Does a bellydancer need to have long hair. - Page 11

Moon · 09-24-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Babylonia

I trim my split ends myself, holding my hair up to the light and getting them one at a time.

I wouldn't dare!

I'm sure it will get uneven and I'll end up losing even more hair.

Shanazel · 09-25-2007, 12:55 AM

I used to sit in the back of the classroom in Organic Pesticides (the dullest class ever invented except for Ag Economics) and trim my split ends with my swiss army knife, one by one. Kept me sane.

I can't wear my hair up for more than a few hours because it hurts my head. I usually braid it if I want to keep it from blowing into a two foot tangle in some of our winds. It is long enough now that I tend to shut it in doors on windy days if it is not braided. Ouch.

belly_dancer · 09-25-2007, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shanazel

I used to sit in the back of the classroom in Organic Pesticides (the dullest class ever invented except for Ag Economics) and trim my split ends with my swiss army knife, one by one. Kept me sane.

I can't wear my hair up for more than a few hours because it hurts my head. I usually braid it if I want to keep it from blowing into a two foot tangle in some of our winds. It is long enough now that I tend to shut it in doors on windy days if it is not braided. Ouch.

SHHHEEEESHHHHH are we ALWAYS on the same page..... lately (esp. in bed....) I have been thinking I need to braid my hair......
unfortunately...
it seems to be thinning....
so I have been thinking to braid it so it does not tangle MORE & break off..... (plus, growing up, my grandma always braided her hair at night.... NO we are NOT THAT OLD!!!!)

NORMALLY during the day, I ALWAYS keep it tied up... only letting it down to dance

.. (& in the winter, when I am cold!!!!)
I used to use "hair panties" = those fabric pony elastics... but someone told me that the stress on the roots causes hair to thin.?
so for the past year or so, I have been addicted to hair sticks (or ball point pens for that matter.... but those are murder on anything put on or off over your head!!!).. & hair sticks not so good in bed.... if you have a man/child/cat/dog or anyone else who may creep up next to you in the dark!

!
so maybe soon I will be braiding!!!

Farasha Hanem · 10-06-2007, 03:28 AM

I'm new to bellydance, and did not realize audience preference has some influence on how long/short a dancer's hair should be. However, as a former hair stylist, I can say that your hair is your hair; wear it the way you like it. As some other members have already suggested, if you know in advance what venue your audience will be, if you have short hair, you can always go with wigs or extensions. The "long and short of it," though (sorry for being "punny"

), no matter what your hair length, choose a style that you like and is flattering for you, and keep your hair healthy. Unhealthy tresses will detract from your God-given beauty; take it easy with the electric appliances (hair dryer, curling iron, etc.), don't fry your hair with too many chemical treatments (perms, coloring, etc.), and use a good shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. Also, have your hair professionally trimmed on a regular basis, no matter what your length, to rid the ends of splits and to control breakage. Brush/comb your hair starting at the ends and work your way gently up, and never use a brush on wet hair; use a wide-tooth detangling comb instead. I hope this advice helps.

Oh! By the way, I just recalled an incident years ago when I was still a student in cosmetology college. I had a client one day who was from India, and her long hair was shiny healthy, and smelled wonderful. She told me that she used coconut oil on it every day, but she didn't elaborate on how exactly she used it. Anyone familiar with coconut oil as a hair care product?

Oh...my...gosh...I didn't realize this topic was 11 pages long!! AAAHHHH!!!! I've missed reading SEVERAL posts!!!! Whoops...where's the "embarrassed" smilie? o_O;;;

gisela · 10-06-2007, 09:02 AM

haha, that's ok, don't worry. You gave some good advice. I agree with you, the hair question is the same as regarding costumes, wear what you feel comfortable in and it will show that you feel good about yourself.

I used to "fry" my hair in colouring and that was ok as long as I had fairly short hair. Then my hair got long and i kind of continued my hair-abuse/experimentation without thinking. Suddenly it just got really bad in the ends and when i finally went to a proffessional ( after 10 years!), she told me off and cut 12 centimeters off that she said was "dead"

Now I'm so much more careful about my hair, but also have a health and environmental perspective on the bad chemicals in hair-colours.

Moon · 10-06-2007, 09:04 AM

Wow Newbiedancer, you sound like an excellent hair stylist to me

. Wish you were located in my town

.
I haven't used coconut oil myself yet, but I've heard about people doing it. Quite a lot of people with very long hair apply some kind of oil on their ends in very tiny amounts to keep it from drying out.

Farasha Hanem · 10-07-2007, 03:46 AM

Thank you, gisela and Moon.

Much of what I've learned has come from practical experience as well as professional; my own hair is down to my hips, but that's because I've had long hair for the most part of my life---it's what I prefer on myself. My hair is thick, coarse, and curly, so it tends to break easily. I tend to "spoil" my hair like a well-loved brat.

Nexxus and Tresseme were my two favorite salon brands when I worked in the shop, and Pantene and Garnier Fructis are my two favorite retail brands; they're very good for my hair type. I have to admit, I do color my hair, but I apply it to the new growth only, and don't "pull" the color down to the ends of my hair like the directions say to do; this saves the rest of the hair from being over-processed. At my age (46), I probably should consider giving up hair color, but although I've noticed my skin has lost some of its elasticity, I don't have wrinkles yet, so I'm still not quite ready to show my silver just yet; I'm having too much fun seeing people's jaws drop to the floor in disbelief when I tell them how old I really am.

