my collar bones it would start to look straggly and I'd cut it off.  About 6 years ago I became determined to beat BSL, (which I spent at least 3 years at) and now my hair is brushing the tops of my hips.  I'm going for at least classic length.  

i just never like short hair - one time when we were going to get my hair cut i just decided i wanted my hair to be long and told them only to trim it a little bit - and then just never let it get cut much more than an inch - except when i decided to grow my bangs out (i hated when they were cut - all the hair falling in my eyes making my eyes itch :) - and when they got to long and were always in my eyes)  - when my bangs got to the point i could put them behind my ears - it was cut on an angle from the end of the bangs down to the rest of my hair - which was kind of annoying - the closest i ever came to layers - so finally when my bangs were long enough i had it all cut to one length and it has been that way ever since

Quote:

I always wanted long hair because I loved Princess Leia from Star Wars.  Pretty much a toss up of wanting to be her or marry her.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Me too! I ADORED Princess Leia from the time I first saw those movies! And I wanted hair just like hers!!! And I had a crush on her, too.  *blush*

Anyway. I could rattle off a LONG list of female movie stars with long hair that I've been enamored with, but I'll spare everyone. That was definitely a huge thing for me.

Plus, I had it incredibly long when I was younger and I really miss it. Every time I cut it, I always ended up wondering, "What was I THINKING?" So finally I've decided I'm going to stop doing stupid things.

Ella

I first tried growing my hair when I was 14.  Before then It had always been short, and I was never happy with the way I looked - I've always been relatively tall and skinny, and had slightly largeish, slightly sticky-out ears, so with short hair I looked kinda geeky.
I'm not entirely sure what made me try growing it, possibly I wanted to try something new, or maybe it was just laziness, or most likely a bit of both...

Anyway, I made the mistake of keeping my fringe short, and it never quite looked like how I hoped it would.
Add to that the fact that I _was_ a 14 year old boy, and therefore had a hair care routine that consisted of maybe remembering to throw a comb vaguely in its direction once a week or so, and it just ended up looking a mess.
Also I did get some hassling from other kids at school (an all male school) - not from any of my friends as far as I remember, but still, at that age negative comments really make an impression.
So I got it cut short again.

Then a year or so later, we moved to Australia, and after a year or so of being my same old "square" and geeky self, I met some new friends - mostly all female, and mostly all with long hair - and I went through a pretty major image change - stopped wearing button up shirts, and started wearing black t-shirts and black stretch jeans, and with the encouragement of Emma - who was one of those new friends - tried growing my hair again.

But this time I knew to just let it all grow.  That was in 1994, and aside from a trim here and there, I haven't had it cut since and feel infinitely more confident about myself than I ever did when I had short hair - it's like I managed to discover the real me in the process :D

Now I don't think I would ever cut it again - it's part of who I am.

Family probably helped my decision - not so much in making the decision to do it, but suporting it. Both my mother and my aunt (her sister) had long, straight waist length hair - Mum's dark brown, and my Aunt's was an amazing dark red colour - and my Father used to have long hair too - In their wedding photos he has shoulder length hair (though he cut it off once he got a Real Job and the 80s happened)
Both times my parents - particularly my mother - were very supportive and encouraging about my choice to grow my hair, which was very nice - and I never get any questions from family about if I'm going to cut it, although Mum does have strange ideas about how I should wear it - she thinks I should have it in a pony tail all the time, but for me, that completely defeats the purpose....
I guess there's just no pleasing mothers ;)

mabinogi;
How wonderful that your family is supportive of your choice to have long hair.  It is also great that you are comfortable with who you are and how you fit in with your group of friends.  Feeling a part of a group really helps with self-esteem - something too many young people don't have.

Thanks for sharing!

Well, when I was younger my mother absolutely REFUSED to have my hair cut.  

I was allowed a trim now and again, and when I was in primary school I managed to talk her into letting it be chopped to my shoulders (I was young and didn't have time to care for it)

And then it grew...  for six years, aside from a trim now and again, it grew... ha!  I have pictures of me in high school, in my cheerleading uniform (yes, I was a cheerleader... heaven help us!)  with a ponytail perched at a jaunty angle on top of my head with this long red tail hanging down... *laughs*

It stayed at my waist for a few years, but I wanted a "popular" cut and managed to talk my mother into it my senior year.. just above my shoulders, the shortest it's ever been.. for which I could STILL kick myself for doing... but my senior pictures did turn out nicely.. http://www.writing.com/main/images/item_id/667051

I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic.  Another year passed and as I watched period drama movies (yes, I have a soft spot for them.. *dramatic sigh*) I realized that I desperatly wanted long hair again.... before I knew it, I was four years into not cutting my hair again, and I was two inches above my waist!

