Spin-Off:Longer Hair=Easier Hair Care

[HeyItsHoney]

For me, it has been much easier the longer it gets. Before, I used to do a full rollerset, now I can do a ponytail rollerset and basically get the same results. I used to have to roll or wrap my hair at night, now I can just throw 3-4 of the big flexirods in and have sleek hair in the morning.

 

[hillytmj]

I am not BSL or even APL yet, but I would think it would be easier to take care of longer hair because by then you would know what works for you and what doesn't.

I agree with this statement. Since joining the board five months ago, I can definitely say that I've gotten to know my hair better and can assess its needs. Washing/DC'ing/detangling used to be a chore, but LHCF and asking questions has made that easier. Also finding the right products has made life easier.

This is not a complaint, but the only downside for me is that rollersetting takes longer (about an hour compared to 45 minutes). I don't mind the time increase, but I imagine the time will increase as I reach my ultimate goal of WL. My tradeoff? I'm considering getting a professional dryer like a Pibbs so that my dryer time can decrease. Currently it takes 2.5 hours to dry whereas at the salon it takes 1.5 hours. When I start approaching WL, I'll definitely need to get a new dryer. Again, this is not a complaint. I look forward to that day!

 

[MagnoliaBelle]

I can't wait until my hair gets longer. I know for a fact that it will be easier. Once it's longer (BSL and beyond) I can wear curly styles. Now my hair would be too short and I wouldn't feel comfortable with how it would look.

 

[Eisani]

MBL checking in and I won't say its always easier or one is more difficult than the other, but what I've found is you have to cope and make it work!
Problem: Hair too long to do a traditional rollerset on your own. Solution: ponytail rollerset.
Problem: can't wash and condition w/o major issues.
Solution: detangle, wash and dc in sections.

Definite pros of longer hair is throwing it in a bun or some other ps easily and having more styling options.

Yea, it can be a lil extra work sometimws, but it's worth it.

 

[lilsparkle825]

As far as being natural meaning unrelaxed and trying to grow my hair to waist? Ain't no way in H E double hockey sticks, not with my texture. If I had a choice between only natural and WSL or relaxed and SL, I'd choose the latter.

really? erplexed i'm in no way a natural-hair pusher, but...really?

Because I am a relaxed head, it was more of a question to relaxed ladies which I probably should have specified in my OP.

no offense, but maybe you should specify next time...cause in no way did you make that distinction until this post.

 

[RocStar]

I do not have long hair (yet), but I think that "styling" might be easier with longer hair, however actual "hair care" (washing, conditioning, etc.) might be more difficult and/or time consuming. Just a thought.

 

[The Girl]

Yes and no. I've been almost MBL before I chopped off to above shoulder. It was easier to throw my long hair back into a ponytail, but I was thoroughly over my hair and sick of putting ANY effort into it. My hair is extra tangly even with a relaxer and it takes longer than overnight to dry in rollers (very very thick).

Now that I'm growing it back, I am learning to better appreciate and care for it. I no longer care about wearing it out and curly or straight every day, so I believe I am developing the skills and styles base to keep it looking good with minimum effort (i.e. cowashes and beautiful protective styles).

I have had my hair shaved before and THAT is work. Short relaxed hair requires a lot of heat styling and visits to the barber to keep it shaped. No thank you. I am down to 3 relaxers a year and I plan to keep it that way, unless I ever transition.

ITA except I am transitioning so no relaxers. I love my hair now bc I can be lazy/protective styles and it still looks cute and I am still growing it! HA! I love it! At APL I was still feeling uncute, probably b/c I KNEW it wasn't long enough for me..

 

[The Girl]

I think it depends. there is nothing in the world that is easier than a TWA, and the shorter the TWA is, the easier it is. And I know that for a solid fact. Short relaxed/straightened hair is a pain, if I do say so myself. That's one thing I can say with certainty that I will never do again.

I guess long natural 4b hair.. you can easily put it in some big braids or twists and wear it as a style, that's one good thing. No-effort puffs too, hmm... But the washing and detangling... and making smaller twists and stuff... can you say marathon sessions?

True when I had to cut it all off yrs agi and start over after a bad fusion that was easy to work with but now......easy as heck too.

 

[The Girl]

I agree.....I was just thinking about how easier it would be to stretch my relaxer and do more varieties of buns,etc.

Thats when I decided to transition, when it got long and I could stretch for 6 months....why not forever=go natural?

