Lair of Fair Hair

56 inches.

No, that's not how tall I am. That's how long my hair is.

My hair is not "long" (defined as a few inches past the shoulders) nor "very long" (defined as below the waist), but it is considered "extremely long," i.e. it is to my knees, maybe a little past that. My last serious haircut (because everyone asks) was the summer of 1995. Since then, it has only been trims whenever I feel the split ends have taken over my head.

Let's get this straight: kids may call me Rapunzel in the supermarket, but I do not have magical hair. It tangles, it splits, it tends to frizz, especially at the beach. I sit on it. I've stepped on it and did a not-so-graceful tumble. I've closed it in the car door (but not an elevator door yet; I get asked that too). It catches on doorknobs or in the door itself and yanks me backwards after I'm already two steps away, and yes, I've fallen on my keister because of that. Kids sneak up behind me and pull it, then run away giggling. My kitty has attached himself to my bum in his attempt to attack it. I once leaned over while vacuuming, had a bunch to fall and get sucked into the canister area, and instantly lost eight inches. Surprisingly, it did not pull at my scalp. It simply ripped.

Basic facts: my hair is brown. I was born blonde, went red when I was 9, and from there it's been getting darker.

History of Hair: It was the 80s. Yes, I did the perm thing. Yes, it looked hideous. That is why you will never see pictures of me from between the years 1987 and 1991. Trust me, it was bad. A few times, I used "Sun In" to lighten my hair, especially when I was transforming into a redhead. I wanted to be blonde again. It seriously killed the hair of both me and my little sister. Nasty stuff!

The only time I dyed my hair was 1997, my senior year of high school. My hair was going red again, so I wanted to try something darker. It was my mother's suggestion to go with "blue-black" hair. Hey, if Mom gives you permission, you go for it! That's all been cut out by now. My hair is "virgin hair," not treated, a nonsmoking environment (except when my upstairs neighbor throws his cigarettes into our planter), no dyed parts left, not permed or anything, I can't stand blow dryers, blah blah.

Why all this about my hair? I'm bored, sue me!

Actually, I had an intriguing interview regarding my hair recently, what inspired me to grow it, what I do with it, how I care for it, and a bunch of such questions, some which I'm asked every frickin' day.

And yes, I am sick of it, so why start your question with "I know you're probably sick of being asked this, but..." Other questions in the interview made me ponder why no one asks more intriguing questions besides "how long does it take to dry." Mein Gott! I am asked that constantly! It's to the point where someone says "Wow, you have lovely hair," and I reply with a snappy, "Three hours! Okay? It takes three hours to dry. No blow dryer. If I braid it wet, it won't dry. Ever! Otherwise, 3 hours!!!"

Honestly, I don't think about "hair care" too often. Lathe, wash, rinse, repeat, you know the drill. But I did some homework after that interview to see if I'm using something that will kill my hair in 20 years. Maybe because I had a time in middle school where my hair was falling out so bad, I actually developed a shiny bald spot the size of a silver dollar, so I'm a tad concerned if something is going to destroy my hair like that. Back then, the solution was simple: use baby shampoo and something that looked like bug tar. Yuck! Nowadays, I got into the habit of buying whatever is at the Dollar Tree. It's cheap, but who cares, right?

Turns out Dollar Tree stuff ain't half bad! White Rain conditioners are "cone free;" they do not use silicone which "glues" your split ends together only to destroy your entire hair shaft in the long run. I also buy VO5 Naturals, which is on the "good" list.

Bad news: the White Rain Naturals Lavender Vanilla Shampoo I use apparently sucks in too many ways to list. For one, it has Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (not the dreaded carcinogenic Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, but possibly just as bad, it's on the "no-no" ingredients list) plus likely half a dozen other irritant chemicals that I didn't bother to research after seeing that one. That might explain why I sometimes break out in a short-lived rash after showering. It also leaves my hair a bit dry if I wash it too frequently (once or twice a week is usually all I do). Well, it's cheap and it gets my hair clean, but maybe I'll splurge just a little.

One website suggested Kenra Moisturizing Shampoo. That runs $10-18/10oz bottle, depending on where you get it. Another was Monoi Shampoo, which has the "gentler" Sodium Laureth Sulfate (as opposed to "lauryl"). Price: $7-9/7.8oz bottle. Last suggestion I saw was the sulfate-free Back to Basics Blue Lavender Color Protecting Shampoo. At $10/11.5oz bottle, with the 33oz bottle going for $18. That might be my best deal... and it's my favorite LAVENDER!!!

Who am I kidding! I'll still buy from Dollar Tree.