Long hair has always sorta.. sneaked up on me. I just adore the way it looks, I adore compliments (who doesn't?)  and I love the fact that that long hair just makes me feel.. feminine.  There's just something about being a woman  with a long plait of red hair wrapped gracefully at the nape of my neck.. it's just.. me.

novusfemina is soo agree with you ( who doesn't in here!??)
and such a lovely picture!

Thank you, Styg!  You're too sweet!

I keep getting tired of my hairstyle.  I did get it cut a couple years ago for several reasons -- my all-male household wasn't giving me any feedback on whether my current shoulder length looked good or not :-/, I was frustrated with it, and I figured I was getting too old for long hair anyway ::)
Since then a friend of mine, who is several years older, has been growing her hair, and I finally realized I HATE short hair on me!  Also (after almost 25 years at the time) my hubby said he loved my longer hair and didn't like my new short 'do >:( -- ARGHHHHHHHHHH)  Anyway, I figured if Linda could look so good with longer hair, and I liked longer hair on me anyway, go for it, girl!  I'm just glad to have found this board to help me take better care of it this time and encourage me to try out new styles etc.  Thanks to all of you, you're great!!! :-*

It's kinda wierd but the length of my hair is directly proportinal to how happy I am.  It seems I just couldn't stay out of the salon during my first marriage.  My hair was just passed the shoulders when I got married, as the marriage went down hill I kept getting my hair cut shorter and shorter (which didn't help my happiness any).  I had a pixie cut when I filed for a divorse.  I am much happier in my second marriage and feel no desire to chop my hair off :D  Right now I have only one child-a boy.  I hope someday to have a little girl and I would like to be able to do "long hair" things with her which my mother and I never did because my mom is a confirmed short hair addict.  She had had a pixie cut for nearly 40 years now.

Looking back at childhood photos, I see that I only ever had long hair until I hit the first grade.  What I had was mid-back length, fine blonde hair, with bangs.  My mother, who always seemed inclined to favor short hair, had my hair "shagged."  Now that I look at the photo, the haircut looked more like a mullet. :o That was the mid-80s.

Throughout elementary school, my hair never made it BSL.  I had scalp itch problems even back then.  When the doctor said I had seborrheic dermatitis, my mom was convinced that I needed to have short hair.  By fifth grade I had a Twiggy haircut, and in sixth grade, my mom decided I needed to have it permed.  What I was left with was a permed mullet.  All the girls at school with their long hair laughed at me.  The boys said I looked like a shaggy dog.  Not a fun experience.  

:'(

So throughout junior high and high school, I decided to grow my hair out, since I was caring for it myself and was making the transition to a different school.  I didn't let it grow consistently, getting haircuts here and there, but never anything severe.  By the time I graduated high school, it was about 4 inches BSL, and looked nice.  

Then I got into college and thought how nice it would be to have really blonde hair.  So I bleached it -- what a mistake!  :P My fragile fine hair broke off all over the place and was fried.  So finally I had it bobbed to my chin and dyed it ruby red.  It actually looked pretty cool that way! After a while, my hair made it BSL, again, but it was flat and straight, greasy and I figured that it would look fuller if I had it cut short.  When I went to the hairdresser, I asked for a chin length bob, like I had a few years ago.  The lady, (not the same one who cut my hair before,) totally had no idea what she was doing and cut my hair into cheek length layers that were uneven on both sides.  She  also "stacked" the back halfway up my head!      
>:( The next day I went to another salon to have them fix it, and the lady there made it even worse (I should have known to leave when she said, "I just don't know how we're going to fix this!")  So within 2 days, my hair had been mis-cut twice.  It was the ultimate hair nightmare, from which I never fully recovered.  In the next few years, I wouldn't let anyone but my hairdresser aunt touch my hair, and then only for trims, so I guess that's when my long hair growing days began---born of paranoia!  :-/
I had an awful time growing my hair out again.  The two haircuts that originally messed up my hair had many piecey layers, so it took forever to get one-length, BSL again.  

