DOWNSIDES OF HAVING LONGER HAIR

[Kurlee]

@Kurlee girrrrrrrrlllll...I don't even bother anymore I might as well be using my feet. So I airdry/towel dry if I need to.

the maxiglide gets me pretty straight but i wish i could blowdry. even when i was relaxed i couldn't do it well. I am tired of going to the salon. That's the only thing i can't with my hair myself.

 

[Bubblingbrownshuga]

Figuring out what to do with it after washing (well, this is the issue for me especially since I wash my hair at night.)

The hair loosens as it gets longer.

The default style is the bun.

 

[Bubblingbrownshuga]

Don't get me wrong, I love long hair. (don't we all?).

But sometimes when I look back at my post BC pictures I really miss my shorter afro. It was easier to manage, I had fewer bad hair days and my wash and go's were gorgeous.

Now, that my hair is longer (Not by LHCF standards but it's between APL and BSL) I keep it in a bun 99% of the time because it takes too long to dry for a wash and go; it takes too long to twist to make it look how I like it; and any style I would like to wear causes my hair to tangle, snag, and knot.

I know most of us are here because we want healthy and eventually long hair, but is it really worth it when your options become more limited and the time spent making your hair look nice becomes very consuming?

Don't tell me I am the only one playing with the thought of going back to a TWA?

Girl, no you are NOT the only one! I miss feeling the outside air on my scalp. The ease of styling was so awesome, plus I looked great with a twa.

 

[JJamiah]

the maxiglide gets me pretty straight but i wish i could blowdry. even when i was relaxed i couldn't do it well. I am tired of going to the salon. That's the only thing i can't with my hair myself.

Sometimes it is the blow dryer. I had a blow dryer and no matter what it always looked as if I had puffy hair even though I was relaxed.

Bought a different dryer and it is straight as could be on medium set.

I have be doing dishes at a time and put the top on a pot not realizing my hair was in it. (POOR SON of mine looked at me like you okay ma)

I washed the pot over of course and left the dishes to my son. I just wrapped and dried my hair for it to fall and get caught and wet up.

I notice my products go quicker but I am still getting a few months out of them.

Drying is 1 hour, max 1 hour and 15 minutes. At APL it only took 30 minutes to dry.

Just needing more Henna boxes to color my hair 2 instead of one.

I don't wear my hair down often. I hate it on my back.

 

[Eisani]

Folks lying on it, getting it closed in the car door or window, caught under your purse strap and almost yanking your head off, tangles, heat trap...I love long hair, but it's work and there are things you never even think of that become issues. "Is that cottonwood@/sticks/leaves in my hair?" I tend to keep my hair in a high bun to avoid these issues, but detangling even a simple bun is work. It's in moments of frustration that I consider going back to relaxers.

 

[Eisani]

Make sure to post pics

More hair means more work. I would cut it to CBL but I want to be at least SL unstretched. I want to reach MBL as a personal goal but realistically I don't think I can handle more than full BSL,

I said I was going to fluctuate between BSL/MBL, but I'm WL right now. I still plan on cutting in the fall.

 

[mzteaze]

Right now my hair is longer than its been in a long time BUT its too long for certain styles and too short for other styles.

So now I don't know how to style it.

 

[Katherina]

People touching it when I don't want them to.

Detangling, of course - takes forever in the shower, and shed hairs are a MUTHA if I wait longer than a week to wash.

Intense fear of SHS

 

[blackberry815]

This is an good thread op!

1. Wash day takes forever to wash condition rollersetter and dry. I can easily spend 6 hours from wash to dry.

2. 2 hours under the dryer to be fully dry. Usually by then I'm falling asleep and miserable under the dryer at 2am. (Lol I need to start doing my hair earlier)

3. People randomly run their fingers through ur hair without warning because its long. (I don't remember people doing that when it was shorter)

4. U can't just wear anything and wear ur hair down.

5. Moisturizers and conditioners go quickly.

6. U have to get crazy when people decide to put their arms around ur neck because they are not mindful that ur hair is stuck under their arms

That's all I can think of right now.

