Another long hair fan. I have had long hair ever since I was old enough to decide how I wanted my hair. It’s about halfway down my back. It is dark brown, all one length, and slightly wavy. I get it cut about 3 times a year, only about an inch off the ends. Oh yeah, and I am 30.
I will never ever cut my hair. I strongly dislike short hair on women. I define truly long hair as being about equal to your armpits, or touching your back bra band. Short hair on women is de-feminizing (IMO).
People talk about how short hair is so much easier to care for; I disagree. Most short haired people have to style it in some way - blow dry it, gel, mousse or hairspray, etc. I just wash and condition it every day, brush it and it’s done. I usually wear it in a ponytail, but there are scores of ways I can wear it - braids, barettes, clips, buns, twists, and all sorts of variations and combinations.
I have always longed for longer hair, like to my waist. But my hair just doesn’t grow that long. Once it reaches its maximum length, which it is now, it just falls out and starts again. (I’ve read that your max hair length is determined by the “lifespan” of your hair folicles. Most people have an approx. 7-year lifespan. So my hair can only get as long as it can grow in 7 years. Others, who have like 12 year lifespans, they are the lucky ones who can get their hair to their waist!)
I love long hair on women, if it’s healthy and treated well. I’ve seen some scraggly, thin, and badly coloured long hair that just had me itching to grab scissors.
I define long hair as longer than shoulder length. I’m always surprised when I go to a salon and see those hairstyle books label long hair as not even reaching the shoulders. I’ve had long hair most of my life, cut only twice at my shoulders - and I considered that short. It was too short for me…I like the feel of it swinging down my back, catching the wind, whipping around in the car…
No age contraints IMO. I’ve seen some gorgeous older women with long, grey hair - that’ll be me someday!
Thanks for the responses so far, folks. Keep 'em coming.
Hee! When I was in high school, my hair was mostly about as short as I could get it without actually having a buzz cut (I did wear the bangs extra long though). I’d never go back to that style now. And I swear, I keep the brightly colored scrunchies for putting my hair up while I clean house.
My hair can be straight or wavy, depending on whether I blow it dry or not, and I do my best to keep it in good shape (regular trims, lots of conditioner). If ever it does start to look scraggly I’ll definitely cut it - I have nothing against short hair, and have worn it pretty short most of my life. I guess it’s just that the decision to grow out my hair coincided with some other pretty significant life changes that are slowly bearing fruit, so I’m reluctant to chop it short again so soon (hope that makes sense).
I agree with this exactly. If you’re taking care of it and wearing it well, you can get away with it. (Recently I saw an older woman with a mane of crinkly silver hair; it was gorgeous.) I have long (very wavy, brown) hair myself, am 32, and generally wear it twisted back with a clip and braided. I wish I could wear it down more, but it gets fuzzy and tangly, and doesn’t look that great. I need to learn to put it up in a braided bun, too.
However, it is best to remember that long hair will often add weight to a face and make you look dragged down or tired, so it’s important to do it well once you’re into middle age.
I know a woman in her middle years who has hair down to her knees; it just grows very fast, thick and strong. It’s a boring mousy shade, but she wears it in a crown of braids and it’s really cool.
I’ll echo almost exactly what Sheep Lover Briston said.
Except i’m 24.
Also, I see nothing wrong with aging gracefully. The woman I’ll be hanging around with down the road will get wrinkles or get gray hair…and that’s good. That’s getting old. That’s a lot better than the alternative. Age gracefully, ladies. You’re not disposable until you exit your twenties
I kid, but seriously, though, age gracefully. It’s still sexy.
Love it. And I have to say that “mommy hair” is a crying shame, though I know we’re trying not to regurgitate the other threads.
I think we’re getting into “long” range at the roughly bottom of the shoulderblade. When it’s all the way down the back I don’t think it’s very appealing, but I’m all for diversity.
Cut my hair just because I’m almost 40? NEVAR! I’ve had my hair just about every length you can think of except bald, and it looks best the length it is now; just below my shoulder blades. Besides, it was part of our prenup: I cut the hair, we get divorced.
Hey, BobLibDem: ptttttttttttttt! “Forget red hair.” You’re the first man I’ve heard say that in my life!
I’m a 45-year-old redhead with hair about halfway down my back, and as long as it stays thick I won’t cut it. I’ve had short (and* very* short) hair and don’t like it. With long hair I can pull it back so it doesn’t get in my eyes when I have the top/doors off the Jeep, and there are many more ways to style it.
Since I already have 8 cats, I’m well on my way to “crazy old lady” status. I’m looking forward to it!
I am in my mid-50s and have long hair, past the middle of my back and growing. It is not gray, but it’s not as red as it used to be either. (I can fix that, though.) I realize that I’m supposed to cut it, perm it, and go out and buy some double-knit pastel pantsuits but the hell with that.
