Long hair on men these days will certainly cause him to stand out from the crowd. Society changes, trends come and go, but there are always people who want to be themselves, and not conform to society’s ways of how one should have their hair. More and more men are starting to grow their hair out again.
After years of men having boring short hair, they are now starting to realize that they can pull off long hair also. Whether that be styled hair with bangs, shoulder-length hair, mid-back length, or longer hairstyles – they can all look great if the hair is maintained well.
There are also hair growth supplements men can take to help prevent hair loss and keep hair looking healthy.
And let’s not forget, there are many women out there who love long hair on a man.
There are so few men with long hair these days, you’ll almost certainly get plenty of female attention because guys with long hair are in short supply!
Men deciding on growing out their hair
The most important thing to think about before deciding whether or not to grow your hair long is to realize that you need to take care of your hair for it to look healthy and vibrant. It’s really not a great look to just let it grow out without washing it frequently and making it look presentable.
I think one of the reasons long hair on men is seen in a negative way by many is because people think long-haired men are lazy and don’t groom themselves. And well, I have to be honest, out of the guys who have long hair, many of them really don’t take care of it.
Women tend to spend a lot of time grooming and making sure their hair is in good shape, whereas most men are quite the opposite, and that’s fine. I don’t think anyone excepts men to be taking as long getting ready! But it’s absolutely fine for men to pay more attention to the way they look. I mean, who doesn’t want to look good!?
Men for most of history have had long hair
It’s only in recent times that men have had their hair short. And there are several reasons why things changed in modern times, but since it stopped being common for men to have their hair really long, things have changed again.
What puts a lot of men off trying to grow their hair long is lack of confidence and worrying what others will think. And let me tell you, as a person who has had long hair for years now, I’ve had way more positive attention than negative comments. You’d be surprised just how many compliments you’ll receive from women.
I can’t even remember the number of times people ask me if they can touch my hair. They’ll simply just walk up to me in the street!
So if you want long hair as a man, then just do it! 🙂
How long should you grow your hair?
It depends on how thick your hair is and how much you have. For men with thick hair, you can grow your hair out really long, and it will stay quite thick all the way down to the tip of the hair.
For men who have finer and hair that is on the thin side, then growing long hair is possible, but you should probably aim for somewhere around the shoulders.
Ultimately it is up to you, but try to work with what you have and make it look the best it can.
How to measure hair thickness?
You can simply tie your long hair in a ponytail, and then use a piece of string to measure the circumference of your hair by wrapping it around the ponytail and then it with a pen or your finger. Then you simply straighten it out and measure with a ruler or whatever you have.
Thin hair is between 1-2 inches
Normal hair is between 2-4 inches
Thick hair is over 4 inches
If you have normal hair, you can probably go near your mid-back or a bit lower, and still, have great thickness throughout.
The longer your hair is, the harder it is to maintain thickness down to the tip. But if you have really thick hair, then growing your hair longer shouldn’t be a problem.
As you grow out your hair, you will notice that some parts of it seem to be thinner than others, but this is simply because some hairs just haven’t caught up. If you cut it, it won’t grow. And sure, it doesn’t look great, but eventually what will happen is these thin parts (as long as they aren’t damaged) will eventually thicken up as the newer hair grows out.
Advice for men who are growing out their hair
I want to cover some of the basic things a man will need to do if he wants to maintain healthy hair in the process of growing it out.
- Growing long hair starts with diet and exercise. You want to eat enough calories to maintain a healthy body weight, and get some exercise to boost metabolism. A higher metabolism will result in faster hair growth! Eating a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and plenty of protein will support the growth of your hair. This means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. Green smoothies and juices are a fantastic way to get lots of healthy foods.
- Don’t wash your hair too frequently. Leave it at least 2-3 days if you can before washing your hair. Always use conditioner, especially on the ends of the hair to prevent breakage and split ends, and your hair growth will slow, and it will just look bad.
- Don’t blow dry your hair on high setting or use excessive heat. One of the fastest ways to put an end to your hair growth or ruin what you already have is to apply too much heat to the hair. It’s can be very damaging. If you really have to blow dry it, make sure you’re using a good hairdryer on a lower heat setting. Look at purchasing a decent hairdryer, not a cheap one. If you’re going to invest time in growing your hair, then this is one investment you should make.
- No bleaching your hair. Okay, seriously, it should be an obvious one that bleaching causes damage and makes the hair to become dry and brittle. Avoid bleaching your hair if you want to maintain a healthy head of hair.
- Tight hairstyles must go. I recommend that you avoid hairstyles which will cause the hair to pull and break. Or at least don’t tie the hair up too much. Once the hair is damaged, it can’t be repaired, but only masked. It doesn’t mean you can’t wear your hair in styles that might pull, just don’t make it a habit and you’ll be fine.
- Brush your hair properly. Calm down with the brushing, don’t pull the hair hard so that it breaks. Make sure you use a quality brush. And remember to never brush your hair when it is wet. This is one of the worst things you can do and I see people do it all the time. When the hair is wet it becomes stretchy and is prone to breaking when put under stress. Also, brushing down the hair will spread the natural oils from the scalp and keep the hair healthy.
- Deep condition. Every once in a while, use a deep conditioner in your hair and leave it there for some time before washing it off. This will restore your hair’s vitality if it’s been mistreated or has been too aggressive in cleaning it, causing it to dry out.
