So, you grow your hair so you don't wear it out???

When i reach waistlength i'll be wearing my hair down more often. Its hard to keep doing protective styles all the time bc i'm used to wearing my hair down alot.
 
:lachen::lachen:

I have it

in a pony tail

har har

i agree. i mean sometimes u just dont feel like doing anything to it, ie my hair was in a bun Mon-Thurs, its been cold and i've been exhausted. but i do not understand people who have achieved bsl or longer and wear PS (not including braids) 360 days of the year. i just dont see the point of having the hair then. just to say u have it?
 
I love wearing my updos...and the prettiest ones require length. So, I am growing my hair to wear it up or down. I don't wear wigs or weave, so I'm always enjoying my hair. :grin:
 
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Well, personally, I'm growing my hair so that I can wear protective styles. Huge buns and intricate updos are really gorgeous and they look great on me. Right now, my hair is too short to do that. I'm natural so with shrinkage my hair needs to be super long to do a lot of things.

I completely disagree with your sister, there are a million things you can do with longer hair that you just can't do with the shorter. That's another thing I like about being natural, no matter how long my hair gets, with shrinkage it will always appear short.

Remember, everyone doesn't want long hair for the same reasons you do. Maybe your mom and sister like knowing that they have long hair but it's easier for them to keep it protected. WL natural hair is a lot of work I'm sure.

I guess to me enjoying it doesn't necessarily = leaving it out

Buns are fun.

I love wearing my updos...and the prettiest ones require length. So, I am growing my hair to wear it up or down. I don't wear wigs or weave, so I'm always enjoying my hair. :grin:


Exactly, exactly, exactly.

I don't want to have hair hanging down my back/blowing in my face/tangling in my earrings. I like updo's. I enjoy buns. I'm mad about hair toys. I think they are - and make my hair - more - interesting, in general, than 'down' hair is - to me.

Protective styles do not solely equal weaves, and to me, if you are wearing your own hair - it's on display and it's showing the effort and results of your hard work.....

Now, as for your mom & sister who wear wigs all the time - that, I don't understand. Maybe it's a different desire/standard of appearance - you said they were natural, right? Are all of their wigs/weaves straight? To, me to say you can't 'do' anything with long hair indicates a personal limitation in their concepts of 'done' hair. :look: I dunno.
 
Actually, when my hair is straight, I can't stand having it down. I feel that it makes my face look fat and that it's being damaged.

I can only imagine what it will be like to have really long hair. I just can't say what I'd do. It will probably be in a ponytail.

I just pray that I can get to that point so that I can have the dilemma!:spinning:
 
I could be wrong, but life is to short to not enjoy what a person has been blessed with. Does anyone feel like this? Or what are your takes? Okay done venting!:grin:


I agree with you. I've worn my hair out a few times before but most of the time I'm really shy about wearing it out. I don't want all the attention that goes with it. But once the weather becomes warmer I plan on wearing my hair out more. A lot of people close to me tell me I have beautiful hair. May as well be proud about it.
 
OP, i totally agree with you. if you grew your hair to a beautiful long length, you should enjoy it and show it off! i wear my hair down 2 to 3 times a week. i wear a bun or a high pony tail on days just before wash day. with all that work... roller setting and a saran wrap set... shoot, i wanna wear my hair down!

i try to be careful though about the clothing i wear when i wear it down. i'll wear silky tops or soft sweaters that aren't made of wool or have a very fine weave so that i won't be wrecking my ends when they rub on my clothes. i think you just have to be careful. i'll wear my hair up in a loose clip on my way to work and take it down when i get there. put oil on my ends every night...

i think you can totally enjoy your hair down. plus, not all protective styles are good to wear every single day. hair breaks off if you tie your pony tail too tight or in the same place consistently. it's all about mixing it up, i think.
 
Now that my hair is longer, I do wear it out more. The thing is whether it's in a PS or down, I enjoy it either way. When I was at SL I made a concious decision to wear PS so I could get past SL easily without any setbacks but now, up or down, it works for me.
 
I used to wear my hair down every day, essentially, putting it up only to sleep and for workouts. I look hideous when my hair is up or in a bun, but since I joined LHCF...I feel the need to put my hair away. I'm always worried about damage if I don't. I don't wear protective styles every day, but I'll be resorting to them more often until (if) I reach my goal length.
Are your sister and mother content with their lengths? Maybe they're just trying to grow it some more....
 
This is a BIG pet peeve of mine on this hair board and IRL.

It still makes no sense to me.

I totally agree. It's like you get to that length that you've always wanted ..............................and then you hide it 99% of the time until Easter or your birthday or something like that.

Then back to the Protective styles.....

HUH???????
 
A lot of people keep their hair protected until they get to their goal length. While protective styling is good I plan to enjoy each length of my hair as I go.
 
