How Long Is Too Long?
One of the questions people ask me most frequently is, "Is my hair too long?" Hair length paranoia can be caused by your height, weight, body shape and, most often, age. I think one of the biggest fears of any woman is that she'll look young from the back and old from the front. The thought of a construction man giving a woman passing by a once-over only to quickly jerk his head forward when he sees her face is a legitimate cause for a nervous breakdown. No one should be put through this trauma. After all, who wants to look silly? With a little common sense and a full-length mirror, this gross error easily can be avoided. One of the first things I would like to say is that I like long hair. I think it is suitable for woman over 25, 35 or even 40 years old. I think it can be flattering, very appealing and often erase a few years. There are a few guidelines that you should be aware of if you chose to wear your hair long. They will help to keep you looking your best.
Long hair should always be exceptionally beautiful hair. The best long hair is healthy, vibrant and has great texture. Hair that is dull, dry, brittle or thinning is definitely not suitable to be worn long.
Even long hair must always have a shape. On anyone older than 16, hair that is all one length is no longer flattering. It will drag your face down and give you a tired, droopy look. Some shaping or layering is always more flattering and will give your face an instant lift.
Long hair is not a blanket to cover body flaws. I know many women who think that wearing their hair longer can cover up the few pounds that somehow they have put on over the years. The only person you are fooling here is yourself. Long hair will actually accentuate your weight gain. It can also make you look lower to the ground. This is a fatal combination that should always be avoided.
Do you find yourself wearing your long hair up every day? This is a sure-fire sign that it's time for a new, shorter style. I know that many women with long hair think it is easier to care for than a shorter style that requires a blow dry. This may be true, but don't you want to look your best? There are no shortcuts. Looking good does take some time and effort, especially as the years goes by.
I live and have salons in New York and Beverly Hills. I have many
40-plus clients who are so puffed, buffed and manicured that they don't
look very different from their 16-year-old daughters. They exercise
daily, eat right, make frequent visits to their dermatologist to erase
any semblance of a line, and have their hair colored to perfection.
Modern science, awareness of nutrition, and grooming has blurred the
aging process. With all the awareness and the new technology to help
maintain a youthful appearance, it is easy to pretend that we are
perpetually young.
The good news is that we can look good for a very long time. The bad news is that we only truly look young for a finite period. A very dear friend of mine once said to me that there is nothing worse than mutton trying to look like lamb. No truer words have ever been said. When it's time to cut your hair, it is time to cut your hair! I know this is a hard pill for many women to swallow, but do yourself a favor and realize when it's time for you to give up long hair for a shorter, more flattering style.
If you feel pretty, keep your hair long. If you are starting to suspect your long hair is no longer quite appropriate, it is probably time for a cut. I think that many women think their choices are limited to either a youthful, long hair style or a cut that leaves them looking like a soccer mom. There are many style choices between these two stereotypes. Hand in your membership card to the Peter Pan Club. Get the right haircut for you!
The good news is that we can look good for a very long time. The bad news is that we only truly look young for a finite period. A very dear friend of mine once said to me that there is nothing worse than mutton trying to look like lamb. No truer words have ever been said. When it's time to cut your hair, it is time to cut your hair! I know this is a hard pill for many women to swallow, but do yourself a favor and realize when it's time for you to give up long hair for a shorter, more flattering style.
If you feel pretty, keep your hair long. If you are starting to suspect your long hair is no longer quite appropriate, it is probably time for a cut. I think that many women think their choices are limited to either a youthful, long hair style or a cut that leaves them looking like a soccer mom. There are many style choices between these two stereotypes. Hand in your membership card to the Peter Pan Club. Get the right haircut for you!
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: How Long Is Too Long?.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://louislicari.ivillage.com/system/mt-tb.cgi/54534
7 Comments
Leave a comment
* - mandatory fields.
** - We do not collect Emails but for verification purposes valid email must be provided
Hellooo i have very short hair & im looking after my hair but it dont seem to b growing at all & i would love to have long hair
Would you no why this is ??
Women look way more attractive and younger with long hair. More men also like longer hair on women. However, when hair is longer than the waist, it looks extremely unattractive. I would say it looks plan UGLY. I don't know why some women let it grow that long, but I wish someone would tell them to cut it off! I also don't understand why some women can't grow their hair past the shoulders. I'm one of them. yet I see all these fat women with super long hair past their waist! Life is truly unfair...
Do you think a 50 year old woman should still have long hair?
yes...women...no matter what age should have long hair...many asian women put their hair in a bun during the day...it looks very nice...and let it down at night...
men don't want women that look like men...or talk like them, or dress like them, or smell like them, ... do i need to go on
Angelique: Are you saying these "fat women" don't deserve their long hair because of their weight? If you ask me the only women that "deserve" their long hair are the women that care for, maintain, and patiently allow their hair to grow. A lot of women say their hair doesn't grow past a certain length, but in reality they're often too impatient to truly wait for their hair to grow out (usually the hair "breaks" not NOT grow), for which they get fed up and get it cut. Those are the women that DON'T deserve long hair -- and you sound like one of them.
Moreover, my hair is at my tailbone. I can almost sit on it. It's chocolate colored, silky, and wavy -- and 100& healthy and REAL. Girls pay for extensions to get their hair to look like mine. The only difference is that when their boyfriends touch it it's FAKE and I'm sure those guys don't get the same satisfaction MINE gets when he touches mine, cos mine is REAL, and truly sexy and beautiful.
Long hair is beautiful, but short hair is too.
Everyone has an individual, pre-set length that the hair shaft will grow to. Some people can not grow their hair past a certain length. Our genetic make-up may only allowone persons hair to grow to be eight inches before falling out while another persons hair could feasibly grow to over 25 inches before falling out.
Straight hair seems to grow faster because the length is readily evident, while curly hair seems to grow more slowly.
However, curly hair is spiraling around, which does not measure truly, until the hair is pulled straight out of the curl for its true length measurement.
Angelique - Like you, one of my daughters hair seems to grow to her shoulders and that's it, while the other daughter can grow very long hair. They are both beautiful young women, too.
I have found that my curly hair looks better longer. It falls just past my shoulders, and when wet falls to the middle of my back, but it is never that long when dry.
I would look funny with a shaved head, but I think it would be wonderful to look good with a shaved head. ;) It would be so easy and cool, but it would not look good on me.
I do get mistaken for being younger than I am and I do believe it is due to my more youthful, somewhat long hair.
Do what you feel makes you look and feel your best. Don't listen to this hair guy, he gets away with being bald and old and dictating what he thinks looks good on woman. He's just giving his opinion, it's not a fact, and he doesn't look very good himself, so he should get some humility and stop harrassing and mocking women for his own amusement.
If you look good and feel good, then that's the style for you. With hopes for everyones good fortune and happiness.
Hi! I am 37 years old and have long hair (just below my hips).Though they are thin and my height is 5ft 2". I recently have lost weight and originally do not have the tendency to put on weight. Will shortening my hair length help me put a few pounds? How short should I make them, please advice.