Long Vs. Short Hair


Suzie
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My hair is long, I have been trying to let it grow because I really love long hair. I like that straight and at the same time loose curls ends. I am going to the hairdresser soon and I would like to do a subtle ombre :) I am in my 30's (still lol) but was wondering, is there a particular age where you think women should keep their hair medium or short in length or age doesn't really matter?

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I'm with Jenamarie.  I don't think there should be a cut off age. As long as the hair is healthy.

 

I had long hair almost to my waist growing up. But unfortunately as I got older my hair got thinner to where it just didn't look good long any more.

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I am not sure it is an age thing rather I think if someone is called to be the RS president – they cut their hair short?

 

Probably because at that point they don't have time to take care of long hair. :)

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When I was a kid and teenager I had long hair. I wish I had kept it long while I was in my late twenties and thirties. I allowed opinion to sway me into thinking long hair was not cool on 30ish women. (If I remember correctly, I think Katie Couric had said long hair on women wasn't professional.) I wish I hadn't listened. Now, my hair is too thin for long hair.  :(

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I don't think there's an age when you have to cut it. I do think there might be age limits (you aren't there yet, OP) on color options.

 

I am pretty traditional about women's hair. I see these older women (who are probably my age, they just look old) with gray hair cut short like a guy's. And no, they aren't gay, these are (I assume) married women walking around Walmart with their husbands. I don't understand why a woman would want such an unflattering, unfeminine cut. Since I was a young widow and didn't have the luxury of time to make me sick of my husband : ), maybe I still hold romantic illusions about being attractive to my man. You'd think the husbands would say something. I'm not against short hair; there are cute short pixie cuts that look feminine. I'm taking about a woman who looks like she got the $5 hair cut at a barbershop. /rant

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I'm old and I have long, black, thick, wavy hair that goes past my waist.  I was thinking of cutting it to donate to Locks of Love but my hairdresser told me she would feel sad to cut my hair short.

 

It's a lot of maintenance to keep long hair at my age.  I have lots of gray now so I have to keep my crown colored.  I also get Brazilian Blow Dry every 3 months to keep my hair tamed and not frizzed - it has lost a lot of its natural shine.  And then it needs lots of brushing so it stays shiny.  It takes a long time to dry and as I prefer to wear it loose and unadorned it gets caught all the time - my husband puts his arms around me and tug my hair.. etc.

 

So yes, short hair is a lot more practical.  Long hair that is not properly cared for is ugly at any age.  But the shape of my face look much better with long hair than short.  And my husband loves long hair.  So, I keep mine long.

 

P.S.  I'm only half an inch above 5 feet... so, long big hair on a short frame like me is supposed to make me look like a Barbie Doll.  Hairdressers always suggest chin to shoulder length for us short fries.  Tall women are better frames for long big hair.  But, I think there's something about black hair that doesn't follow that standard because my hair don't look Barbie'ish on my frame.

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You'd think the husbands would say something. I'm not against short hair; there are cute short pixie cuts that look feminine. I'm taking about a woman who looks like she got the $5 hair cut at a barbershop. /rant

 

I've let Beefche know that I much prefer long to medium hair over short. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if their husbands haven't said anything because they either like it, or simply don't care. Also, if she decided she wanted short hair it's not like I'd treat her like she suddenly became the hunchback of Notre Dame, in the end it's only hair. 

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I don't think there's an age when you have to cut it. I do think there might be age limits (you aren't there yet, OP) on color options.

 

Helen Mirren broke the color barrier with her pink hair (which I found super duper awesome).  Color options on older women are just as varied as younger ones, I think.  It's all a matter of how you carry it.

 

helen-mirren-pink-hair.jpg

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I've let Beefche know that I much prefer long to medium hair over short. That said, it wouldn't surprise me if their husbands haven't said anything because they either like it, or simply don't care. Also, if she decided she wanted short hair it's not like I'd treat her like she suddenly became the hunchback of Notre Dame, in the end it's only hair. 

 

I used to only like long hair. As I've gotten older that's changed. I actually encouraged my wife to cut her hair off short. Of course not all short haircuts are equal. But neither are all long hair cuts. A cute cut is a cute cut. Short or long is less relevant, except in that it may be relevant to how it looks on a person (some people's faces take short/long hair better than others).

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I used to only like long hair. As I've gotten older that's changed. I actually encouraged my wife to cut her hair off short. Of course not all short haircuts are equal. But neither are all long hair cuts. A cute cut is a cute cut. Short or long is less relevant, except in that it may be relevant to how it looks on a person (some people's faces take short/long hair better than others).

 

You are completely right, TFP!

 

Can you imagine these 60+ year old beauties with short hair?  I can't.  I mean, they will probably still look great but these faces are just perfect for long hair...

