ex Long Haired Blok...
 

[Closed] ex Long Haired Blokes of the Forum please....

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Had my long hair since I was 19, it's been through a dyed and crimped goth phase, the inevitable IT pony tail and subsequent jokes about there being an arsehole under every ponytail.

It's even been partnered with a beard for the UNIX work at home hippy look.

Increasingly I'm getting fed up with it. Don't really want to be like some friends who have held onto every last strand but also wary of the terrible middle aged haircuts that ex long haired friends have ended up with.

Half thinking of going on Amazon, getting some clippers and going for shaved. T'other half is dead set against it and I'm a tad worried I may have an odd shaped head and suddenly go down with ManFlu for a month thanks to the sudden exposure.

Anyone any advice - serious or comedy. It's a dull Friday after all.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:16 am
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Pigtails?


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:19 am
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I think you need to post a picture of yourself with long hair so we can [s]photoshop it remorselessly [/s]see your face shape


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:24 am
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Man bun. Take pics


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:25 am
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I used to have long hair, now go for Grade 2 all over every month...


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:25 am
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I think this'd look good on you

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:27 am
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If it's thinning you either need to embrace the bald and go full Terry Nutkins, or just deal and get a boring normal haircut and keep it tidy. I'm an ex-longhaired balding chap, and I would buzz it all off but the missus won't let me*, so I have a dull, receding short-back-and-sides, and wear hats a lot.

(* I could obviously do what I want with my hair if I really cared, but I like an easy life.)


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:28 am
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I went with "long but not ridiculously so," kinda Dave Grohl (in my head, probably closer to Homeless Drifter in reality).


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:30 am
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I had mine long for about 15 years and yep, it was becoming a pain in the arse (I remember in particular a windy day at T in the Park where it was constantly in my eyes, for some reason that kind of broke the camel's back). But it still took me ages to get it cut, because I had no idea what to do with it. That was just a skill that had atrophied because every haircut I'd had since I was in school was "just tidy it up a bit"

So I went to a good hairdresser (usually I go to a barber, this was definitely a stylist) and said "I haven't a clue what to do with all this, but I want rid of it. It's got to be low maintenance, fairly helmet hair resistant, no "product" because I need to fall out of bed and run a comb through it and go to work". And then just sat back and let her take care of business. Sorted. Came out boring but functional, but if your hair's the most interesting thing about you, you're just boring. And if you're not boring who gives a **** about your hair?

It gets shorter every time but I've got some decent sized scars on my noggin so not sure a buzz cut is a good idea, otherwise I'd have done that already.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:33 am
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Had my hair about nipple-length* from around '92 to '01.

Since then I've told the hairdresser "Grade 2 side-and-back and messed up on top" with varying degrees of success in the range of "looking OK" to "looking like a bog-brush" depending on how long it is before I can be arsed to go for my next trim.

*As in it reached my nipples, as opposed to being the same length as my nipples


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:38 am
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I had my shoulder length hair buzzed the day I stopped being a student. I wish I'd figured out earlier that a grade 1 is the lazy option. I don't even own a comb.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:38 am
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Pigtails?

Reigns!!

Ever since I was 14 I've been growing my hair long then shaving it off again, I've been short haired for about 5 years now but still haven't settled on a style. I generally just shave it off but leave it a bit longer on the top and leave it scuffy. I'm going thinner now though, and not around the waist!!


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:45 am
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Had the same dilemma, eventually cut my hair for a job interview and looked like a rubbish version of Hugh Grant, hated that then after surfing at Llangenith my mate says he needs a hair cut so we went to Taffys in the Uplands, I ended up with a number 3 and had that for years.

One thing to watch out for, it may grow back curly 😯


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:53 am
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It gets shorter every time

That's generally what happens at a barber's.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 10:56 am
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Embrace your hair chaps. 🙂


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:24 am
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I'm toying with the buying clippers approach too, I'm phenomenly lazy, can't get to the barbers in the week, resent wasting my w/e on such a mundane chore, so my hair gets longer and longer, till I look like marge simpson (not blue mind) and my wife hacks at it with the kitchen scissors. Can't help thinking grade 4 all over would do the trick, could do my beard at the same time for ease!