About 4 years ago I decided to stop messing with my hair and just let it grow out for good.  And no more dying it. I never became good at styling my hair with the hair dryers and round brushes that so many trendy cuts required. (No coordination!)  Not to mention that my hair can only hold a curl for about one hour, then it's straight again (and that's with lots of hairspray!)  I just gave up on styling and did the ponytail.  

In time I came to not only make peace with my hair, but also treasure it.  I love how feminine it looks long, as it is now 22 inches long.  But I have had to deal with certain family members bugging me to get it cut.  For example, "You look so CUTE with your hair bobbed!" and "Short hair is so practical, you should get it cut."  I almost gave in a few days ago, until I found this website.  I am now rededicating myself to staying the course in growing out my hair.  My goal is waist length, but if it will grow longer than that, even better!  I have always admired long hair on other women, and now I finally realize that I can have it too, despite having fine hair.  

Ilovecats, WOW :o  horror hair stories for sure.  Glad you survived, and your hair did too.  Sounds like you're on course to continue to have gorgeous long locks ;D

That's quite a story, Ilovecats!

Yes, there are many who have fine, long hair. It looks different from thick hair, but in its own way, just as lovely. Where did the idea that all long hair should look the same come from anyway?
And you're certainly not alone with relatives who think that you should cut your hair. :) I guess that most longhairs get to hear that sooner or later. Then we can compare our experiences and laugh at them at longhair boards with our longhair cyberfriends. ;D

I have very fine hair and I'm attempting to grow it long, too.  My goal is waist length, I hope.  Most of my friends and relativesl have told me they think my best length is a chin length bob, too.  We were watching a family video at a family get together this Christmas and My mother saw my short hair (chin length) in the video and said, "Your hair looked sooo cute that way, you should cut it again) I've been tempted too, but then I would lose all the length I've gained in the past year.  

And its especially hard because my younger sister just finished cosmotology school 9 months ago and LOVES to experiment on people's hair.  If I didn't live so far from her, I think she would always want to mess with it!  In all fairness, though, she is a great sister and has not been mean about me wanting to grow my hair long.  I let her do my nails instead!   ;)

wrote on Feb 21^st, 2005 at 11:48pm:

And its especially hard because my younger sister just finished cosmotology school 9 months ago and LOVES to experiment on people's hair.

Maybe you can influence her to be a longhair comotologist ;)  You know, get her to learn how to care for long hair and style it without all the goo.  I bet she could get a following from the long hairs and long hair wannabes. -- just a thought! ;D

I will try to sway her  ;) but I think she's stuck on short hair!  She told me that she hasn't had any clients yet with even bra length hair... :o  but I'll be sure to tell her there's a need for longhair stylists!  Thanks for responding!

8)

I originally started growing it out because I got into a lot of classic rock groups, who had long hair, but I got so used to having it I love it now and only plan to keep growing it out (until it gets a lot longer, I might give some to cancer when it's long enough). Most of my friends, guys and girls, are supportive of me having it. A lot of guys say they can't see me with short hair, and the girls just love messing around with it. I have a few that like long-haired guys better than short haired ones, I guess you don't hear a lot of people talk about guys with short hair since it's so common. It's actually starting to come back though, at least with some of my friends. Has anyone noticed that, or is it just with teenagers?

Ok this is a little hard for me to share, but I will.

As a I kid I was always getting in trouble at school or in my teenager years with the law. My parent's were military parent's so we moved around a lot. In Georgia I wanted to grow my hair long, well my family moved to michigan. In school I use to get a lot of attention from girls, mostly negative telling me it looked bad and get my haircut. I went and eventually got it cut and kept it below shoulder length. Now I did not know what conditioner was or why it was so important to wash your hair. Which is why my hair looked so bad.


Then In April of 2003 I got arrested for 2 vandalism related felonies. I served 3 months determined to change my ways, but I wound up going back for probation violations. The Judge gave me 8 more months for violating my probation.

Anyway the last month of my sentance, I remembered a website about Men's long hair. Due to being in Jail I had not cut my hair in months. I said f*** I'm growing my hair. Well after I got out, I visited the website and I learned a lot about growing my hair and hair care.

For me Long hair is about change, a change to the thoughtless shorthaired theiving thug I use to be. I still have some dishonest traits, but I am working on them.

