Looking Good, Feeling Great - Too old for long hair?

Hello all. I'm 38 but people often guess I'm in my 20's.

I've never been able to grow my hair past my shoulders and I was thinking of rewarding myself with hair extensions after I lose 50 lbs.

Do you all think 38 is too old for long hair?

I don't think any age is "too old" for long hair, as long as it is well kept. I think the style for women, as they age, is to get their hair shorter because they don't have the time to deal with long hair anymore. But it doesn't mean that long hair is "out of fashion". Do what makes you feel beautiful!

I'm 48 and my hair is passed my waist which I have no intention of cutting any time soon:)

I think the key is to keep it in a modern/stylish cut.

My great gram had long grey hair when she passd, it was middle of the back length and beautiful. Do what makes you feel good, I have bra strap length and I am 39, I can wear my hair down and straight, down and curly, up in a clip or pony tail...however I wish, I love the choices you get with long hair.

I've never understood why older women cut their hair short. I love long hair, and 38 is definitely not too old for it!

I think the most important question is "Do you have the time for long hair"? Long hair is a much greater time commitment than short hair (to keep it looking good anyway). I think that's the main reason older women cut it. I kept my hair long until I had kids, because now there are just better things I'd like to do with my time than spending 45+ min a day blow drying/straightening/curling/etc. With shorter hair, I can do a complete style in about 20/25 minutes.

If you don't have the time, then I recommend you do maybe a dramatic color/highlight instead.

I don't think 38 is too old for long hair! As long as it is healthy and in a flattering style, long hair can be worn at any age. Look at Jane Seymor; I've always admired her hair. Someone told me when I was 24 that I was getting too old for long hair; I felt old at that time so I took her advice and chopped it all off. It was a stupid, stupid thing to do.

I'm 48 and my hair is a little past shoulder length. Now it tends to look scraggly if I let it get too long so I keep it medium length. But if you want long hair, then I say get long hair. You are not too old!

When I hit 30, my mum let me know I was too old for my long hair but now I'm 50 and still wearing it long. Will wear it this way as long as it continues to look healthy. I have about 3-4 inches cut off a few times a year so ends don't look dead.

I don't think age has anything to do with it. It's a matter of your face, your hair and your style.

I think a whole lot of people look better when they cut their hair short, especially if that's what makes the difference between them styling their hair (even a little) every day vs wearing it in a ponytail or otherwise kinda ragged. Long hair can really be overwhelming and drag your face down.

On the other hand, sometimes long hair looks fabulous - at any age.

I never understood why women cut their hair short either. I once had a friend tell me 40 was too old for hair below my shoulders? It this some rule I missed?

I'm 42 now, and my hair goes about mid-way down my back and looks gorgeous!

Bottom line, do what you like!

Get your extensions and be a hot momma!

We can do it together! I'm 37 (38 next month, gulp) and growing mine longer for the first time. I also look and feel younger than I am, so I'm not going to sweat the age factor and just have fun with it.

I'm early 50's and have long hair. I had it all cut off in my 30's because my hair dresser said I was too old for long hair. Now I don't care and let it grow. I have it trimmed and keep it neat.

I hope you don't mind me sharing a pic, I had dh take a pic from the back when I came home from the hair dressers.

I think the idea that you get too old for long hair came from another generation. My mother always told me that you should not wear your hair long after 30. I am 54, so you can imagine what generation that I am thinking about. That "rule" has gone the way of wearing your pearls while cleaning house (June Cleaver)! Just like any other hair style, some people look good with long hair while others don't. Wear your hair the way you like!

I'm 39 and my hair is probably almost to my bra fastener. Heck no--not too old! I keep it in nice shape and have itsy bitsy trims often. My hair has very long layers and lays well with the longer layers. I think hair extensions are just fine if they are done well. Pricey though--my local salon is running a special right now for 1K! Normally they are 1600 from what I have been told.

You're old enough to do what you want so think of it that way. Age should not play a factor in how long your hair can be. If you're willing to put in the effort everyday for long hair and extentions then go for it!

I will say though that it is my belief that hair longer the shoulder blades is pointless from a fashion point of view. It does nothing to enhance a woman's facial beauty and after all hair is a frame for the face... length doesn't help. I wear my hair anywhere below my ear to the top of my shoulder blade but will not go longer. The shorter my hair is the spunkier and gutsier I feel whereas if I wear it longer I'm afraid to appear insecure hiding behind a blanket of needless tresses.

What's most interesting about your original post is that you said you've never been able to grow your hair out past your shoulders. That might be an indication of poor hair health. All hair stops growing once it reaches a certain length but down to your shoulder is a bit short for that point. May I ask how you take care of your hair and how often you trim it?

I'm early 50's and have long hair. I had it all cut off in my 30's because my hair dresser said I was too old for long hair. Now I don't care and let it grow. I have it trimmed and keep it neat.

I hope you don't mind me sharing a pic, I had dh take a pic from the back when I came home from the hair dressers.

Your hair is gorgeous!!

I think for some women, they look younger with shorter hair. But if you want longer hair then ROCK it because your "old enough" to do whatever you want! I don't think there is an age limit for long hair. :D

This idea reminds me of the Renaissance, where you were expected to keep your hair up under a hat because it was unseemly once you were wed.

I have seen several shows and read articles that claim that older women need to "grow up" and get their long locks cut off. Maybe the thinning-out of our hair as we age has something to do with it. Personally, I'm 31, my hair is to my bra-strap, and I don't intend to chop it any time, ever. I just keep it trimmed and layered around my face.

Nuts on conventionality, do what makes you feel sexy!

I never liked long hair when I had it and was glad to be rid of it. I recently cut it the shortest its ever been and I love it! It is so cute and stylish.

I don't think it has to do with an age thing but more possibly a time thing. The only time I am usually impressed by long hair is if I see it on tv or in the movies because obviously they spent hours having their hair done but I've been impressed with average people and their short hair styles. Of course not everyone is looking to impress (I'm certainly not!). It overall just seems to be a time factor for normal people.

Thanks y'all for the great advice! Wannabeskinny, my hair is pretty healthy...it just won't get long enough. I probably could get it trimmed more often though.

AR4life your hair really is beautiful and the exact length I want.

I really think long hair will be great motivation for me.

Thanks for the compliments Justaloozer and Skinnynsweet :D It always looks best when the hairdresser has used the iron on it ;)

I've heard that our hair has a set length point, which it won't grow past??? does anyone know if that's true?
I've been able to grow my hair quite long without it breaking off but other people I know can't grow it past their shoulders.

I hope you can grow your hair long Skinnynsweet :D it's fun to have long hair again. Makes me feel sexy and I get compliments on how young it makes me look......lol...... even if they are lying I feel good about it.

I have long hair and I am 36, almost 37 (in a couple of weeks). I've always had long hair. I cut it short once or twice a year and then I let it grow out the rest of the year. For me, long hair is easier to deal with. I have to work more when my hair is short because is has a lot of body to it, and if I don't use gel and style it, it looks terrible short. It is naturally wavy and it will do weird things when it is short. I still put gel in it when it is long, but just to keep it from getting all frizzy.

You can pull it off. Work that long hair! I'm sure you will look beautiful!




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"Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times."
Weight Loss journey began: January 2009 - Weight Loss to date: 24lbs
Currently on the my30daysdiet and loving it! Working out 4 times a week.

AR4life- your hair is beautiful and looks very healthy.

