Is long natural hair easier to take care of?

[washize]

Since I've cut my hair, styling natural seems a little more difficult for me. I don't want anymore breakage, so I'm wearing it striaght untill I get back to BSL. erplexed My main problem now is getting it to stretch, I can't have my hair shrink, because it gets tangled, matted, knotted, and just tears and breaks.

Anyone else have a setback, and find that short natural hair is harder to take care of then long natural hair?

 

[Addy3010]

I think you just have to learn to take care of it long, short, whatever, your hair doesnt change just because it got longer so if you cant take care of it short, your not going to magically learn to take care of it long. Im not sure how short your talking but the only difference i cant see is if its long enough to bun or ponytail.

What kind of setback did you have?

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

I dont necessarily think longer natural hair is easier to take care of..it's just that as it grows in length, so does your patience. For me, I take a little longer detangling now. If I feel a knot forming, I take my time, and my fingers to untangle it.

Just continue to be patient with yourself and your hair. It will thank you for it in the longrun. HHJ

 

[washize]

I think you just have to learn to take care of it long, short, whatever, your hair doesnt change just because it got longer so if you cant take care of it short, your not going to magically learn to take care of it long. Im not sure how short your talking but the only difference i cant see is if its long enough to bun or ponytail.

What kind of setback did you have?

I didn't trim my hair at all last year, so my damaged ends just got worse and worse so I had to cut allot of it off.

I don't have a problem with detangling, or anything, its just when I try to do twists or braids, they shrink majorly and get tangled and tear, When before they used to stretch and stay stretched. I don't know whats going on.

 

[Nonie]

I didn't trim my hair at all last year, so my damaged ends just got worse and worse so I had to cut allot of it off.

I don't have a problem with detangling, or anything, its just when I try to do twists or braids, they shrink majorly and get tangled and tear, When before they used to stretch and stay stretched. I don't know whats going on.

How about braiding it instead of twisting. Cornrows and a puff I think are so cute and you could cornrow all of it and then just add a puff to give the illusion that your hair is out, kinda like I did here:

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Addy3010 is right that getting to know and learn how to deal with your hair when it's short is the only way you will manage it when it's long. I don't think it's just about patience, it's more because you are very familiar with what works and what doesn't.

Like with kinky hair, you can't keep letting it shrink with WNG styles and then not expect knots. I keep my hair untangled AT ALL TIMES so I never spend any time detangling. If wearing it out, I plait it at night, then in the AM for my outdo, I COMB it. And when I'm feeling lazy, I keep it braided or twisted.

Also your twisting method might be to blame. If you were to twist each section first stretching it before wrapping it around the next one, the hair won't shrink so much but also it won't tangle because the hair is held in detangled, somewhat stretched state.

 

[Charz]

I stretch my hair by banding it when it is wet and when I go to sleep. Prevents SSK and tangling!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Charzboss#p/u/3/krgwuApKIII

 

[anon123]

My longer hair is a bit easier to style than shorter hair. It's easier to put in a bun I like really quickly. But nothing else is easier. But your hair was shorter before, right? How did you style it then?

 

[diva24]

Since I've cut my hair, styling natural seems a little more difficult for me. I don't want anymore breakage, so I'm wearing it striaght untill I get back to BSL. erplexed My main problem now is getting it to stretch, I can't have my hair shrink, because it gets tangled, matted, knotted, and just tears and breaks.

Anyone else have a setback, and find that short natural hair is harder to take care of then long natural hair?

To answer your initial question, No. Shorter hair was easier to work with for me. Less to detangle, stlye, etc. I got more and more knots as my hair got longer and longer.

 

[Ishtar]

To answer your initial question, No. Shorter hair was easier to work with for me. Less to detangle, stlye, etc. I got more and more knots as my hair got longer and longer.

Same here. It can take 30 minutes or more to detangle. When it's wet it's utterly impossible. Before my hair grew out I could whip the comb through it with no problems. Five minutes. Done.

