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I've kept my hair trimmed very short for years, mostly to avoid the dreaded "helmet hair" that came with motorcycling. As I sold the bike last year I decided I might try growing it out just to see what I could do with it. Even though it is still relatively short I find it now needs a degree of upkeep & maintenance that I had completely forgotten about. Has anyone else gone from short to long, how did you cope with it & how long did it take to get a good long shoulder length?
I went from clipper-short to shoulder length hair between August 2023 and early May. Now, as my hair starts to hang further down between my shoulder blades, I'm wondering what to do with it in terms of styling, and how much longer to grow it. If it wasn't for the fact that some people in my life still don't know about Ellie (and I have no plans to tell them) I'd go for an outright feminine style.
It definitely needs a lot more maintenance now 🙂 A hair dryer with a diffuser dramatically speeds up the drying process post-washing.
I'm starting to investigate ways of tying it up/back, especially on windy days and while gardening. It's long enough now that the simplest fix is to tie it back in a pony tail 🙂
Ellie x
@ellyd22 Me & hairdryers are not the best of bed fellows. The one time I tried one I ended up looking like a dandelion clock! I just let it dry naturally while keeping it brushed back, occasionally damping it down to keep everything in place. It does slow the drying time down but it's worth the effort. I finish it off with styling wax for hold on windy days. It doesn't feel great but it looks it, which is what it's all about really.
Once I get enough length to worry about styling I will go for an outright feminine cut & let the rest of the world worry about what they think. No one but Mrs B knows about Sasha but I'm not basing my style on what others may think, my life, my look...
Hi, Sasha.
I've never had my hair very short, it's always been at least collar length but mostly over my shoulders. The last time I got it cut was about a year ago and that was to the top of my ears and an inch or two above the collar.
Now it's about 6 inches at the front and ears but a good few inches longer at the back. I'm not particularly happy with it in male mode but I love what I can do with it when I style it (see profile and makeover pics).
I can achieve the style in my profile pic within around 20 minutes, using a curling wand and then flexi-rod curlers. Mostly, I'll use styling mousse but occasionally I've just used the wand and rollers along with hairspray.
Regarding the wind, I like it blowing through my hair, always have but, if I need it out of the way, I just put it in a pony tail. That's the only time though, I still see men wearing pony tails, even if the tail is more suited to being attached to a rodent, and I always think, why grow your hair just to keep it tied back? I'm with Wishbone Ash, "Blowin' free, just like a cornfield".
Good luck with it whatever you do.
Allie x
@alexina Whatever I do end up with, it won't include rollers or curlers, I know that much. I'm definitely a straight hair aficianado. Whether that means more or less work to pull it off remains to be seen.
The wind is what did for long hair years ago. A particularly windy day on Blackpool beach when I was 18 sent me straight to the barbers & I had never even considered regrowing it until 2 months ago. Another in a long list of "new" experiences over the last 2 yrs or so!
Wishbone Ash....... that takes me back a bit. I saw them in a small club down south years ago when I was deep into my Barclay James Harvest phase. It's still there, lurking in the background & even comes out from time to time. Happy days 😀
And there's another classic, BJH, never saw them but have seen Wishbone a few times but only once with more than one original member.
Sasha, A long time ago I grew my hair to donate to “ locks of love” as a memorial to a deceased loved one. I grew my hair for nearly four years before donating a 15” ponytail. While it was growing I had a difficult time with it until I could manage a ponytail. As advised by some women friends I took care of it, washing, conditioning and having it trimmed on occasion to keep the hair healthy. I must admit that part of having long hair was feminine fun for me but I don’t think I ever really figured out what to do with it. What I did not do and now regret, was that I never went to a salon and had the girls do my hair and a feminine manner. One thing I was told about growing hair was that if one were to take prenatal vitamins, that it would help to grow your hair faster. I didn’t find out about that until my hair was already below my shoulders so I never acted on that tip. Good luck with your hair and please go to the salon for a professional hairdo. I am quite sure you will love the experience of such an opportunity that I foolishly did not take advantage of.