As someone else stated, the key is to keep it healthy looking and stylish.......don't let it get straggly. I think longer hair on a more mature lady can make her look younger, if she has the right style- I'm not saying to try look like a teeny bopper but, just something cute. I've had varying hair lengths all my life, from way down my back to very short pixie cuts to a-line bobs, swoopy bangs....everything and I think that having short hair is actually more time consuming. With short hair you have to style it and whenever I would get out of bed it would always stick up and I'd have to wet it down and dry it. I'm currently trying to grow my hair longer for my wedding, my stylist mentioned taking pre-natal vitamin for faster hair growth. I started to take them and I'm not sure if my hair is growing at a faster pace but, I will say that my hair is much stronger and my nails also.

Here is a fine example. I think this woman looks great with long hair and the fact that she's kept it gray is awesome. Also, the other lady is a great example, she has a little length but, it's a very stylish bob.

Agree completely - if it's a time investment you're willing to make, and it makes you happy - go for it! The longest hair I have probably goes 2". I happen to look better with long hair but it absolutely doesn't work with my lifestyle - it's stupidly thick and wavy and HEAVY, it's prematurely gray and very, very coarse, and required at least a half hour of work to be presentable. Plus, there's something about finding long hairs everywhere that just grosses me out! Now that I've lost most of the weight that I wanted to, I have cheekbones again that I don't want to hide. I'd rather sleep than futz with hair, too. That being said - NONE of it has to do with my age (42). It's 100% lifestyle. If I desperately want the look, well, I'll buy a freakin' wig. :D

Certainly not! Long hair is hot no matter what age.

And BTW, 38 is too young to be "too old" for anything.

I will say though that it is my belief that hair longer the shoulder blades is pointless from a fashion point of view. It does nothing to enhance a woman's facial beauty and after all hair is a frame for the face... length doesn't help.

I *slightly* disagree with this. I think hair longer than 4 inches past the shoulderblades is pointless from a fashion point of view. Hair that just barely touches the shoulder blades does not give the same effect as hair that is slightly past the shoulder blades (I see the former as medium-length and the latter as long) but I think once you get past that point it all pretty much looks the same. That is why my ideal length is about 4 inches past the top of the shoulders... still gives the illusion of the length without having to care for as much (which is also why I need a cut! It's 8 inches past my shoulders now and doing nothing for me!)
But I disagree that even from a fashion view hair that just barely touches the shoulders and hair that is a few inches past the shoulders look the same.

I *slightly* disagree with this. I think hair longer than 4 inches past the shoulderblades is pointless from a fashion point of view. Hair that just barely touches the shoulder blades does not give the same effect as hair that is slightly past the shoulder blades (I see the former as medium-length and the latter as long) but I think once you get past that point it all pretty much looks the same. That is why my ideal length is about 4 inches past the top of the shoulders... still gives the illusion of the length without having to care for as much (which is also why I need a cut! It's 8 inches past my shoulders now and doing nothing for me!)
But I disagree that even from a fashion view hair that just barely touches the shoulders and hair that is a few inches past the shoulders look the same.

The point is that "the longer the better" is not a sensible way to look at hair. I've seen women with hair down to their tushy who think that if they cut their hair 1innch it will make them ugly. This has nothing to do with reality, fashion, or how they look and my personal opinion is that hair that long is ugly and screams of desperation and insecurity. I don't know how else to explain why women cry when they cut their hair.... it grows back lol.

Now if it falls at the shoulder blade, between the shoulder/shoulder blade, or an inch longer well that's just semantics and truthfully it varies from person to person depending on your hair texture. According to my hair once it gets a few inches past my shoulder it falls limp, but that's just me. People with curly hair can wear their hair much longer than I can because they have more body and volume to accommodate for the length. I have to be frugal with my length.

Until recently I've never had my hair ABOVE my shoulder blades. Well, I take that back. One summer right before I went to camp my mom had the hairdresser cut it to my shoulders. I HATED it. It's never been that short again. It was never straggly or unkempt. My hair has been thick and full and wavy at the longest lengths. It's had NOTHING to do with "desperation" or "insecurity"...it's because I have always LIKED it that way.

Right now I'm trying to grow it out again while keeping layers in it ever since a misguided hairdresser decided to go about 6 inches shorter on the cut than I told her to. It was slightly (just slightly) longer than shoulder lenghth again, and all in one big bob. I looked like the prince from the Shrek movies. To get layers some length had to come off and it's taking a while to grow out where I want it. Again...I'm not insecure or desperate. I just want it that way.

My hair is currently waist length, but as an adult I have had it in everything from hip length to a pixie. I just thought that I would chime in with a few observations.

1. Hair does not exactly have a "set length." It has a growth cycle. Every hair follicle on your head grows a hair for a genetically determined amount of time and then than hair is shed and the cycle restarts. Most people have a cycle lasting between seven and nine years. Therefore, the longest that your hair can get is determined by how long it can get before it sheds. People have differing growth rates determined by numerous factors, but the average rate of growth is half an inch a month. So, if you completely stopped cutting your hair, it would still take years to achieve the longest possible length because many of your hairs would be in the middle or end of a cycle when you quit cutting. It could realistically take decades to achieve the longest possible length that you could have genetically. Also, if your hair is damaged, it will disintegrate far before reaching its longest possible length.

2. I can't agree with the idea that hair longer then any length is pointless from a fashion perspective or that long hair is harder to take care of and style. It really depends on what you mean by "long" and how you intend to wear it. My hair is waist length and I can style it in less than five minutes. I get tons of compliments on it and I spend little time caring for it. However, when I grew my hair from a pixie, I went online and learned how to do tons of updos and bought the tools to do them. I can put up a French twist or an elaborate bun in a matter of minutes. I can style it in less time than I spent on a pixie. Obviously, if I intended to blow dry and straighten it every morning this would take tons of time. So, it really just depends on what you want.

3. A person is never to old for long hair. This is an old cultural phenomenon that mainly exists in a handful of countries. Its all about how you style it and how you carry yourself. Also, very few hairdressers have any idea of how to deal with long hair so it is unsurprising that they advise you to cut it.

My hair is currently waist length, but as an adult I have had it in everything from hip length to a pixie. I just thought that I would chime in with a few observations.

1. Hair does not exactly have a "set length." It has a growth cycle. Every hair follicle on your head grows a hair for a genetically determined amount of time and then than hair is shed and the cycle restarts. Most people have a cycle lasting between seven and nine years. Therefore, the longest that your hair can get is determined by how long it can get before it sheds. People have differing growth rates determined by numerous factors, but the average rate of growth is half an inch a month. So, if you completely stopped cutting your hair, it would still take years to achieve the longest possible length because many of your hairs would be in the middle or end of a cycle when you quit cutting. It could realistically take decades to achieve the longest possible length that you could have genetically. Also, if your hair is damaged, it will disintegrate far before reaching its longest possible length.

2. I can't agree with the idea that hair longer then any length is pointless from a fashion perspective or that long hair is harder to take care of and style. It really depends on what you mean by "long" and how you intend to wear it. My hair is waist length and I can style it in less than five minutes. I get tons of compliments on it and I spend little time caring for it. However, when I grew my hair from a pixie, I went online and learned how to do tons of updos and bought the tools to do them. I can put up a French twist or an elaborate bun in a matter of minutes. I can style it in less time than I spent on a pixie. Obviously, if I intended to blow dry and straighten it every morning this would take tons of time. So, it really just depends on what you want.

