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

[glamazon386]

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.

My mom said the same thing about her grandmother. She said she wore a giant bun on top her head all the time. Now that her hair is all grey/white she wears a wig when she's dressed for church, having company etc. But the rest of the time, if you stop by and catch her it's usually braided some kind of way and/or pinned up. I've never seen her with her hair loose and her plait hangs to waist length so it might even be longer than that. Same thing with my aunts. Always a ponytail, bun or braid until they decide to chop it all off.

 

[Likeyouneverseenme]

I can totally see why people do it.
My G'ma always wore her hair up in lovely up-do's, i didn't see heir hair length till I was a teen and her hair was HL. She told me that she wouldn't be able to do anything with all the hair flying all over the place.

Me too, and I'm just shoulder length. I said I'd wear my hair out in a wild fro ALL THE TIME
If I had done that, I would have needed a trim weekly, too much manipulation and knots.
What's for you ain't for everybody.
But I understand the hair-envy, whenever I see Chicelle's hair I have a moment of angels singing in my head and I picture myself with her mane running through flowerfields with a white dress, hair flowing. But I'm sure when we all reach her length, we will be in buns a whole lot too.

 

[empressri]

Well, it depends on who you're growing your hair for. Maybe at night you want to comb it out and play in it yourself, cause we all know when you wear your hair out, especially if it's long, it's more prone to damage and people wanting to run their dirty nasty fingers through it. My last go around straightening my hair, I wore it up in a bun or some other PS, just cause I didn't feel like having it pull on my clothes every other minute, plus people at work never see my hair straight and they all want to touch it.

Yech! I've seen what folks do when they think no one is looking

 

[Fine 4s]

I don't wear protective styles and don't think there would be much benefit for me, but I can't knock someone else for it (not saying you were doing that, OP, at all--just asking questions). I guess they have their reasons.

DD,

ur hair looks great! Reminds of me DLewis' texture.
Your 'Nekkid hair' pics look like natural hair!
Great pics...

 

[Fine 4s]

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.

OR

Maybe these long haired women only wear their hair out in DA BEDROOM!!! woohoo!!! now THAT I could understand...swing it guuuuuuuurl!

 

[DanaDane]

DD,

ur hair looks great! Reminds of me DLewis' texture.
Your 'Nekkid hair' pics look like natural hair!
Great pics...

Thanks! I really wanted to see my air-dried relaxed hair without any leave in or conditioner--mainly to check to be sure I still had some texture (my intention is to not relax bone straight). It was so fluffy, bushy and had swang--I was pleasantly surprised .

Edited to add:

I even clarified first and was surprised that my hair was so easy to detangle without any conditioner--I thought I would see hair all over the place, but no. Which I take as good news that even after shampooing, my hair is in pretty good shape.

 

[Cichelle]

The reason I don't usually wear it down is because I don't want to. It's pretty much as simple as that.

 

[FlowerHair]

I wear my hair down every now and then, but since I work in a professional environment I can't wear my hair down like two curtains every day

Besides, it gets stuck in my sweater, then in my coat, then in my handbag strap, then the seat at the subway, then the chair in my office, then in my necklace, then the wind blows it in every direction and makes me look crazy

It's not practical either when you're at home cleaning, cooking, sleeping...

I prefer to wear it down on a day that I know the weather is going to be okay and I'm going to a party or going out etc. I wear it down at home too when I'm just lounging.

 

[JJamiah]

In my very long hair days, washing my hair became a chore and a BORE! I loved my wigs and enjoyed the different options they gave me. My husband tells me I act like the muslim women and always have my hair protected and covered, never seeing my real hair. (I do believe it is a woman's beauty) Sometimes my husband wouldn't see my real hair for months. I adore my wig and hair piece options then and now. I myself got tired of the same ponytails, updos, rollersets, and I HATE HAIR ON MY BACK in the SUMMER. I absolutely Hate it. I also hate sweaters snipping at my hair, so I all around am cranky.

Also when my hair was growing, I didn't have a goal, it just grew. Just because people with long hair choose to wear it up or hidden or protected or under a wig, is because that is how we choose to wear it, and no we don't need to cut it. To each his own, be and let thee be.

Personally when my hair grows back to MBL/WL I am going to twirl it up and put a cap on it and put a PONYTAIL From the bag right on it. I am going to also wear my half wigs of all different lengths and occasionally when I want wear it out for about a month or two. Other than that UP UP UP and away!!!!!