Also, my sons have orders to shoot me if they sense I am close to joining the Red Hat Society or any other such group. (They will not shoot me. But they might take me skiing, which would probably be just as effective.)
I have seen older women with very long hair that didn’t look so good, but so what? It’s their hair and their look. (I’m thinking of a coworker I used to have who had hair past her waist and it was fine and floaty, and she would walk through the office with this hair snagging staplers and paperclip containers on other people’s desks, getting caught on file drawers…and once on the button of a guy’s suit! She was about 50 at the time and was considered “unprofessional” but on the other hand she still had a job.)
BobLibDem I think you are in trouble. It looks like Maureen organzied the Red Heads against you. Snakescatlady & Hilarity N. Suze made it 3 in a row and I don’t think they like you anymore.
If you see a Red head coming towards you, you might want to run.
Jim {Red Hair is wonderful and rare, I just prefer Brunette}
Ha! Just in time. Another redhead checking in. And I’m keeping my hair long for as long as I am able. And when it goes grey? I’ll keep it all dyed a pure, even silver. Long, smooth, pretty locks. Childish? Who cares. I’m childish now, and I’m fast approaching 30. I have a feeling it’s part of my personality at this point, so why fight it? You may point, and you may laugh, but when I’m 60, I’ll be laughing and having fun with my long, long silver hair.
I like long hair on women, but I can see that for some facial types, short hair does work better. For instance, we recently watched Flight Plan, starring Jodie Foster, whose facial features have always struck me has having a certain “hardness” about them. I couldn’t help noticing that the bobbed hairstyle she was wearing softened her looks considerably. Rather counterintuitive, but there it is.
My wife, in her mid-30’s, has long straight brown hair, and I like it a lot. It’s about shoulder-blade length. I have forbidden her to cut it (and she has forbidden me to shave my beard into a goatee).
I have an aunt, actually my mom’s cousin, who is about 60 years old. She is very short - 5’2" at most - and has long, grayish white hair (to about the middle of her back.) I think it looks great on her.
I think of long hair as at least a couple inches past the shoulders. I’m a twenty-seven-year-old woman, and I wear my hair short because (a)I prefer it that way and (b)I can’t figure out what to do with longer hair. However, I think long hair, if it’s well-cared for, looks great at any age. Just keep those ratty ends trimmed is all I ask.
Hell, my hair is gorgeous long (wavy, fine in texture but thick, medium brown) and I’d wear it that way if I could figure out anything to do with it other than wear it in a ponytail.
I wasn’t aware that there was any demographic that didn’t find that sexy.
As for me (almost-29 male), I think that long hair and short hair both can look good, but long hair is certainly more attention-grabbing. Long hair can also, at times, be inconvenient, so I wouldn’t in any way blame anyone who prefers to keep their hair short, but if you like it long, go right ahead, as long as nobody is tripping over it. And age, if anything, gives you more license to look however the heck you want, not less.
I don’t want to get into the “some women look better with shorter hair” thing. Of course some do, unless they have a “man” cut, in which case they don’t. But let’s assume that the woman in question looks more or less equally attractive regardless of hair length, and that said woman washes the stuff.
In that case, go for the long hair. I don’t care about your age. I don’t care if you’re hair is black, brown, red, blonde, grey, white, or irridescent green.
To me, long hair is just above the middle of the back or (duh) longer. Shoulder length is not long hair; it’s minimum acceptable length. For a maximum, I don’t think hair should be long enough that you can sit on it.
If you’re going to let it grow long, for Pete’s sake don’t keep it in a ponytail all the time, or braid it (especially a [shudder] French braid). A ponytail sometimes is good for ease of maintenance, but generally you should show it off properly; otherwise, what’s the point? Also, both straight and wavy are good, but don’t make it big (as in the '80s). That look sucked then, sucks harder now. If you’re a geologist, I know you wouldn’t even consider such an abomination.
Woman, 51, with very thick wavy dark blonde hair that just reaches my shoulders, and is layered.
Born a towhead, I had pixie cuts as a little kid, and long, long hair all through my youth.
Thick hair is great in theory but it’s a lot of hair to take care of, and as dangermom says, as we age the gravity can kinda bring you down (pun intended.) My hair just started feeling so heavy.
I went to layers about 10 years ago, and was glad that I did.
I saw my last ponytail some time ago, and I think the length I’ve now reached, where it just brushes my shoulders, works okay.
I think I’d probably look better groomed if I did the blowdried thing, but I just can’t bring myself to. I never really was the sleek type.
I have never heard a man say, “I prefer women with short hair.” I never knew there were guys like that. And you redheads, the best hair I’ve ever seen was midback length, naturally red-gold (goldish red?) hair on a coworker/friend. I’ve loved long hair in every decade of my life that I can recall. I’m 45.
The only drawback to long hair is that it can be easy to accidentally put, an elbow or something, on it in bed.