3. A person is never to old for long hair. This is an old cultural phenomenon that mainly exists in a handful of countries. Its all about how you style it and how you carry yourself. Also, very few hairdressers have any idea of how to deal with long hair so it is unsurprising that they advise you to cut it.

Thankyou for the info on how long hair will grow :D
I love my long hair and it's not a security issue with me, I've had it very short, chin length, shoulder length etc.
I find long hair easier to take care of and it needs cutting less than when I had it shorter.
I'm also older and it's easier to tell the hairdresser what I want than when I was young and was easily intimidated by them.

Well written post Paradoxx :cool:

After a fling with long hair (never past shoulder length) when I was 9 or 10, I definitely prefer to wear my hair short. (I have oily hair and short hair is much lower maintenance.) Seeing women with long, straight hair just has my mom climbing the walls. (We agree that the Veronica Lake look with one tendril of hair hanging across the face should have gone OUT with Veronica Lake!) I keep telling her there's more important things to get her undies in a bunch about: I admit some women look good with long hair, like the one who crashed the White House banquet, and I agree there's nothing in the Bible or the Constitution that says THOU SHALT CUT OR UP-DO YOUR HAIR STARTING WHEN YOU'RE 25 ON PAIN OF DEATH! So why does Caroline Kennedy (who's my age) drive ME nuts with her shoulder-length hair?? I guess she just must not be the one who can get away with it :spin:

Speaking of long hair...
today on campus I saw an Asian girl with hair that almost touched her KNEES. I gawked a little. I've never actually seen someone with hair THAT long before. I've seen butt-length.. but KNEE length?!?! It was very impressive.
I think that although long hair is often unflattering and does nothing, once you get it THAT long, the mere shock factor makes it kind of awesome.
SERIOUSLY, it was practically touching her KNEECAPS! And it looked so shiny and healthy and well-kept too... :dizzy:
Amazing.

Yeah, but you noticed her *hair*, not her.

Age...shmage... To me part of the "battle with the scale" is to actually not let numbers define how we feel about ourselves...and age is just another number. (Besides, 38 is not old. You're going to live to be 100 and look and laugh at "baby" 38 year olds.) Go for the long hair...go for whatever you have in your heart to try for yourself....who cares what anyone else thinks? You can always change your mind again. Let others live with their rules...you live with your smiles when you look in the mirror. Do what makes you happy! That's my vote.

Yeah, but you noticed her *hair*, not her.

Yes and no... I noticed her hair, THEN I noticed her. If she had had "normal" hair, I wouldn't have noticed her at all and she would have been just another girl in the crowd. It's something that makes her stand out, something that made her unique. Yes I did notice her hair *first*, but then I noticed HER.

It's no different than having big boobs and having guys notice you for it... they're noticing your boobs first, and then you. Some women HATE that, and yet, there are some that actually love it (and some who even get implants to be this way)... I think it all depends on the person.

I do see your point though. But either way... it was awesome hair! :D

My hair is a little past my waist, and I love having it long. And yes, I can tell and feel and see the difference between waist length and mid back. I'm only in my 20s, but I may keep it long when I'm older.

I'm 60 and my hair is quite a bit shorter naturally than when I was in my 40's when it was knee length. I wash it every day and it takes very little time. It is thin now so it drys quite quickly. Years ago it took more time to dry. I really don't see it as a bother. I Corinthians ll:15 says, "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering."

...I Corinthians ll:15 says, "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering."

To cover up what?

I think were never too old to wear our hair longer. Longer hair, hopefully shiny and bouncy too, makes me feel such a girl :)

I love long hair. I think short hair always makes people look older. Some people can get away with short hair if they're cute little pixie people like Shirley MacLaine, or punk chicks like Joan Jett, but most people just look like they gave up on trying to look nice.

And I don't agree that long hair is more of a commitment than short. I just wash and go. Sometimes I blow dry my hair if it's really cold or I'll straighten or curl it for a special occasion, but not often. The women I know with short hair are always having to spend time styling it and they go to the salon all the time. I go only when I need my ends trimmed. Plus I can throw it in a ponytail when it's in my way. That's always nice.

Emmylou Harris still keeps her hair pretty long (and gray even) at 62 and she's gorgeous. ****, I would love to look like her now and I'm less than half her age.

33953

you will have to drag me kicking and screaming to cut my long hair. I'm 41 and have NO PLANS of cutting it any time soon. I love my hair, my husband loves my hair and no one ever guesses that I'm even out of my low-30's so... it's a no-brainer :lol:

The point is that "the longer the better" is not a sensible way to look at hair. I've seen women with hair down to their tushy who think that if they cut their hair 1innch it will make them ugly. This has nothing to do with reality, fashion, or how they look and my personal opinion is that hair that long is ugly and screams of desperation and insecurity. I don't know how else to explain why women cry when they cut their hair.... it grows back lol.


Everyone has different tastes, but this comment just seems very unkind. I don't have hair to my rear, but a friend of mine does and now I am hesitant to recommend 3FC to her. Everyone here has dealt with unfair, appearance-based judgments from other people. I would hope that the members here would try to be more sensitive.

I don't personally agree with Wannabeskinny, but I appreciate that she spoke her mind. Everyone is just sharing their opinion. Unless she directed that comment to a particular person I don't think there is any reason to get offended.

I'm not a big fan of censorship. I like that I can speak my mind here which means that I have to be tolerant of others' opinions. As long as no one is getting attacked, I don't see a problem. :shrug:

Everyone has different tastes, but this comment just seems very unkind. I don't have hair to my rear, but a friend of mine does and now I am hesitant to recommend 3FC to her. Everyone here has dealt with unfair, appearance-based judgments from other people. I would hope that the members here would try to be more sensitive.

My opinion is not directed at you personally. It is my opinion that long hair does not automatically make someone attractive. It does not look good on everyone, and more often the not it's not the best cut for many many people, especially when it gets below chest level. Everyone is entitled to their own personal taste however. I respect everyone who chooses to wear their hair long, I just don't really like the look. Some people are awed by long hair... just not me. It is also in my experience that women grow their hair really really long for attention. Like they expect people to be like "oh wow, oh my god, your hair is so long!" I genuinely don't like it (it's not a mean spirited thing, I just don't like it) and all I can think is "eww please don't touch me with it" lol.

3FC is a great place to connect with people of all attitudes and opinions. We discuss many topics here, most pertaining to weight loss. I find much needed support in regard to my health and fitness and the ladies and gents here are very welcoming. But we all have opinions, you can't expect that to change.

To clarify, I never meant to imply that you should have not stated your preference for shorter hair. I also did not mean that it was wrong to state that you found super long hair to be unattractive. Everyone has preferences.

What I found to be unkind was the imputation of psychological conditions to physical appearance. Many of the people here have repeatedly complained about the fact that others will place emotional judgments on them (such as lazy, incompetent, gluttonous, etc.) because they are overweight. Everyone I have seen discussing it here believed that this was unfair and unjustified. Whether, it is weight, hair, whatever, I wanted to point out that this could be hurtful.

As far as censorship goes, I would never ask that someone not be able to speak freely. I would never ask that a post be edited or removed. However, I feel that I am simply using my own freedom to speak when I say that I felt the comment to be unfair.

It really depends on how you take care of it and style it. I had long bleached nasty hair at 18, yet I got away with it because of my age. It looked horrific. My mom now has the same length of hair (she is 50), it is (natural) blonde and she waves/styles it/conditions it every day, and boy would I kill to have hair like that. :^:

I used to hair that went two or three inches below my shoulder blades and I loved it. I have very thick, healthy very dark brown hair. But my friend talked me into cutting it short (not too short, just barely grazing my shoulders) and I just don't like it. People have mistaken me to be older than I really am (I'm only 25 and women in their mid-thirties with kids have come up to me and addressed me in such a way to imply that I'm older than them) since then.