@geniv_cd I most certainly will be trying that particular joy out! Although the expense will probably mean it will be a rarity. I never understood why ladies hairdressers are so expensive but it is another in the long list of (acceptable) sacrifices a girl needs to make. I don't think I will ever get to a "donateable" length & even if I do I think I will hang on to it jealously 🤣 while it's still there. Being of a scientific mindset I'm not convinced of the vitamin thing, I think a healthy rounded diet provides all the nourishment required for most needs but it wouldn't do any harm though.
Sasha
@sashabennett I tried during Covid with mixed results due to my inherited MPB. As for time, hair generally grows about 1/2" per month or 6" per year.
I would Gladly put in the time for maintenance if I could only have a full head of my own hair.
@cherylt I started off feeling a bit thick reading this. MPB I thought? I didn't get it so I googled MPB & it came up with a Brazilian band & a camera shop. Then the penny dropped. Like I said, a bit thick LOL. Hopefully my rather minor MPB can be overcome with sufficient maintenance.
Hi Sasha,
My hair has been long , on and off, for most of my life. I don't particularly style it. I jut let it fall naturally
I think it's generally agreed hair will grow about 1/2 inch a month - maybe more if you're lucky. So even if we say one inch a month it'll take a year to get to shoulder length, say 12 inches from zero. Don't forget in this time you may get a trim or two to tidy it up or take out split ends.
I hope your car's not on a parking meter while you wait.
Just let it grow, forget about it, and then, a year later, you suddenly think "I've got long hair!"
eM x
@emmat Split ends, Hmmm... I never even thought about that, I just thought I'd wait a couple of years & deal with cutting it then. As for style, well I've got time to think about that it seems.
Sasha
Don't worry about it, you'll get there ! just avoid scissors and try to be patient. Your hair will feel long relatively soon if you've never grown it out before.
As an aside, hippies transmuted and happily accepted the ( originally an insult) term 'freak' just as gays reclaimed the word 'queer'. Their 'freak flag' was their identifying long hair. Hence David Crosby's song "Almost cut my hair"
I got lazy and didn't bother finding a new stylist after the place I was going to for years closed down. I decided on the eleventh month that I'd let it grow out to donate when it got to be over 14" and before the grays started moving in. It took a year to reach 7" from above the collar. This comes with a lot more brushing and conditioning. I also have to borrow the new wife's hair bands to keep it out of my face while doing household chores.
@cheesecakeforbreakfast Yes, hairbands will be needed. That's why I got it cut in the first place. A particularly windy day at the seaside & being whipped in the face by my own locks was enough to reach for the buzz cutter. As for greys, no problem as I've recently developed a liking for the bleach blonde look.
Sasha
When I was in university, I decided to let my hair grow out. I kept it short for the longest time, and one summer I decided let's give it a go.
It took almost a year for my hair to grow out evenly and to have it look decent. In the meantime while it was growing out, it looked awful as my bangs were very uneven with the rest of my hair.
And it does require way more maintenance. In the summer time, it took a while to dry but not too bad, but in the winter time it took forever to dry.
Now I am pretty much bald so my days of long hair are over.
@wendyswift I thought I would give it a go before the hairy faries took the option away. There is a bit of a thin patch on top so it's not boding well in the long term. Currently rocking a comb back which covers it nicely but only time will tell whether that remains the case. Bangs are (is)? a term I've heard many times but I still can't quite get my head round what they actually are? Doesn't seem to be a phrase used so much in the UK.
Sasha
@sashabennett bangs are the front part of your hair, covering the forehead.
When I was growing out my hair, my mom said i shouldn't because you'll wind up with thinning hair and eventual baldness. When I was young I didn't listen. At that time I also worked in a kitchen over the summer, so it was either hair net or tie hair back. I choose tieing the hair back. I think the term is traction alopicia, so now I'm really balding with thin hair, just like what my mom said. I think it has something to do with constantly pulling your hair back in a pony tail.
@wendyswift Ah! a fringe, I never knew there was another name for it 😀 Just goes to prove you can always learn something new. I've also never heard of anything like traction alopecia either. It seems every day is a school day, as they say.
