Hair Poll

[indigoiis]

Okay, my vanity is inquiring...

How do all you fellow women cyclists wear your hair? Short? Long? Medium?

Ponytails, braids, clips?

Damage from helmets?

I'm turning 40 in April. I recently lost 15 lbs. I love my new hobby. I am thinking of cutting my shoulder length hair a la Keira Knightley. Is short hair a good thing for under the helmet?

Please help me rationalize an expensive haircut.

[silver]

I'm 42.

I wear my hair longish, several inches past shoulders. for riding I wear is pulled into a ponytail with a soft scrunchy and pulled through the opening between the helmet tightening lock and the helmet. No damage from the helmet.

For endurance activities (very long rides) and triathlons, I braid it, otherwise it becomes a big dreadlock.

I would wear my hair longer if not for trimming off the damage from swimming/chlorine/sun/highlighting.

I used to wear my hair short (pre-fitness) and don't really like short hair on my anymore.....I associate it with my non-fitness lifestyle.

[csr1210]

My hair was already very short when I starting cycling and I love it. :) Super convenient, and when I take my helment off, I can just run my fingers through my hair and I'm good to go (it also dries very fast). I know a lot of long hair peeps can do that too, but my hair is higher maintenance when its long. I wore it long for most of my life, but it always looked pretty cr@ppy after any athletic stuff.

I guess it just depends on your hair....

[mimitabby]

shoulder length hair; tie it back. want to cut it short but i'm chicken

[wannaduacentury]

Long hair here, I put it in a low ponytail and it works for me. My hair grows too fast to have short hair and long hair looks better on me. It doesn't bother me w/ maintaince either-it's easier. Just my 2 cents. Jenn :)

p.s. it's long enough to braid if I want to-if I ever remember to do it since I'm into ponytails :rolleyes:

[limewave]

I'm always jealous of my friends with really short hair when we go cycling. They don't have to do anything with the hair at all. Although, I do get to make fun of them because there little spikes of hair stick out of the air holes on their helmets ;)

[7rider]

Used to have long hair that I pulled back in a ponytail for cycling.
But it's so straight and flat, that it always looked icky.
So I chopped it all off and go short now. I don't have the hair-sticking through the helmet issue, b/c I usually use a headsweat or buff, but then, that creates problems of its own. Short hair looks gross after a sweaty ride under a buff - and I'm not talented or creative enough to do anything with my buff other than wear it over my head, hanging down in the back. Nothing fancy with it.
Can't win. Levi L. has got it right.....

[coyote]

Used to be a butch cut - about a 1/4 inch all over. About once every 10-15 years I grow it out to remind myself why I like it short. This is that time period. It is just at my neck. The front is long enough to be annoying but not quite long enough to tie back. When it does, I may do the ponytail thing.

The benefit to my current hair length is that I do not need to use sunscreen on my neck. Downside is that it takes much longer for my head to dry when I've been really sweating. Gross I know.

[segolene]

Hi!

I have been athletic (and competitive) all of my life...and my hair length has gone from a "number 2" to "down to the waist" (ahem...sometimes the same year!!!). For the purpose of "looking reasonably good no matter what", I have had a rule for the past 5 years (I just turned 40): If it is short, it should be short enough so I can tuck most of it under my helmet/swim cap etc..., if it is is longer, it should be long enough so that I can make a pony tail (one that last!).
Expensive short haircut are..well...expensive...but if it makes you feel good, go for it!

Seg.

[Jolt]

Long (about mid-back length) hair here. I pull it back in a ponytail and stick it between the helmet and the fitting ring for cycling; actually, I wear it in a ponytail most of the time because it's quick and easy and keeps it out of the way. Too bad I don't know how/am not coordinated enough to braid it--that would be another nice practical way to wear it. Sometimes when it's cool out I'll just wear it down with a headband to keep it out of my face, or with a bandanna tied as a kerchief. It's actually pretty low-maintenance--no having to get it cut every six weeks like I did when I wore it really short, and I never blow-dry it (I don't have the patience to spend the time, and the sound of the blow dryer drives me crazy anyway!). It also doesn't tend to look as bad after being active or wearing a helmet or hat. I haven't noticed any damage from the helmet, just a little breakage from the elastics (resu lts in lots of little flyaway stuff that, if it's humid, sticks out every which way and makes me look like I have just stuck my finger in a light socket). An added bonus of having my hair long is that I never get mistaken for a boy (this happened on a few occasions when I wore it short, and was quite embarrassing), even though I rarely wear makeup and don't dress in anything frilly.

[GLC1968]

I have super thick curly hair. I also refuse to spend a lot of time on it. This means that my hair needs to be super short, or super long. Right now it's long, and I'm dying to chop it all off.

This was my hair when I first started riding. It didn't look good when I pulled off the helmet, but I kept a buff, bandana or baseball hat on me at all times to pull on when the helmet came off.
http://www.tranquilitysystems.com/gallery/files/4-me_shorthair.jpg

Now it's long and I can't stand it. I have WAY too much hair to wear it long, but at the same time, it's just so easy. I wear it in a big bushy pony tail and it looks the same whether I've had a helmet on or not! You can kind of see it in my avitar - that big mass sticking out of the back of my helmet!