It's really whatever length looks good on you. Short, I've found, just doesn't look good on me.

The funny thing is, short is actually more high maintenance on me than the long was. With the long hair, I could just let it air dry, use some serum, leave it alone and have nicely tamed waves. Now with all the weight of my hair gone, if I stick with the same styling regimen, my hair tends to get poofy and a bit frizzy. So I have to straighten it no matter what. I have to spend more time on my short hair (30 to 40 minutes a day) than I did styling my long hair (10 to 15 minutes a day).

*Sigh* Hoping my hair grows back fast... serves me right for giving in to impulse.

I'm 57 and my hair is down to my waist.....and has been that way since I was a child. It's very thick and I never wear it down....and the main fear I've always had about cutting it has been that it would not be as easy to manage. Washing it is a bit of a job but it's so easy to day-to-day. It's curly and would take lots of time to style if it was shorter.

I have no idea if it looks good on me or not. I get lots of compliments...but on the HAIR, not me.:D
Plus.........I've only been to a salon twice in my whole life.

deena:)

I don't think any age is "too old" for long hair,..

Sheesh why do people with long hair take it so hard and personally when someone doesn't like long hair?

I am 45 and my hair is in between my waist and tail bone. For me I love the versatility that it gives to me of having my hair down or in one of the many various buns or braids.

38 is not too old for long hair wear your hair how it make you feel good at the end of the day. So for yourself to reward yourself with some hair extensions for attaining a mile stone in your weight lose journey is a good and positive thing to do.

Let me say no way is 38 too old! There are lots of flattering longer styles

As a 39 year old whos hair ranges between long and really long ~ again no way!

I don't think their should be an age limit on hair length, style, updos or wearing it down, and agree with another poster that these beliefs are old fashioned.

I've had short hair before. It would never lay right and I had to style it, and because of the products I had to wash it every day. It was too short to put it up, so it was always hanging in my face and made my acne worse. Then there were the frequent trips to the salon, trying to keep it short. When my hair is around bra strap length or longer is when it will look good just by combing it. Also, it stays behind my shoulders and out of my face, and I could put it up for physical activities. Trying to fight nature is too hard for me and I'm a very low maintenance type of girl, and unless that changes as I get older, then I'm a long hair for life. :) To **** with what everyone else thinks!

Btw, I'm going to have to disagree with some of the post here and say that long hair actually looks better the more you leave it alone. All that styling is damaging, and for long hair, usually unnecessary. In my opinion healthy hair looks the best, no matter the length.

But this is all completely irrelevant to the OP. Getting extensions is very different than having natural hair, and in this case probably is higher maintenance. But people have various hair styles for a variety of reasons and low maintenance isn't the only reason to have long hair. Just wanting it is reason enough. OP, if you want to experience long hair then go for it. I think most people look good with long hair, and you're probably no different, no matter your age. In fact, I prefer long hair on older people (but I don't think 30's is old!) rather than the ever popular poodle perm. Well, unless that poodle perm is blue, purple or pink. Which I have seen on three older (60's +) ladies before and they looked totally awesome!

Sheesh why do people with long hair take it so hard and personally when someone doesn't like long hair?

Paradoxx already addressed this issue, so you should know by now it's not your preference that is possibly hurtful, but the fact that you judge some ones personality/mental condition on their hair. It's just hair and shouldn't be an indication of who someone is as a person, rather just a preference. Just like you prefer your hair short, there are others that prefer theirs long.

Lets flip your logic around. I have come across quite a few short haired people who want to keep their hair short and would never even entertain the thought of letting it grow. Are they desperate and insecure? They must be since long haired girls who want to keep their hair the way it is are insecure, right? Wrong!

I know some one who is going through financial issues and hasn't been able to get a trim in a long while and her hair has gotten longer than she likes. She says she's not feeling like herself and doesn't like the way she looks because of her hair and she's going to learn how to cut her own hair because she can't stand it anymore. So yes, she has a preference for her own hair length and is upset that it's getting longer. But is she insecure? I don't think so.

There are people who don't want a hair cut, just like there are others who don't want their hair to grow. It's just their preference and I don't think it's right to make negative assumptions just because someones preference is different than yours. Someone isn't desperate just because their body is doing what it naturally does. :?: :dizzy:

It not too old at all! My mom had cut her hair really short almost the same as my dads! And it was because my grandmother kept telling her to cut it because she was too old for long hair and it would look better short. And she was only in her late 30s! Well the past year or so she has been letting it grow and its now a little past her shoulders and I showed her how to scrunch it to make curls which doesnt take very long and it looks great. She even got herself a flat iron and I really think the longer hair makes her look much much younger!

Long hair depends on the face shape & style.

I tried to wear my hair long for years in high school, even though it was unflattering. Long, center-parted hair with wings a la Farrah Fawcett was the style. Either that, or you had it cut like Dorothy Hamill. There seemed to be no other options. I was no ice skater. The feathered wings always drooped on me. I was not good with a blowdryer. I had oily hair. So I ended up looking like a woman who belonged to a strict cult that forbade makeup & any adornment other than a long braid. It wasn't until college that I discovered the Vidal Sasson bob & mascara & then pretty much never went back.

The people I've heard complain about long hair on older women, for what it's worth:

1) The older women in my family who were rather conservative & appalled by "hippies." Here you had these ladies who modeled themselves after Jackie Kennedy & always had their hair "done" & sprayed stiff as cotton candy at the State Fair. They wore little suits. Now this all seems cute & very "Mad Men," but at the time, it seemed oppressively repressed & ladylike to me. This was not Cher, or Joni, Joan and Judy, or the rock groupies. Anyway, the women in my family were adamant that That Kind of Thing had to stop by the time you hit 30. Then, if you were not going to descend to the level of trash, you had to start regularly visiting Beauty Parlors. Various hair products would have to be used. "Natural" was not yet something terribly admired.

2) A young man who once complained to me over his beer that he'd see a female from behind with waist-length hair & start admiring her, ah, assets, and then she'd turn around & he'd finally see her face... and she WOULD NOT BE AS YOUNG AS HE'D THOUGHT INITIALLY. This angered him. What was she trying to pull on him? He took it rather personally, to say the least. In general, he had rather high expectations regarding women's looks -- much higher than they ought to have been, considering his own, IMHO -- and I am not friends with him anymore due to some tactless things he said later during the course of our brief friendship.

I love your post, saef! I rememer the years when every young girl had either a Farrah Fawcett or a Dorothy Hamill. In the late 1970's, it seemed those were the only two hairstyles that existed.

This topic came up at another site a few years ago, a dating forum I posted at when I was still dating. A young man pointed out that the reason he objected to long hair on older women is exactly what you said: He'd start thinking how beautiful it was, watch it swinging as she walked, "and then she'll turn around and I'll be like, aaah! You're old!" He actually thought having long hair was deceptive of them! (Of course, several older, long-haired ladies gathered up a nice collection of rotten eggs to throw at him.)

People still say sometimes that long hair ages a woman. "It pulls down her face," is the most common statement I've come across. Therefore when a woman reaches a certain age, she should cut it. But then these people also accuse long-haired older ladies of "trying to hang on to their youth." I don't get the logic, here. I've reached a certain age where I shouldn't have long hair, because that means I'm trying to look younger than I am. So I'm going to get the standard old-lady teased, permed, helmet head, and advertise to the world that I've reached that age?