Well a major reason I am growing my hair to WL is bc I want big buns. I love regal buns and updos. When I made it to BSL I did make a conscious decision to wear it out but it still wasn't everyday.

I also don't wear my hair for other people so I don't really care if they ever see it or not. This is more for me.
 
My hair is only SL, but I hate wearing it down now that I know about protective styling. And even when I do wear it down, if I see one broken hair on my shirt or it gets caught on anything I freak out and pin it up immediately! The thought of having a setback is scary to me.
 
Even now with me being natural i know my hair isnt long(not even SL yet) but oh boy when it does get to that length or longer im scared of it because its going to be work and trying to figure out what to do with it. I'll be the same way PS all the way to make my life alot easier.

I think alot of ladies where PS because its not that they are lazy but because its work just having to keep there hair down. Also to protect their hair from all the damage that could occur from wearing it out.(especially heat damage)

I had a roommate in college that had APL hair and she used to hate wash days because it would take her like a hour for her entire head to dry especially if she is doing it under the sit under dryer.
 
for now i'm definately going to be wearing protective styles 100%...

it helps to retain length.....

once i reach my goal (bsl) i'll be wearing it out once in a while....i dont know. i just dont want to grow it on;y to have it break
 
To each their own but i personally wouldnt bother growing hair down to my behind only to constantly obsess about broken hairs and protective styles all the time and wearing my hair down only on holidays. its not that serious to me.
 
Well, personally, I'm growing my hair so that I can wear protective styles. Huge buns and intricate updos are really gorgeous and they look great on me. Right now, my hair is too short to do that. I'm natural so with shrinkage my hair needs to be super long to do a lot of things.

I completely disagree with your sister, there are a million things you can do with longer hair that you just can't do with the shorter. That's another thing I like about being natural, no matter how long my hair gets, with shrinkage it will always appear short.

Remember, everyone doesn't want long hair for the same reasons you do. Maybe your mom and sister like knowing that they have long hair but it's easier for them to keep it protected. WL natural hair is a lot of work I'm sure.

Same here. I remember when I was relaxed and had hair that touched my shoulders, I wore alot of ps (bantu knots, flat twists, two buns,...) and my sisters got mad at me ("what's the point of having 'long' hair if you don't wear it down"?), but for me personally it's my signature style.
 
My hair is only SL, but I hate wearing it down now that I know about protective styling. And even when I do wear it down, if I see one broken hair on my shirt or it gets caught on anything I freak out and pin it up immediately! The thought of having a setback is scary to me.


This is so true! My hair is barely shoulder length but I keep pins or clips in my bag just in case!
 
I like to wear my hair out but 99.9% of the time before the end of the day, I've clipped it up. I always have a clip or bobby pins with me. Sometimes, it's just easier to throw it in a pony and call it a day.
 
I'm definitely not a protective styling advocate. I can definitely see where doing them is beneficial, but it's just not something for me. I wear my hair out almost daily. I feel like, if I can learn to properly care for my hair while wearing it out, I should have no problems. But alas, my world and reality do not equate, so yeah, we'll see how that works out...lol.
 
I used to wear my hair down every day, essentially, putting it up only to sleep and for workouts. I look hideous when my hair is up or in a bun, but since I joined LHCF...I feel the need to put my hair away. I'm always worried about damage if I don't. I don't wear protective styles every day, but I'll be resorting to them more often until (if) I reach my goal length.
Are your sister and mother content with their lengths? Maybe they're just trying to grow it some more....

Noooo:nono:! They just don't care about it. I think they will never be content with their hair no matter what length it is. I don't think its the length their chasing, which is ironic because they have the longest hair in the family. But when I say that they should get it in a style or something, they decline to let other people do it or cut it. Its not my hair, I know, but it has a slight impact on whether or not I want longer hair:ohwell:.
 
I also don't wear my hair for other people so I don't really care if they ever see it or not. This is more for me.

exactly, I don't understand why other people even care
its pretty much the same to me as when people come up and tell me how fabulous my hair would be if I'd just relax it and I'm wondering why I should care, if my hair is like this it is because I like it like this and your opinion means nothing, clearly we don't have the same goals or tastes
with long hair I have more styling options and I don't consider updos and such to be "hiding" my hair, but for those who wear wigs... its their hair to do whatever with, get your own to worry about

plus, I think the novelty of long hair can wear off
its one thing to dream about what you would do with longer hair and another thing to have it and it just becomes a part of your daily/weekly hygiene and personal care routine
 
Like a lot of things, this is all about balance. You can wear protective styles most of the time and treat the sight of your natural hair worn loose as a treat (for yourself and others). That's how I see it. Long hair is special and does not need to be constantly on display though it is nice to let it be admired selectively. Most of the special things about us have a time to be shown and a time to be hidden IMO. You should never be too much of an open book!

