Have you ever wondered why it is that in general, around the world, men wear their hair short, while women wear it long? Yes, fashions come and fashions go, and in the 21st century there is undoubtedly a fashion for some men to wear their hair longer, but you will still see the vast majority of men with short hair. Even those who choose to grow a beard these days will often wear it very short – in some cases looking more like stubble.
Women, by contrast, generally wear their hair long and are proud to display long, glowing locks, even though some stars have recently adopted what is known as the pixie look. Katy Perry recently opted for this, as have Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams, but most girls still go for the long look.
In centuries past, some men wore their hair long. English kings wore their hair long for a time, and so did the Vikings. In some cultures only slaves wore their hair short as they were forced to do so, but in general men have worn their hair short.
The answer to why men wear their hair short can be summed up in one word: battle. If you have long hair it is a huge disadvantage when you are in close combat, as an enemy can grab your hair and turn your head or pull it back to expose your neck to a sword, or can easily throw you to the ground. The consequences may be injury, death, or defeat, but by wearing their hair short men had an advantage on the battlefield. Yes, the Vikings chose to wear their hair long, perhaps in order to demonstrate their bravery despite the risks, but then the Vikings died out.
The women, of course, were not out on the battlefield so could wear their hair long and display their beautiful tresses when their weary men traipsed home from war. This is the most logical explanation for the difference, and why most women love that longer look.
Of course, while many girls really want to have long hair there can be problems. It’s a fact that in some people their hair simply won’t grow past a certain point. They may want it down to their middle back, but it just refuses to grow past shoulder length. Other girls find that their hair simply won’t grow as thick and voluminous as they would like it to be. Still others may find that their hair starts thinning even though they may only be in their twenties. (In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology has reported that 40% of women have noticeably thinning hair by the age of 40).
For these people the 21st century has come up with a very simple answer: clip-in human hair extensions. You can buy hair extensions that clip in and are made from real human hair. There are parts of the world that are still extremely poor compared to Western civilisation, and where girls are willing and happy to sell their long hair for some extra money. Some of them will grow it and sell it on many occasions while they are still able to.
This hair is then made into hair extensions that clip into your existing hair and create a look that is instantly longer and fuller. Clipping the extensions in takes only a matter of minutes once you have got the hang of it which means that you can wear your hair your normal length for most of the time, and then create that stunning long look for a special night out, your daughter’s wedding, your husbands annual company dinner, or any other occasion where you really want your hair to stand out.
Once you have those extensions in there are many things that you can do with them. You can sweep them up into a bun on top of your head. You could braid them and plait them. You can also use clip-ins as highlights or low lights to create another special look. You can really do anything that you could think of if it was your own hair.