Having too little

Having too little
Posted by Bill on November 21, 2001 at 18:44:23: Previous Next

This is in response to several recent messages from guys commenting their hair was too thin or their hair would not grow as long as they would like....

Most men get a terminal length somewhere between the shoulderblades and the waist. Most men get hair of an average thickness. Men vary on both sides of those norms though. Some get hair longer or thicker than average. They can always trim off or thin out the hair they don't want, though. The problem of not being average crops up for those who get too little.

If I had hair of iron, I'd be on here telling people to use anything on it and it will work great, but that is not my situation. I have fine wavy-to-curly hair that I have had to coax to get it below my shoulderblades. The slightest wind grabs the shortest of my strands and wafts them way up into the air. I know what it's like to have hair appear to stop growing at a one foot length, with most hairs over eight inches split. I also know what it's like to have hair approaching 20 inches with not a split to be found. Let me share what I've found.

First of all, one must learn to celebrate the hair he has. We don't fret over our height if it is a bit off the average, so why fret over our hair? My mane is plenty long to freak out the conservatives, and I'd bet every one of you here who's worried about his hair could say that. A stranger on the street just yesterday smiled, gave me the thumbs up, and said, "Awesome hair, dude!" A mane to my butt I do not have. Longhairs come in many different hair lengths, and hair thicknesses, so accepting yourself is doable. This is an important thing to do if you are going to enjoy being a longhair.

Once that is done, then the question comes up, "How can I grow longer or thicker hair?" Here are some things you can do:

Accept the hair you have. Yeah, I just mentioned it, but this is the carrying it into action part. Don't bleach your mane, dye it, straighten it, curl it, or put concoctions on it that soak into the strands or cling to them and will damage them in the long run. All these things will cause your hair to max out at a shorter length than if you had let nature have its way. Many of them will also make your hair strands thinner.
Rely on natural oils. Shampoo infrequently, and instead wash in small amounts of cold water. Natural oil will do two things you want. It will lubricate your hair which reduces tangles and breakage. It will make your hair thicker, because strands which have soaked up natural oil are thicker. Shampoos can strip out natural oils. Conditioners can soak into each strand and make it hard for your oil to come in later and replace them. I'm not saying to not use these things, just use them sparingly. If you can get almost all tangles out, you're doing things right. If not, go a bit more in the natural direction.
Minimize combing and brushing. These stress your hair and thus cause it to max out at a shorter length. Comb your hair when it is oily if you can, instead of when it is dry. This for a man with dry hair will mean when he's just soaked the top of his head and the cool water is pulling the oil to the ends as it seeps downward. You may want to wash your hair in the morning and comb it while it is still wet and oily, and after that not comb it again all day. You can always wet it down and smooth it down with the palms of your hands if you feel the wind has messed it up a bit.
You have hands - use them. Make your hair neater with your hands instead of your comb, if you can. Hands are much more gentle. Detangle with your fingers if your comb stops at a tangle. If your hair looks oily, consider polishing it with your hands. A few passes with the hands will sometimes remove enough oil and polish the rest which remains to where you'll have a great sheen. This is much better for your hair than stripping all the oil out with a shampoo.
Never scratch your scalp. Fingernails can damage your hair, so keep them away from your scalp. If you itch, your scalp may just be saying it has too much oil. Massage your mane there with your fingers and your hair will pick the oil up as well as the massaging stopping the itch. If you can't keep your fingernails off your scalp, trim them short.
Think, "I'm in this for the long haul." Some measures will make your hair look better for today but will damage it over the long run and have a negative impact. Resist the temptation to jump onto the "beautiful for now" bandwagon. Evaluate each product by how it affects tangles or frizziness tomorrow, not by how it looks in an hour.
Ponytail your hair at night. Sheets will soak a lot more oil out of your hair if it is loose, particularly near the ends where you don't want to lose it.
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Always growin' the mane,
Bill
- Re: Having too little
  Posted by Reflective on November 21, 2001 at 20:51:37: Previous Next
  In Reply to: Having too little posted by Bill on November 21, 2001 at 18:44:23:
  Thanks Bill!
- Re: Having too little
  Posted by John Hancock on November 21, 2001 at 22:17:27: Previous Next
  In Reply to: Having too little posted by Bill on November 21, 2001 at 18:44:23:
  Thanks Bill. Great Advice! However, the part about putting hair in a ponytail at night seems the opposite for me. Although I've never tried tying my hair back at night, it seems that the hair resting on pillow really seems to spread the oils out and also flatten my hair. Any comments?
  - Re: Having too little
    Posted by Bill on November 22, 2001 at 17:05:26: Previous Next
    In Reply to: Re: Having too little posted by John Hancock on November 21, 2001 at 22:17:27:
    : Thanks Bill. Great Advice! However, the part about putting hair in a ponytail at night seems the opposite for me. Although I've never tried tying my hair back at night, it seems that the hair resting on pillow really seems to spread the oils out and also flatten my hair. Any comments?
    Mine was more frizzy come morning before I did the tail thing. My usual routine is to put two ties on it, one in the usual place and one several inches down. If your hair is oily enough that you need the oil to be taken out, allowing new oil to come in, then maybe exposure to the pillow will help. We all find out what's best for the hair we have by experimenting.
    Another consideration for some guys is they are bothered by the knot behind their head in bed if they do a tail. That never bothered me.
    - Re: Having too little
      Posted by John Laughlin on November 22, 2001 at 23:50:34: Previous Next
      In Reply to: Re: Having too little posted by Bill on November 22, 2001 at 17:05:26:
      
      : Another consideration for some guys is they are bothered by the knot behind their head in bed if they do a tail. That never bothered me.
      Bill, I've never been bothered by it either. In fact, even though I am wearing a tail right now, I really don't feel it...
      -J
- Re: Having too little
  Posted by Dick on November 23, 2001 at 17:19:51: Previous Next
  In Reply to: Having too little posted by Bill on November 21, 2001 at 18:44:23:
  :Ponytail your hair at night.
  I've been doing that- helps keep it less tangled in the morning. However, those like me (about 15 months) might find it as difficult as I do to keep the tie from slipping far down in the night. Still helps, still there, but not as effective as it could (and will!) be.
  Bill- thanks for your advice, and your monograph. Both helped this 57-year-old decide to go for the length!
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