How to choose the right hair products for your hair to get the best results
Depending on whether or not you have thin or thick hair, it’s important that you choose a product that agrees with your hair type. You’ll probably have to experiment a little here. I have personally liked herbal essences products in the past, but at times they seemed a bit too heavy for my hair. I now use shampoo and conditioner from Hugo Naturals.
Sometimes you’ll notice that your shampoo will stop working. One of the reasons for this can be that your hair has simply changed with time, or more a more likely cause is that there is too much product build up in your hair and you need to remove it.
Using a clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up will make the old hair products you used before work again. However, you don’t want to clarify your hair too much because this can cause the hair to break. And if you’ve never tried clarifying your hair before, then I’m sure this will help!
Learn more about choosing the right clarifying shampoo.
Be aware of certain hair products
- Heavy products. Don’t choose products that will weigh down your hair, or cause a build-up of oil and grease on the scalp, which can cause scalp problems like dermatitis and hair loss.
- Hair Repair Products. Any products that claim to repair hair will only offer a temporary solution. You must deal with the problem before it gets worse – which usually means cutting off the bad and damaged hair. I went for too long before where I had lots of damaged ends and it looks bad. When I got my hair cut, it looked so much healthier.
- It’s Natural. Just because something is ‘natural’ doesn’t mean it’s always best. Be sure to do your research on any individual product and look at reviews. Yes, it can be good that a product has mostly natural ingredients, but there are also good hair products that contain synthetic ingredients and don’t actually cause damage to the hair. They just make it look clean and healthy.
Having second thoughts during the ‘awkward phase’ of growing out your hair?
When growing out your hair from a short length, you’ll eventually reach a state known as the awkward stage, where the hair is getting in the way, or you might feel it looks stupid.
Depending on your hairstyle before, it may grow out unevenly and you might not like it, so in this case, you could go to a stylist so they can make changes to make it more presentable and better for you to manage. You will get past this stage, and reach your desired length. So just hang in there! I know too many guys who have cut off their hair at this stage.
As you’re growing out your hair, develop a daily routine or ritual for your hair care
Every day we have these rituals that we follow. Whether that might be waking up and having a cup of coffee and watching the morning news or going for a jog each morning.
We want to get into the habit of also taking a few minutes out of your day to take care of your hair. Develop a routine so that it becomes a natural part of your day so that it becomes automatic. The only bad hair is neglected hair, so look after it and it will surely look amazing!
If you’re losing hair, what should you do?
A lot of men experience hair loss, but fortunately, there are solutions and you can prevent it. If you experience any hair loss or have hair loss in the family, then you ought to start preventing that from happening right now. You can look here at some tips on how to prevent androgenic alopecia if you are prone to it.
There are many things you can do to both slow down hair loss and even reverse it. The most important thing is that you act quickly because it’s really hard to predict just how fast a man will lose his hair. For some men, hair loss will not be obvious for years, but for others, hair loss can be rapid and noticeable within a year or two.
You can also consider taking supplements that help block DHT, which is the cause of hair loss in men.
How can men grow hair faster?
Many of these tips that I’ve given so far in this article have been prevention strategies and general information about how to care for your hair.
One of the most important things in growing out hair is just caring for it and to prevent any damage. That is step one. Your hair will be on your head for years, and although it’s quite strong, it can be damaged, so you must take care of it, otherwise, you could lose the gains you’ve made.
Think about this: you’ve grown out your hair, but you’ve not looked after it. Sure, your hair might belong, but is it healthy-looking? You could literally waste years, time and money because you need half of it cut off.
How fast does hair grow?
Hair grows quite slowly, usually about half an inch per month. This varies from person to person, but it’s a fairly accurate estimate for most people.
The rate of hair growth has a lot to do with genetics and lifestyle. So here is a quick list of tips to help men who wish to grow their hair faster and to maximize hair growth.
- Take a multivitamin to supply all the essential nutrients that your hair needs to go. If you’re unhealthy, it’s unlikely that resources will be devoted to hair growth.
- Take probiotics – a healthy microbiome improves hair growth.
- Eat a healthy diet of plant foods and include plenty of protein. Your hair will look so much better for it!
- Exercise daily.
- Sleep at least 7-9 hours a day.
- Don’t smoke.
- Don’t drink alcohol excessively.
- Limit stress. This is one of the biggest causes of hair loss in women, but men can also be affected by stress in this way.
- Try a protein supplement.
- Take a biotin supplement.
- Get some sunshine (vitamin D is important for hair growth). Sun can also damage your hair, so get a sensible amount of sun! At least 20 minutes a day in the summer. Alternatively, take a vitamin D supplement.
- Trim the split ends of your hair every few months and avoid scissors all other times.
- Warning: Don’t cut your hair because your family or friends want you to. 🙂
- Drink lots of water. Water, tea, or just. Just make sure that you’re drinking enough fluids.
Good luck in growing out your hair!
You’ll have long hair before you know it! If you follow all of these steps, it will give you a higher chance of success in growing your hair out much faster, and it will look much healthier than probably 90% of guys out there who have long hair.
I encourage you to read the other articles below, which compliment some of the advice I have shared in this article.
Long hair on men is cool! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
No Comments