I want to grow my hair long
Posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48:
I'm 15 and I'm thinking of growing my hair long. Every guy at my school has short hair that's dyed blonde and I think that look sucks.
I know hair grows 6 inches every year, but is it a stressful period between short hair and long hair? Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks
Re: I want to grow my hair long
Posted by PBJ on August 25, 1999 at 14:44:56:
In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48:
: I'm 15 and I'm thinking of growing my hair long. Every guy at my school has short hair that's dyed blonde and I think that look sucks.
: I know hair grows 6 inches every year, but is it a stressful period between short hair and long hair? Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks
Try a wig for a couple of days to see if you like it :)
Re: I want to grow my hair long
Posted by kilgore on August 25, 1999 at 15:26:23:
In Reply to: Re: I want to grow my hair long posted by PBJ on August 25, 1999 at 14:44:56:
Put on a hat, and take it off in 12 months, see how you like it. If you don't, put the hat back on and wait another 12 months!
The 1st time I grew mine, I wore a hat everyday, and I could not belive how long it was when I stopped wearing a hat. This time growing (in month 12 now), I have a real job and can't wear a hat, and its a lot more difficult. A hat is the way to go.
kilgore
Re: Hat
Posted by Adam on August 25, 1999 at 22:40:15:
In Reply to: Re: I want to grow my hair long posted by kilgore on August 25, 1999 at 15:26:23:
Some good comments...
Remember, you are in high school. This means that
* You do not have a strict full-time job or professional career to worry about for awhile. This will make it easier to get through the ~2-year awkward phase without worrying about the financial stability of your future.
* Wearing hats is a great idea, especially if you live in a windy place as I do, but I don't think it would be allowed during the school day.
* There are a number of ways to get the fledgling "long" hairs restrainted, including gel, wearing it down, etc. Talk to other guys/girls who may have longer hair-- for advice. It wouldn't hurt. Just don't let them talk you out of your own decision to grow your hair.
Hope this helps! :)
Re: Hat
Posted by BOB on August 26, 1999 at 07:03:32:
In Reply to: Re: Hat posted by Adam on August 25, 1999 at 22:40:15:
: Some good comments...
: Remember, you are in high school. This means that
: * You do not have a strict full-time job or professional career to worry about for awhile. This will make it easier to get through the ~2-year awkward phase without worrying about the financial stability of your future.
: * Wearing hats is a great idea, especially if you live in a windy place as I do, but I don't think it would be allowed during the school day.
: * There are a number of ways to get the fledgling "long" hairs restrainted, including gel, wearing it down, etc. Talk to other guys/girls who may have longer hair-- for advice. It wouldn't hurt. Just don't let them talk you out of your own decision to grow your hair.
: Hope this helps! :)
WERE A HEAD BAND ...PUT YOUR HAIR BEHIND YOUR EARS AND PUT A HEADBAND ON THATS WHAT I DID
Nope, you can't do that in school
Posted by Average on August 27, 1999 at 08:28:00:
In Reply to: Re: Hat posted by BOB on August 26, 1999 at 07:03:32:
You can't do either of the above in the facism of high school I went to some years back. Hats... banned. Hairbands... gang-related... banned. Really... the average Western Kansas 500 student high school has very little gang problem... the administrators just have control issues.
Re: I want to grow my hair long
Posted by Hippie Freak on August 25, 1999 at 17:32:34:
In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48:
: I'm 15 and I'm thinking of growing my hair long. Every guy at my school has short hair that's dyed blonde and I think that look sucks.
: I know hair grows 6 inches every year, but is it a stressful period between short hair and long hair? Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks
Steve,
The blonde dyed look is very fashionable here in my parts as well and let's face it, takes very little work and effort to achieve. A buzz cut and some blonde hair color. Boom? One hour later and you are ready for the malls with your new look, cool!
Well this will not be the case for you if you choose the long haired route. Young grasshopper you are correct about 6 inches per year growth rate +/-.5" or so for most healthy persons. Translate this into the pony tail you want and you may need to wait up to two years (you will now be 18, and ready for college or trade school with your new full pony tail to boot.)
Now for the details. The length your bangs (front hairs) must grow in order to reach the back side of your head is the real challenge. I would imagine the exact length varies from person to person depending on the height of the their heads and/or circumference around the sides of the their heads, but let's estimate the hairs must be at least 14 inches long. This might put them somewhere around 5 or 6 inches below your chin when they hang from your scalp line! At least this works for me due to my Martian like head proportions. Try taking a small thin strip of paper (cut width around 1/4") and pretend it is hair and attach one end to your front forehead scalp line and wrap the other end around your head like you would if you were to tie it back in a ponytail. You might have to tape two 11.5x.25 inch pieces of paper together to get the full length. Use a mirror to get the exact place of paper to forehead positioning. The rest of the formula is simple math. Measure the length of the paper strip needed to reach the back side of your head where the hair tie wraps to the front scalp line and subtract your current hair length from this and now you know how much more your hair needs to grow in order for a full ponytail. You already know your hair grows 6" per year or 1/2 per month. If your hair is already 3" and the length around your head (the strip paper measurement)is 14" then you need 11" more of hair growth. This means growing your hair out for a mere 22 months more (or one year and ten months!)