Hi Sasha, My long hair is down to my boobs and it took me about 4 years to get it the way that I like it. When I was growing it out it was hard to resist just cutting it all off when it was an in-between weird length but I'm glad that I resisted. I dye the grays out about once a month with Revlon Colorsilk (golden blond). I get the split ends trimmed about 4 times a year (usually just before a big event). I wash it as needed or about two times a week with Selsun Blue followed by Pantene Volume Shampoo and followed by Pantene Miracle Rescue Conditioner. It takes me about 5 minutes to blow it out or on hot days just drive with the car window down. Most days I just put it up into a pony tail or shove it under my cap and then begin work. I do have a frontal hairpiece that I use to add volume and cover my high forehead when I really want to glam up. My profile pic is my real hair and it does take more work but I like it and it's fun. I hope that you have success with your hair raising adventure. Oh, and I sold all my cycles last year too....sad face here. Hugs, Marg
@margprodue 4 Years! now that's a commitment. There is plenty to digest there so thank you for that. As I'm in Scotland drying it by driving with the window open would work on 2-3 days per year at best 🤣
Sasha
@sashabennett Oh Sasha, I saved a lot of money on haircuts during those years. lol Have fun, Marg
Hi Sasha! I went from a military high and tight to as you see me in my profile picture in about 2 years. After the first year of just letting it grow out I started going to the hairdresser's about every 5 weeks for a trim to get rid of the split ends and even it out. About 6 months ago I started having her layer it a bit so it fell more naturally. I'm still going for a bit more length, I think.
Much love,
April ❤️
@aprilrhaynes A couple of years does seem to be the average (looks good in your profile by the way) I wonder about hairdressers though. Having cut my own for 30 odd years I'm not sure where to go or what to even ask for. I guess I will just have to bite the bullet come the day. At least I have at least a year to think about it.
Sasha
Hi Sasha,
I started letting my hair grow out during the pandemic. The pandemic was horrible, but it was a good excuse not to get a hair cut. I really enjoyed letting it grow out and putting it in a pony tail. I did manage to get some of it to grow down to where the under wire sits. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any volume. My hair is very thin and brittle and I couldn't get enough of it to grow long. I wanted to donate it to wigs for kids. On of the few charities that accept some grey hair. (non accept color treated that I know of). In January my wife said that I should either get my hair styled or cut it. While I was tempted to try going the salon styling route, I had finally accepted the fact that my thin brittle hair just isn't meant to be kept that long. There is a wig in my future for sure.
@augustvaliant Hi Autumn
I already have plenty of wigs, which is kind of why I decided to try a longer length for real. I really like a shoulder length blonde one I have but, like with my current boob growing exercise I hate taking things off at the end of the day. I can't copy the wig's style sadly, as there is a bit of a thin spot on top so a centre parting is out & it does mean I am forced to find my own style, which is no bad thing really. Judging by how woolly it looks first thing in the morning, volume may not prove to be an issue. Mrs B burst into a fit of the giggles the other day saying that I looked like Doc Brown from back to the future! Good job I have a G.S.O.H 😆
Sasha
I let my hair grow out quite a number of years ago for various reasons. They say the hair grows about 1/2 inch per month or about 6 inches per year. But remember the hairs do not all grow at the same rate. Some stop for a while and then start in again. Some will pull out when brushing. And some just grow a bit faster than others. This is why you can stay clean-shaven longer if you skip a day, because hairs that may have taken a day and a half or two days to come out are also cut, and these won't come back later in the day. But if a hair takes a day and a half, and you shave in the morning, it may not be able to be cut but will come in as 5 o'clock shadow.
As far as maintenance, I have to wash and condition my hair, otherwise it will tangle. Sometimes I will use a hair dryer, but often I just let it air dry after toweling it.
My hair has been getting steadily more grey, and grey hairs are wiry. My hair is also thin (density of hairs to surface area) as well as fine (thickness of individual strands). I get it professionally colored about 4 times a year, because the coated hair will not be wiry. I also get it trimmed to even it up (because of the uneven growth) and take care of split ends. She also flat-irons my hair.
Because my hair is so fine, it reacts to humidity by curling haphazardly at the ends. It also does this after washing. So I need to take a brush and flat-iron and straighten my hair.