Now I have to protect my ends, moisturize, and seal. You don;t necessarily have to do that with short hair because it is closer to the follicle.

But as far as styling long hair is easier. There are just more options that don't require heat, gel, and chemicals.

 

[Enyo]

For me longer is much better. I did go through a teenage phase with my SL hair. I ran into the problems the ladies here have talked about, but once I got used to it, it became very easy. I love my current length!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I dont think theres anything in this world easier to take care of then a twa....you just moisturize run a comb thru it or maybe finger comb and in five minutes you're outta there! I' realy jealous of ladies rockin baldies for that lol

Longer natural hair takes me a while on wash day but from there I dont have to think about my hair for a good while. Plus there are short term looks or there are more long term looks. For example if I'm wearing pixie braids.....that can last me a good month It takes me like two days of braiding and I have wash and go hair for 4 weeks. If I do crochet braids I have a wash and go style for up to a month and a half.....however if I'm rockin a fro, straw set, flat twist out etc that'll only last me a coupla days....so its a time investment on the front end but there are ways to make it last and not be such a hassle.

 

[detroitdiva]

I understand this dilemna first hand. I had to cut my hair from previous bleaching damage. My hair went from neck length to shorter than ear length. I was becoming frustrated with the lack of stles that I was able to create with shorter natural hair. I found myself in love with twist n twist outs until it had grown a bit longer.

Be patient, and take care of your short hair! It will grow back. I encourage you to deep condition your hair at least once a week and keep it well moisturized. I think that my hair grew back quickly (within 6 months) to the length it was before which had taken a year. Good luck n I will try to post some pics for inspiration for your short hair dos.

 

[Taina]

I really want to know that answer, When i was TWA if took me less than five minutes bewtween wash and style but i didnt have too much options. Know that my hair is at WTF length is getting more difficult to deal with it, i dont know if is going to be easier for me when the hair reach another length, but right know is not.

But i`m with Nasdaq_Diva in this one, you also have to grow patience cause you will need it.

Good Luck

 

[lilsparkle825]

Nope. I much preferred finger detangling my TWA in the shower, adding a squirt of VO5 and going about my business. Now I have to dry it via a t-shirt or else I'll have water all over the place, and detangle in sections, AND pin it up in the shower so I don't get sulfates from my body wash in my hair. I can only assume this will continue as my hair gets longer.....but I will adapt with it, because the length is addicting.

 

[glamazon386]

I'd think more hair = more work. It's been that way for me anyway. Longer hair will give you more style options though.

 

[Netta1]

The longer it grows the more patient you have to be...

Detangling much, much takes longer....

 

[washize]

How about braiding it instead of twisting. Cornrows and a puff I think are so cute and you could cornrow all of it and then just add a puff to give the illusion that your hair is out, kinda like I did here:

Addy3010 is right that getting to know and learn how to deal with your hair when it's short is the only way you will manage it when it's long. I don't think it's just about patience, it's more because you are very familiar with what works and what doesn't.

Like with kinky hair, you can't keep letting it shrink with WNG styles and then not expect knots. I keep my hair untangled AT ALL TIMES so I never spend any time detangling. If wearing it out, I plait it at night, then in the AM for my outdo, I COMB it. And when I'm feeling lazy, I keep it braided or twisted.

Also your twisting method might be to blame. If you were to twist each section first stretching it before wrapping it around the next one, the hair won't shrink so much but also it won't tangle because the hair is held in detangled, somewhat stretched state.

Great Advice! I can't cornrow because I'm tenderheaded, but I can do french twists just the same. I think my twisting method is to blame, because my twists barely even hold, when I used too twist my hair, I could keep them for a month, now It won't last longer than a few hours.

 

[godsflowerrr]

I agree with this. It is definitely easier for me to style my hair since it is longer. My twa was so much easier to shampoo, condition and detangle though.

I'd think more hair = more work. It's been that way for me anyway. Longer hair will give you more style options though.