Beauty Tips? -- Long Hair

[Alice]

Okay, this is for any other girls out there who happen to know what to do with long hair.

I'm really sick of mine!

It takes a lot of care and doesn't stay around my face, and rarely looks very nice. When it's freshly washed, it fuzzes everywhere (kinda nice, actually), and when it's not, it lays flat and ugly.

Anyway, I've been planning to get it cut (for months now), but so far I haven't. Does anyone here knows a better way to take care of long hair... in the meantime until I can get it cut into a decent style?

[soul alive]

being a former super-long hair person until recently, i can't really suggest anything, as i just washed my hair and brushed it and refused to blow-dry it (mostly because i am the laziest person i know when it comes to getting ready, and if i can't get my hair ready in under 10-15 minutes, it's not happening XD). i just had 17" chopped off (it was 3'2" previously, and is now about 18")

[Rita]

I find that combing my conditioner through, rather than just applying it, and combing out all the knots before you wash the conditioner out makes your hair really smooth and lovely.

Other than that, I mostly wear it in a ponytail, cause I have to for work.

[Alice]

Wow... that's long!

I once got my hair cut enough to give to that wig charity for kids, and it was still long. But I don't think it was ever as long as yours!

The funny thing is long hair always looks good in animation, but it doesn't seem to behave itself in real life.

[Photosoph]

Oh, too true. *shakes head sadly* And if only it was as tangle-free as in anime. Hmm... generally I either put in a ponytail or leave it out. If I'm feeling less lasy or rushed for time, I put it in a plait or do this thing I have no idea what the name of it is, but it's where some of your hair is in a ponytail and the rest is out. That can look nice. Other than that I do have long hair, but I'm not very good at doing anything with it. So... I can't do this... but maybe make a plait and then curl it up into some sort of cool looking bun at the back of your head? *shrugs*
I've also been thinking of getting my hair cut; but first I need to find out where to send the cut hair to give it to that wig charity. I hope you can send it to somewhere in NZ; otherwise I'll hopefully just send it to somewhere overseas.

[Alice]

The beautician was already set up to send it, where I went. In fact she asked me about it... I didn't think mine was long enough. You might ask at a beauty parlor, to see if they participate. Unless you're getting a person, not a professional, to cut your hair.

My mom keeps offering to do mine, and I say "no" every time. I just have visions of everything going south real quick.

I don't think a bun would work for me. My hair's a bit long for that to be comfortable, trying to balance it and pin it on my head. (Sticking hairpins into scalp...)

[soul alive]

i know that Locks of Love is Florida based, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was some similar foundation in at least Australia...

but you can never really have hair like they have on commercials on TV... they put all kinds of goop on to get it to look all shiny and straight and non-frizzy, and healthy, etc... : P too bad... i sure wouldn't mind having hair like that.. XD


my mom is horrible about cutting hair, she keeps going "oops, it's uneven. here, i'll make it straight. *cuts hair some more* oops, it's uneven." *rolls eyes... she once cut my bangs when i still had them to about one inch long, and they were still uneven, but i refused when i saw how short they were to let her cut them any more. XD


an idea is to pull a chunk from your part to above your ear on each side into a pony-tail, making sure to leave a gap between the chunks at the back of your head. once you have the hair band on, grab the pony-tail and flip it back toward the front of your head, and flip it under itself. the two chunks should have a slightly rolled look.

you could also take the two chunks described above, and braid them, and clip or tie them together in the back.

or, take the two chunks and twist them slightly and tie them in a loose knot in the back, pulling the ends toward the front and securing them with clippies or bobby pins about a quarter of the way around the head from the back of the skull.

[RoyalWing]

(Your problems sound very much like mine..)

Since I have a challenge too, this is all the information that I can get.

1. Wash your hair in cold water. Hot water makes your hair thinner and split ends faster. It's hard, but washing your hair in cold will make it more shine and ( a bit) stronger.

2. You shouldn't wash every day... I'm trying to stop. But when you wash every day, you lose more hair (even more if you use very hot water.) and it makes it get dirty and oily faster. Yes, I'm going bald.

3. Alot of girls at my school use straighteners.. It makes you hair look perfect but it's very bad for it. You should use it just for special occasions. Same for the hair dryer, it's not very good for your hair. I don't know if it's true, but I heard the best way to dry is with your towel.

I'm sorry, I don't think I'm helping at all.

[Kisa]

layering it is good if you want to keep it longer.... it works for me and t keeps it light too ^^

[Alice]

<I'm sorry, I don't think I'm helping at all>

That's okay! I don't shampoo my hair every day so I guess I'm already following one of your beauty tips!

<layering it is good if you want to keep it longer>

Is that a special kind of cut? I don't know much about haircuts. (Lack of personal experience.)