DH finally admitted to me that he didn't like it *that* short...so now I'm torn as to what to do with it. :confused: Oh, and I'll be 40 next February.

[Pax]

I wear mine pretty short (I'm 46), it's so thick that when I try and wear it long it gives me headaches...that and I love how short hair looks and feels. The "no fuss" part of it is a bonus as well. ;)

[redrhodie]

Do it!!!! Know this, though....hair always looks like crap after being under a helmet in 90 degree temps for 2.5 hrs, whether it's long or short. Since I know you :p I know you deserve to treat yourself (and I think we all deserve a treat!). You're worth a great haircut!

I just looked at a pic of Keira, and this would be fab on you!

Oops, I just read the short-haired girls' comments, and evidently they don't look as crappy as we do! ha! Sorry if I offended anyone. I didn't know it was just me who looks like a wet dog after riding!

[Pedal Wench]

Mine is long - growing it out a little longer than usual so I can donate to Locks for Love. It's between bra-strap and waist-length right now. When it hits the waist, 10 inches will go, but still will be well below shoulders. I usually keep it just long enough that I can tie it in a self-sustaining bun, so I can twist it up out of the way whenever/wherever I want.

Every May, I get it cut to a certain length - this is just long enough for the aforementioned bun, but short enough so that when I wash it in the sink at the Bright Angel campground at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the ends don't touch the bottom of the sink which invariably has a few stray macaroni's left in it from someone else's dinner mess. Gross!:D

[Crankin]

My hair is short and gets even shorter in the summer. It looks a lot like KSH's pic.
I do have it cut every 4 weeks, and every time I try to grow it, it just looks like s***. My hair is in between curly and straight, very frizzy in humidity and even very short it requires lots of "products." I am envious of people who can just shake their head and their straight, dry hair falls out from under their helmet. I take some water from my bottle, pour it on my head and run my hands through it to get it back to looking human!

[dex]

Mohawk. Pink.

It hangs just past the shoulders in the back if I leave it down, so I just pull it back with a ponytail elastic and pop on my helmet when I want to ride.

[RoadRaven]

Certainly a range here, as you'd expect.

I had a number 1 when I was 32 after a greaduated with my Diploma. It was the best haircut I have ever had. No maintainence really, like the others here have intimated with their very short cuts - just brilliant

My hair-length is currently between my shoulder blades, and most of the time I wear it twisted up at the back and held with a shark-tooth comb.
On colder days I wear it "free" or just the front tied back.

It is much more work then short hair and I think this coming summer, as the weather heats up it will go.

The biggest hassle re cycling with long hair is when I timetrial. Hair flapping about in the wind is not aerodynamic, so I have to try and bunch it into a bun that is comfortable but doesn't poke out the back of the helmet...

[indigoiis]

Here is a picture of me a couple years ago when it was fairly short. Don't ask about the animals - I could talk about them all day.

http://www.paradisefarmalpacas.com/images/danielbeforeshearing.jpg

Here is me with it long, how it looks now:

http://www.paradisefarmalpacas.com/images/2007_naas_luna_5th.jpg

(oy vey - I didn't know the photos would be that huge... so just posted links instead.)

[HappyAnika]

I'm 31, mine is just below shoulder length. Every spring I get it cut "just long enough that I can still put it in a ponytail". The ponytail goes under the helmet, above the ring, no damage. In winter I grow it longer to keep me warm. Mine's really thick and I have a lot of it, it looks terrible if I don't blow dry it, which is a pain. I keep thinking if it were short it'd be less time consuming, but I don't like the way I look when it's short, too boyish on me. When I was in my 20's I had it down to my bum. Would braid it when doing anything active. The super long hair made me look really young, which is not a good thing for my work, so I cut it to shoulder blade length. Unless it was super short, it'd drive me nuts if I couldn't put it in a ponytail for actvities.

The alpacas are adorable!

[Ninabike]

Shoulder length here, pulled back and with buff under helmet.

[QUOTE=indigoiis;234574] Don't ask about the animals - I could talk about them all day.

How could we not ask about those beautiful animals!!

[indigoiis]

Shoulder length here, pulled back and with buff under helmet.

[QUOTE=indigoiis;234574] Don't ask about the animals - I could talk about them all day.

How could we not ask about those beautiful animals!!

Different message board altogether. ;)

Actually, we just had a little baby cria yesterday. He's wicked cute.
But you know, and this is really selfish, I'm glad I got my ride in BEFORE he was born. :cool:

[sandra]

My hair is cut asymmetrical, like Victoria Beckham (Posh! :p ) Normally I like it, but when I take my helmet off, it is worse than AWFUL!!!

