SHORT HAIR VERSUS LONG HAIR

Short hair versus long hair? Is that even a question worth asking?

We all know the majority will scream ‘LONG HAIR!’ at the top of their voices without even giving it a second thought.

I’m the ‘majority’ or at least I have been for almost my whole life. 

I’m not going to tell you what length is better and why, that, I believe, differs from person-to-person. 

And I think it ultimately boils down to what makes you feel beautiful. 

This will simply be a discussion of the nays and the yays of both lengths, with some Insightful anecdotes from me and some of my friends.

When most people are in their short hair stage, they hide behind wigs and weaves and beanies and hats, and whatever it is they can wear over their heads to avoid being seen with short hair. 

I am ‘most people’ or at least I have been for almost my whole life.

 

Normally I would just avoid cutting my hair, but of course sometimes life happens (how my natural hair journey started). 

And when life happened to me, two times to be exact, I always had a line-up of coverups just waiting to rescue me from my impending doom.

The horror of looking in the mirror and seeing some dude with an ‘interestingly’ shaped head that has replaced the cheery, jaw-droppingly gorgeous girl you usually see in the mirror is certainly not something you would let the public, that is used to the jaw-droppingly gorgeous you, witness.

Or is it just me again?

In case it wasn’t already clear, I have always been team long hair. I have always loved the benefits that long hair afforded me, let's discuss them below.

Pros of long hair

Long hair is versatile

The list of styles you can do with long hair is endless. If you are anything like me and you love to try different hairstyles, and come up with some of your own, long hair is the ultimate hair goal.

 

It Is very easy to style

 

Gather your hair up and tie it together with a scrunchy, bomb hairstyle. 

Do two flat twists, bomb hairstyle. 

Comb it with a pick, bomb hairstyle. 

...And the list is goes on. 

So even if you are not into testing out hairstyles or getting creative with your own, long hair is still an ultimate hair goal. 

You can just have a few easy go-to hairstyles and they’ll look so good you can go to work, on a date, to a wedding, a party…or even another country without feeling out of place. 

That has to say something.

 

You get some love from strangers

People look at you and wonder how in the world you were able to cultivate such long and beautiful hair. 

Strangers will compliment you and sometimes engage you in a conversation about your hair. This could be a good or a bad thing depending on who you are, but for me, It’s a very nice feeling. 

You know that you are doing something right for your hair.

 

But… Here are the not-so-ideal things;

Cons of long hair

Very long wash days

Long hair will undoubtedly take up a lot of your time when you have to wash it. 

Some people dedicate a whole day to complete a full hair-washing routine. 

Shampooing, conditioning and deep condition, detangling, moisturizing, steaming, all sorts of steps according to their chosen regimen. 

Because of the excess amount of time it needs, you might not be able to wash your hair as frequently as you’d like. For example, when you are writing your exams, you might struggle to find a full day you can give for washing your hair.

…And anyways, who wants to wash hair all day?

 

Shrinkage

For the longest time, I honestly thought this friend of mine had very short hair until she stretched it out for me, and it went all the way to shoulder length.

 I was dumbfounded, not because I wasn’t aware of ‘natural hair shrinkage’ but because of the magnitude of the shrinkage. What’s the point of having long hair if the whole world thinks you have short hair?

 

Complicated night routine

As your hair grows longer you will find that you have to do some sort of protective style before you go to bed to avoid breakage, tangling and matting. Whether it’s putting your hair in twists, braids, or bun, It is a process. 

No more jumping straight to bed because your hair will suffer.

 

You come to know humidity as an enemy

Well, let’s be honest, who enjoys humid conditions anyways?

 

a friend of mine once told me that one day she was making a trip across the country and decided to straighten hair because, why not? 

The trip lasted all day, but she reached her destination before sunset.

 

She told me how shocked she was when she could not identify herself in the mirror of a restaurant she was walking towards. 

After a while, she was able to identify parts of her, first her clothes, then her full figure, and then her face. 

The problem was the hair!