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:31 am
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Cougar - Moderator

That's generally what happens at a barber's.

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:45 am
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Flat-top


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:48 am
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It'll save you a fortune in shampoo if you take the clippers to it. It's pretty liberating once it's done.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:51 am
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How old are you OP?

If you're over 33 then you just go to the barber and ask for a short haircut and that's the end of it.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 11:52 am
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Ignore what people may think and get yourself to a decent hairdresser, somewhere like Toni and Guy and book an appointment with the Style Director. They're usually someone with a wealth of experience who can advise and listen at the same time.

That's what I did when I got rid of my long hair after a 12 year partnership. Never looked back.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:00 pm
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had long hair through my student years - was half way downy back. got to the point where i didn't like it, but had no clue what cut i wanted. went to a decent salon and let them sort it out. best thing i ever did


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:05 pm
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Half thinking of going on Amazon, getting some clippers and going for shaved. T'other half is dead set against it and I'm a tad worried I may have an odd shaped head and suddenly go down with ManFlu for a month thanks to the sudden exposure.

I had shoulder length hair when I was at uni, went straight to a zero clippered a couple of years after graduation.

What you look like with your hair in a tight ponytail is pretty much what you'll look like with a buzz cut. Get the clippers out.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:24 pm
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The only thing I do regret, is not having a bit of fun with it as it went away- I was on short notice as I wanted it gone before a job interview. If I'd had the time I'd have gone full pat sharpe for a while.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:24 pm
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Clippers +1.
Many years ago I looked like I was in Hanson .
I cut it very short and my mother didn't recognise me when I knocked on her door.

Note - we need before and after pics to brighten up our miserable lives..
especially if you visit a "style director".


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:26 pm
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I once sported a side parting and 90's curtains, then centre parted and curtains, then in 96' I swept it all back and never looked back.

^^ that pick up there was taken of me early 00's in a brief moment of "I'll bring it forward today" some photographer or other wanted something "in keeping with the times" Once I stepped out of the studio I swept it back again nd it's been like that, and will stay like that until probably next week when I get bored.

In all honesty, get the back cut, keep the top longish and sweep it all back..

Unless you are going thin, in which case the clippers is the best bet.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:29 pm
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Had long hair for years as couldn't think of how to have it and hate going to the barbers. Clippered it myself last year to 12mm and haven't regretted it for a second.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:31 pm
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it was biking that made me get mine cropped short. I couldnt get a decent helmet fit and when i did teh extra insulation of hair made me sweat like a rapist.

I`m no3'd every couple of months. i toy with growing it out again but, to be brutally honest , i cant be arsed.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:31 pm
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I had dreadlocks for a decade which were down to my rse. one very hot summer it got too much as I was almost passing out in the heat so I grabbed the clippers. five minutes later is was grade 1 up top and about a stone lighter.

bar the occasional moment where I think about my youth I have not missed my hair one bit. run the clippers over my head and face once every couple of weeks and that's it job done.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:39 pm
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I used to have shoulder length hair and now that I'm thinning I wish I could have it long again. Not a pony tail though ...


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:42 pm
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I'd hate to have hair again.
It's an inconvenience of the highest order.

My Ray Reardon / Dracula style gets cropped every four weeks and has never seen a brush or a comb for 10 years.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 12:43 pm
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Posted : 04/03/2016 12:43 pm
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I had long hair until I was 25. At one point to my waist but they were dreads. Had them cut out at 23ish after someone I used to know who also had dreads cut through one of his and it was full of maggots! 😯 He was pretty lacks on the personal hygiene front though.

Most of my old band mates also had their long hair cut a little later but now nearly all of them have got long hair again in their 40s. Even though I still have most of my hair on my head I don't think I could be arsed with all the hassle of long hair anymore.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:15 pm
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That's what I did when I got rid of my long hair after a 12 year partnership. Never looked back.