When it started getting long, I put it in a pony tail as a guy. When as a girl, I added clip-in bangs and let it hang straight. I would often use colored bands, not just black, to tie the hair together. After a couple of years, I just got tired of it and just wore it straight. Now I will usually wear a wig slightly longer and roughly the same color, so I don't even need a wig cap. I will wear my natural hair with clip-in bangs when going to the beach, and otherwise wear a wig. I am planning on replacing my synthetic wig with a human hair one so I can use similar products on it and not specialty ones for synthetic wigs, and not having to worry about melting the plastic when the synthetic wig ends get frizzy. (My flat iron has a temperature control so I can get it to where it will reshape the wig without melting it.)
In the latter half of 2023, I underwent chemotherapy. I didn't lose all my hair, but it did thin out and longer hairs broke, so that my hair effectively got shorter. I am now using a repairing shampoo and conditioner to help with the breakage and pulling out. I have been growing it out for a year and a half and it's still going to take another year or so before it's back at the original length, the tips touching the nipples of the breast forms.
I'm not really good at styling the wig. Even a simple pony tail seems to not look really good when I do it, so I just keep it straight. Because it is kept straight, the hair frams my face as opposed to pulling away, and I can get away with less makeup because the hair covers it anyway.
I meant to add that when I was growing it out, it took several years for the hairs in the front, which were originally cut at the temple level, to reach the same length as the hairs on the sides and in the back.
@alison-anderson There is plenty to unpack there. Firstly I hope your chemo was a success, I know hair is probably not the main concern but it is a sad side effect. For me, conditioner was something of a surprise. At a number 2 buzzcut there is no need for it (or a hairdryer) so I was surprised at just how effective it was when I reached a length that warranted it!
Grey's are not a problem as I bleached my hair to match my favourite wig & fell in love with the look. My biggest problem here is that the ammonia free bleach I have used so far has been discontinued so I had to try a different one last night & it felt like a chemical warfare attack. I need to find a better one for sure!
So far it is nowhere near long enough for straighteners but judging by the curly ends that are appearing I am going to need one in the not too distant future. My favourite wig (human hair) is a straight cut & I do want to replicate the look as much as possible. I have a few synthetic ones which aren't too bad but the real hair is so much better & wasn't actually that expensive either. Clip in's & extension's are tempting but I worry that I won't be able to get the colour to match. Picking coloured items off the internet will never work & there aren't any shops around here so I will just have to wait for growth. Once I get there I will have to consider style but I've got time to consider that particular issue.
Sasha
@sashabennett Thanks, Sasha. The chemo plus the surgery was successful. So far no signs of anything coming back. And it helped me lose over 50 pounds, something I was unable to do otherwise.
Before I started the chemo, I went to my hairdresser with my wig. I had her trim the length and the bangs. I was prepared to wear the wig in guy mode if I went bald. Fortunately it didn't happen, but I was getting ready just in case.
Everybody's hair is different. It grows are various rates, and more significant it grows to various lengths. Some people just have a long growth phase, and can grow their hair to thier butts, while most of us can't get much past shoulder length...it is just genetics. Age is a major factor as well. Back in my high school days I would get a hair cut about once a year. My hair would be well down on my shoulders, but never got any longer. That is just how my follicles are programed, and it took the better part of the year to get there.
@jjandme If I can make shoulder length I will be happy with that. Longer does mean more options but I can work with that. Getting it cut will be a whole new (& expensive) experience. I've spent a total of £20 on haircuts in the last decade so I'm not looking forward to that bit.
Well, I hate you all, you and your real hair!
The only places my hair grows well is in my nose and my ears; I tried growing my hair out a few months ago (I normally shave my head) and found the holes where my body is growing through it.
I'll stick with my wigs, I spend a lot on them so they look pretty good and changing my style is just a matter of looking through my [small] collection of wig stands.
Becca
I grew my hair out a couple of years ago. It took me a year to get it shoulder length.
It looked like one of those wigs that the British courts and early Americans wore!
I'll stick to wigs. I can change, color and style pretty much at will.
I've seen too many guys with ponytails and a huge expanse of shiny skin in the middle!
A wig is a great tool to fight. Hair today. Gone tomorrow!
Fran 🥰
@rebeccabaxter The hairy faries do have a cruel sense of humour don't they. Loads where you don't want it, little where you do! This is a hopeful attempt to cover up the thinning patch on top whilst avoiding the dreaded Bobby Charlton comb over! While I like my wigs & the quick style change they offer I would like to at least give the real thing another chance at glory.
Sasha
