Thread: Poll: Long Hair

Jesennia's post makes me wonder, how many of you have grown or maintained long hair as part of your bellydancing mystique?

I know it looks more exotic to the public but after 2 or 3 years of hair almost to my waist, I lopped it off and dont know that I'll be growing it back out anytime soon ..g.: Guess it'd be different if mine had more bounce, it's so thick that really it just hangs there lol

I did. When I started BDing I had jaw-length hair, but I started to want that "belly dancer" look and grew it, heavily layered, to bra-strap length, which I think is about where it stops. I had long hair as a child, and it was often remarked upon because it was thick and dark brown and attractive, and part of me always thinks of myself as a person with long hair even though for most of my adult life I have worn it fairly short. I've periodically grown it - it was long in my mid-20s and again in my mid-30s - but ever since I cut it off, shorter than I'd worn it since I was 20 or so, I haven't looked back. Though there is a *bit* of me that kind of likes the idea of a long white plait or something.

It was the issue of the colour that made me cut it in the first place, but I did like being able to fling it about. I absolutely had to layer it though. It's not that thick, but if I don't have layers it forms this kind of triangular hedge effect and really isn't all that flattering.

Took a lot of oomph for me to fling my hair out lol My definition of "short hair" is really to my shoulders, my hair has always been my security blanket :)

If I knew how to French braid my hair I would LOVE to keep it long, unfortunately I only know how to do a simple braid. Which when done in pig tails, makes me look more Native American than Middle Eastern lol

I wore a 3/4 fall over my pixie cut when I first started dancing. I loved how it looked, so started growing my real hair out about a year later. When it got to be to my shoulders, I got rid of the wig and danced with my real hair, and continued to grow it. It's presently bra strap length, and I'm very happy with it.

Anybody else find their hair in a ponytail most of the time when not dancing? My teacher is guilty of this lol She has long dark hair but its often put up, til she dances and afterwards it goes back up into a ponytail :)

Then again we do live in New Orleans, not many women here have long hair for good reason lol

I had my hair to my bra strap before, for a long time. If it gets any longer it doesn't look as "kept" as when I have it shoulder length, which is where it is now.
I might grow it longer but I doubt it.

My hair is currently about bra strap length. I generally wear it in a French twist with a clip or in a French braid when I am out and about. I have had it short - ear length, but I dont' think I would do that again. Interestingly enough, too much work!

I do wear store bought hair to perform, though. My hair is simply not thick enough to still look good after a 20 min set! And as I colour it, I sure as heck am NOT going to perm it, as one dancer suggested!

{{{HUGS}}}

I know what you mean, I cut my hair up to my chin and Im so happy its grown out to my shoulders. I got a cute haircut thinking I would keep it straightened and whatnot, whatever! That lasted a whole 3 weeks :)

i love long hair, but i've seen some really hot women with short hair cuts at all ages. my face couldn't pull off a short style..im suffering right now because the last cut, about six weeks ago, gave me layers that were too short so i have this stupid looking muffin top..it might be better in the desert where the air is dry, my hair tends to straighten.

as far as getting extensions or now waiting out the process of growing it out on my own, no it wasnt for bellydance, i just like long hair :)

My hair is all one length down to my hips (and falling out big time, because of stress).

At home I wear it up in a half french roll, with the length tumbling down over the roll.
Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get anything done (falls in the way all the time).

I'm thinking of getting it cut in layers, like the brunette in the Pantene commercial.

I know it's a blessing to be able to have long hair, but I'm so sick of people coming up to me, and grabbing my hair and playing with it (for what seems to me to be a very long time).

I need to find a nice way to tell them to stop/don't play with my hair.

Me. Not that I have super long hair, but I keep it below shoulder length.

My hair is well past tailbone length and I usually keep it up in a bun or a braid when not dancing (make that not performing). I haven't grown it out specifically for BD, I just like it that way :-)

My hair is low mid-back right now and I can't bring myself to cut it other than relatively regular "maintenance" cuts. Now I'm just wondering whether to keep it at the length it is or let it grow to hit around my upper hip.

When I'm not performing, I do find that the hair goes up into a ponytail or a braid.

I cut my hair short once in middle school and didn't like it so much. I like a lot of the short trendier haircuts though and tell myself that maybe one day when I'm older I'll be ready to "let go."

Gothique, I know what you mean about ppl playing with your hair! Not so bad now that Im grown but when I was in elementary school somebody was always playing wtih my hair lol

Btw I ask if it goes up in a ponytail or something, because even at shoulder length my hair is always in a ponytail and my mom fusses at me "You might as well hack it all off" :)

My hair was mid-thigh and thick, and frankly it obscured a lot of the movements. I finally got fed up and donated 30" to Locks of Love. It's never longer than my earlobes now. I toyed with growing it back out, but I realized that since I am stepping away from both performing and teaching, I really don't need the inconvenience since I'm not trying for that "look". I guess I do find that having a little hair to fling around adds to the whole bellydance performer package, but I don't really miss it either. My biggest problem is trying to find my "look" after years of winding it up and poking a stick through it.