 

[Magus484]

Yeah, I'm one of these people. My goal used to be waistlength (I'm BSL now), but I don't even do anything special with my current length because of laziness. I want to wear my hair down more. I will try to make more of an effort after I get my trim.

I'm not even sure I want to grow my hair that long anymore because I don't even straighten it.

 

[*Muffin*]

I agree with you there. It's ironic how much I tell myself "oh, when my hair gets long I'm going to wear it this way and that way" but yet I feel reluctant to wear it down for even a day for fear I may break a strand, lol. Chances are if I'm that way now I'm going to be that way when I have WL hair as well. What's the point of having long hair if you can't enjoy the wind blowing through it every once and a while? Protective styles are good, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Let those locks breathe some !

 

[Everything Zen]

I missed this thread. I am BSB length and I just got a touch up last Friday. I am shopping around for a really good wig and every BSS I go to the black women ask me "Why get a wig when you're hair is nice and long?" I always say "So I can keep it nice and long." I wear my hair up most of the time bc I wash it more days out of the week preventing any dandruff issues. I just washed it today and it was such a relief. I lasted seven days with the fresh relaxer but I was getting antsy at day 4. It takes too much work to get the long straight style and it never looks as good as it does coming out of the shop so why put your hair under all that stress only to wash it again in a couple days?

I am getting a wig that looks exactly like my hair same out of a fresh relaxer so I can simulate the look and still feel cute. I wear PS 80% of the time unless it's a really curly updo.

I also like the shock and awe when I do let it down. Usually it's pinned up into two braids with a loose headband and I wear my thick black glasses. Now with it straight I like to glam up a bit and wear my contacts and mascara. It's funny how shocked people are when I do wear it out on those rare occasions. Once I reach my goal length I will probably wear it out more.

 

[joib]

I agree with your sister and mother. I wear protective styles 100% of the time. The only time I don't is in the summer. Wigs and weaves give you the option of looking different without damaging your own hair. You have to know your hair and what it can take at certain length. I have rope for hair but if I treated my hair like some of my friends I would be bald. Your mother and sister's hair is not that length for no reason. I feel ,imo, that ps has something to do with it.

 

[joib]

I wear my hair down every now and then, but since I work in a professional environment I can't wear my hair down like two curtains every day

Besides, it gets stuck in my sweater, then in my coat, then in my handbag strap, then the seat at the subway, then the chair in my office, then in my necklace, then the wind blows it in every direction and makes me look crazy

It's not practical either when you're at home cleaning, cooking, sleeping...

I prefer to wear it down on a day that I know the weather is going to be okay and I'm going to a party or going out etc. I wear it down at home too when I'm just lounging.

You have a great point. The last time I wore my hair straight and down, it was windy and I shut it in the car door. Now that was painful

 

[Solitude]

I totally understand what the OP is saying, but part of the appeal of longer hair for me is the versatility of being able to wear it up. I wore a short to SL bob for 5 years and I was sick of my hair being so short that I had to wear it down or use weave and/or a million bobby pins to do an updo.

Today, I realized my hair is now long enough to do a wonderful donut bun, which is what I am wearing and I couldn't be happier to wear protective styling right now! A few months ago, I barely had enough hair for a ponytail. It's almost kind of fun to hide your hair, IMO.....no one knows but the people close to you how long your hair really is and that you're growing it out. When people see it, it's like a little shock for them. I wore PS for the past few months and when I finally wore my hair down, I got so many compliments. The last time people had seen my hair it was very short.

 

[RedVelvet310]

I forget if I posted in this thread before, but I don't wear my hair "down" regularly because I'm natural... and I'm probably one inch past CBL right now and it takes me about 1.5hrs to straighten my hair .. not something I plan to do regularly (esp. with the fact I wash my hair 2x per week nope nope nope). WnGs get matted by the end of the day for me and braid outs and twist outs are a pain in the neck to deal with when the day is done and I just want to lie down and NOT think about hair. Plus I really like PS's anyway (i.e extension braids/cornrows, falls) it gives me variety and I love that I have that option .

 

[Quest4healthyhair]

Before my surgery in December, I made BSL but I would always wear it in a ponytail. Ponytails are getting boring, but when I wear my hair out, I get tangles and knots and I'm afraid my hair will break from rubbing on my clothes. I've been thinking about getting a haircut, maybe that will force me to wear it out.

