As someone else whose hair does not comply with being styled, and will only maintain the hairdressers beautiful coiffing* if only I'll remain statue-like inside, I decided long ago I wanted to be able to move, swim, go out in the rain and otherwise act normally. Hence I am resigned to haircuts that don't require anything more complicated than washing and brushing.
This was confirmed after a visit to an expensive artist on Knightsbridge who insisted on cutting and blow-drying my hair into some fashionable style, ignoring my demurrals that this didn't feel as if it was working and wasn't what I wanted. I walked outside, gently shook my head and the edifice collapsed.
The current dead straight long hair styles for women means I'm out of fashion with my naturally wavy thick hair, but so what.
Thing is, if you've got a fairly short hair style, it takes rather longer than 6-8 weeks to grow to a point where you can tie it back/up. And (having done this once or twice), it's pretty horrible whilst you're growing it out - it's too short to be able to confine/tieup etc and too long to be entirely comfortable.
(And it's one reason I ultimately opted for hair length which meant it could be tied back when at its shortest. I don't enjoy going to the hairdressers, so I can leave it a long time between cuts and I still just tie it back)
Dead right. There is a weird period when it's semi long, but finally I could tie it up, about 6 months. What's next, a man bun? People say, how handsome, damn, I missed out in my 20s.
I had long hair in my 20s, and looking back I think I did worse on account of it.
So...we are both looking back and imagining a minor sartorial change might have changed things. Hmm, right
Mm, my hair has always been straight and fine and, mostly, worn long. Even now I just go to the hairdressers for a twice yearly trim, so keep about chin to shoulder length. When I was young, my Mum and Nan really wanted me to have curls, so I often endured having rags put in to get ringlets, which reverted to straight very quickly. My Nan once used a perm lotion on it, eeek, called Twink I think, which did give me waves, but all gone by the following day! They gave up then, saying I just had to put up with having hair like a ‘yard of pump water’ 😂. On my wedding day, the hairdresser put my long hair up in big curls on top of my head (the vogue in those far off days), but they’d all fallen down before I put my wedding dress on, so I wore it loose. The Minister said it was lovely that he could recognise me, as usually brides were so primped and preened he couldn’t!
I would actually give my eye-tewth for straight hair; at least it falls back into the style it's meant to. The slightest breath of wind, or any humidity above zero, and my waves become unruly curls that will turn in any direction except the one they're meant to.
And practically every hairstyle that's ever been is designed with straight hair in mind, so I'm fighting my waves all the time.
I love hats and wear one whenever I go out, from autumn to spring. But I haven't had my hair cut for over 20 years anyway and have lots of ways of putting it up.
Both my teenage sons have long hair so no problem for them (one has straight hair past his waist, the other wavey past his shoulders) and my husband has always cut his own hair with clippers so we've had no hair drama here.
I've usually worn my hair short, but one time I stopped by my regular hair cut shop to get a trim only to find that my guy had left.
I decided that I'd wait until I found which shop he'd moved to, and follow him there. Never got around to it, and my hair got shaggier and shaggier. I finally decided that since I'd never had long hair, this was my chance to try it. The experiment lasted until I had a ponytail down to my shoulder blades.
I'm glad that look is now in the past, but it was fun while it lasted.
As someone else whose hair does not comply with being styled, and will only maintain the hairdressers beautiful coiffing* if only I'll remain statue-like inside, I decided long ago I wanted to be able to move, swim, go out in the rain and otherwise act normally. Hence I am resigned to haircuts that don't require anything more complicated than washing and brushing.
This was confirmed after a visit to an expensive artist on Knightsbridge who insisted on cutting and blow-drying my hair into some fashionable style, ignoring my demurrals that this didn't feel as if it was working and wasn't what I wanted. I walked outside, gently shook my head and the edifice collapsed.
The current dead straight long hair styles for women means I'm out of fashion with my naturally wavy thick hair, but so what.
You sound so much like me!
I've got cowlicks in places that absolutely require me to have a straight-down-the-middle part, in spite of years of insistence by my mother etc. that "if you'd only try" you could train it to do something more interesting. Like hell. Also extremely thick, therefore HEAVY, and incapable until just recently of being put in a single pony tail (looked more like a racoon's tail). With just enough wave that when my hair hits an obstacle (such as my shoulder) it turns straight up like a cartoon girl's hair. But the effect of curling irons or anything similar instantly fell out, as soon as the item-in-question was removed.
