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One Month From the Skin
It’s been over one month since The Great Cut, where I shaved my head and donated all my hair to Children With Hair Loss. Now, I’m storming back.
So far on the journey back to long hair I’ve regrown over ½ inch and I can honestly say it has been a breeze.
Showers take half the time, I never have to worry about wet hair, it dries in seconds. No combing, brushing, hair in my face, eyes or mouth, no tying or tangles, generally no worrying about hair at all. Honestly it’s been a nice change of pace.
But like any journey that’s worth anything there is a challenge ahead and I can see it on the horizon. It’s a little way out still but it’s coming...FAST. Major awkward, I mean MAJOR AWKWARD STAGE.
We’ve written about it, we’ve given our best advice, we’ve shared tools, tips and tactics, we’ve offered encouragement and inspiration to push through.
Yet with all the aid we’ve provided to aspiring longhairs, there is one thing we have never done, and that’s show you how to do it ourselves, step by step, month by month.
That’s what I intend to do with my journey back to long hair.
The goal is to have you come along for the ride, walk you through each of the phases as I’m going through them, and we power through the awkward stage together.
I commit to you that I will not waver, I will hold strong, I will give you the best advice, practical solutions and all the inspiration you need to carry on. I’m making the commitment to grow it long with you, and nothing will get in the way.
Watch my first hair update after one month in the journey back to long hair.
ARE YOU IN?
Grow It Out With El Moreno
Co-Founder and Chief Follicle Office (CFO) at The Longhairs, El Moreno first grew his hair long in 2012, letting it ride for seven years before shaving his head at The Great Cut and donating 24 inches of hair. He’s growing it back out and he wants you to grow it out with him.
Whether you’re growing it out to donate or just to let it ride, join El Moreno’s hair update list for videos, progress checks and real-time tips and tactics through the awkward stage and beyond.
#growwithmoreno #TheGreatCut2024 #whosgrowingwithme
I was unable to get my hair cur for The Great Cut. With the short limit at 10″, I “couldn’t make the cut”. I only had 7″ available at that time. But I did have a hair experience that was quite unsettling around the holiday season 2018. I had to go to the hospital the first week in December for what turned out to be a heart condition, and when I got there I wasn’t allowed to leave until January. Because of my health I wasn’t allowed to wash or brush my hair for 3 weeks and it became so tangled I was afraid it would have to come off. It took me a good 2 1/2 years to get it long enough to make a good ponytail. And while I’ve had shoulder length plus hair for just over 10 years. I have not always found ways to keep it under control. While waiting in the hospital, I ordered a couple of your hair ties and had one of them and a regular Goody tie keeping it in a ponytail. After the I .V.’s were out of my arms I went to task detangling. The dead hair that normally would fall out was entangled with the hair that was in the ponytail. It actually took 4 days of pretty much non-stop gently threading my fingers through my mane until at last I was able to brush it again. What a relief! And I was just able to wash it when they sent me to the nursing home for rehab. Being in bed 90% of the time really gets you down after a while. While getting physical therapy there I ordered a Longhairs head wrap. I must say both the hair ties and the head wrap were a little disappointing. The hair tie just didn’t get tight enough to keep my thin hair in place. But it did allow me to use one less wrap of the Goody band, and with both in place I was happy enough. I had even tried two Longhairs ties, but even with 4 twists/wraps, my hair kept getting loose. The head wrap was very disappointing at first. I tried a few configurations after watching the Willie Nelson braids/head wrap video, but the unstretched part would always stick up quite noticeably. Then by folding the bottom up instead of the top down, I was able to get it to lie halfway decently on my head. The only issue I had at that point is that it tends to ride up my forehead over time and I have to keep pulling it down every hour or so to keep it from gathering loosely at the top and sticking up. While I am impressed with the strength of the hair ties, they don’t gather my ponytail tight enough even with 2 ties, and the patterns don’t show after 3 twists/wraps no matter how hard I try to keep that side out. I see from your video that you now have 3 types of headbands. I’ll probably try some of those once I save up some cash. I have not found any headbands that worked for me before. After the head wrap experience I know that if I keep trying, I can find a way to make things work. I am looking forward to it.