[Bad JuJu]

I'm 54-staring-down-the-barrel-of-55, and it seems like the older I get, the shorter my hair gets. Yikes--by the time I'm 60, I'll be bald. ;)

Anyway, I wore my hair just above the shoulders for about 20 years (really!), and just this past January, I got it cut really short (sort of like GLC1968's, but I'm not as cute as she is). And I love it! It's straight straight straight, but after I wash it and let it dry a little, I apply some stuff my hairdresser sold me: Redken Rough Paste. It's sort of like toothpaste you put in your hair, and it lets you spike it or piece it or whatever you want and it's repositionable. After a ride, I take off my helmet, towel dry my hair, then fluff it with my fingers, eh voila! Decent-looking hair. Sure I'm still a major sweat machine, but my hair looks good. :D

(Also a good trick for after you take off your motorcycle helmet.)

[teigyr]

My hair used to be long and now it's shoulder length. The bad thing about shoulder length is that it doesn't all go into a ponytail! The GOOD part is I like it far better than before and it's healthier because the ends used to be really dry. If you scroll down to the picture, that is the length of my hair now:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=17190

When I ride, I wear a buff under my helmet and let it drape artfully down my back. I probably don't get style points but it keeps my hair from getting too dried out from the sun. When I take the buff off, my hair is usually soaked! I'll either leave it down (think drowned rat) or put it half up like Tom Cruise in Magnolia.

When I used to ride without the buff, even when my hair could go into a full ponytail, whispy bits would stick up out of my helmet. Hated it!

My opinion? Expensive hair cuts are always worth it and you should try it just to see. Worst case scenario is you don't like it and you grow it out. I think you looked good both ways but sometimes it's fun to experiment :D

And adorable animals. Good thing I don't live closer to you or I'd be finding a way to visit them :p SO cute!!!!

[MomOnBike]

My hair goes all over the place from just about shoulder length to just below the ears, as it is now.

I keep swearing that someday I'll just get mad and go into a hair place and tell whichever poor soul gets to cut my hair to just cut it at the dye grow-out. No more dying, no more hair mess. After that, I think I'll stop cutting it and live with a long braid down my back, the way I did when I was young.

[ClockworkOrange]

I'm 54-staring-down-the-barrel-of-55, and it seems like the older I get, the shorter my hair gets. Yikes--by the time I'm 60, I'll be bald. ;)

.................. And I love it! It's straight straight straight, but after I wash it and let it dry a little, I apply some stuff my hairdresser sold me: Redken Rough Paste. It's sort of like toothpaste you put in your hair, and it lets you spike it or piece it or whatever you want and it's repositionable. After a ride, I take off my helmet, towel dry my hair, then fluff it with my fingers, eh voila! Decent-looking hair. Sure I'm still a major sweat machine, but my hair looks good. :D


I'm with you on this, apart from I'm 57 - staring down-the-barrel of 58!!! As I am getting older I am getting dafter, now have short spikey hair, with blonde highlights. Important I have it cut every 5 weeks, otherwise it gets the droops.

Hmmmmm, babyfine hair sounds cute BUT IT'S A PAIN! :cool:

Fortunately, I now use KMS Hair Play Molding Paste, which my hairdresser recommended and I find it really good, although quite expensive here in the UK, am going to give Redken a try.

Sally

[short cut sally]

indi, i stopped into work today to get something and one of the girls (whom we get mistaken a lot for each other) came to me to show me her new hair do. It is so great. The front has a few strands of bangs, and then its choppy to past the ears and it also is long infront of the ears and then starts to get shorter, the back is about 1 -1 1/2 long and is just all over. The whole hair cut is piecy/choppy and she had some highlights done, her hair is dk. brown. LOVED IT. unfortunetly, i am trying to get my hair to grow out for a little bit, or else i would be in line to have that same cut. Mine is a mishmosh of lengths and ends at the shoulders. I used to have choppy hair that i curled out all over and used lots of product..loved that too, did okay under the helmet. This hair at present, as soon as the helmet is off, hair clip!
ps. love the alpacas! one of the guys i work with raises/breeds and shows alpacas. he goes to shows all over. havent' been to his farm yet. we are making a bike trip out of it, one way, then DH will pick my friend and I up.

[Dianyla]

How do all you fellow women cyclists wear your hair? Short? Long? Medium?
Where was the option for freakishly long? Mine is down to my ankles, very thick, coarse and wavy. :)

Ponytails, braids, clips?
If I have an extra 15 minutes in the morning I'll put my hair into a single low braid. However, the braid is still too long to let hang loose. If I have a jersey with a back pocket I'll stuff the braid into the pocket. Or, I'll put one or two Viking style knots (http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/graphics/pagecontent/valkyrie1.gif) in to shorten the braid up.

Usually, though, I'm in a hurry so I make a hasty loose bun at the nape that hangs low enough to not interfere with a helmet. It looks like this (http://diane.rokatek.com/hair/sloppybutt.jpg).

Damage from helmets?
I always use a Buff under my helmet. It prevents damage to wispies, absorbs sweat, and keeps things tidy. Also, having multiple buffs so I can use a clean one every other day helps reduce helmet-induced acne since it's much faster to just don a new buff than to wash the helmet foam pads that touch my forehead.