It was a puffy blow-dried-looking afro although she distinctly remembered straightening it that morning.

 

 After realization set in, that the humidity experienced throughout her travel had ruined her hair, she scurried into a nearby cosmetic, bought a scrunchy and tied her hair up in a bun, never again to straighten her hair during potentially humid conditions.

 

I have had a few similar, rather careless, though less embarrassing experiences, usually on my bantu knots and twist out. 

And this, to me, has to be the most frustrating thing. 

Humidity will just straight up, without warning, steal your thunder. 

And when you finally realize it, a couple of hundred people across the country will probably have questioned your sanity.

 

There are many more frustrations to bare; long hair is more prone to split ends, almost impossible to comb when dry and not very easy when wet and it Tangles up easy. 

However, for the longest time, I’d turn a blind eye to all these frustrations, just to enjoy the benefits of having long hair.

 No pain no gain, right?

Until my recent big chop, I was unwilling to give short hair a chance, and don’t get me wrong, I still love long hair (perhaps, still, even a teeny bit more than short) I have just learned to appreciate both without any coverups.

And with short hair, I did have some sweet experiences. Experiences that make putting off growing my hair for a few months later(maybe even more), seem worth  doing.

I cannot remember a time in my life when I needed only five minutes (or less) for my hair before going out. And that is, according to me, the best thing about having short hair.

Here are more reasons why short hair is amazing:

 

Easy and fast wash days

 

With short hair, you do not have to dedicate a whole day for doing hair, its unheard of. You may still have to follow a similar washday routine, but you’ll find that it takes far less time to complete.

 

Ability to frequently wash your hair

 

Because washdays are easier on short hair, you will be able to wash your hair as frequently as you want. You won’t have to worry about long hours spent detangling, or long hours spent airdrying. All these processes are completed fast with short hair.

 

Easy night-time routine

 

How hard can it be to moisturize your hair and slap on your scarf or bonnet before going to sleep? Not hard at all! And depending on your specific night-time routine, it may be even easy

 

Not easily damaged

 

One of the things that pose a significant threat to our hair is split ends. A major cause of split ends is friction.

 Friction from your clothes, from your shoulders, if your hair is that long. Since your hair is short, it’s never subjected to any of these damaging factors, and that makes for healthy hair.

 If your hair isn’t long enough to accrue friction from your shoulders and clothes, another big contributing factor to damage is manipulation.

 All the styling together with some products you may use, and even combing, will contribute to hair damage. 

With short hair, you don’t have many options for manipulation, hence your hair will be healthy, subject to proper care.

However, there are some nays here as well:

It’s very hard to style

 

If you are anything like me and love to try new hairstyles, this is an absolute bummer. With short hair comes a massive limitation to what you can do with your hair. 

oftentimes, you’ll find there is nothing you can do with your hair. 

I’ve, however, discovered that this Is not a bad thing, it only means more time on your hands for other things.

 

If you decide to style your hair (bantu knots, twist outs, etc), it will be tedious

 

If you do decide to try out some curly hairstyles like bantu knots and twist outs, you are In for the frustration of your lifetime. 

Unless of course you are very ambitious and have enough motivation. Otherwise, it is a tedious thing to do and you will feel it.

 However, the results may be very pleasing and worth the effort(not most time).

 

You might not feel very beautiful

 

Most of us do not cut our hair because we are afraid of how we will look. 

Sure enough, because of unfamiliarity, you’ll feel like you do not look good, especially in the first few days and sometimes every once in a while.

This is inevitable for most people, but it only needs some getting used to. Once you are used to how you look in short hair, you’ll probably start to feel better.

 

One thing that both hair lengths have in common though, is the need for a proper hair care routine.

 This hair care routine, usually referred to as regimen, will look different for both lengths, with long hair requiring a more elaborate and intensive routine. 

Short and long hair both have their fair share of pros and cons, but both are a true definition of you.

What length of hair are you comfortable with and why?

 

HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR ON NATURAL HAIR IN THE COMING WEEKS.

How to create a regimen for short/long hair.