A simple question that's surprisingly difficult to answer -- what is it like to live with hip-length hair? How long does it take to comb? How often do you need to comb it? How long did it take to grow? Do strands fall out? (An eyelash in the sink is noticable; I can't imagine missing a three-foot-long strand of hair.) Do you keep it under control with ties, braids, or hats?
Those all depend on the food you eat, the shampoo you use (I know, sounds dumb, but it's true) and of the type of hair.
I had hip-long hair for a long time. It took me around 1 1/2-2 years for it to grow that much. I was around 16 when I decided to let it grow out, and at 17/18, I already had a respectable hair length.
Now, because I have extremely straight hair, I only had to comb it once, twice a day (morning and after showering). It didn't really get all knotted and wild - I'm lucky in that aspect. I only ever tied it to eat (long hair is a pain in the ass when you're eating. If you're not careful, it gets in your food) and to play roller hockey. Curiously, at least once or twice in a match, if I skated past someone from the other team, they'd try to grab my hair to make me stop. This happened. A lot.
I also used pigtails whenever I wanted to look childishly cute and innocent.
Hats, if not carefully chosen, look awful with long hair, so I never used them. Except for beanies after practice, to keep me from catching a cold, and even those I took off immediately upon arriving home.
The loose strands were a mess - especially after showering. My brush would be FILLED with them. And when I combed my hair in the morning, the floor would always end up with a lot of them, too. My mother would yell at me to clean up after myself and tell me to cut my hair because of that.
The worst of it was (I doubt you'll need this info, but here it goes anyway) was that I somehow got lice while taking my driving lessons (we use the school's car, not our own). Granted, I have shitty blood for lice and by the time I noticed I had them they'd all died out, but because I had such long hair, I had to wash it at least four times and spend hours in the backyard while my parents check my head. It was awful and the absolute worst inconvenience of long hair.
And then, two years into college, I was in a relationship that ended badly and I chopped it all off. Short hair is low-maintenance in comparison, so I've kept it like that for a couple of years. I'm letting it grow back to hip-length now, though.
Also, in the beginning I said food, shampoo and type of hair matter because:
- good shampoo keeps your ends from breaking, hence, the hair grows better
- a balanced diet (especially one with loads of vegetables) makes your hair grow faster
- People with straight hair tend to get dandruff
I can only use shampoos from either the pharmacy or the hairdresser. With supermarket shampoos, it's like it snowed in my hair and it's disgusting.