To me long hair is a life long journey. I am growing it to my butt, long hair has required a lot of thought. Instead of the impulsive crooked self I use to be.

That is why I started growing my hair.

Thanks for sharing!  That is  a very interesting way of looking at it.  I think it's a great way of looking at  and wanting to learn from what's happened.  Maybe some other people could get an eye opener from your experiences.

Many people use their hair as a signal for change in their life.  I'm glad that growing your hair out is a signal for positive change.

Looks as if someone else is having a rebirth of his own.  ;)

Congrats on reforming both your life and your hair, Ken. Sounds like improvements have been made on both fronts, and will hopefully continue to be made. It all starts with the proper mindset.

For me, the reason behind growing my hair long is almost embarrassingly simple. I wear my hair long for the same reason that I wear black all the time: it's "me" and I just like the way it looks. It really doesn't get much deeper than that.  ::)

Angel Spun - don't apologize for growing your hair long "because it is you".  That is a better reason than mine - I'm just to lazy to go get it cut!  ;D

Hello All,  The reason I began to grow my hair ten years ago was becuz I joined the Pentecostal Church in 1996.  The ladies do not cut their hair.  I started out with a man's style cut,  and began to grow from there.  My hair was approximately 2 inches on top and shaved on the sides and back.  I kept cutting it until I had all the layers grown out, that took about 2 years.  I didn't cut it again until Oct '06.  The ends looked so bad, I decided either cut them, or shave my whole head.  I like my hair, so I took off 3 inches.  Looks so much better now.  Because of this site and others, I am able to get more info on taking care of my hair and that helps me feel more confident about letting it grow.  I have decided to let it grow until it stops.  Debr

I know of a number of Pentacostal women with beautiful long hair.  Glad your trim allows you to feel better about your hair and allows you to keep on growing!

wrote on Jan 16^th, 2007 at 5:52pm:

Looks as if someone else is having a rebirth of his own.  ;) Congrats on reforming both your life and your hair, Ken. Sounds like improvements have been made on both fronts, and will hopefully continue to be made. It all starts with the proper mindset. For me, the reason behind growing my hair long is almost embarrassingly simple. I wear my hair long for the same reason that I wear black all the time: it's "me" and I just like the way it looks. It really doesn't get much deeper than that.  ::)

I wear all black all the time, not goth like. But a guy with black clothes and then long blonde hair is very contrasting. Plus it's acceptable in NY to wear all black, unlike some other cities.

I am open to other colors, I don't know what do without looking like a fool.

hehehe Ken. Can't go wrong with black.  ;)

And I agree about the striking contrast between dark clothing and light hair (my own is light brown). If you find yourself craving colour, try wearing something that matches the darkest shade in your eyes.  :)

You have a unique experience which is very personal to you and i appreciate you  sharing that.

Personally i find long hair profuse it was a covert world i longed to be a part of. I find it so poignant that i decided last year i wanted the same pleasure to indulge in.

I am currently growing my hair to wl and have already learnt the milestones of patience bestowed upon me, which i wish to nuture to become my inveterate virtue

I'm a bit old to blame it all on my mother  ;), but I admit I was puzzled: my sister and I had our hair cut to jaw length, beacuse our mother was "too ill" too look after long hair. But for some reason, she had waist-length hair, which we and our father had to brush and look after!

Even with wildly outdated floppy ribbons in our side hair (no bangs, that was just too trendy!), my sister and I were dressed in "practical" short pants and T-shirts, and were always being mistaken for boys. I dreamed of long, flowing hair (preferably black and witchy), so I grew it a little when I left home, but was never confident about styling it or looking after it. It's BSL now, a little shorter than it was at its longest, but I've never had it waist length...yet!

When I was in my mid-20s, I knew a woman with white-gray hair in a loop at her nape, caught with a black velvet bow. It always looked so unfussy and elegant, and I determined that I was not going to cut my hair short when I grew old! I'm still in my 40s, and I doubt I'll ever get past salt and pepper, but I'd rather have the severe look of long hair than the doormat look of short hair (I have that messy "kind of wavy" hair!

I asked my wife this a few years ago and her answer is:

When she was about 10 her aunt had long blonde hair and she admired it so she decided to have long hair since then.
And now the aunt keeps her hair very short.

