Photo: Sveta Y / Shutterstock
Ancient humans got it all started.
By Paula Mooney — Last updated on Feb 23, 2023
Men, on average, like a woman to have long, flowing hair. We get it. It’s primal, supposedly.
Back in the caveman days, a man could see a woman that he liked and grab her by the hair and drag her away.
Thankfully, that kind of behavior would garner a jail sentence (or worse) these days for a guy attempting such "He-Man-ish" tactics when dating but the thought process hasn't changed much.
Men tend to like a woman with long hair because it makes her look more womanly, distinctive from a man, and vulnerable — just like when women wear high heels to highlight the shapeliness of their calves.
It's about the feminine appeal.
In pursuit of gorgeous, long locks
This being the case, women like me have spent thousands of dollars on 100 percent human hair weaves to get that long hair look.
Other women have sought treatments to regrow their hair and engaged in any number of processes to restore what the Bible calls a woman's "crowning glory" — that is, our hair.
Indeed, it has been said that if your hair doesn’t look right, everything can be a bit off and that’s probably not just because I’m a member of a race that tends to obsess over women’s hair.
I know a woman who said we African-American women tend to obsess over our hair whilst Caucasian women obsess over their bodies, but I’ve found both theories to be true at times.
What I do to help my hair grow longer
My latest kick involves a study about natural ingredients and hair growth.
One study by the JAMA Network showed how a group of people with alopecia mixed a concoction of grape seed oil and jojoba oils as their carrier oils then added drops of pure essential lavender oil, thyme oil, cedarwood oil, and rosemary oil as the active hair-growing ingredients.
They rubbed that combination of oils on their scalps for at least two minutes every day for seven months.
They also used heat to help the oil absorb better. The results were pretty amazing for one guy, whose hair really grew back fully.
No matter what, the active group’s hair grew back better than the control group, who only received the carrier oils.
After reading that study, I headed off to my local health store to mix up my own concoction of oils and added those to a regimen that already included the "oil cleansing method" of cleaning my face with oil.
It’s going well, and I added drops of peppermint oil to the mix to help it smell lively and better and give it that extra "oomph" to the mix.
How I give myself the choice of longer hair
I, for one, love the look of longer hair, even though some women look super cute with short hair.
One time, I was watching a TV show that included a cute character with short hair. I kept thinking how much better long hair would look on her in order to hide slightly masculine features, like a strong neck.
Either way, I’m grateful for the chance to buy that 22-inch-long hair and rock it as I see fit.
More for You:
Paula Mooney is a writer whose essays and articles have been featured in national print magazines such as Writer's Digest, and in major online publications like Yahoo, Examiner, and more.