I would if I were you, it might be a mullet.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:39 pm
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Ignore what people may think and get yourself to a decent hairdresser, somewhere like Toni and Guy and book an appointment with the Style Director.

😆


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:47 pm
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Mid-back length and henna dyed from about 19 to 22, then a 90s bleached number 2 and floppy fringe, from about 25 to my mid-30s spiked up and dyed various colours. At this point had a relapse and let it grow out again for a couple of years, but ended up looking like this . . .

[img] [/img]

. . . so relented and went back to spikes, but can't be arsed with dying it any more so it's all a bit shades of grey these days . . .

[img] [/img]

. . . easy to maintain ("number two and trim on top") and easy to 'style' - slap on a bit of fibre putty and rough it around a bit. 30 seconds to do at most and a bit more interesting than a 'short haircut'.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:54 pm
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cinnamon_girl - Member

Embrace your hair chaps

Eh?
I've had a pony tail (never loose) since I was 18.. I'm not mid 40's and am receding badly, and again my head is going to look bizarre shaved & g/f has said don't do it... TBH I'm struggling with what even a good hairdresses/stylist could do..
This thread had given me hope but it fading.. just like my fringe


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:55 pm
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If you're going from long to shaved I'd recommend a transitional phase [img] [/img]

Had one for a couple of weeks after getting bored of long hair fun but a lot of effort to get it up, though the missus might help fnar.

*not a pic of me


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 1:59 pm
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I'm a tad worried I may have an odd shaped head

Everyone has an odd shaped head.
Book an appointment with this guy,don't ask for extras.
[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 2:04 pm
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Do wonder if you chaps would be better off speaking with a female stylist who can unleash her creative side so as to make you look hot, or even hotter as the case may be.

😉


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 2:09 pm
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Started growing mine again 18 months ago, initially just to wind up my wife.

People reckon it suits me and I've enjoyed doing it again.
Everyone is under strict instructions to let me know when it gets too thin.
I'll give it another six months, then back to a crew cut.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 2:21 pm
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Brad Pitt managed nicely in his zombie film. Google it and his after shave adverts. I tried it for a while but have now ended up with a sons of anarchy style greased back , it looks a bit biker, but homeless but the main judge in my life -mrs- likes it and work have never objected it joked about it. I am lucky as I am blessed with thick hair even now into my 40s.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 2:39 pm
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If I could post picks, I'd put one up of me with a bright red Mohican whilst wearing a wedding suit!


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 3:01 pm
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Didn't have mine cut at all for 15+ years. Was down to my waist!

Started thinning rapidly so off it came.

No1 all over.

Best thing I ever did. 3 minutes to have a shower. No shampoo to buy. No wet hair to dry. No comb needed. Just lots less pissing about in general.

I give it a no1 every 10 days or so. £10 for a set of clippers every couple of years.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 3:35 pm
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I had long hair and it was a pita but I still liked it. Was terrified to cut it off, it ha become too much part of my identity. Tried some hair styles with wax then went for grade 2 crewnfor a while and settled on a grade 3-4 ish. Thought I would have a odd head too. So much easier with short hair and I can't be doing with products.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 3:43 pm
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senor j - Member

Clippers +1.
Many years ago I looked like I was in Hanson

My work nickname was Mmmbop! (I ride an mmmbop in tribute)
When someone pointed out i was thinning I bought clippers and went short for a few years. Since it combined with my physique to make me look like I'd just been liberated from a concentration camp, I'm experimenting with a short back and sides these days.

I miss being able to hide behind the sheet of hair when I get nervous, and the attention of wimmins stopping me in the street to ask whether I dyed it so blond/what shampoo I use/whether I straightened it.
I don't miss the barmaid in my local telling everyone "he's got babby soft hair, feel it!" so I'd end up being stroked by the resident pissy-fingered drunks.
Will always regret not spiking it before getting shot though, but seemed like too much effort


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 4:05 pm
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Same as many others, I had long hair as a stooodent. Cut it off after getting my first job, although in the meeting where I was offered the job, I did negotiate to keep it for a few weeks as I had tickets to see Iron Maiden and really really wanted to keep it for that 🙂

Had the obligatory floppy fringe in the nineties.