Hair care:

1) rosewood boar bristle brush for daily use;
2) a plastic "worst thing in the world for your hair" brush if I need my hair quickly spot brushed and I don't have to worry about snagging;
3) a very long handled comb, meant for people with arthritis but it's awesome for brushing all the way down to the tip of my hair;
4) a jumbo hair claw, it holds my hair a little too tight, and plastic is rough-edged, but it's durable enough not to "slip" and big enough to hold all of my hair up in a bun;
5) a mega-size metal barrette of a butterfly. I get so many compliments about it, and it's the only clamp of its size on the planet known to actually fit ALL my thick hair at the nape of my neck, but only if it's dry and not twisted in a design;
6) my wrapped no-damage hair holders and variety of scrunchies;
7) a few small rhinestone barrettes if I want to get gussied up;
8) and my new favorite: handmade wooden hair sticks by the wonderful "Style Stix by Jayne" in the Portland Saturday Market. Big plug for her, since she is virtually unknown yet so awesomely affordable. The sticks were a birthday gift from my mother-in-law, custom ordered EXTRA long because Jayne's usual sticks would not go through all my hair. She was so nice to make these custom to my hair thickness, including a handmade cloth carrying case in iridescent black.

Yep, that's about it. Oh, and itty bitty tangle-free elastic bands that I only use if I'm doing tiny braids. Yeah... I told you, I'm not big on "hair care" or fancy hair products. What I have usually works, so that's what I have. Why do I need more? Not that I wouldn't mind some pretties for my hair, but I'm not big on that stuff.

So the interview I mentioned earlier had a bunch of other questions.

Who inspired you to grow your hair? A bad haircut did, combined with a teacher who "complimented" me that I was such an average, unassuming person, with average height, average weight, average hair, etc. That's not what you tell a 16-year-old trying to discover some individuality. So since I couldn't change the rest of me without getting plump or stretching on Wonka's taffy puller, I opted for "different" hair.

How do you wear your hair to bed? Depends on how tired I am. Sometimes it's loose, sometimes it's in a braid, both bug me in different ways. Loose and my husband rolls on top of it, braided and it hurts my neck. My little splurge was getting satin pillow cases to stop morning tangles. [Edit] In response to the commenter below, sleeping with a ponytail is actually really bad for your hair. It can cause horrible knots and breaks.

How long do you want to grow your hair? It's at my knees. That's good for now. I'll keep it there until that 8 inches that I lost in the vacuum cleaner catches up. After that, I'm curious how long it will get.

Do people compliment you or ridicule you? Both. I get stopped every time I go out with my hair down, so if I'm in a rush, it pays to spend a little time to twist it into a fast bun and use my plastic claw from hell. Once in a blue moon, I get the meth freak screaming at me that I'm Jezebel and I'm denying cancer children their wigs. Okay meth lady, try actually reading Locks of Love's website. They don't give to cancer kids. They give to children who will NEVER grow back their hair. Other NPOs do (Pantene for one). If I like my hair long, that's my choice, just like it was your choice to buy that crystal meth this morning. The difference is, it's not a crime to have long hair, so get over it and put down the knife.

Only once has anyone actually pulled a knife out and threatened to chop my hair, and that was my uncle... and no, he wasn't joking about doing it. I have a weird family.

There were other interesting questions that I'm too tired to recall, or the answers would be too long.

Instead, here's some interesting sites about living (and surviving) with long hair.


http://longhair.org/ - long hair club... join the club
http://www.rapunzelsdelight.com/ - pictures of insanely long hair and the designs you can make with it (I am determined to master the "sock bun")
http://www.longhaircommunity.com/ - everything to know about caring for your hair
http://the-light.com/mens/longhair.html - long hair for the laddies
http://www.savvyskin.com/shampoo-ingredients-to-avoid - watch what you buy
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196051 - good cone-free conditioners (this sort of started my whole hair binge research thing)
http://www.tenderheaded.com/ - the combs here come highly recommended, I'll likely buy one soon
http://www.longlocks.com/ - great hair sticks... wish I could afford some of these
http://www.ficcare.com/ - fancy hair clamps, wish I could afford these too
http://beyondclassic.awardspace.us/choose.html - blog on hair, including commended products, an insane collection of hair goodies, and videos on designs good for knee-length hair. I still can't do a french twist with my hair, but she does.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths - If you are growing out your hair for donation, DO NOT use Locks of Love unless you are a child. They do not use adult hair at all, but sell it to other wig makers to cover administrative costs, or they simply toss it out if it has gray or damaged from color and heat treatments.

Do you want to know that those five years of diligent care and growth were used to pay some manager's Christmas bonus, or even THROWN OUT LIKE TRASH? They also charge the patient's family for the wigs. It's a sliding scale discount, but a good friend who's family dealt with Locks of Love said it still cost them hundreds of dollars just for one wig. Plus they don't give to cancer patients, nor do they claim to do so. Folks saw commercials of bald kids and assumed that they were chemo patients. Lock of Love never openly corrected the error, which I find despicable.

Okay, correction: they give wigs to a single form of cancer where basically chemo can never be stopped, therefore the child will never grow hair. That's the only one.

Yes, they do give to children with medical needs, but I would say 90% of the people donating to Locks of Love are doing so with the intent of helping cancer kids. I have met dozens of people who come up admiring my hair with stories of how they miss their long locks, but "It's all good, I donated them to Locks of Love after I lost my mother/sister/best friend/child to cancer. It'll go to a cancer kid." I cringe in pity, and I rarely tell them the truth because they look so happy about their good deed.

If you want your hair to go to ACTUAL CANCER PATIENTS, please consider using Pantene Beautiful Lengths.