They were only able to get it to do anything at all for my sister's wedding by a) perming it, and then b) freaking LACQUERING it till it made crinkly noises when touched.
Fortunately I live 1500 miles away from the person who stresses most about my unfashionable hair (yeah, Mom) and she can't see me being unfashionable. And at my age in this place the female hair competition has dwindled to "who still has the most?" which I win hands down. At last, I'm doing something right!
My extremely obnoxious hair obliged me by all falling out. What little is left I trim to within half a centimeter of its life with my home clippers (thank you, Wahl).
One of the treasured remarks of my life was when the hairdresser suggested a cut and I asked if it would do that and he replied 'With your hair you could do anything'
It's declined a bit from those glory days -thinner and limper and under the dye I suspect largely white. I would really like some attractive hair slides to pin it back, but they tend to be aimed at the under-sevens. I realise that at my age I'm supposed to govern it with hairspray and 'product'.
I thought the ‘who still has some’ thing was a game only played by men. The way a woman-friend looked approvingly at my head a while back reminded me of the way at (university) work I have gained profundity, only as a result of the decline in the average intellect of the intake.
MT, don’t get this metaphor wrong; take it as read that of you and I, you have the superior intellect
In other Covid related news, I've submitted my application to have the vaccine through work. As I'm not frontline health, I imagine it'll be quite some time before I get anywhere near the list, but at least I'm In The System.
I thought the ‘who still has some’ thing was a game only played by men. The way a woman-friend looked approvingly at my head a while back reminded me of the way at (university) work I have gained profundity, only as a result of the decline in the average intellect of the intake.
MT, don’t get this metaphor wrong; take it as read that of you and I, you have the superior intellect
Um, okay. I thought we were talking about hair. But thank you for the compliment.
I thought the ‘who still has some’ thing was a game only played by men. The way a woman-friend looked approvingly at my head a while back reminded me of the way at (university) work I have gained profundity, only as a result of the decline in the average intellect of the intake.
MT, don’t get this metaphor wrong; take it as read that of you and I, you have the superior intellect
Heh. The problem is that women, as well as men, face thinning hair with age (though we hope not to go totally bald; still, it's noticeable when you use a ponytail holder for the first time in ever). It's also noticeable when you can no longer do style X which depends on thickness you used to have.
There, I've learned something. I thought a lot of women going for short hair cuts as they got older was a kind of style thing. Well, maybe it is. Maybe I need to reverse out of this conversation before I say something which turns out to be terrible, for unforeseen reasons on my part...it's got that kind of feel about it
In seriousness, I think part of that is that we tend to gravitate to hair lengths and styles that were popular when we were in our twenties (so, for me, that includes a lot of short hair stuff). Then there's the "can't be bothered anymore" thing (yes, this explains my wardrobe). And thinning hair is probably the third of that triad, along with the increased cost of dyeing long hair...
In seriousness, I think part of that is that we tend to gravitate to hair lengths and styles that were popular when we were in our twenties (so, for me, that includes a lot of short hair stuff). Then there's the "can't be bothered anymore" thing (yes, this explains my wardrobe). And thinning hair is probably the third of that triad, along with the increased cost of dyeing long hair...
Hmm. I don't know whether it's my upbringing or a more general thing, but I found there used to be an expectation that women of a certain age would have short hair. Long hair was OK for youngsters, but not once you were more mature. This seems to be changing now.
In the days when I had bone structure and just the one chin I went for short hair. I tried long - but never got the hang of putting it up. Eventually decided the chin-length bob was the optimal style. But with a visit to the hairdresser a distant memory - and a still more distant prospect, I need to engage with longer styles. Current wheeze is to stick it behind a headband.
I’m enjoying my short hair - far less faff. I’ve taken to cutting my own fringe after I apologised to my hairdresser and she said I’d done a good job.
I had it cut very short (for me) just before lockdown in January so it should last a while. I still dye it. I love grey hair but mine isn’t grey, it’s a sort of concrete colour streaked with the colour of a rat - truly horrible! I dye it ash blonde.
I’m enjoying my short hair - far less faff. I’ve taken to cutting my own fringe after I apologised to my hairdresser and she said I’d done a good job.
I had it cut very short (for me) just before lockdown in January so it should last a while. I still dye it. I love grey hair but mine isn’t grey, it’s a sort of concrete colour streaked with the colour of a rat - truly horrible! I dye it ash blonde.