Also, it is true that some women don't want to fool with their hair and other women, especially Black ones, find that the fragility of their hair means that even the friction from ends rubbing against their sweater causes breakage and slowly wears away their length. As other posters have said, some PS, like the intricate buns and updos are a reason to grow out your hair in themselves. Protective styles are not bad and I personally don't get that far into what others do with their hair. It's great not to go overboard with anything, but to each her own.
 
I'm growing my hair so that I can wear protective styles.

Me too. Right now my hair is just long enough to clip my hair up into a pony tail and have it not look too anemic. It's not long enough for buns yet and I am on a mission to not add fake hair so I won't do the phony buns. When my hair gets long enough my plan is to bun 5-6 days a week.
 
My hair is too fine and tangles too easily for me to wear it out much. Once I reach my goal, I intend to wear protective styles 60-70% of the time.
 
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Noooo:nono:! They just don't care about it. I think they will never be content with their hair no matter what length it is. I don't think its the length their chasing, which is ironic because they have the longest hair in the family. But when I say that they should get it in a style or something, they decline to let other people do it or cut it. Its not my hair, I know, but it has a slight impact on whether or not I want longer hair:ohwell:.

Isn't that what most people here on the board do? :look: I don't blame them. They might jack their hair up or cut too much off. A lot of stylists are not trained to handle natural hair especially long natural hair.

I had to get on my own stylist about detangling my hair thoroughly and he should know these things. Then he wondered why he had to put in extra elbow grease to blow the back out. If you had detangled each section genius, it'd be easier. I took him my Denman and that solved it.

He has clients that are natural but all he does with the natural hair is either blow it straight or braid it for weave. He's not well versed in styling natural hair and if you think about it most of us new naturals are not or were not either hence this board, NP, and all these you tube videos. We had to learn it on our own. I've learned to care for my hair from taking care of it on my own these past 2 years. If they don't put their hands in natural hair that often they may not know. They have to learn too.

The other stylist I go to is better in that regard but she is natural herself and has a texture similar to mine. She does everything to my liking with washing, detangling, she uses a denman, iI like her products, etc. But I'm sure she learned those things from caring for her own hair. They don't teach how to do natural hair in beauty school. Same thing with weaves (maybe outside of the basics). That is extra knowledge and training you have to seek elsewhere and practice on your own.
 
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Well, I'm MBL heading toward WL and I don't wear my hair out very often cuz A) tangles and frizz B) it gets caught on everything from my purse strap to people's jewelry, hell I've even closed it in the car door :nono: C) long plus thick = HOT!! My hair makes me super hot which leads to sweating in the head which leads to point A. Its just much easier and convenient to throw it in a bun or do braid and twist outs and forget about it.

I suck my teeth everytime I hear or see someone say they don't get why someone else does something to or with their own hair. It's not for you to get. Do what u will with yours, just as they will with theirs.

In addition, one should never say what they will or won't do until they actually get there. I thought I'd wear mine out all the time once I hit BSL but NOPE and I wish somebody would ask me why I don't just cut it. Cuz it's mine, that's why and I like having options.
 
the reasons i mostly wear my hair in a bun:

when its humid...it frizzes and tangles
when its cold...it frizzes and tangles
when it rains...it frizzes and tangles
when its windy...it frizzes and tangles
u name it!...it frizzes and tangles :lachen:

not to mention random strangers constantly comment on it and want to touch it..which sometimes irks me lol

i don't know..to each his own i guess


My Mommie has worn a Bun.... My whole life. I am 41. This is the reason^^^ - What she said.

My mom is TBL...
I have found that I would much rather pin my hair up - than deal with it.
My last flat iron.... I wore it up... in a high Pony.
Down....Too much trouble.

Most women with Long hair - or those who have had long hair for years... wear it up. Period.

I totally understand.
 
Well, I'm MBL heading toward WL and I don't wear my hair out very often cuz A) tangles and frizz B) it gets caught on everything from my purse strap to people's jewelry, hell I've even closed it in the car door :nono: C) long plus thick = HOT!! My hair makes me super hot which leads to sweating in the head which leads to point A. Its just much easier and convenient to throw it in a bun or do braid and twist outs and forget about it.

I suck my teeth everytime I hear or see someone say they don't get why someone else does something to or with their own hair. It's not for you to get. Do what u will with yours, just as they will with theirs.

In addition, one should never say what they will or won't do until they actually get there. I thought I'd wear mine out all the time once I hit BSL but NOPE and I wish somebody would ask me why I don't just cut it. Cuz it's mine, that's why and I like having options.


Thank you. I went to a luncheon - Where ALL the women had weaves... ( I don't hang out with alot of Black folks...):giggle:
And They were FURIOUS that My hair was twisted, not flat ironed...:rolleyes::rolleyes: Needless to say.... I was not a happy camper.... wondering how BALD these women were under those 1000.00 hair pieces....

"UMM, girl if I had YO' HURRR....." Please. If you had my hair, or my mom's hair... It would be in a Bun.
 
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