[Mave]

I'm trying not to wash my hair everyday as well.

Apart from that, I get my hair layered but it's very difficult to get the type of cut I want in the saloon here.

Another thing I do is change my hair partings every now and then. Some days, it's 'center parting'...some other days, I combed it to the right/left. It makes a huge difference, I've been told.

[RoyalWing]

Saloons? (haha)

Layering is kind of getting your hair cut deffierent lenghts so that at the end, your ends are all uneven and "fluffy" looking.

...

It only works if you have a good stylist. Works best if, once again, you straighten your hair. And also, you need hair that doesn't take the shape of your ponytail if you wear it every day. [cough, cough]

Partings make a huge difference? I have a problem with parting. My hair goes and parts wherever it feels like, doesn't matter what I started with. (T 3 T)

[Mave]

Saloons? (haha)

Hahaha...well, whatever you call those hair-cutting/styling places. ^^

[Ashley]

Braids are an easy way to get long hair out of your way. My hair is fairly long, and I've always worn it that way; mine is about down to the midway point between my elbow and shoulder. I taught myself how to braid by sitting in front of a mirror and just praticing over and over. It helps if you put it up in a ponytail first, though. A braid can turn a long, messy nest of long hair into a beautiful and simple look.

You mentioned buns not working; I have a suggestion for that. I wear my hair in a bun 95% of the time, unless I'm going out. What you can do is put your hair into a ponytail first--use a TIGHT band! Then, twist the tail end of it and slowly wrap it around the band. Then use another tight band to hold it in place. It's a very tight little knot that is pretty resilient.

I can't give you a lot of advice about what to do, but I can tell you what NOT to do. Do NOT get a perm--zo my gosh it was the absolute worst thing I ever did for my hair!

And Mave, it's salons (sah-lawns). Saloons (sah-loon-s) are bars.

[Kawaiikneko]

I've just recently found out my straightener can work on my hair and I love it b/c my hair is so curly and gross otherwise x.x I know it can be bad for my hair, but its SO nice to have it straight and flowy and managable.

[Alice]

Yeah, parting differently does make my hair look better.

The only problem is that from early childhood my hair was "trained" to part only in the middle. Now if I part if differently, it actually hurts!

So most of the time I leave it alone, and only part if differently if I want to look nice. I think it will "train" differently, eventually. It may take some time, though.

Thanks for the advice about braids. I never could figure out how to do them on myself. ^-^

I don't think a bun would work on me. My hair's just so long that putting it up on top of my head has never worked.

Thanks, everybody for the suggestions.

[Kisa]

yes! layering is when they make it all diffierent lengths (not weird looking) so that its not all one length and it looks really nice! (google it ^^) it makes it so your hair isn't so heavy and you can do so much more with it ^^

[haru_bay_nay]

Gah! Long hair can certainly be a hassle... It seems like there are very few choices on stuff you can do with it. Mine just barely reaches my elbows, and is really hard to manage. It tangles awfully when I do anything.

Fortunately, straightening is in, and my hair is as straight as a board. Seriously, straightening it does absolutely nothing. It never stays in curls, and only stays in braids if they're so tight that it hurts. Does anyone know how to make hair less stringy?

I used to have layers, but... I decided to grow them out after a while. Layers do make long hair look nice, though. Another good idea is highlights. Do you have any? Even subtle tones can really look pretty. Oh, and if your hair lacks luster, try Garnier Fructis: Sleek and Shine. It's done wonders for mine. About the bun problem, the way I do it is to start putting it up in a ponytail, and on the last twist of the hair tie, don't pull the hair all the way through. Works for me.

[PrincessZelda]

I had mine layered... And I decided it just wasn't me... So not I'm going to groe it out (along with my bangs. Never been without bangs before) and always straiten it really strait. And part it on the side... But that's just me...

[Photosoph]

Hmmm... does anyone else find that a lot of hairties snap when you try to put your pony tail through them for the third time?

[Alice]

I never did highlights or anything like that.

I grew up a total tomboy, so I never wanted to do anything with my hair. It's only now I'm willing to let it escape its ponytail once in awhile.

Even now, I'd like my hair to be easy to care for. That's why a short cut might be better for me.

I'd never even heard of layering before so I guess that shows how out of it I am about hair.

[haru_bay_nay]

Yeah! I'm still like the biggest tomboy of ALL TIME. Still, I finally agreed to do something with my hair after I grew tired of my family's constant nagging. They still won't leave me alone.

Typical conversation with cousin Molly- Her:"Bay, cut your hair. It's way too long!
Maybe shoulder length, or even a little bit shorter..." Me: "For the billionth time, NO!!! I like my hair long, okay???"