In case anyone hasn't guessed, I'm in the long hair camp. Mine is down to my butt, and it will remain that way as long as I can still lift a hair brush. (When I can't, my daughters assure me, they'll help.)

I grew my hair long, not because of how it would look on me (that I thought it would make me look better) but because I have very thick hair that frizzes up in humidity and I just got sick of it and grew it long and kept it that way when I realized that 1) the weight of it when long decreases how much it frizzes and 2) keeping it in a pony-tail decreases the frizz problem significantly. I never wear it down....keep it in a pony-tail because it's just way easier to manage for me ( I point that out because if I thought it made me look great, I'd wear it down...but I don't. It's strictly for convenience).

The other reason is that I have a face/forehead that looks bad unless the hair is pulled back. And at almost 58 years old, pulling the top back with a barrette would look even more ridiculous than having long hair. My hair is so thick that it would not stay up off my forehead no matter what I did. Having it pulled back in a pony-tail resolves the forehead problem too.

Shoot...I posted pics a few places here but not sure if I could remember how in the heck I did it....or I'd show you my hair. I keep it that way not because I think it makes me look better (it most likely doesn't) but because it's so thick and tends to frizz that it's just way easier for me to manage this way (even though washing it is rather a pain in the butt, to be honest).

deena :)

I think women hang onto long hair far too long. The older someone is, the more witchy they tend to look in my opinion. Color has something to do with it too. Harsh, poorly done color makes long hair look even worse.

Long hair on older women is just not very flattering in my opinion.

Where I live, long hair is common on women of every age, which I noticed when I moved here. I thought about it, too, because it surprised me.

I find it absolutely fascinating how closely we connect hair length and age, two things so disparate that the length and passion of the discussion is pretty amazing. Social mores are often pretty irrational and I suspect this one falls into that category.

My hair is waist length. I've worn it long, I've worn it short, and for the nonce it will stay as it is, gray hairs and all. If you don't like it, don't look. :)

I think women hang onto long hair far too long. The older someone is, the more witchy they tend to look in my opinion. Color has something to do with it too. Harsh, poorly done color makes long hair look even worse.

Long hair on older women is just not very flattering in my opinion.

What length do you consider long? Just wondering. For example, does just past the shoulders still look flattering on an older woman, or do you think that is too long as well? Just curious! "Long" can mean so many different things to different people! ;)

I think women hang onto long hair far too long. The older someone is, the more witchy they tend to look in my opinion. Color has something to do with it too. Harsh, poorly done color makes long hair look even worse.

Long hair on older women is just not very flattering in my opinion.

That's more about the health of the hair than about the length. If it's dried out and broken off, or if it's thin and limp, it's going to look witchy. Long, thick, soft, shiny, healthy hair would flatter anyone.

I agree with you about the color. It has always bothered me to see an old woman dye her hair jet black or pumpkin orange, and think she's fooling everybody. She's not. We all know she's old. I used to see a lady quite frequently who had her dyed-orange hair piled on top of her head. With her beaky nose and drawn-on heavy eyebrows, she reminded a lot of people of Woody Woodpecker.

But my point is, blanket statements shouldn't be made. There are women of any age who look good with long hair, and there are women of any age who don't. To say long hair doesn't look good on older women, includes all of them, and that's not true.

Me loves my long hair! :) It's about 3 inches past my shoulders and I ain't cuttin' it regardless of anyone thinks--even a guy on a chick forum. Sorry, couldn't resist! Hehe.

My friend and I just had this conversation.We're both into our late 30's and have long hair(well,she had),and she was told that it wasn't flattering for older women to have long hair.She got it cut and hates it now.

As for me,the older I get,the curlier my hair has become.I can't stand it short and curly,because on me,it doesn't look good.It's much easier to maintain a longer style and I have many different ways I can wear it.Not only that,but my husband loves my long hair :D

I do not like that rule that older women cannot have long hair. I remember when Oprah was doing makeovers and delighting in chopping off all the 40ish women's long hair. UGH! Where is it written you cannot wear your beautiful long hair long or pin it up in a chic twist or chignon? Those are classic looks!

If you have beautiful hair and you love it long, you should keep it long. I am partial to long hair.

Also, the points made regarding curly hair - the curly hair experts agree that some length is preferable when you have curly hair. With a short haircut, curly girls just wind up with an afro or a bozo the clown frizzy look when they get caught in the rain or on a humid day. I have curly hair and I don't like it any shorter than shoulder length....and I'm OLD. :)

I have always wanted to cut my hair very short in a pixie cut just to give it a break from being worn long for so long. I'm afraid, however, because I'm so low maintenance that if I love it short, I will never grow it back out.;)

I think women hang onto long hair far too long. The older someone is, the more witchy they tend to look in my opinion. Color has something to do with it too. Harsh, poorly done color makes long hair look even worse.

Long hair on older women is just not very flattering in my opinion.

Funny, I get compliments, 2 today in fact and none of them told me I look like a witch ;)

I had thick, long hair down to almost my butt. I cut it all off into a bob so I could donate it to locks for love. Although I was happy to have donated my hair, I miss it so much!! I cant wait until its long again:)

I had thick, long hair down to almost my butt. I cut it all off into a bob so I could donate it to locks for love. Although I was happy to have donated my hair, I miss it so much!! I cant wait until its long again:)

Well done JerseyGirl, that is such a wonderful thing to do :hug:
My daughter has donated 10 inches of her hair 2x now and her hair is long again.

I've often thought about this subject myself because its true long hair seems like its only for those that are young.
I love when my hair is long but when I go through hormonal changes that cause my hair to thin, I chop it all off. But if my hair behaves I would like to let it grow out to the middle of my back or higher.
I do think the health of the hair matters a lot though.

rubbish .... as long as it's not raggedy & scraggly you're never too old.
I'm 32 & I have long hair. It's thick & straight as a board, but I get complements all the time. I will not be cutting any time soon either as long as it stays healthy. Do whatever you like, although I will say I have heard extensions can be damaging, but I don't know how true that is.

I don't think there is any age that it has to be a rule that you can't have long hair anymore.

But I will say that in my personal opinion, women with long hair rarely look as good as they think they do - every time I've known a woman to get a dramatic haircut, she looks more stylish, more polished and most especially younger. I'm not talking super short, that is a hard look to carry off for most women. And I certainly don't mean "beauty parlor set and sprayed" old lady hair!!

I think a little bit of length looks feminine and attractive, but to me, that's usually about shoulder length on most women, and cut with some sort of layers and style. If it's long and just hanging there, it doesn't do a lot to flatter IMO (regardless of size, but especially heavier women)

And I say all of this as someone who has had both long (in between bra strap and waist) and very short hair which was long for several years until I got it cut in a layered, shoulder length bob a few months ago and I've gotten compliment after compliment.

But I also get compliment after compliment on my butt-length hair, so it varies from woman to woman. Not ALL women automatically look better with short hair.

...But I will say that in my personal opinion, women with long hair rarely look as good as they think they do.

This is so true!

OK, that does it.

I am posting a picture of my hair in all its glory. Are you still going to tell me I "don't look as good as I think I do" or that I'm neurotic just because my hair is this long? Is it "witchy looking" just because I happen to be over 40?

I happen to like it, my husband likes it, strangers compliment it, and I'm getting tired of being stereotyped.