[Eden]

I have thick wavy/curly hair. I used to have it cut pretty short - think short bob above my ears, but it looked like h#ll when I'd take off my helmet, even if I only had it on for 5 min... so now my hair is a little longer than shoulder length and I always wear it back(its either that or look like Roseanne Rosannadanna......) I put it in a pony tail when riding, back with a barette when not. I find that pulled back its pretty hard for it to look too bad, even after riding. All I have to do is re-do the pony tail to take care of all of the escapee hairs and its OK looking again. I can't really braid my hair - it all just wants to pop out and just looks like a fuzzy stick...

[northstar]

Well, my hair is shorter than it's been in the past. Very easy. But long enough to get into pigtails for running or riding. I've had long, long hair and short short hair, and this seems to be my happy medium.

Edited to add: Sorry for the big pic!

[PinkBike]

indigoiis, you look absolutely adorable with short hair!!

i wear mine long so i look less mannish. its very thick and very wavy and a total pain. plus i'm growing out the bangs so they're always in my eyes.
one of these days i'll just get tired of it and go in and have it all chopped off. that's my dream but i currently am not ready!

i went to one of those hairstylist sites and had a blast playing with different haircuts. i think when finally i do it, i'll probably go with a suze orman-type cut.
4037 4038

[Python]

I had my hair very short until 18 months ago when I got fed up with it. It grows quite fast and is now bra-strap length. I usually tie it back in a ponytail when riding the bike and keep it tucked under a buff (keeps the sun off my ears - the itch like mad if I get the sun on them). For work I prefer my hair either tied back or in a French Roll or bun (not the edible type:p )

Like having long hair because you get pretty hair slides and things you can't use on short hair.

The only other thing I do is dye my hair - have been quite grey for some time now (I'm 50):o

[Tuckervill]

My hair is between my shoulders and my bra strap. It's layered, but still long enough to get in a pony tail.

What I've changed recently is going from wearing bangs (for over 20 years) to not wearing bangs--or they're really long so they go back behind my ears. I don't know if they're technically still bangs. But if I let them grow to the same length as the rest I'd look like a hippie chick from the '70s (which is just how I wore my hair in the '70s). It's not attractive on me without the long bangs. Makes my face look too round, as do short bangs as I've gotten older. I should just come out and admit to myself that my face is quite round! lol.

As I've gone past 40, and closer to 50, my formerly straight hair is getting curlier and curlier. Not curly enough to *wear* curly, and only in the BACK. bah! So I have a straight iron. It's been too hot to wear my hair down for about 3 weeks now--can't remember if I like my haircut or not.

So the pony tail goes in below the helmet, and then I take a couple of extra bands and put them an inch and half apart down the pony tail to keep it from splaying on my neck and back when I ride. It doesn't look too attractive with some of the ends sticking out, but neither does the mixed up ponytail.

Karen

[RolliePollie]

According to my trusty yardstick, my hair is 18 inches long. I just got 3" cut off last week :( I hadn't had my hair cut in over 4 months...my hair gets "scissor trauma" and misbehaves very badly for several weeks after a haircut. I am naturally blonde and have very thick, straight hair. It's almost impossible to get a good haircut.

I put my hair in two braids when I ride. It's great...they hang down in front of my shoulders most of the time or the fly back behind me if I'm going fast. I can't stand just doing a ponytail in back because it's so dang hot on my neck. Plus I think I look like a boy in my helmet if all my hair is pulled back out of sight.

It also seems that people think I'm very young when they see the two braids. Nothin' wrong with that!

[singletrackmind]

Currently nearly waist-length, thick, fine and straight so it goes into a ponytail, or multiple bands down its length as it gets longer. When it gets past the waist it goes to Locks Of Love and there's still enough for a small 'tail or just loose. Too short and I look like Moe, as in Larry, Curly and. Fun.

Worst is the brow-length bangs. I tuck them into my helmet so I can see but then they stick straight up when the helmet comes off. :eek:

[KnottedYet]

Baby-fine thin 40 y.o. hair.

It wanders around from chin length to 1 inch spikes to occaisionally just long enough to make a tiny scrawny thin ponytail.

[Pax]

Here is a picture of me a couple years ago when it was fairly short. Don't ask about the animals - I could talk about them all day.

http://www.paradisefarmalpacas.com/images/danielbeforeshearing.jpg

Here is me with it long, how it looks now:

http://www.paradisefarmalpacas.com/images/2007_naas_luna_5th.jpg

(oy vey - I didn't know the photos would be that huge... so just posted links instead.)
I have a buddy in VT who has 3 or 4 alpacas, they are adorable!!!

[Velobambina]

I'd love to wear my hair short. When I was younger and my face fuller, I could pull it off. With age, my face has gotten thinner and unfortunately, short hair would not be flattering. I have a square jaw & high forehead. More importantly, I can't be bothered styling/drying/fussing with my hair. I'm a wash-comb-and-go kinda gal. My hair is wavy but fine.

