Easier to keep shorter hair healthy (sl and shorter)

longhairlover

New Member
I was just sitting here (wash day sitting under dryer no I have no life) thinking about my mothers hair, for years well forever she has always loved short hairstyles, she just doesn't like long hair, and I mean halle berry length or shorter, it looks really great on her.

Her hair has always been 10x's healthier than any long haired person i've known (including myself), she trims regularly doesn't even do deep conditioning and her hair is in tip top shape always. Yes she's a retired hairstylist so she knows how to care for her hair, but she always took care of my hair but it still always has it's moments.

when I was younger and my hair was sl (chinese bobs etc) it was healthier than now apl and times when I was bsl.

I am not saying the people with long hair do not have healthy hair because my hair is healthy but just not as healthy as hers or other people that I know that keep their hair shorter (sl or shorter), she relaxes her hair, washes daily and keeps it simple, I have a simple reggie too but i'm always finding split ends battling dry ends, and I moisture use the best of products and I know how to take care of hair but it still has moments.

I have read articles that say longer hair is harder to keep moisturized because the longer the strands the harder it is for the natural oils of the hair to reach those ends which sometimes is the reason for some of us long haired ladies having splits and dryer ends. Longer hair is always snagging onto something blowing all over the place in the wind and must be wrapped up at night.

So what do you ladies think about this?

Do you think shorter hair is easier to keep healthy? I do. Women with longer hair sometimes are more reluctant to get trims (i'm guilty of this) women that wear their hair shorter get more trims and the natural oils can get to those ends better.
 

mzcris

New Member
You know when I wore my hair short like your mom; my hair was very healthy and strong. Now I'm shoulder length and my goal is to be APL; but I must admit the longer my hair gets the more work I have to put into it...although it's healthy I find myself working so much harder to keep it that way. My initial goal was BSL but of course I changed that because of the work that goes into longer hair. Having longer hair has it's benefits just like shorter hair; but be ready to put in the work. Especially with those ends :)
 

Bellamystic

New Member
Hair about 4 or 5 inches past the shoulder should be easier to take care of because it usually falls off of the clothing. To me shoulder length is the hardest to care of because bunning and other protective styles is even harder to do. Your mom may have healthy, short hair because it is almost NEVER touching any surfaces to become damaged. SHoulder length hair is the hardest stage of hair growth to me because if you are not protective styling the hair seems to stop at a halt. So, maybe hair shorter/longer than shoulder length may almost have the same benefits. And yes, short hair will have more natural oils than longer hair, but moisturized strands should be part of anyone black woman's regimen anyways.
 

QUEENJAMES231

Well-Known Member
i think it's healthier, because its new hair, but after all the manipulation you have to go thru with short hair it def.takes a turn. I know i love short hair too, but before I started my HHJ I had to put so much work and so many salon visits into maintaing it, that it still ended up dry and brittle. But now i'm noticing that as long as i am consistant with my reggy all my hair is healthy
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
I think it depends on how you take care of your hair at any length. Plenty of long hair looks great while plenty of short hair looks jacked. If short hair were so much easier, practically every shorthair would have bangin' hair...yet the don't.
 

longhairlover

New Member
oh yeah my ends are driving me nuts, i'm really getting tired of dealing with it, I do everything i'm supposed to do with my hair but still those darn ends.

your right it's stress going past sl.



You know when I wore my hair short like your mom; my hair was very healthy and strong. Now I'm shoulder length and my goal is to be APL; but I must admit the longer my hair gets the more work I have to put into it...although it's healthy I find myself working so much harder to keep it that way. My initial goal was BSL but of course I changed that because of the work that goes into longer hair. Having longer hair has it's benefits just like shorter hair; but be ready to put in the work. Especially with those ends :)
 

longhairlover

New Member
I feel those are the shorter haired folks that don't take care of their hair, so yeah it will look jacked up.

your right if hair is not taken care of it will be jacked up no matter what length.

but for the healthy shorter heads it is easier, like others said you are constantly trimming and getting rid of the dead hair, that's why men have healthier hair.



I think it depends on how you take care of your hair at any length. Plenty of long hair looks great while plenty of short hair looks jacked. If short hair were so much easier, practically every shorthair would have bangin' hair...yet the don't.
 

LisaLisa1908

What 40 looks like.
Also, men have healthier hair because they use MUCH less heat than women as a whole.

More hair = more care. Period.
 

jamaraa

Well-Known Member
I feel those are the shorter haired folks that don't take care of their hair, so yeah it will look jacked up.

your right if hair is not taken care of it will be jacked up no matter what length.

but for the healthy shorter heads it is easier, like others said you are constantly trimming and getting rid of the dead hair, that's why men have healthier hair.

No, men do LESS of everything to their hair (not just the old heat chestnut either :rolleyes:) whether their hair is long or short. Plenty of BM have great long hair. Men tend to not jump on bandwagons and use prods/techniques other than the tried and true. Women who do some or all of these things also have hair in good shape I find, no matter the length.

I have long hair and I consider shorter lengths harder to care for which is why I never chose a short style. Isn't this why most women around here want to grow their hair out...well at least ONE of the reasons? :grin:

Most of the women who have short jacked hair seem to do too much to it, not the other way 'round methinks. It's not neglect (benign or otherwise) but overload.
 
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KiSseS03

Well-Known Member
Long hair definitely takes more care, but it can definitely be done. Short hair has a whole other set of issues, for instance stretching for me was horrible at short lengths! I'll take longer strands any day.
 

Solitude

Well-Known Member
This is true. I also like the way hair between SL and APL with blunt ends looks. It just looks so healthy, and swings nicely.
 
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