Long hair for females and short hair for males! Since when? where? Guys have been wearing long hair since forever and its more common than you think.
During the ensuing centuries, male hair lengths varied widely, according to nationality, occupation, age, social status and passing fashion. Long hair was not out of the ordinary, from lower to upper class men typical hair lengths remain much longer than a woman:
In fact, really short hair on men wasn’t introduced until World War One, when very short hair was introduced to eliminate lice in the troops.
Hair is highly communicative, allowing individuals to send “messages of health, sexuality, religiosity, power” on first glance. It can be an expression of individual and group identity. The scholar Deborah Pergament has written that hair’s cultural and historic implications can be legally significant. “Inferences and judgments about a person’s morality, sexual orientation, political persuasion, religious sentiments and, in some cultures, socio-economic status,” she notes, “can sometimes be surmised by seeing a particular hairstyle.”
Research says men with long hair and beard have more self-confidence, they are not afraid of commitment and criticism. Men with long hair are natural leaders.
Of Course, growing long hair and maintaining it is not easy. You should have patience and there will be a lot of obstacles. The toughest thing is to convince people around you and the society (If you really care), Most of the guys gives up because their loved ones doesn’t approve it. I think part of the issue is kids grow up hearing their parents saying its wrong or bad and so when they are older, they assume the same. A lot of the habit and thoughts of our parents affect us and most people just don’t realize it. You have to make a conscious effort to change that part of you, because after all you spend at least 18 years of your life hearing and seeing everything they do and speak.
Here is my journey and challenges I faced while growing my hair and beard
First of all, People (especially stereotypical people) judged me like crazy. They assumed that I was a punk and cocky even when I was polite and completely normal, there was an incident wherein the interviewer just refused to talk to me just because I had long hair and wore beard and he said that right to my face. But I was strong enough not to give up so easily.
It was really awkward when I was in transition stage. I could neither tie a pony/bun nor the hairband helped me as my hair was not too long but not too short. It was hard to work out in gym and to travel as my hair used to fly around.
Another funny but weird moment is when I don’t know whom to blame when I find hair strand in my food, it could be mine or my mom’s… I’m not sure😊
Now comes the most important thing, Maintenance. Choosing right products for your hair and beard plays a vital role because there was a point when I went crazy because of my hair fall and improper beard growth, I almost decided to cut my hair and trim my beard off.
After intense research I decided to go for sulphate & paraben free shampoo and conditioner which should have stopped my hair fall problem but didn’t. During the research I bumped into Bodycafé, I was reluctant initially but I contacted Bodycafé for their advice because there was nothing to lose right :). I explained my situation to them and I was impressed with their depth of knowledge about hair and beard and to my surprise I was not judged for my annoying questions.
Some of the tips they gave me includes: -
1. Regular exercise to increase the testosterone level in our body.
2. Using proper products for your hair which may differ for different individuals.
3. Never comb when your hair is wet as your hair is most vulnerable when its wet (U may notice more hair fall when you sweat).
4. Gently massage scalp and beard hair with their oil to increase the blood flow.
Growing long hair and beard and the way I look have increased my confidence. I no longer feel shy or conscious about my looks. I am not camera shy anymore, I can change my looks by changing my hairstyle in seconds and more important I am happy that I have checked one of my wishes in my bucket list.
Every Individual is different and million people have million opinions. The first and the most important thing is to trust your instincts and guts. You are the best judge for yourself, you’ll have to impress yourself before anyone else. If you like growing long hair with/without beard and you feel good about yourself, just go for it.
Best wishes,
Nishanth gowda.