I've added partial highlights to my single-process hair color to help camoflague the grey more between trips to the stylist. The result is a more expensive color bill, so I've decided to limit myself to just a couple haircuts a year. It's just below the shoulder right now.

On the bike, I braid it and wear a buff. Last year, I had a chin length, layered bob. I've found that wearing a buff, cap style, will accommodate any hair length in terms of keeping it out of your face.

[lph]

Medium length (below shoulders), fine, curly. I'd like to have really short hair, but the one time I tried I didn't like the look of it and I'd feel I'd have to cut it all the time.

On me long hair is low-maintenance in that the curls don't need much fuss to look reasonably ok, and dry, so I only wash it once a week or so. The length keeps it wavy, not crinkly-curly. And I don't have to cut it until the snaggy tips start driving me nuts. Most important, I can get it all into a ponytail and it doesn't get into my eyes. I wear a Buff - actually half a Buff, I cut one in half and it's a perfect headband - under my helmet too to catch sweat and stray wisps.

[indigoiis]

All the talk about the stuff we put in our hair brings to mind the movie "There's something about Mary." That was a great scene.

Incidentally, that was a nice haircut, too.

So, anyway, I made the appointment for Friday at four. This is the look I will be going for...

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/8/2/1/8211e1b495d2126c7c745df0ade102b9.jpg

Although I don't really look like her, my hair does.

But then, last night, I said to Mister Indy, Listen, I'm Cutting My Hair. He looked a little wistful. I don't think guys like short hair on girls. Whatever. It does grow rather fast, so, if I hate it, I'll grow it.

I also have gray which resembles highlights if I don't dye, and I am trying to get away from dyeing it so much... don't like putting all that crap on my skin and into the water table!

Am i just going through a phase?

[lph]

I'm with you on the dye problem. I'm naturally dark-blonde going on grey. I don't really mind being grey, but it makes my hair look very matte, and every now and then I'd do a home colour-rinse or something to look a bit glossier...

A few years ago I figured I was worth (and could afford, not least) a real salon colour job on my hair, medium warm brown. It looked gorgeous and compliments were flying, so I settled for doing it properly a few times a year. I hadn't counted on the professional hair colour never washing out, and that brown hair dye turns YELLOW in the sun.

I'd like to cut down on the dyeing and just BE grey part of the year, but how do you start when your hair is shoulder length and permanently dyed?

signed,
-duh.

[Bad JuJu]

I'd like to cut down on the dyeing and just BE grey part of the year, but how do you start when your hair is shoulder length and permanently dyed?
I just kicked the hair dye habit at the beginning of this year. I got my not-very-long hair cut even shorter then just let the dyed part grow out, getting regular haircuts to clip away at it. It's pretty much all my own color now, which is a gradually greying dark-blonde-to-light-brown. I don't mind my grey hair now that it's starting to look better, but when I first started greying it was patchy and watery and just yucky. Now it's kind of silvery--I like that.

[GLC1968]

I'd like to cut down on the dyeing and just BE grey part of the year, but how do you start when your hair is shoulder length and permanently dyed?

I'd just cut mine super short again...

I cannot wait until I can get away with gray hair (and not just look weird). My hair is dark brown and in my youth, it would bleach into these gorgeous blonde and red highlights (by the sun). Unfortunately I've been coloring to cover grey for 18 years now and that just wipes out all sun effects. I'm now about 50% grey if I were to let it go natural. At what age is this ok? I mean...I have real respect for Taylor Hicks, but even at 39, I'm just not sure I could pull it off...you know?

If you are naturally grey...at what age did you let it BE your hair color?

[indigoiis]

The mister says he likes the grey.
But, I am of two minds about it. On the one hand, I look at it as a medal of honor (I'm still heee-eeere) and on the other, it makes me feel crockety.

The salon is going to chat with me on Friday about blending highlights with the grey to make the grey look more like highlights. I will report back and let you know what they say.

[Meg McKilty]

Long long- even longer than this picture. Like, smalls of my back. I love my long hair. I have to deep condition it from the wear and tear, however.

[cinnamon_toast]

I have a short bob with bangs. It looks pretty bad (flat) after wearing a helmet but it works for me the rest of the time. :D

[limewave]

I went and got 4 inches chopped off. I used to be able to walk around topless with just my hair to cover "the girls" up :) My beloved curls are in the drain. Now my hair just touches my shoulders. This will be much lighter and easier to care for. I won't have Princess Leah orbs to shove under a swim cap or bike helmet anymore.

[indigoiis]

I went and got 4 inches chopped off. I used to be able to walk around topless with just my hair to cover "the girls" up :) My beloved curls are in the drain. Now my hair just touches my shoulders. This will be much lighter and easier to care for. I won't have Princess Leah orbs to shove under a swim cap or bike helmet anymore.


Oh my gawd, look what I've started!

LOL :D

[northstar]

Wow, Meg...gorgeous hair!