Photosoph: YES!!! All the time!! What's up with that? My hair's not even that thick, and I use mid-size hair dealies...

About bangs... I have pretty long ones on the sides, but that's just cause I think I have a big forehead. They can get in the way during sports, but ya can always just tuck 'em behind your ears.

[PrincessZelda]

I put highlights in my hair. But bright colored ones!!

[Photosoph]

I once had a fringe... but after being told for the millionth time that I'd look better without it, I cut it. ^_^ And I don't really want a fringe anymore -mostly because if I had one, I would have to keep cutting it and cutting it... and if I wanted to grow it out, it would take a while until I could tie it back again. *shrugs*

Anyway, yeah! It's so annoying -either they snap on the third time round (and you go through about three before you get annoyed and grab a scrunchie), or they become so stretched that they finally snap after a short period. That, or you wind your ponytail through twice but it's not tight enough and feels annoying. :s
Ah, all these complaints...
But there are positive things about having long hair -if you cut it you can help people suffering from chemo or allopecia, if you're feeling kinda depressed you can let it hang all over your face to obscure your features ( ), and it looks really nice -especially if, for weddings or special occassions, you go to a salon and do something with it.
I was a bit of a tomboy for a while... maybe I still am. Or perhaps it's just that I was really annoyed at the snobby etc girls and didn't want to go there. Also I had three older brothers... and my only sisters were CA (CreatureArt), my twin, and an older sister who left home when I was still young (because there's a large age gap between us -she's the oldest and I'm the youngest out of seven kids). So I guess I copied my youngest older brother and became a bit of a tomboy. Hehe... I remember some good times scaring other girls with bugs...
It seems a little strange though -being a tomboy and having long hair, which seems more of a feminine trait. o_o Eh well. I like long hair.

[Anna Mae]

My hair is down to my waist. I find that if I take showers in the evening (baths get my hair very tangly) I don't have to brush my hair until the next morning. All the tangles brush out just fine, then. That has saved me a lot of time!

As for highlights, unless you get temporary ones, they look nice for a while but when your grows out it looks funny because you have a big stripe down your part like a skunk. Then you have to dye your hair more and that's not healthy for it.

Long hair is managable, but I would suggest that if you don't want it in your way, just cut it. Locks of Love is a good organization to send it to.

[Mangafanatic]

I have two words for you my friend: Flat. Iron.

For real, flat irons are the best thing to happen to long hair since scrunchies.

Furthermore, let me telly ou, unless it looks really slimey if you don't wash it every day-- then don't. Every good hair stylist will tell you that your hair will be MUCH more healthy if you all it to benefit from the natural oils produced by your scalp. If you can wash it every other day and it still looks good, do it!

[soul alive]

*grimaces* i have to wash every day or my hair ends up looking nasty gross, because it's so oily. but i also make sure to rinse very very well, because if you leave in non-leave-in conditioner it makes your hair greasy very quickly.

i forget who asked, but really the only solution i know to stringy hair is frequent trims. if it's really stringy for several inches, and even with frequent brushing forms into small locks, it's called 'spagetti-hair' and the only solution is to have several inches trimmed off, and to have it trimmed every few months to keep the ends nice.

and hair ties are e-e-evil at times. i go through hair ties so fast... i'm always breaking them

[Alice]

I used to use a vinegar and water rinse to get all the shampoo out of my hair. I think it worked, but it left my hair very prone to tangles. I would actually start tearing up when I tried to brush it. Pain!

My mother suggested I use a baking soda and water rinse instead. Now my hair is much easier to brush, and it doesn't look any worse or better for it.

But... I think I still want it cut! And yes, Locks of Love will probably accept it...

[Yumie]

If you really want to know what is a nice way to deal with long hair, then you can just do what I did-- cut it all off! Ha ha ha! When I was younger I had hair down almost to my butt, and finally I got so tired of it that I had it cut to my shoulders, and the to a little below my chin with a LOT of layers, parted on the side with sweeping bangs off to the left that fall to a little below my eyes. It's the easiest hair cut I've ever had and it's really easy to make it look nice. Besides that, the longer your hair gets, the dryer and more dead-looking it gets, so having it short rocks. However, you probably like having it long, so all my advice is more then likely worth squat, but hey, it can't hurt trying. . .

[Namelessknight]

[realizes he is a guy, but pushes manfully ahead]

My sis had[cut it 2 years ago for some wig\cancer organization, not sure which] very long hair, almost to her waist and to deal with tangles she used Mane and Tail, it was a washout conditioner actually meant for horses, but had been tweaked for humans. She loved the stuff cause besides making her hair easy to comb out, her hair also didn't get all frizzy right after. Just have to make sure it all gets washed out, or you get the 'oily' factor.

So good luck in whatever you do...