Confidence: The Struggles of a Longhair

Let's talk about long hair and confidence. We've all been there - you want to try a new way to tie your hair up (or style it). You watched the tutorial, you've even tried it out at home, but when it comes time to rock it in public, it can be intimidating.

"People will laugh," you think. "I can't go out like this."

Wearing your long hair confidently is something that takes time and practice, but once you’ve got it, you can rock any style you want! Here’s my experience (so far) with how to wear long hair with confidence.

Hi, I'm Christian Taylor. I'm a 16-year-old drummer and tech enthusiast. I started growing my hair out when I was 8 or 9, and it's been a long journey. I'm not exactly sure why I started growing my hair out. I think I just didn't care to get it cut for a while, and it got longer...and longer...and before I knew it I had already passed the awkward stage. After that point, I knew I had to press on and grow out my locks.

I've had my fair share of being picked on because of my style, including adults teasing me. Especially when I was little, I would sometimes get picked on by my peers who didn’t understand. I’ll be honest, I am still learning how to have confidence when it comes to hairstyles at my age.

Even while writing this article I have had experiences with other teenagers my age making fun of me for my preferences and styles. I even asked myself if I really wanted to release this article because I was still struggling with confidence after the final draft, but I’m learning that confidence isn’t a switch—it takes time and builds slowly.

The fact is, I’m making progress, and together we can all support and inspire confidence within each other.

For as long as I can remember, I've always worn my hair down. It just feels natural. Now that I'm older, my friends (for the most part) respect me and my hair. Not everyone loves it, but most everyone tolerates it. I've had some friends tell me "you should do a man bun!" or, "why not try a ponytail?"

Man, do I hate those names. "Gosh, that's so girly!" I thought. "I don't want a ponytail or a man bun. What on earth are people going to say when they see it?"

Thankfully The Longhairs have already fixed this problem with better names: the high ball and the men's tail. *Whew*. Anyway, deep down inside I always wanted to try a *cough* high ball, but I never did for the fear of being made fun of.

One night before going to church, I decided it was time, but I had no hair ties. I debated buying some for weeks, but I cringed at the thought of having to visit the women's hair care aisle. I asked my mom to borrow a hair tie, and I tied it up.

To my surprise, the feedback was positive! I had a few giggles, a few looks, but for the most part, people were supportive.

I was encouraged by how well it went, so I came home and started searching YouTube for videos about men's long hair. Then I discovered The Longhairs. I immediately began watching the channel, discovered Hair Ties For Guys and placed an order that night.

That night I had a major breakthrough moment: what stopped me from tying my hair up for all of these years? I let a silly fear get the best of me and prevented myself from doing some super rad styles. After discovering The Longhairs and the community around them, I don't feel alone anymore.

Hair Ties For Guys have been a confidence booster. One of the things preventing me from tying my hair up was the thought of wearing those feminine hair ties around my wrist. It just didn't seem "manly."

Now I happily sport Hair Ties For Guys on my wrist every day, and it doesn't even feel like a hair tie! It honestly looks like a stylish bracelet. However, don't let the good looks fool you—the functionality is outstanding.

If you are hesitating to tie your hair up, don't. Why? Because it's your hair. Do what you want with it. Only the diehard jerks will make fun of you, and luckily there's a handy list on how to respond to them. They don't know what cool hair is anyway 🙂

Part of the fun of having long hair is being able to style it, so don't stop yourself from trying new things. Tying your hair up can be functional too, because let's face it, no one likes eating hair when you are just trying to eat spaghetti.

Not a fan of long hair? That's cool. We get it, you like short hair, and we respect that. Here's my request to you: respect your fellow longhairs! We work hard to maintain the mane and that's the style we've chosen. We respect you, you respect us.

Having long hair is a journey. We are the outcasts, the people who are different. We all have different backgrounds, but we all share a desire to be different and stand out from the crowd. I hope you will walk away inspired and enlightened on how to wear long hair with confidence.

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Have you hesitated to tie your hair up? Share your story in the comments, we'd love to chat.