[Python]

About 7 years ago my hair was about 3 inches from my waist. Step-daughter was getting married so I decided to get the ends (just the ends) trimmed.

Stupid hairdresser cut over 12 inches off it:mad: I was so speechless and angry I just paid and walked out, went home and did something I don't normally do - wept buckets. I think I know how Samson must have felt:(

At the wedding reception hubby and I were photographed dancing and I had my back to the camera. I was horrified at how awful my hair looked. I have wavy hair and it just looked a total mess. I got it cut really short not long after:(

This time no hairdresser gets near my hair. Apart from dyeing it myself at home I'm leaving it "eau naturel" - and it's growing just fine:D

[HappyAnika]

But then, last night, I said to Mister Indy, Listen, I'm Cutting My Hair. He looked a little wistful. I don't think guys like short hair on girls. Whatever. It does grow rather fast, so, if I hate it, I'll grow it.



When my hair was down to my bum, I had 14 inches cut off all at once and donated it. Before I went to do it, I thought my DH was going to cry, he was so sad I was cutting it. He got over it in about 2 days. Me, on the other hand, I did cry. She was only supposed to take off 10" and I was mortified for weeks at how short it was. :mad: But it grew out quickly and a better, layered cut (from someone else) made it look cute instead of ghastly.

As far as the dye thing, again, I'm 31, and I have a ridiculous amount of gray. I LOVE my natural color, dark brown with pretty natural golden and red highlights. To keep as much of my natural color, but cover up the gray, my stylist uses 3 different dyes, one of them a permanent low light on the gray, and the cost is exorbitant. I've taken a break from dying for the pregnancy, and my hair looks like crap. I can't wait to get it colored again. I didn't realize how much the gray was advancing and I am not ready to let it take over at 31.

[Meg McKilty]

Wow, Meg...gorgeous hair!

Why, thank you! It makes great swiss circling-the-top-of-your-head braids.

http://www.midasupload.com/users/4/sienna%20miller%20gg.jpg

[bikerHen]

I use to have waist lenght hair and loved it. I use to get those great spiral perms! :D I was very good at doing all kinds of braids. But as I have gotten older my hair has started to thin, alot! :mad: So now I wear it short. Which is easy to care for, and great for biking.

Without all that long hair, I discovered I have all sorts of natural curl. :eek: When I'm not sporting helmet hair, and I actually make the effort, my hair can look pretty darn good. :rolleyes: bikerhen

[Aggie_Ama]

My hair is between the shoulder blades, straight, thick and fine. I used to do pigtail braids (layered hair doesn't do one braid). My mom picked up a nifty little thing at the Harley shop called a hair glove (www.hairglove.com) and now I use that. She got a leather one since it was the Harley shop but I think I may order the neoprene. Works great but the leather is a bit stiff. I just had to chop off 3" of my hair because the sun/wind from cycling killed it. :( Now I deep condition and braid or wear the Hair Glove.

[Dogmama]

Hair! I cut mine short a couple of months ago. I'll NEVER go back! My hair is stick straight and very fine. I keep color in it to thicken it up & give it a little body. Hair longer than earlobe length just hangs - no body, no curve - unless I torture it severely in the morning. Even then - a good wind or humidity & I'm back to the drowned rat look.

I can spike it up or not. A good haircut is a MUST. Hair products are heaven sent.

I just turned 53, BTW. I don't see many older women who look good in longer hair. Sorry, but I think it makes them look older because it drags down the features. Gravity will have its way eventually - but I don't mind trying to fake it out a little...

[deedolce]

I'm 48, and I have thin hair. It was always thinner than my sisters! Hair gene skipped me. I also have it professionally colored, just started that regularly a couple of months ago, and love the way it looks, over me missing spots...I've been pretty gray for a while now. Vanity, and I also got back into the dating game...My hair is straight, Asian hair, and I have it a few inches below my shoulders. When I ride, I just clip it back and go. It looks fine to me when I peel off my helmet! :rolleyes:

[Zen]

Although I don't really look like her, my hair does.

same here4119 Nothing can be done for this hair but grow it and tie it back.


I am trying to get away from dyeing it so much... don't like putting all that crap on my skin and into the water table!

Am i just going through a phase?

I find the color dries my hair too much. I just don't care anymore, too much fussing.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have dark ash blonde wavy hair. It's a dull color. Thin texture. I can't grow my hair very long like I could when I was in my 20's- now it just breaks off at a certain length.
Besides I think it makes me look older when it hangs down the sides of my head.
I like it short- I always cut it myself in a kind of Joan of Arc bowl cut.

I used to color it red for about 15 years- looked great. I always had to avoid exposing it to the sun however- red dyed hair turns pinkish or orange-ish with a few hours of sun! :eek: As I got older it did not look good as dark red, so I went a lighter golden red. I did that for a few years, but then I kept getting more and more sparkly silver hair that I kind of liked.