Geez, with a weight problem I have enough self-image issues without one of my rare *beautiful* features being attacked.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/Cruztacean/Backups%20from%20hard%20drive/07-25-07.jpg

LoveBirdsFlying, I'm sorry you feel attacked. Please keep in mind that this is a thread about the general opinion of long hair on older women, and opinions are going to vary. This is not a thread about you and you personally are not being attacked.

It's just hair :)

It is definitely just a general opinion. I agree with PeanutsMom, when I see women with a nice shortish hair cut, I usually think 'wow that looks stylish'.

It doesn't really have to do with young or old or what not either. I remember seeing a picture of Alicia Silverstone without having her hair done (it was combed but just laying there) and thinking "wow her hair doesn't flatter her, who is that?" but if you see professional photos of her, her hair is curled and styled and looks decent.

OK, that does it.

I am posting a picture of my hair in all its glory. Are you still going to tell me I "don't look as good as I think I do" or that I'm neurotic just because my hair is this long? Is it "witchy looking" just because I happen to be over 40?

I happen to like it, my husband likes it, strangers compliment it, and I'm getting tired of being stereotyped.

Geez, with a weight problem I have enough self-image issues without one of my rare *beautiful* features being attacked.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/Cruztacean/Backups%20from%20hard%20drive/07-25-07.jpg

I'm sorry that you feel attacked, it's not my intention to make anyone feel bad about themselves. Feeling good about yourself comes from within, not from others so you shouldn't depend on other people to like or not like your hair. Obviously your hair is thick and luscious and healthy and shiny and if you like it that's all that matters. Personally I don't like it because I prefer when hair is cut into a style that accentuates a woman's face. We just have a different definition of what "beautiful hair" is and that's perfectly ok.

Feeling a bit calmer now, and the last three posts are perfectly fair. I'm cool with it.

Most people who voice opinions about how older women should cut their hair, or how unattractive or unflattering long hair is, often do retract those things in my case, when they see mine. "Well, there are always exceptions...." What set me off was the thought that when people say, "women with long hair," obviously they are not talking about me individually, but that group includes me, so it's hard not to take those statements personally. I mean, if someone were to come on with a blanket statement about men, any one man would probably take offense, even though it didn't mention him by name and wasn't aimed at him in particular. And if I were to make some unfair observation that women with short hair are probably afraid to embrace their femininity, or something like that, it would be equally galling to those of you with short hair, wouldn't it? But I didn't say anything about you by name.....

Was just reading through this thread in my current idle state and really liked this response that I am quoting and agree with it.

I don't think any age is "too old" for long hair, as long as it is well kept. I think the style for women, as they age, is to get their hair shorter because they don't have the time to deal with long hair anymore. But it doesn't mean that long hair is "out of fashion". Do what makes you feel beautiful!

Speaking of long hair...
today on campus I saw an Asian girl with hair that almost touched her KNEES. I gawked a little. I've never actually seen someone with hair THAT long before. I've seen butt-length.. but KNEE length?!?! It was very impressive.
I think that although long hair is often unflattering and does nothing, once you get it THAT long, the mere shock factor makes it kind of awesome.
SERIOUSLY, it was practically touching her KNEECAPS! And it looked so shiny and healthy and well-kept too... :dizzy:
Amazing.


My high school French teacher had beautiful silky straight brown hair to nearly her ankles.

My high school French teacher had beautiful silky straight brown hair to nearly her ankles.

I think an early inspiration of mine was my third grade teacher. She usually wore her hair in a towering bun, à la Marge Simpson (but more attractive, and brown, not blue) but one day she wore it down, and I could see that the "hemline," as it is called among long-hair fans, hit her at mid-thigh. I thought it was beautiful. This, and she was such a gentle soul. I can't ever remember her face, when it wasn't smiling. Even when she had to discipline a child, she did so quietly but firmly, and that smile didn't slip.

Here's to you (Should I say "hair's" to you?) Mrs. Spaulding! You were the best teacher I ever had.

To the OP, life is too short to worry about what TV stylists (who, if they were more creative, would feature more variety) or hyperjudgmental people think about something like hair. Does your hair break off at the bottom or does it just not grow any longer? Do you style with a blow dryer/flat iron? Something to remember is that hair extensions can damage your real hair underneath. It might be good to get recommendations for hairdressers in your area that have experience with them and can show you how to care for them. If you can afford them and you like them, go for it!

Geez, with a weight problem I have enough self-image issues without one of my rare *beautiful* features being attacked.

I think your hair is lovely! It's long and shiny. Don't let a few poorly made generalizations make you feel bad about your pretty hair. What's important is that you like it.

My hair is one of the few physical attributes I like about myself as well. I have curly hair and having it long reminds me of romantic paintings. I love long hair and seeing different natural textures, but I do NOT hate shorter styles or make strange generalizations about how short-haired women think. Shorter hair is more common, but that doesn't mean everyone with short hair is desperately struggling to fit in so people will like them and they can finally experience self-worth. Women with long hair don't all do it for attention or to look young or whatever other reason people who don't like it try to claim. Everyone has their own reason. There isn't any one way for everyone to look no matter how "old" society thinks they are. You can have short and trendy, long and classic--anything you like. If you take care of it and wear it well, it's still beautiful. Personally, I appreciate individuality over a set length. I think a woman can rock a completely shaved head or floorlength tresses...

at any age!

It's your hair (real or not), your time, your money. Whatever you do, have fun with it! :)

I am 54 with tailbone length hair that will never be cut. I think it takes less time and fuss with long hair, I can put it in an updo in a minute. I have hundreds of styles to wear it in, can wear hairstoys, and love the sensual feel of it, especially after washing. Before the 1920's the majority of women had long hair all of their lives. There is no such thing as being too old to have or do anything one wants to.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa209/dukkelisa/DSC05273.jpg

Wow, I am not only smaller than this last photo, by my hair is longer! Time to take another length photo!

Edit: Just finished reading all of the posts. How utterly sad that as overweight women we face criticism and prejudice everywhere, but when it comes from our own sisters, and now have one more standard we are pushed into living up to?.....sad sad sad. Celebrate who you are and if long hair makes you feel good, it is no one else's business if you do. It not always about beauty and fashion.

My sister is in her 60's. She has hair sort of past her shoulder blades. She wears it in a pony tail. Personally I think she'd look better with it shorter just because she doens't have time to take care of it-it's all split endy and looks freyed because she keeps using rubber bands and is the pool most days. But she likes her longer hair and will never cut it and that's ok too. She likes the convience of being able to tie it back with a rubber band and let it go. She feels that shorter hair takes too much work to keep it looking nice and you have to go get it trimmed more often and I see her point.

We had this conversation last year when she was looking for a job. I suggested she cut her hair and cover her grey to make her look younger because she'd been having problems finding work. You do know there are things that sisters can say to each other that you wouldn't say to casual friends. Well, she quickly set me straight about how wrong I was. She earned her gray hair and she wasn't cutting or coloring for anyone. Never going to mention that again. LOL She did eventually find a job so she was right.

Do what makes you feel good. If you like long hair then go for it and enjoy yourself. Don't worry about what others say, they aren't you.


Sarah in MD

Determining a flattering hair length is a fraught issue. I think it's got as many twists & turns as body type. It has to do with overall body proportions & the planes of the face & proportion of one's features, the texture & health of the hair, how it's cared for, and not least of all, the style. (I mean, we're not talking about one monolithic style or length, just "long" in general, and that's a huge umbrella to gather everything under, as I believe someone pointed out upthread: What is long to you & long to me may be two different things, like saying what "average" & "normal" are.)