Hey Michael! Thanks for sharing your story man. I wish you strong health going forward. I couldn’t imagine how tough that was/is.
I also appreciate your honest feedback on the products. From the sounds of it your hair seems like it may be thinner than most and or even a bit slicker then most. With your particular hair type I can understand how are ties might be loose and slide. I think the new headbands would be something that would work well for you.
As you are open to finding ways to make things work, these bands allow for a lot of creativity to ways to hole up your hair. We also have these new tieback headwraps that will fit on any head size. Check them out by clicking here.
I think its awesome what you guys did for the kids. Good luck on your journey back to long hair, I believe in you, I’ll be watching your progress bro!
Thanks man stoked!
How well does your shampoo and conditioner work with hair that is on the finer side. My hair is fine and gets weighed down easily and I haven’t found a shampoo and conditioner that “clicks” with my hair yet. You guys are an inspiration! Thanks!!
Dude, you will love our Shampoo & Conditioner. Great for all hair types. Give it a go!
My husband and son were both inspired but too late for the 2019 cut and are FULLY in the awkward stage @ 6 & 8 mos. I offer them advice and encouragement I find in your content and it TOTALLY helps keep the shears bound!!!! (so do the bitchin headbands and hopefully soon hair ties) Thanks, this will be fun to watch….especially from a full shave.
Heck yea Mixee, way to keep them going! Got a long road ahead…
I was in San Diego this past March and donated 20 inches of hair. I’m looking forward to the next event and actually want my five-year-old son to join me the second time around. He’ll be 9 by then and his hair gets very frizzy when it gets long. So with these updates I’m hoping I will be able to get past that awkward stage that you mentioned and helped my son be able to grow his hair, too!
Dude so awesome! It was great having you and thanks for making the commitment. 2024 is going to be INSANE. Yes we will be covering it all, answering all questions, sharing other guys tactics, we’re doing it man! Your son is in, let it ride baby!
dear Guadalupe,
none doubt: you are a very charitable person, but, for your son growing out his hair, and to donate it, i consider thas, as for a boy who want himself grow out, that must be his own decision ( and in any case, we must defend his choice)
we teach our children that they are their body’s owner and they have their own mind; our role is only transmit them the fundamental society rules: everybody is free, and we must tolerate his choice; that is the sense of the word Liberty ( and when liberty is attacked in any mean, everybody must protest)
excuse for the lesson from an old belgian aristocrat; this is the education we transmit to our children
Im about 8 months ahead of you (fully entrenched awk) so it’ll be interesting to see what tactics you employ in comparison to how I’ve been maintaining. I think i see hair whips on the horizon
I’m trying to catch up man!!
others aspiring longhairs could be interested by your tactics, bro !!!
you ought publish them ( with the permission of El moreno, of course)
is your group opened to a long time longhair ( actually longer than waist length) who remembers his own ( 30 years ago) akward stage?
i also believe that the advices of a longhair friend stylist should be useful; maybe at Jon Renau?
let it grow, bros !!!
You know we’re open to all Chamane! It’s growing a day at a time 😄
I was against aspects of the great cut, not the charitable parts, but this is genius! It’ll be really good for new people to grow their hair with you and see where they’re at. I wish I had this when I first started!
Danny stoked you see where we are going here. It’s going to be fun and we’ll bring in a whole new group of guys.
I am looking forward to the help for 2024, I was with you at the great cut 2019 and had only grown my hair since September 2017 I was able to donate 10″. it will be interesting to see what I can do in 5yrs. I am still new to the long hair as that is the first time I did not have it short, so I will need lots of help figuring it out with out it was driving me crazy like it was last time. My friends at work say I look much better with it short, head wrap was uncomfortable for me so it was a cap until I had it long enough to tie but it kept coming undone (probably not long enough yet at 10.5″). Family said they will kill me if I ever try the manbun so that is out. I braid my daughters hair but dont think I could do that on me.
What’s up Brian! Thanks for making it to The Great Cut. Can’t wait for 2024 it’s going to be insane! Long hair lives in the heart man!
I am looking forward to our journey
Let’s do this Greg!