Last year at age 52 I finally decided that I had enough silver to make my natural ash blonde hair an interesting frosted look, so I just stopped coloring. My hair has been very short for many years so I didn't have to deal with long hair that was a different color than the new stuff growing out.
Now at 53 I love my new silver/pewter frosted hair. Women are always telling me that it looks like a very expensive frosting job. :p

[annie]

Hair! I cut mine short a couple of months ago. I'll NEVER go back! My hair is stick straight and very fine. I keep color in it to thicken it up & give it a little body. Hair longer than earlobe length just hangs - no body, no curve - unless I torture it severely in the morning. Even then - a good wind or humidity & I'm back to the drowned rat look.

I can spike it up or not. A good haircut is a MUST. Hair products are heaven sent.

I just turned 53, BTW. I don't see many older women who look good in longer hair. Sorry, but I think it makes them look older because it drags down the features. Gravity will have its way eventually - but I don't mind trying to fake it out a little...

I can very much relate to this!! I'm 52, but what's one year difference? Not much, I think. My hair is about as straight as it comes, and fine, tho' there is a lot of it. Coloring helps give it body and thickness, let alone brightness and a covering of the grey spots. It will never be short again. I think I actually look older in long hair. I adore hair products, especially volumnizer and the sticky stuff that molds hair into place. Eventually, I hope I have the guts to go grey/white. Not there yet.

I kinda like helmet hair......... it equalizes good/bad/young/old hair.

Annie

[Susan Otcenas]

Long, curly, and all one length. I wear it in a ponytail 99 days out of a hundred. No muss, no fuss, no hair products, no coloring. I put the ponytail high and through the retention strap on my helmet.

37, going on 50.

Susan

[Zen]

I need a seat bag like that

[MelFel]

I'm one of those peole who just doesn't look great with long hair.

I grew it to my shoulders for my wedding (threatened to cut it off at least once a week). My usual length is a chin-length bob, but this summer I cut it into a pixie and I love it, I might never grow it out again. :D

For working out I either use a barette to hold the bangs portion back off my face or just tie a bandana around my head. I sweat a lot and having my hair short is preferable for me to having a sweaty ponytail up against the back of my head/neck.

[Bad JuJu]

37, going on 50.
Gotta love that attitude!:D

[Susan Otcenas]

I need a seat bag like that

It's Detours Bag. I bought it at REI. Jeff has a larger one. The clamps are the same, so they are interchangeable on our bikes.

I don't typically use such a large seat bag, but that picture was taken on a recent weeklong bike trip. I like having a slightly larger bag such as that for a bike trip, so I can carry a vest or armwarmers, and extra tube and more food than I'd normally carry (since we were way out in the boonies.)

I'm fairly impressed with the construction. The only drawback is that I don't think they will work well unless you have 4-6 inches or more of seatpost showing. You need the bag up high enough that it won't slump into your rear tire when going over bumps or when heavily loaded.

Susan

[Trek420]

short hair and often under a hat:

That's me with the orange hat and Knott to my right.

I used to have long hair, cut it short in college. Once in a while I get too busy to keep it shorn.

[Tuckervill]

Is it just me or are there a LOT of redheads in that picture?

Is that Rosie The Riveter jersey really that short?

Nice pic. Wish I had cycling friends IRL. :-/

Karen

[Trek420]

Is it just me or are there a LOT of redheads in that picture?

Is that Rosie The Riveter jersey really that short?

Nice pic. Wish I had cycling friends IRL. :-/

Karen

Tuckervill, You have us, and that's a TE get together. :) Maybe you could host a ride, where are ya?

[Zen]

It's Detours Bag...

I'm fairly impressed with the construction. The only drawback is that I don't think they will work well unless you have 4-6 inches or more of seatpost showing.

Susan

I just discovered they aren't meant for carbon seatposts either. Rats.

[Aggie_Ama]

Is Knot really tall or are the rest of you just vertically challenged? :D

I dye my hair since I started finding grey at 19! It is a darker golden blond and prettier than my natural ash blonde. I am 26 and people other than my hairdresser have noticed in the grey in the last couple years. :( With my fair skin I think it would look terrible if I let it take over. My father is handsome with his full head of silver and tanner skin.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Is Knot really tall or are the rest of you just vertically challenged? :D

I dye my hair since I started finding grey at 19! It is a darker golden blond and prettier than my natural ash blonde. I am 26 and people other than my hairdresser have noticed in the grey in the last couple years. :( With my fair skin I think it would look terrible if I let it take over. My father is handsome with his full head of silver and tanner skin.

I have very fair skin and my silver looks great mixed in with my natural medium ash blonde hair. Skip any eye makeup and just wear a barely-there touch of lipstick and rouge, and it looks wonderful! Go with your fair complexion and make the most of it. :)

[Tuckervill]

Tuckervill, You have us, and that's a TE get together. :) Maybe you could host a ride, where are ya?

Aw, thanks. :)

I'm in the middle of nowhere, Arkansas. I am planning on getting some cycling things going, but I also am president of the youth baseball league and that takes up most of my time. I did manage to talk to the city parks and rec director today about possible cycling things. There's also a group trying to get a RAGBRAI-like ride across Arkansas and I hope to get involved in that, too.