 

[Lucia]

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

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

Hey your hair looks good to me, how long is it now? I can't see it in your siggy pics.

 

[Lucia]

I understand why they don't wear their hair out, it's a personal choice, but ai do think they're very limited on what they CAN do with their natural hair, a lot of women don't even know about layering products, co-washes, braidouts and such that would be less work than blowdrying or flat ironing.
I'm wearing PS to grow my hair out to a certain goal length, one of the reasons I even decided to grow my hair super-long is so I could wear nice big buns, and elaborate up-do's w/o using weaves, but once I reach that length I'm going to alternate PS (b/c I like them) and down styles.

 

[Blessed_Angel]

My sister and my mother have been growing their hair out for years and they have worn PS like crazy. My mother is WL and my sister is APL, and they are both natural. Now I am growing out a pixie cut, that I loved so much. I have no idea what style I want when I grow it out, but I do know I want to wear it out. Anyway my sister insists on wearing weave to cover her really pretty APL hair and my mother wears her wig 99.9% of the time to cover her WL hair. And when I asked them why they don't wear their own hair own, considering they have achieved more length than many women could dream, they said it is too much workerplexed??? My sister says my hair is making progress, but she finishes by saying, "It's growing, but what are you going to do after you get your length? There is nothing to do to it."

Anyway I know some will say that is why I don't have hair because I want to do too much to it, but why grow hair if you plan to wear nothing but PS 99% of the time? I mean isn't part of the appeal of hair or longer hair to show it off and wear it? 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!

Girl, I feel you! In fact, I was thinking about this the other day when I thought about how a friend of mine told me that she braids her hair in the winter. I thought about how even in the winter, I still wore my hair down, having it blow in the wind. I wore ponytails when necessary, but I always made a pact with myself to "enjoy" my hair. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

This is a BIG pet peeve of mine on this hair board and IRL.

It still makes no sense to me.

I understand they're reason for doing it, but I just don't agree. I wanna enjoy my hair. I feel the same way about my dd's hair. I don't want her long hair in styles that doesn't show off her length. I work hard to keep her hair long and strong, and we can't enjoy it? Nah, that rarely happens.

 

[lilyofthevalley]

Honestly, I just like protective styles. As a matter of fact, part of the reason why I'm growing my hair longer is so that I can do more updos. I don't think I'm limiting myself or not having fun with my hair by not wearing it down. I'm not growing my hair for the world to see, I'm growing it for myself and for the styles that I want to do but can't do with short hair.

 

[SlantedEyezMiss2003]

Well I feel u, it's like you wear PS all the time and when you finally reach your length, what now.....I guess it depends on the person, with longer hair, it's easy to put it in a pony tail and go, and some women really just want long hair, I don't know, all I know is when I reach waist length, I'm wearing pony tails, braid outs, and probably rollers, after 2009 LHCF boot camp, NO MORE BUNS......I'm so tired of buns I don't know what to do, if I don't reach BSL by next year then I'll just wear ponytails, no buns......but I feel u though......

 

[lollyoo]

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. I dunno.

I have to agree with just kiya on this, I am actualy growing my hair to be able to do the juiciest up dos ever. I love buns, up dos.
Infact this is the main thing I missed with big chopping and shrinkage. Although I am about shoulder length now. With this thickness and shrinkage, I can't put my hair in buns, I cant wait till I reach APL, hopefully will be able to do buns.

 

[Liege4421]

I totally agree that updos look so much nicer with thick, long hair. My buns definitely look better now that my hair is healthier than they did when I was in college. I wear PS 99% of the time because 1)I am in the military and my hair is too long to wear down, so I have to wear PS to work 5 days a week; 2)I'm still learning how to style my hair and because I'm a newbie, I feel like my "down" hairstyles always end up looking messy (I hate messy hair!!!!); and 3) I work out twice a day so even if I could wear my hair down, I would end up tying it up twice a day in any case. Wearing hair down IS quite a task; I envy the mother and sister's length but not the time it takes to style! It also depends on how much time you can allocate to hair care each day...I work long hours, so IMO a half hour to style hair each day is too long and I'd rather spend my free time in the gym! Give me a five minute pony so I can get back to my squats...