@Boogie, sounds like my mop, or at least, my mop as it looks on the dreaded Zoom calls! I’m wondering if it might look better with a real silver shade, rather than its current ‘Shade de Badger.’ Perhaps one of those spray in brush out ones. (I stopped using permanent and semi-permanents years ago because of skin sensitivities).
I’m enjoying my short hair - far less faff. I’ve taken to cutting my own fringe after I apologised to my hairdresser and she said I’d done a good job.
I had it cut very short (for me) just before lockdown in January so it should last a while. I still dye it. I love grey hair but mine isn’t grey, it’s a sort of concrete colour streaked with the colour of a rat - truly horrible! I dye it ash blonde.
@Boogie, sounds like my mop, or at least, my mop as it looks on the dreaded Zoom calls! I’m wondering if it might look better with a real silver shade, rather than its current ‘Shade de Badger.’ Perhaps one of those spray in brush out ones. (I stopped using permanent and semi-permanents years ago because of skin sensitivities).
A while ago I asked my hairdresser to dye it grey but she said it wouldn’t suit me. 🤔🧐
I’m enjoying my short hair - far less faff. I’ve taken to cutting my own fringe after I apologised to my hairdresser and she said I’d done a good job.
I had it cut very short (for me) just before lockdown in January so it should last a while. I still dye it. I love grey hair but mine isn’t grey, it’s a sort of concrete colour streaked with the colour of a rat - truly horrible! I dye it ash blonde.
@Boogie, sounds like my mop, or at least, my mop as it looks on the dreaded Zoom calls! I’m wondering if it might look better with a real silver shade, rather than its current ‘Shade de Badger.’ Perhaps one of those spray in brush out ones. (I stopped using permanent and semi-permanents years ago because of skin sensitivities).
A while ago I asked my hairdresser to dye it grey but she said it wouldn’t suit me. 🤔🧐
That’s a tricky one. I wonder of there’s an app somewhere where we could ‘try out’ different shades and colours.
Wigs were a thing in the 60s, right? Even my Mum had one - though imagining her in one now feels about the same as remembering when she smoked. I think I nicked the polystyrene head it used to sit on, for a groovy place to keep my enormous headphones when I was a teenager. And (I know, I could Google this, but I’m looking for social interaction such as it is these days) is it true that some orthodox Jewish ladies shave their heads and wear a wig all the time?
LCs point about the styles of youth was made to me by an older work colleague years ago, who always wore a sports jacket and a tie. I’m generally in a T shirt, jeans and an open check shirt. Problem is, this is now a hipster look (get me ) and I am probably all set to look recently-unfashionable all over again.
And (I know, I could Google this, but I’m looking for social interaction such as it is these days) is it true that some orthodox Jewish ladies shave their heads and wear a wig all the time?
When I was an ophthalmic nurse in London we were extra careful with touching Jewish ladies on their heads because some of them would be wearing wigs. Google tells me that not all of them would have shaved their hair off under the wig, some just use the wigs as coverings.
My hair used to be chestnut but is now dark brown with silver highlights and a silver streak down the middle. Dyeing it chestnut takes 10 years off me but it doesn't bother me generally and, as previously discussed, I often dye the lower half bright colours instead.
15 years ago I used to weave green woolly dreads in it, as in the avatar.
I have the kind of hair that a lot of people here seem to envy - ie, straight. If it's the right length it goes fairly readily into a tucked-under bob, but it's too long for that now so it flops around my shoulders in varying degrees of messiness. I've worn it short and layered in the past and am glad I haven't got that style growing out now.
I'm pretty sure I am through with having it highlighted - I was originally blonde and got away with the encroaching grey longer than my dark-haired friends - as it's over a year since I had it coloured and can't see where the artificial colour ends and my true colour begins. In fact, that was only really obvious sitting under the strong lights in the hairdresser's.
I had just managed to train Mr Nen to go to the barber's for his haircuts when Lockdown#1 happened here in the UK and the clippers had to come out again. I doubt there's any going back now.
I'm resigned to the fact that my hair's going to be quite disastrous before it gets any better; I'm even experimenting with Not Straightening It, as it's usually FUBAR by the time I get to work anyway.
I did, however, buy a package of dye this afternoon, so part of my solitary lockdown weekend will be occupied in applying it.
*sigh* I suppose that's true. I'm doing radio interviews this week, but the Powers That Be have decided that Internet-land deserves to suffer through pictures of us next to the podcast version. Bleurghhh.