Personally, I did not cut my hair really, really short until I'd lost a lot of weight.

I waited because, when I was heavier, I was trying to avoid a sort of pin-headed silhouette, or looking like one of those disproportionate snowmen that kids make with a really large round ball at the bottom & then almost a snowball sitting on top.

Also, I did not admire a certain short-haired fat woman look that I found a bit too butch for my own image, what I want to call the "good-looking former football player who's gained weight" look. Something about the heavyness under my chin looked bad with shorter hair. I felt unsexy & sexless & feared anything that might further neuter me, associating long hair with "feminine" (though I'm sure rock stars would disagree).

At least if a woman is fat & has long hair, it seems to even out the proportions a little. It has a Ye Olde Look, too. Like the woman is thinking, "****, since I've got a Victorian figure, with bust & hips, I may as well also subscribe to the Victorian notion of hair as a Woman's Crowning Glory & go full-out PreRaphaelite in my look."

And I have wondered too, with some women, that if growing the hair is a way to overcompensate for other features that she feels are not attractive. Like, "Yeah, I'm fat, but don't I have gorgeous hair?" And in a sense she cloaks her body protectively in her hair & it becomes the sexual fetish object, rather than other body parts that she's not as proud of or putting out there.

But these are all different reasons & mindsets, all applying to different kinds of women, so it's hard to generalize across the board.

I do reject the age thing categorically. As evidence, I'll offer up three accomplished & famous women:

Emmylou Harris. Wikipedia says she was born in 1947. I know that she is an undeniable beauty with long hair.

Julie Christie. She was born in 1941. In "Away From Her," her hair is long & she remains awesomely beautiful.

Kathryn Bigelow, who just won Best Director at the Academy Awards. She's nearly 60 & her hair is long & all the papers were full of talk about how beautiful she is, in addition to her brains & directorial eye.

my grandmother cut her beautiful long hair and I promise myself that if I was ever able to grow it long never to cut it

I think that people should have their hair any way they want to. That said, I'm not usually a fan of long hair (below shoulder blades) that just hangs there for any age. Hair is usually more flattering when it relates to the facial features and just a long blanket of hair rarely does that. I'm 45, and have longish hair a few inches below my shoulders and I think it works great for me because I have bangs and it's layered, texturized and has an actual style.

Do what makes you happy!~

I'd shop carefully for the extensions. They can look brittle, stringy and fake if done poorly.

Makes me think of a woman that I used to see around town a lot who's passed on since, but she was in her 80s or 90s and had the most beautiful long, grey, braided ponytail which looked very nice on her.

My own hair is somewhat greying, and past my shoulders, and I can't imagine ever cutting it. My mom and her mother both cut theirs short when they were thirtyish and never grew it long again, which is fine, but I just can't imagine my hair length being determined by my age.

I had shorter hair a few years back, and I was about ~80 pounds lighter, so my features stood out a bit more and it looked nicer. Shorter hair on me, with being heavier, I think it makes my head look like a pumpkin. Round and snowman-like, with the roundness of me underneath my head as well...

I think it just depends on the person, not their age.

I've had shorter hair and hated how I look in it. I look prettier with long hair. No matter my age. I'm 40 and my hair is longer than it's ever been. Now the question I face is if/when I should dye it. I love the natural color of my hair and want to keep it natural as long as possible.

You are never too old for long hair. I live in Hawaii and I see many 'older' women with hair down to the small of their backs. It may be a culture thing. But I think as long as the hair is taken care of long hair is beautiful, no matter what age. Post pics if you go for it!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/Cruztacean/Backups%20from%20hard%20drive/07-25-07.jpg

I think your hair looks great! I tend to dislike hair past the bottom of the shoulder blade area on anyone in general (age completely aside), but I think it can work if it's not stringy or frizzy, and yours is neither! :)

You are never too old for long hair. I live in Hawaii and I see many 'older' women with hair down to the small of their backs. It may be a culture thing. But I think as long as the hair is taken care of long hair is beautiful, no matter what age. Post pics if you go for it!

I think so too. I notice a lot of Hispanic and Indian (from India) ladies around here, of all ages from children to their grandmothers, with long hair. Many Hispanics are Catholic, and there is a basis for it in Scripture, particularly First Corinthians 11. I don't know about Hindu teaching.

I apply First Corinthians 11 to myself, although I'm not going to say that other ladies with short hair aren't as Christian as I am, or whatever. People interpret the passage in different ways. I have a Pentecostal background, although I don't fully adhere to that way of thinking now.

I think your hair looks great! I tend to dislike hair past the bottom of the shoulder blade area on anyone in general (age completely aside), but I think it can work if it's not stringy or frizzy, and yours is neither! :)

Thank you. :D

I apologize again for getting overly emotional about it. When people generalize, it tends to hit a nerve with me.

As you can see from the attached photo, my hair was quite long. It was/is very thick, naturally highlighted, naturally wavy, and honestly, quite beautiful...FROM THE BACK. Well, ok, my hair was beautiful from the front, also, however, there was no way that hair was not weighing down my face. I was 40yo when the picture was taken. Over the years I have bounced between all lengths, and this was kind of a how long can it grow thing. But it wasn't becoming on me, and I find this the case often, when I see "older" women with very long hair. Just because the hair is beautiful doesn't mean it makes you look beautiful (yes, I know; everyone is beautiful...)

Oh, yes, I got compliments. But again, it was on the hair itself, not the style, because it was very hard to have a style other than "long hair". Not to mention drying and styling time! UGH!

I have since gone to a real 'style', wth my hair justs past my shoulders. I *felt* younger the minute I had all that extra weight cut off (anything for weigh-loss,LOL!), and no doubt I looked younger, also...and, I was more than happy to donate it to Locks of Love.

...Just because the hair is beautiful doesn't mean it makes you look beautiful ...Oh, yes, I got compliments. But again, it was on the hair itself, not the style, because it was very hard to have a style other than "long hair". Not to mention drying and styling time! UGH!



This is exactly how I view it too! I don't think of hair as an entity of its own (sometimes with its own zipcode lol). There really is a difference in having pretty hair and having a style of hair that brings out the features of your face the best. There's a difference in getting a compliment about hair or how you look.

Don't get me wrong, I love long hair and it is quite beautiful when styled correctly. But the women on tv and in magazines are surrounded by stylists that are there to put every strand of hair in its place. I have no doubt that once filming is done the hair just floops down like it does for the rest of us. It's just not possible for an everyday woman to have that kind of continual body and upkeep on long hair. We are not Giselle.

Did anybody see Julia Roberts on Oprah yesterday? She had gorgeous hair on the show, I couldn't get over it oh how I wish I could get those perfect waves. But if you see Julia in everyday life of which I have seen plenty of pictures you'll see that her hair is not so great, it's usually in a bun or stringy.

I find that long hair is MUCH easier to maintain that short hair. Maybe it's because I'm black and as such have a much different type of hair but if mine was short, I'd have to use some kind of heat on it daily whereas with it long, I can wrap it, roll it, braid it or put it in a bun. Short hair just wouldn't give me all those options. Someone once told me also that I was too old for long hair and also red lipstick. Nertz to that. I rock them both WELL!!!