 

[Yellowflowers]

Longer hair is definantly easier. I can wear a great variety of styles. I spend less time and money in the beauty shop trying to maintain it with constant heat and manipulation, less scalp burns from trying to curl it, less use of gels trying to smooth it down, no more frequent trimmings trying to maintain the cut which I could only wear one or two ways.

Less money on additional tracks when I wanted it longer, which hurt and itched my scalp and was a tangly mess for which I ended back up at the beautician, spending more money for her to style it. The weave hair broke out the natural hair. Less of my precious time wasted sitting around in the beauty shop.

With longer hair I can wear a bun or several types of updos or a single braid for several days, which works well for my busy lifestyle and I look better with longer hair. I can wear several styles of ponytails. I can wear it down in many stlyes with loose curls that were set with only a couple of bantu knots.

My hair is stronger than it was when it was short, because I do less to it. It would not be longer if it wasn't stronger.

For me the benefits are enormous.

 

[brittle_hair]

I agree with all of you ladies that say it is easier to be good to your hair i.e. reduce heat and manipulation when your hair is longer! I have an NL length bob and it looks best when flat ironed, also because I have a fringe(bangs) the look is definitely best warn straight. So I want to get to SL and APL, but I don't like wearing my hair in a bun because the wet bun is so tiny and makes me feel less feminine. Braid outs and roller sets take up so much length that they have me looking like somebody's aunty mavis, so the motivation to do those isn't really there.

It's actually a bit of a viscious circle, because you need atleast APL before the protective styles look half decent, but you have to do protective styles to get the length...

This lack of motivation is really not helping with my relaxer stretch either. I'll be at 7 weeks post i two days, and don't think i'll be able to go beyound 8+ because I miss wearing my hair down.

 

[SvelteVelvet]

really? erplexed i'm in no way a natural-hair pusher, but...really?.

Yes really.

no offense, but maybe you should specify next time...cause in no way did you make that distinction until this post.

No offense, but you reiterating that to me was superfluous.

 

[SlantedEyezMiss2003]

I agree with the bolded. This thread isn't about the EASIEST if it was the TWA gets the award hands down. Because I am a relaxed head, it was more of a question to relaxed ladies which I probably should have specified in my OP. With naturals I believe it is the TOTAL opposite, the shorter the hair the EASIER to maintain.

I agree too, but how many women look good with a TWA????? I'm one who don"t, I get a lot of attention with my long hair(not saying that's the reason I'm growing it out), but I have no choice......I have to have hair.....I don't look right with a TWA, I have had one before, and I felt unattractive.....my hair has always been shoulder length and the max apl.....but I want waist length....some ladies look great with a TWA, and some ladies don't,(like me). I look better with longer hair.....IMO!

 

[HappyHairDreams]

And it SHOULD! What you did to manage your hair at SL should be altered as you reach longer lengths. I think that's part of where setbacks come in, sticking to routines that were great for your short hair but could be damaging to your long hair. I'm glad I realized this.

Velvet, which routines did you find more damaging at longer lengths?

 

[jazzzmoods]

Thank you for this post. I look forward to having the length and more so the "weight" of longer hair to help with stretching and bunning etc. I think it will become increasingly easier to be compliant to "the rules" in terms of maintaining healthy hair

 

[luckiestdestiny]

This is a spin from the "Who doesn't want hair longer than BSL?" I noticed alot of ladies responses were they don't want it any longer because they feel it would be harder to manage.

I feel just the opposite.

I used to say BSL was my ultimate goal. Now that I'm there I want MBL/WSL. As my hair has gotten longer it has gotten easier for me to not apply any heat to my head and damage my hair. I have more "natural" styling versatility that doesn't have to involve damaging activities for the sake of it looking good. Therefore, I feel I'm able to maintain it's health better and easier as it gets longer.

When my hair was SL I felt the only way for it to look polished was to blow dry, rollerset under the dryer and/or flat iron, and wrap my hair every night. Even if I consciously tried to put my hair on a heat diet and do braid outs or bantus or bun it, it wouldn't last long. At the length it was at the desire to see my hair bone straight would over power me.

Nowadays I can airdry, apply moisturizer, seal it, braid it up or twist it up at night and the next morning I can actually style my hair in a way that it looks 'done'. I'm even more content with wearing a bun than I used to be, because of how it's so big I can see it from the front and it's all mine. I've gone weeks and weeks without blowdrying and flatironing my hair and I don't miss it and I can tell my hair is thanking me. Even from not wrapping at night, it seems to be thriving better, especially the edges around my hairline.