The good news is while you wait for most of your hairs lengths to converge at a single point near the back of your head use the many so called styling gels/sprays to firmly fix your too short to reach the tie hairs in place around your head and still wear a hair tie for the ones which can reach. You could go around with no gel and hair tie as well. I would imagine you would not be the first in school with gel in your hair but you choose style.
This 22 month period is known as the stressful wait and it seems as if you can never grow hair fast enough! It is also the period in which most of the hairs must grow out to reach the tie. The rest of the time you must deal with your hair in your mouth and eyes. After words, when you can tie your hair back, you will still have hairs too short but most of your hairs are long enough to tie (wrap) in place and these hairs are the ones used to cover the shorter ones and keep them under control until they grow out and the growth cycle continues until the death of the hair.
Next week I'll discuss paint drying -Peace and may the Force be with you... Re: I want to grow my hair long In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48: : I'm 15 and I'm thinking of growing my hair long. Every guy at my school has short hair that's dyed blonde and I think that look sucks. I'm about 8 months into growing my hair out. I'm at that awkward stage that you referred to. The only ponytail that I can do is "samurai style" as my wife calls it. That's where you pull only the front hairs back into a ponytail at the very back/top of the head. It's a cool look that few people wear. I love my hair! I'm 30 and work in several professional environments. The hair is awkward and gets in my way, but I manage thanks to hair gel to keep it tamed most of the time. Grow your hair while you're young and still have it (I have all of mine:-)). If I could go back to your age and start growing my hair, I'd do it in a heartbeat! It gets harder to do as you get older. The fact that I'm a graduate student allows me to get away with more than most. Grow, Grow, Grow! Re: I want to grow my hair long In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48: >>Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks<< Some things that worked when I grew mine out: Get a 'do rag and wear it (those large paisley handkerchiefs, folded into a triangle and worn sort of as a kerchief, only over the top half of the head -- you swipe the hair back wet and then tie the handkerchief in place, should stay all day -- tuck the pointy loose end under the knot in the back or you'll look like a babushka) Do the 'running line' of ponytail. Basically, you gather up as much hair as will make a ponytail and you band it at the base like a ponytail. Then, you gather the next batch (HOPEFULLY the first batch is long enough to reach the point of the second batch and can be included) and band it + the tail of the first batch. Either single line down center-top of head or two lines along top 'corners' of head will work okay. The effect is a lot like what the guy (picture on this site) is doing with his really long strawberry red hair, only close to your scalp. With a little gel, it will stay in place for any activity. Practice, practice, practice. I usually do mine wet, it stays sleeker that way, no wispy bits. USE CLOTH COVERED, NO METAL BITS hair elastics. Metal bits are bad. Rubber bands are evil. Cultivate a slacker perspective and respond that "It's MY hair" when people note that it's in your face. If it currently doesn't part, get it to part, in my ever-so-humble (kidding) opinion, middle is best. You can tuck it behind your ears when it gets about half-way long enough to ponytail. This will keep it out of your face for rather sedate activities. And yeah, I'm a girl. This is a guy site. However, hair is hair. Getting long hair from short hair entails some unhappiness regardless of gender... I was there too. Mine's now below the waist of my jeans, only took *grin* 11 years for that baby-fine, dead-straight stuff to get there. It WILL grow. Be patient. A fine-looking ponytail will take time. This is a good lesson for life... almost nothing worth having comes easily or quickly. Be well. Jessica Re: I want to grow my hair long In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48: The last time I grew mine out, I had it layer-cut until it was past my shoulders, then started trimming it at shoulder length until it it was a blunt-cut style. I recall no awkward "grow-out" stage. Re: I want to grow my hair long In Reply to: I want to grow my hair long posted by Steve on August 25, 1999 at 12:00:48: : I'm 15 and I'm thinking of growing my hair long. Every guy at my school has short hair that's dyed blonde and I think that look sucks. Dear Steve, Since you are still at school, why not just let your hair grow out without putting it in a ponytail? If the problem is your hair getting blown into your eyes, then why not wear a bandana when you go out to prevent that happening. I had the same problem when I began growing my hair out in mid 1992 and at first I used some hair gel and tied what I could into a pony tail until around 1994 when I could put it all in a pony tail. I had to do that since I have curly hair which gets unruly if I don't tie it in a pony tail. However when I grew my hair out in the mid 1970's, pony tails were not in then and I just grew it long and so did others. Anyway Steve, I'm glad to see you have the determination to grow your hair long, especially since it seems that long hair seems to be out of fashion among teenagers these days. May your hair grow down to the floor! All the best with your efforts Charles
Posted by Floyd on August 25, 1999 at 20:50:18:
: I know hair grows 6 inches every year, but is it a stressful period between short hair and long hair? Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks
Posted by Jessica on August 26, 1999 at 16:50:47:
Posted by Allen on August 26, 1999 at 17:58:08:
Posted by Charles on August 27, 1999 at 15:02:51:
: I know hair grows 6 inches every year, but is it a stressful period between short hair and long hair? Is there a point during the growth in which your hair is not long enough to pull it back? I need help as to what it's like to grow long hair. Thanks