 

Jane-Seymour-6-215x300.jpeg

 

082307_pfiefer_400X400.jpg

 

 

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Kirstie-Alley.jpg

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Hairstyle and color isn't about age, it's about if your features and personality can pull it off (I also agree that the health of your hair matters as well).  Long hair pulls features down and ages them on some people but on others, it's a supportive/cohesive look.  There's a website with a lot of makeovers you can look at (thecarolblog.com) to see/read what I'm talking about.

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Helen Mirren broke the color barrier with her pink hair (which I found super duper awesome).  Color options on older women are just as varied as younger ones, I think.  It's all a matter of how you carry it.

 

 

My wife has always wanted to do pink hair. But...not gonna work out as we are temple workers and it just wouldn't be appropriate. Her hair already pushes the limits on that matter (she has it undercut). It ties into the modesty thread, doesn't it. Not drawing attention to oneself and all. Pink hair isn't exactly modest.

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My wife has always wanted to do pink hair. But...not gonna work out as we are temple workers and it just wouldn't be appropriate. Her hair already pushes the limits on that matter (she has it undercut). It ties into the modesty thread, doesn't it. Not drawing attention to oneself and all. Pink hair isn't exactly modest.

 

Hmm... you may have a point there.  

 

I don't see hair color like that.  I see it more like make-up and nail polish.  I don't color my hair except for covering grays because I'll have to bleach my black hair before I can apply color.  But, I sometimes use hair chalk to get some color on some strands and I sometimes wear colored contacts to match the strands and the nail polish to go with it and eye liner/shadow all to coordinate... they all get to come off before bed (wish I could wear it longer).

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My wife's hair looks an awful lot like this. 

undercut-hair.jpg

 

I really like the undercut hairstyle in spite of the fact that it's become the "Miley Cyrus" look.

 

Ohh, lucky Mrs. TFP!  That's hair color is perfect for gray hair!   If I color my hair like that I'll have black roots in a month's time.  So, it's either I have gray roots or black roots no matter what color I change my hair into.

 

And yeah, my face cannot pull off the undercut hairstyle.  I have a big flat face.  The undercut or pixie hairstyle is good for angular small heads.  I can't pull off a bob either for the same reason.  I would look like Elsa in The Incredibles.

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I'm old and I have long, black, thick, wavy hair that goes past my waist. 

 

 

IIRC anatess, you are early forties; that is not old. Waist length is pretty long for any age, you could always do shoulder length.

 

M.

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I'm in my mid-30's and decided to transition to medium length hair from very long hair this year. I don't like it and I don't feel like myself. I'm growing it out again. As long as it's healthy and as long as I can do pretty braids and cool up-do's, I'll keep it long. 

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When I was a kid, my parents and I fought all the time about my hair- well actually about bangs! My hair was long, thick and fine. Each morning either one of my parents would braid my hair. Mom would divide my head into fourths, braid each section and then wrap them around my head. Dad would do a horse tail braid - or a french braid- after first doing a meticulous part down the middle, then braiding my hair. 

 

Each night, a half hour before Dad went off to work, he would painstakingly loosen my hair and brush it. Then braid it in a loose braid, cover the end with a square of flannel cloth and rubber band it. This way I didn't eat my hair or it get all tangled while I slept. 

 

We fought over bangs. Mom insisted I have bangs. I hated them - they made my forehead itch. I would get to school and take the school paste, glob it on my bangs then comb them into my hair. OFF my face!!

 

In Jr high I was plagued with migraines - the Dr deduced it was the weight of my hair that was causing them. So off came my hair!! Didn't decrease the migraines one bit. But the damage was done. Mom loved my short hair - less time for me to get ready for school or anything. My older sisters loved it, now they had my hair to play with- putting it up in those stinking foam rollers and/or pin curls. I hated that. 

 

By the time I graduated from High School, my hair was to my shoulders and since I was working and had the money, I went every month to my school mates father to get it trimmed and thinned. Yep, in 1965 I went to a Male Beautician! What he did to my hair for graduation was beyond marvelous!! 

 

My 1st husband insisted that my hair be long. Since he paid for the beauticians - I went along. For years I had a 6 layer shag and it was permed. The only difference between my hair style and Farrah Fawcet's was mine was a delicious milk chocolate brown and there was none of that stupid *feathering* around the face. Oh and my hair was to the bottom of my shoulder blades. 

 

With the layering - I could get the 6 oz. juice can size curlers in AND with the aid of a portable hair dryer with the cap, could get it dry in an hour. I never *teased* aka back combed my hair either. I would hold a section up, spray it with hair spray and then let it rest on a curler to dry. The perms are what gave my hair its body.

 

As I aged, my shoulders got more painful. To hold my arms up to work with this long hair nearly did me in. What at the age of 25 took me a maximum of 30 minutes to hot curl, comb out and style, now at the age of 36 took me two to three hours.

 

I am now 62 - It hurts my right shoulder down to my elbow to do more than just brush my very short, thin and lifeless hair. At 50 I was at the worst of my menopausal hot flashes. Hot drenches is more like it. Sopping wet from the top of my head to my knees!! Black Cohosh is was tamed the boiling sweats. 5,000 MG a day. 2000 at breakfast and 3000 a half hour before bed.