I'm about to post about my ride on the Katy Trail! :) I'll just ride by myself if I can't find anyone else to go!

Karen

[Ladyrunner]

Before I was into fitness, my hair was medium to long. Then I lost a bunch of weight and I had it cut short. Before the weight loss I wouldn't be caught dead with it short.

Not only is short hair great for running, biking, and fixing it quickly, it makes me look younger. I found that the longer hair "pulled down" my face.

[Torrilin]

Baby fine. Stick straight. And *frizzy*. Will be stuck flat to my head no matter what I do in terms of length or styling products. I've also got a very round face, and I hate having hair in my face. So I keep it long, with no bangs. I don't let blow driers touch it because if I do it gets even nastier to deal with.

Braids, buns, ponytails, french twists... all kinds of "up" look good on me where short doesn't.

[Bad JuJu]

I'm in the middle of nowhere, Arkansas. I am planning on getting some cycling things going, but I also am president of the youth baseball league and that takes up most of my time. I did manage to talk to the city parks and rec director today about possible cycling things. There's also a group trying to get a RAGBRAI-like ride across Arkansas and I hope to get involved in that, too.

I'm about to post about my ride on the Katy Trail! :) I'll just ride by myself if I can't find anyone else to go!

Karen
Warning: thread hijack

You might check with your LBS--they might know some other women who are riding alone and want a riding buddy. Or maybe they'd let you post a flyer there. That's how my little club got started--by people finding each other at the LBS.

I ADORE the Katy Trail--I'll be watching for your report.

Hijack over.

[Trek420]

Is Knot really tall or are the rest of you just vertically challenged? :D

Knott is 5'8" :rolleyes: I'm 5"1" so yes, a bit of a short crowd.

I think gray hair looks cool. I just got my hair cut and mine stands out more when it's short.

[Tuckervill]

Warning: thread hijack

You might check with your LBS--they might know some other women who are riding alone and want a riding buddy. Or maybe they'd let you post a flyer there. That's how my little club got started--by people finding each other at the LBS.

I ADORE the Katy Trail--I'll be watching for your report.

Hijack over.

There's no local bike shop. All of the nearby ones are on the interstate corridor to the east. There's a whole lot of farm country between there and here (about 30 miles worth). If you picture my town as the hub of a wheel, the other towns are along the corridor from north to south at the 1-4 o'clock positions. It's pretty much the same distance no matter which LBS I choose to visit--just time wise some are farther because of two-lane highways.

Why is any of that relevant? Because when I go to the beginner's ride at the 2 o'clock shop and meet new people, they are all surprised I drove all the way from my town to ride! They all think my town is really far away because they have no reason to go there (and most of them are transplants from the north who work at Wal-Mart HQ or for Wal-Mart vendors). It is really far away in some respects--it's all a matter of perspective. It goes both ways, too. Some people never leave my town of 20,000, because they think it's too far and the traffic is bad near the interstate (they've never been to a big city with real traffic, either).

I do frequent ALL of the bike shops, and there is a new one to the north now, and they cater to women, so that's handy. But the chance of meeting someone from my town who wouldn't have to drive to meet me is really slim. (There are some guys who ride, but I can't keep up with them.) I do better meeting folks on the local trail.

I didn't get my Katy Trail ride up because it was 3 am and I couldn't get the pics to load. I'm going to try again now. :)

Karen

[cosc]

Torrilin, my hair sounds like yours, long, straight,and no bangs to get in my face.
My daughter talked me into a shoulder length-layer and I found it cute but styling it took too much time, ended in my face -ugh, and I burned my hair from hot styling. I then took the easy way out and had a perm and that has now grown out. My natural brown hair is mostly grey that I dye. One of the -- of mature age. I always ride with a pony, but aka the suggestion of women in this forum tame it with more than one band which really keeps my hair out of the vision of my mirror when I ride.

[indigoiis]

I got the haircut, by the way. It's great. Kind of Geena Davis-y but shorter. Sort of (mostly) looks like this except maybe a little more 20's bob thing going...:

http://bangs.hairresources.net/winona_ryder_hair_styles_bangs.jpg

[teigyr]

CUTE!! It's amazing how a good haircut can change how your hair falls. Do you like it?

[indigoiis]

CUTE!! It's amazing how a good haircut can change how your hair falls. Do you like it?

Well, I like it pretty much. I'm no Wynona Ryder, so I don't have that whole cute punk spikey thing going that she does. Although I'd like to. Just don't have time in the morning.

My hair is a perpetual 1970's time machine, no matter how you slice it. Today, I have a crown cowlick and one side is all flipped back. This is the style it chose as it airdried on my way to work. *SIGH.*

But I bet that Winona's stylist totally laid on the gel for that photo.

And airbrushing. Nyeh.

(I feel better now that I star-bashed.)

[Dogmama]

I LOVE that style!

My hair is stick straight & fine. When I find a stylist who can cut it into something flattering, I don't care about the money. It's worth it to avoid the morning aggravation.