Short hair for men has long been the norm in the United States. Sure, a lot of men from the 60s onward have sported longer hair
. Most, however, did not. Others, facing pattern baldness, deal with that by going fully bald.
On average, hair grows about a half an inch a year. An individual human hair has a “life span” of two to six years, so the maximum hair length for an individual can range from one to three feet, though some people’s hair is longer-living and can grow their hair much longer.
I’ve tried growing my hair longer. The longest I’ve been able to deal with is almost all the way to the bottom of my ears. By that point—or, more often, long before—I get tired of dealing with the longer mop—combing it, the weight of it, the hair in my eyes—and go see Daryl, my barber of many decades. Maybe if it was straighter, I could let it grow longer. However, the longer more my hair gets, the more it curls and the more of a hassle it seems to be.
I generally only get it cut when it starts to annoy me. It varies between two to four months, I guess, between visits to the barber. Since March of 2020, during COVID, I’ve only had it cut three times.
Of course, now, my hair is grey instead of the dark brown in the picture as is the beard that I’ve almost always had since I was in the Navy in the early 70s—I’ve not been without a mustache since boot camp in the first part of 1972.
Hair – The Cowsills
She asks him why
“Why I’m a hairy guy?”
I’m hairy noon and nighty-night night
My hair is a fright
I’m hairy high and low
But don’t ask me why
‘Cause he don’t know
It’s not for lack of bread
Like the Grateful Dead
Darlin’
Gimme a head with hair
Long, beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there (Hair!)
Shoulder length or longer hair (Hair!)
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair (Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair!)
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home for the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for the buzzin’ bees (buzzin’ beeeeeeeesssss)
A nest for birds
There ain’t no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my…
Hair (Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair!)
Grow it, show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair
I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratsy, matsy
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!
Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair’s too short
Down to here
Down to there
Down to there?
Down to where?
It stops by itself
Don’t never have to cut it
‘Cause it stops by itself
Oh give me a head with hair
Long, beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming
Streaming, flaxen, waxen
Won’t you gimme it down to there (Hair!)
Shoulder length or longer (Hair!)
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy
Hair (Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair!)
Grow it
Show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair (Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair!)
Grow it
Show it
Long as I can grow it
My hair (Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair! Hair!)
Hair!
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I started keeping my beard in my late teens as a measure to prevent spread of acne and I have never been without one since except on two occasions due to our religious customs. I am almost totally bald on top and have a friar’s fringe which needs cutting every alternate month but, I too have had problems due to covid the last year and a half.
Lovely song and great lyrics.
Ramana Rajgopaul recently posted…How Is The New Normal Shaping Up For You?
The reasons I shaved my beard off were mostly work-related. There was a period where I often had to wear a respirator because of radiological protection requirements to go in some places at the plant. The beard supposedly interfered with the proper fit of the mask, increasing the possibility of air bypassing the respirator mask and filter. After I became a control room operator, I kept shaving cream and a razor in my filing cabinet drawer in the control room, just in case I need to go somewhere where I would need a respirator. Once I became an instructor, there were still times when I would go places where a respirator might be required when I participated in maintenance and refueling activities at the plant. All in all, though, I had a beard far more often than not.
Mike Goad recently posted…Hair