My hair

"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit) 02/02/2016 at 01:39 • Filed to: None

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Yes this is literally my hair, in a bag. Sorry, you don’t get to see the rest of me yet.

I read !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about her hair situation and some of the issues and problems you might not expect when you have to grow your hair long. I just want to say that, like all other things, it gets better (and at least in this case I can say with confidence that I really mean it this time).

Three and a half years ago I had been diagnosed with cancer, and while I was undergoing the chemo treatment my oncologist told me that the baldness and hair-falling-out thing tends to vary from person-to-person, and that I had a choice of either just shaving my head completely or letting it grow and hope it hides any fallout. Since there’s a family history of baldness and I was a bit sensitive towards it at the time (what really didn’t help was that I had just had a breakup with my ex, which was a real confidence booster -_-) I decided to take my chances and roll the dice on just growing my hair out. Turns out it was a great decision as it hid any hair loss very well, and at that point I decided I might as well let it keep growing. I kind of got used to the look and wanted to grow it long enough so I can donate it when I finally did get it trimmed.

What they don’t tell you is that your own hair tends to get all over your own fucking face, and it’s really, really annoying. Also, it’s worth investing in a least a modicum of hair product. It can even be cheap shitty stuff at Walmart and still be ok (well, actually, check that - my mom bought some of Walmart’s Equate branded product and it gave her a rash serious enough for me to keep bugging her to go see a doctor). Evenually your hair gets long enough that it’s actually easier to manage - it’s the middle period where it keeps flopping all over your face and gets into your eyeballs like little daggers that’s fucking annoying.

What you see in the picture above is a bag full of just very, very shy of an entire three year’s worth of growth (I forgot the exact date I got my last haircut before the chemo so exact time passage is a little foggy). I got my first haircut since on June 4 of last year, 2015. I decided it was finally time because a singer who I’ll have to admit I’m way, way too into was in town and there was promises of a meet-n-greet (and, uh, that mess can be it’s own story for later). A former professor and good friend of mine was even nice enough to introduce me to a barber skilled enough to cut it to typical donation length (about 11 inches or so, mine ended up being just shy of 13) and then style what was left.

Also, that picture was taken just this morning.

...I’m so lazy.

SVTyler > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 02/02/2016 at 02:51

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I have chest-length hair so I definitely know what you’re talking about. The awkward grow-out phase sucks and there’s that later six-month period where your hair is about mouth-length so any eating or walking in windy weather or even just turning your head while talking gives you a mouthful of hair. Even now I occasionally catch a stray flyer or two.

You’re right, you didn’t realize how much trouble it was to have nice-looking long hair until you have it; girls told me it would be a pain in the ass but until you have like four different kinds of shampoo and conditioner just to have a decent hair day you’re just like, “yeah whatever, can’t be that bad”. As much of a maintenance nightmare it is I really don’t plan on cutting it unless I’m like forced to by whatever company I work for once I graduate. It’s like a weird commitment thing where you’re like, “well, I’ve invested so much time into it I can’t get a haircut now .”

Pic related (me with a 917 about a year ago):

Burn-Spaz1966-Burn > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 02/02/2016 at 03:03

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LOL long Hair. Glad to see it, but I’m old and lazy so we will have to see if I can stand the in-between time.

Mercedes Streeter > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 02/02/2016 at 03:05

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Oooh, that’s a snazzy colour!!!!

I’ve had a crew cut (eww eww eww) since I was 14, so I’ve pretty much forgotten what it’s like to have actual long hair.

I do say that at least for me (which should not be the case for most other women), the experience of taking wigs off every night sucks really bad. Feels unnatural. :(

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > SVTyler 02/02/2016 at 03:17

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You remind me of Jack Baruth.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 02/02/2016 at 03:26

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My hair is always in a buzz cut, as attempts to grow it out end up being excessively greasy and hair collapsing. Hair is a difficult dilemma.

SVTyler > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 02/02/2016 at 03:34

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It is kinda funny how many comparisons you get to other long-haired dudes, normally you’re either Jesus or Fabio or a metal musician. Jack’s a new one though, never actually seen a picture of him until now. Always thought he was some crotchety old dude, not an Allman Brothers Band member lol.

El Rivinado > No, I don't thank you for the fish at all 02/02/2016 at 03:42

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I used to have long hair as well, to the point it was basically down to my shoulders. It got me in a lot of trouble though, people would mistake me for a girl, I got called "gay" and “faggot” in middle school because of it, it was a pain in the ass to keep up, it was not fun at all. Eventually, in my junior year of high school, I went “fuck it” and sliced it off to about slightly above my neck. I like this look a lot more now, and I only let it ever grow out of sheer laziness. I realized that if you’re a guy, for the most part, it sucks to have long hair like that. I definitely admire any man who’s able to pull it off and keep up the maintenance.

Captain of the Enterprise > SVTyler 02/02/2016 at 06:25

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I'm currently growing mine out for the first time. I had a buzz cut since middle school so this is all very new to me but I'm going for a similar length as you. I'm losing my nerve a bit though and kind of want to cut it. I actually had a bad dream that I did cut it so I'm going to keep going. Once it gets to the right length where should I go to get it cut? I'm worried about whether or not my barbershop can handle long hair.

SVTyler > Captain of the Enterprise 02/02/2016 at 09:06

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Try a salon with a large female clientele because they’ll have a lot of experience with long hair, your barbershop probably won’t know what to do with it or won’t be able to cut it as well as someone in a salon. You end up paying a bit more (the place I went was $20) but you really want someone who knows what they’re doing, especially in the beginning when you’re growing it out so it’s not too much of a hassle to deal with. Speaking of which, don’t do what I did and just grow it all out at once (notice my hair in the pic is all kinds of fucky in the front), get a ‘clean-up’ trim every few months to keep everything neat and symmetrical so you minimize the homeless Jesus vibe.

Any other questions just ask man, happy to help.

Captain of the Enterprise > SVTyler 02/02/2016 at 11:14

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Ok cool I was planning on getting a trim soon to try to make it look better, it’s been getting harder to manage and seems uneven

SVTyler > Captain of the Enterprise 02/02/2016 at 19:00

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Yeah once hair reaches a certain length it turns into a bit of a mess unless you start doing stuff to it. When you first go get a haircut, tell the person working on you you’re trying to grow it out and ask what they would recommend, they’ll have all kinds of products and maintenance suggestions for your specific type of hair (how often to wash it, what kind of brush to use, towel dry vs. blow dry, etc.). Little stuff like that makes a surprisingly big difference to how your hair looks and feels.

Captain of the Enterprise > SVTyler 02/02/2016 at 19:15

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Ok cool, that's what I need anyway. I need basically a tutorial since I never really learned what to do with it. How much does that cost though it seems like it would be pretty expensive

SVTyler > Captain of the Enterprise 02/02/2016 at 19:36

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Really depends, but from what I’ve seen more than $50-$75 (and that’s for everything, shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush, assorted accessories) is kind of unnecessary unless you have a need for something extreme. Kinda sounds like a lot but keep in mind you don’t wash long hair every day (it dries out otherwise) so whatever you buy will last you months and months as long as you don’t overuse it. My advice is to get the good stuff near the higher end of the spectrum; once it gets long enough your hair is the first thing people will notice about you so you’ll want it to look good, but be sure not to overpay for some crazy expensive shit.