Ok, so I want to start growing out my hair.  I've kept it very short for over a decade and the couple of times I did try to grow it out it just stuck out like an Afro instead of growing down like most people.  Any advice?  Should I just let it grow out even if it sticks out, or is there something else I need to do?  What should I do as a good starting point?

I'm having a similar problem to you. I found that getting hair thinned out at the hair dresser helps to tame the Afro look at a cheap price other thing I do is use a straightner they have helped a lot also
  hope this helps

Chloe

My hair is long but very Curley. I use a spray in oil (very thin oil for hair) and a leave in conditioner (Aussi leave in conditioner). Later after my hair dries I scrunch it and I am good too go.

Everyone's hair is different.

To grow hair there are products and vitamins, along with a ton of articles and reviews for both online.





I liked my hair a little more than normal in the second photo, too bad laser had my face all puffy that day.

My hair is curly and it took over three years to get the length and weight for it to be more manageable. A good hairdresser is probably a great place to ask what you can do to get a look you like and still grow to your ideal length eventually. Mine is not even that fond of me I think but she really knows what to do with hair. February a year ago was the first time I had it cut since I started to grow it out, it was still poppy out then so she put layers in it. This past February she didn't put any layers in it, she said I was past that point and just cleaned up the ends. 🙂 She also gave me great highlights. She even gave me one tip that has helped me a lot when I do my hair every day. Seriously, every girl needs a hairdresser that they trust, kind of being a girl 101.

I know that in between hair. It sucks. But there's no way to make it instantly long. Cis women suffer the same way while growing out a pixie cut. Nothing to do but suffer through those horrid months. I went from a buzz cut to a 6-8 inch ponytail (shoulder length) in just over a year and a half. Unfortunately at my late age of starting my transition, my hair was already quite thin on top. It is starting to fill in, but not enough that I'm very happy with.

Yea, lots of articles. >.<

I've never had a problem growing out my hair without trying, but it's just really slow. In the past two days, literally like 2 days, ice been doing a few things differently and Im seeing less strands on my body or utensils. I don't know if this will help you(and all this info was from various articles)



Don't shampoo everyday. I used to work out every other day now I do every 3rd day, that's when I shampoo directly after.

Do use conditioner every day, I don't remember why, sorry.

At the end of my shower I turn on the cold water to lay the hair flat, that helps calm it down a bit which seems to be part of your problem.

Also don't wash it with really hot water, just warm or lukewarm is best.

After the shower, while its wet I comb, just to detangle it. Start near the end and work your way up.

Once it's dry, I brush it. Article says use boar bristle brush, synthetic bristles can damage your hair.

And when brushing, hang your head upside down first for about 2minutes(while brushijng) and then stand upright and brush again. Do this 3 times a day for best results, I have only been able to do 1 or 2 times a day.

Best of luck to you Danielle!

Thank you all!  I will definitely try your suggestions.  My way never worked; it just kept growing out, but never down.  A hair straightener and conditioner might be my next purchases.  I've always wanted long hair, but could never get it to look right.  After a while I just gave up.  But now I'm trying it again, but this time with your advice, because clearly doing it on my own is not working.

Informative post
I have been growing my hair for 5 months now

I have thick frizzy/curly hair

You know what, it's not easy. I'm going as natural as possible until it's at my shoulders at least. I'm not sure how long that'll take...

Oh the reason for using conditioner on hair every time it's wet is to help with frizz and keep it more manageable. I mean as you can see my hair is a frizz ball anyway... but it is soft and I think for me easy to manage for the most part. I mean, it's not really much hair yet anyway.

Also, don't use a regular towel to dry your hair. A tshirt would work or if you want you can get one of those towels specifically for drying hair. I think I ordered one online but found out after I could've just used a tshirt..

I really don't brush my hair which is bad but like I run my fingers through it...

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I asked my hair dresser about it for what i want, give her a couple of examples of men with long hair and how i wanted it still in boy mode ofcourse.... and she told me for myself atleast a year... ive tried to grow it out in the past, but only usually got to the 6-8 month period and had afro hair or a mullet which i hated......

Im also someone who up until recently, didnt brush their hair at all just ran my fingers through it... i also use to not put a towl or anything on it just let it dry as natural as i could, and lastly ive gone from washing my hair everyday with crappy hair product to  washing my hair maybe once a week (rinsing it every day or so still but), and using better hair products, its made a difference

My last problem is that i use headphones alot lol

Quote from: Christy Lee on May 14, 2018, 10:02:56 PM
I asked my hair dresser about it for what i want, give her a couple of examples of men with long hair and how i wanted it still in boy mode ofcourse.... and she told me for myself atleast a year... ive tried to grow it out in the past, but only usually got to the 6-8 month period and had afro hair or a mullet which i hated......