I also find my hair easier to maintain when it's long. (I'm not black.) My hair grows fast, and if for example I had bangs, I'd have to trim them every time I turn around, to keep them from falling into my eyes. And pre-cut "styles" have to be maintained. I *never* go to the beauty salon any more. My hair is at its terminal length, which I'm glad to say is about where I wanted it. Tailbone-length was my goal, and it grew to that point and no farther. Just perfect (for me). If the ends start frizzing, I can self-trim. I save a lot of time and money not needing to go to a salon.

Contrary to popular belief, long hair really isn't all that much of a struggle. As long as I brush it every day, I'm fine. I don't use any more shampoo than my husband does, since I shampoo primarily the scalp, and use very little if any on the ends. I do admit to going through quite a lot of conditioner, though. And long hair is actually easier to pull out of the way than medium-length hair would be. It will stay in a bun without falling out. One of my favorite, fastest updo's in to gather my hair into a low pony tail (without the elastic), then twist the pony tail, turn it upwards, double my hair over itself, and then wrap the ends around toward the scalp. (Hard to envision that--I'd probably have to make a video, but believe me, it's very quick and easy.) Then I spread the loop apart, with the ends on the inside, and use a barrette to fasten the ends. It looks like an elaborate French roll but took only about a minute.

And today I've got the Pocahontas braids going on. I'm scheduled for a cardiac stress test, and need a simple like-I'm-going-to-the-gym hairstyle.

Ditto on long hair being easy to maintain. Much easier.


I dont look that good in short hair and dh doesnt like it. Now that I have found my hair color I am back to long.

I think long hair is great (i have long hair.. its just sitting at the bottom of my shoulder blades) but i agree with others on here..
Just because the hair is beautiful doesn't mean it makes you look beautiful ...Oh, yes, I got compliments. But again, it was on the hair itself, not the style, because it was very hard to have a style other than "long hair". Not to mention drying and styling time! UGH!

There is alot of people that have long hair and YES its BEAUTIFUL but doesnt mean it looks nice on the person. If its got shape and does something for your features great, but if it doesnt and it just "hangs" there... get it cut shorter! Not only that when a person that has long hair that just "hangs" and they get it cut, it takes YEARS and looks like pounds off of them!

I think a lot of women have 'selective blindness' when it comes to their hair, just like a lot of overweight women do about their overall appearance. For example, many fat women (this includes me) will do their hair and face, thinking that it will detract from their obese bodies. It might make them look groomed and clean, but it will not make them look slimmer.

In the same vein, what looked nice on you when you were 15 or 16 may not look the same when you're in your 40's and older.

As we age our hair loses its luster, our faces change, often sagging with lines. Escpecially our jaw line loses its firmness and we get double chins or wattles. A girlish hair style just doesn't look right. But we just don't 'see' ourselves the way we really look. We think people see only our hair or makeup, but they view our complete 'picture'.

I watch some of those makeover programs and 99% of the women have no idea what hairstyle or color looks right on them.
And if your color your hair, it really looks awful to let it grow out and get this half grey, half brown look.

Short hair does look nicer on older women...it visually 'lifts' the face. Just look at a picture of yourself in your teens and (if you're over thirty) a current one. Our faces change and so should our hairstyles.


okay...off soapbox now. LOL :D

MissNibs

MissNibs, i always watch those make over shows.. ok well not anymore but i used to ALL THE TIME.. and alot of the women with the LONG LONG hair.. it looks TERRIBLE, but they didnt do anything with it.. it was just was there... ... but there were some people on there that had longer hair it did look nice because their still styled it and stuff, was shaping the face.


:P no need to get off that soap box! :P

OK, let me ask all of you with very definite opinions a question. I have hair down to my bra strap, and I'm willing to get it cut--BUT it's stick straight and not very thick. There's absolutely no wave, curl or body to it. And that's not a factor of the heaviness of the long hair--I've had it cut to chin level and it still just hung there. So can someone please suggest a style for me that would look good? With the absolutely annoying caveat that I hate to style my hair, and most likely won't do it most days?

I would love to find something that would look good. Most days I just twist it up into a sort-of chignon with a big clip, which is fine, but I'd love some actual style. I have an oval-shaped face, with cheekbones, if that helps anyone.

Would you look good with bangs? You could get some layers cut as well. Do you know how much time girls spend flat-ironing their hair? And you've got it naturally. I think the layers would give it some movement and frame your face. You could also find some long-hair dos like two-part French braids that frame your face that you start from either side of your part, then gather into a pony.

I just moved to the beach, am growing out my hair, and am delighted to find out it naturally falls into those "beachy waves" I was unable to get farther inland. Yay humidity!

do you have a pic i'm suer we could suggest a few things after kind of seeing your face and hair color..etc

OK, let me ask all of you with very definite opinions a question. I have hair down to my bra strap, and I'm willing to get it cut--BUT it's stick straight and not very thick. There's absolutely no wave, curl or body to it. And that's not a factor of the heaviness of the long hair--I've had it cut to chin level and it still just hung there. So can someone please suggest a style for me that would look good? With the absolutely annoying caveat that I hate to style my hair, and most likely won't do it most days?

I would love to find something that would look good. Most days I just twist it up into a sort-of chignon with a big clip, which is fine, but I'd love some actual style. I have an oval-shaped face, with cheekbones, if that helps anyone.

Have you ever had an all-over layered cut? It is supposed to add volume to thin hair, and keep overly straight hair from looking too blah.

http://www.thehairstyler.com/hairstyles/casual/medium/straight

OK, let me ask all of you with very definite opinions a question. I have hair down to my bra strap, and I'm willing to get it cut--BUT it's stick straight and not very thick. There's absolutely no wave, curl or body to it. And that's not a factor of the heaviness of the long hair--I've had it cut to chin level and it still just hung there. So can someone please suggest a style for me that would look good? With the absolutely annoying caveat that I hate to style my hair, and most likely won't do it most days?

I would love to find something that would look good. Most days I just twist it up into a sort-of chignon with a big clip, which is fine, but I'd love some actual style. I have an oval-shaped face, with cheekbones, if that helps anyone.

As others have suggested, layers are your friend. As far as not liking to style, I'm the same way. I wash my hair daily (a necessity with straight, fine hair!). And then I use a bit of Redken Guts 10, which is a spray foam. I spray it onto my finger tips and then run them through my hair and sort of push it up and into place. Then I don't touch it again until it's dry. I just air dry on it's own during my commute, not using a blowdryer or anything. Once it's dry, it feels a little bit stiff, but I comb it out with a wide tooth comb, and it then keeps some style and a bit of fullness for the whole day without the stiffness.

I have been very happy with my hair since I started doing this - I get the benefit of having a layered style which gives me a bit of fullness, but I'm not spending a long time fussing with my hair every day, it's less than a minute.

As others have suggested, layers are your friend. As far as not liking to style, I'm the same way. I wash my hair daily (a necessity with straight, fine hair!). ...

No, not so. I thought it was a necessity too because I have stick thin straight very fine hair. My mother who has gorgeous luscious hair and my hairdressers were always telling me not to wash everyday but everytime I let it go for a day or 2 it would get greasy and gross so I couldn't make it work.

But I found a way to do it. I rinse my hair everyday, but only wash it once a week, maybe twice. My hair has changed completely since doing this. It was difficult at first because it would get greasy but over time it adapted to the new schedule and wasn't overproducing oil anymore. It's nice to get away from the chemicals. There's been other threads about washing hair if you want to see more posts about this.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. Next time I go to the hairdresser, I will talk layers. And I loved the hairstyler.com site--thanks, Mrs. Brady!

never too old for long hair :) go for it! ... In my culture women in their 50's an 60's have lovely long flowing hair :)