*sigh* I suppose that's true. I'm doing radio interviews this week, but the Powers That Be have decided that Internet-land deserves to suffer through pictures of us next to the podcast version. Bleurghhh.
Know the feeling. I did manage to find some online try out colour apps yesterday and tried out some grey shades. I looked like a doleful elephant.🙁
Not even in ‘fashion’ shades, @kingsfold ; and believe me, I went to the very top! They kept hinting that pink, blue, green etc would suit me better than grey, though, so maybe you’re on to something there!
Oh, I don't know - one could be delightfully abandoned!
I'm trying to make a fresh start today with eating habits and exercise so this morning enlisted the help of YouTube for some videos to enable me to boogie around the lounge in a semi-coordinated fashion. Now showered and feeling virtuous I'm thinking about lunch and determined not to undermine my good work by consuming All The Biscuits.
ETA - a post rather more suited to the British thread. Sorry. Forgot where I was.
My son the Giraffe has declared that the lockdown hair emergency is now so great that he is prepared to let me have a go at his locks. Probably this evening. I anticipate an exciting time, as every lock is a cherished friend of his (he is paranoid that he might one day go bald - he is 19 and has lots of hair!).
About a year and a half ago, I had a foot of hair chopped off to donate. It was just below my shoulder blades after the cut, and now it's below my butt. So, when we get to what will pass for normal, I'll have a pretty long donation to share! Who knows. It may be to my knees by that time!
My hairstyle hasn't changed in years! My braid just gets longer!
*sigh* I suppose that's true. I'm doing radio interviews this week, but the Powers That Be have decided that Internet-land deserves to suffer through pictures of us next to the podcast version. Bleurghhh.
Know the feeling. I did manage to find some online try out colour apps yesterday and tried out some grey shades. I looked like a doleful elephant.🙁
Heh. We had to do the photo via Zoom, and just as I was thinking I'd never looked so old and wrinkly, the photographer said, "Oh, LC, that's just perfect!" and snapped it.
Scrunchies are good for pulling your hair back, up, etc. If your hair comes out easily, be a little careful and don't pull the scrunchie too tight. (Though IME scrunchies are much easier on hair than ponytail bands. (Kind of like rubber bands, but covered with thread.))
Comments
Mind you, that might depend on the size of the Hat:
https://poetryfoundation.org/poems/44604/the-quangle-wangles-hat
Apologies for quoting this Peom again, but it's one of my favourite bits of Peotry. I learnt it in Skool.
This was confirmed after a visit to an expensive artist on Knightsbridge who insisted on cutting and blow-drying my hair into some fashionable style, ignoring my demurrals that this didn't feel as if it was working and wasn't what I wanted. I walked outside, gently shook my head and the edifice collapsed.
The current dead straight long hair styles for women means I'm out of fashion with my naturally wavy thick hair, but so what.
I had long hair in my 20s, and looking back I think I did worse on account of it.
So...we are both looking back and imagining a minor sartorial change might have changed things. Hmm, right
And practically every hairstyle that's ever been is designed with straight hair in mind, so I'm fighting my waves all the time.
Both my teenage sons have long hair so no problem for them (one has straight hair past his waist, the other wavey past his shoulders) and my husband has always cut his own hair with clippers so we've had no hair drama here.
I decided that I'd wait until I found which shop he'd moved to, and follow him there. Never got around to it, and my hair got shaggier and shaggier. I finally decided that since I'd never had long hair, this was my chance to try it. The experiment lasted until I had a ponytail down to my shoulder blades.
I'm glad that look is now in the past, but it was fun while it lasted.
You sound so much like me!
I've got cowlicks in places that absolutely require me to have a straight-down-the-middle part, in spite of years of insistence by my mother etc. that "if you'd only try" you could train it to do something more interesting. Like hell. Also extremely thick, therefore HEAVY, and incapable until just recently of being put in a single pony tail (looked more like a racoon's tail). With just enough wave that when my hair hits an obstacle (such as my shoulder) it turns straight up like a cartoon girl's hair. But the effect of curling irons or anything similar instantly fell out, as soon as the item-in-question was removed.
They were only able to get it to do anything at all for my sister's wedding by a) perming it, and then b) freaking LACQUERING it till it made crinkly noises when touched.
Fortunately I live 1500 miles away from the person who stresses most about my unfashionable hair (yeah, Mom) and she can't see me being unfashionable. And at my age in this place the female hair competition has dwindled to "who still has the most?" which I win hands down. At last, I'm doing something right!