I actually do look better with shorter hair, but can't bring myself to cut it since it took me 4 years to grow it. When my hair started to get below the mid back point it became difficult to manage it. Whenever it's not all done up for the performance it looked terrible. Yeah and I did pull it in a bun most of the time. This summer I added more layers and darkened it, so it looks a little better. One of these days I am going to go back to shoulder length, but not yet.

I love long hair. I had it short years ago and got cast as a boy in the school play...'nuf said. My hair goes to about mid back. My girls tease me because I'm always sad when they decide to cut their hair short. Ofcourse my 7 year old has never had a major haircut (only her ends) and her hair is to her butt. Don't know if I could do that, but it's beautiful.

I have grown my hair to my waist. It is wavy, curly, soft, layered, dark brown with cherry red highlights. I love it and enjoy it. I hated it as a child and wore it short for a long time. I really enjoy my curly hair now that I am older and it is great for BD. I don't comb or dry it since it has a life of its own. I pin it up a lot since it can be hot.

I see all lengths and styles and love a lot of different hair. It depends on how you feel about you. I know I feel sexier and happier with longer hair. I feel very lucky to be blessed with my head of hair.

PS: I wore extensions for a year so I would stop trimming my hair and to get to this length. I took them out in May and sooo happy to get rid of them. Ahhhhh...

I have had long hair for most of my life, although about 10/11 years ago, I chopped it all off. I kept it short for a few years (it was so much easier to take care of), then decided to let it grow again. Now it is past waist-length and has been for a while now.

I did not decide to let it grow again because of dance though. Hubby and I were talking about it one day after he saw pics of me with really long hair and none of his exes had really long hair, so I grew it back out for him. He likes it, except when I accidentally smack him in the face with it, which happens when he helps me put my coat on, when I move my hair out of the way in the car, when I sit down next to him on the sofa....

A lot of times, though, I keep my attack hair up in a knot secured with hair sticks, a french braid or a ponytail for the gym.

My hair doesn't tend to grow REALLY long and look good, but I keep it down to about my back. I had cut it to just about shoulder length when I first started dancing, but I let it grow out over time, partly because I thought it suited me better as a dancer. I know dancers with shorter hair, but I like mine long. Any longer than this, though, and it looks pretty flat because it's fine, not thick. I need it middle-long to keep some volume.

I've had long hair most of my life so I really didn't have much of a transition to make. But I can't keep it up for long because it starts to pull on the back of my head. Now, however, I am thinking of changing my style somewhat, maybe even changing the color for a change in my life time, but I feel a little bound now to keep the long hair. I think people like to see dancers with long hair and I have to admit that I use it a lot when I dance and the thought of a wig terrifies me when I think I may not have the skill to keep in tightly in place like a lot of other dancers are so capable of doing.

Also, for me long hair is less maintenance. I must be one of those different women who hates going to the salon and having someone working on it all the time but I don't have the patience. I see others with other styles and they look great even with bellydancing, so maybe I should take that plunge.

all of us have long, real hair.we are sorta known for it here.
i eat and take a suppliments for hair, skin, nails, by FREELIFE
no product, no blow dryer.

I'm growing mine out at the moment, had too short layers cut last year and used 3/4 wigs most of the time because of that. It's finally getting close to 'performance length' again now.

I have super-short red hair in "real life," but I have 19 wigs that I wear for stage! Every length, color and style, from straight to curly to wavy and from blonde to red to pitch black. It's quite possible that if I'm 5 numbers in a show, you'll see me in 5 different hair styles, depending on what each choreography needs.

Mine's bra strap length (not that I wear one!), but I wish it were longer. Unfortunately, this is "terminal length" for me - but I shouldn't complain as I'm blessed with plenty of it (no male pattern baldness) and very little grey to date!

I have hip length hair, it's dark brown and ridiculously thick. I had always kept it long (like mid thigh) until one day I decided to chop it and eventually ended up buzzing my hair. This is my grow out from the buzz cut three years ago, and while dance does have something to do with my long hair, I just enjoy having it long.

My hair is down to the top of my butt. I do wear it down outside of dancing as well. I only sport the pony in class or on days that I don't wash my hair. I look super stupid with short hair so I have always kept it long.

ETA: Just looked at my avatar and holy moly my hair has grown a ton since June!

My hair is waist length and growing. I started growing it for belly dancing but as I'll only ever be a student, I keep it growing because I love it.

I usually wear my hair in a variety of buns, sometimes braids. I don't wear it down much.

To me, the belly dancer look needs long hair. The hair as a visual extension of the body, that accentuates the movements of the head and upper torso, has motivated me to grow my hair out. It is armpit length now, and I still wear my clip in extensions when I perform, to give it a more dramatic look, but I value that my real hair is getting long. It allows me to train and rehearse my dancing with the hair movements.