What to do with long hair.

"spiral perm, dye it, or what?"

I can't speak for anyone else, but I have had bad experiences wiht perms on long hair.  They just dry out my hair and make it a mess in spite of everything I try.  I am even one of those picky people that are particular about how I wash, what I wash with, don't comb until it is dry, don't blowdry etc.    I have discovered that "SOFT" hilites are my best option.  I have blonde hair and have the natural hilites made more prominent all over my head.  Something to consider since your hair is so long.

"Now I'm beginning to think I'm too old for long hair, other women are telling me to get it cut short for ease of care."

No such thing as too old.  When Grammy died she had hair to her knees!  Also, on the ease of care thing, I had to mess with my hair more when it was short than I do with it long.  Same with permed vs. straight.  I am working on growing out my perm (almost there) so it is completely gone and going to all one length bc it is the easiest to take care of for me.

just my two cents

tanya

 

 

Hi over 50:

Sometimes women who are over 50 and wear their hair long look even older. I would guess in your case that since you are taken for 10 years younger this would not be a problem for you.

One suggestion I might make is to cut your hair to just below the shoulders then get it layered. There are some beautiful layered cuts that will show off your thick hair but also get rid of some of the weight.

If you are showing a little gray you might want to try a highlightening technique to blend in the grays and bring a soft look around your face. All in all it sounds as if your hair is great and would look good any way you want to wear it.

Hi Jes,

Please note in advance that I am not commenting on your length suggestions.

Can you please explain why you state that "long hair will 'drag' you down?" You seem to use this term with assurance and so I'm sure you won't mind explaining to me what it means?

Thanks in advance.

This message is from a man age 52.
I would suggest that you keep your hair long.
I would suggest that you let your long hair grow out down
to your waist. It can be less work to grow your hair down
to your waist. Always think of your long hair as a
positive enhancement. You can do many different long hair
styles. You may want to consider coloring your gray hair.

There are some ladies over 50 years old in my area,that
would love to have your fast growing,and thick hair at
age 50. I have worked in a dermatology office,and I have
seen some ladies over fifty,who all had some hair loss.
There are many ladies that have a lot of anxiety with
thin hair and some hair loss.

Hi there,

Some will say you *have* to cut your hair shorter because of your age. No, you don't.

Some will say everyone can have long hair and look great. No, they can't.

I can explain the "drag down" explanation. Simple. Gravity. Like it or not, the older we get the more "things" sag. Our faces sag slightly with wrinkles. Sometimes with long hair, the length draws our eyes downward which emphasizes the downward trend of the face. Sometimes a hairstyle that is shorter "uplifts" a person's face by not drawing the eye downward. Therefore a person can look younger. This is not an absolute for everyone. But it is an explanation for some on why shorter hair looks better as we age. Often, shorter hair has more body to it because the hair isn't as heavy as shorter hair (the longer the hair, the more it literally weighs down the hair). That isn't always true, but it often is, and it can make a big difference around the face.

However, if your hair is thick, it sounds like this isn't necessarily so for you, especially if your hair has some wave! It's hard to gauage without seeing you.

Personally, I'd really recommend against a perm. I've seen far more bad perms than good ones. Often perms are used to provide an illusion of thickness. But it sounds like you have that already!

If you like the gray, keep it. If you don't, I'd use a rinse of some kind on it.

As far as hairstyle or haircut, here's the best suggestion: Get a computer program called "Cosmopolitan Virtual Makeover 2". Take a photo of yourself with very little make-up and your hair pulled severely back. Essentially you "try on" several different hairstyles. That way, you can see what you may look like. If you find one that really appeals to you, print it out and take it to stylist and ask for that style.

Also, no matter what your length of hair, you really do need regular trims. Thin ends don't look good on any length of hair in my opinion. The biggest thing to remember is YOU'RE the one who should be most pleased with your hair. If you want it shorter, cut it shorter. (But don't make any hasty decisions in cutting! Mull it over, and if you think that's what you really want, do it.) If you want it longer, just explore some different options in styling.

Good luck, and please let us know what you decide!

Jennifer