Jerry

looking back at my childhood photos i see my hair and i was long. i was about 4. my mother took care of my hair then. as i got a little older I wanted to do it myself. i did not have a clue as to what i was doing. i mostly put it up cause i was afraid everyone would make fun of me. it was very curly and poofy. my hair used to get BAD knots in it. i mean HUGE knots. being young and not knowing anybetter i decided to cut them out. big mistake. my hair looked awful. i dont htink there is a word to describe what it looked like. in 6th grade i eventually talked my m other into letting me get it straightened. after the first time my hair was unbelievably long... waist length! i loved my hair at this point.

about a year later my mothers friend from high school came to visit. he took me to my hair appointment because my mother had to work. well when  i got there i had secided i wanted it cut. i felt at that time i would not take care of it and so what would be the point to having long hair. when my mother saw me next she was shocked. it was soooo short.

for a couple of years it stayed that way. but i had a lot of damage left from when i decided to cut my knots out. so it grew a little longer in high school about collar bone length. then at that point my hairdresser said i could cut it to one length and start from scratch to grow it out. mind you all this time i wanted it long and she knew this. so i did.

my senior year my hair was chin length. i decided i would just let it grow with trims here and there. i guess that was when i had started to let it grow. but when i really became serious about it was last year in october. i was looking online to find out about long hair care and i came across the longhairloom. thats where my real hair journey began.  its been a full year and my hair is almost to my first goal. i just recently  started with this hair forum, but had been lurking for a while.

i guess i have always wanted long hair but just never knew how to care for it. luckily i have a hairdresser who supports me in my decision of long hair. she compliments me everytime i see her and never ask if i want it cut short. but now with the help i have gotten from the longhairloom and you guys i am well on my way to long beautiful hair!

I enjoy hearing all your stories. Here's mine.

My mother was terribly lazy and cropped my hair terribly short when I was a child so she didn't have to take care of it. I still haven't forgiven her for that. I was dead jealous of other little girls.

When I reached my teens, I started growing it out despite my mother's attempts to convince me that I looked better with short (she also complains that I shed hair) and by high school I had bsl length hair long and thick enough for fat braids. Unfortunately, that was the longest it ever got.

I maintained that length until I got into university and got my heart broken and cut my hair off in a fit of grief in the aftermath. How I regret that now! I started growing it out again but I was a ballet student and got tired of putting up my hair in buns. Plus it was summer and terribly hot and I would wake up with hair all coiled around my neck. I sleep with it loose. Plus I was spending the summer abroad so I cut it off and now I'm growing it back. I hope to reach mid-back this time.I'm not sure if it is possible since I'm pretty impatient.

I have a fringe and my aim is to look like a doll  ;) Something like this, only longer, I'm wavy-haired but it might straighten out a bit if it's longer.
http://www.mpm.edu/exhibitions/featured/friendshipdoll/adventures.php

Hi everyone!

I decided to grow my hair long earlier this year, when I got a haircut with bangs that i absolutely hated. Before this, I had already decided that I wanted long hair, but it definetly would not work with my half-grown-out-icky-looking bangs. So I chopped my hair off to my chin, not once but twice, and this made me want long hair even more.  My goal is to get to waist length, and my shrt term goal is to get to BSL. And so now, all my hair is the same length, and I am continuing to grow it out! I'm on the road to recovery! :)

well as i dont remember the exact reason all i know is for a while being the metal head i am i wonderd why does mom let us get our hair 3 inches roughly then chop off the warm when school starts that leaves us freaking cold then i saw dee snider(with wig i thought was real)  and i went omg  thats amzing i want it thn i discovered ozzy mairln manson and herman li  got heavy into goth scene  still am :P  then as my hair got shoulder length i fell in love with it  and then about 4 months ao i joined a site called MLHH (great site for any guys not part of it some real long hiar role models for exp ablasom and rick g and some other guys with waist length hair what i love) but alas iw as kicked off for bad spelling and grammer well not really kick i left on request i asked to be banned so i didnt have to deal with anymore nagging then i started feeling the need to post join bout 8 sites that sucked then this one which im having fun at i love mostly women i like to see womens positive reaction to male long hair :) and then  i got more goth turned straight edge and invested in a bbb and thats my story up to 10pm last night

Woooooooot! Another goth-straight edge-longhair!  :D

I'll forgive the bad spelling/grammer for that.  ;)
Marilyn Manson though...can't forgive that.  ;D

Keep on growing, Fisher2.  :)