I'm on a relaxer stretch now and I plan touch up every three months thereafter, this will be the only time I will allow my hair to be straightened. But for in between those visits, I know I'll be just fine not using any heat and I'll be looking good doing it. So this length can keep on coming, because for me, it = overall healthier hair.

For ladies MBL and beyond do you agree?

For ladies who say they don't want hair longer than BSL, does this idea change your perspective?

Yes and no for me. I'm an inch past MBL as of Dec (haven't measured since as I keep braiding my hair up to keep out of the way for now).

It's easy to know what works, because I've been working on my overall health for a while.

It's harder on wash days because I'm natural and if I want to straighten, or style naturally, I have to detangle super slowly, and the drying time is ridiculous as if I left it wet (because it's thick) it would take a day or so to air dry and I'm not walking around with wet hair that long. So anyways, it's hours and hours process that I'm not happy about.

So I think that's what makes it difficult for me (time wise).

 

[PinkSkates]

girl, i feel ya.

i having longer hair because it's sooo much easier to maintain

I was getting ready to post the same message. It's so much easier to do my hair at its current length. And it's easier to be lazy when you have a lot of length to play with. It takes me 5 minutes to through my hair into a high pony tail and look stylish while at work. And as it gets longer there are more natural styles I can play around with.

 

[chokolate miss]

I totally think that it gets easier to to manage as hair gets longer. I thought I was in the bun for growth challenge...

Until I realized that I could not get a bun in my hair! I'm about 1/2 inch from APL, but natural. I can get a ponytail, but can't bun it under.

That means that I have to style it somehow. Like previously stated...longer hair does not need to be "styled" to look "done". IMHO

 

[SvelteVelvet]

Velvet, which routines did you find more damaging at longer lengths?

Consistent use of heat requires more trims and that's fine at wanting to maintain, but for growing out trimming often means getting no where with your goal and/or setbacks.

Consistent wrapping over a period of time can thin your edges and cause breakage and thinning around your hair line. With longer hair, I don't feel the limitations of having to go for that straight sleek look all the time. I can set my hair differently under a scarf that is more friendlier to my hairline like big loose braids, bantus, or twists.

If you want to use a protective style at a short length, again wanting to grow out your hair, the majority of time you will want to add extensions for fullness in a bun, length in cornrows & braids, these CAN be done safely but there is always a risk when adding hair to your head and accessories like pins to hold hair that you can inadvertantly cause breakage and thinning with these processess. I wouldn't take those risks with longer hair, and even better, I won't NEED to.

 

[SvelteVelvet]

I agree too, but how many women look good with a TWA????? I'm one who don"t, I get a lot of attention with my long hair(not saying that's the reason I'm growing it out), but I have no choice......I have to have hair.....I don't look right with a TWA, I have had one before, and I felt unattractive.....my hair has always been shoulder length and the max apl.....but I want waist length....some ladies look great with a TWA, and some ladies don't,(like me). I look better with longer hair.....IMO!

I totally agree! And I think it's great to have something 'extra' to look forward to with growing your hair long rather than just the look it will give you. I'm looking forward to the routines that I'd adopt and the ones I will retire in styling my hair as something that will allow my hair care to run smoother for me and fit my lifestyle better.

 

[alexstin]

I just told DH this the other day when he asked me why I like longer hair. It is so much easier to deal with(especially since I stretch for 19 weeks at a time).

 

[Brownchiq]

I will have to agree that longer hair is easier. Now that my hair is a bit shorter (3 inches above BSL) as I have been transitioning, my hair has gotten a little harder to maintain. When it was shorter about 3 months ago it was even harder.
In my avatar when I was fully relaxed, the length was super easy to maintain yet the bangs took a little more maintenance.

 

[Jazala]

All the great long-hair-styling benefits are available to people with BSL hair so to be honest I still see no need to grow my hair past that point. I'll probably maintain at that point because I really like doing rollersets and I can see that being a pain with super long hair.

 

[SvelteVelvet]

All the great long-hair-styling benefits are available to people with BSL hair so to be honest I still see no need to grow my hair past that point. I'll probably maintain at that point because I really like doing rollersets and I can see that being a pain with super long hair.

Totally understandable. I'm not attached to doing rollersets, if I were, BSL or just a little past would definately be my limit. But I really couldn't stand doing my own rollersets even at APL, it's not something I want in my routine. If I ever want a rollerset at this length and beyond I'd just go to the salon.