Is having long hair with receding temples a good idea?

[TerrySmith94]

I've always wanted long hair but because of my hairline I've always been put off and I normally can't be asked to wait for it to grow. I've had kinda long hair before but I want my hair to touch down near my eyebrows and it was only half way because I have quite a big forehead and whenever it was windy my hair would blow and my receding temples would stick out and I would get gaps because their is no hair there.
I'll love to have long hair but I'm not sure if I can because of my hairline (picture inserted) what would you guys reccomend? A shaved look?

 

[SayifDoit]

I'm similar to you I've always wanted long hair, only reason I've never bothered because the past couple years (including pre-recession) I'd always been extremely careless and just plain awful at looking after my hair. I was such a moron I would always use way too much shampoo and never properly wash it out, followed by tons of product in my hair and left in for weeks and weeks. Leading to some of the worst hair possible, I'd turn to cutting it all off because it would be so frustrating dealing with crappy hair. I think having long hair can be good for some, even people afflicted with male pattern baldness. I would go for it if you can. Of course if you are suffering from aggressive male pattern baldness I wouldn't bother...

 

[TerrySmith94]

I'm similar to you I've always wanted long hair, only reason I've never bothered because the past couple years (including pre-recession) I'd always been extremely careless and just plain awful at looking after my hair. I was such a moron I would always use way too much shampoo and never properly wash it out, followed by tons of product in my hair and left in for weeks and weeks. Leading to some of the worst hair possible, I'd turn to cutting it all off because it would be so frustrating dealing with crappy hair. I think having long hair can be good for some, even people afflicted with male pattern baldness. I would go for it if you can. Of course if you are suffering from aggressive male pattern baldness I wouldn't bother...

I'm the same, I always say I'll grow my hair then I get it cut, like for instance I'm thinking of growing it now but I got it cut less than a week ago! When I did have long hair though it would always blow and leave gaps that I thought were bald spots was very annoying, I want to grow it out and try but I always hate how my hair looks when it's not spiked and waititng ages just for my hairline to mess it up

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I used to get a haircut then let it grown out for months until it was really long, and then cut it short again. My temples have been slightly receded to a Norwood 2.5-2.75 for like 7 years now -- I'm fairly certain I was a Norwood 2 by about 13 -- but anytime my hair was long I could part it down the middle, and the long hair on each side of the part would easily cover up the recession especially given that I have curly hair. I never could slick it backward like I wanted to though because my hairline would then be on full display. It wasn't until my hair on the top of my scalp started to get thin that I realized long hair could no longer be in my hairstyle repertoire.

Moral of the story, the more receded your hairline gets and/or the thinner your top gets, long hair becomes an increasingly bad hairstyle choice. Stick with short to medium lengths that can be combed forward. You can borrow hair from the longer fringe areas, and that is a much more effective way to cover up a receding hairline. Once the vertex gets thinner, though, you pretty much have to stick exclusively to buzz cuts.

 

[mr the hairy monkey]

I would say without any doubts that this is a brilliant idea , I have seen many actors' pictures with both medium / short length hair and long hair and I can tell you that it somehow creates a deceiving effect regarding their recession.

just look it up , you'll see for yourself.

here is 3 of them , with a NW2 pattern I would say.

Thomas Jane
Toby Stephens
Ray Winstone

edit : don't bother looking for the photos , here are perfect examples

 

[GoldenMane]

Absolutely, it can look good. I'm a NW2 by most of the Norwood scales, though some people here even say a possible NW3. Most people don't even know I have hair loss or receded temples because of my longer hair. It does of course depend on hair thickness, texture and the degree of recession/hairline, but for a lot of guys, it really can be an improvement. In theory it's the same as a combover, growing hair longer to cover up balding areas, but it's much more socially acceptable and looks better...

You can see in these pics, the first is me showing my actual hairline (the others are just how my hair sits when i leave it down or tie it back. Only super tight essex facelift style ponytails really show the damage... I'd recommend anyone with a similar level (NW2-3) to give it a shot, you might be surprised how good it can look.

Actually, my hairline is not dissimilar to yours OP, with the finasteride it got volume so even pulled back taut like in the photo, the forelock looks wider than it actually is, but the actual hairline is quite similar. Are you on finasteride/minoxidil yet?

 

[TerrySmith94]

Absolutely, it can look good. I'm a NW2 by most of the Norwood scales, though some people here even say a possible NW3. Most people don't even know I have hair loss or receded temples because of my longer hair. It does of course depend on hair thickness, texture and the degree of recession/hairline, but for a lot of guys, it really can be an improvement. In theory it's the same as a combover, growing hair longer to cover up balding areas, but it's much more socially acceptable and looks better...

