Friday 12 June 2015

Boys with long hair

Felix has had epic hair from the moment he was born.  He came out with a full head of dark hair which never rubbed off.  He had a bit of a quiff thing going on and whilst it grew and got thicker and curlier, it also got lighter. Not that unusual, it seems the way that often, if you are born with dark hair, it goes light and vice versa.

Apart from two trims of his fringe, Felix has never had a hair cut.  I love knowing that the curly ends of his hair are his original baby hair.  His hair has always been a talking point!


Recently I posted a lovely photo of Felix and his hair on Instagram and mentioned that I'm thinking it might be time for a cut.  I love his hair, I love it long, but I'm facing increasing pressure from some people to get it cut.  Also, his hair gets knotted and tangled and no matter what brushes I use and how much conditioner I put on, it still gets tangled.  He hates me going near it with a brush or a comb.  So, I was starting to think that it might be time for the chop.  There was a huge outpouring of "Nooooo! Don't cut his hair! I lurrrrrrrrrrrve it!" so I've had to think again.  Because, really, I don't want to cut it.

Boys with long hair


I've decided on different tactics.  I've done some research on natural detanglers - I'm very careful with what I put on the boys skin and hair.  I found that Lucy from Lulastic makes her own hair detangler.  Her's called for vegetable glycerin which I couldn't locate locally.  I believe you can buy it online but I wanted to make something to help now!  As veg glycerin is derived from veg oil I decided to substitute it with olive oil.  I'll let you know how it works.  If you'd like to make it yourself, it's easy peasy.  You need a spray bottle (you can buy them in Boots & Superdrug) and the following ingredients:

1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera Gel
4 tablespoons of boiled water
2 tablespoons of Jojoba Oil
1/2 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin (or in my case, olive oil!)

Shake them together in your spray bottle and spray on damp hair.

Natural hair detangler


The other thing I'm going to do is to introduce Felix to hairbands.  I think this will be quite tricky because he doesn't like anything on his head.  He won't wear a headband, he won't wear a hat, as I mentioned, he doesn't like his hair being brushed, and he doesn't like having a hairband being put in, even though I try to do it gently!  I'm putting one in for a short time most days though in the hope he gets used to it.  I want there to be an option for keeping his hair out of his face when it's really windy, or if he's eating something messy or his hair is just generally getting in the way.

Boy Bun, Man bun, Boys with Long Hair


What I'd like to know is are there any other parents of long haired boys reading?  What's your experience of it?  Unsurprisingly Felix is mistaken for a girl every single day.  I'm wondering how long he'll be able to keep it long.  Can boys have long hair at school?  I'm sure that there aren't any rules on boys not being allowed to have long hair at school, but you rarely see it.  Am I setting Felix up for bulling by letting his hair grow long?

It goes without saying that the second he wants to have it cut, I will say yes.  I'm not going to force him to have long hair.  I hope though, that along with the embracing of all colours of clothing, and playing with dolls as much as trains that he'll be strong and be able to face any negatives having long hair may throw at him.

4 comments:

  1. Sarah MumofThree World12 June 2015 at 22:36

    This is a very interesting read. I've been there with long-haired boys (twice). We let my eldest's hair grow when he was 2 and had it cut just before he started school. As a very pretty boy, he was always mistaken for a girl. When he was in year 6 and his brother was in year 3, they both had long hair and, again, my eldest was mistaken for a girl. He had it cut just before starting secondary school. I blogged about it back in 2012 http://mumofthreeworld.com/2012/08/hair.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love his hair. :)
    I don't have any experience with younger boys with long hair. As a middle school/junior high teacher, I will say that any one thing that makes a student (male or female) different from his/her peers puts him/her in the front line for bullying. Of course, it all depends on their personalities, too. Some of the "popular" boys could probably rock long hair and no one would make a peep. If the boy is more bashful, quiet, and doesn't have as much confidence, he might fall victim. Of course, you are a LONG ways from middle school (LOVE the 2 shirt!) so I say let him enjoy his beautiful hair for as long as you/he want it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bex @ The Mummy Adventure13 June 2015 at 20:32

    He has gorgeous hair! I have let both my big two grow theirs longer than is traditional for boys but not as long as Felix. Archie is now refusing to have his hair cut and part of me thinks it should be his decision. I don't know whether to force it (he won't even let me do his fringe), or to try and clip the fringe out the way and leave him to it. I would leave it if I was you, and wait until he can choose how he wants it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Theygrowsoquick17 June 2015 at 16:54

    Well as you know Seb has a long mane of hair and Alex is catching up though his is quite fine still. They are always mistaken for girls and I find it really bizarre as long hair on boys isn't a new thing! Sebastian is 4.5 now and I actually have him booked in at the hairdressers tomorrow, not sure what we are having done to it yet!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for leaving me a comment! I appreciate every one!