hiya

The most important thing you'll need to get long hair is patience. If your goal is 'David Beckham' hair I suppose dying your hair will be fine but in my opinion if your ultimate goal is longer (say past shoulder length) you should avoid chemical treatments on your hair (such as highlighting). This is because in the time it takes to grow your hair past your shoulders the repeated chemical treatments required to keep the color would destroy your hair. In other words, to have long hair you will have to treat your hair a *lot* better than you do when you have short hair. As for males with color highlights, I live in a progressive city (Ottawa, Canada) and I see lots of young men with highlights and streaks. At a recent family gathering three of my young male cousins showed up with shaggy collar-length hair that was two-tone. Their their natural dark hair was colored a golden-blond on top. It looked great. For my personal look I go for completely natural color but I'm a bit older and don't mind being called a 'hippy' (just happened today). Good luck with your hair growth goals!

You know, highlights2008, just because David Beckham is your inspiration, it doesn´t mean you have to copy him exactly. Think "I want to look as cool as DB" and then take it from your own natural assets, and what works for you! DB is one of a kind, and so are you.