Sent from my ADR6400L using ADR6400L

 

[brg240]

everything everyone has mentioned

it is hot, oh lord how it's hot
detangling takes forever and then sometimes it gets mixed in again
if you're not good at doing hair(me), trying a new style is impossible
getting caught on stuff
uses too much product

 

[thecurlycamshow]

There are days I miss my short hair but pulling it back and taking a break from it (such as wearing twists) help alleviate any frustrations stemming from tangles and jangles

 

[g.lo]

can't wait to experience those downsides!!!

 

[MysteryMermaid]

The downside of having long hair is that I don't have it yet (lol.)

erplexed

 

[ZkittyKurls]

Mine is that it is soooooo freaking HEAVYYYY!!!

It won't stay in a ponytail (high or low) it always slides down and eats up my goodie hair tie. I have to secure it with bobbie-pins and they run kicking and screaming after about an hour! They just fall out my hair! All I hear is *tinggg tinggggggg* look down and a dead defeated bobbie-pin bouncing on the floor! RIP!

I have "Hair Webs" all over! lol My hair is so long it just feels Like I have spider webs all over my face, neck, back and arms from fly aways. HATE THAT!

Of course it getting caught onto things seat belts, car doors, freezer doors, bra straps, jacket zippers, mouth etc.

Awww!! thats too funny the way u put but i hear u on that. i am no where near being considered having long hair but that scares me a little.

 

[ZkittyKurls]

I think now i can wait to have long hair. the thing is, people are so anxious to have long hair that they forget to cherish the time that they have before it gets there. i have extremely thick hair and i am about 2 inches pass SL and detangling is a nuissance for me. i can only imagine what my big thick hair is going to do to me when it gets an extra 6 or maybe even 4 inches on it. i enjoy mini twists that take no more than 5 hours to do and will miss that when my hair gets longer. i am extremely lazy when it comes to my hair now and cant even imagine me getting even more lazier when i have more hair to deal with.

i cant put my hair in a real serious bun yet but have always wanted that luxury. i honestly think that when my hair gets longer i will be more than willing to just cornrow my hair and leave it alone for 4-6 weeks at a time. as i have noticed, there are downsides to everything and nothing is going to b a walk in a park.

i just hear my motha tellin me in the future. "you SAID you wanted long hair and now you got and dont even want to be bothered." yup! sounds about right. lol

 

[leiah]

The weight of it makes my roots flat and straight

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

I'm grazing BSL but I had to revisit this thread today to also mention products being used so quickly. Especially DC i only get 2 to 3 uses and Im not heavy handed at all....

 

[DarkChyld]

I have a good press every two weeks and my dilemma is trying to protect the ends which was easier when I had shorter hair. That's a downside.

Sent from my iPad.

 

[lilyofthenile]

I have never had a TWA or hair shorter than my shoulders but I could imagine that having longer hair takes more time.

 

[tenderheaded]

No one mentioned how back and side buns interfere with driving! I wind up with a stiff neck every time! I drive with my head slightly forward to keep from knocking my bun loose!

 

[Incognitus]

I always miss my shorter hair, but for once in my life I want to see exactly how long my hair can get EVER!!

I am not attached to longer hair---my natural hair is work because of it's texture and fine strands, it matts too much for me to wear in a bun or pony puff for more than a couple of days. I have to twist my hair almost nightly (which only takes about 12-20 mins, but sometimes I don't feel like doing it) to keep it from tangles and matting.

I loved when I flat-ironed the last couple of times--although the process was lengthy, it was so much more easier to handle on a day to day basis, mostly putting in it a side ponytail which takes all of 2 mins., and tying down at night which is no time at all.

For my 50th birthday, in the next 3 years, I'll decide whether or not to cut, but until then I'm going to grow, grow, grow.....

HOLY CRAP!! When I grow up, I wanna turn out like you! You are gorgeous at 40-something! Well, you are fabulous, period. But to know that you are 40-something, gives me something to strive for!

Ok, sorry, rant over. I was just caught off guard.

 

[anon123]

Detangling takes a little longer, but not a whole lot. It always took a long time. But styling is much faster. If my hair looks a mess, I can kind of hide it in a bun or updo. The only real disadvantage, I think, is that my puff doesn't stick up high and round anymore, which I thought was cute. Now it flops. And also my twist outs may not frame my face best. A twistout on shorter hair probably flattered my face more.