Now I ask for a grade two back & sides "and tidy up the top".


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 4:28 pm
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Mine started getting thin and that was it off with the lot. Short is much easier, but I still miss it.
Go to a decent barber though, worth the money, IMHO obviously.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 4:31 pm
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Once you cut it off you will suddenly notice the lack of any attention from anyone even slightly attractive

It's far too late for me to grow my long hair back as half of it has fallen out

I say keep it as one day you may no longer be able to


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 4:36 pm
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Didn't have a haircut from about 15 till 26 ended up with very long dreads. Had it cut short and suddenly the police and customs at airports were no longer interested in me. Grew it for about another 4 years then had it cut off again. Could not be arsed with long hair again but loved it when I had it. I'd go to a decent hairdresser or very funky barber and tell them youre story and see what they suggest. I'm now number 2 on the back and sides bit longer scruffy on top. Not likely to change now till it falls out.


 
Posted : 04/03/2016 4:53 pm
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*As in it reached my nipples, as opposed to being the same length as my nipples

I like that you felt the need to clarify.

🙂


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 12:41 am
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Danny79 - Member
If you're going from long to shaved I'd recommend a transitional phase

Like this?

[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 6:39 am
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Had really long hair for years in big mohwak of dreads plaits and cripmy bits that was long enough to sit on. (Mad max mixed with creaming jesus). Grew the shaved sides out to make a more respectable pony tail when I started work. Then a combination of waking up one morning with a big fury snake in bed with me (oh good im balding)and wanting more money meant that it was time to cut the lot off and go corporate. Its just got shorter until the baldy really took over. Now a razor job.


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 6:58 am
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Flat-top

But keep the back and sides long. Best of both worlds


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 9:49 am
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Enjoy it while you've got it.

Then shave it off to look better than the cover it up job.


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 9:51 am
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creaming jesus

Wut?


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 10:10 am
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I went from long hair to a 'number 4' with the clippers for a couple of years. It felt great having a complete change. Nowadays it's more normal but I can spike it up if I want. I'm not a bloke though 😉


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 12:58 pm
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Cut mine in 92 and have never been happy with it until I started growing it a couple of years ago.

So don't do it

If you want a change get it styled instead

But if I was receding or thinning it would be off like a shot


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 1:07 pm
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Had my shoulder length hair reduced to barely longer than a grade 4 just before my uni finals.

Now it's grade 2 or 3 all over. Zero maintenance other than a rinse under the shower, no helmet hair, smart enough for work.

Honestly I don't think there's been a day in the 21 years since it was cut that I have remotely missed it.


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 5:52 pm
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Was in a metal cover band in high school till early part of uni days..so sporting long hair back then in the 90's to copy(ish) metallica/megadeth look ...most of my mates sporting long hairs as well.. then Life took over and one by one over the years my mates cutting their long hair coz of jobs / missus / growing up ... then one day I just went to the barber and said 5 on top 4 on sides please... was the last man standing though ....thinkingabout it couple of years ago though but too much grey hairs now 😐


 
Posted : 05/03/2016 8:41 pm
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Ta for the comments.

I need to persuade the missus and then go for the shaved look.
Was thinking again this weekend as I was noticing my previous Christopher Lee\Saruman look is getting a bit too much Terry Nutkins plays Saruman 🙁

Once you cut it off you will suddenly notice the lack of any attention from anyone even slightly attractive

That could open up a whole new world of problems, current missus doesn't mind me biking and doesn't want to get a bike as well. That's a keeper for me - more storage space for my n+1 🙂

creaming jesus

I get it 🙂 Linky for those that don't.


 
Posted : 07/03/2016 9:32 am
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We need before and after pics so we can [s]take the piss[/s] offer words of encouragement.


 
Posted : 07/03/2016 9:38 am
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Reading this it struck me that I went through the whole of the 90's without getting my haircut once.
When I did go into a barbers in 2000 and asked him to cut it all off his reaction was "**** me have you been on Crimewatch"


 
Posted : 07/03/2016 9:55 am