The day before yesterday, I was reading a book that mentioned a woman who wore her hair in a Psyche Knot. I was mildly interested in knowing what that looked like, and also I am on the lookout for new ways to wear my hair up, so I searched online. Several hours later, I was still watching YouTube hair tutorials on various hairstyles, complaining to Paul about how SO MANY PEOPLE have NO IDEA they’re no good at YouTube tutorials.
Anyway, I rediscovered a community I’d been a part of the last time I grew my hair long (pre-YouTube). My hair was about halfway down my back, and I’d just discovered email lists, and those two things converged and caused me to discover there were people who were more than just mildly interested in long hair. GOODness. There were daily discussions about things like the absolute maximum temperature of water that should ever touch your hair, the only hair products that should ever touch your hair, all the hair products that should NEVER touch your hair or else you might as well cut it off because it was permanently ruined, and so on. Things could get pretty heated (BUT NOT ABOVE 90 DEGREES).
A good thing about human beings is that if you have an interest, there’s a community for that. It may be a small community or it may be a large community, but there IS a community.
A good thing about the internet is that it is one billion times easier to find and join and gather together that community. I’m imagining trying to put together a Long Hair Club in my town. Hm. But online? EASY. There are tons of them already in progress. And because it’s online, the groups are meeting any time, rather than Tuesdays at 8:00.
The less-good thing about human beings is that if there’s a community, there’s snobbery and competition. Some of the hair styles I was looking at were listed as being good “even for short hair.” Do you know what “short hair” means in the long-hair community and nowhere else? Halfway down your back. Yes, you are put into your place pretty much right at the get-go. But the good news is that you DO HAVE A PLACE.
And in fact, you have your CHOICE of places. Short-haired newbies who KNOW their place are more than welcome: people higher in the ranks need admirers and students. Or do you want to appreciate long hair without growing it yourself? There are long-hair groupies. Do you want to style other people’s long hair? You are a valuable commodity. Can you effectively and efficiently teach others about styling long hair without saying “Um…yeah, so…” every other sentence and ceasing all progress on the hair style every time you wander off the topic, which is continually? PLEASE MAKE A YOUTUBE VIDEO.
Weirdly, I found myself looking at YouTube hair how-to videos last night. I liked the ones I watched on The Small Things blog and thesundayproject.net. I can’t say this is a community I plan to revisit, but I was mildly tempted to buy some bobby pins and hot rollers.
I had to laugh at this. My hair is nearly waist-length and I still find myself wondering if it’s long enough for some of the styles!
I was pretty happy with the Torrin Paige videos, I think, so if you’re still mildly interested in hairstyles hers might be worth glancing through.
I never knew that long hair had a community, nor did I know that people were concerned about how hair should grow. Doesn’t it just grow? I mean, that’s what my hair does. It grows- ridiculously fast too. Every couple of years I chop it to just above my shoulders, and then let it grow out. Three years later, it will be basically waist length and annoying and time to be chopped again.
I love the hair tutorials on The Small Things Blog, but, I also have similar hair as hers (shoulder length, fine-to-medium). By watching her videos, I realized that I have NO IDEA what I’m doing when it comes to styling my hair. She is a great teacher!
Hahaha! Try being vegan 95% of the time, and joining an online vegan community because you think it might be neat to share your recipes and get new recipes and tips. OH MY. Let me just tell you that you pretty much never want to join an online vegan community and I’ll leave it at that.
It’s so interesting you mentioned this, because just a few days ago I was looking up the ingredients in my shampoo (just out of mild interest) and ran across a forum where folks were EXCORIATING Ave*da for “pretending to be all natural” but actually putting dimethawhatsit and “those horrible cones” in their shampoo. Turns out, it’s still good enough for me, but I think those folks would believe I am the hair equivalent of a fallen woman.
This is one of those posts that has me narrowing my brows, squinting one eye, and looking at you suspiciously. Is this REALLLLY about hair? Or, rather, only about hair? I’m nodding along, regardless.
Ha! “Things could get pretty heated (BUT NOT ABOVE 90 DEGREES).”
I recently joined a long hair community. I haven’t seen any of the drama, but now I want to go have a look around. I do love an Internet drama.
“Do you know what “short hair” means in the long-hair community and nowhere else? Halfway down your back.”
Heh. I suspect the long hair community could just be enacting revenge for years of underrepresentation. I used to have hair down to my waist, and was often frustrated when looking for hairstyles for long hair to discover that in most salons and hairstyle magazines, that means “past the shoulders.”