 

My hair is thin and lank. Every two months I get a perm. During the summer I get my hair cut short!! I can't do the undercut like Miley's - it is more like Helen's only shorter around the face and the sides are cut OFF the face - cut behind the ears.

 

At age 16 I had grey hair at the nape of my neck, under all that delicious cocoa brown. So when I pulled my hair up into a bun or twist at the crown, that exposed the silvery grey at the nape. The first time the principle of the Jr High sent me home to wash it out of my hair. I just laughed at him.

 

At age 32 I was coloring my hair - it was now a dingy, pewter grey all over. I would do an ash blonde, then my favorite was strawberry blonde. It never came out a solid color either. My grey hair was streaked to begin with, and it took the color in streaks too.

 

Then when I divorced hubby #1, I had no money for hair dye or regular visits to the beauty shop. So I let the grey grow back. To my surprise and delight I now had soft, silvery grey. A combination of my Mom and her mother's hair. 

 

During the winter I let it grow in the back to just barely cover the nape- that little bit keeps my neck warm. I wouldn't touch the color - ever! It is perfect for my aged coloring. Father softens us as we age. He softens the body so we are at our cuddliest for the grand and and great grand babies. He softens our coloring - so we aren't garish and scary for those grand & great grand babies. 

 

Very few elder women look good with the bright colorful face makeup - or with the dark hair color of their childbearing years. 

 

It took me until I was 55 to truly understand the comment my Grandmother made when I was 22 - "One of the signs of a woman who is aging gracefully is that she is not chasing her youth." This she said about the woman who lived across the street from us. She dyed her hair black, wore red lipstick and too red of rouge on her cheeks and her eyebrows were way too pronounced. Perhaps putting in a 60 or 75 watt bulb where she applied makeup would have helped - or not. 

 

I am also at an age where I wear clothes that are comfortable rather than trendy. I really don't care about the colors as long as they don't clash or again are garish.

 

I envy the over 70 women who wear the sparkly sequined and/or rhinestone fuschia or deep red or purple hats and or scarfs. Saw one lady at my favorite restaurant that had matching hat and shoes and the shoes were SNEAKERS!! They were fuschia sequins - I had to tell her how wonderful she looked!! Then she showed  her ankle bracelet that her great granddaughter made her of bright fuschia beads and bangles. What a HOOT!! How fun!! These were birthday gifts from her *Girls* for her 90th birthday. She was the youngest 90 year old I had ever met!! 

 

When I was in Jr High, a young mother from church had long, long loose hair. She also had a newborn. Naturally the newborn wrapped her fingers in Mom's hair whenever she was near it. That baby girl lost two fingers due to that long hair. The blonde hair got wrapped around two of the baby's fingers and cut off the circulation. Gangrene set it and there was no other options but to amputate.

 

Young mother cut her hair, boy short after that. In talking this incident over with my Mom and Grandma - they both said, that is one reason why pioneer women BRAIDED their hair and wore it wrapped up on their heads. I look at pictures of my Mom as a young mother, and sure enough her hair is braided and wrapped around her head. Then when she was pregnant with me, she cut it off, man short - she was living in Igloo SD and it was mostly 100-120 degrees in the shade - the year was 1952 long before air conditioners. 

 

I cringe when I see the young mothers in church with their babies twining mommy's long hair in their hands. I caution them to really check the babies fingers of hair.

 

Suzie - at 30 (ish) you are still young enough to be able to tend to your long hair. Keep it clean, and eat healthy so your hair is healthy too. Nothing looks work than flat, dank, lack-luster hair - no matter what the age of the person! 

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Celebrities aside, I've seen quite a few older women who look darling with long hair.  I know one who keeps her hair short--and she says the only reason is because she doesn't like to fuss with it, otherwise her hair is very thick and healthy.

 

I agree, healthy hair is what matters more than the length.

 

I had longer hair until high school when the swim team chlorine destroyed it.  I cut it off and have been happy with a variety of short lengths ever since.

 

Perhaps I'll grow it out in my twilight years just to mess with everyone.

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IIRC anatess, you are early forties; that is not old. Waist length is pretty long for any age, you could always do shoulder length.

 

M.

 

Shhh!  You can't tell them my age!  :D

 

Here's the thing with my hair... the longer it is, the less bushy it is.  Shoulder length is more work to "un-bush" than waist length - with or without brazilian blow out.  So, if I wear long (I've worn my hair short for some periods), I go really long.

 

This is kinda what my hair looks like when left to its natural devices... i think it's even thicker than this picture:

asian_hairstyles_07.jpg

 

 

This is what it looks like after brazilian blow out and worn to the waist.  If it is worn only shourlder-length, it will be a lot wider than it is in this picture so I'll have to run the iron on it to make it flatter to my head.  So long or short hair really depends on your hair type, your face shape, and your body type.

 

korean-long-curly-hairstyle-ideas-for-wo

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