You can see in these pics, the first is me showing my actual hairline (the others are just how my hair sits when i leave it down or tie it back. Only super tight essex facelift style ponytails really show the damage... I'd recommend anyone with a similar level (NW2-3) to give it a shot, you might be surprised how good it can look.

Actually, my hairline is not dissimilar to yours OP, with the finasteride it got volume so even pulled back taut like in the photo, the forelock looks wider than it actually is, but the actual hairline is quite similar. Are you on finasteride/minoxidil yet?

Your hairstyle is exactly I want to have a ponytail and long enough to cover the gaps, awesome! How long did it take you to grow it that long mate? Obviously my hair could grow at a slower rate but it's so I have a rough estimate

as for any finasteride/minoxidil no I'm not does that help? I've never heard of them, they expensive?

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I would say without any doubts that this is a brilliant idea , I have seen many actors' pictures with both medium / short length hair and long hair and I can tell you that it somehow creates a deceiving effect regarding their recession.

just look it up , you'll see for yourself.

here is 3 of them , with a NW2 pattern I would say.

Thomas Jane
Toby Stephens
Ray Winstone

edit : don't bother looking for the photos , here are perfect examples

thanks for the reply mate, them longer styles look good I'm going to give it a try and just grow it out!

 

[GoldenMane]

You're NOT on on finasteride and minoxidil? Get on them ASAP! No they're not expensive at all, generic proscar and kirkland minoxidil and you're looking at something in the region of < £250 a year. Anyone can afford that. If you get on them your hair will thicken up and you'll regrow some hair. Do it RIGHT NOW, start growing your hair out and I bet you'll look really good!

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I don't know how long, I hadn't cut my hair in 4 years before I got on finasteride, it used to be half way down my back, since starting finasteride and minoxidil I've kept it much shorter (chin to shoulder length) I'm guessing somewhere between 1-2 years. minoxidil makes your hair grow faster. Windy days still suck, it doesn't look so good with exposed temples, but if you wear a hat or tie it in a pony tail it's okay.

 

[TerrySmith94]

You're NOT on on finasteride and minoxidil? Get on them ASAP! No they're not expensive at all, generic proscar and kirkland minoxidil and you're looking at something in the region of < £250 a year. Anyone can afford that. If you get on them your hair will thicken up and you'll regrow some hair. Do it RIGHT NOW, start growing your hair out and I bet you'll look really good!

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I don't know how long, I hadn't cut my hair in 4 years before I got on finasteride, it used to be half way down my back, since starting finasteride and minoxidil I've kept it much shorter (chin to shoulder length) I'm guessing somewhere between 1-2 years. minoxidil makes your hair grow faster. Windy days still suck, it doesn't look so good with exposed temples, but if you wear a hat or tie it in a pony tail it's okay.

Sounds good, I'll have a look! Yeah, wind is a reason I hate growing my hair long but I guess if it's in a ponytail that would help what about the frount though will that still blow in the wind?

 

[GoldenMane]

No, the front, or bangs, if long enough, just kind of rests on my ears before being held in place at the back where it's tied. It pretty much stays in place if it's tied down. I don't really like pony tails, I have a super wide and flat forehead so I prefer to wear my hear down, the wind is my enemy! But yeah, if I it back it pretty much stays in place. You don't need to strategically place your hair or style it, it pretty much covers temple recession on it's own without even trying. Obviously everyone is different, hair texture, growth direction (I have a slight cowlick on one side), thickness, ear height and position relative to your face all determine how it will look, but there's a good chance it could work very well for you. It's definitely worth trying, but anyone here will tell you this, finasteride is something EVERY guy with male pattern baldness should try, and minoxidil combined with finasteride results in quite good regrowth in most cases.

Look at Aragorn in LotR, in the last one he wears his hair up and you can really see his hairline, but it still looks really cool. Obv Viggo Mortensen is an older guy, but still a nice example of a guy somewhere between NW2 and 3 with cool longer hair.

 

[shreyaskini]

Well, CM Punk looked great with his long hairs. Dean Ambrose however looks very ugly. If you've got a huge seven head and if you're NW2.5-3 you shouldn't even think of it. It's all in the size of your forehead and how bad the recession is.

 

[GoldenMane]

I have a massive forehead man... Viggo does too, bigger than Dean Ambrose anyway. It really is a case by case deal, just try it and see if it works for you.

 

[Zerotide]

Dude thats a prosthetic in LotR...

 

[GoldenMane]

Yeah I know it's a wig, but actually, if you look at the LotR characters, they altered their hairlines very little. Viggo did Eastern Promise shortly after LotR. He pretty much has tHE same hairline as Aragorn. Hugo Weaving too, he's wearing a wig, but it's still his natural hairline. As a kid watching those films, it's funny, but I never though of Elrond as balding...