It's declined a bit from those glory days -thinner and limper and under the dye I suspect largely white. I would really like some attractive hair slides to pin it back, but they tend to be aimed at the under-sevens. I realise that at my age I'm supposed to govern it with hairspray and 'product'.
MT, don’t get this metaphor wrong; take it as read that of you and I, you have the superior intellect
Re "yours is the superior intellect":
Are you going all "Wrath Of Khan"? One of Khan's people proclaims that to Khan with his last breath.
Um, okay. I thought we were talking about hair. But thank you for the compliment.
Heh. The problem is that women, as well as men, face thinning hair with age (though we hope not to go totally bald; still, it's noticeable when you use a ponytail holder for the first time in ever). It's also noticeable when you can no longer do style X which depends on thickness you used to have.
In seriousness, I think part of that is that we tend to gravitate to hair lengths and styles that were popular when we were in our twenties (so, for me, that includes a lot of short hair stuff). Then there's the "can't be bothered anymore" thing (yes, this explains my wardrobe). And thinning hair is probably the third of that triad, along with the increased cost of dyeing long hair...
Hmm. I don't know whether it's my upbringing or a more general thing, but I found there used to be an expectation that women of a certain age would have short hair. Long hair was OK for youngsters, but not once you were more mature. This seems to be changing now.
I had it cut very short (for me) just before lockdown in January so it should last a while. I still dye it. I love grey hair but mine isn’t grey, it’s a sort of concrete colour streaked with the colour of a rat - truly horrible! I dye it ash blonde.
@Boogie, sounds like my mop, or at least, my mop as it looks on the dreaded Zoom calls! I’m wondering if it might look better with a real silver shade, rather than its current ‘Shade de Badger.’ Perhaps one of those spray in brush out ones. (I stopped using permanent and semi-permanents years ago because of skin sensitivities).
A while ago I asked my hairdresser to dye it grey but she said it wouldn’t suit me. 🤔🧐
That’s a tricky one. I wonder of there’s an app somewhere where we could ‘try out’ different shades and colours.
LCs point about the styles of youth was made to me by an older work colleague years ago, who always wore a sports jacket and a tie. I’m generally in a T shirt, jeans and an open check shirt. Problem is, this is now a hipster look (get me
When I was an ophthalmic nurse in London we were extra careful with touching Jewish ladies on their heads because some of them would be wearing wigs. Google tells me that not all of them would have shaved their hair off under the wig, some just use the wigs as coverings.
My hair used to be chestnut but is now dark brown with silver highlights and a silver streak down the middle. Dyeing it chestnut takes 10 years off me but it doesn't bother me generally and, as previously discussed, I often dye the lower half bright colours instead.
15 years ago I used to weave green woolly dreads in it, as in the avatar.
I'm pretty sure I am through with having it highlighted - I was originally blonde and got away with the encroaching grey longer than my dark-haired friends - as it's over a year since I had it coloured and can't see where the artificial colour ends and my true colour begins. In fact, that was only really obvious sitting under the strong lights in the hairdresser's.
I had just managed to train Mr Nen to go to the barber's for his haircuts when Lockdown#1 happened here in the UK and the clippers had to come out again. I doubt there's any going back now.
If you’re feeling down with the lack of social interaction in the time of covid, you could always sing along with your microwave.
I did, however, buy a package of dye this afternoon, so part of my solitary lockdown weekend will be occupied in applying it.
One mustn't let oneself go completely ...
Know the feeling. I did manage to find some online try out colour apps yesterday and tried out some grey shades. I looked like a doleful elephant.🙁
Do they do patchwork dye (similar to tartan paint) and you could come over all Elmer?
I'm trying to make a fresh start today with eating habits and exercise so this morning enlisted the help of YouTube for some videos to enable me to boogie around the lounge in a semi-coordinated fashion. Now showered and feeling virtuous I'm thinking about lunch and determined not to undermine my good work by consuming All The Biscuits.
ETA - a post rather more suited to the British thread. Sorry. Forgot where I was.
My hairstyle hasn't changed in years! My braid just gets longer!
Heh. We had to do the photo via Zoom, and just as I was thinking I'd never looked so old and wrinkly, the photographer said, "Oh, LC, that's just perfect!" and snapped it.
(I imagine, ahem, untruths about the existence of a weblink are permissible in circumstances such as these!)
It’s receding - but slowly. 🙂🙂