Mya · 10-22-2007, 06:51 PM

that coconut oil thing i think is a very indian thing - my grandmother still does it - my mother used to put it in my hair and i know alot of people of indian decent that do as well.
it keeps the hair pretty moist but you have to be careful because it can be gross if you tend to sweat alot and many coconut oils have a very very strong scent

10-06-2007, 03:28 AM	#104 (permalink)
Farasha Hanem Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: In the heartland of the USA Posts: 615	I'm new to bellydance, and did not realize audience preference has some influence on how long/short a dancer's hair should be. However, as a former hair stylist, I can say that your hair is your hair; wear it the way you like it. As some other members have already suggested, if you know in advance what venue your audience will be, if you have short hair, you can always go with wigs or extensions. The "long and short of it," though (sorry for being "punny" ), no matter what your hair length, choose a style that you like and is flattering for you, and keep your hair healthy. Unhealthy tresses will detract from your God-given beauty; take it easy with the electric appliances (hair dryer, curling iron, etc.), don't fry your hair with too many chemical treatments (perms, coloring, etc.), and use a good shampoo and conditioner for your hair type. Also, have your hair professionally trimmed on a regular basis, no matter what your length, to rid the ends of splits and to control breakage. Brush/comb your hair starting at the ends and work your way gently up, and never use a brush on wet hair; use a wide-tooth detangling comb instead. I hope this advice helps. Oh! By the way, I just recalled an incident years ago when I was still a student in cosmetology college. I had a client one day who was from India, and her long hair was shiny healthy, and smelled wonderful. She told me that she used coconut oil on it every day, but she didn't elaborate on how exactly she used it. Anyone familiar with coconut oil as a hair care product? Oh...my...gosh...I didn't realize this topic was 11 pages long!! AAAHHHH!!!! I've missed reading SEVERAL posts!!!! Whoops...where's the "embarrassed" smilie? o_O;;; Last edited by Farasha Hanem; 10-06-2007 at 03:37 AM.

10-06-2007, 09:02 AM	#105 (permalink)
gisela Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Denmark Posts: 944	haha, that's ok, don't worry. You gave some good advice. I agree with you, the hair question is the same as regarding costumes, wear what you feel comfortable in and it will show that you feel good about yourself. I used to "fry" my hair in colouring and that was ok as long as I had fairly short hair. Then my hair got long and i kind of continued my hair-abuse/experimentation without thinking. Suddenly it just got really bad in the ends and when i finally went to a proffessional ( after 10 years!), she told me off and cut 12 centimeters off that she said was "dead" Now I'm so much more careful about my hair, but also have a health and environmental perspective on the bad chemicals in hair-colours. __________________ You need chaos in your soul to create a dancing star-nietzsche

09-25-2007, 12:55 AM	#102 (permalink)
Shanazel Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Rocky Mountains USA Posts: 4,654	I used to sit in the back of the classroom in Organic Pesticides (the dullest class ever invented except for Ag Economics) and trim my split ends with my swiss army knife, one by one. Kept me sane. I can't wear my hair up for more than a few hours because it hurts my head. I usually braid it if I want to keep it from blowing into a two foot tangle in some of our winds. It is long enough now that I tend to shut it in doors on windy days if it is not braided. Ouch.

10-06-2007, 09:04 AM	#106 (permalink)
Moon V.I.P. Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 3,631	Wow Newbiedancer, you sound like an excellent hair stylist to me . Wish you were located in my town . I haven't used coconut oil myself yet, but I've heard about people doing it. Quite a lot of people with very long hair apply some kind of oil on their ends in very tiny amounts to keep it from drying out.

10-07-2007, 03:46 AM	#107 (permalink)
Farasha Hanem Moderator Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: In the heartland of the USA Posts: 615	Thank you, gisela and Moon. Much of what I've learned has come from practical experience as well as professional; my own hair is down to my hips, but that's because I've had long hair for the most part of my life---it's what I prefer on myself. My hair is thick, coarse, and curly, so it tends to break easily. I tend to "spoil" my hair like a well-loved brat. Nexxus and Tresseme were my two favorite salon brands when I worked in the shop, and Pantene and Garnier Fructis are my two favorite retail brands; they're very good for my hair type. I have to admit, I do color my hair, but I apply it to the new growth only, and don't "pull" the color down to the ends of my hair like the directions say to do; this saves the rest of the hair from being over-processed. At my age (46), I probably should consider giving up hair color, but although I've noticed my skin has lost some of its elasticity, I don't have wrinkles yet, so I'm still not quite ready to show my silver just yet; I'm having too much fun seeing people's jaws drop to the floor in disbelief when I tell them how old I really am.

10-22-2007, 06:51 PM	#108 (permalink)
Mya Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Trinidad Posts: 594	that coconut oil thing i think is a very indian thing - my grandmother still does it - my mother used to put it in my hair and i know alot of people of indian decent that do as well. it keeps the hair pretty moist but you have to be careful because it can be gross if you tend to sweat alot and many coconut oils have a very very strong scent