Im also someone who up until recently, didnt brush their hair at all just ran my fingers through it... i also use to not put a towl or anything on it just let it dry as natural as i could, and lastly ive gone from washing my hair everyday with crappy hair product to  washing my hair maybe once a week (rinsing it every day or so still but), and using better hair products, its made a difference

My last problem is that i use headphones alot lol

It's okay we all have to learn and we do that in our own way. I'd always get a buzz cut ever since I can remember. I'll make a year growing it out in a few months, but before that I never grew it out for longer than 2 months... so I'd usually get a hair every 6-8 weeks and that was pretty much my whole life for 27 years. Now, I probably won't be getting a haircut for a very long time. I'm actually looking forward to trimming any dead ends from my own hair.
Kind of off topic, but I gave myself a short haircut once it didn't turn out bad at all... it just took a lot of time and effort especially get the hairs on the back of my head.

But yeah 6-8 months is really much time if you're hair is very short/buzzed to begin with. You need more like a year as you were told. I think 2 years of growing hair out is a point where it's probably a good length officially.

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Quote from: Christy Lee on May 14, 2018, 10:02:56 PM
I asked my hair dresser about it for what i want, give her a couple of examples of men with long hair and how i wanted it still in boy mode ofcourse.... and she told me for myself atleast a year... ive tried to grow it out in the past, but only usually got to the 6-8 month period and had afro hair or a mullet which i hated......

Im also someone who up until recently, didnt brush their hair at all just ran my fingers through it... i also use to not put a towl or anything on it just let it dry as natural as i could, and lastly ive gone from washing my hair everyday with crappy hair product to  washing my hair maybe once a week (rinsing it every day or so still but), and using better hair products, its made a difference

My last problem is that i use headphones alot lol

I too don't brush my hair and haven't in at least two years, and even then I rarely did.  My hair has been kept very short and so I never needed to brush or comb it.  The couple of times I did try to grow out my hair I'd always end up with an Afro, so I'd eventually give up and buzz it again.  I either want my hair long, and if I can't have it long then I want it so short that I don't have to mess with it.

This was my hair in August of last year:



I had actually gotten it cut a bit between then and now, but I don't remember exactly when, so sorry if not that helpful.
Here is my hair currently:




The real trick for me I think is trying to obtain that silky, smooth texture to it.  My hair line is receding quite rapidly, which even bothered me as a man; my father basically went bald in his early forties, so...

One thing I found out the hard way after getting my hair longer than it is in my old avatar is that brushing it while its wet will cause a lot of breakage. Your hair is at its most fragile when wet.

I wash my hair every 3-4 days, shampoo mainly the roots and massage the scalp to promote blood flow. Put conditioner on the "tips" or the long part of your hair and not the roots. I let my hair completely dry and then blow wave the fringe and brush out the rest starting off at the bottom of my hair and working towards my crown.  to help reduce breakage


I also take a supplement called Biontin which is good for nails as well.


Hope that helps


Liz

Quote from: Allison S on May 14, 2018, 08:26:57 PM
Oh the reason for using conditioner on hair every time it's wet is to help with frizz and keep it more manageable.

Yeah, I've also noticed that my hair looks less oily once it dries compared to when I just run water through it. Generally, I only use shampoo about one or twice a week.

I'm a total hair enthusiast who has grown it out at least 3 times. The reason it sticks out when you grow it is that when hair is short and has little weight so it grows perpendicular to the scalp. Long hair tends to grow flat to the scalp, due to it's weight. Once your hair is long enough it will lay flatter. When growing it out you just have to find a way to tolerate the awkward direction of it's growth until it trains downward.

Trust me. Decades of wearing wonderful long hair is worth a year of awkwardness. Wear gels, clips, scarves, hats or whatever if you feel the need. You won't regret it.

Speaking of hair, any thoughts on short hair styles that would look good on a 64-yo senior? I am curious about something somewhat unisex like, possibly, a pixie cut. Would something like that maybe look good in girl or guy mode?  It seems a lot of older women have something like that, or a bob.

Quote

Quote from: Lyric on May 15, 2018, 08:50:32 AM
I'm a total hair enthusiast who has grown it out at least 3 times. The reason it sticks out when you grow it is that when hair is short and has little weight so it grows perpendicular to the scalp. Long hair tends to grow flat to the scalp, due to it's weight. Once your hair is long enough it will lay flatter. When growing it out you just have to find a way to tolerate the awkward direction of it's growth until it trains downward.

Trust me. Decades of wearing wonderful long hair is worth a year of awkwardness. Wear gels, clips, scarves, hats or whatever if you feel the need. You won't regret it.

I feel so much better about tyhe way my hair is growing out now after reading this. I am about three months along  and the top of my head sometimes looks like the Ocean Spray wave logo!


xoxoxo
Alyssa

We just used a lot of barretts and pins until gravity took over. Currently my hair is tickling my shoulder blades. Warm weather is here and now I get wind tangles from driving with the top down. (The CAR top, silly).
Patience and time will work in your favor.

Be very careful about having your hair thinned. You may need additional time to grow your hair out again and in my case, it resulted in me losing all of the body my hair had. I warned my cutter never to thin my hair again and she didn't. You might consider getting a hair pick to work with your hair. You should remove the tangles daily because if you hair gets really knotted, your only option may be to cut the knots out. Hair care will need to become a part of your daily routine but with naturally curly hair it should only take you a few minute a day if you care for your hair regularly.